Quote from: Tuannon on May 22, 2024, 09:59:51 PMAs much as I like seeing newbles, I think a core of dependable nobles is also required. Maybe a couple at least, people the staff know will play a noble properly. With (certain) staff levels being unable to play this pool will diminish but hopefully some new people will come about.

I also think there should be similar slots all the way down the social pecking order.

To be clear, 99% of Staff will not be able to play the game as players or make PCs. The only Staff who will be able to play the game are Web Dev / Coders who do not have access to any story related material/discord channels/information. No Producers, Senior Storytellers, or Storytellers will be allowed to have PCs while they are actively staffing, full stop.

Quote from: Bogre on May 22, 2024, 10:00:34 PMStuff 

I do have some hope that redstorm will be able to support small time troublemakers and villains, but that could just be wishful thinking on my part given the state of places like luirs and the rinth. Since I lack faith, I do feel the need for some ability to provide anonymity to promote non-lethal conflict. However, it should be in a limited and skill based way since this may prevent a ton of problem for the game. In the hands of someone who understands this game, anonymity is potentially more powerful stealth, spells or assassination techniques.

If this is to be implemented, simplicity works best. You look at a person, the description should read that their m-desc is obscured. Anything more will just lead to cookie cutter looks and features just so people can blend in with a majority of the population when wearing these items. After all, people will continue to use things to their advantage because historically they have a lot to lose.  This is not going to change overnight.

I also fear that wide spread anonymity will result in bias or outright cheating by both players and staff to help learn or identify m-desc hidden players. This type of cheating is pure poison for the game and is best avoided all together. Equally, limiting the gear to certain clans for special purposes defeats the entire purpose of having them at all since clans should have less need for anonymity. 

That said if this goes in, I can't wait to see unconscious nobles lying naked on the ground. Probably not the intended outcome, but utterly hilarious none the less. 

Quote from: Lizzie on May 22, 2024, 08:53:36 PM

Quote from: eska on May 22, 2024, 06:15:28 PMClosed and hooded up ankle-length djellebah. All mdesc is gone.

Which would be fine, IMO. My issue with mdesc-hiding masks is that the description is -replaced- with the mdesc of the mask. So the green-eyed barrel-chested man, wearing the mask, appears to be a purple tregil with floppy ears, complete with a 6-line description of his smooth skin and tail.

There are a lot more ways to facilitate it sensibly than just blanket-hand waving that it wouldn't work.

>look figure

You see a very tall, obese humanoid wearing a faceless obsidian mask.
(Tdesc) Their hair has been bound back and pinned with a length of thin engraved bone, and their blue eyes are hard and purposeful.

Gear: They are wearing <X,Y> - normal
Tattoos: standard

>study figure

You look at the very tall, obese humanoid wearing a faceless obsidian mask. They notice you studying them!
You notice they have watery blue eyes.
You notice they have dark black hair.
You notice they are armed!

>draw sword

>You notice the very tall, obese humanoid wearing a faceless obsidian mask trying to slip into the shadows!
------------------------------------


Yes, this would require player buy in - to adequately set temp descs. Again, this is a game that the latest push (and this very thread) is about collaborating even in conflict. Players that do their best to leave breadcrumbs, not try to game the system, etc, or do foolish things would be appropriately noted by staff - in the same way that they are proposing to monitor magick, karma races, sponsored roles, etc.

And yeah - it would perhaps be a fantastic code project for coded additions to char-gen that add particular descriptors that are hard to conceal, or findable. And you have those be reviewed in approval so the hard blue-eyed, stocky man doesn't give descriptors of having green cat-eyes and a purple tregil tail. Like - we have code to summon magickal stuff of all sorts out of thin air, NPCs that will spar you, entire ecosystems - we trust players with near instakill buttons in spells, big clubs, crim code- a mask that blanks your description is not going to like suddenly have the entire PBase be spree Pkillers and running around emoting farting on nobles, no more so than that already occurs.


My thoughts:
Hood > obscures sdesc like current, M-desc visible to look. Closed cloak obscures some of the equipment, just like current.
Mask > obscures main desc, but eyes / hair / ears easy or moderately easy to notice
Facehelm > obscures main desc, hair / ears hard to notice, eyes moderately hard to notice. (person wearing helm might have downsides of their own perceptive abilities though)
Mask or helm + hood up> Makes hair, ears harder to notice. 

As much as I like seeing newbles, I think a core of dependable nobles is also required. Maybe a couple at least, people the staff know will play a noble properly. With (certain) staff levels being unable to play this pool will diminish but hopefully some new people will come about.

I also think there should be similar slots all the way down the social pecking order.

Quote from: Lizzie on May 22, 2024, 08:53:36 PM

Quote from: eska on May 22, 2024, 06:15:28 PMClosed and hooded up ankle-length djellebah. All mdesc is gone.

Which would be fine, IMO. My issue with mdesc-hiding masks is that the description is -replaced- with the mdesc of the mask. So the green-eyed barrel-chested man, wearing the mask, appears to be a purple tregil with floppy ears, complete with a 6-line description of his smooth skin and tail.

That's why -masks- specifically - are a bad idea.  If the mask resulted in
The masked humanoid

and look masked returned

This person is disguised from the neck up to look like a purple, floppy-eared tregil. His shoulders are narrow, he has a barrel chest and long limbs. His left hand is missing a pinky and he has big feet with delicate ankles.

If that happened, then masks would work great. But that's not what happens, and that's why masks don't work.

Would be 100% fine with someone wearing an ankle-length cloak/cape, head covering, face covering, and gloves, to show "the tall humanoid" and an mdesc that says:

This humanoid is covered head to toe, it's impossible to see beyond their attire.

Okay. So masks won't work. Is the core idea of hiding the mdesc a problem, or just using an implementation from 2002 that you take issue with?

Quote from: Halaster on May 22, 2024, 07:09:53 PMYeah I don't think a mask alone is 'enough'.  Maybe (and this is just me theorycrafting, no promises or commitments) if it was a mask + a longcloak + hood up then it hides the mdesc.  Or something like that, where it's a combo of items that "make sense".

100% yes please!

Quote from: eska on May 22, 2024, 06:15:28 PMClosed and hooded up ankle-length djellebah. All mdesc is gone.

Which would be fine, IMO. My issue with mdesc-hiding masks is that the description is -replaced- with the mdesc of the mask. So the green-eyed barrel-chested man, wearing the mask, appears to be a purple tregil with floppy ears, complete with a 6-line description of his smooth skin and tail.

That's why -masks- specifically - are a bad idea.  If the mask resulted in
The masked humanoid

and look masked returned

This person is disguised from the neck up to look like a purple, floppy-eared tregil. His shoulders are narrow, he has a barrel chest and long limbs. His left hand is missing a pinky and he has big feet with delicate ankles.

If that happened, then masks would work great. But that's not what happens, and that's why masks don't work.

Would be 100% fine with someone wearing an ankle-length cloak/cape, head covering, face covering, and gloves, to show "the tall humanoid" and an mdesc that says:

This humanoid is covered head to toe, it's impossible to see beyond their attire.

I can only hope the sponsored roles go to the people with a proven history of being able to play them, with the best ideas and the most coverage from their intended staffers.

We all took our balls and went home, because the game closed. It doesn't matter when.

At the risk of being controversial, will we resort to handing out roles to the same old people as before? I am speaking of the same people who, because they didn't like the fact that seasons was going to be a thing, decided to take their ball and go home?

There were a few die hards trying to keep it going until the bitter end.

Quote from: Riev on May 22, 2024, 07:53:52 PMUnless its just easier to type "kill riev" than it is to "ooc consent for torture"

kill riev

Hmm - yeah that's pretty easy.

I really think the jump start rules are going to make for amazing changes in some of this.  Something about grinding for endless hours to get your skills to a certain level can sometimes make you feel like you have to use those skills.  Being competent with less time involved feels like its going to really shift things toward story telling.  Hope so anyhow.