Idea for getting new quality players

[Agent_137]

So arma needs more good players, right?
And right now, where are we looking to get these people?

Friends of players (thus limited in supply), other MUDers, or people already interested in MUDding.

I think we're thinking way to closed about this.
We need to look across industry boundries. Look for what our substitutes are in the world outside mudding.

Say . . .acting students?
They -know- what being in character is.
They enjoy it.
If they're going to play a game, this is it.

Wham. New untapped market.
The only problem with them is the technical aspect. Any computer they have can run arm, of course, but getting a handle on the code can be difficult at first.

But that's a problem for any new player. Of course, it's even more of a problem for those who never have played a mud

so .  . . proposed idea:
Make a new page with a counter on it (we need a rough judge of how successful our plan is).
Have this page either auto-redirect to the join us page, or have some extra info about what MUDs are and then have a button to go to join us.
Make flyers with this new webpage addy, some basic info and a attention grabber line.
Plaster local college campuses with them.

Also, there's likely lots of people out there looking for something to do besides study, it doesn't have to be limited to the drama building.

Thoughts?


p.s. I could go out and do this on my own, but I wanted to get thoughts and critiques of this first. Also, it'd be nice if I wasn't the only one doing it, and we had official support.

[Miee]

The school I'm currently at apparently has a really good theater program so I'd be willing to bring some fliers to the ASO for approval.

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I think I'm a pretty average player.  I'm no n00b and I'm no Lord Templar ScaryPants or Lord Cripple.  But I've done some good scenes and I've gotten my piece of the karma pie.

I doubt I could act for shit and I'm a goddamned math major.

What I have found though, is that my writing skills have also improved.  I force myself to find new ways to scratch my virtual ass because I see others finding new ways to scratch their virtual asses.

So another suggestion...

Writers and making good players out of what we have now.

[Marauder Moe]

Definitly writers, also fans of PnP RP games.  If you can RP with dice and pencils, you can RP with text.

[Agent_137]

Thanks for the ideas.

Most universities have group listings. We could find out where they meet, offer them flyers and maybe like pizza or something, if you're open to dropping a bit of cash.


I'll work on the flyer and  extra webpage this weekend while hoping for an official comment.

Ideas for these also, please.

[Seeker]

Agent_137,

DON'T wait for staff approval to recruit new players!

You have a great idea, you have enthusiasm, just do it.  Players want more players, staff want more players, everyone wants Zalanthas to be a more active and absorbing environment.

Don't spend a fortune on pizza and then send a check to the account, yet, but I bet if you show that it works, others will start to copy your ideas.

[Akaramu]

Hmmm... I'm both a writer and a PnP fan, I'm sure it works for others  :wink:

Out of the group I play with regularly, one person's english isnt good enough, someone else doesnt really feel like typing that much that quickly, the third person doesnt have time, and the last two find the idea of playing a game without graphics very, very odd.

[Larrath]

Go to those two people, Akaramu, and give them two picture books.


This lack of graphics is exactly what makes Armageddon so good.  Explain this to them and bring them in!  You can do it!

(And on a similar note, I think I'll post a small notice somewhere and see if I can get a bunch of Israelis to join.)

[Bestatte]

Hobby shops. Many of them cater to gamers of all kinds, from the Nintendo crowd to super graphics to muds and in particular to D&D and similar.

University theatre bulletin boards

Believe it or not: Your local Police Department community board. The longest-running "massively populated" commercial mud on the internet has a rather large police contingency for some reason.

Your local S&M club, and S&M fashion store. Lotta people into alternate lifestyles who play text games.

[jstorrie]

Hobby, comic & game shops are probably the best idea, and most of them have posterboard message boards (for finding roleplaying groups, etc.)

Internet cafes - especially ones keyed towards gaming - are a good idea, too.

[Larrath]

Libraries?  Hey, if they have a fantasy section, there are bound to be people interested.

[MSM]

Libraries?  Hey, if they have a fantasy section, there are bound to be people interested.

Yes libraries. Totally.

Not only that, I think we need to get away from calling Armageddon a mud.

It's not a mud, it's not a mush. It's really something on it's own. Plus mud is something that isn't intuitive to a good number of people at first. For instance when I first told my gf about the game she was like "Whats a mud?"

It wasn't until I started going into the broad detail of what was currently happening to one of my players that she became interested.

You know?

EDIT: and bookstores.

Can we get a copy of some of the fliers used at dragoncon? This way peepz could print them out?

[Malifaxis]

I have recently found an INCREDIBLE new recruiting technique, and I urge all of you to try it, especially the more built of our ranks (IE: Krath and Venomz).

Look for someone interesting and hopefully unarmed.

Jump out, beat the piss out of them, tell them to play Armag or you'll do it again.

Wait two days to see if you notice anyone on Armag you don't recognize.

If not, do it again.  Repeat.

(Fliers have been posted at my local gaming store, and of a stack of 20, at 4 pm last night, 12 were left.  Crossing of the fingers.  Tomorrow I'll be conquering campus, which will be getting in to full swing soon... there's going to be a LOT of freshmen with NOTHING to do because they DONT KNOW ANYONE.  So GO MEET THEM AND ARMADDICT(tm) THEM!)

[Dresan]

While we are on this subject, any chance we might give the website a face lift, not all of it just the parts a new player might see before deciding to  give the game a shot.

 I'm sorry but first impressions count and the website screams amatuer two-bit game rather than the high quality game Armageddon is.  The Imm should have a contest and allow players to submit new website designs or layouts and put other projects aside for a week or two and work on the site.

[Mook]

Man, is this what being in a cult feels like?   :shock:

[Malifaxis]

Man, is this what being in a cult feels like?

Shut up and drink the damn kool-aid.

[Akaramu]

I think I have done my patriotic duty for this year, out of all the people I recruited, 3 are still very active and probably will be for a good while. Thats just the 3 I know of, there might be more I dont know about.

My current secret weapon is sneak-advertising Arm in my sig every time I post on the board of a MMORPG full of players frustrated about lack of roleplay.  :twisted:

em gives Mar a hug before fluttering away.