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Googlie,
I believe that you should look into the recent behaviou of the Borg with an eye to removing their team from the game.
To summarize their latest stunt:
-they have on two (and maybe now a third) separate occasions chosen to research techs which we already have (and which they knew we already had) while under obligation to repay us techs from prior deals. While this is of course allowable, it is by no means 'nice' and one must assume that they realize this to be at the edge of decent behavior.
-we most recently offered them the tech they are currently working on and referenced a message in the trade box to them which said: "See Ambassador Flubber's Communication". The message (here) clearly stated that they were not to accept the tech unless there was a diplomatic/trade deal forthcoming
-this method was chosen in the interest of keeping the game moving - as opposed to keeping everyone waiting by requesting a lengthy delay while details were negotiated; we sent off this package without hearing back from them confident that they would respect this arrangement and that they would not abuse the situation.
-they accepted the tech and inserted this message into the trade box: "??? As far as I know, we have not received any communications from Ambassador Flubber?"; they later sent this as well, which asks about the pre-accepted tech and also acknowledges reading the trade box message
Our offer of the tech in this instance and trust in the good faith of the other factions in general is necessary if this game is to proceed in a reasonable pace - if irresponsible factions are allowed to run roughshod over these needful facilitations, it will necessitate lengthy and time consuming negotiations and internal discussions during virtually every factions' turn as conducting them between turns will no longer be safe.
Now it is perfectly legal AFAIK to lie and negotiate in bad faith in this game. However, engaging in sleazy behavior and justifying it by supposed ignorance of messages sent to their own teammates is not acceptable. The turn players need to assume that all their individual members will be held accountable for the official actions of the faction; they are doing it the other way around - claiming that the faction is not responsible for anything the individuals may do. The game as a whole cannot survive an attitude like this; one or two impetuous players will get everyone else pissed off at whatever otherwise respectable players might exist in the background on that team. I am right now considering widespread slander of the entire list of Borg faction members (by name) in the public forums as PBEM players of untrustworthy character.
One hopes that this campaign of misdirection and pointing fingers in circles is not , as it appears to be, a conscious strategy on the part of the Borg Collective to behave poorly and blame it on absent members. If so, then you, Googlie, are a part of it too, as you recently suggested in one of our threads that we make this Doc:init deal.
I believe that this has gone too far and that the Borg team has demonstrated that they are a detriment to the game. I suggest that you inform them that their participation in no longer in the interests of the game and that you play out their turns for a while until you can fulfill their obligations to us and then disband their bases or allow another set of people to take over their faction.
Their irresponsible play has not really impacted any other factions besides ourselves to any great extent, but our activities have been severely impacted by operating under the assumption that we were dealing with a set of people who were making decisions that they were standing behind, rather than sleazy behavior they would then deny responsibility for. In addition to the several rounds of unfulfilled trade obligations, our dealings with the other factions has been colored by our existing relations with the Borg in the form of deals we did or did not make with the others due to expectations that the Borg players were responsible members of the PBEM community. Our reputations have also been diminished by association with these irresponsible players. We would volunteer ourselves in the role of caretaker for their disbanded faction as we are the injured party, but would imagine that the other factions would find that to be a bit or overcompensation.
Perhaps you should issue a notice in the main forum that an investigation is under weigh, so that the others do not take this unsportmanlike action of the Borg as a matter of our doing and hold us responsible for this further delay of the game.
I believe that you should look into the recent behaviou of the Borg with an eye to removing their team from the game.
To summarize their latest stunt:
-they have on two (and maybe now a third) separate occasions chosen to research techs which we already have (and which they knew we already had) while under obligation to repay us techs from prior deals. While this is of course allowable, it is by no means 'nice' and one must assume that they realize this to be at the edge of decent behavior.
-we most recently offered them the tech they are currently working on and referenced a message in the trade box to them which said: "See Ambassador Flubber's Communication". The message (here) clearly stated that they were not to accept the tech unless there was a diplomatic/trade deal forthcoming
-this method was chosen in the interest of keeping the game moving - as opposed to keeping everyone waiting by requesting a lengthy delay while details were negotiated; we sent off this package without hearing back from them confident that they would respect this arrangement and that they would not abuse the situation.
-they accepted the tech and inserted this message into the trade box: "??? As far as I know, we have not received any communications from Ambassador Flubber?"; they later sent this as well, which asks about the pre-accepted tech and also acknowledges reading the trade box message
Our offer of the tech in this instance and trust in the good faith of the other factions in general is necessary if this game is to proceed in a reasonable pace - if irresponsible factions are allowed to run roughshod over these needful facilitations, it will necessitate lengthy and time consuming negotiations and internal discussions during virtually every factions' turn as conducting them between turns will no longer be safe.
Now it is perfectly legal AFAIK to lie and negotiate in bad faith in this game. However, engaging in sleazy behavior and justifying it by supposed ignorance of messages sent to their own teammates is not acceptable. The turn players need to assume that all their individual members will be held accountable for the official actions of the faction; they are doing it the other way around - claiming that the faction is not responsible for anything the individuals may do. The game as a whole cannot survive an attitude like this; one or two impetuous players will get everyone else pissed off at whatever otherwise respectable players might exist in the background on that team. I am right now considering widespread slander of the entire list of Borg faction members (by name) in the public forums as PBEM players of untrustworthy character.
One hopes that this campaign of misdirection and pointing fingers in circles is not , as it appears to be, a conscious strategy on the part of the Borg Collective to behave poorly and blame it on absent members. If so, then you, Googlie, are a part of it too, as you recently suggested in one of our threads that we make this Doc:init deal.
I believe that this has gone too far and that the Borg team has demonstrated that they are a detriment to the game. I suggest that you inform them that their participation in no longer in the interests of the game and that you play out their turns for a while until you can fulfill their obligations to us and then disband their bases or allow another set of people to take over their faction.
Their irresponsible play has not really impacted any other factions besides ourselves to any great extent, but our activities have been severely impacted by operating under the assumption that we were dealing with a set of people who were making decisions that they were standing behind, rather than sleazy behavior they would then deny responsibility for. In addition to the several rounds of unfulfilled trade obligations, our dealings with the other factions has been colored by our existing relations with the Borg in the form of deals we did or did not make with the others due to expectations that the Borg players were responsible members of the PBEM community. Our reputations have also been diminished by association with these irresponsible players. We would volunteer ourselves in the role of caretaker for their disbanded faction as we are the injured party, but would imagine that the other factions would find that to be a bit or overcompensation.
Perhaps you should issue a notice in the main forum that an investigation is under weigh, so that the others do not take this unsportmanlike action of the Borg as a matter of our doing and hold us responsible for this further delay of the game.
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