Politician Archive
Thread: My City-My Roleplay-Stolen!!
Page 1 of 2
DeCuGnA
Sun Jan 02, 2005 7:22 pm
#1
Hello
I am a Mayor in an non descript location. I have played SWG since Retail, day one. I started a city just when the ability of Politician started. It has been over a year now and our city is beautiful and is the only thing that me and the roleplayers I started with like to do, be a family.
Recently I took time out of game for work. Aprox. 2 months and thought I had great Assistants in the game that were loyal. So I made them Militia and during my away time they brought in aprox. 30 people. There was no real advancement in the city since we were Metropolis when I left and now returning we were at 88 people, still metropolis. They really did a great job keeping the city balanced for the time being.
The day I returned the people they brought in started Murmuring about me...they went as far as slandering me and flailing disrespect at me for being gone. After much turmoil I realized the assistants I had were actually setting up to take over, because they really didnt think I was returning to the game even though I said so.
Suddenly a turn of events occurred that I would have never imagined. The place I call home and the way I role play this game were shattered by someone running for Mayor against me. We all had agreements in this city that it would always remain with me basically owning it. I liken it to a Train Set as such could imagine. I really only play this game for the community aspect that me and a few others created long long ago. These assistants had no part in that past nor the brand new players to SWG that they moved in to the city.
I am scourned...I don't want it taken away and many in the city are against what these ones are doing...yet...their numbers are far too few compared to all the regularly active ones that just declared citizenship. Another event upon this was the realization that there was planning of this, New citizens popped up in the city after I removed the assistants rights to Militia. They had planted Alt characters and new players in houses that were never declared. Then on the first day that the mystery person ran for Mayor, about 10 people suddenly popped into Declaring Citizenship and voting against me.
What in the world can I do since this changes the whole Planning of the Community that many of us had forged and spent millions of credits on....by the way I am broke now and it means alot to lose that much. I gave out homes and money and have nothing now to show for it if this treachery continues.
Help me with answers although it all seems bleak. =(
I am a Mayor in an non descript location. I have played SWG since Retail, day one. I started a city just when the ability of Politician started. It has been over a year now and our city is beautiful and is the only thing that me and the roleplayers I started with like to do, be a family.
Recently I took time out of game for work. Aprox. 2 months and thought I had great Assistants in the game that were loyal. So I made them Militia and during my away time they brought in aprox. 30 people. There was no real advancement in the city since we were Metropolis when I left and now returning we were at 88 people, still metropolis. They really did a great job keeping the city balanced for the time being.
The day I returned the people they brought in started Murmuring about me...they went as far as slandering me and flailing disrespect at me for being gone. After much turmoil I realized the assistants I had were actually setting up to take over, because they really didnt think I was returning to the game even though I said so.
Suddenly a turn of events occurred that I would have never imagined. The place I call home and the way I role play this game were shattered by someone running for Mayor against me. We all had agreements in this city that it would always remain with me basically owning it. I liken it to a Train Set as such could imagine. I really only play this game for the community aspect that me and a few others created long long ago. These assistants had no part in that past nor the brand new players to SWG that they moved in to the city.
I am scourned...I don't want it taken away and many in the city are against what these ones are doing...yet...their numbers are far too few compared to all the regularly active ones that just declared citizenship. Another event upon this was the realization that there was planning of this, New citizens popped up in the city after I removed the assistants rights to Militia. They had planted Alt characters and new players in houses that were never declared. Then on the first day that the mystery person ran for Mayor, about 10 people suddenly popped into Declaring Citizenship and voting against me.
What in the world can I do since this changes the whole Planning of the Community that many of us had forged and spent millions of credits on....by the way I am broke now and it means alot to lose that much. I gave out homes and money and have nothing now to show for it if this treachery continues.
Help me with answers although it all seems bleak. =(
Beladan
Sun Jan 02, 2005 8:54 pm
#2
I know this is not what you want to hear - but suck it up and deal with it.
No, seriously!
Look, the truth is that aplayer city is a social contract. If the citizens of the city truly are about 'family' and your way of life in gfame, then work with them. Email them. Campaign. Invite them to a debate night at the cantina. Speak with them one on one and canvas their votes. If your city is so small or so inactive that 10 extra people can sway it completely out from under you - then perhaps it's time to see this a new phase in life and start over.
I'm reluctant to side completely with you here until I hear the other side of the argument and yet I can see that this turn of affairs might sting. But heck, new day brings new opportunity and instead of treating a potential political change as 'losing the game' see it as an opportunity to get immersed in local politics - or find another community.
And between us, if I was an assistant to someone who was out of game for approximately two months, I might feel the need to shift the power base about also.
Politics is a dirty game - good luck with it.
Bela
Jeggets
Sun Jan 02, 2005 11:47 pm
#3
Sorry, but you are acting like you own the position of mayor and also the city itself. No one person owns any city . . . a city belongs to all of those whom have residence within its boundaries. Furthermore, the position of mayor is democratically elected position that is free to be challenged by any citizen at anytime of their choosing. If the demographics of 'your' city have changed so dramatically then I think it sounds like you are no longer the most suited person for the role and, subsequently, it is time to step down and move on with the game.
eldiablo2k3
Mon Jan 03, 2005 11:04 am
#4
It sounds like your assistants roleplayed perfectly to me. If this was a true hostile takeover simply to kick you out they could have done that while you were gone. Instead they waited for your return and gathered a new breed of loyal supporters to overthrow your rule.
I do like the suggestion that you get out there and canvas for supporters of your own, and remember you can bring in new people as well. Make liberal use of the "citizens" mail command and drum up ground support for your position. If this is a roleplay city you should have a fun time campaigning instead of thinking of this as an atrocity, and if you are a roleplayer and this is no longer a roleplay city...well then it's time to move on anyway.
As for the cost, if the city was not basically self sufficient and required large infusions of capital from you or key people then this was simply your cost of "owning" the city for the time you ran it, and will be the cost of the new "owners" when and if they win the election.
TalonWolfe
Mon Jan 03, 2005 11:25 am
#5
I am really sorry to hear that is happening to you.
When things like this happen, you must ask yourself: Do you want the headache of trying to remain mayor of a city that ultimately will be divided against you , and that you will never be truly sure about who supports you and who doesn't? That doesn't sound like the tight knit role playing community you wanted, that sounds like a recipe for paranoia and frustration.
Or...
Do you take the people you know support you, the roleplayers, your friends, and do you prepare a new place. It might be smaller, but now you know what to watch out for, and what to avoid as your new city grows.
I can understand feeling a responsibility and ownership of a city when you found it and grow it. But with what the city has become now, the other posters are right. It has grown out of your control.
You might be able to keep a tiger as a pet when it's a baby, but as it grows older... don't fool yourself. It's a tiger.
AntLordi
Mon Jan 03, 2005 5:12 pm
#6
I think you would find your '10 new declared citizens' was actually only 1 new citizen, no houses or hidden players were sat undeclared, the only alt running in town was mine, she had been running an armour vendor in our cities armour tent for the last week and a half, so she was not really a hidden character at all. and the only way she could declare was with me transferring my house to her as she was unhoused. And on another note the city was down to 63 citizens when you stopped playing to go over to everquest, and it was losing more and more every day, through mine and my associates efforts the city was raised to what it is today
AntLordi
Mon Jan 03, 2005 5:20 pm
#7
ohh.. one more quick point.. A city belongs to no man, it is not here to be someones train set, it is here for the people that live in it, they make and create every aspect of it, and for that i shall do whatever i can to protect that way of life
ACiDAnArChY
Mon Jan 03, 2005 9:50 pm
#8
Well to start, I can see how much frustration this would cause someone who initially invested so much into a city. I personally pulled 9 mil out of my own pocket to raise my city and guild, provided housing, etc. To lose all that would be devistating, however at the same time it seems the game was built around a Democratic system. Itwould be pretty cool if you being the mayor could at the same time CHOOSE which political government system you want to use, be it a dictatorship or communisum to democracy. As I said before in a previous post.... mayor is simply a mule in the current set up that SOE has in place.
-Devil-
Tue Jan 04, 2005 4:34 am
#9
and don't forget, if all else fails you can just pull the city structures then yank the city hall up ..
*one star me if you must .. but sometimes this is the only way to recover money from an investment if citizens that 'were' your friends decide to change their views and take something you funded*
BabyT
Tue Jan 04, 2005 2:19 pm
#10
Recently I was led to believe that pulling up a cityhall would be a sort of "exploit/grief"....during an election when the mayor knew he was about ready to get voted out....any word on this?
Pappi
Tue Jan 04, 2005 2:35 pm
#11
BabyT wrote:Recently I was led to believe that pulling up a cityhall would be a sort of "exploit/grief"....during an election when the mayor knew he was about ready to get voted out....any word on this?
there's no official word on what constitutes as griefing, but here are what I understand from interactions with CSRs:
if your mayor pulls the city up and you complain afterwards, that's an icky "he says, she says" situation, and while your city might be able to get some structures back the CSR might not be able to do much besides that. I'm not sure exactly what they can provide in this case.
if your mayor threatens to pull the city up on when he's losing in the polls and hasn't pulled the city yet, you can contact the CSRs and prevent him from doing so. that's griefing. things like blocking the city hall so you can't vote is also griefing. it's up to the individual CSR to decide what action to take against the mayor.
in the other cases, your best guess is to ask a CSR.
-Devil-
Tue Jan 04, 2005 2:52 pm
#12
yay! i got a 1 star ...
it is griefing if the mayor tries to use it as a threat to maintain power ... if it is just yanked up .. you are SOL ... and FYI for the politican corr ... the CSR's would not refund us any of the city structures that were lost ... no city hall, bank, not even one of the 20 some odd gardens and other decorations that went with the hall ... wont even mention the 20+ mil that was in the treasury ...
i know this first hand ... x-mayor of a city on bloodfin did that ... and the whole guild fought tooth and nail with CSR's to get something done about it ... even going to dev's we were told the same thing ... 'he was the mayor it was his decision to destroy it' ... if he had threatened us with destroying the city if we didnt do something that would be another story tho ...
Message Edited by -Devil- on 01-04-2005 03:53 PM
Pappi
Tue Jan 04, 2005 3:14 pm
#13
-Devil- wrote:yay! i got a 1 star ...it is griefing if the mayor tries to use it as a threat to maintain power ... if it is just yanked up .. you are SOL ... and FYI for the politican corr ... the CSR's would not refund us any of the city structures that were lost ... no city hall, bank, not even one of the 20 some odd gardens and other decorations that went with the hall ... wont even mention the 20+ mil that was in the treasury ...i know this first hand ... x-mayor of a city on bloodfin did that ... and the whole guild fought tooth and nail with CSR's to get something done about it ... even going to dev's we were told the same thing ... 'he was the mayor it was his decision to destroy it' ... if he had threatened us with destroying the city if we didnt do something that would be another story tho ...Message Edited by -Devil- on 01-04-2005 03:53 PM
that's unfortunate, but I've been told recently that you can get some of the structures back under certain circumstances, such as if the mayor deleted his character.
Page 1 of 2