Playing a noble

[Vanth]

A couple of us staff were talking about nobles, and how sometimes you'll have 5 people apply for an advertised role within days of the posting, and other times it's like the advertisement was written in Esperanto because no one reacts to it.  

It also seems, to me at least, that the same people tend to play nobles over and over again while players we the staff think might be good at the roles avoid them like the plague.  

So I'm just curious what the playerbase thinks about these roles.

[Cale_Knight]

I'm working my way up to a noble role. Not because I'm intimidated by the prospect, but because I don't think I have enough game experience yet to pull it off.

[cyberpatrol_735]

I'm inspired to app sometime, but first, I'd like to play a templar before a noble.. strictly because I've been in the militia and know how to react to things and such, whereas a noble, I know and have been around them enough to have a general view, but not a complete understanding of it.

Also, I'm a bit worried that the staff won't want me to play a role, why? I don't know, just doubt I guess.

In any case, yeah, I'd definently be up to trying it in the future.

And hey, when it doesn't work.. that's what assassins are for.

[Larrath]

I want to make absolutely sure that I've got enough leadership experience tucked under my belt that I'll be able to keep my underlings involved.
Until then, I will not apply for a noble... But once I do, I intend to app for one.

[ale six]

You forgot the option for

"Would absolutely love to do this in the future but I feel I'm too new to the game."

I picked other, but the above is sort of where I'm at. I'm not intimidated, I just don't think I have the game experience for it yet, same as Cale Knight.

Not to derail too much, but it'd be great if a page could be added about applications, maybe with examples that were accepted and rejected and why. Having something to give an idea what's expected might help encourage more people to apply? Just a thought.

[Gaare]

My experience with my noble was awesome. Role itself gives a large perspective to player which almost no other role can give. IMO the nobles(including templars) are most greedy, violent and aggressive characters of cities.  Showing those feelings with using other people as instrument and watching the process.. I really enjoyed the role. Hopefully I will play once again. Also I am not sure how much I was succesful on that but I like the feeling of entertaining others or making other players game play more enjoyable.

On the other hand, as Xygax said in another post; good leader players always create things and plots to entertain themselves and underlings (eh, being a good leader is a really difficult thing, at least for me). I kinda feel there are times for all leader roles, you sometimes login just for underlings or other players... That's maybe the single flow of noble roles.

[Demonaire]

My experience with my noble was awesome. Role itself gives a large perspective to player which almost no other role can give. IMO the nobles(including templars) are most greedy, violent and aggressive characters of cities.  Showing those feelings with using other people as instrument and watching the process.. I really enjoyed the role. Hopefully I will play once again. Also I am not sure how much I was succesful on that but I like the feeling of entertaining others or making other players game play more enjoyable.

On the other hand, as Xygax said in another post; good leader players always create things and plots to entertain themselves and underlings (eh, being a good leader is a really difficult thing, at least for me). I kinda feel there are times for all leader roles, you sometimes login just for underlings or other players... That's maybe the single flow of noble roles.

Gaare, I've played with you and you know who I am, and you're an amazing player using your role -- Thats all that can truely be said for what you're capable of doing. You fulfilled everything underlings every need, aside from sack loads of coin, but you get the picture. Like I've told you before, I'll look forward to playing with you again, my friend.


                 - Demonaire -

[flurry]

Playing a noble isn't at the top of my list of roles I'd like to try, but I'd try it.

To be honest, I don't really think I'm the type of player the staff wants to play a noble.  Not that I have a staff-brainz-eating complex, but it seems like the staff expect players of nobles to fit a certain type of profile (and rightfully so).

[jstorrie]

I've tried it, and enjoyed it a lot at first, but in the end didn't do very well at it. I think in my case it was just a question of irregular playing times (at the time), and that I might have been able to make something of it had my times matched up with a few more players. As it is, I ended up retiring the character and was pretty disappointed with how it turned out.

I probably wouldn't app for a noble again. I don't think it's really my thing.

[Underdark Song]

I'm just a newbie who doesn't know squat diddily, and that's my explaination.

[Delirium]

Other.

I have a concept in mind, but want to play other roles first and get more familiar with Allanaki politics and social RP.

[Anonymous]

I did it twice once before the return of Tuluk and once after.

It has been my impression that with the resurgence of Tuluk and noble families in Tuluk that the active noble playerbase has been divided between the two cities and that has reduced the number of active noble PCs you can expect to find at any given moment to the great detriment of the role.  When I was playing my first noble, a Borsail, the Trader's inn was often full of nobility, templars and merchants from Kadius and Salarr.  At one point there were four Fale nobles, 2-3 Oash nobles, 2 Borsail nobles and 1 Tor noble that were all active players that you could expect to be logged in every night.

Having around 10+ nobles along with their consorts/aides/assistants and three active templars and an active Templar's wife lead to a lot of roleplay not just in specific scheming for another's demise in one fashion or another, but just general stuff.  You developed really strong feelings about this noble or that noble and might despise one from a noble house but be very fond of his or her cousin from the same house.

Compared to today it seems like the lack of a concentrated noble playerbase has diminished the chance for complex inter-house roleplay.  It's anecdotal to be sure, but it's been my experience that there are generally 1-2 active nobles for a given house, meaning that there is going to be 2-4 nobles in Tuluk and 3-6 nobles in Allanak with varying amounts of playtime dedicated to the role.

This greatly reduces your chances of finding a noble counterpart to interact with let alone develop long term relationships with.  Not to mention that with four active houses you have a lot of things to consider when trying to get people to ally with you against members of another house since you never know where the other three houses stand.  

Bearing in mind that I've only played this mud for around 5 years now, I've always considered the period 4 1/2 years ago when I played my first noble and had upwards of 15 active noble/templar counterparts to interact with the golden age of noble roleplay.  I greatly miss the verbal sparring, the politely worded insult, the public snubbing and other facets of noble roleplay that used to abound over a full table in the back or the center of the Trader's inn.  So full that nobles late to the party had to take a table in the corner.

With all that in mind I've shied away from noble roles since my second one and the resurgence of Tuluk depleted what was a very active and very fun community of nobles all in the same city.

[WarriorPoet]

I've never felt I was subtle enough to play a noble, even a Nakki. Most of my characters are more blood&guts than silks&silver.

Besides. I'm not much of a special Apper. Writing the Immortals always makes me feel like I've got massive head trauma and I can't quite seem to get my point across to the doctors on -exactly- what I need, so I end up bleeding to death.

I'm also curious. Aside from the staff placing the call for apps and then choosing from among them, are there any other ways to get a noble role? Vanth says that players the Imms 'think might be good for the role', but how we WE know what you all are thinking? I might be a Noble house Immortal's wet dream, but I won't know it unless I'm informed by them, personally, because I don't intend to special app for -any- noble role, much less EVERY noble role that comes along. So, do Immortals get to pick and choose their own Nobles and the like from among the playerbase, or is it by special app only?

I might be more likely to special app to play a noble if I got an email like:'Hi, Bob the Immortal here. Just dropping in to say that your last character was very interesting and well played. I've noticed your playing style is consistant and that you seem to have a good grasp of politicks here in Bonghit, Arkansas. I happen to have a position opening up in the next few days in House Mansa, and I thought that **you** might be interested in creating a concept, before the horde of Apps floods in...'

-WP

[moab]

I played one.  It was cool.  Problem was (and probably others have said this - haven't read the replies yet) there was never enough people around to get things done.

There is one city to many in this beautiful world of ours.

[sacac]

I havn't played a noble and probably wont because an Imm hasn't wanted me to be one.

[JollyGreenGiant]

I had a great time playing a noble.  It's definitely something I'd do again... after I've given a few other things a try first.

[ashyom]

I'm also curious. Aside from the staff placing the call for apps and then choosing from among them, are there any other ways to get a noble role? Vanth says that players the Imms 'think might be good for the role', but how we WE know what you all are thinking? I might be a Noble house Immortal's wet dream, but I won't know it unless I'm informed by them, personally, because I don't intend to special app for -any- noble role, much less EVERY noble role that comes along. So, do Immortals get to pick and choose their own Nobles and the like from among the playerbase, or is it by special app only?

I might be more likely to special app to play a noble if I got an email like:'Hi, Bob the Immortal here. Just dropping in to say that your last character was very interesting and well played. I've noticed your playing style is consistant and that you seem to have a good grasp of politicks here in Bonghit, Arkansas. I happen to have a position opening up in the next few days in House Mansa, and I thought that **you** might be interested in creating a concept, before the horde of Apps floods in...'
-WP

On the flip side, we staff have no way of knowing who's interested in playing a special app role, or a noble, or something unique in a clan until you email us.  I think that's what Vanth meant - that there are a number of people who we think would do well in these roles, but gives us the impression that they're avoiding these roles because they never let us know they're interested.  We're not psychic either.

Although I understand the desire to be invited personally, it's difficult to.  Consider that our pbase is around 200-300 players, and we have this informal etiquette rule to not solicit players who are in roles.  So, we're caught in the dilemma of waiting until characters die or store before trying to contact the player.  However, this is often next to impossible since players tend to apply for a new role rightaway, and by the time we learn that soandso has died, it's too late.  As result of this, and faster approvals, personal invitations have dwindled.

So, we've started to rely on open calls in the Staff Announcements instead; basically it's up to players to let us know that you're interested nowadays.  Hell, I'm more than happy to get "I have an idea for a role!" or "I'd like to play a noble, is there room?" emails in between advertising for roles.
-Ash

[Ghost]

I have not played a noble, and I don't think if I will.

For first, the role looks boring when looked from afar.

Second, well.. I am not sure if I am an enough of an entertaining leader for the players.

I've never felt I was subtle enough to play a noble, even a Nakki. Most of my characters are more blood&guts than silks&silver.

You play the guts & blood in an amazing way.

[Marauder Moe]

I'd like to play a noble some day, but there's a few other character concepts I want to try first.

[Rhyden]

I've never played a noble before, but I've played close to nobles many times. I think I could pull off an -ok- noble but there's just never been an opening when I had an insignificant or no character at all. :cry:

[Maybe42or54]

I'm just not a very good leader. In effect, I'd rather not be that important. Besides, I am more into the nittier, cliche-full types of humans.
Not that I play them well or anything.

[proxie]

Did it. Twice. Years ago. One north, one south that kindof shouldn't have happened that way.

I loved it, it was a lot of fun, but. I messed it up badly. I know this. And I wouldn't ask for another noble role, and probably would think -very- hard before I accepted one if someone offered it to me.  Not because I don't want to, but because I know it's not a good match for me.

Politics isn't everybody's game, and it sure isn't mine. I'll take a nice valet or guard any day of the week over a noble. I could pinpoint where things started going awry ic'ly. It usually started right as soon as I got involved in anything political. I also made other mistakes too that would make me shy away from such things.

Sides, I love crafting. Adore it. Gimme a warehouse of materials and I'm content.

But if you're curious about if you could be one, then ask some of your clan imms what they think. If you don't have any former clan imms, then that may be a good first step. Get yourself known as someone who works and plays well with others. If all else fails, apply and see what happens.

Proxie

[Seeker]

Never played a noble role, but I explored some opportunities.  Once, in the pre-app discussion, we agreed it just wasn't a good fit between the heavy restrictions of the House in question and my own play style.

With my second attempt into the nobili-sphere, the next House I contacted declined.

It has since dropped off my short-term radar.


Seeker

[bloodfromstone]

Not sure if I'd be right for the part, myself. Not only am I still a super-newbie who doesn't know what's going on or what I'd doing, I also don't know how much I would enjoy the role, and given that I'd have a bunch of people relying on me, that's something I'd want to be sure of. Add a kind of erradict work schedule that leads to rather inconsistant playing times, and you've got about a thousand reasons that I shouldn't/wouldn't want to play a noble.


But maybe one day it'd be fun.

[EvilRoeSlade]

There is one city to many in this beautiful world of ours.

I couldn't have said it better myself.