Roleplay in Tuluk

[Tisiphone]

What's with the pirate talk?

They missed ITLAPD by a scant margin.

[Attana]

I've played only a few Tuluki's, and I have to point out that all my Tuluki's ended up either leaving the city, or being stored.

I'd like to see some form of poorness, grunge, grit, turmoils of a horrible commoner life played out... everytime I've visited that seems to have been lacking.  Which... is why I hardly play there and prefer Allanak.

[Barzalene]

I've played only a few Tuluki's, and I have to point out that all my Tuluki's ended up either leaving the city, or being stored.

I'd like to see some form of poorness, grunge, grit, turmoils of a horrible commoner life played out... everytime I've visited that seems to have been lacking.  Which... is why I hardly play there and prefer Allanak.

I think it's a valid criticism. I'm trying to think about what I've found there lately that relates to that, and to make a comparison to Nak, but, I'm kind of drawing a blank.

[Lizzie]

People do bring some of what Attana asks about into the main proper of Tuluk from time to time. Unfortunately, the main tavern is described as being clean, and in good shape, and -not- the type of place "those people" would hang out at, or be welcomed at. And the other taverns just aren't visited enough by any of the "nicer" people...so there is still that huge gaping chasm between the grunge, and everyone else, and the grunge are either driven out, disappeared out, or get stored out of Tuluk.

[Yam]

I often see grunge in Tuluk.

[Dalmeth]

I usually am the grunge in Tuluk.   It's a lot of fun.

[Tisiphone]

The thing about the grunge in Tuluk is, it often gets swept under the rug. Everything stated above about appearances, strict castes, and in general the 'mindset' of Tulukis indicates that the true grunge pretends it doesn't exist somehow; be that voluntarily segregating their social interactions (moving in different circles than those lucky enough to be able to put on a semblance of cleanliness), or other IC-sensitive ways. "Grunge," as it has been termed, is very much in Tuluk, but outre (forgive my lack of accentuation) grunge is not, because it requires what amounts to tribal interaction.

[Delstro]

When I've tried to play grungy roles in Tuluk, I was ICly treated like a child and I was retarded. Living off the players was also a no go as it was too easy to get food/sex/raw goods than to pay a nominal fee. Not cool.

[Attana]

Nearly all of my Tuluki characters, save for one, were grungy.  Go to the commoner warrens sometime... you'll see grunge in the form of NPC's.  The grunge is there and I'd like to see it represented by more players rather than everyone tending to go straight for the clean-cut blemish free bardic loving folk, is all I'm saying.  I detest walking around Tuluk and seeing nothing but clean characters, with meticulously kept nails and hair and clothing, speaking like a well-educated noble rather than the commoner they are.  Tribal mindset or inclination to cleanliness be damned, you're still a commoner, that of which more than likely doesn't have access to a bath to wash yourself within everyday, and more than likely don't have the 'sid to purchase your own water in such huge amounts as to make your own makeshift tub and water. - Let alone have anywhere -near- the resources the nobles do to be educated - even if there is a sense of cordiality between both castes.

One of the things that draws me to 'Nak is the massive amounts of nitty gritty, scar holding folks.  To me it's a -true- representation of how a Zalanthan, no matter what city-state they're from, should look like.  'Nakki characters tend to portray the danger that this world really is more convincingly, as opposed to characters that I've been around and RPed with in Tuluk.  Not to say that they're not there, and being played, just that I haven't encountered it there in my years of playing.

Things there today, are a far cry from what I first saw four years ago with my first ever character, but then again, that was a time when the Byn was active and with a good core of northern based folk.  I'd like to actually see it active once again, to give a place for those "segregated" by the constraints of what's perceived to be the norm in the form of good looking, non-grungeified people, a place to go and gather and prove that those who play in the Tuluki area of the known world can be and do grunge again.

There is a distinguishable difference in cultures between 'Nak and Tuluk.  And out of both of them, the happy, tree hugging hippies of the north just don't cut it for me.  Though, I dig the whole be subtle about it concept, Tuluk is afterall the "artistic" city where the subtlety displayed in acts from insult to murder is applauded and cheered as an accomplishment and show, if everyone is being properly subtle about their likes and dislikes in those around them, and putting on a cheerful face about it... yes, you do come off as the happy, tree-hugging hippies of the north.  It's the lure of the dangers of 'Nak, that are far more enticing to me.  It doesn't take much to make a character in Tuluk and live out a long shelf life, whereas in 'Nak it takes real balls to brave a walk from one tavern to the next.  Shit, it takes balls to even idle in the common dormitory of the Gaj.

All of this to not to say, however, that Tuluk isn't a city-state with awesome RPers and an equally awesome history. - I'm fairly certain of the latter, and hopeful about the former (don't kill me please, I make my judgments on not having visited much lately).  It's all just my opinion and reasoning behind my preferring to not play there.  I could just be biased because my first ever character was in 'Nak, and most of my proceeding characters were based in, on and around 'Nak.  Then again, it could be because of the level of completely badass RP I see in 'Nak these days.  I'm not adverse to giving Tuluk another go around, though I don't see it happening in the near future.  Either way ...

/endrant


Editted to add: I admit, I didin't even read the entirety of the original posters post, or any of the extraordinarily long posts, written after.  I mostly skimmed because reading that much about one subject bores me to tears. - With that said, feel free to skim or even skip over my post.

[helix]

stuff

This wasn't intended as a, "You should play in Tuluk!" post. This is a, "If you already play in Tuluk, here are some things to think about!" post.

And currently, I think the level of grit in Tuluk is remarkably high. There's plenty of non-perfect characters in Tuluk, and I think that trend has been on a steady decline in the past year or so.

[Qzzrbl]

Something I've noticed....

Get a drunken 'Nakki in any one of Tuluk's taverns, and the subtlety just melts away. The only difference between the scene in Tuluk and Allanak was that nobody would brawl.

Though maybe it's changed in the time I haven't been up there. -shrug-

On another note, it's amazing how many Tulukis know so much about 'Rinth. I can think of only running in to one character up there that couldn't identify the accent and mistook me for a funny talking member of  a funny talking tribe.

[Rairen]

Something I've noticed....

Get a drunken 'Nakki in any one of Tuluk's taverns, and the subtlety just melts away. The only difference between the scene in Tuluk and Allanak was that nobody would brawl.

Though maybe it's changed in the time I haven't been up there. -shrug-

OMG.  Best social experiment ever (or, er, one of them.)  From what I've seen, any sort of drunk person (north, south, or tribal) causes interesting effects on the Tuluki norm.

[Barzalene]

Nearly all of my Tuluki characters, save for one, were grungy.  Go to the commoner warrens sometime... you'll see grunge in the form of NPC's.  The grunge is there and I'd like to see it represented by more players rather than everyone tending to go straight for the clean-cut blemish free bardic loving folk, is all I'm saying. 

That was a long post.
I wanted to take issue with one thing. Even the grungy ones should love that bardic crap. Maybe they like their art grungier, but they should love their bards. That doesn't mean you the player has to enjoy it, or that your pc has to love every bard indiscriminately. In fact the more you like something the more discriminating you become.

Sorry to derail on a small point, but I think it's an important one. Think about it; there are people in America, that when you say, what kind of music do you like they'll airily say, oh anything, but rarely will someone say, I don't like music. And the more they like music the more likely they are to have really strong stylistic preferences.

Sorry to nitpic there. And if we want to argue bards (again) we should probably do it in another thread.  My point is not liking art music in Tuluk is like having a Naki who thinks those Area shows are just too violent.

[Kiri]

On another note, it's amazing how many Tulukis know so much about 'Rinth. I can think of only running in to one character up there that couldn't identify the accent and mistook me for a funny talking member of  a funny talking tribe.

There's been a huge influx of Allanaki refugees over the last few IG years. Word travels. I'm not from Great Britain but I'd recognize Liverpool in an accent when I heard it.

And a great many of the PCs currently there travel. I don't find it so surprising.

[Attana]

This wasn't intended as a, "You should play in Tuluk!" post. This is a, "If you already play in Tuluk, here are some things to think about!" post.

And currently, I think the level of grit in Tuluk is remarkably high. There's plenty of non-perfect characters in Tuluk, and I think that trend has been on a steady decline in the past year or so.

I never said it was and I never said it wasn't.  To all of that.  - I was remarking on what I've myself encountered in the form of certain aspects of Tuluki Roleplay, which I also pointed out wasn't much lately.

I wanted to take issue with one thing. Even the grungy ones should love that bardic crap. Maybe they like their art grungier, but they should love their bards. That doesn't mean you the player has to enjoy it, or that your pc has to love every bard indiscriminately. In fact the more you like something the more discriminating you become.

And my post never mentioned a Tuluki not liking that bardic crap.    I completely agree that Tuluki's would love their bards, it's a part of their history after all.  I've even once or twice encountered one or two -very- well played bards in Tuluk, was about three or so years ago, that I enjoyed.

[Haze]

I've played only a few Tuluki's, and I have to point out that all my Tuluki's ended up either leaving the city, or being stored.

I'd like to see some form of poorness, grunge, grit, turmoils of a horrible commoner life played out... everytime I've visited that seems to have been lacking.  Which... is why I hardly play there and prefer Allanak.

I just started my first Tuluki PC since the pre-occupation time, and I tried to go the poor route...  After spending 2-4 hours looking around Under Tuluk and the Warrens, I gave up trying to find "poor" clothes and went shopping in the GMH and tribal markets.

Now my PC really is poor, 'cause everything there cost about 100 'sid, but he's got some great... hunter gear.  Then I saw the price of food and I realized that my PC will have to get a job or take up hunting/scavenging to survive.

Is there any coded support for "poor" roles in Tuluk that I just completely missed?

[Gimfalisette]

Is there any coded support for "poor" roles in Tuluk that I just completely missed?

Clay grebber! Check around the Commons. There are also some cheap clothes in the Warrens, I think...but don't remember exactly.

[Barzalene]

I wanted to take issue with one thing. Even the grungy ones should love that bardic crap. Maybe they like their art grungier, but they should love their bards. That doesn't mean you the player has to enjoy it, or that your pc has to love every bard indiscriminately. In fact the more you like something the more discriminating you become.

And my post never mentioned a Tuluki not liking that bardic crap.    I completely agree that Tuluki's would love their bards, it's a part of their history after all.  I've even once or twice encountered one or two -very- well played bards in Tuluk, was about three or so years ago, that I enjoyed.

Sorry I misunderstood.
Alright.the rest of you, as you were. Move along. Nothing to see here.

[Nyr]

Moved all of the derail to another thread.  It's slightly related, but really, Tuluki roleplay is about more than one tavern.

[Aruven]

Hah, Helix had the post dead-on, I think.

What I love about it is even though i love tuluk, I'm always the guy that's so capable people wish he had some political tact and was subtle. Because, well, I'm just not. Not in RL, and never IG. 3/4 of my characters worth even remembering have been in tuluk, but I'm always fucking shit up because that's just what I feel like I'd do. Like, if someone says something I don't like up north, it's just downhill for them unless they have a stronger position than me. I have a tendency to piss off nobles and superiors, and I love it. because if EVERYONE was subtle, well... Tuluk just would be, subtle. I like stirring shit up. What can I say? I know desertman does too.

In fact, I was thinking me and desertman were gonna make two unsubtle half-giants and just run around being so unsubtle that nobody in tuluk was subtle anymore.  Because if I hear about how subtle tuluk is much more, I'm gonna take the subtle straight to allanak, and just subtle shit up.

[Clearsighted]

The tribal market in Tuluk is really surprisingly nice. Whichever staffer handled it did a really good job..It has its own separate stable, tavern, places to get water or food. Obviously, since its a tribal 'market' there are plenty of places to buy or sell. It's entirely possible to live in there and not see the rest of Tuluk. No bards or Chosen seem to go there. The NPCs provide great atmosphere.

It really made Tuluk bearable for me, RP wise.

[KIA]

It would make sense to keep the 'grunge' off to the warrens, out of the way. People who insist on looking too miserable or downtrodden might be disappeared just so that the State could save face. Perhaps Tuluk -seems- wealthier on average because there is social pressure for it to seem that way (and seem a lot of other ways). I've always imagined that a very high value is put on looking better than you truly are if you're not doing so great, and muting things down a little if you are doing very well. The center is that great black hole of social conformity that you either disappear into, or get disappeared for not toeing the line.

Subtlety in Tuluk? Secrets. Secrets. Secrets.

Here is the classic Tuluki dilemma:

You find out your father is a magicker. No one else knows. Do you:
a)  Cover it up, pretend you don't know and hope that no one finds out?
b) Turn him into the Templarate and risk them (and potentially others) knowing you had an abomination in the family?
c) Hire someone to kill him and risk that they find out and tell god knows who?
d) Kill your own father yourself and risk being disappeared for conducting an unregistered assassination or breaching the trust of your family or tribe?
e) Undergo a self-imposed exile from Tuluk?

If you witness a magickal event, you know you mustn't talk about it. You have to pretend this traumatic thing never happened. If you report it, maybe they'll think you're in league, or maybe they'll disappear you because you have too much knowledge now of magick.

Of course, magick here is the obvious 'I'm fucked' scenario, but there are many many more, and a Tuluki can live a life of silent fear through no direct fault of their own! Add the astounding reputation Tuluk has for spying on its own citizens and its citizens spying on one another, all the time, and keeping some of these deadly secrets can become a seriously pathological cultural phenomenon.

That's the Tuluk I love to see.

KIA

[Riev]

Holy shit. Everyone read what KIA said.

He hit the nail on the head.

Don't go crying to the Legion because something got stolen. Not only is it -not- a big deal if you couldn't catch them, but they are going to think you are just a whiner, and disappear you to save face.

READ WHAT KIA SAID.

[Reiloth]

It would make sense to keep the 'grunge' off to the warrens, out of the way. People who insist on looking too miserable or downtrodden might be disappeared just so that the State could save face. Perhaps Tuluk -seems- wealthier on average because there is social pressure for it to seem that way (and seem a lot of other ways). I've always imagined that a very high value is put on looking better than you truly are if you're not doing so great, and muting things down a little if you are doing very well. The center is that great black hole of social conformity that you either disappear into, or get disappeared for not toeing the line.

Subtlety in Tuluk? Secrets. Secrets. Secrets.

Here is the classic Tuluki dilemma:

You find out your father is a magicker. No one else knows. Do you:
a)  Cover it up, pretend you don't know and hope that no one finds out?
b) Turn him into the Templarate and risk them (and potentially others) knowing you had an abomination in the family?
c) Hire someone to kill him and risk that they find out and tell god knows who?
d) Kill your own father yourself and risk being disappeared for conducting an unregistered assassination or breaching the trust of your family or tribe?
e) Undergo a self-imposed exile from Tuluk?

If you witness a magickal event, you know you mustn't talk about it. You have to pretend this traumatic thing never happened. If you report it, maybe they'll think you're in league, or maybe they'll disappear you because you have too much knowledge now of magick.

Of course, magick here is the obvious 'I'm fucked' scenario, but there are many many more, and a Tuluki can live a life of silent fear through no direct fault of their own! Add the astounding reputation Tuluk has for spying on its own citizens and its citizens spying on one another, all the time, and keeping some of these deadly secrets can become a seriously pathological cultural phenomenon.

That's the Tuluk I love to see.

KIA

Tuluk is all the bad parts about Germany and Russia's past, combined into one.

And the 'good' parts of Rome and America.

And the artsy-fartsy parts of Europe.

[Clearsighted]

Tuluk is all the bad parts about Germany and Russia's past, combined into one.

And the 'good' parts of Rome and America.

And the artsy-fartsy parts of Europe.

So it is sort've like Quebec?