Williamson's Unofficial Guide to Earning Staff Trust (and indirectly karma)

[williamson]

Greetings fellow players,

I've noticed some questions from newer players about karma and how it's "earned". I thought I would offer my opinion on how you can play to earn staff trust (of which karma is an OOC measure).

You might wonder why should you take my advice? Maybe you shouldn't. I'm just offering my personal opinion. However, I have played Arm on and off since 1993. Since I was previously on staff, I use to give players karma long ago.  Thus, I have perspective from both sides.

You can check out the the karma help file to learn more about what the staff expect from trusted players. I won't repeated it here, but I'll give you my perspective on how trust was earned by players in the past. Let me begin...

Longevity: To me, this is the most important. This has two parts. The first is to simply play the game long enough to understand how the game works. In my opinion and much more importantly, this means displaying the ability to keep a character alive for several real life months. If the staff can't remember any of your short lived characters, it's hard for them to judge what you've accomplished.  When you're on staff, you're often in charge of helping run a clan or two. I spent much of my time observing and interacting with characters in those clans. Thus, if you want to be observed to show the staff you're trustworthy, you can increase your chances by joining a clan. If you're a staff member selecting a GMH family member, templar, or noble, are you more likely to select a player who's average character lifespan is 6 months or 6 weeks?

Communication: Some players, for whatever reason, have trouble being noticed. The best example is an off peak player. However, you can change that with regular character reports. Each character report is going to be read by a staff member and they'll usually provide you with some amusing feedback. I suggest always trying to be polite in your reports. Remember the staff are just regular people who volunteer their time to keep the game we all enjoy running smoothly. Sometimes the feedback you receive isn't going to be positive or your request will be denied. Don't take it personally. You likely don't have all the information. Being a trusted player means being able to deal with and overcome adversity. Armageddon is filled with adversity.

Ability to Role-play:  One of the most common misconceptions that new players had when I was on staff was confusing role-playing with colorful emotes. Colorful emotes do not equal appropriate role-playing. To properly role-play you need to read and follow the game guidelines and clan documentation. Usually,  these guidelines place various restrictions on your character's behavior. This isn't _just_ to be cruel.  Usually, it's there to help maintain game balance. Displaying the ability to follow these rules builds trust. Also, play with the assumption that any NPC will react like a PC. Following this suggestion should keep your actions appropriate to the world environment.

Magick:  The easiest way to deal with magick is to have your characters despise and avoid it. Anything else enters into a grey zone. The problem with entering the grey zone is that if you poll each staff member about your character's grey zone position then you'll likely get multiple varying opinions about its level of appropriateness.

Racial/Cultural Understanding: This seems straightforward to me. Read the documentation and follow their guide. If you want lots of freedom, play humans.

Contribute to the game: As a new player, this will be hard to do.

Leadership: It's hard to show leadership without the trust to be given a chance to play leadership roles, right? It's like a Catch 22. However, you can join numerous clans and rise through the ranks into a leadership role. That's my advice. The GMHs are particularly ripe for this avenue. Once you earn the shot, it's up to you to figure out how to recruit, succeed, and drive plots. I suggest observing other leaders you admire and mimicking their successes.

Finally, I added a few of my own suggestions. Avoid being the generator of pointless drama and chaos. If each time you join a clan, it quickly runs into the ground and becomes playerless that's not good. It's hurting your chances of being selected for special roles. Also, if all your powerful characters kill every PC in their path that's not good. With tremendous power comes greater responsibility. It's hard to maintain an interesting player driven plot environment if your killing all the PCs.

Remember the point of playing the game is to have fun. So enjoy yourself and perhaps follow these suggestions. I followed them and was playing a noble after only 10 to 15 years! 

Warmest regards,

- Williamson

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Great guide. Thanks for the advice. Glad to know you're still out here in these sands with us!

[Dakota]

Very good guide. Just wanted to add one thing...

Contribute to the game: As a new player, this will be hard to do.

If you make a PC. Say it's your first or second. Your PC heard from someone about some creature in this weird area. You want to go explore and hunt one... It's way over your head. But you keep pushing. You get someone to help in this 'quest'... Maybe someone you're mudsexing or hanging out with... But they want to come... Then that attracts someone else to joins with experience. You all go...

That is contributing to the game.

You're a new PC. You meet some experienced, awesome looking / geared out PC. You learn they're a witch. You shun them away. The Magicker (a powerful one), just had someone REMIND him that magick is feared and shunned... Hopefully others witness it. Inspires them to do the same... Forces the Magicker player to RP in that world...

That is contributing to the game.

You're a city elf and give a breed a lot of shit. The half elf player has to deal with that. Others hopefully witness that. Inspires them.

That is contributing to the game.

Anyone. ANYONE. Can contribute to the game. Over days / weeks / months... Or just by logging in for 30 minutes and stickin' to the guns of the game and your characters guns.

Contributing to the game is the easiest thing to do..........But is also the hardest as it usually means fewer shortcuts for you in terms of 'gettin good an' powerful'. But in the long run, it pays off. For everyone.

[Alesan]

Didn't I read somewhere that contributing to the game literally means writing descriptions or creating items for the game or otherwise literally adding to the game in some way? Or am I crazy? If this is not true, then where is my karma for contributing to the game? Or any other number of people who have one karma and should have at least two?

[Fernandezj]

(clarified)

[Barsook]

"Contributes to the game" would be staffing, building as a builder, or help with the crafts that the staff call for. Not in game stuff.

[Fernandezj]

(cleared, seems more clear in the helpfile I guess).

[Barsook]

I might be wrong though, but that's how I'm understanding it when the staff replied to my karma review request.

[Jihelu]

I might be wrong though, but that's how I'm understanding it when the staff replied to my karma review request.

This is correct. Staff replied to my karma review with the same. Contributing to the game is OOC contribution, not IC or RP related.

[Barsook]

Very good guide. Just wanted to add one thing...

Contribute to the game: As a new player, this will be hard to do.

If you make a PC. Say it's your first or second. Your PC heard from someone about some creature in this weird area. You want to go explore and hunt one... It's way over your head. But you keep pushing. You get someone to help in this 'quest'... Maybe someone you're mudsexing or hanging out with... But they want to come... Then that attracts someone else to joins with experience. You all go...

That is contributing to the game.

You're a new PC. You meet some experienced, awesome looking / geared out PC. You learn they're a witch. You shun them away. The Magicker (a powerful one), just had someone REMIND him that magick is feared and shunned... Hopefully others witness it. Inspires them to do the same... Forces the Magicker player to RP in that world...

That is contributing to the game.

You're a city elf and give a breed a lot of shit. The half elf player has to deal with that. Others hopefully witness that. Inspires them.

That is contributing to the game.

Anyone. ANYONE. Can contribute to the game. Over days / weeks / months... Or just by logging in for 30 minutes and stickin' to the guns of the game and your characters guns.

Contributing to the game is the easiest thing to do..........But is also the hardest as it usually means fewer shortcuts for you in terms of 'gettin good an' powerful'. But in the long run, it pays off. For everyone.

Wouldn't that be roleplay, Magik, and Racial/Cultural Understanding then? Since,

I might be wrong though, but that's how I'm understanding it when the staff replied to my karma review request.

This is correct. Staff replied to my karma review with the same. Contributing to the game is OOC contribution, not IC or RP related.

[seidhr]

The game contributions is OOC contribution through staffing, building, doing writing when staff calls for item submissions, working as a helper on Discord, helping promote the game to get the word out to new players - that sort of thing.