Hi folks!
Here's something that's long overdue -- a town meeting! Group meeting? Dream meeting? Whatever it is, some of you may recall it from last year (like I said, overdue), where we gather together for pizza* and drinks** and have an OOC chat about the direction of the dream.
I was hoping for this weekend, so we're going to try to shoot for Friday evening. I know it's short notice.
"But I can't make it!" -- That's fine! We'll be posting everything on the forum and opening it up for discussion here as well. If you'd prefer to outright skip it and just tune in later, that's fine too! We just want everyone to have a chance to contribute.
So, see you Friday night upstairs in the jail house (shortcut: !jail house). We'll shoot for around 6pm FST, likely more like 6:30.
* Pixellated
** Cash bar (also pixellated)
EDIT:
This thread is now open for contributions!
We will post a summary of what was discussed tomorrow (Saturday).
Here's something that's long overdue -- a town meeting! Group meeting? Dream meeting? Whatever it is, some of you may recall it from last year (like I said, overdue), where we gather together for pizza* and drinks** and have an OOC chat about the direction of the dream.
I was hoping for this weekend, so we're going to try to shoot for Friday evening. I know it's short notice.
"But I can't make it!" -- That's fine! We'll be posting everything on the forum and opening it up for discussion here as well. If you'd prefer to outright skip it and just tune in later, that's fine too! We just want everyone to have a chance to contribute.
So, see you Friday night upstairs in the jail house (shortcut: !jail house). We'll shoot for around 6pm FST, likely more like 6:30.
* Pixellated
** Cash bar (also pixellated)
EDIT:
This thread is now open for contributions!
We will post a summary of what was discussed tomorrow (Saturday).
Mikhael Solberg (played by minizeries)
Topic Starter
Moderator
Administrator
January 17 2015
11:52am
ANNOUNCEMENTS (6:15 – 6:30)
Weather wise, It has come to our attention that folks are not so sure of what the weather really is, in Greystone. That's alright, I am here to tell you it is bad. The only time a day is clear is if in dream you do not see any snow falling. If it rains and freezes, it is followed by more snow. Conditions are dangerous for travelers coming in and out of Greystone, if one does not have the proper attire it can affect your character's health.
Hunting should be incredibly difficult in this weather and the more furres hunt the less game there is. You can be the best (or worst) hunter in the world that does not change the fact that game is crazy scarce on top of other things scaring off the game. The more furres hunt the game around the nearby Lorewood the farther out characters will need to go to get food, more dangerous these adventures become. So, for the sake of keeping folks entertained with hunting rp we ask that hunting parties tell a mod so that you can roll for these things to better flavor your rp.
The next point is related -- tavern supplies. Basically, with hunting scarce, so are the supplies in the tavern, hence its closure at dusk, and limited menu. Just a reminder.
Finally, NPCs! For the most part, they are boring and mundane people who do not do anything to influence the dream. So, if you want to make assumptions about NPCs that don't follow this expectation, please whisper us so we know what's up, and can make sure the new assumptions fit the facts of the canon in the moment.
Weather wise, It has come to our attention that folks are not so sure of what the weather really is, in Greystone. That's alright, I am here to tell you it is bad. The only time a day is clear is if in dream you do not see any snow falling. If it rains and freezes, it is followed by more snow. Conditions are dangerous for travelers coming in and out of Greystone, if one does not have the proper attire it can affect your character's health.
Hunting should be incredibly difficult in this weather and the more furres hunt the less game there is. You can be the best (or worst) hunter in the world that does not change the fact that game is crazy scarce on top of other things scaring off the game. The more furres hunt the game around the nearby Lorewood the farther out characters will need to go to get food, more dangerous these adventures become. So, for the sake of keeping folks entertained with hunting rp we ask that hunting parties tell a mod so that you can roll for these things to better flavor your rp.
The next point is related -- tavern supplies. Basically, with hunting scarce, so are the supplies in the tavern, hence its closure at dusk, and limited menu. Just a reminder.
Finally, NPCs! For the most part, they are boring and mundane people who do not do anything to influence the dream. So, if you want to make assumptions about NPCs that don't follow this expectation, please whisper us so we know what's up, and can make sure the new assumptions fit the facts of the canon in the moment.
Mikhael Solberg (played by minizeries)
Topic Starter
Moderator
Administrator
January 17 2015
11:53am
QUESTIONS (6:25 – 7:00)
Q: What is the cause of the [severe] winter?
A: A mage cast a spell and it snowballed (pun not intended. Whoops).
Q: What is that doing to the southern economies, which are centered on large birds?
A: Bad things. It is doing bad things. Everything's slowing, but it's especially bad in the rural areas.
Q: If this magical storm would be messing with big merchant money, wouldn't they send someone to see WHY?
A: Yes.
Q: Does that mean someone is coming for that?
A: Yes.
Q: How big is this storm?
A: We have not defined a specific geographical area for it. It affects at least as far as Saffingwell and most of the way to Modesty.
Q: With birds travelling south for winter, would it be likely they end up in areas like Greystone?
A: No, not more than usual -- in fact, less than usual due to the inclement weather Most would have already made the trip if they were going to make it.
Q: Is a way to get out from beneath it?
A: Yes, if a PC is willing to risk travelling through the storm there is a way out of it. Supplies can be moved from areas out of the weather and slowly brought back in to where the weather is terrible.
Q: How is such a magical storm of that magnitude being maintained?
A: The magic spell was the grain of sand, and the resulting inclement weather pattern (think polar vortex; last year, and also this year) is the ugliest pearl, in the oyster that is our region.
Q: Has the snowfall been heavy enough to begin bringing down tree branches/collapsing rooves?
A: Yes!
Q: Wouldn't the equator largely void any prolonged winter not maintained by magic?
A: We are not that near the equator.
Q: So if we aren't on the equator, doesn't that offset the entire economy of the land Talz set up? “Lithe, Kosh, Hurpha, Spreekle, Aldric, Raideth, and Sormegar are referred to as the Highlands or the Cold Counties. They are sparsely populated, and poorer because of the shortage of Raptors. Raptors, Ostrix, and Kiwi don't do very well in the cold, and Raptors will not lay eggs here.”
A: No; the description remains correct.
Q: What is the real world equivalent to where we are climate wise normally? Like a state?
A: Pennsylvania
Q: For an image of the level of this problem. Would the movie, "The Day After Tomorrow" be a decent reference?
A: No.
Q: Are there other reasons for the wildlife retreating other than 'probably hunters'? I mean, I don't think a proper hunter would scare off animals whatsoever.
A: Yes.
Q: Are these secret PC reasons?
A: No. There is a lycanthian hunting among you. Also, undead.
Q: Mages can sense both of those things. Doesn't that pose a HUGE threat to them even showing themselves?
A: Yes.
Q: What is the cause of the [severe] winter?
A: A mage cast a spell and it snowballed (pun not intended. Whoops).
Q: What is that doing to the southern economies, which are centered on large birds?
A: Bad things. It is doing bad things. Everything's slowing, but it's especially bad in the rural areas.
Q: If this magical storm would be messing with big merchant money, wouldn't they send someone to see WHY?
A: Yes.
Q: Does that mean someone is coming for that?
A: Yes.
Q: How big is this storm?
A: We have not defined a specific geographical area for it. It affects at least as far as Saffingwell and most of the way to Modesty.
Q: With birds travelling south for winter, would it be likely they end up in areas like Greystone?
A: No, not more than usual -- in fact, less than usual due to the inclement weather Most would have already made the trip if they were going to make it.
Q: Is a way to get out from beneath it?
A: Yes, if a PC is willing to risk travelling through the storm there is a way out of it. Supplies can be moved from areas out of the weather and slowly brought back in to where the weather is terrible.
Q: How is such a magical storm of that magnitude being maintained?
A: The magic spell was the grain of sand, and the resulting inclement weather pattern (think polar vortex; last year, and also this year) is the ugliest pearl, in the oyster that is our region.
Q: Has the snowfall been heavy enough to begin bringing down tree branches/collapsing rooves?
A: Yes!
Q: Wouldn't the equator largely void any prolonged winter not maintained by magic?
A: We are not that near the equator.
Q: So if we aren't on the equator, doesn't that offset the entire economy of the land Talz set up? “Lithe, Kosh, Hurpha, Spreekle, Aldric, Raideth, and Sormegar are referred to as the Highlands or the Cold Counties. They are sparsely populated, and poorer because of the shortage of Raptors. Raptors, Ostrix, and Kiwi don't do very well in the cold, and Raptors will not lay eggs here.”
A: No; the description remains correct.
Q: What is the real world equivalent to where we are climate wise normally? Like a state?
A: Pennsylvania
Q: For an image of the level of this problem. Would the movie, "The Day After Tomorrow" be a decent reference?
A: No.
Q: Are there other reasons for the wildlife retreating other than 'probably hunters'? I mean, I don't think a proper hunter would scare off animals whatsoever.
A: Yes.
Q: Are these secret PC reasons?
A: No. There is a lycanthian hunting among you. Also, undead.
Q: Mages can sense both of those things. Doesn't that pose a HUGE threat to them even showing themselves?
A: Yes.
Mikhael Solberg (played by minizeries)
Topic Starter
Moderator
Administrator
January 17 2015
12:06pm
DISCUSSION (7:00 - 8:30)
The question proposed was this:
In what direction do we want to steer the rebellion plot? What ideas or observations do people have?
Below are the remarks from those who wished to speak; after each statement is the response from staff, if one was given. Please feel free to make your own contributions here on the forum.
Reik: Alright, so... I kind of agree with Rex that someone would come down to inspect the snowstorm, so there's that, alternatively, the situation is getting a bit more volatile in town after the guard split in two. It's been so bad, even, that the Rex -vs- Narsuun thing has nearly obscured the us -vs- the king scenario that should be going on. So I would find it only sensical if more men of the king came down to inspect this and clear this out, because word probably got out.
Also, some characters might not have been too subtle about Leander's identity, Calliste almost slipped up once in the middle of the tavern (correct me if I'm wrong, Calli), or the fact that nobody is minding the herbivores anymore.
Considering most of the guards are deployed rather than locals, wouldn't someone have written a letter home at some point?
Staff: This is a good idea. The king's men would/will inevitably investigate. Mail only goes so fast, however, and often unreliably, and it's slowed significantly by the weather.
Caitir: Okay well I was thinking if this weather is magic related, we should likely be seeing some Mages from The Tower. Out of curiosity in part, but the Tower also polices its own and this sort of thing would likely be investigated if nothing else.
Mages are always out searching for wild talents and run aways let alone those of the dark colleges, so with all this craziness we should be seeing more of them? They would also, especially if in pairs or small groups be able to deal with the weather and travel in right? Aaaand End xD
Staff: Yes, excellent point! Maybe, they'd also team up with the king's men.
Narsuun: Reik brings up a good point with the dream being polarized around Rex vs Nars, and it's an issue I've been working hard to try and resolve. And at that, resolve without IC violence. I'm open to suggestions on that front because I think the 'split' needs to end so that the PC characters can focus on stuff like surviving the winter and what to do when King's men come sniffing around. Folks in the garrison have been hard at work -- and thank you to everyone roleplaying the work, trying desperately to build emergency shelter, bring in trade for food and clothing, and generally help everyone survive. But I want to include more players in these activities and end the weird sequestering that's happening.
And the reason I want things to end without violence is because I want to be respectful of the fact that not everyone wants to play a rebel, and give people room to be loyalist if they chose
Narsuun has a small amount of re-enforcements en route from Darvin already, so it will be interesting to see who arrives first.
I think that's me done for now.
Eugene: How are all these people supposed to travel with the storm? Also, I wanted to bring up a concern from Herbivore PCs who are feeling restrained by the curfew, some of them are often kept in the blockade with no one to RP with. They have expressed some frustrations over this.
Staff: Travel is doable, just much slower. Herbivores, refer them to us for specific complaints, but generally people don't tend to be observing it with the split, I think.
Yonega Waya: Point 1) What should most people know, rumor/truth-wise, about the undead events? I know some were present when Linia was brought in by Agarias and there is some IC investigation going on behind the scenes, but what else would the general populace truly know? This would also include other sightings unrelated to the Necro-plot. POINT 2) Could there be some modded stuff for those doing investigations so that we're not simply making something up or hoping for a good roll but being provided (or denied) stuff through genuine RP?
Staff: The necromancer plot is not being driven by staff, and so what's known IC would come about from player interaction, I think. We'd be happy to mod to help out with it, of course!
Hunwald: To start I'd like to second the points brought up by Riek and Britta. The outside world certainly needs to start affecting events in the town, and vice versa. Extending the scope of the plot to affect nearby towns would open up possibilties. Secondly, I must disagree with Narsuun's preference for settling things peaceably. This is a rebellion after all, and at some point the matter will end up being decided by violence, with one side or the other winning. It cannot be all polite politics and wordplay. That is all.
Domino Misukun: I think one of the main issues that might be the cause of such problems with the weather, food, the herbivore camp and everything else is just a mismanagement of how to give that information to people. I think that there needs to be a little bit of a system on the forum where the players can just click it, and there: Current plot threads, current issues with the area, One post, updated when needed and succinct. Because I can understand where some people might think, with how information is scattered, unavailable, or only given via whisper or some other such method, that the player base isn't trusted with having OOC information because of IC reasons? Like, knowing this storm was magical to begin with? Easy OOC thing to put down, but I don't remember seeing it. This might be due to my brain not working right now - If that's the case, apologies for using that as an example.
Staff: Okay! These are good points. We tried to keep it organized, but maybe we need to look at improving that, using pins, etc (I saw that Ana pinned a couple posts, which helps). We can improve the emits, too, to link to weather.
Staff: We are trying to keep all the major stuff on one thread. I did - yes I discovered the sticky button! As for the ooc information there is a time in a place for it. We, do hint at a things but for the sake of keeping you all as players on your toes we do not reveal everthing. However, you can always ask but we won't always share. x)
Domino Misukun: Actually, this in relation to what Ana said. See, that's all well and good, and I understand, but we wouldn't have had a complete miscommunication on the status of the Herbivore camp amongst so many players that has led to multiple RP that perhaps might not have happened if the information on the state was not so.. In flux. That, and I think Hunwald was right: Peaceful negotiations and everything else might not work whatsoever depending on the characters and NPCs (such as the king's attitutde) involved.
Staff: Yes, that's a good point. We'll do up a clear-cut post on the herbivore situation when this thread is resolved. It won't fix the past, but it'll help going forward!
Rexington: Plotwise I mostly have confusion regarding NPCs and their function. I understand that they are not like PCs, which have the most swing, but they still provide a vital function in a storytelling settlement. A high ranking official, for instance, wouldn't be RPing doing something a low level person would do. Thus just because there isn't a PC to do that stuff (and a PC telling another PC to go do that that thus taking that person's alt out of the mix) doesn't mean it shouldn't get done if that makes sense. Aswell as the reinforcements incoming from Darvin, like Reik (or someone, I forget) mentioned earlier the King/Council would take notice of what is happening here. Rex has had a plan in place for what would happen if things 'went dark' that would bring King's men here. So that is one way to go with plot. Also the Mages coming down to investigate the weather, like Cait said, would also want to investigate for Supernaturals to destroy. If this weather is magical entirely, it is one for it to be this bad, but if it was only started by magic with weather is alittle too farfetched for the climate chosen for the dream. And lastly, really, to tack onto what Dom has already said it would be super, duper helpful if there was more transperancy in the dream. It really shouldn't be something we, as players, need to whisper to find out info. If hints are used, make them abit less vague. Sometimes it comes off as accidentaly vagueness rather than purposeful vagueness if that makes any sense. I am getting longwinded here. But I've heard that some players are told to "ask if they don't know" while others are told "if you should know, you'll know" and that's kinda contradicting. Anyway, I think that's it.
Staff: All right! Like we said with the information thing earlier, we'll definitely be looking at how that's all handled. And definitely, the mages would want to look into the supes, and the crown won't turn a blind eye to the goings-on. How all that will be resolved, however, has yet to be determined. The trouble with complete and utter transparency is, no one really knows who will and who will not abuse the information. We would like to err on the side of caution, however can completely concede to more obvious, pointed hints. Ones that look like they are supposed to be there.
Reik: Anyway, My stuff is short and sweet, I posted my Kiwi in response to Narsuun. Isn't Darvin a whole rebelling dominion? If so, wouldn't reinforcements from Darvin come off as a sign of agression to the king? It definately sounds as a challenge for War, which was all I wanted to put out there.
Staff: This depends on if the king knows they are coming. This will come down to a lot of different IC factors. Which, will have to be hashed out on the forums. As [we have] said, nothing has been resolved but certainly will be touched on again.
The question proposed was this:
In what direction do we want to steer the rebellion plot? What ideas or observations do people have?
Below are the remarks from those who wished to speak; after each statement is the response from staff, if one was given. Please feel free to make your own contributions here on the forum.
Reik: Alright, so... I kind of agree with Rex that someone would come down to inspect the snowstorm, so there's that, alternatively, the situation is getting a bit more volatile in town after the guard split in two. It's been so bad, even, that the Rex -vs- Narsuun thing has nearly obscured the us -vs- the king scenario that should be going on. So I would find it only sensical if more men of the king came down to inspect this and clear this out, because word probably got out.
Also, some characters might not have been too subtle about Leander's identity, Calliste almost slipped up once in the middle of the tavern (correct me if I'm wrong, Calli), or the fact that nobody is minding the herbivores anymore.
Considering most of the guards are deployed rather than locals, wouldn't someone have written a letter home at some point?
Staff: This is a good idea. The king's men would/will inevitably investigate. Mail only goes so fast, however, and often unreliably, and it's slowed significantly by the weather.
Caitir: Okay well I was thinking if this weather is magic related, we should likely be seeing some Mages from The Tower. Out of curiosity in part, but the Tower also polices its own and this sort of thing would likely be investigated if nothing else.
Mages are always out searching for wild talents and run aways let alone those of the dark colleges, so with all this craziness we should be seeing more of them? They would also, especially if in pairs or small groups be able to deal with the weather and travel in right? Aaaand End xD
Staff: Yes, excellent point! Maybe, they'd also team up with the king's men.
Narsuun: Reik brings up a good point with the dream being polarized around Rex vs Nars, and it's an issue I've been working hard to try and resolve. And at that, resolve without IC violence. I'm open to suggestions on that front because I think the 'split' needs to end so that the PC characters can focus on stuff like surviving the winter and what to do when King's men come sniffing around. Folks in the garrison have been hard at work -- and thank you to everyone roleplaying the work, trying desperately to build emergency shelter, bring in trade for food and clothing, and generally help everyone survive. But I want to include more players in these activities and end the weird sequestering that's happening.
And the reason I want things to end without violence is because I want to be respectful of the fact that not everyone wants to play a rebel, and give people room to be loyalist if they chose
Narsuun has a small amount of re-enforcements en route from Darvin already, so it will be interesting to see who arrives first.
I think that's me done for now.Eugene: How are all these people supposed to travel with the storm? Also, I wanted to bring up a concern from Herbivore PCs who are feeling restrained by the curfew, some of them are often kept in the blockade with no one to RP with. They have expressed some frustrations over this.
Staff: Travel is doable, just much slower. Herbivores, refer them to us for specific complaints, but generally people don't tend to be observing it with the split, I think.
Yonega Waya: Point 1) What should most people know, rumor/truth-wise, about the undead events? I know some were present when Linia was brought in by Agarias and there is some IC investigation going on behind the scenes, but what else would the general populace truly know? This would also include other sightings unrelated to the Necro-plot. POINT 2) Could there be some modded stuff for those doing investigations so that we're not simply making something up or hoping for a good roll but being provided (or denied) stuff through genuine RP?
Staff: The necromancer plot is not being driven by staff, and so what's known IC would come about from player interaction, I think. We'd be happy to mod to help out with it, of course!
Hunwald: To start I'd like to second the points brought up by Riek and Britta. The outside world certainly needs to start affecting events in the town, and vice versa. Extending the scope of the plot to affect nearby towns would open up possibilties. Secondly, I must disagree with Narsuun's preference for settling things peaceably. This is a rebellion after all, and at some point the matter will end up being decided by violence, with one side or the other winning. It cannot be all polite politics and wordplay. That is all.
Domino Misukun: I think one of the main issues that might be the cause of such problems with the weather, food, the herbivore camp and everything else is just a mismanagement of how to give that information to people. I think that there needs to be a little bit of a system on the forum where the players can just click it, and there: Current plot threads, current issues with the area, One post, updated when needed and succinct. Because I can understand where some people might think, with how information is scattered, unavailable, or only given via whisper or some other such method, that the player base isn't trusted with having OOC information because of IC reasons? Like, knowing this storm was magical to begin with? Easy OOC thing to put down, but I don't remember seeing it. This might be due to my brain not working right now - If that's the case, apologies for using that as an example.
Staff: Okay! These are good points. We tried to keep it organized, but maybe we need to look at improving that, using pins, etc (I saw that Ana pinned a couple posts, which helps). We can improve the emits, too, to link to weather.
Staff: We are trying to keep all the major stuff on one thread. I did - yes I discovered the sticky button! As for the ooc information there is a time in a place for it. We, do hint at a things but for the sake of keeping you all as players on your toes we do not reveal everthing. However, you can always ask but we won't always share. x)
Domino Misukun: Actually, this in relation to what Ana said. See, that's all well and good, and I understand, but we wouldn't have had a complete miscommunication on the status of the Herbivore camp amongst so many players that has led to multiple RP that perhaps might not have happened if the information on the state was not so.. In flux. That, and I think Hunwald was right: Peaceful negotiations and everything else might not work whatsoever depending on the characters and NPCs (such as the king's attitutde) involved.
Staff: Yes, that's a good point. We'll do up a clear-cut post on the herbivore situation when this thread is resolved. It won't fix the past, but it'll help going forward!
Rexington: Plotwise I mostly have confusion regarding NPCs and their function. I understand that they are not like PCs, which have the most swing, but they still provide a vital function in a storytelling settlement. A high ranking official, for instance, wouldn't be RPing doing something a low level person would do. Thus just because there isn't a PC to do that stuff (and a PC telling another PC to go do that that thus taking that person's alt out of the mix) doesn't mean it shouldn't get done if that makes sense. Aswell as the reinforcements incoming from Darvin, like Reik (or someone, I forget) mentioned earlier the King/Council would take notice of what is happening here. Rex has had a plan in place for what would happen if things 'went dark' that would bring King's men here. So that is one way to go with plot. Also the Mages coming down to investigate the weather, like Cait said, would also want to investigate for Supernaturals to destroy. If this weather is magical entirely, it is one for it to be this bad, but if it was only started by magic with weather is alittle too farfetched for the climate chosen for the dream. And lastly, really, to tack onto what Dom has already said it would be super, duper helpful if there was more transperancy in the dream. It really shouldn't be something we, as players, need to whisper to find out info. If hints are used, make them abit less vague. Sometimes it comes off as accidentaly vagueness rather than purposeful vagueness if that makes any sense. I am getting longwinded here. But I've heard that some players are told to "ask if they don't know" while others are told "if you should know, you'll know" and that's kinda contradicting. Anyway, I think that's it.
Staff: All right! Like we said with the information thing earlier, we'll definitely be looking at how that's all handled. And definitely, the mages would want to look into the supes, and the crown won't turn a blind eye to the goings-on. How all that will be resolved, however, has yet to be determined. The trouble with complete and utter transparency is, no one really knows who will and who will not abuse the information. We would like to err on the side of caution, however can completely concede to more obvious, pointed hints. Ones that look like they are supposed to be there.
Reik: Anyway, My stuff is short and sweet, I posted my Kiwi in response to Narsuun. Isn't Darvin a whole rebelling dominion? If so, wouldn't reinforcements from Darvin come off as a sign of agression to the king? It definately sounds as a challenge for War, which was all I wanted to put out there.
Staff: This depends on if the king knows they are coming. This will come down to a lot of different IC factors. Which, will have to be hashed out on the forums. As [we have] said, nothing has been resolved but certainly will be touched on again.
Hello! Here are some things that I either didn't think of in the meeting or didn't get clarification on, aswell as stuff that just didn't have a place.
Q: What is the cause of the [severe] winter?
A: A mage cast a spell and it snowballed (pun not intended. Whoops).
Is this still the current cause or was it only the catalyst?
Q: What is that doing to the southern economies, which are centered on large birds?
A: Bad things. It is doing bad things. Everything's slowing, but it's especially bad in the rural areas.
Q: If this magical storm would be messing with big merchant money, wouldn't they send someone to see WHY?
A: Yes.
Q: Does that mean someone is coming for that?
A: Yes.
If someone would be sent to investigate and the storm isn't overtop of Modesty, wouldn't someone be here by now? Either to see why their economies are being messed up or a group of mages sent to stop it?
Q: How is such a magical storm of that magnitude being maintained?
A: The magic spell was the grain of sand, and the resulting inclement weather pattern (think polar vortex; last year, and also this year) is the ugliest pearl, in the oyster that is our region.
Researched 'polar vortexes':
A polar vortex is a large pocket of very cold air, typically the coldest air in the Northern Hemisphere, which sits over the polar region during the winter season
These seem to concentrated around the poles of the earth, just curious if Greystone is that far north or not.
Also what sort of spell sparked the storm, and how does it sustain itself still?
Geography wise I am curious as to why the decision was made to ignore canon maps in favor of a different geography within the dream? I believe Pennsylvania was mentioned?
KASURIA:
This map, from the web archive of Talz's site and the one linked on the Furc Dragonland's site does not have a scale.
EXAMPLE 1
EXAMPLE 2
Q: Wouldn't the equator largely void any prolonged winter not maintained by magic?
A: We are not that near the equator.
Q: So if we aren't on the equator, doesn't that offset the entire economy of the land Talz set up? “Lithe, Kosh, Hurpha, Spreekle, Aldric, Raideth, and Sormegar are referred to as the Highlands or the Cold Counties. They are sparsely populated, and poorer because of the shortage of Raptors. Raptors, Ostrix, and Kiwi don't do very well in the cold, and Raptors will not lay eggs here.”
A: No; the description remains correct.
See above to the canon maps.
Q: Are these secret PC reasons?
A: No. There is a lycanthian hunting among you. Also, undead.
Q: Mages can sense both of those things. Doesn't that pose a HUGE threat to them even showing themselves?
A: Yes.
"Vampfurres face deadly and potent opposition by Mages and Demifane, and severe prejudice from mortals. If a Vampfurre is revealed for what they are, don't just expect angry mobs with pitchforks and torches- also expect a noble to send an experienced cadre of Mages well-equipped to track and destroy the Undead!"
"Vampfurres do not normally slay mortals out of hand because Mages and Psions possess abilities to locate bodies of victims, to view a murder-scene with clairvoyance, to track a murderer, and so forth. Some Vampfurres interfere in mortal lives on the grounds that these are their rightful property but in the Covenant, secrecy is always considered the most important rule."
The presence of vampires would also call for a group of mages from the tower sent to investigate. Perhaps also due to such a strange storm.
"The trouble with complete and utter transparency is, no one really knows who will and who will not abuse the information."
Most players know what should and should not be IC thankfully. But part of the reason I came initially was because how open information was. That was partly to do with a smaller player base, I think, but it seemed like everyone was on the same page and well versed with what was going on within the dream. Now things are so big and it is hard for everyone to keep track of various plotlines, things only posted in emits rather than the forums, etc. In my opinion having to whisper to get info (especially when staff aren't on at all hours) is really detrimental to the flow of plot. I've seen whispers with contradicting information that really effected plot that, had it been plain on the forums for all parties to see, would have hopefully alleviated the issues that caused. Not to mention some people don't want to whisper for info, or others don't know the right questions to ask to get the answer they require. I think a few rare occurrences of people taking alittle too much IC weigh far less than the cons of being vague just to keep the plot underwraps. ICly is where the plot should be vague, OOCly the goals of staff, the plot, and the dream as a whole should be pretty well hashed out for clarity in the spirit of going forward. Just my thoughts!
Rexington: Plotwise I mostly have confusion regarding NPCs and their function. I understand that they are not like PCs, which have the most swing, but they still provide a vital function in a storytelling settlement. A high ranking official, for instance, wouldn't be RPing doing something a low level person would do. Thus just because there isn't a PC to do that stuff (and a PC telling another PC to go do that that thus taking that person's alt out of the mix) doesn't mean it shouldn't get done if that makes sense.
This I don't think was addressed. I've seen some varied things in-dream about what NPCs can and can't do that seem conflicting. There aren't enough PCs to be able to do all the functions of a well-oiled anything. NPCs wouldn't just be sitting around doing absolutely nothing, they play their own part in storytelling. Otherwise what would happen if players made alts to just control the entire plot themselves? Nothing is restricted, as far as the site is concerned, aside from Royalty and Humans.
Lastly, the meeting was pretty open ended. Some of us weren't sure where to go or what to do with it afterward. Was the meeting just to check the dream's pulse or will staff be taking the plot into their own hands somewhat? Will there be another meeting to let us know the results or your thoughts?
Some final bits and bobs:
- Rex hasn't sent word to his contacts in just a few days shy of a month. Even with the storm this is a huge redflag for the county.
- Having mages sent to investigate either the storm or the supernatural rumors would be fun.
- Moving the herb camp out of the blockade might help with those that don't get enough RP as one.
- Some clarification on the canon 'livestock and game' (such as only birds, reptiles, fish, & bugs) might be in order, aswell as a general facelift for the GT site.
- More clear defined rules (not more rules in general) on the site. There have been a few instances of players whispered over things not listed as a rule.
- Better tone and attention to how things sound in whispers from staff.
- Perhaps take on more staff members to alleviate stress on current staff.
- An anonymous suggestion box for those who don't wish for their words to be attached to their name.
- Updated !commands, or more succinct ones (!store vs !general store, !jail vs !jail house).
- Should mages have their spells all listed or not?
- Maybe a thread with various Happenings Around The Country to add flavor for country-wide instead of dream-wide rumors/gossip.
- Holidays, holidays, HOLIDAYS!
- A list of crimes and their punishments, clear cut and listed out.
- Clarification (I suppose I could make one) on the difference between constables (cops) and soldiers (soldiers).
And to end things off I would like to say that this dream is clearly doing a great job, there are always things happening and the player base is large! The dream looks good, things are taken care of in a timely manner, etc. I don't pretend to speak for everyone, only what I've noticed myself. Hopefully this sheds some insight on things, and I hope other players add in their own two cents too!
EDIT: Thought of a few more things in the past few moments!
- Dream upload spots for people with off-map homes or farms, etc
- Mini-plots to add layers to the dream wide plot though some of this has already been handled by players
Edit AGAIN
- A higher dream rating, up to M if possible. To my knowledge everyone here is 16 or older. This would help a great deal of the issues I have heard and seen come up of the Furcadia ToS.
Jenamore wrote:
And to end things off I would like to say that this dream is clearly doing a great job, there are always things happening and the player base is large! The dream looks good, things are taken care of in a timely manner, etc. I don't pretend to speak for everyone, only what I've noticed myself.
I want to strongly agree with this. It's an awesome dream. Extra special thanks to the mods.
I really like what everyone has discussed so far in regards to suggestions and plot devices. I would adore seeing more holiday festivals and events that are more positive than seeing everything doom and gloom. I'm sure the locals would at least TRY to be happy.
I will make up an IC board for the Kali plot so everyone can follow along with what is general knowledge, what's been learned, etc. Does that work?
I will also work up a list of NPC's and submit them to Ana and Mika as soon as possible along with where I'd like to take Kali's plot. It's always nice to have side plots no?
Crimes and punishment...I have a list somewhere I could share if it's needed. Though I think I shared it with you Rex. ^^
My favorite ideas from this are holidays and mini plots. Yup those are super fun.
I'd love to see a few more staff members added to the team as well, just so there's not as much stress on staff.
Especially since we are grown rather large!
Enjoying the dream so far!
I will make up an IC board for the Kali plot so everyone can follow along with what is general knowledge, what's been learned, etc. Does that work?
I will also work up a list of NPC's and submit them to Ana and Mika as soon as possible along with where I'd like to take Kali's plot. It's always nice to have side plots no?
Crimes and punishment...I have a list somewhere I could share if it's needed. Though I think I shared it with you Rex. ^^
My favorite ideas from this are holidays and mini plots. Yup those are super fun.
I'd love to see a few more staff members added to the team as well, just so there's not as much stress on staff.
Especially since we are grown rather large!
Enjoying the dream so far!
So just to add in my seven cents [adjusted for recent inflation!] where everybody can see them,
"The trouble with complete and utter transparency is, no one really knows who will and who will not abuse the information."
I'm just going to come out and say that I find the notion that critical plot detail has been hidden OOC to keep people from cheating or whatever Super offensive. Just reading the above sentence made me flat out angry. I know I'm new but I've been struggling to find information about what's going on and the fact I can't find it basically just told me that I'm not trusted and that a lot of the other characters I talked to about stuff aren't either, and that's a nasty way to run anything. If someone is engaging in that kind of behavior, you take them aside and tell them to stop or consequences, you don't punish the whole player base.
I think there needs to be more use of the forum for any solid plot, weather or military or whatever. I'd love to see a pinned thread of stuff that's going down in the dream both so current players can reference it and so that any new players know what's up [The week in Review thing, maybe? I'm not sure how often that actually gets updated]. No one should get left out of stuff because they couldn't find out about it without grilling the admin or something, and no one should be able to complain that they could Too do [xyz] because they weren't told a reason why not and now it's too late. The rumors thread is awesome for player-to-player information and I love what's been going on in there.
I think something needs to be worked out for investigating IC occurrences. There's been junk blowing up and people getting hacked on and whatever else and there's no recourse for a player to find information about any of it because I don't even know who to ask. If we could maybe have notices posted OOC from an admin who can be like "If your character is investigating X event, message me what they're doing and where/how long/whatever and you will be sent information on what they find.
We Probably also need a designated admin to message with outgoing correspondence [or maybe current efforts to intercept correspondence?] so it's not just some vague "well I totes sent an angry letter to the King why is there not stuff happening Nao?"
About the Weather! And science and stuff
Is there anything the mages currently in the dream can maybe do about the storms?
What is maintaining the storms? Because it's been snowing for like a month at this point and there's not enough moisture going back into the atmosphere to sustain that kind of precipitation, I don't think? Though i am totes not a meteorologist, it just sounds problematic.
Given that I'm not a weatherdude, I did some research on bad snowstorms and found the following from NOAA on the ten worst blizzards in US history- the storms mostly lasted 2-3 days with the worst lasting for eight. They dropped foot after foot of snow, killed hundreds of people, collapsing buildings, and wreaking general havoc. There are places in the country that have 90+ days with fresh snow a year, but it's not constant, they only have to get at least 0.1 inches that day to count, and the top place is Mount Ranier, which is often pretty clear.
The official word on the weather is that it has been snowing constantly with barely any let-up, I think I saw the dream not-snowing maybe once, which means even if it's been light snow, we're all moving through tunnels right now and half the buildings are probably in ruins. The lower third of Kasuria is basically a wasteland at this point. There's almost no available greenery for wildlife, much less people, and it's probably all starving to death. Early spring growth that would otherwise start popping up in February is toast underneath the ice and stuff and come spring thaw there are going to be huge avalanches, then massive mudslides, and every river in sight is going to overflow catastrophically. The entire ecosystem of this section of the continent is gonna be a hot mess as soon as it stops being a cold mess.
Who's who and what's what?
Can we pretty please get an official list of who holds what positions in town? It would be logical to say that the information is available from any NPC you like, so everyone should be able to find out. I feel like it keeps changing on me, or maybe I was just really bad at finding out to start with. I think we could also use a basic run-down of the legal code and some listed standard consequences.
I think once there's some more information available and stuff gets ironed out, then maybe we can get things back on an even keel.
"The trouble with complete and utter transparency is, no one really knows who will and who will not abuse the information."
I'm just going to come out and say that I find the notion that critical plot detail has been hidden OOC to keep people from cheating or whatever Super offensive. Just reading the above sentence made me flat out angry. I know I'm new but I've been struggling to find information about what's going on and the fact I can't find it basically just told me that I'm not trusted and that a lot of the other characters I talked to about stuff aren't either, and that's a nasty way to run anything. If someone is engaging in that kind of behavior, you take them aside and tell them to stop or consequences, you don't punish the whole player base.
I think there needs to be more use of the forum for any solid plot, weather or military or whatever. I'd love to see a pinned thread of stuff that's going down in the dream both so current players can reference it and so that any new players know what's up [The week in Review thing, maybe? I'm not sure how often that actually gets updated]. No one should get left out of stuff because they couldn't find out about it without grilling the admin or something, and no one should be able to complain that they could Too do [xyz] because they weren't told a reason why not and now it's too late. The rumors thread is awesome for player-to-player information and I love what's been going on in there.
I think something needs to be worked out for investigating IC occurrences. There's been junk blowing up and people getting hacked on and whatever else and there's no recourse for a player to find information about any of it because I don't even know who to ask. If we could maybe have notices posted OOC from an admin who can be like "If your character is investigating X event, message me what they're doing and where/how long/whatever and you will be sent information on what they find.
We Probably also need a designated admin to message with outgoing correspondence [or maybe current efforts to intercept correspondence?] so it's not just some vague "well I totes sent an angry letter to the King why is there not stuff happening Nao?"
About the Weather! And science and stuff
Is there anything the mages currently in the dream can maybe do about the storms?
What is maintaining the storms? Because it's been snowing for like a month at this point and there's not enough moisture going back into the atmosphere to sustain that kind of precipitation, I don't think? Though i am totes not a meteorologist, it just sounds problematic.
Given that I'm not a weatherdude, I did some research on bad snowstorms and found the following from NOAA on the ten worst blizzards in US history- the storms mostly lasted 2-3 days with the worst lasting for eight. They dropped foot after foot of snow, killed hundreds of people, collapsing buildings, and wreaking general havoc. There are places in the country that have 90+ days with fresh snow a year, but it's not constant, they only have to get at least 0.1 inches that day to count, and the top place is Mount Ranier, which is often pretty clear.
The official word on the weather is that it has been snowing constantly with barely any let-up, I think I saw the dream not-snowing maybe once, which means even if it's been light snow, we're all moving through tunnels right now and half the buildings are probably in ruins. The lower third of Kasuria is basically a wasteland at this point. There's almost no available greenery for wildlife, much less people, and it's probably all starving to death. Early spring growth that would otherwise start popping up in February is toast underneath the ice and stuff and come spring thaw there are going to be huge avalanches, then massive mudslides, and every river in sight is going to overflow catastrophically. The entire ecosystem of this section of the continent is gonna be a hot mess as soon as it stops being a cold mess.
Who's who and what's what?
Can we pretty please get an official list of who holds what positions in town? It would be logical to say that the information is available from any NPC you like, so everyone should be able to find out. I feel like it keeps changing on me, or maybe I was just really bad at finding out to start with. I think we could also use a basic run-down of the legal code and some listed standard consequences.
I think once there's some more information available and stuff gets ironed out, then maybe we can get things back on an even keel.
In Calgary this September just past 10 cm destroyed, literally destroyed trees, the snow fall was 2 days worth of consistent snow. There was also a very real threat of roof collapse.
This was because of the heaviness of the snow. Were we closer to the equator this would be a very real and dangerous possibility. You would have to clear away snow constantly to avoid roof collapse which is, what the soldiers in town are doing.
Just did my research now. ^^
This was because of the heaviness of the snow. Were we closer to the equator this would be a very real and dangerous possibility. You would have to clear away snow constantly to avoid roof collapse which is, what the soldiers in town are doing.
Just did my research now. ^^
Syrinna wrote:
We Probably also need a designated admin to message with outgoing correspondence [or maybe current efforts to intercept correspondence?] so it's not just some vague "well I totes sent an angry letter to the King why is there not stuff happening Nao?"
What is maintaining the storms? Because it's been snowing for like a month at this point and there's not enough moisture going back into the atmosphere to sustain that kind of precipitation, I don't think? Though i am totes not a meteorologist, it just sounds problematic.
Given that I'm not a weatherdude, I did some research on bad snowstorms and found the following from NOAA on the ten worst blizzards in US history- the storms mostly lasted 2-3 days with the worst lasting for eight. They dropped foot after foot of snow, killed hundreds of people, collapsing buildings, and wreaking general havoc. There are places in the country that have 90+ days with fresh snow a year, but it's not constant, they only have to get at least 0.1 inches that day to count, and the top place is Mount Ranier, which is often pretty clear.
The official word on the weather is that it has been snowing constantly with barely any let-up, I think I saw the dream not-snowing maybe once, which means even if it's been light snow, we're all moving through tunnels right now and half the buildings are probably in ruins. The lower third of Kasuria is basically a wasteland at this point. There's almost no available greenery for wildlife, much less people, and it's probably all starving to death. Early spring growth that would otherwise start popping up in February is toast underneath the ice and stuff and come spring thaw there are going to be huge avalanches, then massive mudslides, and every river in sight is going to overflow catastrophically. The entire ecosystem of this section of the continent is gonna be a hot mess as soon as it stops being a cold mess.
Who's who and what's what?
Can we pretty please get an official list of who holds what positions in town? It would be logical to say that the information is available from any NPC you like, so everyone should be able to find out. I feel like it keeps changing on me, or maybe I was just really bad at finding out to start with. I think we could also use a basic run-down of the legal code and some listed standard consequences.
I think once there's some more information available and stuff gets ironed out, then maybe we can get things back on an even keel.
What is maintaining the storms? Because it's been snowing for like a month at this point and there's not enough moisture going back into the atmosphere to sustain that kind of precipitation, I don't think? Though i am totes not a meteorologist, it just sounds problematic.
Given that I'm not a weatherdude, I did some research on bad snowstorms and found the following from NOAA on the ten worst blizzards in US history- the storms mostly lasted 2-3 days with the worst lasting for eight. They dropped foot after foot of snow, killed hundreds of people, collapsing buildings, and wreaking general havoc. There are places in the country that have 90+ days with fresh snow a year, but it's not constant, they only have to get at least 0.1 inches that day to count, and the top place is Mount Ranier, which is often pretty clear.
The official word on the weather is that it has been snowing constantly with barely any let-up, I think I saw the dream not-snowing maybe once, which means even if it's been light snow, we're all moving through tunnels right now and half the buildings are probably in ruins. The lower third of Kasuria is basically a wasteland at this point. There's almost no available greenery for wildlife, much less people, and it's probably all starving to death. Early spring growth that would otherwise start popping up in February is toast underneath the ice and stuff and come spring thaw there are going to be huge avalanches, then massive mudslides, and every river in sight is going to overflow catastrophically. The entire ecosystem of this section of the continent is gonna be a hot mess as soon as it stops being a cold mess.
Who's who and what's what?
Can we pretty please get an official list of who holds what positions in town? It would be logical to say that the information is available from any NPC you like, so everyone should be able to find out. I feel like it keeps changing on me, or maybe I was just really bad at finding out to start with. I think we could also use a basic run-down of the legal code and some listed standard consequences.
I think once there's some more information available and stuff gets ironed out, then maybe we can get things back on an even keel.
That weather bit is a really good point! I have also only seen it not snowing one or two times. It is probably so dry all of our lips are just chapped craters.
Also, for the 'who holds what', I assume you mean the soldiers? If it is any help at all I try to keep Rex's stuff updated asmuch as possible and can usually be found on the PLOT link in his desc unless there is something bigger going on. Right now Rex's men hold the town and Narsuun's hold the blockade more or less.
Just to let everyone know that we are observing and reading all you put on here and we three admins will be having an online get together to discuss our responses around Friday 23rd/Saturday 24th (timezones between us are a bit of a pain for this sort of thing) and then posting up our replies/thoughts shortly after. It also gives everyone a few more days to think up anything you want us to discuss and get back to you about!
If someone hasn't got RPR then encourage them to look here and then perhaps post on their behalf and even if there's something you want to know but want to remain mostly anonymous then feel free to whisper one of us in game and we can post the query on your behalf.
(If there's any weird typos in this then I blame my iPhone's interesting autocorrect feature.)
If someone hasn't got RPR then encourage them to look here and then perhaps post on their behalf and even if there's something you want to know but want to remain mostly anonymous then feel free to whisper one of us in game and we can post the query on your behalf.
(If there's any weird typos in this then I blame my iPhone's interesting autocorrect feature.)
Sooooo…. Here is my opinion/commentary etc.
I think The map was addressed beautifully by Mik I found, she provided an explanation of distance and time, if it takes say 2 days to travel by foot to one place then it isn’t thousands of miles away. I do not understand why the location of Greystone is still an issue? I mean for one…. Fall like we saw doesn’t happen at the equator so I am not sure why people thought we were so south when fall hit…. But if the staff has stated where Greystone is vaguely Pennsylvanian…. Then what is wrong with that?
I understand some people played it like it was tropical, but I believe just as many played it with a more temperate setting so why can’t we go with what the staff wants?
Vampfurres – Can you please provide your source links for your quoted text? To settle this I believe it would be great to have a Thread for Supernaturals, like we do for magic… and I firmly believe the staff intended to put one up outlining GREYSTONES interpretation of again… very convoluted contractor lore created by Talz…Now my own bits and opinions that I have understood it from working with staff and reading the furc cannon.
• Yes the Undead are about secrecy above all else…. Yes the Covenant is in place and you seem to totally ignore that The Covenant polices its own. It would rarely become anything mages or kings would be called to deal with, unless they were VERY high generation vampfurres --- Aka 7th gen and up….Also one would suspect that very wealthy furres who do not want to die, may make deals with some of the vampfurres, blood for youth in exchange for protection and stable food source.….. which reminds me off…..
• The Vampfurre Hunters who hunt the undead to stay youthful from their blood were left out, they would be another good challenge and a possible inspiration for players who want new characters.
• You speak about Demifane as if they themselves… are not often half vampfurre themselves. The entire attitude you have presented this in has come off like you are trying to force the staff to ban Undead being played.
• The presence of Vampires would likely only cause Mages to be sent out if they are causing disturbances, have been noted undeniably by mages who are in league with the tower to report them….
• Seeing as we do not have Mages like that…. Who are you expecting to report in? Lovejoy is a shadow college, the tower would kill him rather than listen to him…. Narsuun and Caitir are against the tower’s hate on everyone not attuned and I cannot see them calling them in for that especially when no one is dying from Vampfurres…. And I do not believe Ana would either…again because there is no evidence of Vampfurre attacks and since mages cannot list constantly they have not sensed the undead yet.
Staff …. We seem to have enough, never had a problem but if they need less stress then doesn’t seem bad.
I firmly believe AGAINST utter transparency as I have too often been the victim, my plots ruined because folks take info they can’t have because they –want it- or didn’t –think- it would be bad or harmful or any problem. Then people just forget innocently but still can ruin hard worked for plot. I am entirely against this. If you are insulted by this? Tough shit. You shouldn’t know everything ooc, especially not critical things that may be necessary to be a fucking surprise.
Now that being said, I do think having plot outlines would be great, but not complete transparency. A nice break down of what could be known at different levels would be great to help guide people into if they could know something without having to pester staff.
Isn’t M rating basically FurN? Perhaps I am just a fogey grandma…. But I play in Imag because I don’t want FurN type settings or rp…. I think our rating is fine. If we made it M wouldn’t we have to kick out people who play younger characters? Like Kay?
Gunna restate all just my own opinion/experiences….but I am against Solo dream uploads…. Everyone goes off to their own cozy little spot, gets extra comfortable with who has ‘keys’ to their place and no longer show up as part of the main dream, giving the impression to new people that it is a ghost town, and discouraging people who log in and see basically no one is around…. ends up sucking the life out of the dream. It is hard enough with people being divided between loyalists etc. We have the townhouses open for folks to play in, why do you need to be in a separate dream? Being in another dream….seems odd to me.
Weather – Canadian here, military brat too so I have seen winter across this big sparsely populated country up here and I would love to give some firsthand experience. Also any other northern folk who have some stories or examples I would love to get more examples! Pali has a great point about TYPES of snow, it is a rather shifting substance and can be heavy or light, a powder bowl to catch you hopping off the roof…. Or layered with shin splintering ice when you just looked at the top… Soooooooo….
Even if feet of snow fall in Calgary… the same snow falling in a place that did not build for it would suffer considerably more. The roof structure of houses on the coast is different than in the center of the country where the snow is very different, and then near the mountains…. Again so crazy. I think it may be less the volume of snow that will effect Greystone…. But buildings not made for it, then the rain added on…. Oh rain and ice, it seems to love to split things, even cement. The constant water freezing and pushing out will also weaken buildings. Also hum… ice is heavy.
Lets bring all the rooves down!!! Roofs...
Also a yes a who holds what position thread is good idea.
I think The map was addressed beautifully by Mik I found, she provided an explanation of distance and time, if it takes say 2 days to travel by foot to one place then it isn’t thousands of miles away. I do not understand why the location of Greystone is still an issue? I mean for one…. Fall like we saw doesn’t happen at the equator so I am not sure why people thought we were so south when fall hit…. But if the staff has stated where Greystone is vaguely Pennsylvanian…. Then what is wrong with that?
I understand some people played it like it was tropical, but I believe just as many played it with a more temperate setting so why can’t we go with what the staff wants?
Vampfurres – Can you please provide your source links for your quoted text? To settle this I believe it would be great to have a Thread for Supernaturals, like we do for magic… and I firmly believe the staff intended to put one up outlining GREYSTONES interpretation of again… very convoluted contractor lore created by Talz…Now my own bits and opinions that I have understood it from working with staff and reading the furc cannon.
• Yes the Undead are about secrecy above all else…. Yes the Covenant is in place and you seem to totally ignore that The Covenant polices its own. It would rarely become anything mages or kings would be called to deal with, unless they were VERY high generation vampfurres --- Aka 7th gen and up….Also one would suspect that very wealthy furres who do not want to die, may make deals with some of the vampfurres, blood for youth in exchange for protection and stable food source.….. which reminds me off…..
• The Vampfurre Hunters who hunt the undead to stay youthful from their blood were left out, they would be another good challenge and a possible inspiration for players who want new characters.
• You speak about Demifane as if they themselves… are not often half vampfurre themselves. The entire attitude you have presented this in has come off like you are trying to force the staff to ban Undead being played.
• The presence of Vampires would likely only cause Mages to be sent out if they are causing disturbances, have been noted undeniably by mages who are in league with the tower to report them….
• Seeing as we do not have Mages like that…. Who are you expecting to report in? Lovejoy is a shadow college, the tower would kill him rather than listen to him…. Narsuun and Caitir are against the tower’s hate on everyone not attuned and I cannot see them calling them in for that especially when no one is dying from Vampfurres…. And I do not believe Ana would either…again because there is no evidence of Vampfurre attacks and since mages cannot list constantly they have not sensed the undead yet.
Staff …. We seem to have enough, never had a problem but if they need less stress then doesn’t seem bad.
I firmly believe AGAINST utter transparency as I have too often been the victim, my plots ruined because folks take info they can’t have because they –want it- or didn’t –think- it would be bad or harmful or any problem. Then people just forget innocently but still can ruin hard worked for plot. I am entirely against this. If you are insulted by this? Tough shit. You shouldn’t know everything ooc, especially not critical things that may be necessary to be a fucking surprise.
Now that being said, I do think having plot outlines would be great, but not complete transparency. A nice break down of what could be known at different levels would be great to help guide people into if they could know something without having to pester staff.
Isn’t M rating basically FurN? Perhaps I am just a fogey grandma…. But I play in Imag because I don’t want FurN type settings or rp…. I think our rating is fine. If we made it M wouldn’t we have to kick out people who play younger characters? Like Kay?
Gunna restate all just my own opinion/experiences….but I am against Solo dream uploads…. Everyone goes off to their own cozy little spot, gets extra comfortable with who has ‘keys’ to their place and no longer show up as part of the main dream, giving the impression to new people that it is a ghost town, and discouraging people who log in and see basically no one is around…. ends up sucking the life out of the dream. It is hard enough with people being divided between loyalists etc. We have the townhouses open for folks to play in, why do you need to be in a separate dream? Being in another dream….seems odd to me.
Weather – Canadian here, military brat too so I have seen winter across this big sparsely populated country up here and I would love to give some firsthand experience. Also any other northern folk who have some stories or examples I would love to get more examples! Pali has a great point about TYPES of snow, it is a rather shifting substance and can be heavy or light, a powder bowl to catch you hopping off the roof…. Or layered with shin splintering ice when you just looked at the top… Soooooooo….
Even if feet of snow fall in Calgary… the same snow falling in a place that did not build for it would suffer considerably more. The roof structure of houses on the coast is different than in the center of the country where the snow is very different, and then near the mountains…. Again so crazy. I think it may be less the volume of snow that will effect Greystone…. But buildings not made for it, then the rain added on…. Oh rain and ice, it seems to love to split things, even cement. The constant water freezing and pushing out will also weaken buildings. Also hum… ice is heavy.
Lets bring all the rooves down!!! Roofs...
Also a yes a who holds what position thread is good idea.
I very much agree with pretty much everything Caitir posted.
Re: Transparency.
In pretty much every tabletop and computer RPG ever plot information is revealed through the player's investigation: whether it's seeking quests by having conversations with people, or asking the DM to roll a search check, things are rarely handed to you. Instead of asking for plot transparency, you could always investigate things and ask the staff "if my character investigates this, what do they find?"
This applies to the undead. If mages could just spidey-sense supernaturals there wouldn't be any left. Just because a mage CAN sense these things doesn't mean they're always LOOKING. That is the qualifier that's not really expanded upon, and I think that the intention would be that a mage would need to investigate a disturbance that has supernatural qualities rather than... Fe fi fo fum!
Re: Weather.
I'd like it if people stopped nitpicking about the weather and focused on moving forward. Yeah, not all of it makes total sense. Neither do a LOT of things about the canon. Like how the hell the food chain is maintained with ONLY BIRDS. Are we roleplaying Earth Weather Systems Simulator 2015, or are we playing in a fantasy world where for NO REASON metal rots to nothing in Drakoria, gunpowder doesn't work in Kasuria, and magic doesn't exist in the Olde World? This is a continuity where standard procedure is that the world doesn't follow observable natural law. Weird things happen. Calm down with the google-fu.
Moving forward
If King's men, or the Magistrate or someone show up BEFORE Narsuun and Rex have either left or reconciled their differences, then congratulations: Greystone will be declared a rebel town and everyone will be arrested, tortured or worse. The staff seem to have what's coming in hand pretty well, and we should be WORRIED ABOUT THAT IN CHARACTER. The storm, as people are saying, can't last forever. I have been trying for more than a month to get the current dream split resolved and no one has been working with me. This has caused me a considerable amount of frustration. And yes, the split is indeed my fault in the first place, so help me fix it! It's how we move forward.
How do we solve herbivores having more places to RP? Talk about resolving the split.
How do we prepare for what the future has in store for Greystone? Talk about resolving the split.
How do we focus on external plot? Talk about resolving the dream split.
Get the point yet? Please let's stop arguing about weather and talk about things that actually need to change.
Re: Transparency.
In pretty much every tabletop and computer RPG ever plot information is revealed through the player's investigation: whether it's seeking quests by having conversations with people, or asking the DM to roll a search check, things are rarely handed to you. Instead of asking for plot transparency, you could always investigate things and ask the staff "if my character investigates this, what do they find?"
This applies to the undead. If mages could just spidey-sense supernaturals there wouldn't be any left. Just because a mage CAN sense these things doesn't mean they're always LOOKING. That is the qualifier that's not really expanded upon, and I think that the intention would be that a mage would need to investigate a disturbance that has supernatural qualities rather than... Fe fi fo fum!
Re: Weather.
I'd like it if people stopped nitpicking about the weather and focused on moving forward. Yeah, not all of it makes total sense. Neither do a LOT of things about the canon. Like how the hell the food chain is maintained with ONLY BIRDS. Are we roleplaying Earth Weather Systems Simulator 2015, or are we playing in a fantasy world where for NO REASON metal rots to nothing in Drakoria, gunpowder doesn't work in Kasuria, and magic doesn't exist in the Olde World? This is a continuity where standard procedure is that the world doesn't follow observable natural law. Weird things happen. Calm down with the google-fu.
Moving forward
If King's men, or the Magistrate or someone show up BEFORE Narsuun and Rex have either left or reconciled their differences, then congratulations: Greystone will be declared a rebel town and everyone will be arrested, tortured or worse. The staff seem to have what's coming in hand pretty well, and we should be WORRIED ABOUT THAT IN CHARACTER. The storm, as people are saying, can't last forever. I have been trying for more than a month to get the current dream split resolved and no one has been working with me. This has caused me a considerable amount of frustration. And yes, the split is indeed my fault in the first place, so help me fix it! It's how we move forward.
How do we solve herbivores having more places to RP? Talk about resolving the split.
How do we prepare for what the future has in store for Greystone? Talk about resolving the split.
How do we focus on external plot? Talk about resolving the dream split.
Get the point yet? Please let's stop arguing about weather and talk about things that actually need to change.
Eh, I'm just gonna go ahead and say it.
It's a little difficult to talk of extrinsic PLOT when most key factors are on a 'Whisper admin for info' basis.
Yeah, I've been burned, same as Caitir, by leaving plot available. It doesn't mean we as players have to know everything. But when someone's entire RP is changed because they are misinformed about how the herbivore camp condition was? That's a problem that is not easily fixed.
Just two cents for what happens when small plot stuff is witheld for whatever reason.
I don't really mind much about the weather compared to other things mentioned by everybody else.
But this dream is really well done and it's a lot more.. universally active than others I've seen.
It's a little difficult to talk of extrinsic PLOT when most key factors are on a 'Whisper admin for info' basis.
Yeah, I've been burned, same as Caitir, by leaving plot available. It doesn't mean we as players have to know everything. But when someone's entire RP is changed because they are misinformed about how the herbivore camp condition was? That's a problem that is not easily fixed.
Just two cents for what happens when small plot stuff is witheld for whatever reason.
I don't really mind much about the weather compared to other things mentioned by everybody else.
But this dream is really well done and it's a lot more.. universally active than others I've seen.
First and foremost I'd like to say that I feel this thread has gotten unnecessarily tense and alittle hostile. Atleast I feel that way, I didn't put my post on here to have it nitpicked in an intense manner, this should mostly be a thread where opinions are offered toward staff and while I understand refuting someone else's points is a way to do so maybe do it in a lighter manner. If this was not the intention I apologize, but I'm not overly thrilled about it.
I think The map was addressed beautifully by Mik I found, she provided an explanation of distance and time, if it takes say 2 days to travel by foot to one place then it isn’t thousands of miles away. I do not understand why the location of Greystone is still an issue? I mean for one…. Fall like we saw doesn’t happen at the equator so I am not sure why people thought we were so south when fall hit…. But if the staff has stated where Greystone is vaguely Pennsylvanian…. Then what is wrong with that?
The only reason it was brought up wasn't because people were confused about fall on the equator but because many of us have gone off of canon maps that I was only curious as to why this dream has decided to leave out. There is nothing wrong with this decision outside of that fact, I just was curious.
Vampfurres – Can you please provide your source links for your quoted text?
Vampfurres
• You speak about Demifane as if they themselves… are not often half vampfurre themselves. The entire attitude you have presented this in has come off like you are trying to force the staff to ban Undead being played.
-- I quoted a piece about demifane, not something I spoke of myself. I don't want the vamps/weres banned, just that there be IC consequences for their presence in Kasuria of all places where the must keep secret. If they are scaring off wildlife (where most IC powers are line of sight) they would likely be skulking around in the woods.
• The presence of Vampires would likely only cause Mages to be sent out if they are causing disturbances, have been noted undeniably by mages who are in league with the tower to report them….
-- Even the Convenant would try to kills vamps that aren't being secret, in this county in particular.
• Seeing as we do not have Mages like that…. Who are you expecting to report in?
-- Nar, Cait, LJ, and Ana are not the only mages in the dream. And you would think most mages would List/magesight everyone they met briefly enough.
Staff …. We seem to have enough, never had a problem but if they need less stress then doesn’t seem bad.
If the mods are overloaded with work to the point where they find it hard to RP, I would say there needs to be one or two more tops, really.
----
I firmly believe AGAINST utter transparency as I have too often been the victim, my plots ruined because folks take info they can’t have because they –want it- or didn’t –think- it would be bad or harmful or any problem. Then people just forget innocently but still can ruin hard worked for plot. I am entirely against this. If you are insulted by this? Tough shit. You shouldn’t know everything ooc, especially not critical things that may be necessary to be a fucking surprise.
Language aside-- I joined this dream because of how open the information was in the beginning. Players were trusted, though the group was smaller. My characters have been previously (and recently were) shafted by information that I and my alts should have known. No one is asking for absolute transparency I don't think, to the point were it spoils it all, just for stuff to be less vague and hidden which really with moderation that isn't a bad thing.
Isn’t M rating basically FurN? Perhaps I am just a fogey grandma…. But I play in Imag because I don’t want FurN type settings or rp…. I think our rating is fine. If we made it M wouldn’t we have to kick out people who play younger characters? Like Kay?
Standards
T+
Maps with the Teen Standard are suited for players who are at least thirteen years old.
Content here may not be appropriate for younger players, and may contain crude humor, strong teenage language, mild swearing, mild and suggestive themes.
Violence, violence-inciting behavior, and sexual themes are unwelcome on public maps.
Moderate violence allowed for player dreams.
Players under the age of 13 may only visit these maps, pages, or channels with direct adult supervision.
T+ and E dreams may load to these maps.
Swear filter enabled for public dreams and optional for player dreams.
VS
M16
"M" stands for Mature, and maps, pages, and channels that have this standard are suited only for adults and for teenagers who are at least sixteen years of age and have their parents' permission to be there.
Players under the age of 16 are not allowed here, no exceptions are made.
Coarse language, mild sexual discussion, moderate violence, and mild adult themes may be encountered.
Extreme violence and sexual content is not allowed.
M16+ dreams may be loaded to these maps.
Parental controls are enabled.
This is not a Furn style of rating. If I wanted Furn RP I would go to Furn (A18 or AO) Nor does this restricted IC ages. No one here is 16 or younger and if they were, based on what happens ICly (a severed head for instance) I would say this dream isn't for them.
I'd like it if people stopped nitpicking about the weather and focused on moving forward.
The weather has a pretty significant effect on the plot, this info is pretty critical to how things are currently and where they can go. Most of us with questions about the weather are asking so we can move forward.
I have been trying for more than a month to get the current dream split resolved and no one has been working with me. This has caused me a considerable amount of frustration. And yes, the split is indeed my fault in the first place, so help me fix it! It's how we move forward.
Unlike the last time a meeting like this happened I am not going to meddle with what my alt would do ICly which is why things seem like a standstill. I can only speak for Rex however.
Get the point yet? Please let's stop arguing about weather and talk about things that actually need to change.
Rather than refuting all the real questions people have here it might be better in my opinion to offer up your own ideas as to how things should be resolved. I for one have made it pretty clear that Rex plans to wait this out. As for how things can be resolved, meeting on his terms would be one way.
Lastly, again, let's all please try to be polite and respectful. There is no reason to use foul language to get a point across in a non-argument setting (and even then, really). Happy tones, happy feelings! This is supposed to be a fun, it's a game where we play animal people that can magic their way into anything. I feel like this shouldn't need to be said but I think I misread the signs.
Once again I can not stress enough how much I adore this dream. I wouldn't have stuck around this long otherwise, nor would everyone else have I imagine.
Jena. I really don't mean to be hostile here, but I have been consistently making changes to my character in order to accommodate plot, plot that until very recently you have freely admitted to not wanting to be involved with. I have never stopped tweaking my character to roll with the punches. And now, your stonewalling is quite literally forcing my character out of the dream, because it's the only option left to him as Rexington will not negotiate on sane terms.
I've tried roleplaying, then talking, then begging, then pleading, even demanding. So yeah, I'm taking this a little personally, because I've been busting my rear on my end, and I feel that the response I've been getting has been quite unsportsmanlike.
As for presenting my own ideas, I'd like to direct you to my original post in the log:
"Narsuun: Reik brings up a good point with the dream being polarized around Rex vs Nars, and it's an issue I've been working hard to try and resolve. And at that, resolve without IC violence. I'm open to suggestions on that front because I think the 'split' needs to end so that the PC characters can focus on stuff like surviving the winter and what to do when King's men come sniffing around. Folks in the garrison have been hard at work -- and thank you to everyone roleplaying the work, trying desperately to build emergency shelter, bring in trade for food and clothing, and generally help everyone survive. But I want to include more players in these activities and end the weird sequestering that's happening.
And the reason I want things to end without violence is because I want to be respectful of the fact that not everyone wants to play a rebel, and give people room to be loyalist if they chose
Narsuun has a small amount of re-enforcements en route from Darvin already, so it will be interesting to see who arrives first. I think that's me done for now."
So, to be completely honest, I think my frustration is quite justified when I have been working very hard to provide players with plot, only to have my integrity on the matter questioned by someone who has been actively avoiding dream plot.
We just had a large group of players straight up leave, for amung other reasons, the plot freeze that the Nar/Rex dynamic caused, which as I will mention a third (or is it fourth?) time I have been trying to rectify for weeks. So I apologize deeply if asking for ideas for potential solutions from other people is somehow counter-productive.
I will be removing Narsuun from the plot because it's the only way I can think of, at the moment, to let things move forward, and I would rather do that than force anyone else to stop RPing here.
I will not however be leaving the dream entirely. Like you, I enjoy playing here, but I have become so flustered over this whole thing that it's just not fun for me anymore. So I plan to come around with a more low profile alt.
As a note, and in the interest of being straight up, I realize that there were very important questions about the weather that needed to be answered. However after they were answered, there was a lot of nitpicking. I personally feel that a great deal of what you've been posting has been backhanded, rather than constructive. I don't think it was appropriate, for example, to ask the staff to use a better tone in whispers.
I've tried roleplaying, then talking, then begging, then pleading, even demanding. So yeah, I'm taking this a little personally, because I've been busting my rear on my end, and I feel that the response I've been getting has been quite unsportsmanlike.
As for presenting my own ideas, I'd like to direct you to my original post in the log:
"Narsuun: Reik brings up a good point with the dream being polarized around Rex vs Nars, and it's an issue I've been working hard to try and resolve. And at that, resolve without IC violence. I'm open to suggestions on that front because I think the 'split' needs to end so that the PC characters can focus on stuff like surviving the winter and what to do when King's men come sniffing around. Folks in the garrison have been hard at work -- and thank you to everyone roleplaying the work, trying desperately to build emergency shelter, bring in trade for food and clothing, and generally help everyone survive. But I want to include more players in these activities and end the weird sequestering that's happening.
And the reason I want things to end without violence is because I want to be respectful of the fact that not everyone wants to play a rebel, and give people room to be loyalist if they chose
Narsuun has a small amount of re-enforcements en route from Darvin already, so it will be interesting to see who arrives first.
I think that's me done for now."So, to be completely honest, I think my frustration is quite justified when I have been working very hard to provide players with plot, only to have my integrity on the matter questioned by someone who has been actively avoiding dream plot.
We just had a large group of players straight up leave, for amung other reasons, the plot freeze that the Nar/Rex dynamic caused, which as I will mention a third (or is it fourth?) time I have been trying to rectify for weeks. So I apologize deeply if asking for ideas for potential solutions from other people is somehow counter-productive.
I will be removing Narsuun from the plot because it's the only way I can think of, at the moment, to let things move forward, and I would rather do that than force anyone else to stop RPing here.
I will not however be leaving the dream entirely. Like you, I enjoy playing here, but I have become so flustered over this whole thing that it's just not fun for me anymore. So I plan to come around with a more low profile alt.
As a note, and in the interest of being straight up, I realize that there were very important questions about the weather that needed to be answered. However after they were answered, there was a lot of nitpicking. I personally feel that a great deal of what you've been posting has been backhanded, rather than constructive. I don't think it was appropriate, for example, to ask the staff to use a better tone in whispers.
Is this really the place to voice such opinions? This thread is not all about me and my thoughts, nor is the appropriate place to vent all of your frustrations. This has upset me a great deal. I really hope you don't sincerely feel you're the only one frustrated by the plot. First and foremost I'd like to say that everything I have said has been constructive in mind nor has it been antagonistic. But this? This feels both hostile.
Jena. I really don't mean to be hostile here, but I have been consistently making changes to my character in order to accommodate plot, plot that until very recently you have freely admitted to not wanting to be involved with. I have never stopped tweaking my character to roll with the punches. And now, your stonewalling is quite literally forcing my character out of the dream, because it's the only option left to him as Rexington will not negotiate on sane terms.
Everyone tweaks their alts. I've had to do so with Rex on numerous occasions to keep Nar's secret just that, a secret, for far longer than I thought was necessary. I am not stonewalling anything, my character is. There is a disconnect between IC and OOC that I feel is being missed here and I hope that isn't on purpose. The only thing I am refusing to do is one again alter his actions after he was blindsided by a situation I felt wasn't called for ICly.
So, to be completely honest, I think my frustration is quite justified when I have been working very hard to provide players with plot, only to have my integrity on the matter questioned by someone who has been actively avoiding dream plot.
I never said frustration wasn't justified. To be fair however, my frustration with the plot came only after what your alt did to mine but for the sake of IC/OOC separation I have kept it down and quiet. And off of the forums, where it doesn't belong. I have not been actively avoiding dream plot. There is only one instance I can think of where Rex never got around to speaking to that person and they aren't here anymore. I do my best with the time I have to RP with those but by the time I get on sometimes that isn't an option. Rex has been in the tavern lately, even though with his phobia of wyrmmes he should be avoiding it.
We just had a large group of players straight up leave, for amung other reasons, the plot freeze that the Nar/Rex dynamic caused, which as I will mention a third (or is it fourth?) time I have been trying to rectify for weeks. So I apologize deeply if asking for ideas for potential solutions from other people is somehow counter-productive.
Just because you are trying to rectify something OOCly does not mean that situation can be fixed that way ICly. Sorry to say it, but that is how it is. I have already dumbed Rex down to the point where he isn't searching for vengeance (even though he should be), just a solution. I didn't say ideas/solutions were counterproductive, just that repeating "Talk about resolving the split." wasn't really helping. We all get that part.
I will be removing Narsuun from the plot because it's the only way I can think of, at the moment, to let things move forward, and I would rather do that than force anyone else to stop RPing here.
This is literally the exact thing I said I was doing with Rex, with my exact reasoning. To which if I remember you said you didn't want me to do so. That was on the 3rd in a meeting with staff. It wasn't until the 8th in a whisper that I became aware that you wished to pull Nar out instead. It wasn't as if I wouldn't RP here any longer, just that I would withdraw Rex from the plot. This entire statement is just not applicable.
However after they were answered, there was a lot of nitpicking. I personally feel that a great deal of what you've been posting has been backhanded, rather than constructive. I don't think it was appropriate, for example, to ask the staff to use a better tone in whispers.
With something as detrimental as the weather it needs to be hashed out. People could die from this. Things that can kill an alt? Yeah, that is the stuff that needs details. I have also stated these things in as polite a manner as possible outside of throwing a million smilies in my posts. All of it was "This is how I feel or see things" not "DO THIS NOW, UGH GAWD WHY". And based on whispers I have seen (and someone who has been in both in-person customer service and over-the-phone customer service for seven years now) it is all about how you say things aswell as the intent of your words. Kill them with kindness is my personal philosophy at work. As sad as it is, staffing is a volunteer job, and of course there are people behind the screen, but I don't feel that is ever an excuse to be abrasive or outright rude.
I appreciate the clarification from others about plot transparency- I do not mean that every tiny detail should be available to the uninvolved, but there's essentially nothing to even start from, much less a solid way to get more information that isn't shooting in the dark. The notion that I can't be trusted with Anything is what I find upsetting.
The M rating I think needed to happen a while ago. I know my own character is foul-mouthed and she's not alone, never mind the "adult themes" going on All over the place on the regular. Not saying we need A18 at ALL and far from it, but I theenk we can safely say that actual wee children should not be in this place. People are getting hacked up [consensually and not!] all over the place and smoking up in the tavern and cursing a blue streak and that's bad for the kidlets.
Plot again- I'll be sad to see you pull out of plot, Nars, I feel like you put a lot into it and I regret that our characters aren't such that they can exactly talk. I think I need some more information on what kinda of messages can be passed to higher, or not, before I say much else about current IC plot, though. I am working to make a difference, though, if it makes people feel better.
The M rating I think needed to happen a while ago. I know my own character is foul-mouthed and she's not alone, never mind the "adult themes" going on All over the place on the regular. Not saying we need A18 at ALL and far from it, but I theenk we can safely say that actual wee children should not be in this place. People are getting hacked up [consensually and not!] all over the place and smoking up in the tavern and cursing a blue streak and that's bad for the kidlets.
Plot again- I'll be sad to see you pull out of plot, Nars, I feel like you put a lot into it and I regret that our characters aren't such that they can exactly talk. I think I need some more information on what kinda of messages can be passed to higher, or not, before I say much else about current IC plot, though. I am working to make a difference, though, if it makes people feel better.
Just a quick reminder and encouragement for anyone to post things on here they wish the admins to discuss/would like clarified/you're just plain curious about and would like to know the answer! We have started a bit of a discussion amongst ourselves via our staff forum already and, of course, are still open to anything else you want us to add to our discussion.
Moderators: Calliste Ahmose (played by FishyFi) Mikhael Solberg (played by minizeries)