Policy Discussion: "Normal"

[MeMe]

I'm okay with leaving the rules as they are and simply enforcing them more strictly.

Any suggestions on how to do this?

My biggest concern is that changing the rules won't actually clear anything up... I think it'll just blur the lines somewhere else. For example, we'd have to make sure everybody knows what roles are "normal"....

There's the link mith provided in the first post of this queue, which is

also linked in the first post of the normal mini queue

. I'm not getting how any moderator DOESN'T know.

or how much flavor constitutes an actual "theme" (which is essentially the debate we're having right now).

mith's already answered this. Any flavor other than mafia flavor makes it themed.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Now, years ago, when we first split the mini queue in two, I disagreed with mith over what "theme" means. I thought that as long as the mechanics were straightforward and it wasn't based on source material (movie, book, etc) , it could be run as "normal." Basically, I'd categorize "Vegetable" and "School" mafia as normal because you don't need research those -- everyone is already familiar with the concepts.

But mith's "normal" vision is different than mine and

he's the boss

. Disagreeing is fine, ignoring rules because you disagree

isn't

.

[MeMe]

Erm.. you're missing my point. I agree with the current definitions because they are the easiest to make

clearly

defined. My point is that if we try to change the current definitions, we'll end up with all sorts of problems. Basically, Mith caught the general point of my post....

Indeed I did. Sorry about that.

[MeMe]

You should be able to take the basic structure of the game and just strip it of flavor, no?

[MeMe]

When I first started modding I asked MeMe whether I should mod my Berry Game in the Normal or Themed...

The way that it was explained to me:

A themed game is one in which a player may need

extensive knowledge

about the topic (for claims and such).

Such as a game based on a TV SHOW, BOOK or CARTOON.

I'm

pretty

sure this was both before we had two separate forums and before mith drew the line clearly -- but I'll not forget that you just tried to get me in trouble.

[MeMe]

There have been some brilliant Mini Normals; NabNab's 518 springs to mind

I agree that 518 was brilliant, but the flavor was not mafia... should it have been run in Little Italy?

This is the problem, it seems like allowances are made after the fact, if it was particularly good.

This was a game that NabNab asked about prior to the game and mith personally approved. What we were told is that it is a game where people are forced to

play

mafia -- is that not what happened?

And as for the "ask forgiveness, not permission" method -- it doesn't really work any more. Since mith put up this thread, I've been going out of my way to make sure that mini normal moderators understand that their games are to be either free of flavor or mafia/werewolf flavored (I approach each one when they're about four spaces from the top of the queue). If I see, by the game, that a first-time moderator has deliberately misled me when answering the questions, the game gets shut down. If it's possible there was simply a misunderstanding, the game

may

continue with flavor stripped out (but this has only happened once). If the moderator has the required experience to run a themed game, the game gets moved to Coney Island.

Of course, sometimes a moderator might get away with running a themed game in Little Italy. If you're one of these people, congratulations. You "win."