Back when OOC topics ran rampant on the cabal channels, I really hated all the pointless and idiotic chatter. However, I accepted it inside the fairly private grouptell and tell communications. It kept a few things short and simple, and let you ask relatively innocuous questions with easy to understand replies. (like "Which way to the Emerald Forest from Galadon?" and getting a reply in single letter direction shorthand)

Unfortunately, it promoted all sorts of things that were eventually listed as Against The Rules.

So, even though I miss being able to make simple comments like the reason why I have to leave suddenly, or when I'd be back, or even why I was gone for a week:

We're better off the way things are now.

---Quislet

PS. OOC conversations in-game can lead to bizarre results, since if not for them, I couldn't have sat in on a conversation with Nimbus when he was a newbie Immortal, and gotten the completely misleading idea that his religion was pro-mage. (he was discussing ideas for invokers with a Windgust, since we didn't yet have these forums)