The "One PC Limit"

[Akaramu]

Another option would be to open up a class of people who were more-than-players and less-than-staff (sort of like Builders and Helpers) who would be allowed such an extra (flavor) character.    You'd apply for the position.  There'd be a limited number available.  You'd be expected to provide flavor and if you stopped you'd have to give up the spot, etc.

Such flavor characters could also be limited to crap stats.

Examples: I drunk gossip at the bar; a breed-hater at the bar; a crazy old man in the rinth; a crazy guy in the woods; a retired Kuraci sergeant who tells funny stories; etc.

I kind of like the sound of this. Or, alternately, the power to animate ONLY certain NPCs without rank or influence. Staff could flag the NPCs that are okay to be animated by those less-than-staff helpers; gladiators and slaves could be created to also be part of that special NPC pool. This could also help lonely PCs in insolated roles such as certain tribes with a very low PC count.

Personally, I'd be much more motivated to play a tribal if there was a chance to roleplay with an NPC when no other clan PCs are around.

Edit to add: I also have a feeling we have a bunch of triple A roleplayers who don't have the time for a full staff position, but would love to help animate the flagged NPC pool from time to time.

[boog]

Lol. That hasn't worked out in my experiences either, the NPC thing, but I'm butter and jaded and think play options are perfect right now for Arm.

Blame other muds.

[Akaramu]

Lol. That hasn't worked out in my experiences either, the NPC thing, but I'm butter and jaded and think play options are perfect right now for Arm.

Blame other muds.

I think Armageddon has more trustworthy players than other roleplay MUDs do. Butter, huh? Mmmh. *eyes boog hungrily*

[bardlyone]

Nah, it's not even about lack of trustworthiness imo, but instead about the fact that you're removing people from their prime role, which I get. That's why I suggested it only be possible in the context of it serving the stories of either Staff directly (ala the gith thing) or else act as roles that are literally not playable (slave gladiator) which help sponsored roles better represent their niches.

[Akaramu]

Nah, it's not even about lack of trustworthiness imo, but instead about the fact that you're removing people from their prime role, which I get.

Isn't staff in exactly this position, though? They play their own PCs and ALSO animate NPCs. Maybe the time spent animating could be limited.

[boog]

god damn autocorrect

Maybe Armageddon does have a better playerbase. I dunno. I just feel this clinging stagnation lately and I'm not sure how to fix it.

[Barsook]

I just feel this clinging stagnation lately and I'm not sure how to fix it.

[Reiloth]

Nah, it's not even about lack of trustworthiness imo, but instead about the fact that you're removing people from their prime role, which I get.

Isn't staff in exactly this position, though? They play their own PCs and ALSO animate NPCs. Maybe the time spent animating could be limited.

They also play Resource PCs, much as I described in the OP.

[Raptor_Dan]

a crazy guy in the woods...

Dibs!

Shia Surprise!

[John]

if I want to kill Joe Bob who is in Salarr I make another character and join Salarr to track their movements? That's probably going on now already with 20 years worth of OOC connections.

Just in case any newbies actually think this is normal: Plenty of people have played for years and years and not built up contacts and/or don't use their OOC contacts to abuse the game.

[bardlyone]

Ideas for noble houses:

Fale (performance only) bard - You can log in and practice performances with existing pcs, but you are otherwise basically house property. You cannot leave the Estate unless you are performing a sanctioned piece/performance.

Oashi (escort only) elite - You can log in and train with pcs but only in the elite training hall. The only times you are allowed to leave the Elite Barracks are to escort your noble. Whether it is around the city or on trips to their out of city holdings.

Borsail (slave only) gladiator - You can log in and access areas only open to the other slave gladiator roles that were open. You may train with each other or be a showpiece for your noble if they wish to bring others with the influence/buying power in to try and sell you, and you may participate in any arena game that the current leadership signs off on.

(For currently closed houses)

Sath (slave only) scribe - You are allowed only in the Sath estate or the Allanaki library. You are capable of reading and/or writing the appropriate languages, but you are there to make updated copies of books or transcribe things for the nobility/templarate.

Tor (academy only) Scorpion - You exist to represent the unplayable forces of house Tor. The elite warriors that they are known for. You may sometimes be called upon for tasks such as special instruction of slave gladiators, special private training session for various nobles employees, or war/combat related RPTs that your house's current noble is leading or a part of.


Those are just some sort of 'sample' roles that I think would make great 2nd roles for people. They add to the virtual world in roles that pcs really can't (Yes, as a Fale aide, you can 'also' be a bard, but it is not the same as being primarily tasked with performances). They have predefined limits. The represent known assets which are currently virtual. They have a heavy restriction on their interaction with any normal pcs outside of the scope of preapproved interaction with a sponsored role using you as a resource and getting to make that call.

[Miradus]

Here's why I don't like those roles ...

A second character is a throwaway under the system described.

There may actually be a player who wants to play one of those types of roles (or something similar) as their main.

If you let someone take it up as a side role, you diminish someone who wants it for the main.

[boog]

Miradus hits the nail on the head. Secondary characters take up roles primaries would. No thanks.

[bardlyone]

Here's why I don't like those roles ...

A second character is a throwaway under the system described.

There may actually be a player who wants to play one of those types of roles (or something similar) as their main.

If you let someone take it up as a side role, you diminish someone who wants it for the main.

When was the last slave role call? When was the last literate slave role call? When was the last time that the Tor Scorpions were opened? When was the last time that anyone was allowed to play a slave gladiator as their main? When was the last time that the Oashi elite were open?

Quick point here: Those are roles that due to the RULES OF THE GAME you cannot have as your main, want them or not.

But by all means, don't let people play them in short bursts either.

[bardlyone]

I feel like I should add that many times over the years I have tried to join Fale as A BARD and not an aide. That also doesn't happen.

But by all means. Go on.

[Lizzie]

Here's why I don't like those roles ...

A second character is a throwaway under the system described.

There may actually be a player who wants to play one of those types of roles (or something similar) as their main.

If you let someone take it up as a side role, you diminish someone who wants it for the main.

When was the last slave role call? When was the last literate slave role call? When was the last time that the Tor Scorpions were opened? When was the last time that anyone was allowed to play a slave gladiator as their main? When was the last time that the Oashi elite were open?

Quick point here: Those are roles that due to the RULES OF THE GAME you cannot have as your main, want them or not.

But by all means, don't let people play them in short bursts either.

This is already true. You cannot play them in short bursts. Getting indignant just because someone likes this particular thing the way it already is, doesn't help your cause. Slaves are not open because slave roles always end up in storage, due to OOC frustration and boredom. I really HOPE the staff has something better to do than to even try -reading- an application for this kind of role, let alone approve one and oversee one.

Play a slave - and your "master" stores, or dies, or is on vacation for a week - play a gladiator and the Borsail running arena games is only available for play during hours that you are -not- available to play... etc. etc. etc. Now, play one of these roles, and actually WANT to log in once in awhile. And you do - and there's nothing to do, and no one to do it with, and you're not allowed to leave. You're allowed to sit there and wait for someone to show up and entertain you. Which - they might, or might not do - and might grow to resent, because that means their role is turning into a RL chore.

There is no need for players to have more than one character at a time. There is occasionally a *reason* to have more than one, and the staff already has that covered, because they already DO let people play second characters for special roles.

[bardlyone]

Yes, exactly. I wasn't being indignant. I was being sarcastic. Using the logic that these shouldn't be available as second roles when some of the ones listed already periodically are (see slave gladiators) because someone might want to play them as a main role, when the specific roles referred to are literally impossible to play as a main role, is ridiculous.

[Reiloth]

Yeah, it's a bit of a catch 22.

I'd rather personally have one of these roles as a secondary role, login to see if people are around to fulfill that secondary role's purpose, if not, go back to my primary PC.

[boog]

bardly, take a chill pill, babe. Calm breathing!

[bardlyone]

bardly, take a chill pill, babe. Calm breathing!

I'm not upset, I just don't understand how it's a valid argument to say that such things shouldn't be allowed for secondary roles because people might want them for primary roles when the game has actively moved to prevent people from having them as primary roles. Its like, really, secondary roles is probably all these roles will ever be allowed for.

I get frustrated due to lack of being able to grok the logic of others a fair percentage of the time. Other people often interpret my frustration as anger or indignance when it's usually frustration and occasionally sarcasm borne of that frustration. :/

[boog]

Then maybe it's time to look at clan limits, not offering multiple characters for 'secondary' roles.

[Reiloth]

Then maybe it's time to look at clan limits, not offering multiple characters for 'secondary' roles.

I dunno. We can't fabricate more players out of thin air, but we can utilize good players who can be trusted to not cross-contaminate IC/OOC info in multiple roles (IMHO). Most of us have done it for years. Obviously not the popular opinion.

[In Dreams]

I would looooooooooove being able to play flavor characters!

I've had an itch to play a cranky old bigot who finds some way to bitch and say things used to be "better back in the day" when literally anything happens. Then they basically just make up stuff and tell complete lies of "the good old days" when elves weren't allowed in cities, or when magickers would get jumped for walking in the Gaj, or the Great Blonde Reckoning of last age, when it was required to throw all blonde babies out of windows because of a rampant magicker curse.

That PC would only have such a limited span and little-to-no long-term potential, so I can't bring myself to make it my only character, but they wouldn't even need a single skill or any power/influence whatsoever to play the concept.

[Lizzie]

I would looooooooooove being able to play flavor characters!

I've had an itch to play a cranky old bigot who finds some way to bitch and say things used to be "better back in the day" when literally anything happens. Then they basically just make up stuff and tell complete lies of "the good old days" when elves weren't allowed in cities, or when magickers would get jumped for walking in the Gaj, or the Great Blonde Reckoning of last age, when it was required to throw all blonde babies out of windows because of a rampant magicker curse.

That PC would only have such a limited span and little-to-no long-term potential, so I can't bring myself to make it my only character, but they wouldn't even need a single skill or any power/influence whatsoever to play the concept.

There is absolutely nothing preventing you from playing that character. Roll up any guild/subguild. Keep your newbie clothes, since you need your starting sids to cover the cost of food and water til you're finished playing that role. You could even put them in the bank and only take out 50 sids every RL day - a couple strips of meat at the butcher, a single ale so the bartender doesn't get annoyed that you're taking up a spot and not buying anything (he really SHOULD start getting more annoyed when the same people occupy the bar stools and never buy anything but that's a whole nother topic), and whatever is left over, you build up til you have enough to top off your waterskin.

Spend the entire time in the bar, or walking to the waterseller/butcher/bank. When you finally get tired of playing this role, just store him and roll up another character.

[WarriorPoet]

Unless the role is an exploding offer like gladiator, I vote no.

It would be very cool for staff to open up a rolecall for 6 or 8 temporary raider/gith/mantis PC's. You have one RL week, sunday to sunday, to play these characters. Raise hell, live or die, burn down the southland, but most importantly, make people fear the desert.