We’ve just come out the other side of something intense. Wars like this always follow the same pattern in the end. Things build, paranoia creeps in, lines get drawn, and eventually everything explodes. It’s been that way for decades in this game and it will probably be that way long after this one fades into history.

But I think it’s worth pausing for a moment.

Every one of us plays a character. We build personas, reputations, egos. We get to be heroes or villains depending on the chapter and the point of view. We make decisions that feel brilliant at the time and others that blow up in our faces. Some grudges last years, some last hours, some never really mattered once the dust settled.

None of that changes the fact that behind every name is a real person.

This game is intense because people care. That’s part of why it’s survived so long. But caring can spill over, especially after a war, and what starts as character conflict can turn into something personal without anyone meaning it to.

So this is just a reminder, for myself as much as anyone else, to take a breath. To remember that when a character falls or a side loses or wins, there is still a genuine human being on the other end of the screen. Someone who might need a moment to reset. Someone who does not deserve abuse for playing a role in a game we all chose to be part of.

Respect does not undo the war. It does not erase what happened. It just acknowledges that when the guns go quiet, we are still people.

Let’s give each other that minute.

Amen brother. I have always been guilty of being upset, but in the end I love the players and relationships I make. I've met a lot of cool people here and while I might not agree with some of them regarding the game, this is a game. We all come here to play and escape for a little drink the stresses of life. I want to apologize if I did take my anger out on anyone.

I admit again I was upset with certain people, but I move forward leaving that grudge behind me. I am here to build some fun characters and hopefully get back to RPing. I am excited to have fun here in DT! 

Thank you Matt for being a beacon of light after a dark time! 🙏 

Abso-fucking-lutely, Sometimes people here take it too seriously.

With wars i totally get it, and it can be fun, but at the end of a war, another one sprouts up, people killing people, and then eventually the people killing them get killed, and it just goes in a big circle repeatedly.

Very True 

Thanks for bringing this up, it's important.

I've been playing for longer than I care to admit, and over the years I've made a lot of friends. Inevitably, my friends end up on opposing teams more often than not; and I have never been able to bring myself to look down on either because I happen to be playing on another side while playing a character in a certain city. In fact, I can't think of a single time it's been an issue between my friends; not the real ones. 

Being a roleplayer, I'm all about immersing myself in the character and committing to the story; and I will admit that sometimes I get too close to my characters and things that happen to them sting...but not as much as things that humans can say out of character in moments that they forget this is just a game.