Posts made by 3543thrh67

@derp said in GMs and Players:

@sunny

I know that we're in Mildly Constructive or whatever, but it was pretty plainly a passive-aggresive move to try and undermine the original point, and I'm definitely not alone in that reading.

You weren't used. You did a thing and got called out. Deal.

This is one of the rare times I will comment in regards to any comments Sunny makes. I pass over the stuff said and make no comments towards Sunny for reasons. Anyways, Sunny has not once made the abusive ex a secret so there was nothing about the question that was passive-aggressive. Even if Sunny hadn't
said it was genuine i would have taken it that way because she does not hide the stuff about her ex.Though, it did leave the impression action was expected but not clear in stating that. Rather than treating her question like she is attacking you, treat it as serious.
Assume on your game for a moment she was a player who said it that exact way. It might be better to ask what actions she expects to be taken and if there was a reason she suspected/knows it is her ex. Which is loosely along what @reimesu said.

@Derp I think what they are saying is that while it shouldn't be the go to thing off the game stuff shouldn't be completely thrown away and 'non-canon' or 'not a reliable source'.

Someone being a dickface to someone on Discord could very well be doing the same on game. To me, if the discussion shown on Discord lines up with complaints on game, it should be seriously considered. Especially if it shows that it is related to stuff going on in game.

As for RP and such 'off game', I'll entirely consider it canon. I mean if they blow up a big important business off game without consulting staff or players that are involved with big important business, I'm not likely to call it canon because that basically kills off a bunch of peoples fun rather than add to it. You just blow the big important business up without involving the players and staff you could be killing planned story lines or forcing people to deal with something they are not OOC comfortable with. But if someone throws a ball, does their best to let people know it is on Discord because they can't be on the game for whatever reason, I'll totally support it as 'canon'. For me it comes down to 'does it ruin anyone's fun OOC/Storylines?' 'No? Why not let it be in canon?'

People are still RPing stuff involving my game and engaging in the theme. They are showing they /like/ the theme enough to extend their RP to 'off game' stuff. It shows they feel invested enough that they will continue/do stuff off game. Rather than view off game RP and the likes as 'non-canon', view it as someone showing the love they have for the effort you put into your theme and setting and support them for it.

My experience, so far, on Atharia from my players has been good when I engage and listen to the stories they want to tell and stuff they want clarified, they start to feel more invested and part of the game rather than just playing in the world. Yeah, I listen to what they have to say and make changes accordingly. It might not always be exactly what they wanted but it helps their head canon about theme or helps them understand something better.

So, I'm on board with doing stuff to help your players feel invested. Be it taking in account dickish behavior off game, them doing RP in other avenues besides the game (whatever it might be) or just engaging with them about your game information.

@ganymede I/think/ I did but if I didn't, totally.

Other good questions could be 'How can I help the GM move the story along?' 'Am I missing that I should be reacting to a thing?'

So many people seem to basically make the GM chase them to interact over attempting to take what the GM is putting down.

Although, there are also the GMs that focus on just one person in the scene and anyone else is basically just warm bodies and the others actions are ignored, whether they should cause problems or not.

Because I am dumb.. I accidently deleted this. @Arkandel is best Arkandel for pointing it out.

I decided to edit the original post to be the updated version of Atharia's ad. Also deleted my other posts to make the ad topic look a little cleaner from my side.

Except for traits some friends prefer for looks I have the policy of 'if I gotta look at its ass, it is going to be pretty'. I blame my WoW days for that since im WoW you stare at the back of a bit pretty much the whole time. I say WoW but I mean any video game you can customize. WoW just happened to be one of the first I played where I could customize. In essence, the descriptions I write are typically what I like with little to no regard to what others find appealing. The only exception is for friends if we are making a couple together. Then I work towards making us both happy.

However, being pretty seems the norm on the games I play. It seems like those that aren't 'hot' are the ones people ignore. Looks are often so important to people it causes stalking and females to avoid playing females. The exception for hotness being if the character is powerful. So, I think the looks issue. just depends on the culture bred by the game's genre and the type of play it encourages.

Since I do think the discussion originally started in the Hogpit about GMs is a good one (not a fan of the 'traits' thing but the back and forth about expectations on both sides was interesting.

Points as I saw them to be:

• GMs and players should be clear about their expectations on plot/scene paces. If a GM is a slow burn, make that clear. If they are mechanical based, make that clear, etc.
• Players and GMs alike should be mindful of RL availability.

Those are the main things, I think. I might be forgetting some.

My own comments:

I am a big fan of /attempting/ to design scenes to those involved. Like, if Play1 is social, Player2 is combat, and Player3 is combat give each of them a time to 'shine' and show off their skills. My only real rule as a GM is help each other show off and don't hog the spotlight. Sure, you might have the stats to so defeat an enemy but why not work with someone who might be a good tactician so you guys an show off together? In the scenes I GM I encourage my players to work together and make each other shine over focusing on 1 person's thing (when the scene is not specifically designed for that person).

I am also a pretty slow paced GM, as in when and how fast a scene is. I don't generally do long plotlines, most are aimed to finish in 2-3 scenes, sometimes one. The time between plots vary. I'm also likely to not GM something if some people involved can't make the scenes.

I also don't plan out any of my scenes, save for the intended results. Like, on Atharia's Children of Gods plots, the only part I have planned is Player1 is to become a Child of Gods. Sometimes slightly more, depending on if I want other things to happen at a point in it. Which, I usually set up a plan for why it happens. Like if I want someone to 'fail' so that they can open up a storyline for them, I let the player know. I try to combo the 'fail' with another scene/plot so that the 'failure' is not the focus.

I haven't read the wheel of time books in some time but I'm happy to help with theme stuff and building stuff. Not so much with the code stuff.

I dunno if that would make me 'lead' or whatever, though.

For games not Ares, there are several places too. I can't remember them all but there is mudconnector and grapevine.

@three-eyed-crow said in Games:

@shaggy said in Games:

All the new games are Ares.
Am I the only one who just doesn't really care for Ares?

It's the easiest way to set up a game without a ton of coding ability. It's the same reason most Ares games default to FS3, because it's so well-supported and integrated with the portal compared to even the other plugins.

I'd love to see more variety but people have to make it, so!

ETA: Ares is very well-suited to me as a player in most ways and I like it/admire it a lot, but the reason you see so many new games using it in similar ways at the moment isn't some kind of mystery.

I wanted to use Arx-code because I would like to see more games using their pretty extensive systems. They put a lot of effort into the code. But, Arx-code was opted out because I couldn't figure out how to properly set anything up, couldn't find a coder to help me, and I was unwilling to demand my coder to do something that they felt was to much for them to do. I made it clear, or tried to, to them that I'm not concerned about quick or anything. I let my coder decide what they felt right about dealing in and decide what they felt was fitting for their time/interest/availability. I would rather my coder (or an of my staff types) mostly enjoying themselves over feeling like connecting as staff is a chore.

I guess that was my long winded way of saying I would like to see more variety too.

https://atharia.vertinext.com/

We opened for public and people on it seem to enjoy things. I'm generally pretty open to listening to all suggestions and such that people present towards my staff or I. And we just started a couple plots things for people to get involved with. We're kind of a high fantasy L&L, I would think.

@arkandel said in Alternative Lords & Ladies Settings:

@icanbeyourmuse said in Alternative Lords & Ladies Settings:

One thing to consider allowing an alt for is that characters in positions of responsibility can be draining and cause them not not desire to log in.

Is that a real problem though? I don't have nearly as much experience with L&L as many folks on this thread but I feel it's usually the opposite that's the issue -- there are too many chiefs and too few underlings. Sure, the positions involve work... but that doesn't seem to diminish their popularity.

So if there is such high demand for the top-end positions why give them away to players who aren't active enough for them? Isn't that a more desired solution than handing them away to the person who has multiple alts, or who wants the prestige of a rank but not the associated responsibilities?

It is. People like to have the fancy titles (hence why popular), whether they do what is asked of them or not is a hit or miss. A lot of Lords and Ladies games have people that camp power characters and do basically nothing. There are also those who try to help people but start getting overwhelmed. It is not a matter of their activity but giving them a space where they can take a break, unwind, destress, etc. I would rather someone be able to have a place to retreat (over off the game) where they don't have to be mindful of their responsibilities when they need a bit of an outlet to keep playing their power character.

One thing to consider allowing an alt for is that characters in positions of responsibility can be draining and cause them not not desire to log in. Since this is a Lords and Ladies discussion thread I will use stuff relating as an example. Lets say some plays a King and they are doing all the 'duties' of playing a king character. They could be playing a nobody peasant that makes candles for a living and does nothing to take on much responsibility beyond making candles for people just to have a bit of an escape on a game they enjoy playing. So, that is something to consider when deciding alts or not. An option could be that if you play X position you can have an alt for not being leadery and such. People have frequently expressed guilt about not being available for thing because reason.

As an altaholic myself, I do think that if you don't want to allow for alts on your game you shouldn't. There is plenty of games that allow for alts. If not having an alt is a deal breaker for someone that is fine. If an altaholic likes your game enough they will accept that the alt is not an option and will play anyways. Don't cater to us altaholics, cater to what you want your game to be.

Welcome to Atharia, a world where people keep repeating the same life over and over again because one of the Gods was angered by a perceived slight. The people now strive to break this curse put upon them, the kingdoms all have their unique they believe to be the way to break the Curse.

An important note is that Atharia is a casual game. Sometimes scenes for plots and over all can come in rapid succession, sometimes it could takes a couple weeks or so before another scene happens. We're more interested in being inclusive and telling stories everyone can enjoy over 'getting plots out quickly' or something. The majority of plots on Atharia will be 1 to 2 scenes long, some times more. The plots with more than 1-5 scenes, at most, are typically ones that will involve player focus.

Atharia is a high fantasy lords and ladies game the utilizes a custom FS3 on PennMUSH. Everyone has the ability to use some sort of magic. What we have as possible things to do: Play the social games (events, slice of life RP), political games (there are different kingdoms, political marriages), exploration, scholarly endeavors, religious focus.

Feel free to join us and see if it is a place that fits for you:

The website: https://atharia.vertinext.com/
To connect: atharia.vertinext.com 4201
Discord: https://discord.gg/RMVTKuAh9B

The story lines currently going on:

The people of Atharia are seeking the 'Children of Gods', citizens of Atharia who have a parent that is a God. Until recently they were hidden away for their protection. There is, currently, 15 know Children of Gods and 8 of them have been found. The people were given a necklace that glows brightly when an awakened Child of Gods is found. We absolutely welcome anyone who wants to play a Child of Gods. Unless we suddenly blow up big you can have 1 character be one. I'm also open to the possibility of claiming an NPC, as long as you understand they have been puppetted in scenes.
The logs for the plot: https://atharia.vertinext.com/index.php?title=Plot:_Children_of_Gods
The information about Children of Gods:
https://atharia.vertinext.com/index.php?title=Game_news:The_Children_of_Gods

Currently there is one exploration plot going on and it is called'Flames of the Mountains'. Flames of the Mountain is at a point new people can be easily added.
The logs can be found here: https://atharia.vertinext.com/index.php?title=Plot:Exploration-_Flames_of_the_Mountains

The people of Atharia have been tasked by the Gods to find the 'Lost Gods'. Two of the Children of Gods were discovered to not be the Children of the current known Gods. So, the Gods tasked the mortals with finding the Lost Gods. It has just begun so plenty of time to join in.
To see the logs: https://atharia.vertinext.com/index.php?title=Plot:_To_Find_the_Lost_Gods

The Children of Gods have to complete 'herculean' tasks to ascend. How difficult the task is will depend on which God assigns it and who they are assigning it too. The Child of one God might find their task easier than a Child of another God getting a task from the same God as the first Child. Several of the tasks have been done but the tasks are more based on the player doing them than over all. So, taking part of this is more personalized to the Child. The tasks can vary from being individual, to certain people doing it, to everyone. Each Child has to do, at least, 12 tasks.
To see the logs: https://atharia.vertinext.com/index.php?title=Plot:_Child_of_Gods_Tasks

How I am doing Atharia's stuff:

Rulers (not all L&L games use King/Queen): 1 of the 4 kingdoms prefer male leaders. It has nothing to do with males being superior/better/whatever it is simply tradition and there are outlier cases of females being leaders but because it is not traditional they do have to work harder to prove themselves. Another kingdom is matriarchal, same as for males but females are the leaders and males are the outlier cases. Another kingdom, regardless of gender, leans towards eldest child being the next ruler. The final kingdom has no preference on gender or age just who has proven, to the current leader, that they should be their heir. Whether its true or not is open as they could be the worst leader ever but they have the current leader thinking otherwise.

Spouses: The rulers can have up to 3 'spouses', technically, but only 1 person is the 'true spouse' and holds the same title as the ruler (AKA King and Queen). This match is typically political. Commoners can't marry up, my hard rule on this. HOWEVER, their Consorts are the 'loves' of the ruler, they are noble or common. The 3rd Spouse is basically the Concubine (We call them Supporters). Their relationship has little involving politics or love. They are typically taken on because, for whatever reason, there is no heir. The Supporter is considered on par with, I think I said princess and prince (in the case of kings and queens) but I'd have to double check. HOWEVER, Supporters job is to give heirs to the ruler. There is no love or political matches involved. They are expected to be with the ruler only and only rulers (AKA title holders) can have a Supporter.

Relationships: There is no expectation of Chasity, no expectation of fidelity (unless that is what the couple wants), no gender preferences for who marries who (Anyone can have a child, male or female. Don't think to hard on how it would work, I don't). So, A man can marry a man, a woman can marry a woman, man to woman, trans to man, etc. Whatever gender can be with whatever gender they want.

Racism: Skin color has zero matter. two white parents could have a native child and people just know it is theirs, some how. Basically, the parents can be any RL race they want, as can the child. Sure, it might make no sense if you do how genetics work RL. Atharia has meddlesome Gods, so the 'blooded families' can be any RL race they want. NOW, there are some 'race features' specific to each kingdom, nothing to do with RL. Like one kingdom is glowy, one kingdom is Elfy, 1 kingdom is ghostly, 1 kingdom is 'orcy' (as in their skins are something like shades of blue, green and purple I believe, I forget what ranges I specifically said off hand)

These are things done with just my staff present. Some of it might change with players while interest is tested in certain aspects of the game.