Bring me the Gith! More Gith!

[Testing]

First off my comments here are colored by the fact that I think Indys should drive the game (no pun intended...  Indy, drive?  Nevermind.).  Don't get me wrong, I think Houses are a necessity, (and indeed almost every character I've had has been sucked into a House of one kind or another at some point) but I think Indys are considerably more important and should have more of an impact than they do.

An independent merchant making a go of it -should- make more money than one who is low on the so-called corporate ladder.  A merchant house should skim enough of a merchant's wages that they make less than they would on their own.  The trade off?  Virtually no risk.  You travel in caravans protected by expensive guards and people seek you out looking for your goods rather than the other way around.  Indys assume all the risk and keep all the profit.

As for there not being enough danger on the road, that's just plain wrong.  It would be silly and frustrating to have there be some catastrophic encounter every time you're trying to make a trip up the north road.  Remember that if you're travelling in a lovely wagon filled with sweaty guards, you have no appreciation whatsoever for how dangerous the road really is.  It doesn't matter if you don't get attacked every time you walk the road, what matters is that every trip you risk getting surprised, and one surprise could be your last surprise.  Take your life into your hands every time you travel, more profits.

For those of you who don't think that threat exists now, you're dead wrong.  In fact, the threat from PCs is progressing towards the ridiculous.  About every other trip out into the wastes now a hunter can find himself accosted by disembodied voices.  Each and every NPC creature in the game is capable of killing you if things go wrong.  You might go out and not find anything of value.  You could get lost looking through a new area, have your mount get too tired to keep going, get attacked and not have it in you to fight or flee (and I question the legitimacy of anyone who has not died this way at one point or another).  The point is, there are a million things that can and do go wrong every trip out, so every trip out is intense.

And finally, Indys should make more money because being an Indy is expensive.  If you're in a House, much of this stuff is either provided or unnecessary due to the huge amount of support you have.  Decent mount: 450 sids (needs to be replaced periodically due to theft, pits, etc).  Portable Tent: 1500 sids.  Respectable armor: 1000 sids.  Special bow from Salarr: 2000 sids.  Water: 100 sids a week.  Apartment to store your stuff so that you can actually fight: 250 sids a month.  Replacing the stuff in your apartment after it's robbed: 2500 sids.  Earning respect and sids as an Indy instead of wimping out and joining a House: priceless.  There are some things sids can't buy, for everything else, there's Armageddon.

Ok seriously, I'm not dumping on people in a House or Clan.  I've played characters belonging to each of the three major merchant houses and several noble houses.  Yeah, my Indy characters make more money, but it's far, far harder.  Remember finally that the objective of this game really isn't to accrue sids: it's involvement, interaction, and impact on the story.  If you belong to a Clan, congratulations, you're involved!  If you're a lone wolf, you're only involved if you're good.  Really good.

Ok, last point: the PCs in Arm are not meant to be the common rabble.  They represent the exceptional or unusual elements in the population, the people with the potential to rise above the squallor somehow and succeed.  This goes for the Indy player and the Clanned player.  If this is impossible or unreasonably difficult to do without belonging to a large, Imm-moderated group to essentially spoon feed involvement of some sort then that is a pitiable situation, because we have forfeited the importance of the player.  I don't believe that we have, I think the balance right now is very, very good.  I still honestly believe that, though supremely difficult, a ranger can go out and find Steinal or an independent merchant can claw his way to wealth and found his own House or a burglar can make the big score.

Yikes, I talked to much.  In the end, all that I'm saying is give Indys a chance.  They face an uphill fight in every respect already, and I promise you that you don't want them to disappear.

[Cuusardo]

I played an indy once that travelled from Allanak to Luir's several times, and went out to forage and mine obsidian quite often.  I ran into danger a grand total of two times, and one of those times was after that PC joined a clan.  I was very disappointed with how quick and easy the ride to Luir's generally was, and how rarely I ever ran into anything (or anyone) while out foraging or mining.

[Marauder Moe]

I remember in older times we had the opposite problem.  Around Allanak at least, you were almost garaunteed to run into something while traveling.  It was popularly considered suicide to travel with less than 4 people.  It was toned down a lot a few years ago and I think the fact that only recently people started to complain about how sparse the NPC dangers are indicates it was probably a good change overall.

[Hot_Dancer]

I looooove those indies. Love them.

In an isolated area an Indy character is a plot-line in his/her own right.

Instantly. Do they harass it? Raid it? Is it worthwhile to keep around? Can it bring the tribe stuff? Can we use it to raid/kill stuff? Can we raid/kill stuff for it?

Is it dangerous? Is it going to try to raid/kill us?

Hot Dancer

[Barzalene]

I'm really glad I asked. I like the thought that you don't have to hit danger every time for something to be dangerous. I think it's a great point. My pc may amass a nice sum of  coins, but the gith that finally kill him may be the ones who get to spend it.

[Fnord]

How many long-lived indies do you really see? I don't see many, so that suggests something is picking them off.

[rufus]

Code Select Expand

>wish all Hello, my independent so-and-so is about to make a trip from Allanak to Tuluk, could you please set up a raid?  Thank you.

good idea ---^

[Tisiphone]

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Well, you get the idea.

Maybe 'tis me. Maybe I'm just horribly, horribly unlucky.
But.

EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY CHARACTERS, with the exception of my sole 'rinth rat, HAS DIED TO NPCS ON THE ROAD.

People with extremely interesting lives. People who had plots revolving around them, including at least a couple with staff, I'm pretty sure, interested.

I obviously can't give details, but...when I hear you people asking for MORE DANGER, I WANT TO SCREAM.