RE: Ten Years

[HeeBeeGB]

Three cheers for Rathustra. Zarathustra? Thus he spake.

I think the whole player base can sing your praises, your focus to the ongoing story, dedication, and a player advocate. Always a pleasure to correspond with, and a model example of Staffer through the years.

Not sure if you are taking a break or marking a milestone. In either case, as my mother used to say somewhat sardonically, "Another year of progress and achievement". Thanks for the years you've put in to trying to make the game fun for all us farshnoshket idiots. Lechaim!

[Dresan]

I know was supposed to be a heartfelt thread but you know it sounded a bit too close to a goodbye thread for comfort. It didn't seem like there were any long breaks or goodbyes in it so I guess the game and players dodged a bullet there. 

I must say this game has never really stayed the same over all these years, its always changed. Whether the changes are good or bad is a person's opinion, but the game being different is a fact which makes it interesting to come back to, debate,discuss,dream about, etc.

Thank you Rathustra and the rest of the staff for making the game worth playing in for all these years.

[Oryx]

I feel privileged to work with this guy, for all that he puts the rest of us in the shade with the scope of his creativity and his grasp of the lore. He's unstinting in his support of players and endlessly patient when I bring him my own half-formed ideas. The consistent care he gives to each item, NPC, room and document that passes through his hands is unparalleled and the Known is infinitely better for his stewardship.

Congratulations and thank you for these ten years, Rath. You're only getting better with time.

[triste]

Happy tenth anniversary!! This game is great because of everyone who contributes to it and everything about that post (including Ghostymudy's picture) was heartwarming. Rath has always been a game admin of the best sort; fair to all players, and even if some of his decisions don't go in your favor you can accept them on the merit of their fairness. Thanks for how you've helped build this game up!

[Is Friday]

I feel privileged to work with this guy, for all that he puts the rest of us in the shade with the scope of his creativity and his grasp of the lore. He's unstinting in his support of players and endlessly patient when I bring him my own half-formed ideas. The consistent care he gives to each item, NPC, room and document that passes through his hands is unparalleled and the Known is infinitely better for his stewardship.

Congratulations and thank you for these ten years, Rath. You're only getting better with time.

I've had the privilege a couple of times to be killed by Rath. Once was a half-giant NPC that he animated to throw a dart in my poor Runner's eye then beep. (At my request.) The second time was when he killed my Seik mage with a very heart wrenching/warming final death message. I think at the time my PC was going through a lot of turbulence with the flux in tribal humans documentation and Rath was the sort of GM to give enough fucks to really put in the effort. Later on, I presume because of discussions he had with other staff, tribal humans had their documentation altered so that future characters wouldn't have to deal with the ambiguity that I had to deal with. Just a guy -- doing what he can to enrich the world we all play in.

If you haven't worked with Rath but if you would like to know more, here's the final request I had resolved after my PC's death.

AccountName,

Your Question/Request request has been resolved.

It was as quick and painless as they had always told you. Your water returns to the world tree and your bound and dessicated corpse is enshrined with your brothers and sisters amidst the cool cracks of the shield wall, the bones of the walked world.

Rathustra

Request Granted:

AccountName,

Your Question/Request request has been resolved.

Hey, well - some time has passed, so let's consider the wreckage.

I think it's fair to say that the isolating nature of the role and the personalities of everyone involved were the main contributors to why things ended up the way they did. When people are isolated and frustrated that their character's personality doesn't gel with those of their clan-mates, the only people who they can interact with properly, they end up turning their attentions outwards towards making their own fun. I believe you admitted to this yourself in an earlier report.

The clash between Rikaar's mentality and the behaviour of the other tribe-mates was just the seed though. I think you're also right in thinking that if I had stepped in sooner then maybe you wouldn't have turned Rikaar outwards and perhaps things would have gone better.

When I say 'the seed', I mean that once Rikaar went out into the Tablelands, having achieved a coded level of power and started using her magick as a tool to make things happen/have fun the problems really started. You refer to the sorcs/'big bads' in the game right now being lower-key than the infamy Rikaar accrued and I agree that some of this infamy might have arisen from an OOC vulnerability that players perceived in Rikaar's guild, but I also think part of it is that these big players were/had taken pains to hide their magic or apply it more precisely. Wandering the Pah glowing, followed by elementals or trailing thorns is a much more noticeable, immediate and manageable threat. In this respect I understand completely why Rikaar got so much negative attention.

Outside of the above waffle, I'm not sure what else I can really say. Your characters push the envelope and sometimes this means egos get bruised. The flip-side of this is that you gave people a target and it's important to remember that a lot is going on that you, as a player and as a character aren't aware of. A lot of RP can be going on as a result of your actions - you know, like when some elves try and set up an ambush to kill a vivaduan, using 'hunting gemmers' as the bait.
There's things we as staff need to change in the future - chief among them is not opening up roles unless we have the proper documentation and not treating players like fine china and giving it to them straight.

Also, for what it's worth - we don't think you did a bad job. Rikaar might have been flawed and perhaps sometimes ill-advised but that's part of being human. Throughout the whole thing we had to toe the line between letting characters fail and evaluating whether the player had the best of intentions.

Anyway. Good luck with your next role.

Rathustra
Armageddon Staff

Good storytelling. Would clan again.

[Heade]

Thanks for the announcement Rath, but even moreso, thank you for all the years of service you've given to the game!

I really enjoyed your post, as it gives insight into just how much you and other staffers contribute behind the scenes that we all might not be aware of. I think posts like this are healthy for the community to give us players perspective, ungrateful lot that we often are. I think, sometimes, when we players criticize the current state of the gameworld, it can be taken as personal jabs at staff. Posts like these can remind us, the players, that there is a real life person who likely put a lot of time, creativity, and work into reaching that state. And while we aren't forced to agree with it, it certainly could give us pause in just how critical we are of the situations, recognizing that our words aren't just aren't just directed towards a set of code, but could also be taken wrongly by a person who has put boundless effort into creating this game world for us.

Thank you again for helping to keep Armageddon alive. Thank you for wading dauntlessly through the ungrateful, merciless posts of GDB detractors(myself occasionally among them). Thank you for sharing such a significant portion of your life with us. And thank you for giving me a little more perspective. 

[Dune Bunny]

I thought this was a good-bye post up until the last moment... XD Don't do that!

Have always had great results when you've been involved, Rath. Thank you for the time invested in our little hobby in this corner of the net, and congratulations on your rather dedicated milestone. =)

[Lizzie]

Happy Armiversary kiddo!

[Dar]

So July 30th is my birthday. Clearly Rathustra have became staff as a birthday to me. A gift that keeps on giving! I appreciate it, Rath. Next year, maybe a pair of socks will suffice though.

[Rathustra]

[Evilone]

Congrats Rath! I've always had great dealings with you during the Tuluki days,but not much interaction since as I'm not really a tribal player. I was sad at first cause it felt like a retiring announcement, but glad to see your not leaving. The closure of Tuluk hit me hard, and you helped me through it, and achieving the horse my character longed for was a nice touch. Thank you for all the great work you do, but mostly how well you handle the storytelling.