FL, I think you mean 2003, not 2013. :)
I remember that near shutdown very well. I think it was in 2006. We ended up having to trim the posts, which had the most in all of RPoL, as I recall--over 100k in posts. I think it had to do with a game we had here that rewarded posting in other forums, and they thought that was against the ToU, and then someone (not a GM here) did something that peeved the moderators. That's when we created the archives.
Yoss' passion was key in keeping ASWoT alive back in '06 or '07. But I also recall that it was FL who had to deal with the moderators and help post the rules to keep us alive. That was above and beyond the call of duty.
I found your post from Sept. 6, 2006, quoting moderator ElSpike, and think it may be worth reposting here:
FL:
It looks as though the powers that be have noticed us again and they are not pleased.
The Rules.
ElSpike:
Players of this game are constantly flouting the rules of RPoL and interrupting other users of this site. Therefore the following rules must be adhered to by you and your players.
#1. Any player advertising this game outside of the normal advertising process in Wanted - Players, will result in the game being closed for 1 week. Any further adverts will result in the doubling (think exponentially) of the previous penalty. Closure of the game will entail all posting and viewing privileges being revoked.
Rule #1: When venturing into the 'Players - Wanted' thread, please follow the rules, also when bumping the thread, try to add something creative and useful, not just "BUMP!", I can see how that would get to be very annoying very quickly. (I'm partially responsible for this, as this was the first time I actually took a look at what was going on there.) Perhaps, when bumping the thread, we could post something interesting/informative/creative that might actually inspire people to join ASWoT.
ElSpike:
#2. Any player found distrupting another game to score "points" or any other reason will result in the game being closed for 1 week. Any further disruptions will result in the doubling (think exponentially) of the previous penalty. Disruptions include asking stupid questions in other forums, derailing Community Chat threads or general nuisance posting.
Rule #2: Stop it. If there is anybody caught disrupting another game on the behalf of ASWoT, there will be serious consequences. This has been an issue in the past and it almost got us shut down. I do not want to lose ASWoT because of something beyond my control.
ElSpike:
#3. Threads that are no longer of use are to be removed from the site. There are threads from 2003 that are just rhyming games and hold no use. Additionally, "reviving" threads just for the purpose of avoiding this rule will not be tolerated.
Rule #3: Enjoy the archived threads while we still have them, as of the 9th of the month of September, I will be removing them. (I'm looking into a way of preserving the archived threads in some other way, (perhaps another website somewhere, I'm not certain.)
quote:
The above rules apply not just in their letter but their spirit. Attempts to "rules lawyer" around them will also result in penalties.
Should you have any issue with these rules, please contact us.
This private message was sent to despyzer. As a GM, I feel it to be my duty to share it with you all because I believe you should know about elSpike's concerns. If you have issues with any of this, please respond within this PM thread and I will present our responses and defenses to the PTB myself.
Kind regards
elSpike
on behalf of the Moderation team.
