http://i.imgur.com/jH0t5rm.png

A basic fact: meaningful community engagement about a change must happen early enough that it can influence that change. Discussion of what's already set in stone is not meaningful community engagement.

Narrative: Allergic To Community Engagement, Addicted To Shock Reveals, Or Both?

Lately, Narrative works exclusively by shock reveals. We hear about upcoming changes through someone at Surrender@20 noticing an updated file. They've gone so far as to say that they were hesitant to speak to us before the retcon of the League of Legends from League of Legends, because if the topic turned that way they'd have to "smoke-bomb" and vanish: as though it were beyond questioning that they couldn't have discussed this truly fundamental change beforehand. Everything, it seems, must be a total surprise.

http://th02.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2012/253/3/5/fiddlesticks_by_dw628-d5ebc89.png SURPRISE! CHECK OUT ALL THIS NEW LORE! YAAAY! … hey, why are you all running? :(

Surprises are exciting, and can be a good option in some circumstances, such as where they're illustrating in more vivid detail an already established event. They are, however, fundamentally incompatible with meaningful community engagement, and are not appropriate where the change is a huge retcon that tears up the foundations rather than building upon them.

Their Actions And Their Words

Narrative has now several times made some immensely destructive retcon, then showed up on the Boards acting surprised at our reaction and assuring us that the lack of prior discussion was simply an oversight on their part. I've asked them point-blank if they've decided to break from the Riot model of community engagement (e.g. on Champion reworks) and go it alone. In reply, they insisted that was not the case, and it really was just a mistake: they wanted to bring us into the discussion, but … forgot. It's hard to imagine that someone would really be so negligent as to "accidentally" fail to notice pages and pages and pages of the lore community trying to reach out. (For example, a lot of us saw the retcon coming, and tried to get Riot to talk about it.) I really don't believe that's what's going on.

Nonetheless, until they officially announce that they do not care about the lore community, I plan to remind them of their pledge every time they violate it.

We've Never Stopped Trying: An Index of Prior Threads

http://i.imgur.com/EuiqXGZ.png You kicked us out of Runeterra and tore years of our creative work to shreds because you thought it might inconvenience you. We're still trying to help.

Here's a partial index of prior threads documenting their failure to engage with us. I plan to keep adding to it as I'm able. There are many examples here of Reds posting, so they obviously know these threads exist … but to date, there have been virtually zero attempts to have a substantive discussion about something that isn't already locked in.

• Update: Lore Forum Redirect Removal — Tamat's thread about the lore forum turns into a larger discussion of the League retcon and community engagement. Reds respond.
• Lore and Community Engagement — Follow-up thread to the "Redirect Removal" thread.
• Well, it's /ff from Narrative (Champion Lore "updates" on website). — General discussion of new lore, Riot responses.
• Heads up to lore team: "Reborn" is how do you it, Shurima event is how you don't — A critique of recent lore.
• So Riot, can't you spoil us to a few lore developments? — Request for more information on what you're rewriting next; response is a poro joke.
• Bandle City — Let's talk before Narrative retcons everything — Example "let's talk before it's too late for our input to matter" thread, regarding Bandle City. No Red response.
• So, when are we ever going to get any new lore that isn't tied to a champion release? — Some general discussion with Reds about new lore.
• Shadow Isles Short Lores — A brand new thread that is sure to become interesting.
• @Riot Narrative Team: "Put Up, or Shut Up" — Another call for discussion.
• Vayne's First Name Is Shauna, And Other Entertaining Lore Tidbits — Jumping jellybeans, it looks like we have Rioters making gestures about possible community engagement regarding Mordekaiser, early enough to influence what they do!
• Let's talk biographies! — A Rioter openly solicits comments on characters. This is a very important first step. Props to CarnivalKnights.
• Zaun—A critical moment for community engagement — A discussion of Zaun. A non-Narrative Rioter, Bioluminescence, joined in.

If Riot Does Respect Us

http://i.imgur.com/NsYyNHQ.jpg I think we deserve some respect.

If Riot respects us, we need fewer shock reveals and more meaningful, Riot-style community engagement that takes place early enough in the process to really matter.

Riot has insisted that it respects the lore community. To me, that entails:

• You respect our investment in the characters, settings, and themes of League … and will harness that as a resource through discussion beforehand, rather than treating our affection for the LoL universe as an obstacle in the way of your Great Lore Plan.
• You respect the creative work the community has done over the years … and will not casually pull the rug out from under it all without giving us a chance to help you find a better way.
• You respect our ability to come up with and critique ideas … and will talk to us early enough that our feedback can be part of the process, rather than sound and fury following a fait accompli.

If they respect us as anything more than a passive audience, they need to start talking with us about upcoming retcons and rewrites far enough in advance that we can have a meaningful discussion. It's no good if they only talk about things once they're packaged up and ready to publish; after an enormous sum of money has been spent polishing it up, they're not seriously going to make any real changes. For example, it's too late for the Shadow Isles now. Any discussion that occurs will be primarily limited to "ask us questions, receive playful teasers about what we've already decided!" or "tell us how much you like our new Shadow Isles." So let's talk about the next project, or the one after that.

Follow Riot's Long History Of Community Engagement

http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140716213938/leagueoflegends/images/a/a3/Morello.jpg Look into his kind, kind eyes and ask for help. Maybe offer to write a story about Irelia accidentally hacking her own arm off.

If you're genuinely confused, Narrative team, you don't have to look far for good role models. IronStylus is getting to basic concept work on a Taric VU. One of the first things he does: go on the forum and pitch ideas back and forth. Or read through all of the posts from Morello and others concerning Support starvation and the gold income problem that evolved into a major rework of the entire Support role. Or pick a Champion with a rework, and observe highly paid professionals taking the time to argue back and forth on the forum and give serious thought to what the community has to say, and then to incorporate that discussion in a very serious way.

Of course, at the end of the day, the buck stops with you. I understand that. But I also understand that Riot has become the success it has in no small part because of its willingness to leverage the community's passion and insight, even when it requires them to rethink their prior notions of How It Should Be. Look at Morello and healers, for example: there's someone with exceptional talent and strong, well-founded opinions … who nonetheless has been humble enough to look at it from another perspective, and allow his stance to evolve through community engagement.

If your problem is "forgetfulness", then let this thread and others like it be a constant reminder.

If your problem is a lack of role models, walk down the hall and ask anyone not in the Narrative department.

If your problem is that you can't see any other option, start a thread and ask for some.