CTI OOC Meeting

[Nikodemos]

COTHians Taking Initiative

I have spoken with a number of members concerning my concept for a "taskforce" as it were, of players who are dedicated to improving the RP on the server. As there has been quite a bit of support for the idea I have decided to open it up to anyone who is interested in participating. This will not be a place to discuss what we'd like to see done or what changes we want made. We will not be petitioning GMs for custom content or various other I wants. This will be a place to discuss what we can do to increase the quality of RP on the server, how we can do it and then take the nearly always forgotten step... actually DO IT. If you wish to discuss what could fix the problems here on COTH... well there are forum posts for that already. Beware as they generally derail on some minuscule, less than relavent point and then fade into the abyss. If you want to actively do something about said suggestions we would gladly have your assistance. I invite all members, whether you be a peon or the Overlord himself, to come and take responsibility for your own RP.

The first meeting will be held Nov. 8 at 2pm server time at the Shadesfell Hallow RP Location. If you are interested in taking an active roll in your online community or have already been doing so for some time, feel free notify me either in this post or via PM so I can make some attempt at accounting for those involved. I will stress once again that we will not be discussing what might help. Brush up on the following threads if you have not already. Our goal is to DO, not to make suggestions.

Caravan is Curious About: RP
Rigley Ramble (Sorta): On Stagnation
M&G Log Post

[Vladdy]

The one thing I could possibly think of is wrong with the general player base is the way cliques tend to alienate other people. A person enters a group looking for some role-play, and those who already know each-other just ignore the person as if they weren't there, etc. I'm not going to lie, we're all guilty of this, and it's common human misconception to have ideas about people. When I first met Sol, for example; I thought he was going to slap me through the computer screen. Would he do that? (Maybe if I stop logging onto Claneth entirely. Hehe) *Ahem* No, I was wrong. It's human nature to make assumptions, but most of the time, if not all, these assumptions are wrong and are simply cases of nervousness or distrust. So you know what I do now? I go to the nearest newbie and I make them feel as warm as possible. Alienation in the server has led to a good few people leaving, and yeah, players of all sorts are to blame. Whether intentional or not, it's something that I believe would be wonderful to be dealt with. Sometimes a few good chats and a welcome into your RP is the best thing to do. Those of us in the group can do this, and help stop alienation; welcome the newbies, as it were. (Which is one of the reasons why I joined this group!)

My two coppers.

[Ormica]

I've always helped newbies, well after I was a grunt >.< To much of a newbie when I was a newbie to be of help >.<

[Nikodemos]

Just bumping this with the details. The meeting will occur tomorrow at 2pm server time.

[SachikoMaeda]

Alas, I won't be able to attend this meeting since it'll start an hour after my shift at work starts... However! I'd still like to try and be a part of future meetings. Feel free to PM me and whatnot.

[Nikodemos]

I do intend for this to be a reoccuring event. I'll keep a record of the inacted strategies for those who can not attend and much of the established work will be handled in between meetings on an IC and forum PM basis. I assure you you will not be kept out of the loop.

[Vladdy]

It shall be glorious.

[Nikodemos]

The time is up in the air, if anyone who is interested cannot attend at stated time, let me know now so I can find a suitable adjustment. I will stress again that this is not a discussion based meeting in regards to purpose. While everyone will be heard equally concerning all topics, we will be focusing on what each of us can do and developing methods in which to actively pursue our goals. Major topics will include promotion of IC currency, large scale open RP, player collaboration in regards to event/storyline planning and management, as well as others pretaining to RP in general. Please touch up on the attached links and the logs from today's Meet and Greet discussion when made available, so we can avoid beating the same old bush to death.

[Scow2]

Okay, after providing a cynical voice in contrast to the meeting's apparent goal, and not getting a chance to explain my ideas in light of them, here are my ideas on the three big issues that I wish I could have said during the meeting:

1. It sounds to me that the IC currency works for in-the-transaction moments, the exchange of coins giving more weight to a trade, and in 'closed' systems, such as gambling halls. But attempting to treat the entire server as a closed system is doomed to failure, and will only alienate those that don't use the IC currency by locking them out of where it's needed, and making those who have it feel its worthless when working with those who don't.

However, the great advantage the IC currency has over the OOC one is that it can be stacked, unstacked, stored, and sorted at will. While I think we all have a desire to "hoard" our IC currency for various real reasons, for those interested in using it, it's a good idea to seperate it into two piles: "IC IC currency" (money your character actually has, determined by your assessment of your character's current wealth) and "OOC IC Currency" stored in a bag in the bank to hold wealth you don't actually think your character should have - put in wealth that you spend on NPC-supplied services and gear (Because there's not always a player around) and withdraw 'windfalls' or your actual salary.

2. Spontaneous events - We can all do these. Any time two people get together, they can have an event. All they have to do is go do something, not just stand around talking like a bunch of knuckleheads. TRP2 allows ANYONE to puppet NPCs, and mobs make good punching bags when you need to be a badass. And maybe base an event on a quest or so.

3. Faction warfare events (Such as the upcoming Isle of Conquest) - find a way to get people INTERESTED in the Horde vs. Alliance conflict. That's the easy part. The hard part is ensuring the people have reasons for their characters to be in the area, and ways to get them so they can 'enlist'. My idea for that is faction-specific "Call to Arms" to draw on normally non-military characters. The alliance could request and re-instate retired soldiers (Such as my own, and the many others) and hire the paramilitary guilds. For the horde - Everybody in the Horde - with the potential exception of Belfs - is considered a military 'reserve'. For those who might have any interest in the event, but "don't have a character for it" - well, your current character just got the summons to war! And if they ask why their particular character is selected for this particular battle, the answer is "Because you're a PC!" Having a character forced out of their 'comfort zone' could make for interesting RP

Of course, if they are genuinely uninterested in the event, we don't want them being a wet blanket on the event.