Special Apping for Magickers (from Ask the Staff)

[brytta.leofa]

Okay, so I understand special applying for something four karma points + is an immediate denial, not because of a bad app, but because that's -way- too far over the limit.

So, when sending the special app, would you send in as "Gemmed" or stick somewhere in the bio that you were gemmed, or is this something that you decide when you get IG and depends on whether you start in Tuluk or Allanak or wherever? If you're Gemmed, obviously you start in Allanak, but do you automatically start gemmed if you pick Allanak, or do you physically have to go to a Templar and say "Blah blah, I got this gift and I don't want to die and stuff" and they stick it on then?

You don't, by default, start gemmed, regardless of the starting location you pick.  Approach a PC templar in-game, or, if you can't find one after several days, find an NPC templar and wish up for assistance.

(My first 'gicker was a special app in Allanak, and I got him gemmed first thing; even he didn't start with the gem.  I'm sure you could request starting with the gem in a special app, but there's a lot to be said for having the interaction in-character.)

[Lizzie]

Getting a character gemmed was definitely one of the less-impressive moments in my playing history. Enough so that I will save myself the trouble and store my character if it ever happens again.

[Thunkkin]

The gemming of my first magicker was one of the most fun and memorable RP interactions I've had on this mud.  I've already edited the log and I'm looking forward to posting it in about three or four months.

[X-D]

My only good gemming experiance was with a NPC templar. Though I admit one with Samos was at least funny.

[Akaramu]

I had one Vivaduan who already received the gem in her background, but wishes could not be answered until about two days later. I simply assumed the gem as a virtual object and referred to it in many emotes, though when 'someone' finally handed me an actual gem in the middle of an ongoing interaction... everyone went WTF. 

I don't know if assuming it as virtual was a good solution, but it worked, sort of.

[Malken]

I still wish that you could purchase a gem much like you can get the free Tuluki tattoos after you point to Tuluk.

If my background says that I've been gemmed for the last 10 years, then there's no IC reasons for me to go to a PC Templar.

99% of the time, when I play a gemmed character, I wish up and ask for a gem in the first minutes of my character's life, and it's always been granted to me.

[Thunkkin]

I still wish that you could purchase a gem much like you can get the free Tuluki tattoos after you point to Tuluk.

If my background says that I've been gemmed for the last 10 years, then there's no IC reasons for me to go to a PC Templar.

99% of the time, when I play a gemmed character, I wish up and ask for a gem in the first minutes of my character's life, and it's always been granted to me.

This would go perfectly in the HoK shopping district that many of us would love to have.

[BlackMagic0]

I still wish that you could purchase a gem much like you can get the free Tuluki tattoos after you point to Tuluk.

If my background says that I've been gemmed for the last 10 years, then there's no IC reasons for me to go to a PC Templar.

99% of the time, when I play a gemmed character, I wish up and ask for a gem in the first minutes of my character's life, and it's always been granted to me.

This would go perfectly in the HoK shopping district that many of us would love to have.

I think four rooms would be nice.

Added to HoK.

One room with booths for armor, clothing, and random shit for Tuluk.
One for Allanak.
One for Tribals. Humans/Desert elves.
One for Luirs / Red Storm folks.

All discounted, and obviously everything. Just some random odds and ends.
Things that would be common among commoners in each area.

[slipshod]

If my background says that I've been gemmed for the last 10 years, then there's no IC reasons for me to go to a PC Templar.

You don't HAVE to wait until you're in Allanak and get your gem from an NPC or PC templar.  You can wish up and put it in your objective while you're still in the Hall of Kings, and then wait.  I know it's the waiting that most people find unpalletable, but it is a viable solution to this problem.  You might not get into the game the same hour, or even the same day, that your application is approved, but if you wait around in HoK until someone can give you your gem, then you won't have any of the problems associated with playing an ungemmed gemmer and needing to speak to a Templar after you point.

[Twilight]

If the templar puts some effort into it, getting gemmed can cool.

However, I've had characters gemmed, lots, and only about three cool interactions.  Getting treated like the usual minor annoyance is just bleh.

[Kryos]

Maybe in game, you *are* a minor annoyance to the Templar.  Just another one of, ugh, so many gemmed.  You get out of things what you put into them.

[Thunkkin]

Maybe in game, you *are* a minor annoyance to the Templar.  Just another one of, ugh, so many gemmed.  You get out of things what you put into them.

I once played a character in a merchant house that sold a specific set of things ... over, and over, and over, and over.  This particular set of things sold especially frequently to unaffiliated, indie types.  After six months, the number of them who would just contact me out of the blue without any prior interaction began to indicate to me that I was probably selling to the same people over and over as their characters died and then their next character grebbed/saved up to buy a set of what I was selling.  I always stayed in-character and tried to make these interactions fun, but frankly, after about six months of it, it just wasn't extremely IC for my character to get all excited when grebber #1308 contacted me.  And I was making a profit.  And I was a commoner.  Now imagine a noble getting contacted by an ongoing, never-ending string of people who will probably wander out in the desert and die within an RL week or so.  The vast majority won't ever bring any profit or benefit to the Templar, even if they try to politically recruit each and every one of them. 

So yeah.  I happened to have a very fun gemming experience, but really, if I was treated as an annoying fly by a templar, I'd savor that RP experience, too.  Because it's realistic and reinforces the social divide between templars and commoners (and gemmed).

[jstorrie]

Forcing gemmed to seek out PC templars makes sure that PC templars are aware of the local caster community, which I don't think is bad.

[Boggis]

Templars don't have to be giving out "good" gemming experiences to people. You're pretty busy a lot of the time as a Templar and there's tons of people looking for your attention most of the time. Also, there's a whole quarter full of gemmed. Another bloody Vivaduan commoner showing up and looking to get gemmed is most likely a complete non-event in a Templar's day unless they have a specific interest in using a magicker or they happen to be bored and feel like making somebody's life a misery. I'd imagine most gemmed are quickly given the gem, given the rules, given the warnings and then given the shove off.

But back on point I've started a good few times with my character having been gemmed for years according to their bio. I've wished up while going through the initial shopping, etc. and an Imm has given my me gem which I put on in a quiet spot usually within ten minutes max (and I'm an off-peaker).

[Saellyn]

... How did THIS happen xD? All I wanted was an answer to a question, and I got it. Making a discussion out of a question I posed directly to staff seems a bit odd.

... Still, this is pretty neat. So we're getting a new shopping mall?

[Twilight]

I'd imagine most gemmed are quickly given the gem, given the rules, given the warnings and then given the shove off.

My experience is that it tends to go from quickly given the gem directly to given the shove off.  The stuff in the middle is generally what made the good interactions good, and the templars that bothered to do it also bothered to make it at least interesting.