Best Of

Communication in many forms can certainly hurt. There are things (like a report of issues results) that should not be publicly available simply because it does not do the community good. If even one harassment claim doesn't result in a ban, those with the tendency to crusade will do so. A command to pull up a report on issues is very likely to be one that gets weaponized against the staff which is something they don't need nor should they have to deal with.

Again, it comes down to common sense. If you do not want to participate in a type of rp there is a command to ignore the person as well as issues that will help to escalate the situation.

I will note that as long as I have been involved with IRE muds I can tell you that the staff DO take these issues seriously but they will not and should not take the stance of "guilty until proven innocent." They will do their due diligence in order to support the community and do what they feel is best for the game.

That very well may not line up with exactly what YOU think should be done. 

EDIT: Some clarification.

The thing is what's harassment for one isn't necessarily for the next.  Some things are very certainly harassment but many issues for "harassment" come down to "they told me to shut up".  Issue if you think it is harassment, and if it isn't important enough to issue, then so be it.

My suggestions would be:

1. Clarify HELP HARASSMENT. I've submitted a HELPMOD for part of it, but the question of "At what point can you still issue?" is important and hazy. A lot of times, when you're in the moment it's difficult to feel if it's just you, if it's something to just IGNORE, or if it is a policy violation. Kneejerk issuing can feel frivolous, however legitimate it really is. When you get more breathing room after and can look back at a situation, it's easy to feel that it's too late to report because things have moved on.

2. I know this will be unpopular, but: Recognize that this is not a PG13 game, and with that comes some trade offs. It isn't a safe space. Sometimes you have to be the one that qq's for a time. There are graphic themes in the game, character back stories, etc. Graphic crossing the spectrum of a war-torn, drug and flesh-trafficking space sector. 

3. In light of the above, readdress a sense of LanguageRules. Cursing isn't banned, but some themes are better discussed in private. Using graphic content to harass or shock the larger community could come up as a Harassment infringement. But, harassment does not only equal rape. And where you draw the line of community consequence and accountability is tricky (and can shift the question of: who are you protecting?).

The admin of this game are not law enforcement officials and should not be expected to report as if they are. They are providing a service and have provided plenty of means by which these situations can and should be handled. Just because they were not handled correctly, does not mean we are innundated with it.

Also, the only muds that I know of that have to explicitly describe exactly what types of sexual roleplay are and are not allowed are games that are either made for or highly emphasize sexual roleplay. 

What makes more sense is to simply put "any rp that you are not comfortable with is banned". You're going to have to make all rp and pk consent only though because I am quite sure that some people are not comfortable with having someone tie them up and shove a grenade down their throat. That is a skill hard coded into the game. If you draw hard lines in the sand for one sub-group, you better draw them for everyone.

Common sense says that no one is required to participate in any rp they do not want to. If that means not playing the game, so be it.

Now, don't think I am justifying rape at all. I am not. I am trying to advocate against putting so much emphasis on one evil that the perception becomes that Starmourn is some sort of haven for those types of people.

It certainly is NOT.