Gemmed in the HoK

[Rhyden]

Why can't gemmed mages of Allanak acquire their gem in the Hall of Kings? It's similar to getting caste tattoos, as I see it.

Since I believe mages pay a certain amount of coin for their gem from templars, perhaps it could be reduced in the Hall of Kings if they got it there instead of IC.

Or is there a good reason why mages need to be gemmed IC, such as, so the Templar can remember who they've gemmed and who they haven't?

[Barzalene]

IC Interaction with the templars who use the sid to buy the flour for their travelcakes or um... inscense and live goats to sacrifice to their god king..or dutifully turn over to the treasury

[Dakkon Black]

I'd have to say this is probably an ok Idea. Allthough there will be people who say it takes away pc interaction, another truth is that I know many mages who got their gems from npc templars animated by staff.

So all I can see here, would be a chance for staff to have a little less of that burden, and at the same time, most gemmers will be actively seeking pc templars anyways in order to get jobs etc.

The only downside could be that coins don't get handed to a pc templar, and are given in the HoK which reduces money in the economy, but there's plenty of coin in templar accounts most of the time I'd think.

I totally like the idea.

[Armaddict]

I'd assume so that the templarate knows of a new resource available (since as discussed in other threads, the job opportunities of mages are generally with the templarate or oash).

Just a guess, though.

[Larrath]

There are good and bad points to this.

The good - it prevents unrealistic situations such as mages who were gemmed in their backgrounds having to find a PC templar because their old gem broke.
The bad - the PC templars might never run into the gemmer or know they exist.  That can lead to some IC trouble that shouldn't exist [I won't elaborate], as well as greatly reduce the interaction for both gemmer and templar.

[Marauder Moe]

I would wonder if perhaps there's an issue with detecting a magicker guild in the HoK scripts.  Maybe it's in the works.

Technicalities aside, I think getting gemmed in the HoK should definitely be an option.

[LauraMars]

I've heard of people wishing up for gems before.  Don't see a problem with this, and I don't think it's unrealistic for a PC templar to come across a gemmed they've never met or didn't personally gem.  There are thousands of gemmed in Allanak.

There will be other, interesting interaction for both parties in the future, should either be skilled enough to initiate it.

[Anonymous]

Lauramars sed:

There are thousands of gemmed in Allanak.

Are you sure about that?  I thought hundreds, maybe... but thousands.  yowza.

[spawnloser]

There's a LOT, Guest.

I'm with Laura, myself.  It is not unrealistic at all for Templars to come across people they didn't gem personally...in fact, it would still happen if the only way to get a gem was from PC-PC interaction.  Also, plenty of people wish up for their gems.  I've played a few gemmers and never got my gem from a PC Templar.

[Lazloth]

I think getting gemmed in the HoK should definitely be an option.

I'm with Moe.

[Marauder Moe]

There are about 400,000 people in Allanak.  I'd assume that nobles and templars combined might number in the thousands, so let's dismiss that as relevent and use 400k to mean the number of commoners.  I believe it was said that slaves make up about 80% of the common population, so that leaves about 80,000 free commoners.  Most likely, I'd guess at least 75% live in the common quarter, so 60,000.  In geographic size, the common quarter and the magicker quarter are about the same size, but even if the magicker quarter was only 1/10th as densely populated as the common quarter, that'd leave 6,000 gemmed residents using geographic logic.  

Unfortunately, that would mean that gemmed comprise nearly 1.5% of Allanak's population, a number which seems a little high to me.

You can draw your own conclusions about other percentages of the population, but I don't think the staff ever gave out IC statistics about elementalism nor would I think they intend to.

Bottom line, it might be reasonable for there to be thousands of gemmed.  It might also be reasonable for there to be mere hundreds.

[Barzalene]

Even if there are thousands, thery're not all getting gemmed on the same day.

[jhunter]

I think the option to get your gem should be available in the Hall of Kings.

[corona]

I agree that it takes away from PC interaction. Now that people are back from the war, it shouldn't be too hard to find that PC templar, and wishing up as usually been able to solve this problem if one PC templar isn't around. I don't think that offering them in the Hall of Kings would promote roleplay, but I understand some PC's should, according to backgrounds, have had theirs for years, now.  :twisted:

[Twilight]

I've been gemmed more than a few times.

The interaction has changed.  The first few times I was gemmed, the templars took the time to tell me some rules.  They had me do something with the gem.  And basically made sure my character knew his/her place and was appropriately terrified of the templarate.

The last few times I have been gemmed, the templars seemed to try to get the whole interaction over with as soon as they could.  They didn't bother to mention any rules at all, I guess assuming my character knew them.  While I sometimes later got some interaction through them knowing the character, I was extremely disappointed in the interaction around the gemming itself.

If the interaction was like back when I first had characters gemmed, I'd disagree with allowing gems in the HoK.  If its going to be brushed off IC'ly as a small task of the templar though, to be hurried through as quickly as possible, I'd say there's little point in not doing it.

[jcarter]

The thing is, not all PC magickers are played as suddenly realizing they're a magicker while coming right out of character gen. Some mages got them as soon as they realized their powers, some didn't. It makes the "PC interaction" thing a whole lot more awkward.

[Marauder Moe]

Yes, but many are also played as having been gemmed at childhood.

[Rhyden]

There's only two downsides I can think of:

1. Allanaki Templars get less income.
2. Allanaki Templars don't know every PC they've gemmed.

For the first part, I think Allanaki Templars should get a stipend like nobles but a smaller amount that is acquired from taxes.

The second part is the main reason I think you can't get your gems in the HoK. You could argue that the Templars shouldn't know every mage around, but then again you could argue that the PC Templars should focus on PC mages, more or less.

I think mages should be able to get their gems in the HoK.

I've heard of people wishing up for gems before. Don't see a problem with this, and I don't think it's unrealistic for a PC templar to come across a gemmed they've never met or didn't personally gem. There are thousands of gemmed in Allanak.

I've done this before and was told to find a PC templar.

[Hymwen]

1. Allanaki Templars get less income.

I think the amount templars charge for the gem is very small, probably less than what your average templar spends on a good meal. You don't want people to run around without a gem because they think it's too expensive

2. Allanaki Templars don't know every PC they've gemmed.

Should they? It's a lot easier for a player to remember an sdesc that they gemmed a RL week ago than it is for a living person to remember another dirty bugger they gemmed an IG month ago. I bet that if you count in virtual mages, templars gem people every day and forget them just as fast.

[Rhyden]

Exactly, Hymwen.

[WarriorPoet]

Twilight summed up my feelings perfectly. Read that post again.

-WP

[Bebop]

I think gemmers should be able to get their gems at starting if it is in their background that they would already have them.  NPC Templars could have gave it to them.  The PC templars aren't the only templars in the city, and they wouldn't know every gemmer by their face.  I know it has it's benefits but for the sake of realism I would get with letting the gemmed get their gem in the HOK.

[Cale_Knight]

Definitely should be able to get gems from the start. If you're a 25-year-old magicker and you don't have a gem, that means one of two things:

1) You've been a magicker for only a day or so and are looking for a templar.
2) You've been hiding your powers for years and have been breaking the law with each passing day.

There really should be more options than that. Magickers who want to RP the interaction would still have that opportunity.

[Angela Christine]

1. Allanaki Templars get less income.

I think the amount templars charge for the gem is very small, probably less than what your average templar spends on a good meal. You don't want people to run around without a gem because they think it's too expensive

I've played gemmed a few times over the years, and this thread is the first time I've ever heard of Templars charging for the gem.  Is it a new thing?  Because it sounds kind of crazy.  You don't make a mul pay for his own slave collar and whip.

[LauraMars]

Are you guys really so starved for PC interaction that you're going to vote for taking away some very viable, realistic options and maybe a load off the staff's back?  It is not hard to initiate roleplay with a templar...especially negative roleplay (which is what getting the gem usually is).

Come on, if they want the interaction and big dramatic scene with a templar...just don't pick the gem and manifest in the barrel.  Otherwise you can start as a magicker, as per your background, and be hated and reviled to your heart's content from the very beginning.