"- Removed Tuluk and Luir's from starting options"

[Lotion]

Does this mean it's no longer possible to "Point Luir's Outpost" in the ancient hall of kings? Luir's was by far the best starter shop. Will the few remaining starter shops be improved to include some of the things which were exclusively at Luir's? Notably: dice, kruth deck.

[Kavrick]

My main concern is that Luir's was the go-to for human tribals, as it had a lot of generic, tribal-themed gear in it's starter shop, like the war skirt. I hope they maybe add some sort of tribal themed shop to allanak or the remaining options.

[Riev]

Wasn't the point of Season 1 to be "Allanak focused"? And that while other places in the Known may exist, they weren't going to see support similar to when Tuluk had closed previously?

That said, for the people who DO want to play tribals, I hope there is a point Tribal or something. I remember in the before-times, tribal players being punished for living in the cities despite having few other options.

[Dresan]

It makes sense that staff is doing this and we certainly dont want new or inexperienced players starting in those area. My understanding though is that luirs and tuluk are going to remain open, just not supported with sponsored roles or clans,etc. I think these areas may attract more people then staff realize.

There will be player and staff that will love the idea of making small improvements to luirs until its the size of citystates in popularity again. That is not their intent mind you just people can't help themselves. Meanwhile unsupported areas like tuluk are a  enticing feature for some of us who for various reasons perfer to limit the amount of potential staff involvement.

If we cannot start in tuluk, I would like the ability to start in allanak/redstorm as a tattoed tulukian.

[Riev]

I would maintain that the attraction of an unsupported Luirs/Tuluk is that you can do things that these areas wouldn't normally allow, and 'get away with it'. Unsupported typically lends to world reactions not being present.

I do hope these areas are open in some way, but I think @Dresan's second paragraph will ring true. Despite this being a "Season" focused on Allanak, eventually people are going to want to affect Luirs or Tuluk or something outside the scope and be disappointed that their efforts fall flat.

I also agree that despite being able to start in Luirs/Tuluk, hopefully the starter options for inkings and tribal backgrounds exist. 75 years later, a Tuluki in the city wanting to ... I don't know ... join up with the cult of anti-mages might be hella-fun?

[dumbstruck]

I am just not a fan of the wall of heavy oppression for people who don't play sponsored roles in Allanak. I get enough oppression in my RL without seeking it out. Survival, fine, wilderness, cool, post apocalyptic, awesome. Oppression? Hard pass.

There are already half of the pbase having to worry about whether or not someone else's choice might be the thing that kills them without them having any say in it. There's no reason to add to that. But I am usually on the fringe of things so, I imagine many people don't feel that same constant literal daily worry and fear in real life. I do. I live in Alabama, biologically female, and am dying of heart failure. I'm already upset by daily having to worry about oppression in real life. That is the thing I seek to escape in RPGs.

[papertiger]

I am just not a fan of the wall of heavy oppression for people who don't play sponsored roles in Allanak. I get enough oppression in my RL without seeking it out. Survival, fine, wilderness, cool, post apocalyptic, awesome. Oppression? Hard pass.

There are already half of the pbase having to worry about whether or not someone else's choice might be the thing that kills them without them having any say in it. There's no reason to add to that. But I am usually on the fringe of things so, I imagine many people don't feel that same constant literal daily worry and fear in real life. I do. I live in Alabama, biologically female, and am dying of heart failure. I'm already upset by daily having to worry about oppression in real life. That is the thing I seek to escape in RPGs.

Isn't this theme though? All of Armageddon is... armageddon. The fierce battle for good and evil when shit has hit the fan. The world has been sucked of life and things are really harsh. Are you saying you want the whole theme of the game changed or you want an area where you can escape this theme? Social oppression seems pretty hard baked into the game world.

This intro by nature seems pretty oppressive socially:

Armageddon MUD is an online fantasy game in which players jointly inhabit a harsh, post-apocalyptic desert world. The game requires roleplay; while conflict abounds, the game is not about killing things. Rather, it is about living out a character's sometimes short and always difficult life in the harsh world, Zalanthas. It is a world where sorcerer-kings and their ruthless servants, the Templarate, govern the two main cities, Allanak and Tuluk. Any magick not granted by the Kings is feared and hated, and where the punishment of such a curse might be death. In this harsh realm, life is a constant struggle, and death may occur over a drink of precious water.

[Riev]

I think she's just saying that "Allanak Only" isn't fun for her, because Allanak is very oppressive and socially domineering by default. Playing a tribal, escaping the cities and such, is a way to play the game and avoid MOST of that oppression.

Its just that in this current phase, you aren't going to be able to start in Tuluk or Luirs and live in some cave on your own. I think they're trying to get us all to play around each other more.

I have comments about people who would intentionally try to live out of Luirs/Tuluk simply because there are "no templars there" but ... I dislike so many of you already.

[dumbstruck]

I don't even typically try to live out of Luir's tbh. Near it maybe sometimes, sure. It's more just a disinterested in tavern RP.

And yes, there's absolutely oppression baked in in city play, @papertiger - but I prefer not to engage with that. I don't begrudge whoever wants to be a Templar but I would rather just not log in if it's about being oppressed. I can live in a tent and have authority figures hate on me plenty easy while struggling for food and water IRL without ever logging in. I can't lob fireballs or summon a ride any time IRL. That is the fantasy for me, and the stuff I log in to engage with.

[Lizzie]

Not seeing the problem, Dumbstruck. Start your character out of Red Storm, get sunslits and a beetle, and make a bee-line to Luir's. If you've taken the routes over the past 10 years, you know them by heart, and you know there's more than one route, and you know how to get there even if you have to veer off the route.

If you give your character the nomad sub, you'll even start out with Bendune and the tribal accent.

For a backstory - your tribal was travelling with a caravan near Red Storm. They got raided, the wagons destroyed, and the people scattered. You find yourself in Red Storm desperately needing to get back north of Allanak. And......go.

[shadeoux]

Not seeing the problem, Dumbstruck. Start your character out of Red Storm, get sunslits and a beetle, and make a bee-line to Luir's. If you've taken the routes over the past 10 years, you know them by heart, and you know there's more than one route, and you know how to get there even if you have to veer off the route.

If you give your character the nomad sub, you'll even start out with Bendune and the tribal accent.

For a backstory - your tribal was travelling with a caravan near Red Storm. They got raided, the wagons destroyed, and the people scattered. You find yourself in Red Storm desperately needing to get back north of Allanak. And......go.

You are reciting the biography for half my hurriedly made PCs of the past 30+ years.

[Dresan]

people who would intentionally try to live out of Luirs/Tuluk simply because there are "no templars there"

This is what i meant about unsupported places being a feature to some people.

As long as a player isnt doing something overly ridiculous with npcs there or blatantly disregarding rules you are left alone to you own devices.

Redstorm has often been such a place but i feel like staff may be giving it more attention this season. This will be an unpopular idea because players like the clan but crimson wind clan is my least favorite part of redstorm. In roughly the same vein, I feel GMHs have ruined the neutrality that should be Luirs for me.

Again, it makes sense we dont make these starting places but i feel there will be players will be attracted to these places even after that. If there is are hard push to make playing in these places really unattractive or close them down so players are forced to engage in the staff-driven narrative, it probably won't turn out well, as noted by the closure of tuluk.

[dumbstruck]

There's not really a problem, @Lizzie - it just felt like it was sensible to take into account that when people don't stay in Allanak for a season focused there, it's not necessarily because they're being terrible, or off somewhere to be a butt, sometimes some things cleave too closely to stuff you endure in real life, and you want to avoid that when you're trying to escape reality in a game.

I absolutely could do all of those things. But often when I talk here it's not because I am trying to solve a personal problem but to point out that there are facets and nuances to things that aren't necessarily being taken into account, that maybe should be, before thinking the worst about someone for not enjoying all of the same things you (general you) do.

[perfecto]

Will there be any new starter shops in the Kings hall upon char gen for characters who are natives to the north or luirs?  Even if they have to start in Nak or otherwise in the south.

[eska]

As long as my char is not locked in Allanak, I would come and go as I like. If I get bored with people, I will just ride out to hang out with the people in Red Storm or gith in the Red Desert.

It is a good thing to staff to focus on one region for the new season. All I want is to be able to keep my char when seasons change.

[Riev]

Likely won't be able to keep the character when SEASONS change, but they were toying with an idea that if a season is 2-3 RL years, that there would be like CHAPTERS in the middle where you keep your character but the gameworld "updates" and moves forward a short amount of time.