Materials dispenser in Merchant Houses

[The Silence of the Erdlus]

This idea is about an npc like a cook who dispenses not food but a small range of -very- common materials that crafters in merchant houses need. Especially if they want to get to master and start making mastercrafts for the House. I've had to buy bones from the slaughterhouse before in order to do this and think that shouldn't be a common thing for someone who wants or need (relatively) quick expertise in a crafting field.

For example, a dispenser in Kadius could have: a piece of bone, a chalton horn, and a chalton hide
That way kadians wouldn't have to get in on a limited number of chalton regularly to satisfy the demands of a single crafter. The ivory would be useful, the bones make a variety of jewelry.

A dispenser in Salaar could have: a piece of bone, a chalton hide, and a small chunk of obsidian

That way you could make some nice weapons and tan hides. (I'm not sure what can be made from a chalton hide, so maybe add a scrab shell to the list.)

Having been a crafter in Kadius several times the only thing I didn't really like about it there was the frequency at which common materials I needed were at a low number or just gone. The hunters try and all, but they would have to work pretty hard to bring me five 'a piece of bone' every RL day on a regular basis for more than a week. Overhunting doesn't help things either.

[Drayab]

I'd actually go the other direction and do away with cooks in merchant houses that have hunter employees so that all the meat serves a functional purpose. NPC cooks make sense in the Byn or the Arm, but I'd rather see Kadius and Salarr having to eat what the hunters bring home, cooked by in-house crafters.

With respect, I think the game is best when players have to cooperate. If a crafter really needs to 'level up' quickly and the hunters can't keep up with demand, then the overseer needs to step up with some 'outside the box' ideas. There are more interesting ways to solve this problem than simply adding an item dispenser.

[Delirium]

Every time I've been in a merchant house the place has been overwhelmingly stocked with materials. This is a non issue. Work with the other pcs in your group to get what you need.

[BadSkeelz]

Every time I've been in a merchant house the place has been overwhelmingly stocked with materials. This is a non issue. Work with the other pcs in your group to get what you need.

Or find people outside of your group to get it for you. These kind of materials seem prime "new character needs coin and connections" jobs.

[Desertman]

Please no.

[Barsook]

I don't dig this, it takes away from the RP and the interaction.

[Desertman]

The simple solution is to hire more/better hunters.

If your current hunters aren't cutting it, fire them and hire better hunters or figure out another way to motivate them to perform.

If you have no hunters, figure out a way to attract good hunters.

If you can't attract good hunters then fire your current leaders and get leaders in place who can in fact attract good hunters.

This is an IC issue that should be handled IC'ly based entirely on the IC performance of the PC's that should be doing their IC jobs.

If they aren't, then they should be punished IC'ly for their failures.

(Not related to the OP, but this is a pet peeve of mine in general throughout the game, especially where sponsored roles are involved. I have seen time and again, up to and including from staff where IC willingness to do your IC job takes a backseat to "what you would rather be doing for fun". If someone doesn't want to or can't do their IC job they should be IC'ly punished. On an OOC level if they don't want to "Merchant", then don't roll up a merchant family member. If they don't want to "Agent", then don't roll up an Agent. If someone finds the actual "job" related to their role as "boring", then they shouldn't even app that role to begin with. This reminds me of when we decided to put in virtual "item giving" warehouses for merchants because players of merchants were tired of merchanting because it was "a hassle to be asked about orders". I'm pretty far in the corner of, "If you can't or won't perform I will find someone who will.", though, up to and including caring less about your OOC experience than your IC performance. But that's me and that's the type of game I like to play personally.)

[Hicksville Hoochie]

While I'm not as strong about it, I agree pretty much with what DMan posted.

Having a DispenserBot2000 just takes a ton of Things to Do® out of the hands of the player base. Grebbers can be found easily enough, hunters can be hired, have a crafty, high-haggle agent take an escort, whether House or Byn, to a different town to load up on cheap supplies such as cloth.

Pre-empt things so there's a stockpile in place. Scrab shells might not be needed at current, but why not send out some people to haul a crate in for future use? This keeps people busy in varying roles, crafters stocked for practice, and money flowing for those poor grebbers who don't know where every plant spawn in the game is.

I think an Atrium-style NPC might be a cool idea. Where you bring in materials, "Give" them to him/her, and they're kept in a buy list for 0 coins, thus keeping things organized. An endless dispenser just really kills a lot of potential interaction in the game though, and the last thing Arma needs (IMO) is more ways to cut down on interaction between players.

[Molten Heart]

I preferred buying materials from independent contractors (grebbers).

[The Silence of the Erdlus]

If there were more than five of the item 'a piece of bone' in any merchant house compound, ever, I would agree with the naysayers, but as for actually skilling up and mastercrafting, especially on low wisdom characters, I prefer to stay out of the merchant houses first and do my skilling up indie-style, when it really should be the other way around. Its just so much faster to do it that way, even with active hunters going specifically after the bones or hide you want.

[Majikal]

craft bone into earring
craft bone into earring
craft bone into earring
craft bone into earring
craft bone into earring

Merchanting done wrong.

Engage players, give them a reason to be a cog in the item machine that is your pc. If you join a House, become an engaging part of the house that makes the hunter/crafter role feel real.

I'd need to hear a compelling argument for what this what add to the game and story for the players beyond ez skillupz, I don't think one exists for this.

[The Silence of the Erdlus]

1. There's never any damn 'a piece of bone' around.
2. Houses should contain the most skilled artisans; currently you can get by being a total wuss in that area all your game life and no one will notice.
3. It takes hundreds of craft ingredients to get to master for mastercrafting and you'll never get there entering the House with novice skill in your craft.
4. You'd want to be able to effectively craft recipes with rare ingredients without breaking them, for example one Kadian jewelry requires kryl shell. And in this game system, it could only be done on advanced or higher without needing luck.
5. No overhunting of chalton for 'a piece of bone' required; they're all coming from vnpc hunters (which should outnumber crafters by like twenty to one, this would help) who hunt vnpc chalton and if its this item specifically being dispensed,
6. hunters won't have to waste their time on chalton
7. Sometimes crafters simply have no one to talk to and nothing to do because all the cheaper materials are used up. Give them three bits of bone to occupy an hour before going bar-hopping so they can say they did some work.

[BadSkeelz]

1. Tell hunters you need pieces of bone, or bone piles.
2. This is a failure of house leadership more than anything. If someone isn't pulling their weight in the clan, they should be kicked out. Being clanned is a privilege, not a right.
3. Yeah, and? Hire hunters to get those items. God knows we all hunt way more voraciously than we "should" anyway.
4. This is why you build up stockpiles and factor waste in to cost. There are risks of loss associated with everything*.
5. The chalton are being overhunted, but they're also overspawning. If you ignore the chalton, you ignore the players who can hunt them.
6. Nothing's a waste if you get paid enough.
7. Get out of the estate and meet people. Put your name on the boards. Tell friends to tell their friends that you're buying.

*except magick skillup

[The Silence of the Erdlus]

Man, I am running into a LOT of community resistance to this. Its like people are scared of it, and I'm frankly surprised. So, what if I'm never able to play peaktime, and would only benefit from this? What if there's _two_ crafters in a clan who have mastercraft requests from the House and need to skill up? "Sure, they'll do it in one to one and a half years"? They can still buy bones and such from hunters--- although last I heard, Kadius was not buying raw materials from hunters. I did recently hear about someone selling a gem to Kadius though, its probable they changed tactics.

[Armaddict]

I prefer to stay out of the merchant houses first and do my skilling up indie-style, when it really should be the other way around.

I don't think this is accurate.  It's not like merchant houses are training schools for crafters, which is what you seem to imply here.

There are literally fledgling hunters and grebbers everywhere looking for things to be doing.

Its like people are scared of it, and I'm frankly surprised.

Not liking an idea is not being afraid of it.

So, what if I'm never able to play peaktime, and would only benefit from this?

You're in a GMH and have resources to work through timezones with others in the clan.

What if there's _two_ crafters in a clan who have mastercraft requests from the House and need to skill up?

I don't see what the first part of that has to do with the second.  They'll have to skill up regardless.  So...buy more pieces of bone accordingly.  This scenario doesn't make the original idea any stronger.

last I heard, Kadius was not buying raw materials from hunters.

They build their own hunting corps in preference, I believe, but the decision to buy goods from elsewhere falls on the leadership at the time.

[BadSkeelz]

A lot of us (certainly myself) are deeply skeptical of tools that cut out PC jobs and interaction.

I'd be more open to a merchant NPC hunters could sell cheaply to, who would then pass the goods on to a House's crafters. I'd still prefer to talk to the actual crafters or agents, but at least this way you wouldn't be reducing the hunting stage to virtual.

[Delirium]

All this fuss over pieces of bone, which are literally the cheapest and most common item you can find or buy.

Hunters in GMH love to actually have a point to the work they're doing, an item dispenser would rob them of that chance.

Request it through your superior, the hunters, your GMH rumor board, or just go buy some in the city (they are readily available) if you refuse to do any of those.

I still stand by my point that this is a non-issue, you just don't want to accept it.

[Delirium]

A lot of us (certainly myself) are deeply skeptical of tools that cut out PC jobs and interaction.

I'd be more open to a merchant NPC hunters could sell cheaply to, who would then pass the goods on to a House's crafters. I'd still prefer to talk to the actual crafters or agents, but at least this way you wouldn't be reducing the hunting stage to virtual.

I do like that idea and I've mentioned it in the past, a quartermaster NPC would be great.

As it was explained to me then, this requires some fiddling with ancient code that doesn't like to work so staff shot it down.

[Drayab]

Man, I am running into a LOT of community resistance to this. Its like people are scared of it, and I'm frankly surprised. So, what if I'm never able to play peaktime, and would only benefit from this? What if there's _two_ crafters in a clan who have mastercraft requests from the House and need to skill up? "Sure, they'll do it in one to one and a half years"? They can still buy bones and such from hunters--- although last I heard, Kadius was not buying raw materials from hunters. I did recently hear about someone selling a gem to Kadius though, its probable they changed tactics.

My guess is either you don't have enough hunters to support you, or the hunters aren't actually aware that you need the bones. Bones are really easy to get. It's a great job to assign to a newbie hunter. Just make sure they know what to hunt, and hopefully it's a chalton and not a mek. A seasoned hunter could go massacre an obscene amount of wildlife and have you stocked up for a IG year.

In short: organization and communication.   

[The Silence of the Erdlus]

All this fuss over pieces of bone, which are literally the cheapest and most common item you can find or buy.

Hunters in GMH love to actually have a point to the work they're doing, an item dispenser would rob them of that chance.

Request it through your superior, the hunters, your GMH rumor board, or just go buy some in the city (they are readily available) if you refuse to do any of those.

I still stand by my point that this is a non-issue, you just don't want to accept it.

1. Crafters are stuck inside the city and sometimes without money, having to wait a week for their pay or for hunters to get them--- meanwhile with nothing to do for hours while there may be nobody around to talk to.

2. An item dispenser for 'a piece of bone' would not lesson the need to kill chaltons for their ivory and leather one bit. The bones are required in so many recipes that they're just simply out most of the time.

The rest of it is vaguely baiting.

[Delirium]

I'm not sure where you saw me baiting you, but look, I understand that you're frustrated.

Maybe take a step back for a day or two and then revisit this thread without the viewpoint that we are all somehow insulting or refusing to see your viewpoint.

We do see it. We are pointing out the solutions and the gameplay reasons why we disagree. We aren't attacking you.

[The Silence of the Erdlus]

Okay, sure.

[The Silence of the Erdlus]

Honestly I'm probably the only person on these forums who has never played a frustrated, can't-sell-my-shit hunter. That's likely where my perception is coming from. I don't understand getting your neck bit so hard that you decide to stop hunting for the game week and then not being able to sell that enormous, valuable shell.

I like the other idea that was pointed out, the one with old code for an npc pseudoshopkeeper. It does seem like its taking from interaction but if you're a house crafter or an indie hunter who can only play from 6-8 in the mornings it may be your only option.

[Molten Heart]

The slaughter house in Allanak is a great place to look for cheap materials, however it is understandable that clan members may shy away from spending money on items regardless of their cost due to being on a fixed income.

[Hicksville Hoochie]

If items such as 'piece of bone' and other common materials aren't kept readily available through hunters, they can be picked up at various shops in the city. A clan's leadership PCs should be on top of this - informed by their crafters, as well as general observation of what's available to the people they're agreeing to oversee when they accept the role. This could also give their prospective crafters/merchants a chance to practice things such as haggle, by sending them into town with so much coin, to get a few bags of materials that are needed.

When you place a Wondermaster in the compound to dole out cheap materials without pause, you're effectively replacing jobs with robots. It's also (IMO) supporting isolation, by just allowing crafters to plant their feet and list/buy/craft/repeat. To me, that takes a bunch of what makes skilling up a thing in this game. Every class has to get out and get their hands dirty to skill up (arguably not most gicks), and I personally feel that taking that away from crafting-based classes robs characters of some potential quality interaction.

[Dan]

I'd rather see the Kadian material merchant have the occasional rare piece of material if anything. You could also hire the Byn to collect something you want too if you don't have house hunters or don't want to risk them collecting horror shell and kiyet eyeballs or whatever.

[Erythil]

My experience is that Houses are usually overstocked to brimming with materials, they're just short on a couple material types that are used very commonly (the notorious 'a piece of bone' comes to mind).

Actually, what I'd rather see is House employees being given a list of a large number of crafting recipes relevant to their House, because I feel trial and error doesn't reveal 80+ percent of the many many forgotten recipes in the game.

[Zenith]

Actually, what I'd rather see is House employees being given a list of a large number of crafting recipes relevant to their House, because I feel trial and error doesn't reveal 80+ percent of the many many forgotten recipes in the game.

<3

[Culinary Critic]

I'm not sure where you saw me baiting you, but look, I understand that you're frustrated.

Maybe take a step back for a day or two and then revisit this thread without the viewpoint that we are all somehow insulting or refusing to see your viewpoint.

We do see it. We are pointing out the solutions and the gameplay reasons why we disagree. We aren't attacking you.

Okay, sure.

Dude...that was 63 seconds.  That is just a little short of "taking a day".

Honestly I'm probably the only person on these forums who has never played a frustrated, can't-sell-my-shit hunter. That's likely where my perception is coming from. I don't understand getting your neck bit so hard that you decide to stop hunting for the game week and then not being able to sell that enormous, valuable shell.

No, you're not.  I'd put good sid down that almost all of us have been through this.  But it isn't the argument.

Yes, there is a virtual world that goes on while our characters are off sleeping, crafting, hunting, stealing, backstabbing, corrupting, murdering and betraying.  Yes, there are going to be VIRTUAL hunters bring bits in to the merchant houses.  But there are also VIRTUAL crafters grabbing up every little thing that YOUR crafter wants.  Why?  Because they want it too!

It's supposed to be a harsh world where survival is tough.  That SHOULD extend to crafters in merchant houses having to struggle to find the things they want (and excluding food, water, a safe place to sleep, prestige and influence).

If your crafter REALLY wants those pieces of bone...slip a hunter a bit of sid to make sure you're first on the list.  Or sleep with him/her to be their favourite.  Or play a couple of them off against each other by flirting.

As a number of people have said, make it an IG experience rather than an OOC convenience.  Crafting (or the skill bump) shouldn't be the goal.  Character development and the RP experience should be.

[RogueGunslinger]

I'm not sure where you saw me baiting you, but look, I understand that you're frustrated.

Maybe take a step back for a day or two and then revisit this thread without the viewpoint that we are all somehow insulting or refusing to see your viewpoint.

We do see it. We are pointing out the solutions and the gameplay reasons why we disagree. We aren't attacking you.

Okay, sure.

Dude...that was 63 seconds.  That is just a little short of "taking a day".

Honestly I'm probably the only person on these forums who has never played a frustrated, can't-sell-my-shit hunter. That's likely where my perception is coming from. I don't understand getting your neck bit so hard that you decide to stop hunting for the game week and then not being able to sell that enormous, valuable shell.

No, you're not.  I'd put good sid down that almost all of us have been through this.  But it isn't the argument.

For the sake of clarity, you are both agreeing right here. He's saying he has not experienced it, you're saying most people have. Just wanted to help clarify a misunderstanding that I had the first time I read his sentence as well.

[Belraina]

An Npc in a compound who sells only materials as suggested, does take away the job role of a hunter, but it also takes away the chance of interaction and  rp for the crafter and his clan members. So the  material isn't there, that's alright, go track down your superior, a hunter, someone and let them know. Then work on something else. This let's a superior have something to do, which in turns lets someone else have something to do, on down the line. In the meantime in a GMH there is plenty to do besides craft.

[Culinary Critic]

Honestly I'm probably the only person on these forums who has never played a frustrated, can't-sell-my-shit hunter. That's likely where my perception is coming from. I don't understand getting your neck bit so hard that you decide to stop hunting for the game week and then not being able to sell that enormous, valuable shell.

No, you're not.  I'd put good sid down that almost all of us have been through this.  But it isn't the argument.
[/quote]

For the sake of clarity, you are both agreeing right here. He's saying he has not experienced it, you're saying most people have. Just wanted to help clarify a misunderstanding that I had the first time I read his sentence as well.
[/quote]

Thanks RGS. 

Seriously not meant as a flame.  Apologies if taken as not intended.

[Lizzie]

Very very simple solution for the OP's frustration:

Post on the clan GDB, in the "Rumors" thread:

Word gets through to Merchant Amos Kadius through a page that Crafter Talia needs more pieces of bone. Talia's locker is the green one, and she's left it ajar in case Amos chooses to put 100 sids in there instead of the bone, so that Talia can buy some from the butcher until the hunters can get more from their hunts.

[Desertman]

1. There's never any damn 'a piece of bone' around.
2. Houses should contain the most skilled artisans; currently you can get by being a total wuss in that area all your game life and no one will notice.
3. It takes hundreds of craft ingredients to get to master for mastercrafting and you'll never get there entering the House with novice skill in your craft.
4. You'd want to be able to effectively craft recipes with rare ingredients without breaking them, for example one Kadian jewelry requires kryl shell. And in this game system, it could only be done on advanced or higher without needing luck.
5. No overhunting of chalton for 'a piece of bone' required; they're all coming from vnpc hunters (which should outnumber crafters by like twenty to one, this would help) who hunt vnpc chalton and if its this item specifically being dispensed,
6. hunters won't have to waste their time on chalton
7. Sometimes crafters simply have no one to talk to and nothing to do because all the cheaper materials are used up. Give them three bits of bone to occupy an hour before going bar-hopping so they can say they did some work.

1. Please see comments about hunters.
2. I've seen tons of Mastercrafters in Houses, recently. I've dealt with several and got several Mastercrafts made just for me from them. This includes three I can think of recently in Kurac, two in Salarr, and two in Kadius.
3. Wrong. See #2.
4. Even a master isn't perfect. I'm not sure what your complaint is here. That you want to never fail crafting if you are a master in a House?
5. Your idea would only make the PC contribution even less meaningful in GMH's, which it already is in my opinion. You taking jobs away from PC's and giving them to "the virtual population" would just compound that more. Being a House hunter is already a pointless bullshit job most of the time. Taking away the one thing they are arguably needed for on the rare occasion that they get paid laughable wages for is...not a good idea. It's just not.
6. They are getting paid to do a job. If they don't like doing that job, they shouldn't be a hunter. See my tirade above regarding people whining about not wanting to do their jobs because "muh OOC feelings".
7. Get better leaders. Problem solved.

[Desertman]

Man, I am running into a LOT of community resistance to this. Its like people are scared of it, and I'm frankly surprised.

Everyone just thinks your idea is bad. Nobody is scared of "your grand plan". It's just a bad plan.

It happens.

I have bad ideas constantly.

That's life.

[Desertman]

Actually, what I'd rather see is House employees being given a list of a large number of crafting recipes relevant to their House, because I feel trial and error doesn't reveal 80+ percent of the many many forgotten recipes in the game.

This is a good idea.

You ever play that independent and you know for a fact a House makes a certain item, but the crafter/merchant you are talking to doesn't know it exists?

"So, I am looking for a certain set of bracers I think your House might make. I seen a fellow wearing them once. They were blah blah blah."

"Uhh, no, we don't make that."

"Are you sure? I swear I saw a guy wearing these once and it had the crest of Salarr/Kadius/Kurac on it."

"No, we absolutely do not make anything like that."


(When you know for a fact from playing past characters in that House and crafting them yourself that they CAN make the item, they just don't know the recipe.)

If we would just give these House crafters access to a "Crafter's Sub Forum" in their Clan Forums once they reach a certain rank in the House where a large number of recipes they "should know" were listed it would make life better for everyone in my opinion.

How many times has someone requested an item from a merchant only to be shot down just because the merchant doesn't have the information they would arguably have hanging around dozens of VNPC crafters all day?

How many times have House hunters not been sent out to gather materials to make those things just because someone doesn't know the recipe exists, so they can never place the order with their hunters?

It's a pointless practice in a restriction on information that serves no purpose but to limit interaction, limit fun, and limit the overall enjoyment of the House-play experience.

[Delirium]

It would actually make a lot of sense for there to be a list of crafting recipes for the House because I've always imagined there is a "catalogue" with drawn diagrams for all the recipes that the House makes (for the family members anyway), and at the very least, VNPC crafters would share their know-how. House-specific recipes shouldn't have to get lost.

[RogueGunslinger]

+1 great idea.

[Desertman]

I don't understand why that information isn't handed out as common knowledge within the Houses for the crafters.

Even if someone "takes the recipes and copies them to their computer", it isn't like they CAN USE THEM.

With the way House crafts work, you have to be a member of the House to even codedly make the items the House makes.

You could be a Salarri Mastercrafter for ten IC years and if you leave Salarr you can't even codedly make the items you have been making for the last decade every day of your life. You simply can't.

For anyone to even use the information they have to actually join/be part of the House.

Even if they "take the information with them" to a new PC, that PC would have to join the House, arguably giving them IC access to the information referenced anyways, in order to be able to use it.

It's literally a no-risk situation.

You can't even use the information on a future character without first joining the House that would IC'ly give you the information.

It's sort of funny really.

It's a system that I can't even figure out a way to abuse and I'm trying.

[Desertman]

Not to mention the added "inner house mobility" and reward systems you could add to the crafter/merchant ranks by implementing such a feature.

You could in theory create a tiered system of promotion for crafters/merchants that "give them access" to the knowledge needed to create better and better mastercrafts.

The IC reasoning being, "Our House doesn't teach you the techniques/secrets needed to be able to make item A, B, or C, until you reach a certain level of promotion.".

The highest ranked merchants/crafters would in theory gain access to some pretty spectacular crafts.

It would add an entirely new and in my opinion rewarding achievement experience to playing a crafter in a House.

We bitch and moan pretty often about "the glass ceiling" and a lack of "upward mobility" within organizations. This is a fine example of a reward structure and semi-meaningful lateral mobility within the rank structure. It's not becoming the leader of the House, but it is rewarding the player for their hard work and perseverance over time which is something this role needs and has needed forever.

[The Silence of the Erdlus]

Man, I am running into a LOT of community resistance to this. Its like people are scared of it, and I'm frankly surprised.

Everyone just thinks your idea is bad. Nobody is scared of "your grand plan". It's just a bad plan.

It happens.

I have bad ideas constantly.

That's life.

We just fixed this. I remembered I've never played a hunter. See that post?

[nauta]

Re: Desertman's post.

I'm +1 on the idea of putting the crafting recipes for clan-only items (tribal, GMH) on the clan boards.  The pros:

1. It would allow hunters to go about hunting for material even if leadership/staff are busy.  Gives them a raise d'etre that makes sense within the in-game universe of their role.

2. It would allow newbie crafters to ask hunters to get material without having to wait for a clan-only item to load from staff (if it is out of existence).

3. It would allow newbie agents/traders to talk meaningfully about their clan-only items, e.g.: Yes, this is our boot!  It is made out of goudra and turaal teeth!

I'm trying to think of the cons, other than the time spent putting them up on the board -- but you could just allow it and then let players put it up on the board.  Perhaps some of the more rare items should have their recipes hidden...

[BadSkeelz]

One "con" I could think of is that the quality of some ancient mastercrafts might be out of step with the current gameworld. Unreasonably light/heavy/protective/etc. for the materials involved. It would take time to vet the recipes and make sure they aren't broken in such a fashion. Or if they are, there's a good reason for it.

[hyzhenhok]

House catalogues would really improve the mercantile side of GMH play, I think. Not only for crafters, but also for the merchants and agents. I'd love to be able to approach a merchant and say "Hey, I'm in the market for X, what kind of X you got?" and have them actually roleplay out whatever options there are and try to sell me on whichever is most profitable for the House. My previous experiences have always been "sorry, can't help you unless you know the specific item you want," which is very jarring.

[Desertman]

One "con" I could think of is that the quality of some ancient mastercrafts might be out of step with the current gameworld. Unreasonably light/heavy/protective/etc. for the materials involved. It would take time to vet the recipes and make sure they aren't broken in such a fashion. Or if they are, there's a good reason for it.

Assuming a staffer had the motivation and time to put in only those items that were not found to be codedly at odds with the game world.*


*amendment to the original idea

[Delirium]

I know the lists are vast, but if we could just separate the list out by type and post separately in a child board of the clan forum, I think that would help enormously.

Not just in knowing what to sell, but in knowing where the gaps are - maybe you have 50 different types of doodads, but only 9 types of thingamabobs.

Years and years ago I asked for and then spent about four hours editing the Tan Muark item list, and I'm told it was much, much smaller than the merchant House item lists.

Not that it matters any more (and I believe it was since retconned out of the clan boards for whatever reason but... whatever).

Yeah, it would be a major process.

Still. Worth it IMO.


edit: in the meantime what you can do, and what I did when I was a House merchant way back when, is keep a spreadsheet of all the items you've ever seen for sale by your clan.

Eventually over the course of that merchant I had a massive list and could easily mix and match together coordinated outfits for just about anyone.

[Desertman]

Seems like a good project for a motivated builder to get behind. They would just be building a catalogue of lists instead of building new items/rooms in the game.

Building is building.

I would help build this.

[Asmoth]

As other's have said, there is already a quasi-uselessness being a GMH hunter.  The items that are desired are the hard to kill/survive type and the ones that newbie or middling hunters can bring in are overflowing in chests/trunks and whatever.

A material vendor/whatever, would further increase the void that is a USEFUL GMH hunter.  So that's why I'm against the idea.

Not to rehash an old topic, but that's why I wish soft tissue materials (pelts, sinew, assorted guts etc) would decay like food.  This way you would have fifty untanned gortok hides in the Kurac crafting hall.  And it would make merchant/hunter relations more fluid, because merchant would have to ask hunter to get X instead of stockpiling X until the merchant has no need for it.

Just my two cents

[FantasyWriter]

Heh, back in my day, if you lived in Allanak and wanted a piece of bone, you either bought it from the place that sells them for almost nothing, or you had to ride north of Luir's and hunt because the only animals in the south that gave you bones we MEKILLOTS!

[solera]

Guts decay. Do people eat them whole?