I was reading Kelsus' thread and it hit me. One of the reasons that people are so wearing to add Magistrates is there are a lot of them, several who don't ever log on. But there's no fair and binding way to vote them out as a community (though I'm sure the whole idea of magistrates seems silly to a lot of rpers). So what I propose is that we have the ability to recall magistrates.
Saw you want a recall you get one month from the time you make a journal post to get as many names on it as possible. If you get 100 names the person is recalled?
I tend to agree on Monroe for this one. Noble titles are a fun and interesting way to add flair to the character... provided it's not overdone. And you don't -always- have to act like a noble rich tosh when you're nobility.
For instance, despite Monroe and Wenna being the same rank (Baron/Baroness), they couldn't possibly act more different if they tried. Wen was a woman of the people, sharing thier accent, clothes and mannerisms. While she didn't know Monroe (and by extension I don't know him that well either), the little she did know about him painted him nobility as nobles ought to be. Then they met and he described her as "the noble that talks like a commoner". Best meeting EVER.
I do agree that some background is important. But no more than a background for a "commoner", so to speak. Know your parents and thier deeds, with a bit added on for -why- they were given title and land in the first place.
That digression aside - Magistrates. Taking thier titles away seems kinda silly. They did earn them (ostensibly), so taking them away seems a bit mean-spirited. After all, you have a choice of which Magistrate you want to look over your case. If you don't want them, then pick someone else.
I dont know much about the Magistrate business. But I do play a noble.. and actually was thinking a Marquis.. only because I think it fits my Valthar in the means of the position regarding Quel Danas.
As for a Duke, I do find hard to accept, some what- where as I did found out (after my relationship with Quellian ended) that a Duke is directly below a Prince in stature and I can't really see that as a likely position--thats just me I reckon.
But this isnt really talk about noble as so much as it is Magistrates and IMO-- would it be reasonable to have terms for magistrates? Such as... maybe each can serve a 90 day service or even 6 months at a time before re-election is in order. This way there is room for new players to have a chance at the positions and any old or retired player/characters who arent here anymore or are logged on for a fair normal amount of time can be voted out or removed from office.
Even if Magistrates are not a voted in type of position, I do feel the election process would spawn some pleasurable RP-- I would love to see the campaigns of different representitives.
Just food for thought.
If a person wasn't voted IN to a particular office, then one would have a hell of a time voting them OUT. By this reasoning, Monroe, if someone get 100 votes, could you become suddenly not a Baron anymore? I suspect if your suggestion were as popular as you'd like it to be in this moment, the events that took place over the summer would have netted you far more losses, headaches, and drama than it did as it is.
The minute you start trying to tell someone how to roleplay, what they can or can not be, is the minute you become a tyrant - whether it's you or a hundred of your friends.
If you want to improve the quality of storytelling and your communal setting, you might try more constructive attempts to help as opposed to restricting what and how others roleplay.
People come and go from this game all the time. We expect to be playing the very same characters we were when we left. The only person who can ultimately decide the fate of a character is the player behind it, whether that decision is an aquiescence to a . You can vote all you want, but they can plainly ignore your little petition. You can then decide to blacklist them because they aren't RPing how you like, but that tends to cost someone more respect, reputation, friends, and guildmates than it makes or keeps.
Being able to list members by "Title", we are no more 'innundated' with magistrate than we are with Archmages, Marshals, Demon Hunters, or any other overpowered role a person can create for a character.
The vote you are suggesting may sound innocuous at a glance, but it is no less than a fundamental referendum on quality and frequency of specific roleplayers, which is a call you do not have any authority to make - nor do any amount of signatures. As such, it is in direct contravention with the intention of this network, and it will find no support here.
Vote if you like, but it will not happen here.