TLDR/Edit: My suggestion is to make a Biography forum rule: ""Biography Forum: Do not write about other player's characters without their prior permission." Broader ideas were discussed initially but I think this is the right solution for the problem.
Sharing Current IC Info: Players should take care not to share IC info on things such as on-going events between players or DMs, Recent PvP, outcomes of IC interactions, ect. Players should not share player locations (even their own) , OOCly form dungeon parties, ask for IC help/raises from other players, or do anything that would compromise the integrity of IC motivations. Telling old "war stories" is not an issue. Sharing info that could be used to metagame or OOCly influence events occurring ingame is against the rules.
(First Offense) - First Warning
(Second Offense) - Final Warning
(Third Offense) - 3 Day Ban
(Fourth Offense) - 1 Week Ban
(Fifth Offense) - 1 Month Ban
(Sixth Offense) - Indefinite Ban
I haven't been able to find a place anywhere else on the forums this is mentioned, apologies if I've missed it. This is under
Consistent Rulings / Punishments. Nor is there anything related to generally spreading metagamed information.
I want to suggest that forum posts, particularly Biographies, be a little more tightly restricted in terms of sharing current IC information at least about other players' PCs. I think Biography posts and other forum posts can be just as harmful as Discord when sharing current IC information.
As an example, all of this is completely made up:
Olivenka secretly washes her feet in the Gaping Wound whiskey every morning, then serves it to customers! Ew! She also secretly spends her time stealing candy from babies and all those stray cats she collects? She puts them in the stew!
Now let's look at a few scenarios of what can happen when this is discovered:
Some PC discovers she's doing this, let's call him Bob. Bob witnesses these horrific acts, and runs around telling everyone, but no one believes him, because Olivenka's a good girl. If anyone notices a suspiciously feline taste to the stew, they think nothing of it.
or
Bob tells everyone, and writes a Biography post on the forums describing what his PC saw. Now players know that it's true, so they are more inclined to believe Bob when he tells them IC, and Olivenka's cats are saved.
or
Bob tells no one, but writes it in his Biography post. Now everyone knows OOC, but not IC, yet players see Olivenka differently whenever she is around cats...it's affected how they percieve the PC.
These examples are hardly needed, because there is already a rule about this for sharing current IC information on Discord.
I suggest the rule potentially be expanded to include Forum posts, or at least Biographies. I think there's a lot of potential for Biography posts to harm other player's PCs or benefit one's own PC, in the same way that sharing current IC information on Discord can.
Unless I'm misunderstanding the rules, currently it seems like I could make Biography posts that are character assassinations and be fine doing so. Am I misunderstanding anything? I tried very hard to find clarification in the rules but turned up nothing.
Want to open this up to discussion and hear what other people think!
And don't worry, the stew is vegetarian!