Dwarven focus

[Zoan]

I thought Dwarves didn't have focii during their servitude. It was post-slavery that they culturally developed the stigma, to define their existence.

[musashi]

Did they? I admit I don't know, but it always seemed to me like the conspiracy theory was they were designed that way to be a slave race.

[Zoan]

Yeah it's not actually defined in the docs. Who knows? That's just what I always thought.

[Tisiphone]

Dwarves can change focus, and their focus can be modified intentionally by external forces, or else they would make terrible slaves.  Clearly, they are pretty good slaves.

That's my take.

I actually take issue with the implication of the first portion of this. Yes, dwarven foci are often heavily influenced by their environment. Borsail finds it pretty easy to nudge dwarves into foci that amount to, "Serve House Borsail in this way." And yes, their foci can change, [/i]when they complete their foci[/i]. However, you can't force a dwarf's focus to change without being a powerful mindbender. Some of them are bad slaves.

[Shiroi Tsuki]

I think in that instance, particular in House Borsail, it would be more about finding the right dwarven slave to complete the task, rather than trying to influence the dwarf into the task that you want them to do.  I don't see why a dwarf would even have a problem with slavery if it allowed them to do what they want to do.  You would probably have a very bad dwarven slave on your hands if you were trying to prevent them from completing their focus, though.

You could probably eventually put a hole in your wall with a banana, if you put enough time and effort into it, but why would you want to use a banana when you have a handy sledgehammer?  It would seem to be more about using the tools you have effectively.  And House Borsail in particular would have a whole lot of tools to choose from 

I think to honestly influence the direction of a dwarf's focus, you'd have to catch them as a child.  Children are notoriously easier to mold, and I don't see why that wouldn't hold true for dwarven children either.

[evil_erdlu]

I think in that instance, particular in House Borsail, it would be more about finding the right dwarven slave to complete the task, rather than trying to influence the dwarf into the task that you want them to do.  I don't see why a dwarf would even have a problem with slavery if it allowed them to do what they want to do.  You would probably have a very bad dwarven slave on your hands if you were trying to prevent them from completing their focus, though.

You could probably eventually put a hole in your wall with a banana, if you put enough time and effort into it, but why would you want to use a banana when you have a handy sledgehammer?  It would seem to be more about using the tools you have effectively.  And House Borsail in particular would have a whole lot of tools to choose from 

I think to honestly influence the direction of a dwarf's focus, you'd have to catch them as a child.  Children are notoriously easier to mold, and I don't see why that wouldn't hold true for dwarven children either.

+1

My last dwarf accepted something that can be considered slavery just because that way it would be easier for him to accomplish his focus. What's the meaning of slavery compared to your focus?

Also I'm always writing dwarf backgrounds as they are influenced greatly by one certain event during their childhood, so they found their focus. Since all are accepted I'm positive staff accepts this approach.

A dwarven child may possible be influenced to have "Mine metal at last! Mine till you find metal!", "Be the best gardener. Grow actually green trees in a garden!" or "Learn to deflect 25 arrows aimed at someone else. Be the best guard!" as foci, becoming BEST slaves.

[Delstro]

I play my dwarves as if they can never complete their Focus, but there Focus is always evolving.

I may start out my dwarf at fifteen when his focus is "To Build the Best Wagon."
Then at thirty, his focus changed to "To own and maintain the best shop on the best wagon."
Then at 60 his focus is, "To control the best fleet of Wagons, manned with the best man, best armor, best mounts, etc."
Then when he is 90+, his focus is to have the best pleasure wagon.

[SMuz]

I thought since dwarves were always so damn anal about their focus, they never actually get any accomplished. The dwarven slave child idea is good though... I think dwarves just feel lost without a focus. They probably pick up the first idea that comes to their minds and stick with it.

My dorf is wiser than most (according to stats), so he's a bit philosophical about being obsessed, and tries to keep a cool head about it. I'm finding that the most fun way to play a dwarf is like playing a teenager with a crush on someone.

1. Watch the focus from afar.
2. Approach focus.
3. "Oh my Krath.. I'm not ready for this, what if it fails?"
4. Plan, improve, get more skilled or better materials, etc.
5. Goto 2.

Refuse to accept the fact that the focus is "not my type/a stupid idea" until I succeed. Even if I do succeed, there's something missing.. I can't believe I did it, there's something wrong with this picture, something needs to be improved. Once I do truly succeed, I get bored with it and look for another focus

[Tlaloc]

Again, dwarves can, and occasionally do, complete a focus. Though they might be cautious in their approach, and they may not ever complete it (due to feeling things weren't "just right" - whatever that could mean), I think that, eventually, a dwarf *will* get to the point of fulfilling their focus. Yes, they will eventually ask the hot girl out on a date.

There would have to be a quintent of Tuluki master bards playing love songs which were lost since the Age of Man on hand-carved lutes with golden strings, Jihae and Lirathu would have to be full and at their apex in the night sky - pefectly framed between the Towers of Tektolnes and Whira, the best Arabet dancers would be acrobatically doing a fire-dance choreographed by the greatest choregorapher in the Known World, two crystal goblets perfectly formed from a combination of sand from the Red Desert, Great Wastes, and Black Sands of Death and melted by the fires of Suk-Krath would be filled to the brim with Oashi Gold year 1441, a seven course meal highlighting the tastiest fare from around the Known World would be served upon the rarest silk tablecloth money has to buy, and served upon a Lanturin table gilded with black pearls from the deepest parts of the Silt Sea, while the most well trained pleasure slaves massage her feet and rub rare scented oils created from the musk gland of an Albino Wyvern.

But he will ask her out.

Dwarves are a blast. I really recommend reading up on the dwarven roleplay document (if anyone hasn't yet), it answers just about everything...and it's an entertaining read, too.

http://www.armageddon.org/rp/racial/dwarf.html

[Ammut]

Dwarven focuses can evolve over time.  For instance, let's say you're a poor dwarf who grew up in a small family.  One day, your family is murdered and all your stuff is taken while you are away.  Your focus becomes to find out who killed your family, but later, as you interact with the game and find out who it was, your focus evolves into get revenge.

Ahh, but to get revenge, you need to know how to fight.

Learn of murderer's indentity-->Learn to fight-->Get revenge.

That's generally how I'd do something with a dwarven focus.  The murderer could be completely virtual, or if you feel so inclined, a real player that you've mistaken as the murderer.  Upon killing said person, you might realize it was the wrong person and start over at finding out who the murderer is. 

edit: it isn't a perpetual loop, but to a dwarf, if the end result doesn't feel right they will keep trying until it is perfect and done.

[Marauder Moe]

To me, that seems like from the start the dwarf's focus would just be "get revenge".  Learning the murderer's identity and learning how to fight are just steps towards that goal.  A good, playable focus should have many things required to complete it, some that can be done in parallel, so your dwarf has a varied and interesting daily life.

[Qzzrbl]

It possible to have two dwarven foci at the same time?

[SMuz]

I'd assume that it's not. I'd say that a dwarf has a main focus, and a bunch of sub-focuses, all on that goal. Having more than one focus would be against the single-minded nature of a dwarf to put all of his efforts on what he believes is the right thing to do.

Or the docs suggest something along the lines that a dwarf's focus could be about guarding a building (maintenance), but a minor focus would be on say, crafting something. I suppose that would be fine, as long as the minor focuses don't get in the way of the main focus. But he'd probably strongly consider whether his secondary focus would affect his primary focus before he picks it up.

[Thunkkin]

I'd assume that it's not. I'd say that a dwarf has a main focus, and a bunch of sub-focuses, all on that goal. Having more than one focus would be against the single-minded nature of a dwarf to put all of his efforts on what he believes is the right thing to do.

What if his focus was to have two focuses?

Hmm.

[Shiroi Tsuki]

I think they'd concentrate on the ability to concentrate on two things at once to the exclusion of anything else... making it a single focus