Is there a way to post an anonymous thread on the boards?


Pathfinder Society


There are certain issues I would like to discuss with the PFS community.

In the past, myself and others have tried to bring problems to the attention of the community with the intent to improve its atmosphere or other aspects.

Several times I've seen someone try to do this, and even with the best intentions they get torn apart by accusations, as well as generally unpleasant and unproductive discussion.

A couple years ago I tried to ask for some perspective on a communication issue I had during a game. But by doing so, I, apparently, implicitly put my area in a negative light, completely unintentionally. I faced real-life consequences for this, despite leaving out names and dates.

Even this post I am wording very carefully as to not offend anyone.

Is there a way for me to present controversial issues without it reflecting negatively on myself or anyone else?

5/5 5/55/55/5

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Ask a friend to start an account and post for you?

You're not allowed to have 2 accounts.

I'd just say what you have to say and then try to keep it civil. If someone wants to toss you off their table for a disagreement that doesn't amount to yelling you probably didn't want to game with them in the first place.

A good segment of the geek population (whistles innocently) is known for very ... spirited arguments of just about everything. You really can't say "I like chocolate" without being accused of being insensitive towards people with diabetes and out to kill dogs. Trying to make a more poignant case is going to get some blowback.

One of the problems from that thread had (recently) been addressed at the time. Another was implimented later than expected in the form of faction cards. The problems brought up there were addressed.

1/5

If you have things you want posted, message me and I'll post them for you.

5/5 5/55/55/5

I think that ship has sailed 90. Anything you (or anything anyone ELSE) posts semi annonymously is going to lead back to you quickly. Its kind of like asking "Hey! anyone know where i can get a ski mask?" and then you see someone wearing one a few minutes later.


The thing is, I left PFS for.... reasons. I am now considering deleting my Paizo account and leaving behind Pathfinder altogether, as ALL my attempts to put together a playgroup have failed. I've spent a lot of money and time on Pathfinder, and I really don't want to leave it behind.

After the thread I made, a.... person, stopped talking to me for months. It was an innocent question that didn't mention anyone. It was poorly conceived and a bit immature(I made it in my teens), but the backlash was literally impossible for me to have known. I was just asking a question.

After that personal experience, I am not eager to make that particular mistake again.

I am not willing to return to PFS until certain... things, are dealt with. I want to at least do my best to personally come to terms with the... things if I cant change them in any way.

Shadow Lodge 4/5

If you have been having issues with PFS, I would suggeast contacting your local venture officer (who can be found on these verypages - if you have problems finding it message me and I will provide a link).

If your problem is with your local venture officer, contact Mike Brock.

I am very curious about your issue on putting together a play group. I have found PFS and other organized play systems to be great way to meet other gamers and to form other play groups.

Without more information on the issues that you face I do not see how these boards can help you and if you are already considering leaving it all behind what would you really be risking by just stating your concerns clearly and publicly?

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
IQuarent wrote:

The thing is, I left PFS for.... reasons. I am now considering deleting my Paizo account and leaving behind Pathfinder altogether, as ALL my attempts to put together a playgroup have failed. I've spent a lot of money and time on Pathfinder, and I really don't want to leave it behind.

After the thread I made, a.... person, stopped talking to me for months. It was an innocent question that didn't mention anyone. It was poorly conceived and a bit immature(I made it in my teens), but the backlash was literally impossible for me to have known. I was just asking a question.

After that personal experience, I am not eager to make that particular mistake again.

I am not willing to return to PFS until certain... things, are dealt with. I want to at least do my best to personally come to terms with the... things if I cant change them in any way.

Social activities are a two way street. For that matter so is trust. You hint at "things" but you're not giving anyone any opening, any information, that can offer anyone an insight to help you.

And quite frankly, maybe this venue isn't the place for such disclosure.

You need to talk to someone about the issues you have. If you know someone in the community you may start there, otherwise I'd suggest that if you don't have the current campaign guide, download it and open up a conversation with your nearest Venture Officer. Their emails are listed in the back of this guide. Or start a private thread with someone you trust here.

Whichever way you go, I hope it works out.


LazarX wrote:

Social activities are a two way street. For that matter so is trust. You hint at "things" but you're not giving anyone any opening, any information, that can offer anyone an insight to help you.

And quite frankly, maybe this venue isn't the place for such disclosure.

Eric Brittain wrote:
Without more information on the issues that you face I do not see how these boards can help you and if you are already considering leaving it all behind what would you really be risking by just stating your concerns clearly and publicly?

The lack of information is intentional, exaggerated, in fact.

The last time I tried mentioning an issue that involved other implied individuals related to the PFS community it went badly because I implicitly represented my area negatively(I removed the area from my profile, but it was too late). The question was about the fault of a miscommunication, with the preemptive acknowledgement that the fault may have been mine(it was). But apparently it led people to think the ....other person was bad, and the said individual took offense to that even though no one actually knew who it was that I was referring to. I included no identifying information whatsoever, so I didn't occur to me that the thread would be problematic in the slightest. Turns out, it was problematic.

In short, I want to discuss a negative experience, but I'm not making the same mistake I did last time. I want to discuss it without it relating to anything or anyone.

Eric Brittain wrote:
...already considering leaving it all behind what would you really be risking by just stating your concerns clearly and publicly?

I... I don't have the energy for that... I just can't handle the fallout if it was as bad as last time. I still go the the LGS where they hold the sessions. Even if I didn't, things are difficult enough for me at present without also having to deal with the hostility that can appear on these boards.

All I want is to play my favorite game again. But I cannot with the current status of PFS.

P.S. Taking it to the Venture Officer wasn't an option. This was over a year ago, and at the time he had retired. He was only replaced recently.


I think you may have to realize that criticism of a point isn't necessarily hostility. Frankly, I can't see any hostility in the example you just linked to and that suggests to me that you're presenting us with a position based on hyperbole or at least an idiosyncratic interpretation of what you're seeing on the messageboard. So I don't think you should be surprised if you don't find a heck of a lot of sympathy or advice beyond speaking frankly with someone, be it a VC or the messageboard community, about your concerns.

Sczarni 4/5

It's gonna sound a bit blunt, but don't take critics or insults so harshly. Internet is like that, even here on forums.

I am not sure what your current issue is, but if a person is honest with others and himself, I am sure that you can amend to any mistakes that you made in the past. The info that you gave is pretty vague though, so I am not sure how can anyone here on forum help you out.

Adam


Potential for retaliation is unfortunately a constant in life. Whether it's an issue at job, school, hobby event, or family you need to decide if addressing it is worth the risk of consequences. Even "anonymous" means are never as anonymous as you think. You pointed out before that someone you didn't even name recognized you were referring to them. That sort of thing can happen pretty easily when you refer to or describe specific events.

So, if it matters enough to you, address it. If it doesn't, let it go.

The Exchange 4/5 5/5

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IQuarent I did a little digging and found the previous thread where you felt there was a problem. I found the posts where you felt attacked. I read it, thought about it, then waited before writing this. Let's start with advice that I think is innocuous.

If you have a GM who is not playing by the rules: if he either refuses to acknowledge he is wrong about something or worse if he admits to changing a rule because he doesn't agree with it or thinks things were too easy otherwise, talk to your local Venture-Officer. The same is true with a player who cheats or is disruptive. If the Venture-Captain refuses to consider your concerns, then pass it on to Mike Brock. That hard-working man takes every concern about the integrity of the game seriously.

If you think that a toxic culture exists in you area - either as a product of gradual drift or of deliberate actions (exclusionary, confrontational, or elitist) - take those same steps. Paizo is very dedicated to keeping Society welcoming to as many as possible.

Sometimes you come across GMs you just don't jell with. Not that they are doing anything blatantly illegal, but they are treating you with less respect or as more of a punching bag than the other players. She refuses to allow your out-of-the-box ideas to work. Sadly sometimes you just have to say to yourself "I'm not going to play at a table she GMs." There are several people that fall into that category for me. Let the VO know why you are doing this. They need that information to make decisions about GMs.

However complaining about in-game incidents on the forum just isn't going to go your way. Especially if you were to post anonymously. We weren't there, we don't know the real details. Plenty of us who've been around for a while have seen posts about games we were actually present at. Posts that either misrepresent what happened or are totally skewed in one direction. I'm not saying you would do that. I'm saying that we've seen it. The only responses you are going to get are knee-jerk reactions and people who know they don't have all the details. The community simply isn't going to rush to your side unquestioningly. There are going to be detractors and people questioning you.

If you think you will feel better by venting about an incident, go ahead and do it (politely). But know that you are going to be challenged.

Liberty's Edge 5/5

Starfinder Superscriber
IQuarent wrote:
All I want is to play my favorite game again. But I cannot with the current status of PFS.

First, PFS isn't all of Pathfinder. You can play Pathfinder without playing PFS, and then you aren't subject to the rules of PFS. Yes, you have to find a group to do it with, and that's an additional barrier, but that is an option.

Second: what is it you want changed? If it's a rule for the campaign, let's be realistic: it's almost certainly not going to get changed. Sometimes rules change. Sometimes it's because a whole lot of people have indicated a desire for that. Almost always, however, it's either because the design team has changed their mind on a rule (e.g. being able to use SLAs as prerequisites for prestige classes), or because the PFS campaign leadership decides it's what's best for the campaign (e.g. retiring tieflings and aasimars as legal races). Usually when you see these changes, some people love it, some people hate it. Some people hate it so much they say they'll leave PFS; probably some fraction of those who threaten to do so follow through. Frankly, PFS is big enough that the campaign leadership can't cave to people threatening to leave simply to keep them; it's not worth it to keep one person if they think the change is good for the campaign overall.

So: if you want a rule change, and that rule change is necessary to keep you in PFS, it's not going to happen unless it was going to happen anyway. If this is the case, then you should accept it. Either live with it and play PFS, or realize that PFS is not for you, and move on, and stop fighting it.

If, on the other hand, it's a personal problem, this is the wrong place to talk about it. Contact your VO. Even if your VO is new, he or she is the representative. If that doesn't work, contact Mike Brock. If you don't get satisfaction, then move on.

Right now, this thread is not a healthy one. It hints at horrible problems somewhere, but doesn't actually say anything concrete that can be discussed. It raises the spectre of nastiness and unhappiness, without anything specific that people can discuss.

4/5 *

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Kevin beat me to it, and I agree with everything he's said. It sounds like you need someone to talk to about this, and so feel free to PM me and I'll be happy to listen.

There are venues for dealing with this sort of situation: they are first the V-C, and second Mike Brock. Venture-Officers have been removed for not supporting their regions (although not over just one case of "he-said-she-said"), so Mike and Paizo do take the situation seriously.

Having said all that, sometimes you need to strike out on your own and find a new group. The great thing about PFS is that *anyone* can run it. You don't need permission from the local V-C, even; V-C's are there to *support* play in their region, not to control it. Find yourself a game store or place that has a free night, put up a poster, and start your own group if you have reached irreconcilable differences with the current group. Our Lodge went through several "break ups" with individuals or small groups who, for various reasons, didn't work within the larger group. They're still playing, we're still playing, everyone plays the way they prefer, everyone's happy.

Liberty's Edge 5/5

rknop wrote:
IQuarent wrote:
All I want is to play my favorite game again. But I cannot with the current status of PFS.

First, PFS isn't all of Pathfinder. You can play Pathfinder without playing PFS, and then you aren't subject to the rules of PFS. Yes, you have to find a group to do it with, and that's an additional barrier, but that is an option.

Second: what is it you want changed? If it's a rule for the campaign, let's be realistic: it's almost certainly not going to get changed. Sometimes rules change. Sometimes it's because a whole lot of people have indicated a desire for that. Almost always, however, it's either because the design team has changed their mind on a rule (e.g. being able to use SLAs as prerequisites for prestige classes), or because the PFS campaign leadership decides it's what's best for the campaign (e.g. retiring tieflings and aasimars as legal races). Usually when you see these changes, some people love it, some people hate it. Some people hate it so much they say they'll leave PFS; probably some fraction of those who threaten to do so follow through. Frankly, PFS is big enough that the campaign leadership can't cave to people threatening to leave simply to keep them; it's not worth it to keep one person if they think the change is good for the campaign overall.

So: if you want a rule change, and that rule change is necessary to keep you in PFS, it's not going to happen unless it was going to happen anyway. If this is the case, then you should accept it. Either live with it and play PFS, or realize that PFS is not for you, and move on, and stop fighting it.

If, on the other hand, it's a personal problem, this is the wrong place to talk about it. Contact your VO. Even if your VO is new, he or she is the representative. If that doesn't work, contact Mike Brock. If you don't get satisfaction, then move on.

Right now, this thread is not a healthy one. It hints at horrible problems somewhere, but doesn't actually say anything concrete that can be discussed....

This pretty much sums up what I would gave said. Feel free to PM me if you have an issue you need to discuss.

But anonymous posting is not an option, and that's a good thing. Imagine how toxic the boards would be if people didn't have to take ownership of what they said.

4/5

@IQuarrent

Just as a disclosure/disclaimer, I am aware that you are a player in my area. While I know nothing concerning past issues with whatever or whomever it was, I want you to know that you're welcome to PM me to discuss whatever is on your mind.

Silver Crusade 5/5 5/55/5 **** Venture-Captain, Germany—Bavaria

@IQarrent, I am sorry that you had a negative experience, but I think that anonymous seem like a very dangerous option for this community.

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