Desert Elves

[Kismetic]

I'm not sure if it's been brought up, yet, but what about opening another desert elf tribe?  7DV's post on the Ask the Staff got me to thinking ...  with the closing of Tuluk, what about it?  We have tribes in the remote areas, in the Tablelands, and in the Grasslands.  We have the Sun Runners going where they please.  What about something in the south, maybe?  They're represented virtually, sometimes even with NPCs.

Thoughts?

[HavokBlue]

dune stalkers 2015

but in all seriousness, people who had mixed feelings about the ATV prior to their re-opening should check them out

[slvrmoontiger]

Not sure what the big deal is with opening more elf tribes. Seems not many were ever interested in the ones that were already open. Just seems like more for staff to have to manage and work with.

[HavokBlue]

The SLK has some issues. The Sun Runners have always been more popular. People have some preconceived ideas about the ATV they should dispel.

[slvrmoontiger]

Only preconceived ideas I have about the ATV is the ones I read in the helpfile, which isn't much. The rest I'm basing on what I've seen and heard IG since they've been open. And that shall stay IG.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Ultimately, I'm just curious as to why the Blackwing tribe is not one of the desert elf tribes that are open. They have an avenue for interaction, being that they hold the desert elf outpost and are obviously open to at least limited interaction with other entities, and they are the tribe most likely to survive the loss of dead desert elf player #4671. Much like Borsail in Allanak, they are historically the most powerful tribe in the Tablelands, so it would simply make sense to me for it to be one of the staple tribes available to desert elves.

[HavokBlue]

The fact that they are, in a sense, the most powerful Tablelands tribe is why I would choose not to open them.

[HavokBlue]

To expand on that, it is decidedly less fun for all of the other PCs in the Tablelands when all the Blackwing PCs are effectively immune to retribution because the Blackwings can just lord the outpost over them.

[Armaddict]

I think last time Blackwing was open, it was pre-Sun Runners and pre-Soh, so that would make sense.

Though from what I understand...Sun Runners would be a big deal, even with Blackwing.

[HavokBlue]

The very sedentary nature of Blackwing as represented in-game also doesn't seem like it would capture the feel of a desert elf very well. You don't quite get that tribal, wasteland struggle theme when you have a fortified outpost to run and hide in.

disclaimer: I have not played a sun runner, ever

[Naruto]

SR, SLK and BW are all sharing the sacred lands. On the other hand ATV reigns over the rest of the northlands. When I look at it this way, I feel like ATV should be a very big tribe, since there are lots of different RP possibilities.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Hmm. Good points.

[Nyr]

Ultimately, I'm just curious as to why the Blackwing tribe is not one of the desert elf tribes that are open.

Like many other questions about why something isn't in-game, in this case, it also isn't as easy as "make Blackwing playable."  I pulled up this old post where I mentioned that a bit.  To elaborate, though:

The Akei Ta Var were open as recently as 2010.  They were fairly well-established, with all of the bits and pieces that a tribe would need to function as far as staff is concerned.  Even that needed revision to meet the standards of Zalanthas now vs. then (both in an IC historical sense as well as an OOC growth sense).  Several things were added that both make sense and provide a wow factor; several things were revised because they don't really meet current standards, or didn't work, etc.

Blackwing was open as "recently" as 2001.  They were fairly well-established for the standards of 14 years ago, which means documentation that is much more severely deprecated, and issues that are more pronounced. 

We chose a different investment; I'd definitely recommend giving ATV a shot.

[Clearsighted]

To expand on that, it is decidedly less fun for all of the other PCs in the Tablelands when all the Blackwing PCs are effectively immune to retribution because the Blackwings can just lord the outpost over them.

How's that any different from the Sun Runners? I think it'd be a refreshing change of pace.

That said, if you could only have 3 delf tribes, and closing SR or SLK wasn't an option, then a renovated and (hopefully better written and more interesting) ATV in the north, fills the obvious void.

I've had 1-2 ATVs, and I thought they had a lot of potential, but had been written into a very boring place. I'm curious how they might have been spruced up in the meanwhile. But maybe some of what I disliked was its player culture, too, five years ago. I would have liked them to be more territorial. But it was always 'Noooooo, leave the tuluki hunters alone or some bored jihaen will come smash us!'

So basically the ATV had no influence and no impact on anything, and I can't remember anyone ever giving them a second thought beyond a derisive snort.

[Kismetic]

I think perhaps the takeaway from making this thread should be "try out the ATV", I suppose.  The more thought I gave to it away from the forums, the more I'm realizing that this MUD doesn't have room for that many different tribes and clans, so we should do our best with what we've got going on, right now.

Which is to say, I hope one day we have enough players to have a bunch of desert elf tribes running around, conflicting with each other, and humans getting shot in the head as stray casualties of bloody elf skirmishes.

[X-D]

I have also always liked ATV potential.

And I believe it very likely staff sees/saw it and likely have made them better. I fully intend on making one and I have not even seen the new docs yet

Course I am still in the camp of, one of the tlands tribes should be closed in order to open a tribe a bit farther south.

OR, move one of the tlands tribes.

[Armaddict]

OR, move one of the tlands tribes.

Was thinking about the gith thread and the point of the red desert.

While I still think PC raiding is viable enough as is, but people just don't like the risk involved...moving a d-elf tribe into the Red Desert could also pose some interesting possibilities while performing something of the same task, right?  Or am I crazy?

[Naruto]

Course I am still in the camp of, one of the tlands tribes should be closed in order to open a tribe a bit farther south.

OR, move one of the tlands tribes.

According to the helpfiles, the only tribe that's close to the southlands is Dune Stalkers. And even though they have the potential of more PvP conflict, their history is not so bright to bring them back to life.
With Tuluk gone, I would actually like to have another northlands tribe instead. And that brings up the Sand Jakhals, which are located around scrubs. However, even though I played one of last SJs many years ago, I don't think they have any documentation. Bringing SJ back to life wil take a lot of effort for staff and the players who volunteer.

[X-D]

DS and SJ would take an equal amount of work to be viable...Not saying they should not be brought in, but it is unlikely.

Given that work, it makes more sense to move another tribe.

I can think of quite a few IC reasons to move either of the Tlands tribes...Though the one that would be the most fitting to move are not known as raiders (though, still elves so who knows).

As to another northlands tribe, I do not agree there, I think that the northlands are quite well covered with the human tribes and one elf tribe north west and one north east. The third elf tribe should be someplace else.

[Kismetic]

...moving a d-elf tribe into the Red Desert could also pose some interesting possibilities while performing something of the same task, right?  Or am I crazy?

Course I am still in the camp of, one of the tlands tribes should be closed in order to open a tribe a bit farther south.

Man, I think it could be awesome.  I've never been a fan of the SLK, it has everything you want in an NPC tribe, but too insular and territorial for a PC tribe to be relevant beyond the Tablelands.

Spacing another tribe out to the Red, though ...  You simply can't escape the elves.  You try to sneak around them, and you run into them, anyway.

It does, however, run the risk of creating more isolation, which was the whole point of the Tuluki meltdown.