How many people have we scared off?

[Daedalus]

Yeah I experienced the same as Daq Bekkar. Most threads were either old or 6-pages long advanced stories. I was lucky another new player, Winston, had just started a topic with someone in which I could participate.

Besides Jenica's idea - which I think is great - maybe we could also have more topics which are more easily to enter. Topics without (much) discussion before hand and which develop on the go; everybody can participate without having to PM the topic starter.
When you want to talk about things first and don't want to everybody stumble into your topic then you can type that at the top of the starter's post.

What do you think?

[Jenica Sabiny]

I'm not as much of a fan of that idea because I don't think anyone really wants to start a thread on the chance that it *might* get a reply.. I think a list of who's available for a plot would be fine; that encourages people to communicate about an idea if they even want a plot, or just be totally random and watch what happens.

[Ryalyn Kylana]

There's a small, actively posting community, and most of it is engaged in these incredibly long and complicated quests where you have to PM to ask to get involved and then feel like you need to read through 10 pages or so of RP, 6 or so pages of character backgrounds, and ~30-50 pages of OoC communication to truly understand.

Oh I totally relate to this. In fact, I have this problem nearly every time when a plot is finished or I have to go off into the real world for awhile. It is a pain.

I like Jenica's idea about the INactive list and I also like Daedalus's random thread idea. It's kind of nice to have a few random threads where you have no idea where you're going or what is going to happen. It makes it kind of a mystery and intriguing. I've also found that it can give way to some really awesome plot ideas. ^_^ And anyone can join in fairly quickly since you only essentially need to read the last few rounds of posts to understand the current situation and merge into it.

I'm not as much of a fan of that idea because I don't think anyone really wants to start a thread on the chance that it *might* get a reply.

I don't think that was what Daedalus meant. He said,

maybe we could also have more topics which are more easily to enter. Topics without (much) discussion before hand and which develop on the go; everybody can participate without having to PM the topic starter.

It sounded to me like his idea involved threads that were already started but not too greatly goal oriented. Those threads would likely start as just a bunch of people in need of a place to post and want to work together, a general idea of where they are and what is going on, and then the thread going on from there. Not one random person posting and hoping that someone joins. If I understand his idea correctly, that idea I like

[Kamar Deythal]

Well, not that I want to get out of line, but almost any thread in the Hunting Lanya plotline is open, depending on the person. I have no problem with anyone joining, but I just want someone to PM me before, so I can scout their character and see where that person would best fit in. You'd have to talk to the other characters in other threads related to the plotline to see where they stand, however. At one point, we have 5-6 people posting in one thread, which eventually got split into 3 or 4 different threads when everyone made their getaways/got knocked out by magic freezing their bodies and falling headfirst into a wall as they were rounding a corner and got caught. ( ) Bet you can't guess who that last one happened to...

Anyways, my point, even though I'm going to have a hard time posting for the next couple weeks, is that I have no problem with anyone joining any thread that any of my characters are in. Of course, it will have to be discussed with other characters/players in that thread, and I don't think anybody should be held responsible for reading all the threads in a storyline to remain current. It's not like their character would know what our characters have been up to, right? A certain amount of reading might, -might-, be prudent, but that's up to the individual. Not everyone is a keener like Lyl. ( )

Ok, I should go, cause it's midnight, and I have an exam in 12 hours.

[Jenica Sabiny]

If people want to start random threads that's no problem and not even really something that would need to be discussed. The problem is that almost every thread will *eventually* start to gain a direction which negates the whole random thread idea.

But seriously, if people want to do this PLEASE DO!!! There's no need whatsoever to clear something like that with staff.

A good example of a relatively directionless thread is the Haven In The Woods story. There's no actual plot; it's just three people interacting. That's the whole thread. The only thing is that we all post VERY slowly which makes it hard for other players to join because they may wait for a very very long time between replies. I don't mind the slow pace but a newbie who's excited about their character would.

[Metarie]

A few questions...

Maybe instead of creating new threads, we should first consider reducing the number of in progress threads?

If there a fewer threads in which people are expected to post, then perhaps the posting time would be reduced?

If someone can't post for a while, then why not just write your character out of the story - send them out of town to get something?

I'm not sure about the random thread thing. I think we should be heading towards something as we write. Each character has a purpose or needs to find it, yes?

What about having a place where the characters can convene - perhaps the shopping district or a gathering/celebration like a holiday or some other event where people would come together (maybe a Marn is "x" years old celebration?). Something that allows the characters to come together, run into one another, and talk to one another.

Say it's a week long celebration: We have a bard, an actress (if Quinn is still posting?), guards who would be patrolling, a character who could do pyrotechnics as entertainment, families that would be enjoying the festivities (a possible plot line could be one or two being kidnapped in retaliation for the Lightswords activities - maybe even an innocent bystander elf lol -), and other folk who are part of the town. If I missed mentioning your characters or something related to them, it's only because I think I might be belaboring the point.

How often we are available to post (I think I read somewhere that there is a within 3-day posting limit ?) determines how often we appear during the festivities. We could also publish somewhere our posting frequency availability.

Hmm, maybe the celebration becomes the back drop to the existing story lines.

I dunno. I'm rambling. I should be writing that paper...

[Win Sabre]

I think I just got lucky, talking to mods and getting it into my head that I could start my own plot. I just luckily nabbed Drake and started sending off invitation PMs to the other noobs like myself. That's how I got Daedalus.

How about a "Player Classifieds" section? If someone needs a bodyguard in the next adventure, they could post an "ad" saying so, along with links to necessary reading (not 30-50 pages, just a three paragraph summary). That would make it easier for new players or players coming out of quests. There could be a "Help Wanted" section and a section for those seeking "employment."

[Devon]

I agree with Win with this wholeheartedly. Unfortuanately with my deployments and the random taskings I get sent on, I'd like to go ahead and jump in. I've been kind of sitting around just chatting.

[Blood Ravenous]

I think you can put "classifieds" stuff in the Town Crier forum. It doesn't say that, but it's for gossip and news articles... And looking for help is sort of a current event. No one ever uses that forum so it'd be nice to see traffic there. It's cool, too, because you can write it up like an official ad, IC and everything. Or even an IC post of your character announcing it or what have you...

I definitely think we should use that forum more often. If I was in a thread that had an impact on the public, I would totally post a "gossip" snippet or such.

[Frug]

Sorry for my late reply. I wrote one and then had to go. I have been reading the suggestions and I'll give my two cents here in reverse order:

Town crier would be the place to post a classifieds. It should be open to anyone to post. Otherwise the place to ask is the player communication forum.

I'm always reluctant to add new forums to the website because of two reasons. Mainly they don't get used and end up just looking barren and empty, but also the more forums the index page has, the more scrolling through stuff people have to do.

Maybe instead of creating new threads, we should first consider reducing the number of in progress threads?

I wouldn't know how to do that, it's up to people where they want to post. Having more threads also has advantages. People can post faster, rather than waiting in line for more people. It's also easier to navigate. I like to have a different thread for everyone who is in a different location. That way it's broken up into scenes like a book.

If there a fewer threads in which people are expected to post, then perhaps the posting time would be reduced?

Fewer threads means more people in each thread, unless you're talking about asking people to use fewer characters, which is their choice. More people makes things slower.

If someone can't post for a while, then why not just write your character out of the story - send them out of town to get something?

There is an unwritten 3 day rule for posting. If someone does not post for 3 days without giving any notification, you are allowed to skip them. If the situation requires it, you can even write them out somehow, but I would ask staff first.

What about having a place where the characters can convene

Your character cannot be in two threads at the same time. This was debated in the past when the rule got established and I stand by it. With that in mind I don't see how a new forum for meeting up would be different from the downtown area. If enough people say they want a place to have a non-serious place to play with their characters (which breaks the two-threads rule) I'll create it, but I wouldn't get involved. When I write my characters I keep it serious and plot related.

maybe we could also have more topics which are more easily to enter. Topics without (much) discussion before hand and which develop on the go; everybody can participate without having to PM the topic starter.
When you want to talk about things first and don't want to everybody stumble into your topic then you can type that at the top of the starter's post.

All of my plots have begun this way. Don't plan things ahead of time, just take your characters, plop them into random situations and see where they go. None of the plots I'm involved with were planned to the point that you see them now, they have progressed to that point naturally. Only Kamar and Lanya's situation was planned between them, and that planning was just an agreement about what they were doing in Marn. What you see as topics with a lot of discussion are often old plots with a little discussion that has piled up.

There's a small, actively posting community, and most of it is engaged in these incredibly long and complicated quests where you have to PM to ask to get involved and then feel like you need to read through 10 pages or so of RP, 6 or so pages of character backgrounds, and ~30-50 pages of OoC communication to truly understand.

I am a supporter of not knowing what your character doesn't see, and writing enough description when a new person enters a thread to give them what they need to know. To join a plot you should not have to read more than a page or two of OOC communication. Anything that happened before you joined is something your character can discover him/herself, and you don't need to know this stuff to join. When I devise plan for the plots I'm in, I don't tell people what I plan. This has upset people before but that's how I see RP should be. Some things should be surprises and most decisions that your character can make can be made with the same information your character has. OOC information should not be necessary and in my opinion spoils surprises.


I've gotten a lot of feedback from people saying it's difficult to get started, and i'm not sure what a good solution is other than saying that part of a writer's job is to be proactive in finding a place. It's not always easy but it's not impossible either. I think part of the problem is that there is not enough advice on what is expected of you when you do first join. This stuff will go in the about section of the website which is being redone:
http://www.tharshaddin.com/about.html

[Zebren Avern]

As for the problems with getting started, this is where what I'm running at the moment comes in.

Besides being a plot I've wanted to play for some time, "The Hunt" is a place where newbies and/or anyone not involved in a plot who wants to be can get involved. People like myself, who of course had to write myself out of a plot due to crippled internet access, and those who I post with now, who are all new.

By the by, I'm trying to temporarily take myself out of the plot, because of even crappier internet access over the "festive" period. It's gone very well, since I've made two posts now since I said I was only going to write one more. It's not possible, in my opinion, to just have him "suddenly have to go get something out of town", I have to make it believable, and of course can't auto people's characters, which means that it's more difficult than you migt imagine to do it.

Just popped in for a visit, peeps. Lovely to see you all.

[Daq Bekkar]

Frug makes an interesting point about dropping in to RPs. Of course, it's still tempting to read all of this OoC info and think of a way for your character to fit in. Thar caters to characters with very specialized, balanced skill sets, so it's not like they're the universal, do-everything hero. It's a trade-off.. on one hand it makes for very easily definable personalities and reactions, but it also means that it's harder to just "jump in" since there's that chance that a plot will have nothing your character could latch on to.

After getting to know everybody, it's very accommodating, and I wouldn't feel nervous to jump in, but it was kind of intimidating at first because of the strict standards used for judging profiles. I got the impression that people took their plots VERY seriously because of how developed and elaborate they were and that they wouldn't appreciate some newbie jumping in on it and making a fool out of himself in the middle of the important developments.

**
Xyon, if you want an easy out, you could just create some sort of NPC kidnapper. Maybe a bounty hunter looking for Zebren who takes him alive to deliver him to his/her employer.. Maybe even pipe-smoker man.. Then to waste time (and as an open call for new characters to get involved), there could be a hunt for Zebren himself before the actual Hunt.

[Jenica Sabiny]

I do think it would be helpful to specify which plots are open and which aren't, but it's also courtesy to ask if one can join a thread before doing so - because honestly, sometimes a character just plain won't fit.

I think Fruggles stated that the Hunting Lanya plot is open open open - which it is. The only reason it's been harder to join Lan's threads is because she's either inside of Justice Hall or inside of a healer's house - so it's harder to introduce a character. It has to make sense within context. (Alibi I believe is working toward this end, so you can read his stuff to see what I'm getting at).

I *think* Fruggles is working on getting subtitles back, which will help with differentiating what's open from what's not. If people could put this in the title for now it would help. But a good rule of thumb? Always ask first! This way you can also start a discussion with the players and maybe even come up with a plotline!

Or not. Plotlines can be good for direction but also limiting in terms of what the characters can or can't do. I like leaving things open unless I get frustrated by delays and finally just want to know wtf the direction is. Two of my girls are perfect without direction or purpose - Geld and Jen. They go where the wind takes them and they're more fun to play without any real goal. Lanya and Anga are direction-oriented, so I prefer to know wtf is going on with them - to a degree.

[Frug]

I *think* Fruggles is working on getting subtitles back

After the rest of the website is done (I ran into an issue with what I wanted to do with that menu system) topic descriptions will return along with custom profile fields.

[Lylessa Uluki]

I do think it would be helpful to specify which plots are open and which aren't, but it's also courtesy to ask if one can join a thread before doing so - because honestly, sometimes a character just plain won't fit.

Yeah, that. Speaking for myself, there aren't any players on this site I wouldn't be willing to write with... but there are characters that can't really interact with mine without completely derailing everything I'm doing.

Subtitles are definitely helpful, but I think the main reason they are is because it can be nerve-wracking to PM someone in an established plot and ask to join. I'm just not sure what could be done about that, though, because I really think it needs to be discussed whether there's a benefit to bringing two (or more) characters together. That doesn't mean they have to get along. They can be antagonists, complications, spies, traitors, villains, or what have you. I just think you do need to consider whether a given combination of characters works and has a point... and sometimes that can't be done by just jumping in somewhere.

I support PMing.