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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mearls" data-source="post: 1685646" data-attributes="member: 697">This entire thread demonstrates why a lot of people just stay the heck away from GAMA and ignore the entire mess it has become. GAMA politics are decisive, polarized, pointless, and ultimately harmful to the aims that GAMA is supposed to work towards. In the long run, all both sides have done is render GAMA a disaster zone that few people are willing to deal with. It would take a Herculean effort, one that would require a team that has nothing to do with either side of the feud, to repair it.At this point, I'm not sure anyone who doesn't have an emotional stake in GAMA politics could be bothered to take part in reforming the organization.A lot of people have an axe to grind with Ryan. Some of them have legitimate issues. A lot of people don't - they're just along for the ride, or for the game industry social cred, or because they hate Ryan for the success of d20. I've found that while many people in the game industry like to build worlds with shades of gray, they live in one that they see as awfully black and white. The truth behind this entire mess, not just this situation (Ryan is obviously in the wrong for accessing the list), rests somewhere in between the two sides' views.Ryan made a terrible mistake, one that is obviously unethical. I suspect that any lawsuits filed against him will, in the end, consume a lot of time, money, and energy that would be better spent elsewhere. The lawyers I've talked to, some of whom specialize in exactly this kind of stuff (hooray for the contacts an Ivy League education gives you...), wouldn't bother prosecuting this case unless there was a clear case of industrial sabotage, one that involved actual monetary damages. That said, I expect we'll see lawsuits and charges filed - there's too many axes to grind for this to just go away.The current board made a mistake in not immediately calling for Ryan's resignation. Their failure is an obvious blow to their credibility, especially since they promised to bring transparency and accountability to GAMA.Personally, I think GAMA should sell GTS and Origins to Peter Adkison (if he'd take them... I doubt he'd want to run Origins. Maybe the Gamefest people would take it.) and disband itself. Mike Stackpole's work to correct whacko, fringe charges against gaming could continue under a charitable organization that Stackpole or some other volunteers oversee, funded by a trust created with the money raised by the sale of GTS and Origins. Let the ENnies cover d20 awards, and recruit the GPA (an industry organization for small press companies) to create and manage a body of non-d20 RPG awards.The only thing that could truly save GAMA is if it comes under the control of a group that can build bridges between disparate groups and form a consensus. The current administration would have to pull off a dramatic turn around to achieve that. I'm hard pressed to name a group of 5 people who have the willingness, never mind the skills and contacts, to do that.</blockquote>

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