*A Treatise on the Structure of Government Systems in Online Simulation Sports League

[Memento Mori]

Your discussion of the worst-case scenario kinda derailed things a little but think there's some things worth discussing.

On the points about the appeals team in particular: the amount of power that appeals has is really unclear, and I don't think that the appeals team saying people should come talk to them if they want to understand is enough.

I think Sermo's punishment is a really good case study into where power lies in the league (to be as clear, I don't want to talk about what Sermo said/did and I'm appealing to it because I think it makes the point well). HO acted in a way the league didn't like, so people rebelled by talking about the issue in ISFL gen chat rather than in the usual private channels until HO reversed its decision.

As I was Liberty co-GM at the time, I had a direct line to HO in management chat (your average user doesn't get this privileged access to HO) where I raised my concerns about the situation because I didn't see any other way for people to have an HO decision reversed other than to complain about it really loudly in public. I was told that the correct thing to do in a situation like that is to take it to the appeals team, because they oversee other HO actions and not just punishments. This was the first I'd heard of it, so I pointed out that this isn't stated publicly and that while HO is listed first in the Official Jobs List, appeals are listed last and without an explanation of their function. HO said they'd make this clearer, which I'm not sure has happened since then. I still don't think it's very clear.

With me recalling this conversation, when DSFL HO ruled that a rule in the rulebook said something it doesn't in S26 Bondi Beach appealed it. The appeals team didn't think it was their place to argue with DSFL HO's interpretation of the rule, and declined to take a position on it.

The appeals team doesn't want, or perhaps doesn't think it has, the power that HO is willing to give to it. HO might check itself because it thinks appeals will check them if it doesn't, and I'm fairly sure if HO did something completely disastrous then appeals or the site owner(s?) would step in but it's far from ideal.