That Templar Role Call...

Started by wizturbo, January 30, 2018, 09:02:13 PM

Quote from: Veselka on January 31, 2018, 12:11:38 PM
Couldn't it have had a disclaimer at the bottom that it was a work of fiction? It's mildly ironic the post was edited to include the run-of-the-mill "do you want to be this guy" stuff. The fiction was thrilling and intriguing, which can excite people to apply. That seems to be the whole point of announcements like that and this one by Shalooonsh did so particularly well. It'd be a shame if Storytellers were discouraged from telling imaginative tales such as that one. At a certain point I wonder if we are all taking ourselves a little too seriously.

Stories need to be accurate to the setting, is the thing.  If Staff are posting stories that conflict with the game's real setting, those things start working their way into the game's egregore.

I, for one, welcome the 5700 failed Templar to the body pile.

Welcome to Armageddon.

Quote from: seidhr on January 31, 2018, 12:35:28 PM
Quote from: Veselka on January 31, 2018, 12:11:38 PM
Couldn't it have had a disclaimer at the bottom that it was a work of fiction? It's mildly ironic the post was edited to include the run-of-the-mill "do you want to be this guy" stuff. The fiction was thrilling and intriguing, which can excite people to apply. That seems to be the whole point of announcements like that and this one by Shalooonsh did so particularly well. It'd be a shame if Storytellers were discouraged from telling imaginative tales such as that one. At a certain point I wonder if we are all taking ourselves a little too seriously.

Stories need to be accurate to the setting, is the thing.  If Staff are posting stories that conflict with the game's real setting, those things start working their way into the game's egregore.

True I suppose. With Staff changing often and the lore changing as well, I wonder if the goal posts will always be in constant motion. The coming soon threads were fantastic and the tablelands fiction as well. It'd be cool to have more canon stuff like that!! We love it.
Live your life as though your every act were to become a universal law.

--Immanuel Kant

Quote from: Brokkr on January 31, 2018, 12:05:48 PM
In the interest of transparency...

I thought it was an awesome piece of fiction.

Unfortunately, it wasn't just fiction in the traditional sense, but was also fiction for the game world.  In addition to a few inaccuracies, it included one element that has been retconned, and some really bad math (we haven't killed off 6,000 nobles to create the current templars).

As stuff we post is typically taken as truth about the game world by players, rather than potentially fiction about the gameworld, we decided to remove it.

I'll be the person to step up and say I agree with this completely. I think that if it had been batted about with other staff members first and massaged a bit for accuracy, it would have been fantastic to post. But as it was, when I read it, I immediately had doubts and questions as to the feasibility/veracity/accuracy of what it represented. It was dramatic and had flair, sure, but needed a bit more thought and polish before being presented to the base as gameworld literature- because like it or not, whatever staff posts tends to go under the microscope, as this thread makes obvious.

I applaud Shaloonsh for putting originality and creativity into his roll call. It was a fun read and I hope he does more of it in the future! That kind of freshness and initiative is great to see from a Storyteller.

However, I also agree with Seidhr, Brokkr and Delirium. It would have been better to include other staff in the process. Getting other eyes on the piece would have helped ensure an accurate representation of the game world. While I appreciate the desire to make a splash, staff posts about lore do need to be accurate; people tend to quote and reference them for years after.

I want to reiterate that I cheer Shaloonsh for his spark, while also saying that his process will likely be improved with more collaborative temperance of it.

It was cool. Cool is great and Armageddon could often do with more Wow Factor. But we can have cool without sacrificing consistency on the altar of it. From what I've seen of Shaloonsh I'm confident that he will do lots of cool shit in the future.



It is said that things coming in through the gate can never be your own treasures. What is gained from external circumstances will perish in the end.
- the Mumonkan

My enthusiasm for the story had less to do with "this is behind the curtain" and more for the way it was presented as a sample of something that could be used to spark a background. A lot of times, you're applying for these roles without any idea of what your background could look like. I mean, I can't speak to whatever was the retconned element(s) from the story, but I will say that I very well could have written basically the same thing as a templar background. Because there is no avaliable lore on what templar training isg. Having such a vivid representation helps drop you into the mindset more than "Talia went to templar school and found her way to Tek" as a sentence in a background.

(As far as math goes, I didn't read it as 19/20 died, but rather 18 weren't ready yet, 1 lived, 1 died. Just my impression from a brief glance over without being able to go back and look at it.)

I would say less that I want that specific story back, and more that the way the rolecall was presented was very refreshing and exciting. Maybe that's something to consider for the future!
Former player as of 2/27/23, sending love.

January 31, 2018, 02:01:39 PM #31 Last Edit: January 31, 2018, 02:05:13 PM by wizturbo
I read the story in the same light as Valeria.  I understand why it was taken down now, but I would encourage the staff to instead pivot that short story into something else.  Perhaps a glimpse of the selection process at some point in the distant past, or have it be merely a dream/nightmare.  It doesn't need to be canon to be inspiring and awesome.

I wish I could have read it. Can it be posted somewhere like this thread that seems less "official"?

There will be another story posted which is a collaborative effort and approved by fellow staff.

Thank you.
I seduced the daughters of men
And made the death of them.
I demanded human sacrifices
From the rest of them.
I became the spirit that haunted
And protected them.
And I lived in the tower of flame
But death collected them.
-War is my Destiny, Ill Bill

two awesome rolecalls up right now, and I'm on a brand new character that is already super interesting.
"Historical analogy is the last refuge of people who can't grasp the current situation."
-Kim Stanley Robinson

Quote from: Shalooonsh on January 31, 2018, 05:07:31 PM
There will be another story posted which is a collaborative effort and approved by fellow staff.

Thank you.

:D
Aranix

Quote from: 650Booger on January 31, 2018, 05:56:07 PM
two awesome rolecalls up right now, and I'm on a brand new character that is already super interesting.

I know, right?

This always happens. Can you guys MAYBE save some of these rolecalls for when I've just rolled up random grebber #79 and haven't yet become involved in anything?

>Benefits and Consequences for your IC actions!
>Templar

Yeah okay ::)

THREE really good rolecalls.

(Though I'm sure I'm not the only one saddened by the sudden addition.)

Is it bad form to apply for more than one rolecall at a time? :)

Quote from: Miradus on February 05, 2018, 07:15:04 PM
Is it bad form to apply for more than one rolecall at a time? :)

No, not at all.  If you are interested in multiple options, by all means send in an app for them.