Backgrounds- Addition Vs. Revision

Suggestion

• Make it so you can only add to a background; revision should be impossible. Or...
• Have something similar to wiki's diffs, so we can at least see things prior to their revision.

Here is the full case for making backgrounds non-revisable.

Thesis: Revision allows players to lie about their character, and the motivations that they had. As long as they can revise, they can rewrite their personal history for personal gain.

Case in point:

Mysaek was docked one account point for trying to flip houses. A large part of the proof lay in his background, which went as follows:

"After being ignored as a witness to a crime, Mysaek realized the futility of
following such things as laws.  After this incident, Mysaek realized the
futility of following the laws.  It was then that he turned his back on the
laws of the land, knowing that only those choosen by the Guardians were to
be trusted.  He was forced to rethink what he had planned for himself in
life, and realized that he couls only do one thing now, live the life of the
criminal element.  He realized that although it may endanger him, he would
have to withdraw his scroll from those of the Shunned.  It was at this time,
after traveling with some of them, he decided to seek out the Raiders.  He
knew that there was where he truely belonged, for they were as he was,
outcasts of the law."

Mysaek, in the meantime, had apparently thought better of this plan to join the Raiders (perhaps because they kicked him out). In any case, he had been writing notes to Shunned talking about how he had been trying to play a double-agent, and how the note that he sent them about not being able to join was in fact a lie; he had really wanted to join them all along, and had just lied to them for... I dunno. Maybe he thought a Raider would get his notes to them or something. Anyway, after he found out why we docked his account, he quickly changed his background to:

"After having his testimony to a crime refused by the Guardia
hearing rumoors of his alliances, Mysaek devised a plan of manipulation and
deceit.  He knew for it to work, it would have to be done with haste and
secrecy.  He immediately withdrew his application for the Shunned.  He then
sought out one he had travelled with before, a fellow srryn by the name of
Isstyehts, Leader of the Raiders.  Mysaek convinced Isstyehts that he
desired to become a member of the Raiders, to easy Mysaek thought.  He than
made sure that his \#alliance\# was descovered by a select few who would
spread the news about the lands.  He theninformed the Shunned of exactly
waht it was he was doing.  Now that everyone truly believed he was a Raider,
his true motives and alliances would remain hidden from all but a select
few.  Any actions on his part would bring looks and retaliation to the
Raiders.  His plan was working well.

After he learned all he needed to know of the Raiders, from their powers
derived from the mystical Stones, to the exact location of everything,
including there vault in the Canyon, he enacted the second part of his plan.
Knowing the Raider\@s greed, he used this with Isstyehts, easily convincing
him with a bribe, that he needed to leave the Canyon and keep his intentions
a secret.  A small sum of platinum was all it took to accomplish this,
showing Mysaek how easy the Raiders could be manipulated.  Mysaek was now
once again free to seek that which he truly desired.  Upon completion oh
this plan, he immediatley re-submitted his application to the Shunned,
hoping they would accept him." 

Now, had Mysaek amended his background just before contesting the docking of the account point, we really would have had absolutely no proof that his house-switching was just a bullcrap move made by a player, not a character. Luckily, this bit of revisionist history was caught. However, as people start wising up to the way that accounts work, they're going to start contesting our judgements of their RP. If we have backgrounds that are unrevisable, we'll be better poised in the future to stand by our judgements, as the players won't be able to yank the evidence out from beneath our noses.