In replying to someone's enquiry about re-starting a desert elf tribe, I realized that some of what I was saying was worth repeating on this board, since a number of his questions were ones that come up more than once. I've expanded on some of my answers from the email.
> Specifically, what yardstick does the staff use to determine whether a tribe
> is worthy of support or not? Is it number of players actively creating
> characters in the tribe? Existence of old or experienced members of the
> tribe (longevity)? How the tribe fits in with the storyline?
Things that we look at it, in no particular order:
- how much effort went into the docs. Are they clear, consistent and complete? Are they just another clan's docs redone, or are they something new and interesting? Is the concept one of a realistic and workable culture? Are there notes on social structure, language, history, etc?
- is the concept balanced? Are there both advantages and disadvantages to playing in the tribe? Is it a real concept or a thinly disguised "we like to run around and pkill anyone who isn't in our tribe while talking in a funny accent"?
- do the members roleplay according to the docs, or only when it suits them?
- is the clan likely to continue on, or will it be abandoned when a key figure dies? Are there active, long-lived players in it that will drive recruiting other players? It's more than a little discouraging to put coding and building effort into a tribe only to have the players die off the next day.
- does it add anything to the game? Does it fill a gap or does it end up taking away from the game by splitting off a section of the playerbase into isolated circumstances?
- is the clan willing to work with the staff? Were the docs sent to us for feedback - and was that feedback listened to or ignored? Do PC leaders keep us informed of important developments? When there are problems or questions, are they reacted to defensively and combatively, or are the members of the tribe capable of cooperating with staff in these circumstances?
- are there OOC concerns? Do we see clan members behaving in a way that makes it clear there's a lot of instant messaging going on? When one member is asked a question, does everyone suddenly go idle? We don't mind OOC coordination of playing times and recruiting, but when people are playing and OOC messaging at the same time, it gives them an unfair advantage over other players that I'm not real fond of promoting.
In short, we apply the same sort of criteria that we would if a staff member were proposing a new tribe, as well as the standards to which we'd hold a staff-run clan.
> what steps would I have to take to ensure that the tribe doesn't
> just disappear into the ether like it almost has at this point?
Right now, we're working on a project for the desert elves that should get implemented in one or two weeks, so I'm not super keen on muddying the waters, so to speak, by throwing another desert elf tribe in the mix. Our plan is to provide several pre-coded tribes for desert elf players to opt for, which will then clan and dress them appropriately, and give them a clan-specific starting point. I'd rather see new desert elves going into one of those.
Coatlicue is handling this effort, and it should be ready to go within the next week or two. People will be able to pick between two tribes: one oriented towards warriors (the Soh Lanah Kah, which will move from a position of being entirely player run to a clan which is staff supported), the other towards mystics (the Akei Ta Var). A third tribe (Two Moons) will be added eventually as well, intended for merchanty types. If you're interested in helping flesh out documentation or contributing to this effort, you might drop Coatlicue an email. (If you're volunteering to write NPCs, I will point out that Tuluk still needs more.)
People will, though, still be able to opt for their own tribe, because I don't want to take that choice away. Our intent is to provide a well-fleshed out structure of good desert elf roleplay.
-Sanvean