World of Warcraft®

So after a thought-provoking discussion in OOC tonight I decided to do a write-up on all the available information about the laws of the Kingdom of Stormwind.

For those of you who don't know who I am, I play the character of Foravin who is the King's Prosecutor for the Kingdom of Stormwind. He's also a member of the Stormwind Union (Formerly the Stormwind Watch).

I've taken it upon myself to educate myself on all the information we have out there about the lore behind the laws for Stormwind, as it is required to accurately play my character.

Please note that the total information available to use that is officially backed by Blizzard is small, and most of what I have to work off of are discussions and compilations from guilds across all the RP Servers on WoW. It isn't the best thing in the world to base these kind-of things off of, but again, I work with what I have.

If anyone has additional sources and citations not listed here, please post them. I would love to be able to read them.

http://moon-guard.wikia.com/wiki/Laws_of_Stormwind
My personal favorite source. It is well written, organized, and informing. I do however have a few sections that I am no so sure about (See: Cathedrals and Churchlands Act). I highly advise reading the Witchcraft Act.

http://wowrp.wikia.com/wiki/Stormwind_Council
A small source from the Stormwind Council
(Ignore Wanted Criminals Section)

http://www.wowhead.com/forums&topic=165175/laws-and-such-in-rp-situations-slight-rant
A WowHead Discussion that brings-up some good points.

http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/5208545699
A decent source from the Realm Sha'tar

Stormwind Union's Crimes and Punishments
http://scw-cc.guildportal.com/Guild.aspx?GuildID=397449&TabID=3362621&Article=52444#Library

Stormwind Union's Contraband
http://scw-cc.guildportal.com/Guild.aspx?GuildID=397449&TabID=3362621&Article=52461#Library

I seem to have lost the stickies for my other sources; I'll post them if I can find them.

Thanks for reading!

O wrote one on either these or the old forums about it with the fines and penalties as well, I think it's on the watch site too.

All I know about Stormwind law is whenever I go there to try and buy or sell something the guards attack me on sight.

*sniff*

They are just a bunch of meany heads!

Thanks for pointing that out, Kord. I've updated the OP with that information.

I want to point out that I received significant input from the CC community regarding the crimes and punishments at the time they were written. I believe that's a major factor in why the "laws" for Stormwind have been so well-received when it comes to their enforcement. The guild is tremendously fortunate to have a community that is so supportive of IC law-enforcement. I haven't seen anything that remotely compares on any other server.

04/03/2014 11:11 PMPosted by Orwyn

I want to point out that I received significant input from the CC community regarding the crimes and punishments at the time they were written. I believe that's a major factor in why the "laws" for Stormwind have been so well-received when it comes to their enforcement. The guild is tremendously fortunate to have a community that is so supportive of IC law-enforcement. I haven't seen anything that remotely compares on any other server.

That's... impressive actually.

Still in Orgrimmar we make our own laws! It's like the wild west. :3

Spock's trial gave me a lot of food for thought on this. Thanks for organizing the event and this resource, Old Fart! We hit a few rough patches, but overall it was full of belly laughs. And I'm all about the belly laughs. At the same time, was it the right tone for a trial? I had a blast casting Khromie in Legally Blonde 3, but I was right there with some people's frustrations that it's absurd she's allowed to stand as anyone's counsel. Khromie's antics also distracted us from more pressing issues with the setup of the trial.

There was a lot of gray area regarding creative control that could have been addressed by more OOC structure to the trial. A verdict being decided beforehand by parties directly involved, as Oarwind brought up, is just a part of the solution. CC's spirit of inclusivity and rolling with the punches is, as the Latin term goes, amazeballs, but maybe some sacrifice of comedy and spontaneity is necessary for a more productive and immersive RP in this area. A discussion on how we as a community want to handle such proceedings in the future would be worth having, and I think the Union is the group to lead it.

TL;DR: Chambliss is a witch. Burn him.

I'm really glad you had fun. All the SU guys were laughing their butts off in our OCC channel. I initially suggested that the outcome be decided in advance, but Gen wanted it left to the judge, and being her character it was only fair that we go with her decision.

Again, the entire point of the trial was to have fun and bring a new type of event to CC. It was very rough, and poorly planned OOC on my part. I will try to do better next time.

Also, yes, it is absurd that Khromie was allowed to stand as someone's counsel, perhaps now she will receive an edict barring her from legally representing anyone other than herself.

I just want to give some shoutouts (yo mtv raps) to people involved:

Khromie/Sprocket: Thanks for being such good sports and agreeing to do it in the first place. I know it was rough, but you guys really helped make the event a lot of fun.

Belpha/Feroar: Thank you for showing-up! A trial without witnesses would be... boring.

To all my SU co-workers: Thanks for looking badass! And dealing with a rather unruly defendant!

Also Foravin is only 50! Hardly an old fart, you damn youths!

Aww! I wished I could have been at the trial! Mormel would have made a great attorney!

Worm Melt! You should like totes come visit Stormwind Keep! I'm super sure Old Fart and the rest of the Union won't mind at all!

"Worm Melt"?

04/06/2014 09:04 AMPosted by Khromie

Worm Melt! You should like totes come visit Stormwind Keep! I'm super sure Old Fart and the rest of the Union won't mind at all!

Nyah! Cream puff! Ya... ya really think super Old Fart an' everyone else wouldn't mind? I mean... the last time I went to Stormwind was ta adopt a cute little kitty but when I got there everyone started throwin' rocks at me while shoutin' "bur"! ;_;

It's a good thing gnomes aren't actually people or Broodin would be in trouble

04/06/2014 10:06 AMPosted by Mormel

04/06/2014 09:04 AMPosted by Khromie

Worm Melt! You should like totes come visit Stormwind Keep! I'm super sure Old Fart and the rest of the Union won't mind at all!

Nyah! Cream puff! Ya... ya really think super Old Fart an' everyone else wouldn't mind? I mean... the last time I went to Stormwind was ta adopt a cute little kitty but when I got there everyone started throwin' rocks at me while shoutin' "bur"! ;_;

well...to be fair you ARE sort of a burr in a certain goblin's side!

04/07/2014 07:25 AMPosted by Broodin

It's a good thing gnomes aren't actually people or Broodin would be in trouble

...excuse me?

04/07/2014 07:29 AMPosted by Kordrion

well...to be fair you ARE sort of a burr in a certain goblin's side!

*gasp!*

I...I have no idea what you're talkin' 'bout!

- Petition -
...for the redefinition of "animal" as found in the Stormwind City Animal Control Ordinance; Section 18: Classification of Animal as Dangerous or Vicious be widened to include any animal within city limits declared as a Pet, Companion, Mechanical Construct, and/or Broodin.

Such that Section 19 of the same Ordinance titled: Attack or Bite by a Dangerous or Vicious Animal; Penalties; Confiscation; Destruction may also apply to all Pets, Companions, Mechanical Constructs and Broodins.

**Part A under Section 19 outlines legal fines and punishments assigned to the owner if an animal that has been previously declared dangerous or vicious attacks or bites a humanoid without provocation.

**Part B under Section 19 outlines legal fines and punishments assigned to the owner of an animal that has not been previously declared dangerous or vicious attacks or bites a humanoid without provocation.

**Under both A and B the animal shall be confiscated, held in quarantine or impounded for a number of days after the owner is legally notified as defined under Section 18, and therefore destroyed in an expeditious and humane manner.

*holds out a pen*
Can I get any signatures?

I have here the collect signatures of two Gnomes having been brutally and randomly attacked by the broodin in question.
Please disregard statements from the little one in purple robes. She's insane.
Flashracket, on the other hand, fully expects to the some action taken against such a dangerous, and disrespectful, creature.
*adds own signature*

If you need a Trapper, I may know someone!

I helped set up one trial before this latest one, a few years ago. It lasted a few hours and was not really enjoyed by anyone involved, even though we started with the best of intentions. That's why the Watch has settled all arrests via OOC negotiation ever since. I'm not going to say trials can't be done well, but after participating in two trials now, here are some barriers I've identified to replicating a real trial:

1. We don't have rules for trial proceedings
2. We don't have trained court officials
3. We have no case law
4. We don't have months to spend on each case
5. We don't have any way of ensuring that everyone who should be at a trial (especially witnesses, will show up for it)

To actually have fair trials that aren't chaotic, we need all of those things. That's not going to happen. Therefore, I think the best we can do is approximate the feel of a trial, with a WoW twist.

I believe the most important part of creating a trial that feels like one and is actually enjoyable, is having the participants agree on an outcome in advance. Given the limitations listed above, we simply don't have the capability to put on a trial that will fairly weigh all the evidence and arguments and render a just decision simply on the basis of what occurs in the trial. It's difficult enough even in reality. A trial that lasts even a few hours can become a drag, and it's even worse when it bogs down in disagreements over what should be happening and whether people are behaving appropriately in their roles (especially in the case of the attorneys and judge). I would argue that the only way to cut out all these problems is to agree on some basic rules and the outcome in advance. Then the participants can focus on the RP, and not worry about getting the huge number of details inherent to a trial correct. If the community would like, the Watch could create a draft of a simple trial procedure and rules for discussion.

To sum up, trials are something that could become a more regular occurrence, but only if we focus on replicating the atmosphere of a trial, and don't try to put on a full-blown one.

04/07/2014 09:49 PMPosted by Orwyn

To sum up, trials are something that could become a more regular occurrence, but only if we focus on replicating the atmosphere of a trial, and don't try to put on a full-blown one.

Oh that's easy! I can hook an attorney up with my patented Jury Rewards Program! It nearly guarantees a win for their client!