Finding Player to Player Interactions

[Barsook]

Over the years of playing, the one main problem that I face is the hard time of finding players to intact with.  Even during peak times!  Most of the characters that I play are city based and I looked into all of taverns (depending on the type of my PC) and either, there is no one (PC wise) in there or there are some sitting at the bar but no one is speaking (or just a response to a greeting if my PC sits down and greets).  Maybe it's because I'm sort of an introvert in real life, I find it hard to start a conversation.  I also feel sometimes that I don't know that much on game lore that my PC has nothing to talk about.

I wanted to start this topic to discuss on how to deal with the lack of interactions, how find them, how to start them, ect. 

I'm already aware of using the rumor boards as a tool to start/find them and also the problem that every thing seems to be compartmentalized (I read that here on the forums somewhere).

#armmudproblems

[nauta]

I think this is a good thread, and I hope a lot of people will pipe in with ideas.

For personal interaction, ways to improve it:

o Have personality quirks and actions that are social or outwards-looking, e.g., a keen interest in collecting glass objects, hiccup attacks, drinking problems, obsessions that you talk about.

o Have a virtual family / friends that you can talk about.

o Have something to trade -- even if it is virtual.  For instance, you want musk glands for a project, even if you don't actually use musk glands.

o Look at other people and talk about items they are wearing, or their hair.

o Don't know any lore?  Just make shit up!  Tell them stories you heard from your drunk uncle.  I used to love doing this with my rinther, telling stories of weird dwarves who collected ankles, or that weird one-legged guy who tried to start a bestiary of one-legged animals in the rinth.

o Ask people what the best way to die is.

[IntuitiveApathy]

Over the years of playing, the one main problem that I face is the hard time of finding players to intact with.  Even during peak times!  Most of the characters that I play are city based and I looked into all of taverns (depending on the type of my PC) and either, there is no one (PC wise) in there or there are some sitting at the bar but no one is speaking (or just a response to a greeting if my PC sits down and greets).  Maybe it's because I'm sort of an introvert in real life, I find it hard to start a conversation.  I also feel sometimes that I don't know that much on game lore that my PC has nothing to talk about.

I wanted to start this topic to discuss on how to deal with the lack of interactions, how find them, how to start them, ect. 

I'm already aware of using the rumor boards as a tool to start/find them and also the problem that every thing seems to be compartmentalized (I read that here on the forums somewhere).

#armmudproblems

I've always found that one of the easiest answers to this problem (and it is a major problem for me, as an off-peaker) is to join a clan.  Not only does it hopefully give you clanmates to regularly interact with, but it also gives you things to talk about - regarding things going inside the clan itself or other clans and outside events.  It also raises the prospects of interacting with PC's from other clans, if your clan has some stuff going on with them, whether ongoing plots or just simple like or dislike, etc.

How else, if you're not in a clan?  Try to start your own miniplots that might draw in or interact with other players.  Maybe your character is a Master Tailor and wants to put on a fashion show to display their wares and boost their brand?  Your grebber is tired of getting robbed or assaulted, so wants to hire on a guard or even "make friends with" another grebber that they can outrun if things go sideways again?  Your character is secretly Jenny from the Hood, but while she's pretty okay at singing, she needs a dancing teacher to become the superstar bardic act that everyone* wants to see!

*not everyone

[valeria]

I usually just sit in empty bars and load up CataclysmDDA or Dwarf Fortress on my second monitor.  Someone has to be the first person sitting in the bar, and more often than not, people like you (who go through taverns looking for people) will join me.

My characters also tend to be Chatty Cathys.  I have a whole list of small talk topics I can run down.  How's the weather out there?  What's it you do?  Where are you from?  Heard any cool rumors?  Hey, want to listen to this story I have about X?  If people don't respond to a few conversational gambits, I'll probably just go back to staring off into space, but at least I tried.  I'm not sure how you could fix that though, it depends on the character.

I also have a list of people I try to "contact," and run down that list regularly.