A gentle reminder to new players

[Bestatte]

I realize in some games, gossip boards are for IC or OOC purposes, and are written as "posts".

Not so in Armageddon, however. Gossip boards in the game's taverns are intended to be written in a manner that the player reading it can assume his character is *hearing a rumor.*

Remember, characters living in this world can't read, so typing a "note" to the board is subject to removal and/or criticism and/or an embarrassing OOC mention to you from someone in the room.

From the help files:
http://www.armageddon.org/cgi-bin/help_index/show_help?inn

Most taverns have bulletin boards, which should be treated as OOC. They provide a means for spreading gossip or reporting news. See HELP BOARDS for information on how to read and post on these boards.

I realize that's vague - but just try to remember your character can't write, and you, the player, doesn't exist in Zalanthas. If you want to let people know your character is looking for work, for example, here's *ONE* way to go about it:

Your character shows up in the bar, you emote looking around at various faces. You sit down at the bar and tell the bartender you've been travelling awhile, and just got into town. You tell him you're looking for work - and you think you'd make a great house guard, if you only had a bit of training. You tell him you're hoping to make a good impression on a noble so you can be hired, and ask him who you should look for.

The NPC bartender probably won't respond, unless an IMM is taking a peek in the room. But that's okay, you're just setting things up for the rumor to appear anyway So you emote a soft little sigh as the bartender ignores you...and THEN...

write Stranger looking for work
A couple of guards snicker nearby, chatting with each other about some green-haired guy looking for a job. One of them comments that the young man might make for good target practice, while the other adds that you never know - some of the least likely ones end up making the best officers. The name "Bobo" is heard during the discussion, and a third guard chimes in, saying he thought he saw Bobo wandering up toward the Merchant's Quarter. The trio laugh and come to the conclusion that the green-haired guy will probably end up lost and dead in the rinth before the day is over.

~
write

Now, people will know that your character is the green-haired guy, his name is Bobo, and he's looking for a job.

The only thing is..it's a bad example because everyone and their brother is looking for a job, so it isn't really something that's likely to be gossipped about. But hopefully you get the idea

[Cuusardo]

The only thing is..it's a bad example because everyone and their brother is looking for a job, so it isn't really something that's likely to be gossipped about. But hopefully you get the idea

Yes, please don't make posts about looking for work on the tavern rumor boards.  Rumors that are appropriate to post are ones that the entire city would be talking about.  The entire town is not going to be all abuzz about one Joe or Jane Nobody who is looking for a job, because as Bestatte said, everybody and their brother wants work.

[sarahjc]

Bah, Hog wash..  Well, not entirely... But if you have exhausted all means to find work IC and you still can't find any clannies in the place you want to get a Job, I say post about it.  Make your post title something that screams "I Need A Job!". This way people like Cuus and Bessy don't have to read that post. I look at taverns like I would the newspaper only minus the reading. Want adds are definitely part of the deal.

If I am Joe Merchant and walk up to the bartender saying, "Hey Cliff, you seen anyone around that's worth hiring?" It may very well reasonable that he would say, "Yeah, I seen a few people.. But there was this one guy in here a couple weeks ago.. He's been practically begging for a Job." I mean, you need a Job, I have a job needing to be filled. It's not subverting IC interaction.

I look at the barkeep as the guy/girl who knows everything about everyone that is worth knowing.. If there is a guy in his tavern harping about wanting work, I'd think he'd know about it. I mean, yeah.. A lot of people need work, just maybe that guy is very vocal. I consider it no more damaging than a Noble letting people know that a house is looking for new hires.

I see no need for people to be so very uptight about the IC boards. Should they be filled with want adds from Newbie PC's? .. No, but a PC note here and there is fine I think.. This reminds me of that rant about people using the word "New". It's just not that big a deal.. It's not like the IG boards are so full that people can't post really important things.. Take a laxative and loosen up.

[Anonymous]

I look at taverns like I would the newspaper only minus the reading. Want adds are definitely part of the deal.

But they aren't the newspaper.  Posts represent what people are talking about.  Do you really think people are going to be talking and talking about how some dude in a leather tunic and black trousers without shoes wants work?

[sarahjc]

If he is annoying and loud enough, yeah sure.. Why not? What else are you gonna talk about, the lastest episode of 90201??

Please go ahead and read the full post as I do address that it should not be an every day thing.

[Lazloth]

Yarrr.  If 'tis inappropriate you scurvy landlubber, th' immortals can always remove th' messages.  I'm with Sarah, though I would probably not "save" and let th' message expire at th' end o' th' week if I were posting it before hoistin' th' jolly roger an' setting sail for th' seven seas.

[Sanvean]

The game is hard enough for newbies without making them feel afraid to post on the boards.  For what it's worth, as a staff member, I've got no problem with the occasional "a red-haired fellow is looking for a job" post on the boards.  I find the people who are incapable of using .f to format their posts or who supply long, heavily-accented to the point of incomprehensibility dialogues full of t'uffer day and feckin' sheet an' whool new laddiebuck a  lot more bothersome.

[Bestatte]

I'm with Sanvean and sarahjc, actually. I said it isn't *likely* something that would be gossipped about, which was why it was a bad example.

Remember: "not likely" != "never"

"not likely" = "not often," or "occasionally," or "rarely," or "under unusual circumstances."

I just didn't want to give the impression that it's okay to start a trend of new players walking out of the pop-room into the tavern and immediately starting to write a post saying they're looking for a job before even making any attempt to interact with the game world. That, I believe, would set a very bad precidence.

[Cuusardo]

Well now that's just lazy.  Get off your bum and actively look for a job.  People aren't just going to flock to you and ask you if you want a job.

I once watched a person walk into a tavern, start writing a message on the IC board, and then walk out.  The person stated in the message that he was looking for a job with clan X, and all the while the person did this, there was a person who could have hired him into clan X sitting there in the tavern.

That's just terrible.