unforum

[Mindez]

[DC][OOG]New forum time?

[Agent Lex]

The problem I can immediately see is control of access. Assuming the forums are simply password-protected, who decides the password? Will there be any measure to change it and spread the new password if/when the "other side" finds what it is? And perhaps most importantly, who will have the password at first to give access to others?

On Foo's side, I can see the answer to the last question is those first few who he trusts explicitly. On Brackin's side, there doesn't seem to be anyone who's more "priveleged" (that said, there's not nearly as much unique information on that side either).

[imbri]

I've already chimed in more than I meant to on this issue. But, please carefully consider this.

You mention "the Unforum policy of completely open discussion" - I don't know that it's a policy as much as it is the nature of the internet. It's a publicly viewable website. Anyone can see anything. The only way that you're going to keep your information "secret from the "other side"" is by locking those boards behind some sort of password that only people on the various side will have access to.

So, the Foo Folk might have a board with the password oof and the Brackin Backers will have a board with the password nikcarb. Only, of course, they wouldn't be *that* obvious because then "omg! someone from the other side might see it! ohnoes!"

So, now you've:
* segmented the community playing the game - drastically reducing the people you have to solve puzzles and what not because "OMG! What if the puzzle leads to a website! Then the people on the otherside will know! ohnoes!"

* made it twice as hard to build the story as you'll each only have one half of the picture (this can be a very clever device in team based ARGs, mind you) and an obvious bias.

* made it much more difficult for new people to get in on the game - they suddenly have to choose sides, they know virtually nothing of the characters, and have to figure out how to join a side.

* cultivated a sphere of mistrust - how do you know who to let in to each group? What if someone is a spy - that really cool & excited new player might actually be a Brackin or Foo in disguise. And, OMG! the admin can see and post in both groups! I bet he's telling everyone our secrets! Suddenly you've stopped trusting everyone and find yourselves in teeny little groups hidden away and only talking to the few people you trust.

I fully support your right to play where and how you want to play. I just think that you should really think about splitting off into password protected forums. Especially considering the PMs own advice:

[Phaedra]

Heh, yes, let me clarify: when I said "if you really want to keep information secret from the "other side" you may need to use resources other than Unfiction," I didn't mean to imply that I was recommending that course of action -- I still think that it's a bad idea to pit players against each other OOG as well as IG, and the passage imbri quoted from the PMs' meta site seems to indicate that they're not keen on the idea either.

I was just saying that was the only feasible way I saw to pull off keeping info secret from the other side, not that it was a good idea.

[Mindez]

[Agent Lex]

[Mindez]

[imbri]

[Mindez]

[Phaedra]

[Mindez]

As an example, we may get some super-secret information from Foo.

In game, there's no way we'd post it anywhere. However, we do, for the sake of discussion, keeping everything together, so that the other people on Foo's side can work on it and help.

Meanwhile, suppose it's the job of the Brackin's to get this super-secret information from us. With things the way they are, the Brackin's can just take it off of the forum and say they got it some other way. Pretend they infiltrated us, etc.

My system would make them do it as they are supposed to do it; get Foo's trust, contact the Gatekeepers, and get the discussion on the super-secret-information that way.

The only difference I'm proposing is to post Foo-secret stuff to a Foo section, and Brackin-secret stuff to a Brackin section. Anything that wasn't specifically Foo or Brackin-secretive would still be posted to a public board, for public discussion on.

Is that not the way the game is supposed to be played? The Foo side can contact each other, the Brackin side can contact each other, and discuss what they have to "keep to themselves" in secret from the other side, and whatever they can make public, they talk about in public.

I take "play both sides" to mean that you spy on both sides, getting the trust of Foo and of Brackin, and being able to read everything.

That's all, it's just a way to ensure that you're on their side before you can read the super-secret-stuff.

[krystyn]

There is a faint chiming sound, off in the distance, which happens to be my brain shattering into a thousand pieces and falling onto the floor.

[GuyIncognito]

We definitely need a way to share information & communicate IG.
Personally, I'm not too sure about a seperate IG-forum, though. I agree with most of the points imbri raised above and also...if many players would try to "play both sides", wouldn't that again defeat the purpose and practical use of seperate sections on a forum?

How about two IG IRC-channels, #Foo and #Brackin, to begin with? And maybe an additional OOG channel? Just to see how it goes...

[Mindez]

[djsampson]

I don't see why we on both sides build a wiki or something to but top secret info on. and we could PM the address to the agents only on that side or something I really don't understand why this has become such a big deal. IF the Pm's really wanted to they could have lied and said that there was a traitor that gave Brakin the info when there really wasn't. One way or another we are going to get our info, If no one would have betrayed Foo then what happens Our side of the game ends? No, they would make up a so called undercover operative and give us the needed info.


Well I started a private Myspace page for the Attackin Brackins. So that way we can have some place to discuss privileged info. That way We can post info and not worry about it being miss used on UF I suggest that the Foo fighters do the same if they are that hard up about there info.


If you think that this is a good idea please let me know and I will update the page further.

www.myspace.com/130585438