I'm a college instructor. I teach hundreds of students across multiple courses a semester in the same major. When I receive an email from a student asking what will be on an upcoming quiz or what they missed in the last lecture or what the assigned textbook is or whatever without stating the course they're asking about, I reply by asking for the course, even if there is enough context for me to hazard a guess or even if I could look them up in my roster to try to figure it out for certain.

Why? Because if I guess wrong I might waste my time and confuse them with an answer that doesn't apply to them. Because they need to possess enough theory of mind to understand that not everybody knows what they're thinking if they can't express themselves clearly. Because I don't want them to embarrass themselves in the future when they're equally presumptive or ambiguous with another instructor who isn't as patient.

People coming to RPG.SE to ask questions need to put in the research effort (the determining factor for upvotes and downvotes according to the voting buttons) necessary to express themselves clearly or else be taught how to do so with minimal interruption in the site's process. It's not being pedantic to expect people to know what game they are asking about and tell us clearly if they want our help. Waiting for the querent to do their own work to clarify saves time and effort for all parties.

Guessing results in bantering and rollbacks in extreme cases and a failure to employ a teachable moment in all cases. Guessing does nothing to help train new members of high quality. For those one-off querents who are unlikely to return anyway and maybe don't know much about the ecumenical gaming community they are a part of, it also robs them of a chance to broaden their gaming horizons and appreciation for the community.

The policy should not be changed.

I'm a college instructor. I teach hundreds of students across multiple courses a semester in the same major. When I receive an email from a student asking what will be on an upcoming quiz or what they missed in the last lecture or what the assigned textbook is or whatever without stating the course they're asking about, I reply by asking for the course, even if there is enough context for me to hazard a guess or even if I could look them up in my roster to try to figure it out for certain.

Why? Because it's a waste of my time whether I guess wrong or hassle with my rosters, and if I guess wrong I might confuse them with an answer that doesn't apply to them. Because they need to possess enough theory of mind to understand that not everybody knows what they're thinking if they can't express themselves clearly. Because I don't want them to embarrass themselves in the future when they're equally presumptuous or ambiguous with another instructor who isn't as patient.

People coming to RPG.SE to ask questions need to put in the research effort (the determining factor for upvotes and downvotes according to the voting buttons) necessary to express themselves clearly or else be taught how to do so with minimal interruption in the site's process. It's not being pedantic to expect people to know what game they are asking about and tell us clearly if they want our help. Waiting for the querent to do their own work to clarify saves time and effort for all parties.

Guessing results in bantering and rollbacks in extreme cases and a failure to employ a teachable moment in all cases. Guessing does nothing to help train new members of high quality. For those one-off querents who are unlikely to return anyway and maybe don't know much about the ecumenical gaming community they are a part of, it also robs them of a chance to broaden their gaming horizons and to learn a greater appreciation for the community.

The policy should not be changed.

I'm a college instructor. I teach hundreds of students across multiple courses a semester in the same major. When I receive an email from a student asking what will be on an upcoming quiz or what they missed in the last lecture or what the assigned textbook is or whatever without stating the course they're asking about, I reply by asking for the course, even if there is enough context for me to hazard a guess or even if I could look them up in my roster to try to figure it out for certain.

Why? Because if I guess wrong I might waste my time and confuse them with an answer that doesn't apply to them. Because they need to possess enough theory of mind to understand that not everybody knows what they're thinking if they can't express themselves clearly. Because I don't want them to embarrass themselves in the future when they're equally presumptive or ambiguous with another instructor who isn't as patient.

People coming to RPG.SE to ask questions need to put in the research effort (the determining factor for upvotes and downvotes according to the voting buttons) necessary to express themselves clearly or else be taught how to do so with minimal interruption in the site's process. It's not being pedantic to expect people to know what game they are asking about and tell us clearly if they want our help. Waiting for the querent to do their own work to clarify saves time and effort for all parties.

Guessing results in bantering and rollbacks in extreme cases and a failure to employ a teachable moment in all cases. Guessing does nothing to help train new members of high quality. For those one-off querents who are unlikely to return anyway and maybe don't know much about the ecumenical gaming community they are a part of, it also robs them of a chance to broaden their gaming horizons and appreciation for the community.

The policy should not be changed.

I'm a college instructor. I teach hundreds of students across multiple courses a semester in the same major. When I receive an email from a student asking what will be on an upcoming quiz or what they missed in the last lecture or what the assigned textbook is or whatever without stating the course they're asking about, I reply by asking for the course, even if there is enough context for me to hazard a guess or even if I could look them up in my roster to try to figure it out for certain.

Why? Because if I guess wrong I might waste my time and confuse them with an answer that doesn't apply to them. Because they need to possess enough theory of mind to understand that not everybody knows what they're thinking if they can't express themselves clearly. Because I don't want them to embarrass themselves in the future when they're equally presumptive or ambiguous with another instructor who isn't as patient.

People coming to RPG.SE to ask questions need to put in the research effort (the determining factor for upvotes and downvotes according to the voting buttons) necessary to express themselves clearly or else be taught how to do so with minimal interruption in the site's process. It's not being pedantic to expect people to know what game they are asking about and tell us clearly if they want our help. Waiting for the querent to do their own work to clarify saves time and effort for all parties.

Guessing results in bantering and rollbacks in extreme cases and a failure to employ a teachable moment in all cases. Guessing does nothing to help train new members of high quality. For those one-off querents who are unlikely to return anyway and maybe don't know much about the ecumenical gaming community they are a part of, it also robs them of a chance to broaden their gaming horizons and appreciation for the community.

The policy should not be changed.