Events, events, and more events!

[Piroska]

...The Kodo Fall?

Oh lord, that sounds...wrong.

But it's real event established by lore! Why not take advantage of the foundation that Blizzard has created for us? Plus it seems pretty fun and, well, I like the idea of encouraging tauren-centric roleplay.

Ben, I like your idea of the Darkmoon Faire. I'm not sure where we could hold it (Shattrath does have the benefit of being neutral territory and it would hopefully encourage more roleplay in the Outland), but it does have promise. It would also fill up a slot in May since we currently don't have anything scheduled in that month -- though I was considering slotting Hordefall in that month, in addition to the Darkmoon Faire.

I just liked the way that Clovis seemed to light up when he heard that he could burn orc dolls in celebration.

Piroska, this is wonderful! I really like the equinox idea. Heh, awesome stuff.

Diiiiiiiilly, awesome! I was hoping for that kind of feedback, specifically from you! I didn't want to snag the spotlight from your own druidic event, but it seemed to go hand-in-hand with what you had planned. Plus, I have a sneaky suspicion that I said in your thread that it would be an awesome seasonal or yearly event. We could adopt the ideas that you've had into this twice-a-year celebration.

On that note, if we did proceed with the idea of the equinoxes, would you like to spearhead that event? It's right up your alley. I'd like to eventually divvy out a lot of these events to different people so that we can make sure something gets done. It also encourages the rest of the community to take ownership of them.


Edit: Added the Equinox event to the list and the calendar based on the feedback we got!

[Dilly]

Psh, there can never be too many events for Druids. Oh, the ideas!

[Ben]

YUMMY. So I wuz all thinking and stuffs, since I'm a deep invdividual and it's what I do when the tv is still broken. I thought OF...a yearly competition in armoursmithing. and weaponsmithing. And SMITHING! Not sure quite how this would work, at all, so does anyone have any ideas?! This wouldn't be a big city event thing by the way, it'd be a local event probably in Kharanos [Dun Morogh], with a Horde version in the Orgrimmar valley where all the smithing guys are.

Anybody have a clue how this could work, I don't. But I think it sounds quaint.

[Dilly]

Perhaps a fair of sorts where the smiths could compete and engage in other fun activities with each other and random spectators/passerby? Or maybe they could form a comittee and have them look at the weapons of various smiths and then choose the "winners"? With a happy event/feast for the smiths to accompany it. Anyway, just throwing stuff out there. I really like the idea.

Because I've got an Orcish weaponsmith whom I love playing.

Because I think it might be so much fun!

[Ben]

Ok so I thought some MORE about this. What did I come up with? Well.
The Alliance always use armour when they fight, so theirs would be more based on armour smithing.
The Horde use leather...not much good there. But their weapons are always in tip-top condition and the best around, so their competition would be based more on weapon smithing.

It COULD be a roll-style competition, obviously with a slightly complex rolling system so people have a chance of winning. To win, you would get to the final, blah blah, and the judges choose you. Possible ways to get to the final though:
-You're weapons/armour get tested via arena competitors hired for the job. 3hp, blah blah, the winners proceed through. For the Horde this could be at the Orgrimmar arena, but for the Alliance I am unsure, any ideas?!
This is to cut the ranks down alot. After that then it'd be the judging.

ALL competitors would have a set RP time to create their armour pieces/sword which varys for either faction.
The HORDE: 2 hours, which if you have the mateirals is enough I reckon.
The ALLIANCE: 2 days, because a full set of armour takes a long time.

Smithed items would not be marked on how they look, just the roll, or whatever, so you could choose to have "smithed" whatever you want, as long as you RP making the thing for the time set.

Any ideas, criticisms? Shoot! (You're hammers at that anvil, for better metal-working!)

[Piroska]

It's an extremely interesting idea, Ben! My concern is that it doesn't seem very easy to create a crafting competition. You've outlined one possibility, but it does seem a little awkward. Furthermore, with the long crafting times and the relative lack of interest many people would have in watching, it might not be too successful.

How 'bout an alternative? Instead of a crafting competition, we could have a crafters' fair. Skilled artisans would show up at a designated spot, open up tents, and hawk their wares. This would allow the crafters an opportunity to make money, showcase their wares, and also potentially find future possibilities for work while the fairgoers would be able to see the work, buy things, and hire people.

Other people could set up shop to sell food and drinks. Then there could be a social area where they could sit and interact with others.

How's that for an alternative? We could start working to flesh out both ideas to see if we can make them more feasible and then move forward from there.

[Dilly]

That's exactly what I suggested a little earlier! :B I think a fair would be really awesome. But I still think it might be possible to add a little competition. Like... I dunno. ._. Anyway, Dilnikas approves.

[Ben]

A Fayre...we could more this on to more like a market that sets up. It'd only be annual because some people may have to travel very long distances with heavy goods, taking a long time. So, what do we have at markets? People fighting to sell THEIR goods over everyone elses, using whatever tactics they can. So people are going to be calling things like, for example, "Bolgron's world renowned armour plated greaves! You won't find better around!" Now you're thinking, yeah so? But what if people wanted to test that, or other marketeers contest that. Well then you've got something interesting. You're going to have people hitting armour with weapons, hitting weapons against rocks, and culinary experts going toe to toe to create the BEST dishes.

And all this is gonna' be very fun for both the marketeers who do this, and hilarious for the spectators to watch the squablling and get to test out the goods.

"No, no sit, mine is surely the best." 'TOSH! Mine were forged in the very heart of Ironforge! Yours where cobbled together over a fireplace! They'd fall apart in an instant!' "Oh, really?! You there, good sir, come and test out these plates if you would. You get to keep whichever one doesn't break, and it's paid for by the other. Is that fair you dirty Dwarf!" 'Aye, bring it on!'

[Nostra]

Hm, for some of these we could see about putting up some spots where they could be held, I know outside Ironforge there are some Brewfest tents and such and close to Thunder Bluff the Darkmoon Faire has been set up, but they could be moved!

Without saying too much I can say that there's plans for a smaller "party-event" next weekend, there will be an announcement on this soon so keep your eyes open!

[Azheron]

Ooh! Awesome and eventful

This should be done

Instantly

... Or when there are events... Stuff.

[Piroska]

That's exactly what I suggested a little earlier! :B I think a fair would be really awesome. But I still think it might be possible to add a little competition. Like... I dunno. ._. Anyway, Dilnikas approves.

Sorry, Dilly. I somehow jumped right past your post when reading the most recent reply. Thank you for speaking up earlier!

There are two competitions that I can see occurring in such an environment. In one, the fairgoers get to essentially vote on who hawks or sells their wares best. Perhaps we can vote in a thread during the events and then tally up the results afterward for an in-game presentation.

In the second, the blacksmiths come to the fair with champions of their choice already selected. These champions would compete on the field of battle while wearing whatever their sponsors had crafted. We could probably throw in an extra roll here or there where the makers' results would affect the performance of their fighters. For example, on a roll one of the weaponsmiths makes a high roll (90+ or something). As a result, his weapon is considered extremely effective and thereby grants a +10 bonus to roll on attacks. However, someone that rolls extremely low number (15 or lower) would find that his weapon or armor is less effective.

As the fight progresses, rolls could be made to determine how well the weapons and armor stands up to the abuse they're taking during the fight.

Hm, for some of these we could see about putting up some spots where they could be held, I know outside Ironforge there are some Brewfest tents and such and close to Thunder Bluff the Darkmoon Faire has been set up, but they could be moved!

Without saying too much I can say that there's plans for a smaller "party-event" next weekend, there will be an announcement on this soon so keep your eyes open!

Very spiffy, Nostra. I hadn't added the idea of the smiths' fair to the big list o' events just yet (I was waiting for more feedback and input from the community), but it would be nifty to be able to schedule something. Looking at the calendar, looks like we don't have much slotted for May, August, and November.

Also, as a reminder, we did make a firm date on Hordefall, which is the Alliance's celebration of the end of the Second War. We're still looking for people interested in contribute and/or helping out in specific areas, so make sure to check out the thread if it strikes your fancy. If there's some area where anyone would like to contribute but it's not listed, let me know! I love the idea of the community leading the direction of the event.

In particular, we're still looking for bodies for the troupe that will be performing on the second day; I'm planning to have some sort of in-character meeting soon to start formulating a script thanks to LostStranger's awesome suggestion.

[Azheron]

I think it could be a bit hard actually doing all of these events.

I mean, they're automated on the real servers for a reason. It would be a lot of work, but if done, it might be really fun : D

[Piroska]

Well, I've heard from people a lot that they wish that there were more events. I guess what we're trying to do is prove that we can direct our own events and don't need the staff to plan something for us every time -- though their assistance can go a long way in improving whatever is planned!

Planning an event every month isn't a difficult prospect. It's even more feasible when the community chips in and participates, rather than leaving the planning up to a handful of individuals. Many of them are cultural events that last for only an evening and involve a gathering:

• Hordefall: show up, burn orc effigies
  
• Dance of the Earth Mother: show up, burn grasses, have a feast
  
• Festival of the Lake: show up, fish, swim, celebrate
  
• Renewal of the Sun: show up, feast

However, we can expand on each of these events as we want, making them as simple or complicated as desired. Look at Hordefall. We've decided to involve the Church, thanks to the suggestions of the community and we have people who have expressed an interest in doing that. We plan on having a fireworks display, which should allow a lot of engineers to get involved. We're going to have a play which we'll write ourselves and perform. But by splitting up the responsibility and allowing people to take the reins, we minimize the amount of effort it takes.

Planning an event or two each month shouldn't be complicated -- especially when we take the time to plan a full month ahead. This allows us to see how detailed or extravagant we want to be, gives us time to plan, and also gives the staff a timely heads up to hopefully secure their support or assistance. And, once the foundation for a particular event has been laid, it shouldn't be too difficult to recreate that the following year.

I don't know. I just want to do stuffs! Stuffs are good!

[Bovel]

Wow, great work Piroska and Tharnul. Truly, great work.

There are two more events I'd like to be added to this list. The first one being the annual blacksmithing contest mentioned in the Mitrhil Order quests.
The second event, or two events are something I did on retail. An annual grand gladiatoral combat arranged by either the Gurubashi or the Gordunni.

[Piroska]

Wow, great work Piroska and Tharnul. Truly, great work.

There are two more events I'd like to be added to this list. The first one being the annual blacksmithing contest mentioned in the Mitrhil Order quests.
The second event, or two events are something I did on retail. An annual grand gladiatoral combat arranged by either the Gurubashi or the Gordunni.

Thank you, Bovel!

I hadn't even realized that there was an annual blacksmithing contest held by the Mithril Order. And here we've been discussing something entirely similar! Knowing that there's already something like this in the Warcraft universe makes it easier to apply. I'll do a bit of research, write up a small summary like the other events, and then toss it up on the final list.

I'm not much into combat-based ARPEEs myself, so I hadn't considered any kind of gladiatorial events. Are you able to write up a small summary for me as to what it would entail? Then we could schedule it in and work on the greater details about a month before the event.

As I mentioned earlier, these are intended to be -- at the very least -- annual events. Once we establish their occurrence and log them (preferably with wiki articles, 'cause you know I'm all about the wiki!) it should be easier to plan the event the following year. However, like I've done with Hordefall, I'd like to make sure that we start a planning thread for each event a month or so before the actual event because it would make things go smooooooothly.

And, following up on something that I posted on Bovel's Draenor thread, I'd like to submit one more event to the community for consideration:

Kosh'harg

• Celebrated: Spring, Autumn
  The Kosh'harg celebration was a biannual event held by the diverse and numerous orcish clans of Draenor. It took place during the spring and the autumn, in honor of the time when day and night are the same length. Because of the vast differences in culture, dress, religious dogma and dialects between all the orc clans, they were generally insular and independent cells. However the elders of all clans recognized the importance of meeting to discuss various matters, and thus the Kosh'harg was created and honored.
  
  Kosh'harg was always held in the shadow of Oshu'gun, the "Mountain of Spirits" in Nagrand. Any violence or vendettas pursued during the event was strictly forbidden and held grave consequences, since Nagrand was considered holy ground. The length of the festival depended on how many pressing concerns needed to be addressed, but such matters were a rarity, and the gathering shifted much more to the mood of a festival rather than a commune. Many Kosh'hargs were simply meet-and-greets to catch up and see old faces once more.

I'm not sure if this new incarnation of Kosh'harg would be held twice a year (and probably not at the Oshu'gun, but that's just my gut feeling), but I'd like to take a modern adaptation of the festival. Perhaps once a year the various clans could gather, interact with one another, and celebrate. It would also be a good time to discuss the current political environment in the world. Somewhere in, around, or near Orgrimmar would probably be best.