So that was random...

I belong to am a fairly regular poster on the Rpg.net forum site.

At least until today. Apparently I've been banned for two weeks.

Now let me explain something about Rpg.net's moderation policies.

Generally, personal attacks and the like are verboten. Making one will usually net you a warning unless it's fairly harsh. If you ignore the warning or said insult is bad enough to forgo a warning, then you might be banned for a day or so. Maybe a week if you tell someone their mother sucks cocks in hell* or something. People who keep getting banned get longer periods of time and can be permanently barred from the site. Again, this isn't set in stone...just generally how things go. It's a bit different from many places, but it makes the place relatively civil.

Unless of course you're me. Then apparently you get no warning and a two week ban for saying something that was basically snarky and perhaps a personal attack on anyone who was going to reply to a post I wrote in a particular manner I found really annoying. Not a nice thing to do, but far from talking about infernal maternal fellatio.

And yet... two weeks.

Huh.

I mean, I don't expect special treatment. So despite that I don't think I really went far enough for any ban, I can see how a short one might have been in order and don't really mind that. However, I'd really dig on consistent and fair treatment.

So when I see people tell people "You're a fucking tool" or something similar and get a week or less suspension I tend to think perhaps the place that banned me for two weeks doesn't want me around.

And hey, no big...it's a internet message board about gaming...not the State Bar Association. Just wish they'd said that 17,000 or so posts ago.

There's also the matter of the mod who banned me. The same guy who a few months back warned me off a something saying I'd been "repeatedly warned" about what I was allegedly doing. A bit of discussion later and we discovered that "repeatedly" meant once....over a year previous. Don't know if that encounter's directly related, but it kinda makes me wonder if the guy checked my record before going all crazy with the banning.

And in case anyone is wondering who is reading this I've never been banned there before in the 4 or so years I've been there and have only a handful of warnings that I can recall.

So yeah. Feeling real welcome there, rpg.net. I suppose I'll appeal this once I can actually get onto the regular forums in some way to get the email I need to appeal it (funny how that works) and see if they can reduce the ban to something that doesn't grate on me as terribly inconsistent.

Again, not so much because I can't live without talking about rpgs online for two weeks or because it's a violation of my rights.** Nope, just because I think any enforcement policies should be as consistent as they can be and the weird almost arbitrary nature of this grates on my sensibilities.

If not, then I don't think I'll be going back. Not a threat or anything, just not worth my time if when everyone else has to watch their step and behave I have to pay attention to what kind of shoes I'm wearing in addition.

* A nod of the hat to The Exorcist here.

** And in case anyone is wondering it's not, as a private site they can ban me since I like boxers instead of briefs if they want.