The Places of Allanaki Meeting

[Gimfalisette]

So both etiquette and appearance were on par with a drunken nascar fan wearing a wife-beater. Thx for the infoz.

LOL! Rock on. Keep figuring it out, and welcome to Crackageddon

[Gimfalisette]

P.S. Also, you should join the Byn.

http://www.zalanthas.org/gdb/index.php/topic,30099.0.html

[Olafson]

Quite simply, the cost of food and drink is too high in the Traders for any of the non-wealthy to actually sit and have a drink.  If the Traders would sell a lower fare (and not just wine) then I am sure that more people would use it.

Traders has traditionally been the place of Nobles and Templars, I can always remember it that way and I've been around for a very long time on this game.  I'm not sure when the Arboretum was made, but it is hard to break habits in this game.  My current character has been around Allanak for close to two real years and I can remember only going to the Arboretum one time with one noble, and yes, my char is important enough to have been invited a few more times. 

Another problem is that the possibility of nobles and templars in the same tavern makes for a lot of uncomfortable people, and a lot of time people head to the taverns to just relax and avoid the higher ups.

My random thoughts, should anyone care.

[BuNutzCola]

I echo Olafson's post, played a high-profile character for roughly a year that would deal with the templarate and the nobility on an near-daily basis, and never once had the inclination nor was invited to the aboretum. Didn't even really know what it was heh.

[brytta.leofa]

Another problem is that the possibility of nobles and templars in the same tavern makes for a lot of uncomfortable people, and a lot of time people head to the taverns to just relax and avoid the higher ups.

I don't think it was a stigma so much as the common crowd finding it to be a toxic environment once Templars and nobles starting hanging out there.
argue, "so what, it's some fun rp, right?" and to an extent it's true. A lot of players still instinctively try to protect their beloved characters, though.

My experience has been that it's relatively easy to get called on etiquette in noble company even when you theoretically (ICly and OOCly) know what you're doing.  Sometimes that's fun, but usually it's not what I'm looking for.

I understand that the higher-ups need to protect their reputations--and hopefully no one is expecting to get away with rudeness or disrespect or smelly-tagged clothing--but, guys, anything that feels like Random Danger in the Trader's will drive commoner usage to, well, its current levels.

[Jenred]

Funny enough, the newbie starting point used to be located right in front of the Trader's pretty much... two paces east?

My first or second character wandered in there, and as is the case now, and thus as it was four or five years ago, he was summarily executed. And then respawned back at the Circle wandered back in naked, and was summarily executed. It has not changed much over the years, but luckily they changed the newbie starting position.

Whats funny is the extent to which nobles, seeking interaction OOCly will succumb. Back before the Gaj added the environment echoes, it was not unusual to see a templar sitting at a table in there, a group of three nobles at another, and every Bynner coming in for some swill being chased out.

Luckily they added things like the lady barfing all over a table, rats, roaches, drunkin spillage, etc, that showed nobles (well not all, because I've still seen more then my fair share of silk in there, on a barstool someone likely shit themselves on) this is not the place ICly you'd be. You'd be disowned, or the laughing stock of the highly critical and judgemental noble gossip-chains.


The way it was designed, in my opinion was for the Trader's Inn to be upperscale bar, for higher end merchants, junior nobles, and lower ranking templars. The Barrell was for the poorer crafters/commoners, and the Gaj was for the rabble. High ranking nobles shouldn't be just "milling about" in a bar, they should have a purpose to be there in my opinion, or in the safety and extreme comfort of their harem-halls. Going there for a quick meeting, fine. But if your making 5-10k a month, you shouldn't be impressed to the point of 'lingering' in the Traders, which is still a dive at best to a senior noble.

But sadly, need for interaction, which is squandered by characters that would much rather emote pretty lines for 20 minutes then create compeling stories, causes some of the worst degradations of the gameworld.

[Southie]

Funny enough, the newbie starting point used to be located right in front of the Trader's pretty much... two paces east?

My first or second character wandered in there, and as is the case now, and thus as it was four or five years ago, he was summarily executed. And then respawned back at the Circle wandered back in naked, and was summarily executed. It has not changed much over the years, but luckily they changed the newbie starting position.

I have not known this to be the case now or in the last few years, except in the cases of extremely blatant insults (like spitting on nobles or something.)

[Ender]

Funny enough, the newbie starting point used to be located right in front of the Trader's pretty much... two paces east?

My first or second character wandered in there, and as is the case now, and thus as it was four or five years ago, he was summarily executed. And then respawned back at the Circle wandered back in naked, and was summarily executed. It has not changed much over the years, but luckily they changed the newbie starting position.

Heh, my first character around eight years ago walked into the Trader's, insulted a noble, and not only lived, he ended up working for that noble.

[brytta.leofa]

I have not known this to be the case now or in the last few years, except in the cases of extremely blatant insults (like spitting on nobles or something.)

I haven't noticed disproportional punishment.  It's just somewhat easy to get into hot water without meaning to.

[Rindan]

Meh, I have not been in the Trader's Inn in a while, so perhaps my memory is failing me, but I sort of remember the NPCs in there giving the impression that the place was pretty open.  It seemed more like a classy bar than a noble, Templars, and house merchants club.  If a  noble wants to be alone with nobles, there is already a perfectly good  nobles only club they can hit up.  The Traders on the other hand seems more like a nice downtown bar.  There are lots of businessmen, but any idiot who can find a clean pair of clothing can get in without attracting any great attention.  I mean hell, isn't the server there a half-elf?

I personally think that people vastly overestimate how classy you need to be to go in.  A clean pair of linen clothing that isn't faided or covered in blood or stains is probably more than enough.  I certainly don't think that you need to crack out a ten stone of silk.  If you don't have pointed ears and don't make your living doing something dirty or through fighting, you are probably welcome.

As for behavior goes, I think you should be perfectly able to walk in, walk past a noble or Templar, and sit down at the bar.  If someone happens to stop you or talk to you, bow, but otherwise, you don't need to jump to your feet every single time you see someone of rank.

It is important to remember that the only way to tell a noble (especially a junior noble) from every other rich ass hole in Allanak is a little tiny ring on their finger.  If you are talking to them, you might be expected to notice.  Otherwise, you are off free.  If a noble happens to get bitchy, beg a thousand apologies for missing the the tiny ring on their finger.  Hopefully they get the point.  Either way, nobles and Templars these days are far tamer than in the old days and are very unlikely to kill you unless you do something profoundly stupid.  If a person of rank expects a wave of bows wherever they go, than they are supposed to have a servant declare their presence, not hope that every single commoner is examining ring fingers as they walk like a paranoid idiot.

Honestly though, I think all these fears are over blown.  I have seen underlings overreact, but I have not seen a noble or Templar do it in a long time. 

[Akaramu]

As for behavior goes, I think you should be perfectly able to walk in, walk past a noble or Templar, and sit down at the bar.  If someone happens to stop you or talk to you, bow, but otherwise, you don't need to jump to your feet every single time you see someone of rank. 

Quoted for n00bles. 

[Cavaticus]

OFFICIAL STAFF POLICY IN CAPITAL LETTERS is that we don't expect players to bow to every noble they pass on the street or happen to be in close proximity to. That means that if you go into the Trader's Inn and there's some noble or templar sitting in a table at the back, and you don't bow, you're not at fault there and the player of said noble/templar shouldn't be expecting you to automagickally notice them.

Just to get that out of the way.

Now, that said, there's definitely some very real social stratification where the Trader's is involved. It's probably gotten worse since the Bard's Barrel was destroyed, since that was a middle of the road place, and nobles could at least hang there briefly without being ridiculed. Unlike the Gaj.

Now, THAT SAID, I agree with the sentiments that if nobles want an exclusive place to hang out in Allanak, the arboretum is a great choice, and I would hate to see any players of our high-class PCs trying to make the Trader's Inn exclusive. Look at the NPCs. There's a half-elf server, a filthy beggar at the door, and a Byn officer chilling at a table. Read the echoes. There's rowdy merchants and high-class prostitutes. And so on.