Ban on real-life references: a step too far?

[MichaelReilly]

All right, I've finally gotten round to keeping my promise to the moderators and posting this major complaint. (See? I am a stubborn bastard, just like I said).

Anyway, the bare bones are that I was contacted a couple of weeks ago by the moderation team and told I could not call my party 'Marxist-Leninist' because, as they correctly pointed out, Marx and Lenin are real-life characters and references to them are therefore banned. Before I continue, let me make this clear: I am not having a go at moderation, as hey are simply doing their jobs and enforcing the rules. It is the rules that I have finally had enough of.

Generally, I keep myself to myself when it comes to in-game disputes and moderator conflicts etc. However, I've felt that this simply is a step far too far. A couple of years ago, when references to real-life religions were banned, I argued strenuously against it. I thought it was a ridiculous and wrong move, despite it not really affecting my experience of the game too much. Now I'm being told terms like 'Marxism', 'Trotskyism' etc. are banned. Outrageous.

Here's my reasoning: you can't have a political role-playing game that bans such important, no, vital, words like 'Marxism'. I still base my opinion on the rules over what a brand new player would think of them, and I can say with some confidence that if a new player joins a political role-playing game, i.e. a game that is designed specifically for role-playing politics and are then told they can't use the term 'Marxism', then they're going to quite rightly log-off in disgust and never return. Christian democracy? Islamism? Stalinism? Nope, you can't use those words in our political simulation game. Get a bloody grip.

I argue therefore that we seriously need to review these ridiculous rules, or quite frankly we're going to see an exodus of players from the game, including me, who feel confused and hemmed-in by over-zealous rules, bullied by moderation, and unwelcomed by the established player base who think the sun shines out of their own arses.

[SelucianCrusader]

Here's a nice little list for you and other's who don't bother to delve far into the lore. Here's one for religion.

a game that is designed specifically for role-playing politics and are then told they can't use the term 'Marxism'

It's called Metzism in this world.

'Trotskyism'

"Kaminskism"

Christian democracy

Hosian democracy. An ideology that is very much alive and has been ever since the religion retcon, much thanks to it actually.

Islamism?

We've had quite a few Ahmadist movements in the past, including the Ahmadi State now.

Stalinism?

I know it's not an exact equivalent, but Ruanism is very much alive as well.

Nope, you can't use those words in our political simulation game.

PT may be a political simulation game, but it is also very much a role playing game, with it's own lore, history etc, different from the real world. The fantasy setting is what makes PT what it is. There are real world-based roleplaying games for those who prefer that.

[Doc]

Yes- I agree- We can more or less use the actual terms, but it is like a code. You have to use the coded equivalents, but for all practical purposes, Neither Marx, nor Lenin, nor Stalin, nor Jesus of Nazareth (nor Nazareth, for that matter) ever existed on this planet. The theories behind those various movements are used here all the time. Socialism, for example, is a philosophical and ideological movement, which also coincidentally exists on Particracy. But the ones named specifically after real world things (like Nazi-ism, for example, when we all know that Nazi is short for the National Socialist German Workers' Party, the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, wouldn't actually be a problem, except there is no such thing as a Deutsche, so there cannot possibly be a Nazi.) have to be referred to in Particracy code.

Its not too hard- Just like there is no such thing as an Half-elf, we all, when playing D&D assume that the half-elf fighting next to you is not only a real thing, but also, is a pretty versitile, quick on his feet badass human who is more nimble than any humans we know, but weighs less and can not punch through walls like some humans we know. When we play D&D we suspend reality and use the jargon of the millieu. Same goes here. Christianity is called Hosianism, Marxism is called Metzism, for some reason, and so forth. It doesn't limit play, it just requires you to deal with the fact that we are not on Earth, but are all operating on a quasi-earth virtual world where one person does a Party make.

Peace.

[IdioC]

Basically, it's an extension of the real-life names ban as others have alluded to.

As much as "Marxism" wouldn't be allowed, I'm sure "Dialectic Materialism" (as much as it doesn't encompass the whole ideology) would be accepted: just avoid famous people's names. You could easily invent a great thinker for the same ideology amongst your national culture and name it after your new character. Imagine the potential for parody.

It always makes me wonder what the authors themselves would have called their ideologies before C20th critics got lazy and called it "That Bloke"-ism. I doubt many used self-attributive names in such a way as it doesn't lend ease to description.

a game that is designed specifically for role-playing politics and are then told they can't use the term 'Marxism'

It's called Metzism in this world.

After the RL French City? *runs*

For what it's worth, I'd have called it "Spencerism" and anyone's welcome to take that.