I've removed some posts and replies as well as a derail. We aren't worried about people posting if they aren't sure about something in the playtest or don't like a change or feel something should change that isn't. People are free to express their opinions, whether that's pros or cons, positivity or skepticism or somewhere in between. But there is a line that seems to be getting frequently crossed in many of the playtest threads where instead of having a respectful discourse, posts (and then subsequently threads) devolve into personal battles about who's right or wrong or who has the loudest voice/most free time to argue online.
Reviewing a number of threads discussing the playtest, here are some of the things I've noticed tend to cause problems or start a chain reaction of negativity:
Hyperbole: "The whole game will be ruined if X" happens." "The entirety of the last 10 years has been a lie." "Paizo hates it's customers" "High level play is ruined," "Low level play is ruined." "This is the best thing that happened to gaming since d20s," "If you don't agree with this than you're just stuck in the past and you hate change."
Hyperbole escalates conversations, typically in a very negative way. The exaggeration invites disagreement and often self-perpetuates. Tone is hard for some people to read even in the best of circumstance and even more so in text based mediums like online forums which contributes to misunderstanding.
Polarized/Binary Thinking: "You said you're excited? Than that must mean you have no reservations about the playtest," "You're excited about goblin players? Than you're a disruptive player and have no empathy for organized play." "You said to stop being negative, than you don't want to hear anything critical." "You're skeptical about the playtest/2E then you must not want to playtest at all or see any changes."
This kind of reaction is unhelpful. It creates an us/me vs them/you mentality where there are only two "sides" instead of a whole range of theories or opinions. Instead of dynamic discussion, there's just a bunch of bickering noise.
Insulting or aggressive language. Doesn't help anyone to be called names or have intelligence insulted. It causes defensive/offensives derails where people get more and more amped up as they defend themselves instead of discussing rules.
When engaging on our forums, remember, this is not a free for all. You need to remain respectful of each other (and of staff), considerate of what your words are saying, and extend some grace and charity towards others when posting. We've got plenty of other threads that need attention at the moment so I think this one will stay locked.
