The T'zai Byn as a Newbie Clan

[Ourla]

I've recently begun to play again after a long hiatus, and naturally, I've started trying to get my current RL social circle involved. It's hard to even begin to tell someone about Armageddon who's never played a text-based online anything, so I began with the T'zai Byn.  It's common knowledge that the Byn, to a fault, welcomes players of any ability, from emote-spewing oldbies to -- especially -- winceworthy newbs. If your PC follows their rules and their schedules, and doesn't do anything stupid, you, as a player, will graduate with a working knowledge of game syntax, documentation, and good roleplay.  It got me to wondering how many of us came to Armageddon knowing nothing about the gameworld and stuck with it because of the T'zai Byn.  Just out of curiosity, do you feel like it's fulfilling its intended purpose as a clan? If you're playing with someone who's new to the game, do you encourage them to look into the Byn as an option for their character?  As a leader PC, do you utilize the Byn's services as escorts/guards?

[Marauder Moe]

The T'zai Byn certainly made me the man I am today.   

[Desertman]

I've recently begun to play again after a long hiatus, and naturally, I've started trying to get my current RL social circle involved. It's hard to even begin to tell someone about Armageddon who's never played a text-based online anything, so I began with the T'zai Byn.  It's common knowledge that the Byn, to a fault, welcomes players of any ability, from emote-spewing oldbies to -- especially -- winceworthy newbs. If your PC follows their rules and their schedules, and doesn't do anything stupid, you, as a player, will graduate with a working knowledge of game syntax, documentation, and good roleplay.  It got me to wondering how many of us came to Armageddon knowing nothing about the gameworld and stuck with it because of the T'zai Byn.  Just out of curiosity, do you feel like it's fulfilling its intended purpose as a clan? If you're playing with someone who's new to the game, do you encourage them to look into the Byn as an option for their character?  As a leader PC, do you utilize the Byn's services as escorts/guards?

While I don't agree that the T'zai Byn's "purpose" is to teach newbies how to play the game, I do agree that due to the fact it is so awesome it is a great place for new players to learn how to play properly, and for old players to get even better.

I don't think we send newbies to the T'zai Byn because it is a newbie school, I think we send them to the T'zai Byn because who better to teach new players how to play properly than the best players in the game?



That being said, if not for the T'zai Byn, I wouldn't be playing today probably. I remember learning how to emote from an elf named Kyros, a Trooper. I remember Sergeant's Amurac and Stevith teaching me how to play the game and use syntax etc...etc...

So yeah, I learned how to play the game in the T'zai Byn.

I think the T'zai Byn is a fantastic place for newbies to learn the game.

[RogueGunslinger]

I'm not really sure if it's inteded that the Byn be a newbie starting place. IT's jsut hioghly suggested. Honeslty I think a newbie would have a much better time with a GMH house in one of the major cities when there's people playing frequently in it.  The rules and subservience can be pretty limiting. While a GMH can be more dangerous, I don't really think dying is what keeps people from playing. I'd rather die then be bored and limited in what I can do, and sometimes clans like the Byn can be like that.


However if I don't know whether a GMH has a lot of player in it I always send them to the Byn, because they can usually always get interaction.


Edit: Personally I didn't like the Byn till I played for a couple years. Now I love it.

[Maker]

I'd rather die than be bored and limited in what I can do

It's for this reason I would steer newbies away from any clan with restrictions like  "you can't leave the city alone" or "every morning, you must spar/train".  Their purposes notwithstanding, these restrictive rules lend to a very boring experience unless there is a healthy level of membership and activity in the clan. 

[Maso]

I never joined the Byn as a newb, but was luckily taken under the wings of some great players in another clan. However, I have seen Byn leaders do an amazing, patient job with new players and think it works as a great environment for teaching every aspect of the game, from endowing their characters with decent coded skills to having mandatory RP which basically serve as RP lessons when you have old and new players cleaning the latrines together.

I think it should be made clear that IC rules are not OOC rules. New players should be encouraged to find their own fun in the scope of their character. Just because the Byn says they're not to leave the gates...doesn't mean they -can't-. But that will quickly become a lesson into how easy it is to die.

I think the Byn is a great place for new players, and is probably less boring than an older player might think - to someone who is new and just learning the world. Other clans can be awesome too, but it mostly depends on the activity level and patience of the leaders/other players.

[evilcabbage]

I think one of my first few PCs ended up in the Byn.

Ahh, Grinzul...

That was a wicked experience. The bar brawl that ensued between me and another guy, perfectly matched, and then WHAM! He connects, we both stop...

And stare. For a long time. And then we start in again. And neither of us connects the rest of the brawl xD

[Orin]

I return to the Byn every few characters.  Some of my most fond memories of this game come from that clan.

[Cutthroat]

I played in the T'zai Byn as a newbie, but I gained my bearings in this game in a wide variety of clans, and the Byn isn't the best fit for every player and every character. When new players ask me for suggestions on what to do now that they're in game, I typically suggest that they define their character's profession (hunter, crafter, fighter, etc) and then use that as a basis to pick out a clan that needs someone of that profession, by looking over the rumor boards and having their PC talk to other PCs. They can pick out any clan at all, within reason (GMH, noble houses and militias of both cities, and of course, the Byn. The city elven tribes might be good for a newbie that started as an elf). It can be harder for a new player to find and identify the groups of independents that form but those can be good for a new player too.

The upside to this is that the player-base is very newbie-friendly, from what I've seen, and the chance that a new player will find a newbie-friendly leader in any desired clan is pretty high. It also means the new player can pick a clan that is actually active in their city and during their playtimes, since the Byn is not necessarily active in both of the cities all of the time. The downside is that there are a lot of clans, and they fluctuate in activity - sometimes very quickly - so it can be hard for a new player to narrow down the choice for his PC.

Is the Byn a good place to start, and a good group to play with? Absolutely, but ultimately, it is but one of many.

[musashi]

No comment, as I have never to date played a Bynner. But welcome back Ourla!

[Clavis]

I think I've had one bynn, c since I've been around. Like many houses and things the restriction on when you can leave or when can't you is kinda dull. Sadly the fucker that took me under his wing isn't playing atm. *ahem ahem* though they did teach me a lot about Arm, for that I'm grateful seeing as how arm is far different in many ways then the other muds that I came from.

I personally don't feel the Byn or the only newbie friendly clan's out there, that any clan can be newbie friendly given the right person to give them a kick in the ass or what have you.

[Harmless]

This is a polarizing topic. There are those who swear by the Byn unconditionally; there are those who swear by it with the condition of having active leadership when you play in it. Then, there are those who hate being in it. What those players who hate being in it don't sometimes realize is that those attitudes result in the Byn providing them as a player with a very useful function.

One char I played some years back started in the Byn but quickly found a happier home in the Kuraci Fist. Both are just as good for newbs into military membership, partly because I am in the camp that the Byn is only good with active leadership. Being stuck in Luir's, with its small size, isn't any more annoying than being stuck in one of the major cities. Luir's has a major benefit of being the truck stop of Zalanthas with regular, easy-to-watch traffic. The Fist is a great way to get to know the "rural" cultures of Zalanthas if that is what attracts the newbie more.

Importantly, the Byn provides a useful service to all players in this world regardless of whether they are in it or not. Byn players are often willing to interact with newbs in or out of their clan, for one. For two, as I mentioned above, the vileness, might-makes-right belief system, and grit of the Byn provides people with important enemies and targets for murder plots and conflict. In this way the Byn helps everyone and newbs are bound to learn from the Byn eventually even if they never play in it.

As such, I don't think being in the Byn is a requirement for newbs to learn to play at all. A fantastic alternative is to play in Tuluk, and make a friend there. With the [IC info redacted] in Tuluk, the one major game-learning and character-training perk of the Byn becomes entirely moot.

As an aside, thank you Ourla for trying to bring friends into Arma. I would do it too, but I have no friends who are interested in text games. I also live in one of the shittiest places in the country for nerdy hobbies like this. Good luck to them, though.

[A Large Bag]

It can be a fun clan and a decent place for green players to learn the game a bit. I didn't play there for many years after I started and learned the game through playing several other places.

[Lythaniel]

Some of my most epic memories comes from the relationships my characters have built while in the Byn.  If it weren't for the Byn, I can honestly say that I personally probably wouldn't have stuck it out with Arm.  It's funny because the game I came from that I thought had a better rp focus I can't even stand to log into now.  The thing about the Byn that I havfe found most enjoyable comes from the bonding moments you get while going through the ranks.  It gives you a unique, tight bond that you rarely get in the other clans.

I've got to say I'm along the same lines as Harmless, and it really depends on how active the Sergeants are and how good they are about keeping things going.  Not only is it a good learning clan for a newb, but I also feel that it is a great clan to get 'leadership' knowledge and staff interaction. 

To be honest, I've never understood where the 'hate' of the Byn comes from, mostly because it tends to be one of my favorite 'clans'.

[Marauder Moe]

Byn hate is usually just clan hate in general.  Some people just feel smothered by clan duty schedules and rules that keep them from traveling/exploring.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with that, but I don't think the majority of players are that way.

[musashi]

I'm that way, but a lot of it has to do with being an off-peak player so as such, those kind of structured roles typically mean I'm idling/solo RP'ing by myself in an empty training hall a majority of the time.

[Morrolan]

The strength of the T'zai Byn as a newbie clan rests on the sergeants being willing to spend time with new players to help get them up to speed with things. In that sense, it is not an official policy (AFAIK) but rather part of what the players are willing to do for the game.

TB is a newbie clan because players believe it is, and direct new players towards it. Its advantages are:

• Lack of political affiliation--you don't need to know who Lord Fancypants is, you just need to take his money and do the job
• Survival--provided food and water let you survive long enough to learn a little about character development in Arm
• Travel--maybe not alone, but you get to see big chunks of the world
• Structure--it is harder to twink out when following the clan schedule
• Low social status--learning the power structure of Zalanthan culture is more effective when you are at the bottom of the pile
• Combat training--not just character skills, but all the little OOC skills that come with combat experience, like reading screen-scroll
• Diversity--long enough in the Byn, and you might work with humans, elves, half-elves, dwarves, rinthers, foreigners, and maybe even a hidden magicker or two

Sure, there are downsides:

• Structure--Not getting to wander around and look for trouble like a homeless killer
• Boredom--The clan tries to prevent you from doing exciting things that are suicidal in the long term
• Playtimes--Like Musashi said, if you are a member with the wrong playtimes, you spend a lot of time staring at the wall while OOCly surfing reddit

Personally, I have had good experiences with the Byn as a newbie clan, both as a newbie and as a clan leader.

[evilcabbage]

The strength of the T'zai Byn as a newbie clan rests on the sergeants being willing to spend time with new players to help get them up to speed with things. In that sense, it is not an official policy (AFAIK) but rather part of what the players are willing to do for the game.

TB is a newbie clan because players believe it is, and direct new players towards it. Its advantages are:

• Lack of political affiliation--you don't need to know who Lord Fancypants is, you just need to take his money and do the job
• Survival--provided food and water let you survive long enough to learn a little about character development in Arm
• Travel--maybe not alone, but you get to see big chunks of the world
• Structure--it is harder to twink out when following the clan schedule
• Low social status--learning the power structure of Zalanthan culture is more effective when you are at the bottom of the pile
• Combat training--not just character skills, but all the little OOC skills that come with combat experience, like reading screen-scroll
• Diversity--long enough in the Byn, and you might work with humans, elves, half-elves, dwarves, rinthers, foreigners, and maybe even a hidden magicker or two

There's thispolicy I've noticed over the last year and a half of sergeants being pretty adamant about refusing elves.

I wonder why?

[Morrolan]

There's thispolicy I've noticed over the last year and a half of sergeants being pretty adamant about refusing elves.

I wonder why?

Sergeants are not required to take anyone they do not want to. When I started with the Byn, they refused to take rinthers, but took elves.

To speculate, this may have to do with the OOC development of city elf clans giving IG options for elves to clan up.

[JustAnotherGuy]

I actually didn't play in the Byn until way later on... and only like once.  So I've never really had a good Byn experience I guess.

My first character ever (I had some background in online RPing) join up with an Indie Hunting Group and was one of my longest lived characters.  The group really encouraged helping newbies and would teach newbies quite well.  It was a good time and I learned a lot about the world and how to get around it and survive the game.

[Desertman]

There's this policy I've noticed over the last year and a half of sergeants being pretty adamant about refusing elves.

I wonder why?

This isn't an official T'zai Byn policy.

Simply put, Sergeants can hire or turn away anyone for any reason. They probably just do not like filthy scumbag thief neckers and have no desire to have them in their unit. 

[Marauder Moe]

The other fact of the matter is that it really sucks to go on a desert outing with a C-elf in your party.

[Gilgamesh]

The other fact of the matter is that it really sucks to go on a desert outing with a C-elf in your party.

One of the reasons why I can't see any clan that frequently travels would hire Elves. They're liabilities because of this.

[Eurynomos]

Kurac comes to mind, a place where Elves can even make Sergeant.

[Marauder Moe]

There's been at least one elf sergeant in the Byn.