Crazy Like a Foxbolt, Part 6

Previously, on MinerBumping... The secret origin story of Admiral Foxbolt, an (allegedly) CCP-approved player retention specialist, was revealed. The first CEO of The Wis, Foxbolt had been outraged by watching the video of a memorable presentation at Fanfest. Foxbolt vowed to put a stop to the cyber-bullying that takes place in EVE.

Foxbolt had been mocked in a previously closed thread on EVE-O. But Foxbolt continued to take the fight to the enemy in his own thread. His connection to The Wis wasn't the only thing that made him distinct from the rest of the Ganking Is Bullying crowd: He also boasted an endorsement from CCP.

(A fine attitude, if the "good cause" he referred to was enforcement of the Code.)

As Foxbolt reached the conclusion of his speech, he sent forth a call to action. Foxbolt knew he couldn't succeed in his quest alone. He needed help from the other people who still read EVE-O.

One more word of appreciation to his colleagues at CCP, and Foxbolt was ready for the reaction from the EVE community, come what may.

The community reaction was decidedly hostile. Last time, the mockery had taken place in a thread he hadn't discovered until it was already locked. Now Foxbolt was in a position to reply to each and every post that criticized him. He flaunted his CCP-approved status.

"Lions don't run."

...Yet even lions can't post in a locked thread. Reacting swiftly--more swiftly, perhaps, than usual--the ISD closed Foxbolt's thread. Notably, ISD Buldath cited nine separate grounds for the lock. (That must approach, if not claim, the record.) After quoting the nine different types of rule violations, Buldath wrote, simply, "No."

One of the rules cited did not bode well for the new sheriff. Annoyed by the closure of his thread, Foxbolt dashed off a petition to CCP:

"Dear CCP,
I caught into the following tread being put out in the open to discredit my efforts to help CCP Games.... https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=6134390

I wrote the following tread to further show my company's support for CCP... and you will continue to have our support through every storm.... https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=453257

We hope to encourage the crowd that actually cares about the work and effort that CCP's staff commit to in order to keep EVE fully active."

Foxbolt pointed to the thread devoted to mocking him, and his own thread. (Both have since been deleted from EVE-O, hence the links are dead.) It didn't escape Foxbolt's notice that the anti-Foxbolt thread had been left open nearly ten times as long as his own thread. Now Foxbolt began to lose patience with CCP's lack of support for its player retention specialist:

"FOR CCP's RECORDS>>>
Dear CCP & "Senior GM Cid",
The following email was sent to "ISD Buldath" for "Restricting Freedom of Speech". ISD Buldath abused his power by closing a tread when it wasn't even open for 15mins. The following letter was sent to him....

Hi,
I noticed how you guys allowed a negative post regarding myself, and how you allowed it to remain up for at least 2 pages...However as soon as I post a tread exposing the light on some things that needed to be said.... you seem to think it's ok to restrict a person's freedom of speech..... all of your reasons can be countered..... but I'm not going to waste my time probing and making and example out of you at this time from a legal stand point.

Your not going to suppress the truth..... if you think you truly have power, and you attempt to silence me again, I will make a legal and moral example out of you.

You think about that while your being a prick behind the keyboard the next time you think it's a good idea to step on me.

Admiral. Foxbolt"

Less than two days had passed since Foxbolt's client's Hulk had been ganked by the New Order. In that time, Foxbolt was making more enemies than he ever could have imagined. He wouldn't be deterred, not even if the ISD stood in his way. Lions don't run. But why would Foxbolt's supposed allies at CCP be turning against him?

To be continued...