Why I want to duel in Madness and why I don't

[Hope]

With Madness around the corner I've been conflicted with two opposing feelings: I want to duel in Madness and I don't. Here's why:

I have dueled in Madness twice, once with two names and another with a more subtle approach. The event itself is quite fun- it's not hard to get one duel in over 10 days with little commitment, just a few emails and showing up. When you compare it to other dueling events it's fairly light and while it can be intense the deeper you get into it it's still just one duel at a time with only yourself at the helm. I also ran a Division one year and came up with a betting scheme that wasn't very popular but was fun to devise! I can safely look back at the time I've put into Madness and say that it's been well-spent and reciprocated.

So if my experiences have all been largely positive, why am I in flux? I am hesitant because the DoS Coordinator has given me ample reason to be. I trusted his dedication and commitment with the past season of Hydra, even though I had seen things from previous seasons I had participated in and prior to my joining, that were somewhat concerning. Unfortunately for me and other participants this faith wasn't rewarded. To date there still has not been an official post about the outcome of the season and I'm at a loss as to why or how that can be, but it is. His short tenure has been rife with both rash decisions, sometimes without evaluating feedback and then afterwards correcting itself, and his absence. His desire to fabricate ideas would be refreshing as it was with our past Coordinator, if he took part in the community discussions about them and in turn sought out our perspectives on the ideas before throwing them at us. Running events means seeing them through to the end. Dueling in events means committing to the play and the story and respecting those who contribute regardless of the outcome.

I have had a blast dueling in Madness in the past. I would like to do it again but my concern is that as has happened in the past myself and others will be discarded. I don't know if there's a right or wrong answer to this but these are my thoughts and I think they're shared by a few others. I'm not looking for a debate or to dissuade anyone from participating I just felt these concerns should be brought up and not sat upon.

[Mason]

I share your concerns as well, Queen. Thank you for posting them.

[Charlie Nine]

Queen, not the hero DoS needs, but the one it deserves.

[Delahada]

I'm not worried because the DoS Coordinator isn't the one running Madness, the Assistant Coordinator, Kalamere, is, and he's always run a good game. Not one sole person is ever really "in charge" of Madness anyway. There are always four Division Managers, and from my experience they've always run things efficiently. I think by choosing not to participate in protest because you have some issues with the DoS Coordinator you're more likely to make other participants suffer more than him.

Aside from that, from an IC standpoint I can't see why my character would not participate anyway. Sal's been trying to win it, or at least make it to the final four, for years. But hey. Without you in the competition I'd have a better chance! So...

[Harris]

It's good to see all your concerns were clearly addressed in the last 4 days before you decided to enter.

[Hope]

I don't owe you shit least of all an explanation.

[Harris]

It isn't about me though, it's about the community, remember?

[Luna Eva]

I shared, and continue to share, a lot of the feelings expressed in Hope's original post. I was pretty let down after Hydra, and then there were quite a few other things that came out of DoS leadership that have left me feeling frustrated.

I'm not connected to everyone on AIM, but in the days leading up to Hope's post there were a lot of negative comments on lifestream about Madness and DoS, including repeated calls for a boycott of Madness. While I shared some of the sentiments motivating those comments, I could not see how posting about it on lifestream would actually reach DoS leadership. And if the point of a boycott is to request change or send a message, then isn't it important to have that message made clear?

Also, the original post described conflicted feelings about whether or not to join. I think that left the door open to anyone posting, like Sal did, with some alternative views that might help Hope, and people like me, to reach a decision. I found Sal's perspective very helpful. Harris, your post was less helpful.

As far as I can tell, it does seem like Hope's post actually did lead to some change too. There has since been a public apology from Sylus regarding what happened with Hydra. That post gives me hope, for the first time, that my concerns are being heard and we might be moving in a positive direction. I don't need every single one of my concerns to be satisfied.

So, I'll just speak for myself and say I'm grateful for Hope's bringing the discussion to a place where the community can actually participate in it and where the concerns are being communicated to those who can address them.

[Harris]

If you're going to communicate your displeasure then you should also communicate when your concerns are resolved, especially if you're trying to speak for the community. If all it took was Sylus owning Hydra and resolving it appropriately to tip the scales then communicate that, exactly like you did, Eva. It swings both ways.

[Andrea Anderson]

As far as I can tell, it does seem like Hope's post actually did lead to some change too. There has since been a public apology from Sylus regarding what happened with Hydra.

Actually that was Claire's influence. Someone who reached out to Sylus and talked one on one with him, not post inflammatory things about him on an open board.

btw i'm not joining madness because I don't want to join madness. No wavering thoughts or feeling as if I have to do something for the community because the community is not held on a single persons shoulders. Anyone who feels compelled to do something to help the community while feeling burnt out or dislikes current predicaments are only going to hurt themselves in the longrun.

Join. Don't join. Who cares. Let the people who want to do Madness have fun with it, let the people who don't want to do Madness find their fun elsewhere. It's that simple. The same can be said for the game as a whole.

Honestly this thread only made me roll my eyes and not want to do madness more since it continues the idea that DoS is full of nothing but drama.

Good luck to those running and entering Madness. I hope all of you participating in it have a blast.

[Delahada]

Join. Don't join. Who cares. Let the people who want to do Madness have fun with it, let the people who don't want to do Madness find their fun elsewhere. It's that simple.

This 100%. Seriously.

[Hope]

A few days after I made this thread I made the conscious decision to participate in Madness. As I said above, I do enjoy the event and I realized that while I had reservations I should still support something that brings me and others fun. Sylus made efforts yesterday and addressed some of my concerns and for that I'm thrilled and it's certainly helped me with my support of Madness.

I feel that we should all be able to make our thoughts known and be heard as long as they are constructive. There's a fine line between criticism and malicious attacks on people and I'm content with my ability to keep the two separated.

Edit: Accidentally typed Hydra instead of Madness oops.

[Harris]

Is this my "less helpful" post paying dividends? Did it lead to some change that I should blindly take credit for? It certainly appears as though my point was received so I'll just pat myself on the back for a job well done enriching the community.