Staff Conduct and Communications

The Role of Staff

For the most part, members of the admin staff should be viewed in much the same way as the DMs of traditional pen-and-paper roleplaying games. We are here to enrich your roleplaying experience in a way that mere code could not; we strive to ensure that IC actions will carry realistic ramifications, and that the gameworld is balanced, authentic, and enjoyable for our players. We are not here to favor one faction over another, to give you a free replica of Glamdring because your character was raised by a secret, elite corps of Rangers, or to play ridiculously overpowered PCs. Members of Staff are permitted to play only ordinary, zero-RPP races; rest assured that no favoritism is tolerated.

Contacting Staff

With regards to player-staff communication, we have an open-door policy here. You are always welcome to contact us. In most cases, the best way to contact staff is by filing a support ticket, (send an email to support@middle-earth.us),  although for time-sensitive issues requiring in-game attention from a staff member, petitioning up for assistance and/or setting your status in-game may be recommended. The web forum, the in-game boards, and staff email, while generally less efficient, provide alternative contact methods. In particular, the Staff Queries forum may be a good home for questions likely to be of general interest. However, please remember that we are all volunteers and we do receive a great deal of such traffic; while we will try to respond as quickly and efficiently as possible to your concern or question, it may take some time.

Conflict Resolution

While we put a great deal of confidence in the sense of judgment and fairness espoused by each of our staff members, we do recognize that sometimes, two people simply do not mix. If you believe that you have been treated unfairly due to such personal bias, and you do not feel as if you could communicate this clearly to the staff member in question, you are always welcome to submit a private complaint directly to Elder Staff by emailing them, explaining your position calmly, clearly, and politely. If this effort is made in good faith, we will review the situation as a group, and attempt to ensure that a decision is made that is free of any possible personal enmities. However, if you simply write a rant, a flame, or an attack on the staff member in question, rest assured that at the very least, you will be ignored; at the very worst, sanctions may be imposed.