Interaction - both good and bad - is a foundational element of a
multiplayer game like Achaea. While SNUB has had a few small flaws since
its inception, over the past few months we've noticed an increased use
of the feature in ways that are not conducive to a multiplayer
environment. We're taking this opportunity to rework some aspects of the
system and its surrounding policies, so everyone is on the same page as
to why the functionality exists and what it does and does not provide.
Below are some changes, our expectations for players going forward, and
some guidelines that our administrative team will be using when
investigating harassment issues.

First and foremost, SNUB is gone! We're taking this opportunity to dump
the command and all of its associated baggage. In its place we now have
a similar, but more appropriate, command: IGNORE.

IGNORE <person> <reason> : Add someone to your ignore list. A
reason is required, but the other person
will not see the reason nor any other
message when he or she is ignored.
IGNORE LIST : List all people you are ignoring and
your reasons for ignoring them. You will
also see a list of anyone currently
ignoring you, but -not- their reasons.
UNIGNORE [<person>|ALL] : Remove someone (or everyone) from your
ignore list.

Secondly, all existing snubs have been wiped to facilitate the move to
this system. This will provide everyone with a clean slate. Please do
not take advantage of this to harass players who had you snubbed under
the old system.

So what has changed?
--------------------
We're taking things back to their root purpose. IGNORE does exactly
that, helps you literally ignore someone by blocking communication
attempts from a specific player. Think of it like turning off an in-game
channel that you don't want to listen to any more.

What it blocks
--------------
- SAYS
- TELLS
- MESSAGES
- EMOTES (Directed and not)
- TMOTES
- CLAN TELLS (CLT)
- PARTY TELLS (PT)
- YELLS
- SHOUTS
- Letters via the MAIL system.

What it doesn't block
---------------------
- CITY TELLS (CT)
- HOUSE TELLS (HT, HNT, HTS)
- News posts.
- Any form of repercussion from IC circumstances.

What happens if someone ignores me?
-----------------------------------
Nothing, really. Should you have outstanding contracts on that person,
they're still valid. If they're in an open PK area, they're still open
PK to you. You just can't talk/emote to them.

How do I make sure I'm not harassing someone?
---------------------------------------------
As always, it comes down to the golden rule: "don't be a jerk." Don't go
looking for reasons to attack someone where you normally wouldn't, and
be careful about going too far. Don't go out of your way to make someone
miserable.

Being ignored means the other person doesn't want anything further to do
with you, and you're better off just letting it drop at that. Be
judicious in using the few communication channels still open to you. If
you know someone is ignoring you, and you go ahead and try to find ways
to make them pay attention to you, you may be entering the harassment
arena, which may or may not result in the Administration's involvement.

What if someone is harassing me?
--------------------------------
Harassment is something we take very seriously, and it is our
expectation that you do too. If someone is annoying you, or you are
having a bad day and they are pushing your buttons, that's what IGNORE
is for.

It is impossible to make a list of every possible scenario that may or
may not be considered harassment, so we're not going to do that. HELP
HARASSMENT should cover it. So should HELP COMMON SENSE.

We will, however, offer a few cautions:

Do not issue frivolously, especially for harassment. Recall the story of
the boy who cried wolf, or look it up if you're not acquainted with
Aesop's works.

Do not abuse our willingness to help victims of harassment by trying to
get out of situations you have put yourself into, especially when it
comes to PK.

After having read this, if you have a valid case for harassment, please
file an ISSUE against the person to let us know. Because the IGNORE
command now requires a reason, we can take that information into account
should things progress to this point. Please provide as much additional
detail regarding the situation as possible, so our team can incorporate
that information into their deliberations.

Penned by My hand on the 23rd of Chronos, in the year 604 AF.