Armageddon MUD crumples to the ground.

Worth noting that while that's become most popular variation of the game (mostly because of Ben Burns, and how he runs the game), it wasn't the original intention.  In the original concept, players weren't supposed to break off into private areas. They could, at most, whisper to each other. That's how the Lunatic was supposed to work, for example, with the evil team having imperfect information about each other, because they couldn't break off to have extended conversations.

Of course, most games of Clocktower nowadays are online, and use the pandemic era conventions set up by Ben Burns.

I think how staff is handling this is more or less indicative of their tone deaf capacity to be completely uncollaborative with their player base to the bitter end.

If I had populated a game for over ten years with my time and writing only to be locked out of the public forum so staff could take a victory lap and parade their work without any mutual dialogue - I'd be pissed.  I mean that DID happen to me, a year ago but you know what I mean.

Plus, as an observer I don't even get to see Lizzie short circuit as they attempt to both defend staff and advocate for the game's continuation.  This is the worse ending since Bran became king.

They can't even end the game collaboratively.  They've locked the players out of the general discussion boards (there are still active discussion boards, you're reading one) effectively robbing them of an individual and collective voice as the game concludes.

I think it's par for the course, staff-centric and insulting.  The overall message is clear that the staff's work is in the spotlight, and the players aren't entitled to a voice even thought it was literally another corrupt staffer that led to the game's end.  (Supposedly.)

But --- the players that remained did so completely aware of the sexual abuse, lies, cheating, staff's disregard for them, in ability to finish projects and whistleblower expulsion that took place and plugged on anyway.  So fuck 'um I guess.  I'm not really too concerned about advocating for either side at this point.  It's an interesting spectacle to observe before the catharsis of knowing it's done sets in.

Theorycrafting, it could have been interesting if a tin and copper deposit was discovered in the caverns under Allanak, and an eastside elf tribe were the ones that rediscovered the secret of bronze smelting. And the rinthi, using their new toys, were able to stick it to the templars and declare a degree of autonomy for a new population of tunnel elves. With infravision! And tunnel running!  But no magic or psionics. That would set up a clearer line: do you play as the shiny new elves, or the magical gemmies on the surface, or a member of the established order?

(For previous enchanted bronze items in the game, ie, Magekiller, it's safe to assume those items came from a bygone era.)

Retroactively, I think the ban on staff playing the game killed staff retention. It's all moot now though.

Maybe when the code gets released in ten years and three people play the game it'll be worth looking into.

Not that it matters anymore, but the system was designed so that staff would take sabbaticals on occasion to play their game so they don't lose touch of what's important, and take a break from any busywork they don't like. It's worth noting that plenty of Armageddon staff liked resolving requests and animating as long as the players they're working for weren't being dicks.

The inherent problem with that is that people like Halaster and Brokkr liked to set up the conditions for their next character while they were on staff, then resign from staff to play with the classes, spells, and systems they coded. I am positive that, had the game lasted longer, Halaster would have finished setting up the necromancer class to be one of the first people to play it.

The best staffing model in the end is one that is run by staff that conduct themselves honestly and professionally.

Unless you were one of the chosen few, you were a set of numbers and fetch quests and not much else.

You'd have a great point if Armageddon was run honestly, but unfortunately the Armageddon staff proved time and time again that "level enough" gets tipped in staff's favor very quickly.