Ponyville Town Watch - Discussion and Details

[Shinula]

In this thread, discussion and details for the Ponyville Town Watch

What is the PTW?
The Ponyville Town Watch is an IC group dedicated to keeping the ponies of Ponyville safe and assisting them in matters where needed.

Joining the Watch
First off, there will be a hard limit to the amount of ponies/beings in the department.
Currently: 4 open slots.
2 Day Patrol, 2 Night Patrol
This does not include Midwatch or Kimono so that means there are 4 slots if people want to sign up their characters.

If you wish to join, you must do so IC, see Midwatch or Kimono Rose
(Please note if you make a brand new character for the sake of joining that is okay but it does NOT guarantee you a position)
Full!

You must also be inclined to play this character semi-regularly, not JUST when they're needed on the job. If you're not prepared to do so your job may be given to another pony. (Semi-regularly being like, once a week at least)

What the Watch does and doesn't.
The Watch is really just an RP tool, not an excuse to go around arresting ponies. Not that they can't if necessary.
It is also not an excuse for violent fights in chat, or anything else that goes against the site rules, mainly Show Spirit.

Current Officers:
Nightwatch
Falcon Firelight
Blondie
Rai

Feel free to discuss anything in this thread. If you think I've failed to explain something that everypony needs to know, tell me and I'll get on it.

[Skyblaze]

We had a watch before, but it was decided it wasn't necessary.

What brought the idea back?

[Sali]

Well the Watch itself was never a problem. It was the whole tossing troublemaking ponies in jail for days at a time which was the issue, I think.

[Macabre Haze]

I think what happened with the old watch was that.. well, no body played them anymore. We've lost pretty much all the players that were part of the watch.

Though.. macabre was /kinda/ part of the second one that spawned to fight a bit against the first watches ineffectivity. Though, with everything that happened he's pulled away from being the information gather.

[DblSpark]

Hmm...well

Town guard problems-
Arresting thing,
Ponies relying on them too much,
Trying to handle every situation without outside help.Which means dealing with problems yourself could get you in their bad books as well,
Characters created for the sole purpose of challenging the guard.
If you weren't a guard you were told not to deal with conflict...and usually labelled as a vigilante because of it.

Response unit problems-
Just sorta faded away,
Not as much authority as a guard or power as the guard.
Not as active ...though they weren't required as much

Plus for both things included .In OOC, people don't want other characters telling them what to do? I think ...anyway

Though I might remember more later

[Barbarella]

I for one, welcome our new Town Watch overlords.
Octavia needs a system to fight needlessly against......once I start RPing again that is.

[CrystalBrookes]

Do I get a nice red uniform and a stun baton?

[BlueThrush]

Can Bluey get an official uniform too? As a junior guardsman?

[Shinula]

Oh boy I wake up to questions I love questions.

@Skyblaze, Sali, Macabre Haze
Why the previous group "The Guard" ended
Too many ponies was the prime reason. Ponyville is a small town with a really low crime rate, 20 officers is overdoing it.
Also Sali might partially be right.
A "Community response team" was meant to replace it but it never really took off and didn't have the same aesthetic to it.

@D-Rave
Arresting thing:
They'll need to follow procedure, I'm going to try and write up a proper thing on how Watchponies need to handle things. They can't just arrest ponies for suspicious behavior. OOC wise, I'd prefer arrests only to be made if it's good for the RP.
Ponies relying on them too much:
Watch-ponies might not always be available! And whether ponies want to rely on them or not is up to them.
Trying to handle every situation without outside help. Which means dealing with problems yourself could get you in their bad books as well:
Never handle something without backup! Also the Watch isn't allowed to simply 'stop' ponies from doing stuff, and that's an OOC rule if anything. It's unfair to butt in on somepony elses RP and tell them that you'll handle it for them.
Characters created for the sole purpose of challenging the guard:
Little bit afraid of this but if they can do it right, keep it in show spirit, shouldn't really be a problem right? What characters people make is up to them.
If you weren't a guard you were told not to deal with conflict...and usually labelled as a vigilante because of it.
As addressed above, Watchponies can't do that. They're not allowed to disrupt people's lives/rp IC or OOC. The ARE however expected to help with problems.

Plus for both things included .In OOC, people don't want other characters telling them what to do? I think ...anyway
I'll address it again. If somepony doesn't want a Watchpony to join in an RP they can just say OOC and that's the end of that.
Being a Watchpony does not give a pony the right to butt into people's RP and control the situation!

@Octavia:
We're saving a frame on the Most Wanted wall for you <3

@CrystalBrookes:
I suppose you want a copy of Space Law too.

@BlueThrush
Adorable, so sure why not.

[Nightwatch]

So what you're saying is, you could solve your own problems, even if that involves a bit of conflict, say restraining a friend gone temporarily crazy or whatever, and if a watchpony notices, they may stop by and ask what's going on, or evaluate the situation and see a mad pony and decide to help with the restraint until they figure out what's up. But, they won't just be arresting everypony involved and hauling off to the funny-farm.

You're talking about the sort of town watch that will help little old ladies across the street, direct traffic, help in an emergency, talk ponies out of doing the wrong thing, ect. Maybe notice a young stallion about to steal something from a food cart, and just kind of slip up next to him and ask him how he's doing with a little look that says 'I know what you're thinking, and trust me kid, don't do it.' just to head off the problem before it starts. Maybe if the kid kidna wanders off with his head down or something, embarrassed that he was caught thinking about it, call out to him and toss him the treat he was eyeing anyway, having bought it yourself, as a means of rewarding good behavior and hoping he turns out better because of it.

Right?

I'd also like to ask about applying. Is there some kind of guard office somewhere? Perhaps in Town Hall? Where we could easily find a recruiter, either Kimono or Midwatch, I'm assuming? And is there some kind of process to it, or more of a 'just walk up and ask?'

[Mayday]

I think we should go ahead and start telling ponies to just "roleplay it out and talks directly to Midwatch and / or Kimono ic" does that sound okay?

[Shinula]

@Nightwatch: Yes basically.

Also to sign up you either speak to Midwatch or Kimono Rose. They may be at Town Hall yes. The entire process is IC, so really it is up to you how you approach it.

@Mayday: Yes, we are currently recruiting, the front page IC post that was made has been cannon since it's posting.

[CrystalBrookes]

"Suppose you'll need a copy of space law too"

NOPE. Like any good security officer, I won't be needing that!

[Sali]

*accidentally tazes self* X___X

[Shinula]

[Nightwatch]

anypony else imagining the two futurama cops there?

[Shinula]

Update:

So far two ponies have been accepted, so we have two slots left. See Midwatch or Kimono in the chat if you want your character to enlist.

[Shinula]

Update: Two more ponies have been accepted.

Rai and Blondie.