How to contact a wizard:

Wizards are busy people. There's a lot to do in making RetroMUD a better 
place and many ways to get in touch with the staff. We're happy to hear 
from you, but there are many ways to talk to us, and some are more suited
to specific purposes than others. Below is a quick guide to the best ways 
to contact a wizard.

GAMEPLAY-HALTING ISSUES:
In case of a gameplay-halting issue, such as login issues, monsters who 
won't die, missing exits, and so forth, contact a wizard directly. Asking 
on channels or sending tells is preferred. Remember, any wizard that is
online has the ability to escalate to another staff member if they do
not have sufficient privileges and will know who can best handle the 
situation. If no wizard is online, you may try to get someone's attention
out of the game, such as posting on the RetroMUD Facebook group. Gameplay
halting issues are serious and need a quick resolution so that you can
continue playing.

If you see a fellow community member who may need help, please check in
before contacting wizards on their behalf to avoid duplication of effort.

Please do not use direct or out-of-game contact to discuss balance, report
non-halting bugs, or pitch new ideas. Especially do not try to contact 
wizards outside of the game for such matters. We have a volunteer staff, 
and pressuring them to focus on your issues at the expense of other 
matters impinges on their autonomy. Reporting in this way also wastes time
they could use to improve the game. Of course, a wizard may contact you 
about ideas, bugs, or so on that you've reported through other channels.

REIMBURSEMENTS:
If you've lost something to a bug, sending a mudmail to 'archs' is the 
best solution. This way, the message is visible to all the wizards who can
help address it. If you see an arch online, you can also contact them 
directly, but if not, sending a mudmail is wiser than waiting for one, as
we can perform some reimbursements while you are idle or even linkdead. 
Bug reps are generally poor ways to request reimbursements, as the bug 
tracking system is poorly suited to the task. If your need for 
reimbursement is gameplay-halting, such as needing a wizress, treat it as
a gameplay-halting issue, as above.

BUGS AND TYPOS:
Send a bug rep if something is bugged but does not prevent you from 
playing (HELP BUG). Doing so creates a permanent record and stores vital
debug information that may otherwise be lost. Do not send tells asking 
wizards to fix your bug. Do not contact wizards out of the game for this. 
New bug reports are immediately visible to all online wizards. New reps 
to a certain wizard are immediately visible to them at login. All wizards
can view all bug reports, regardless of where you send them. There is no 
need to ask a wizard if they have seen your bug report. For typo reports, 
the same is true, save that the notifications for wizards are not as 
obtrusive. If you wish to report a typo, use the 'typo' command (HELP
TYPO).

IDEAS:
We love to get feedback and hear new ideas for improving the game.
However, the number of ideas can often be overwhelming. Attempting to 
field tells with suggestions can dominate a wizard's time and often block 
all productivity. This prevents them from acting on ideas or doing other 
work to improve the game. Please do not contact wizards directly in tells 
to discuss your ideas and never outside of the game. There are three basic
ways to send an idea, each with advantages and disadvantages. The usual 
best way is through the ideas-wanted newsgroup. This gets the idea out to
all wizards and allows other players and wizards to discuss the idea 
publicly. It helps to show that others like your idea rather than 
presenting it as your opinion alone.

However, the one downside of ideas-wanted is that it creates only a 
temporary record. It may be forgotten if no wizard is available to act on 
your suggestion. You can use an idea rep (HELP IDEA) to create an idea 
with a more permanent record. This saves your idea for a wizard to review 
when they have time. All wizards can see all idea reports.

Lastly, you can use mudmail to share your ideas. Be warned, however, that 
this combines the weaknesses of the other two forms. Generally, sending a 
mudmail is usually only advisable for ideas that a specific wizard has 
solicited. Mudmails are the fastest type of message to lose.

Please note that if your idea relates to a primary guild or race, you 
should direct the suggestion through the relevant player leadership.

QUESTIONS:
If you have questions about the game, the best resource is usually other
players, since wizards have restrictions on what they can talk about to
avoid spoiling content or game mechanics. Still, if you have a question 
that only a wizard can answer, or a rule that needs clarification, ask 
away. News, mudmail, channels, and tells are all suited to this task.

PE:
Talien gets a notification when someone donates. There is no reason to 
contact him to ask him to log in. He already knows.

PRAISE:
There are no particular problems with sending praise, regardless of how 
you choose to do it. Note, however, that sending a praise report (HELP 
PRAISE) creates a permanent record, which wizards can browse when they 
need a pick-me-up to remind themselves that what they do is appreciated.

OTHER SERVICES:
Other wizard services, such as spending RPP or dealing with disputes in 
the absence of a community pillar, should be handled through the same 
channels as reimbursements. Archs and above can assist with these matters.
Lower-level wizards have neither the responsibility nor the access 
required to assist.

SOCIALIZATION:
Wizards are members of the community as well. Don't be afraid to say hi or
get to know them. Use all the same communication methods for this purpose 
that you would use with another player.

See also: HELP IMMORTAL DUTIES, HELP TELL, HELP MAIL, HELP NEWS