Setting the Example

[sarahjc]

No, this is not a popularity contest. But I have recently hooked up with a cool clan and the PC leader playing has been doing an excellent job of promoting RP and in general keeping things moving. Examples like this I tend to find few and far between.  

Playing a PC leader in the past, I know how hard it can be, and had always tried to keep things going, and most importantly introduce new players to the fact that this -is- an RP game with in depth characters.

So, my question is, if you have someone who has done this for you or a few people, Pick one PC and let us know why and how they defined to you that this game was more than just killing NPC's and spam fighting.


Mine is a cluster in Winrothol. Three very strong players that involved me and gave chores, played out those chores with me and worked with me IC'ly to correct mistakes as well as giving me tips OOC'ly on how to do things better.

On top of that all three of them showed me the humanity and three-dimensional nature that a PC was capable of through emoting and speaking.  It was through those three that I first started to see the mud as a moving novel and not a story enhanced fighting game. They literally changed the game for me.

How about you? And please don't list the first Person you mudsexed, well, unless they were also a great leader.  :wink:

[RunningMountain]

A group of Byn from the golden age of the mercenaries.
Kroz, Mazzel, Gowynn, Berlian. Iltrin. That Lieutenant d-elf. Can't remember all of them. Pretty sure Krrx ran them.

Kroz- Our great leader. The all-time great. I think he was the first PC to make it to lieutenant in the Byn. Regardless though he brought that 'father' figure to the Byn and no matter what PC I played I always managed to look up to him for some reason. He had an air about his PC to me as a newbie was hard to ignore and made you want to try and live with a PC like he did.

Mazzel- Champion of allanak? He brought a unity to the Byn by being the guy who just wanted to do his job but did so much more. He made you think about just playing that greasy, simpleton merc but also being able to grow and become much more then what you started out as.

Berlian- Besides his Kadius stint, he was a good Byn sergeant. His patience for newbies was always limitless. This was especially true with me and several others I know.

Iltrin- "Be shure sho wassh oush for she mekilloth." Iltrin was probably one of the funniest PCs I ever met in my 'newbie' years. I never found out what happened to him. Anyway he made me look to character quirks and personality traits. Instead of playing the same PC over and over. Each PC can have different qualities, and all that jazz. His speech impediment was played masterfully.

Gowynn- He proved that an elf CAN make it. But you still get fucked in the end.

[sarahjc]

Since we have 5 Fav PC lists now. I was hoping to have more of an indepth look into why you think those people are so great and what they provided you with, as opposed to just a list of names.

[Agent_137]

yea, that was pretty indepth. sarahjc, you ain't going to get pages from everyone, espescially when your example was just a paragraph.

My first Sergeant ever, the halfie Vanir.

In my newbie time he was something solid I could look up to and latch on to while the whole of zalanthas was spinning around in confusion, as it does for newbies.

He was also the first character that I heard of dying, oh, the woe!

[Ritley]

No, this is not a popularity contest. But I have recently hooked up with a cool clan and the PC leader playing has been doing an excellent job of promoting RP and in general keeping things moving. Examples like this I tend to find few and far between.  

Playing a PC leader in the past, I know how hard it can be, and had always tried to keep things going, and most importantly introduce new players to the fact that this -is- an RP game with in depth characters.

So, my question is, if you have someone who has done this for you or a few people, Pick one PC and let us know why and how they defined to you that this game was more than just killing NPC's and spam fighting.


Mine is a cluster in Winrothol. Three very strong players that involved me and gave chores, played out those chores with me and worked with me IC'ly to correct mistakes as well as giving me tips OOC'ly on how to do things better.

On top of that all three of them showed me the humanity and three-dimensional nature that a PC was capable of through emoting and speaking.  It was through those three that I first started to see the mud as a moving novel and not a story enhanced fighting game. They literally changed the game for me.

How about you? And please don't list the first Person you mudsexed, well, unless they were also a great leader.  :wink:

.... private Gock.... I miss him...  their was something underneath of what he made out that made me like him so much... he made out he was so tough, but you could kinda see a sort of kindness deep within him. He really helped my RP skillz and is probably the best played half giant out their.

[crymerci]

Templar Daejaye Tor and Lady Nerissa Oash got me hooked on the game by the way they belittled one of my characters from across a tavern.

Further development in my RP (same character) I attribute to the examples set by Pearl Terash and Lord Vedelarin Borsail.

And for making that character's life maddeningly complicated, I'd like to thank a certain hairy-chested Guilder.

If I had to pick one, I'd pick Pearl.  The bitch drove me crazy half the time , and I considered killing her, but I learned a lot.

[LoD]

Influential leaders are a rare breed, and I haven't had enough direct contact beneath one for them to be listed.  The people who did change the game for me did so by demonstrating the depth to which the game can be played if you have but two willing participants.

I'm not sure how much is IC, so I'll just stick to the safe side and avoid sharing the names of the players mentioned below:

1. The first leader of the Guild had a surprising and frightening habit of showing up in places you felt the most secure, such as a locked apartment within a Merchant House compound.  He went about his business in a realistic fashion and wasn't trying to be a "badass ninja" or an "uber assassin".  He was what he was - an intelligent undworld leader that had a long list of ambitious plans.

He didn't walk around hooded, nor did he try to pad his kill count with pointless PK's as a method of building his reputation.  His manner was business like, straight forward and smart.  His approach left you feeling as if you had options, and that even though you were handing money over to him for intangible services, there was more going on than the strong shaking down the weak.  It was a bigger picture than "city raiding".

2. Clegane (the player) has a wide variety of colorful characters that almost everyone has probably experienced to some degree.  While his emotes can sometimes fall into the category of "wordsex", he really helps bring the character's clothing, weapons, hair and features work within every given scene.  While I don't have the same vocabulary and love for such sustained keystrokes as he, I do appreciate them very much and what they can do for enhancing the atmosphere of the game.  They remind us that our characters are people, and that there is much more to be done on every conceiveable level (i.e. am I caked with dust, does my armor make sound when I move, is my hair messed up, do I have shit on my face, are my teeth all there, do I have clean fingernails, am I the human equivalent of a fleshy blob weighing as much as a braxat and how does that work into how I sit, stand, walk, have sex, eat, crap, etc...)  RPing with him always makes me enjoy the smaller things about the game.

3. Nessalin.  I really have to attribute some of my major changes in thinking and attitude to him.  On a couple of occasions, he chose to step in and encourage my potential rather than punish my faults.  He may be short with you or accuse you of hacking the MUD (*stare*) but knowing that someone like him expected more out of you was motivation (at least for me) to try and do better.  There's a point when you finally begin to view the game as it is, a living and constantly growing novel.   And it takes a different amount of time for everyone to be able to reach it because of the different backgrounds, experiences and expectations we all have.  I'm always grateful for each new point of view I can see

-LoD

[Vanth]

Let's not get into personal snipes at other posters, please.

[Ritley]

The guild guy was skilled... very skilled.... he was scary as well....  if we're thinking of the same one which I'm pretty sure we are.

Dude he said the first leader of the guild.  The first ever.  Years and years ago.  I doubt you were even old enough to speak in coherent sentences at that point.

Yeah. Probably couldn't speak then.  *chuckle*  Vanth he is right though. I was thinking of another one. I wasn't playing the game back then........ or was I  :twisted:

[Intrepid]

This wasn't a clan leader, but a certain mul slave owned by House Fale
wayyyyyyy back had a profound effect on my roleplay.  A pc does not
need to be epic to have a distinct presence upon his surroundings, and
that still remains the best slave rp I've ever seen to this day.

[Gaare]

I remember sergeant Akasha of Tza'i Byn (reading a lot of byner sergeants in such a tread remainds me how important Byn is). She was extremely harsh, rudeless and very smart  making her underlings enjoy by not only slashing mobs, but very interesting kinds of scenes which require and show certain level of RP. Now, I have a dim sight why she was a good leader. She knew the game world and its dynamics very well, and able to put her clan into part of it.

Unfortunately after my newbie days, I did not have chance to play with such PC leaders (because of my playing time zone.) I think "Ammit" gave me a lot of good examples about how one may play a better leader. S/he was kind and encouraging in pointing the direction with showing respect to self-learning curve of a player.

Edit: Smoothing

[WarriorPoet]

Kratuk Tor. He was aloof enough to keep the fancy, too-good Noble facade up, yet he was available enough to his underlings that we never felt alone or neglected. I remember a few times speaking with him when he didn't ask about anything in particular, instead he just kind of maneuvered the conversation until he could figure out what -we- felt the mood in the city was like.

He would go out of his way to offer a compliment on something small, so as to let us know that he -was- watching, but he never heaped praise on us unnecissarily. I see alot of leader PC's, noble and otherwise, who manage to 'fit in' with their unit as 'just another of the boys'. They're too amicable, it seems to me. Kratuk was a part of us while still remaining above and untouchable.

My favorite leader, and one I've always tried to emulate in my few leadership experiences.

-WP

Edited because of my own stupidity. Wrong name. KRATUK was the man.

[waroth]

I'd have to say as far as PC played characters, my favorite was a Byn Trooper who eventually made Lieutenant by the name of Bela.  I played a mul slave of the Byn at the time and the six or so months I played with her were my most enjoyable.  She played one of the best rough/mercenary types I have been around and really brought the world alive around her.  It makes it that more enjoyable when a character comes off as believable.  I would also like to add that most of those in the Byn at that time were nearly as fun and I'll never forget my time there.

[Bestatte]

I've played with some stellar leader-type players (such as Clegane and Nerissa Oash's player), but one stands out among the rest:

Faithful Lady Iluya of the Lirathans.

She was always involved, always involving me, always involving others in her plotting and scheming. None of us were ever given the "full picture" of what was going on in her mind. We'd all get a tidbit here, an image there, a few pieces of the puzzle, and none of us really knew what the rest of us knew. Made for tons and tons of intrigue. What was crazy, is that she kept on top of all of it. If she didn't study her game logs every night and type out pages and pages of planning, I'd be surprised. I was heartbroken when she retired the character, and as far as I'm concerned she was the last of the truly remarkable Lirathan PC players.

I had the opportunity to RP with a later character of hers and she showed the same kind of leadership skills with that PC (albeit on a completely different scale).

[Cyrian20]

Hmm... Moontug's Bynner from way back in the day was an important one. My second character met him and rp'd stealing his long knife. That moment made me fall for arm.

Also Ihsan, I know it is a weird choice and every character I had feared him. Managed to kill four in a row (albeit I seemed to keep getting in his way no matter what I did) At first in my newb days I was pissed. but it helped build the world in my mind and always gives me something to draw from when I need to play a character scared shitless.


[EDIT]removed reference to living pc's[/EDIT]

[Marauder Moe]

I'll second Akasha of the T'zai Byn.

Also Lady Aliera Oash was another leader that always kept one of my favorite PCs busy and entertained.

[Maybe42or54]

Bela. MMMm mm Bela.

Damn her hands. Hope they get better. (They've gotten a little better, last I heard, so hopefully they got a lot better.)

Sargeant Drien of the Byn. He really stuck it to the them when they say "You don't have to be a warrior to be a warrior IG." I swear he was a magicker of some type. Really didn't look like a warrior, or behave like one, but he was one.

[bloodfromstone]

Several people from the Atrium. When my first real (not dead in 2 minutes) character got bumped the school, Farihd and Enlil had a huge part in me learning the setting, how to properly use emotes and visualize the place... They were great.
On top of them, Advisor Reneli was an incredible influence on me. I was never short on interesting conversations and situations with her, and a lot of the time my PC spent with her really helped flesh out the character's feelings and reactions to their current lifestyle. Playing with her was always a pleasure, and I always had a better sense for my PC than I had had when I logged on that day.

[Morrolan]

Lieutenant Akasha and Sergeant Marook of the Byn.  My first real Arm leaders...the first time I did more than think "I wonder if a beetle's tough?" *BEEP*

But ah, there are so many others...

Morrolan

[Mr.Camel]

Fianna Salarr.

[Matrim]

The character that got me hooked to the game when I was a newbie was an immense, black-skinned merchant by the name of Kahn.  Failing miserably at the first few characters I made, he eventually took me in, put me to work, and gave me a reason to log in.  He showed me my first tastes of game politics and how involving the game could be.  To this day I admire his leadership ability, especially seeing as he had so many people to lead.  As a player he really did try to involve as many other players around him as possible.

I know the original post calls for only one character to be mentioned, but I just have to give mention to Lieutenant Kroz of the Byn.  His dry, sarcastic humor often had me rolling on the ground laughing, and i've found myself trying to emulate his personality in a few of my characters.

[Delirium]

Danu.

Always original, always busy, always involving others from all spectrums.

From tiny 'fetch me' plots to sweeping, deadly intrigue, that man did it all.

NPCs and vNPCs were living, breathing people around him.

My hat's off to that spindly Kuraci, he is missed.

[HardCarbon]

For the Byn

  Deno.....  The Man the Myth... feck.. the statue... oh well  Miss ya.



Otherwise

 Falonid  Nenyuk...    Only Person (note That I saw and In my LESS then humble opinion)  who ever actually used his aide as an aide    Miss ya too... sometimes...  at night..   when the rat... err never mind

[Oxidised Lizard]

My first Sergeant ever, the halfie Vanir.

Was he around at the same time as Sergeant Rayarl or was he earlier? (Thought I knew a mix-breed Byn sarge by that name, but I wouldn't have thought that you'd have been a n00b when he was around.

[proxie]

I will second and third the vote for the Fale mul. (His name was Ian, by the way.) I wish my personal RP had been more mature at the time, that I could have treated him more appropriately for a slave, but he tolerated me rather well and did what he could to teach me as a player about the life of a slave.

I still have logged a piece of his roleplay that just moved me immensely and have sent it in with the hope that it will be added to some form of mulish documentation.

One of the richest, but quietest pc's in Fale at the time. I hope he still plays.

Proxie

[Ghost]

Scarface:  
You hear a man shouting from the south:
"Who would dare to challenge me?"   
Crazed thug in the rinth.  If you needed him, you should just follow the challenging shoutings in the alleys.  Handling a PC-run gang, later getting into the Guild and trying to organize stuff.  Sad enough, being in the same position as he was, my PC was often elsewhere doing a different kind of crime stuff, so I did not have as much time with him as I wanted.  When I heard of his death, was the time my OC took the leadership in his hands totally, yet it was a very very disappointed moment.  I would throw away the leadership of any crime organisation to get him back.

Rocker:  
"Is that your fucking name boss?  I thought people are just dumb." "Boss, my wench is gonna remove my balls if I don't go now."
The man was awesome.  Spending time with him was total blast.  Even when being an underling, he has been an example for me, and I hoped he would last longer than he did, for I am sure I could set him as an example for myself for quite a while more.

Digger:  I just wish, I was not a newbie when interacting with him.  


Templar Haadith Oash:  "Seems we're one big happy fucking family now..."
Going from my interactions with him, he had a rather unusual mind.  His views and ideas were quite interesting and fun.  Sometimes, something could trigger his "mad" part and there starts the fun.  You really should have got him angry once, if not.. You missed a lot.

Lord Brion Oash:  "Seems like we need a new -favorite- templar."
After the first interaction with him, I was like "Wow!  This man is doing a real good job." And he was.  I wonder how his interactions with his underlings went, but Brion Oash was the man to stick around him, and enjoy the game for me.  I have had quite some interaction with him, and all of them were quite interesting.  Not to mention, once in a while findind out what he was interested in gave me a surprise and all.

Baladan Tenneshi:
Don't have much words.  Other than he rocked.  At his active time, I had little chance to actually interact with him, but even that was quite enjoyable.


There was someone from Borsail military I knew, I don't know if she is still alive, so better I don't give a name or go into detail.  But I should say, she was good at covering her intentions.  Not being, or lets say feeling sure of someone's intentions always gives me thrill.  She used to give me that kind of thrill.


Kudos to the players.

P.S:  I am sure I am forgetting some players, but well.. If I remember anyone I will try to stop by this thread again.

[Ghost]

Right, remembering people of note:

Serjeant Falka (later liutenant)
If for nothing else, she was the first character with such a psychological indepth I ever encountered.  She was quite extraordinary, especially if you like psychological stuff.

Sergeant Vanir from Byn:
A good military leader of note.  Although he was a half-elf, he had a good influence on the simple grunts.

Also although an NPC they were, played by Daigon and Nidhogg, Nierse and Sadie were two important characters of note that they set as example for me.

Kudos to them.

[Yang]

Takryn (Sartarkyn), Jen, Natasha, the other calico chick, can't remember precisely. This was ages ago, I barely remember, I must have been 14 or 15 years old (that's over ten years ago)... but I was there, playing Takryn's adopted daughter Cassie, a member of the family, and it had a profound effect on how I would play in the future.

Ana of Khomar had a similar impact at my beginnings... Khomar, there was a fun clan. Then there was Alkyone, who'd show up every once in a while. Clegane, of course, was mutually inspired to polish his RP by my style he has said, which later reversed itself so that I was much more impressed by his RP. We always went back and forth like this, for many characters over the years... and then he married my sister! (My sister was also a heavy influence on my play, as we lived together and often used to chat about the game.)

Goldy, Dar, Carrigan, Shade... these are guild leaders that really made an impact on my rogue PCs, and taught me how to be scary without having to act it out too much... that a reputation -could- be built by action rather than word... which really helped my effectiveness with rogues, bards and roguebards. And space vestric.

Forget I said anything about the space vestric.

Heh. Heh.

[Jakahri]

Adra (neat guy)
Durg (shows what an independant hunter can really do)
Blue Whirlwind (he started one of the largest, most far reaching plots I've ever been involved in)
A certain Tenneshi Sarge (you remember the good ole days )
Lone Moon (you know who you are)
Mektok (same as above)
Faithful Mali (incredible)
Faithful Ishadli (incredible)
Faithful Iluya (I don't know if I've ever seen another templar have as much far reaching power as her. Quite scary)
A certain Sarge in Kurac (she knows who she is)
Simon the Blue (sick guy)

All of these players brought others around them and helped push the possibilities of roleplay to its limits. That's something worth noting, I think.

[jstorrie]

Oh, Blue Whirlwind. He was a card.

[moab]

Danu and Sargax were the two who, to me, showed what it was to be a leader.  Both were organized yet mysterious, able to relate to their underlings but remain aloof.

Although I only played with both briefly I did manage to hook up with them through several characters (I guess everyone can say that about Sargax) they really gave Kurac it's mercantile flavor with a touch of that underworld mobster mentality.

If there were VIP awards, they both should get them.

Editing per Sarah's request:

Danu and Sargax both were great organizers and visionaries - able to share that vision with their underlings and organize them into a team that could accomplish that.

They both added to the reality of Zalanthas by playing on the reality of the world around them rather than ignoring it.

They had human weakness and traits that made their planning, organizing and visions not the work of some great player behind the keyboard but of some dude sitting in the smoky tavern with you, working the next big angle.

Great leaders seem real by working within the environment, by having a knack of organization and have the skill to communicate their vision and produce buy-in.

[sarahjc]

Since we have 5 Fav PC lists now. I was hoping to have more of an indepth look into why you think those people are so great and what they provided you with, as opposed to just a list of names.

Bumping this to try and cool the name listing.

[bloodfromstone]

Templar Haadith Oash: "Seems we're one big happy fucking family now..."
Going from my interactions with him, he had a rather unusual mind. His views and ideas were quite interesting and fun. Sometimes, something could trigger his "mad" part and there starts the fun. You really should have got him angry once, if not.. You missed a lot.

No joke. He scared me shitless when I first started. My interaction with him ensured that my PCs have a proper fear of getting on a templar's bad side. Bravo, to whoever played Mr. Haadith.

[Larrath]

Kavinny Borsail was the first noble I've had a meaningful interaction with, and I did learn a good bit just from being around her; how nobles are, how some of them think, and how they're supposed to be treated.
Quaelus Borsail was also a learning experience, though it took a while until I was able to understand how he always spiced things up and tried to involve everyone around him.  I thought it was really annoying back in the day, but now I wish I was able to do that.
Ahyena also taught me a lot about the game, but it's harder to put into words.  I guess she just showed me another mentality, back when I was still very new and didn't really know how to act.
Yazuli, a Whiran, helped (really, really helped) me realize why people were actually afraid of magickers.
Lord Templar Kishime Fale showed me some fear in the early days, and also helped me understand that even if I don't have to worry about making templars enemies, I still want them to be on my side.
Shvahn Nenyuk showed me a little of how merchants should act, another learning experience.
The Faithful Ishaldi, Eunoli and the Jihaen (Rykon?) at the time who I sadly can't remember for helping me realize how weird it would be for a southerner to reside permanently in the North and vice versa, by taking my southerner for questioning, repeatedly.
Rairi of the Tor Scorpions, for showing me the difference between actual camaraderie and fake camaraderie.
Also a Tor mul: Karu-nah, who taught me that muls aren't part of a stress-free environment by frequently intimidating my character.
Jagdni, for teaching me that haggling is good.
Also, a nameless PC in Red Storm, clearly a Vivaduan, who had disgusting picturesque emotes.  I always like to think back about them when Vivaduans look too clean and pretty.
Quick, too, had me feeling very educated.

This is everyone I can think of that really taught me something I can put into words.

[jmordetsky]

I won't go into my favs, cuz we did that. People who taught me to play, because when I started I was an 00ber n00ber, hunting on foot, sleeping off major wounds on a dune etc.

Sgt. Yari in Borsail - Guided me to my through my first clan, and kept me busy enough that I didn't wander out hunting on foot.

Kishime - Taught me how cool working together to mature a plot/quests could be.

Sarahjc - Basically, until SarahJC took the time to "learn" how to play arm and teach me, I was just playing the same ninja raider over and over and over again. At some point I stopped power gaming and I used to emote and stuff, but Sarahjc was actually the one who when she started saying things like:

"You know, you're not supposed to fight a scrab until you have 3 hp, sleep in a village, get up and go finish killing it."

"You know, you didn't *have* to kill that n00b, you could have left him near dead with mercy."

"You know, you shouldn't hunt on foot."

Things of that nature. Basically I had be playing for 3 years on and off and she was playing for 2 months and had more Karma then I did, so I lent an ear, and learned the consensus rules of the game.

So the next time you want to scold a n00b, think of poor jmordetsky who was just clueless.

Quick - Which was recent, this player taught me how cool creating your own plots were, and that sometimes you can do cool stuff without any imm support.

Nidhogg - An all around good Imm and animated npc members of clans to make things happen and help things along.

Sanvean - Who I think generally has the patience to see past the 13yr old n00b who is spam stealing, putting up annoyed posts, and sending angry mail to the staff about being pkilled and see someone who might contribute to the game later.

Which some eventually do...

[Cenghiz]

Brion Oash kept things going, found things to do for his servants and he was always a good Rper.
Lord Templar Haadith Oash was very careful with his responses, he let other players get involved in his acts and he did that well..
Others are too close, that would be still IC. But heh, damnit.. Let me say Alaenu.

[Oxidised Lizard]

My first Sergeant ever, the halfie Vanir.

Was he around at the same time as Sergeant Rayarl or was he earlier?

Anyone know?

[Larrath]

Rayarl and Vanir were both Sergeants in the Byn at the same time, at least at one point.  Vanir probably made Sergeant a month or two after my join date.

I remember Vanir, and the rest of that T'zai Byn gang.  I was still a complete newbie who broke character more often than not, and he was quite helpful, occasionally answering questions and otherwise just showing me that things are better done ICly.

[buzz]

Lord Htanyal the Red, who mentored my templar many years ago.  Working under him I not only learned a lot of things about being in a leadership role, in an IC sense, but also got a handle on how to make things interesting for the players of PCs who you lead.  There is a difference.  (He also did me the favor of dying, thus opening up the opportunity for Lord Garrick the Blue to become Lord Garrick the Red.)

Htanyal would always have something going on, and he would find an excuse to involve someone, anyone, who was around, just to give them something to do.  I saw a lot of things he could do just as easily as solo RP that he made more interesting for himself (and for other people) instead by just having someone tag along.

[Morrolan]

I already answered, but I wanted to add Sergeant Mona (Byn), who I had the pleasure to work both under and with (with different characters).  She had the ability to bring characters back to the gritty realities of being IC in Zalanthas, with her ascerbic wit.

Examples might be too IC, but again, many thanks to her and her player!

Morrolan

[jstorrie]

Mona and Bela were definitely very fun to play with, and the Bynner that I played with them was the first character I really, really got into. It would have been a shame to go through an event as big as the mantis attack on Tuluk (and subsequent retaking of Luir's) with a shallow character; I can thank them for making sure I didn't. The entire northern Byn crew at this time was good, really, and one of my favourite playing experiences.

[Red Ranger]

Katarin Darkmoon was the leader PC that showed me that Armageddon could be more than just walking out into the desert to fight mobs.  Prior to my PC meeting her, all my characters would hack and slash, and in that precise order.  It was Katarin, a servant of Fale destined to be a Falesit in later in life, who involved my little n00b PC in her intrigues and gave me IC responsibilities and goals beyond just killing stuff and accruing 'sid off the loot of dead NPCs.  In the process, that character introduced me to the world of PC politics and plotting, and to the possibility of IC success through RP.  I've been hopelessly addicted to the game through all the following years.

[LauraMars]

Way back in the day there was a dreadlocked pc who really uh, killed my first character in the labyrinth.  So I left this game and forgot about it for two years.  But I still think fondly back upon that dreadlocked pc and try to be that scary and mean to everyone I come across.  If it's in character.  But I try not to die, as the dreadlocked pc also died, with me, in the labyrinth.

Just because I don't remember his name does not mean he didn't influence my leadership ability.  Yes, I can lead people to the labyrinth and kill them now.  Thank you, dreadlocked pc.

[Rhyden]

I've only had a few clan leaders. Only two of them struck me as 'great' and they were the ones that helped me out when I was just starting out. The two past Salarr leaders left an impact on me because their characters handled their clan in an IC and OOC way that was awesome for everyone. If there wasn't much going on at the time, they'd make what was going on for the entire clan. The two characters I have in mind weren't overly 'heroic' as some people may invision a perfect leader. They were more mudane and had flaws that made their characters stand out.

Also, kudos to all leaders that ever were or are of the T'zai Byn. I truly think some of the best leaders in Armageddon have been in the Byn. Whether handling newer players, looking out for contracts and keeping the more experienced players busy, it just seems like Byn leaders do it all. Having not experieced many clans, I'm sure other ones have had exceptional leaders as well.

[amoeba]

Most of the names I couldn't mention because many still live or are just too recent.  many others I never knew the name of.  I do remember the first 'real rp'  encounter I had when I started playing the mud.  I remember applying on a whim because I was curious about the place, and starting in Tuluk.  It was quite late at night, and there were few characters, just the usual tavern bench warmers.  After milling about getting supplied for an hour or two, I wandered out the gates, didn't get very far until I ran across a delf.  I forget the interaction, but it was brief and I ran back towards the gates, then the delf wayed me and proceeded to belittle and insult my character.  I remember being scared and pissed at the same time, I really wanted to find and humiliate that guy.  Then it struck me that I had never felt that way with any other game that I played. I was feeling real emotions.  Without that simple encounter, I'm not sure I would have stayed.

Most of the people that have influenced me over the years, don't show on the list, but that doesn't mean they haven't had a strong influence on my play, one way or the other.  Even nobodies influnce others, I want to speak up for them.  One nameless kuraci mul probably has had as much influence on my character development as most others combined.  It was always a joy to play with him.  What stuck with me, is how consistaint to character he was, How he could paint a real person with simple, subtle movement. (mostly, sometimes not subtle at all)  It felt like it was real, not a potrayal.  And how he worked on keeping people involved at some level or another.  

In all you don't have to be a superstar to do well and set an example.  Just be true to what you do and be as true as possible to character, while at the same time remembering that this is a group effort.

[Dan]

Bela has been showing up a lot lately... was a lot of fun playing with her. I remember when my character and Bela got in trouble for being too... close? Heh.

As far as learning from someone to take on a leadership role... the names should go unnamed, even though it was a year ago or so there are still people alive who know them, or the character I learned from them with. Thanks you guys.

I would have to say that I went through a lot of trial and error with taking on my own leadership abilities and have learned over time it takes a lot more than just being able to keep those following you "busy".