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https://steamcommunity.com/app/975370/discussions/0/3362406825536876859RULES FOR STEAM DISCUSSIONS
No personal attacks or harassment. Such behaviors include – but are not limited to – offensive actions or comments (gender, sexual orientation, disability, appearance, body size, race, religion, language, socioeconomic standing, or otherwise), sexually demeaning comments, aggressive exclusionary behavior, etc.
No spamming/trolling. Don't say things to purposefully be inflammatory.
Political conversation only leads to trouble. Please refrain from discussion that can come off as divisive.
Respect all personal boundaries and members.
Breaking these rules can result in the thread being locked, deleted, or a ban, depending on the action.
Am I the only one thinking that this can't end well?
The only similar rule I can find in Toady's forum guidelines is "bigoted language is frowned upon". He doesn't try to shut down all forms of political discussion, and I know by experience that you can strongly disagree with him on topics dear to him like keeping Dwarf Fortress closed-source and he won't auto-ban you. All in all I gained a lot of respect for the way he expresses his point of view and manages this community.
aggressive exclusionary behavior - anytime where someone's suggestion is shunned by a majority could be interpreted as that. Say I propose a dumb idea over and over, people will eventually tell me to shut up. It doesn't feel nice but is a good reality check, and this kind of rule just invites switching to victim mode so you can keep getting attention like a spoiled child, and get revenge on those who "rejected" your idea.
discussion that can come off as divisive - so, ban any kind of discussion on important matters people can be passionate about then? This is so hilariously out-of-sync with the divisive stuff that's in the game, too. I dunno, I'm pretty sure someone somewhere can be offended by cannibalism, or perhaps has some horrible first-hand experience of it.
Respect all personal boundaries - basic sociology proves this is an equation without a solution.
Honestly Toady I think you made friends with the wrong people. Judging from these forum rules and other echoes I've had, Kitfox Games seem to be of the "offend no one" school, which just ends up establishing the tyranny of oversensitive people over everyone else (Armok forbid vegans hear about thermonuclear catsplosion). Whereas you don't tolerate full-on hate speech but you're not adverse to discussion, and you put the stuff you want in your game including foul language and all manners of grisly stuff, without caring that someone somewhere on the planet might have boundaries that are stepped on because the elves he identifies with are being brutally butchered in a game and sadistic community members are laughing in a thread about it.