I didn't see this thread.  Excuse me if it's already been covered...

But I'm hoping that Staff members will be allowed to have PCs?  And Seattle will be getting rid of it's silly stasis Staffers-go-in-stasis rule?

Eh?

-CM

Hai..

PCs for all, there will of course be a double standard. Staff PCs should avoid being prats, power gamers, and all the other crap that make people hate staff PCs, that includes 'just playing the game better, honest!'. This does not exclude using their superior knowledge make for a better game experience, but geez, how subjective is that statement.

Don't expect a long winded policy about the dos and don't. Just know if there is an issue, they'll get involved in my staffer plot.
(It involves death)

I thought that was just part of being a Staff PC?? Well, that and being able to tab out of your PC window to use your staff bit to +sheet people in the same bar as you?

Next you're going to tell me you've installed a notify command in the +sheet command, too, eh?

Ridiculous.

-CM

If you're going to pick a fight with someone in a bar because you +sheet'd them and think you can take them. I pretty much classify that as being a prat, but no... no notify on +sheeting. That just make everyone.. paranoid..... hrm...

Alright, fair enough.

Now, more importantly, what if you had your, umm... 'friend' +sheet them, and they pretty much made it clear that you could take them?  Does that mean it's alright to wait until they say something you decide goes against your viewpoint of the world, and violently berate them until you think you can justify a firefight?

I mean, hypothetically, of course.

-CM

Also, theres the question of seeing someone elses sheet just through the course of the game, and then knowing it just coincidentally.

But oooh.  I could have a PC, eh...? *ponders*

Personally I've seen plenty of MU*s where staffers were allowed PCs. And such a system worked just fine. Sure there were the odd cases of abuses. But generally with a good staff such things are squashed quickly and rather permanently.

Besides. I know that while I like to run RPGs for people (For example I'm running a TT game currently for some folks) I like to play too damit. Some people enjoy doing nothing but running plots for people. But I'm all for letting our staffers get to play the game they help run once in a while too.

I'm all for staff having PC's personally. I find it helps stop burnout and it shouldn't be an issue with a good bunch of staffers. IF someone slips through the cracks, they should be stomped in a rather 'get out of here and don't come back' sort of way. I trust staff to not abuse their position in running plots, I trust them not to abuse players with their PC's.

Of course, staff should never +judge or preside over a plot that their PC is involved in.

That is the golden rule.

Yes, yes. We all know what Staff should and shouldn't do.

Question is, what should and shouldn't the players do? No one can ever agree on that one....

Anyways, having staffed on a MUSH that allowed Staffers to have PCs, I can say this. You don't get a lot of time to play your PC when you are a Staffer. Why? Cause you are constantly working! Players are always begging: 'Run a scene for us!' 'Do my queues!' 'I wet myself, change me!' Its never ending.

I really wouldn't worry about Staff PCs cheating. Its too easy to catch them doing it cause everyone is watching them.

-Hades, coding monkeys to bite your ears off.

Fortunately, NS will not be run by the Denver admins whose rule on staff PC's cheating is:

1) Make a big public scene about firing them

2) Take them back if they really apologize a lot after a time-out in the corner. 

3)  Preferably let them back on with a new @name, and then let them change it back once they've been back long enough to "prove" that they've reformed.

4) Lather, rinse, repeat...

Since our staff are all angels with halos, ie 0:-)  we have nothing to worry about.  And since our director has a brain and a pulse, unlike this here zombie (x_x)  or certain leaders of a certain MUX that starts with D, we won't be using the above rules for staff abuse 

Wait wait. your calling SR: Seattles Admin Angels? I think you mean fallen angels

Certainly Melkir and a few others have some rightiously nasty twists in their plots. This I equate with them being 'cool' admin. But not angels. Deamons more like it, but it would be a much less interesting MU* without SR's sadistic twisted plot running staff.

A-FRICKEN-MEN

Anyways...Company Man...could we atleast try to be a little less paranoid?  Just a tad?  pwease?

Personaly I'm all for staff having PC's.  We all need to get away and play a little now and then.  Why should we force them to give up enjoying playing the game because they've decided to volunteer their time to help run the game for us?  Nah.  They should be allowed to have PC's.  They should know better on what they should and should not do with their admin powers, and if they're found abusing them they should be removed from staff.  As long as the top admins are up for actualy enforcing things like that I have 0 problems with this

Huh?

-CM

I am glad that this topic came up.  Why?  Cause its really a big shining example of the same ol' problems every MU* has had since the beginning of time.  Or, so we think.

I've staffed on MU*s that allowed PCs, didn't allow PCs for staff that is, and in all those many many many situations I've never seen it help staff burnout issues.  Probably, assomeone mentioned earlier, staff don't often get to play their PCs.  In fact, when I see a lot of staff on a MU* playing their PCs and there's tons of work to be done for the MUX I get a little concerned.  Its great and all that they wanna take a break, but all of them at the same TIME?  No way, that usually puts the burden of 2000 queues on one person's shoulders, and running tons of plots and such.  As many know from other SR MU*s that like 10% of the staff often are doing 90% of the work, while the others just BS around and do half-ass work.

That's not always been true, most MU*s start off with a very effective, useful, and active staff.  I like Staff-PCs cause I'm A) Not paranoid, I set my default +sheet permissions to allow anyone to view it at any time.  If that code doesn't exist, I will freely talk about my stats all over the place.  Unconcerned.  I don't care if its a PVP MU* or a carebear one.  Doesn't matter to me, I like to share my character and show off what I did this time, and hopefully I get to see lots of other +sheets in the process.  Its fun to look at.  B) I like the idea of PCs more than NPCs often, cause I get to focus all that growing potential and RP ideas into one outlet instead of the entirety of the game world.  That's just a different sort of fun for me, GM vs. Player.  Ya know?  So I want staff to have this ability cause if EVER I became staff I'd want it too.

The only problem with Staff PCs, is that it opens up the potential of a MUX where staff run plots for staff.  They use their PCs to enter into all the choice runs that they know about, can work towards getting into, and may just be friends with the other peeps so they ask (like we would on bboards if we knew about them ahead of time), "Hey, Wednesday when you run that thing, you think I could hop on with my PC?"  And the other staffer is of course friendly and nods their head in approval.  Why not?  It doesn't seem like such a big deal, and it isn't.  Its just that it can lead to something more, and that's it.  Sometimes though, players aren't very active so you play a game with whomever is around and that might give off the impression that the MUX is staff plots for Staff PCs-Only!  When it actually isn't.

I don't really concern myself with who knows what.  Staff know more, than players.  That's final.  But, staff tend to have been doing this staffing thing a loooong time, and are much less prone to utilizing OOC information for IC purposes (except in the wonderful situations where it garners more fun for everyone!).  So, yay for Staff PCs.  Yay for thinking about stuff.  Annnnnd, yay for my cat licking his ass for the past 20 minutes...!!!!   

Was commenting on the fact that the comments above sound incredibly paranoid...