Meaningless rant!

[Jarod550]

I just wanna know why everytime I choose a house or whatever to join as a job.  It's only got me and one other person who's active?  I'm not going to go IC and say who it is, but damn man, I played for like 14 hours and only like 2 hours of that had an actual PC with me in my group.

This crap of sitting in the bars for 8 hours at a time get's really boring by a player standpoint, and I would be willing to bet my character would rather be doing SOMETHING!

BAH!

Jarod

[Bebop]

This is why I play alone mostly well, not in a House really.  Recruit more members!

[amoeba]

Been there done that. All I can say is that things run in cycles.  Given enough time people show up.  Do what you can to try and get people to join up, and the best advice I can give, be very consistaint about your playtimes.  People will notice you there at specific times and start looking for you.  

On a side note, much of this is related to the number of players, obviously more is better.  I needed an occasional break from ARM so I started playing WoW some, on the RP servers.  Now don't get be wrong, RP and Wow is kind of an oxymoron, but the sheer number of people trying to setup a form of RP, (mostly you see it in the guild forums) is remarkable.  It would seem that somehow there has to be a way to tap into all these people.  To give an example of the numbers, the other night I was queued up behind 635 other people, the wait time was 45 min. by the time I got in.  This was on only one server.

Anyway, sorry for the derailment.  Arm is still the place I prefer to be, but it does have it's lulls.  Given time they pass.

[Mudder]

I went through the same thing with my current PC. It was me and one other PC that would log on, But, I stuck with it and thanks goodness I did. We now have a strong playerbase.

[Anonymous]

This coupled with restrictions on character activities are why I never play combat types in houses, it just doesn't work for me.

I sort of wonder what the world would be like if more Houses did away with the whole 'give some dude off of the street housing, food and gear that costs hundreds of sid' and did more merc type hiring practices.  Something like people being hired for the day.  Obviously houses would want some well-trained permanent people for guarding people and possessions but for gathering resources (hides, wood, slaves) and for riding out to hunt bandits I'd imagine a lot of it would be more like conscripts.

[Anael]

I've noticed a move towards more relaxed rules within Houses lately, maybe more will catch up with time. With all the strict rules, the typical House Guard role isn't really a combat role, mind you. It's a social role with some combat spiceup.

One important thing to remember though. I've been practically alone in a clan for a LONG time, and I've found that there's much more to do than one might think. It's quite vital -not- to rely on your leaders. Come up with your own ideas for RPTs and work with your clan Imms. Be creative and you'll find out that those rules that seem to hinder you are actually what makes the role real fun.

[Bogre]

Anael is right. If you are the only PC in your clan, then push hard for promotion. Then use your power at your discretion, heh heh.

But to grab more players, you gotta be active yourself. It snowballs, I know I've seen a clan go from 2 combat type pc's to the point where there was so many pc's wanted to join that it was just insane.

[Jarod550]

Here's the funny thing though, I go into my "house" forums, and see the introduce me page and it's had no activity for like a month...

Think I should have asked for forum access before accepting the job...

I'm cool with recruiting more people and all, but come on.  I'm just some dude who's the lowest run "scout" why the hell am I out there recruiting for a measly 250-300 sid a month...(wrinkles nose)

Things I like, having mounts provided, with a stable room (no damn rent)
having a throw it all in chest where you can grab a little nicer piece of armor or two, having a safe area to goto where nobody but your house can (easily) follow.

Things I hate,  I know my character doesn't fight worth dick and all, but I'm never going to get better sitting in town, I'm allowed to use a mount for "riding practice" which I don't need cause I'm a Ranger.  I got bitched at for walking 5 rooms outside of town to chop down a tree..  And the only reason I did it, was because I can have lumberjacking and wood crafting and figured I would practice.

Dunno, I'm tempted to break my contract and move to the "other" city with a stolen mount and stuff, at least I would have SOME time of interacting with folks, whether it be me ended up impaled on a spear or me hiding in the rynth between hunting trips. Heh.

Jarod

[Anael]

Things I hate, I know my character doesn't fight worth dick and all, but I'm never going to get better sitting in town, I'm allowed to use a mount for "riding practice" which I don't need cause I'm a Ranger. I got bitched at for walking 5 rooms outside of town to chop down a tree.. And the only reason I did it, was because I can have lumberjacking and wood crafting and figured I would practice.

Think roleplay, not skills

[Delirium]

I'm cool with recruiting more people and all, but come on.  I'm just some dude who's the lowest run "scout" why the hell am I out there recruiting for a measly 250-300 sid a month...(wrinkles nose)

That is on top of free food, water, boarding.. it is a dream come true.

[bloodfromstone]

I find the fighting side of House work to be kind of flawed, myself. Don't get me wrong, I've played with some incredible and fun people in these roles, but half your playing time or so is sparring. The restrictions and rules make it very frustrating and limiting when there is no one else around. I think CRW's idea of conscripts would give those who don't want to play under those conditions a nice selection of jobs.

As far as your current issue, Jarod, your best bet is to recruit more people. 250-300 'sid a month, free place to sleep safely, food, water, and training is a very good deal by Zalanthan standards. Nothing measly about it, even if you can't afford clawed gloves or an apartment of your own. Keep in mind how good of a situation it is from an IC perspective.

Your fighting skills... Well, obviously the game isn't about skills, but regardless, ICly your character should be improving, since there are vNPCs and daily training, etc. You can solo-RP training sessions and log them and email them to your clan imm with a request for a skill boost.  Solo-RPing isn't everyone's cup of tea, but the option is there.
Speaking of emailing your clan imm(s), have you emailed them to let them know about your situation? Maybe if they have time they would provide you with a few things to do via NPCs to keep your PC busy. Maybe not, but they might have something for you.

In short, recruit, recruit, recruit, and don't lose sight of things from an IC perspective. Your PC is getting a good lot in life, isn't really alone, even if all the others are virtual, and gets paid to learn how to defend himself. I know that doesn't make it any more fun to sit around and idle in the bars, but I wouldn't suggest deserting to another city because you're bored. That's a pretty extreme action that should be driven by IC reasonings.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I'm cool with recruiting more people and all, but come on.  I'm just some dude who's the lowest run "scout" why the hell am I out there recruiting for a measly 250-300 sid a month...(wrinkles nose)

That is on top of free food, water, boarding.. it is a dream come true.

It's not about roleplay, it's about me doing SOMETHING.

Jarod

[Intrepid]

I like the idea of conscripts from a playability aspect, but I can't see it
being realistic icly.  If I'm a noble in a house bent on tradition and I
(likely) have an arrogant streak about it from birth, will I want some
untrustworthy merc fighting for me or a trusted, proven warrior who is
oathsworn to death to fight for me and mine?  I would think the latter.

[marko]

Before joining any House play for a week and see how many members of the House play at the same time as you.  If no one else does - it's a good sign that you will be all alone in the House.

If there is an active House leader who is always active when you are active this isn't a bad thing.  If you only saw the recruiter PC once or twice during that period... well... things aren't gonna be fun and they will be boring as hell.  In other words, before joining a House do your homework.

[jhunter]

Like Marko said. I've discovered that it's sometimes best to go indy for a short while and watch the activity of the clans that your pc might want a job in. Then, pick the one with the most activity that is suited to your pc.

[Jherlen]

I'm cool with recruiting more people and all, but come on.  I'm just some dude who's the lowest run "scout" why the hell am I out there recruiting for a measly 250-300 sid a month...(wrinkles nose)

250-300 sid a month is not "measley" on top of all the other benefits you're getting. There's nothing wrong with a recruit-level PC drumming up the name and benefits of joining his clan and a whole host of IC reasons why he might do that.

Things I hate,  I know my character doesn't fight worth dick and all, but I'm never going to get better sitting in town, I'm allowed to use a mount for "riding practice" which I don't need cause I'm a Ranger.  I got bitched at for walking 5 rooms outside of town to chop down a tree..  And the only reason I did it, was because I can have lumberjacking and wood crafting and figured I would practice.

Think roleplay, not skills. A city pc of mine once had the floristry skill. He would have been simply killed by his superiors if he walked out to find roses just so he could practice it.

Dunno, I'm tempted to break my contract and move to the "other" city with a stolen mount and stuff, at least I would have SOME time of interacting with folks, whether it be me ended up impaled on a spear or me hiding in the rynth between hunting trips. Heh.

I really wouldn't post about this kind of thing on the GDB, because now your clan superiors probably know exactly what you might be planning.

Keep in mind that ALL clans will have their ups and downs. You could be in a clan with 10 other PCs and still experience periods of inactivity. Expecting instant gratification from every clan you join just isn't realistic. I would say to settle into your role, do what's expected of you, and let your character develop as he may.

[Nusku]

While some players are more self-motivated than others, it's always disappointing for me to see people who take marko's approach. Speaking as a player myself, since I haven't been on staff that long, multiple times I saw a "dead" clan completely revitalized by the efforts of a single person. That person didn't have to be a noble, an officer, or anything special. They could simply be a grunt who took the time and effort to care; they were people who played a role, instead of a game. Leaders or followers, it didn't matter; what did matter was that they were visible to other players and active in the clan.

Anyone can do this. Honest. I'm not making this up. It's just a matter of mindset. Instead of going to look to find where the other players are, get the other players to come to you. Be patient. Players aren't Amazing Sea Monkeys (just add water!) and most clans aren't the places for Instant Gratification With Karate Chop Action (tm). Also, if you want more players in your clan, you're going to have to get more players in your clan, and that means being visible when other players are around. In other words, if you're the only PC Kadian hunter in Allanak but you spend half the time in the desert hunting and the other half the time in the barracks crafting, people will never see you, and they will then conclude that Kadius has no hunters in Allanak and they'll follow marko's advice after "doing their homework" and they'll go their merry way, which, notably, doesn't really benefit you, the lonely hunter.

To sum up: you CAN make a difference. You don't have to. Nobody can make you. But I think you'll find it's more fun to try, because making the effort is Something To Do.

[Intrepid]

Nusku is right.  I've done this before myself with two clans--in fact, each
time I did it, I was guilty of overdoing it and reaching far past the clan's
alotted quota for players.   :?

[Larrath]

I'd like to second Nusku here.
It only takes one PC to make one other PC join the clan.  Once you have two people who log in regularly, others will follow.

When I was playing a House Guard in Tenneshi, I'd always go to people and see who wants to join.  Old friends from the Byn, strong-looking folk that don't have a job, Winrothol recruits...
My one PC brought in maybe four or five others into the clan.  Not all of them stayed or logged in frequently, but it helped quite a bit.

It is much easier for you, the House Guard, to bring more guards into the House than it is for the Noble to bring them in.

[Jarod550]

Dunno, I'm tempted to break my contract and move to the "other" city with a stolen mount and stuff, at least I would have SOME time of interacting with folks, whether it be me ended up impaled on a spear or me hiding in the rynth between hunting trips. Heh.

I really wouldn't post about this kind of thing on the GDB, because now your clan superiors probably know exactly what you might be planning.

Keep in mind that ALL clans will have their ups and downs. You could be in a clan with 10 other PCs and still experience periods of inactivity. Expecting instant gratification from every clan you join just isn't realistic. I would say to settle into your role, do what's expected of you, and let your character develop as he may.

I wasn't being serious, and I understand roleplaying is key, but I find roleplaying my own character to be hard enough without having to roleplay virtual npcs or any other such nonsense (no offence)

I love the roleplay here, but think that having a fellow online for say (a day I don't have to work and no plans) 10 hours, and only getting two hours of "actually" doing something, hell if there weren't bars and taverns, I don't think there would -ever- be a way to meet pcs.

But on the good side, I've had some terrific imm interaction through NPCs so at least that takes the edge off.

Jarod <--needs constant adventure, not sitting in the bar bsing with people for hours on end.

I dislike the way that I am viewed because I would rather have a very hardy adventurer, then a fat politician who sits, the bar.

sometimes from the comments I read it's like I'm trying to be molded to play a character that you all want, and not allowed to play one as I want.  If you check my logs, I rp the hell out of stuff, even when other people aren't around.  But I'll be damned if I'm going to sit in the bar for 5 hours emoting and posing and talking...

/rant

EDIT: If I wanted to have total rp, (nothing but that, with no mechanics involved) I would go buy a 20-sided dice and call up some of my buddies and start playing dungeon's and dragons.

I come to this -land- because I want to find all it's secrets, I want to become strong here, I -want- to do that against the odds and with a conter action to my persuit (mud mechanics).  Now I love rping, and if it suits something my character would give a rats ass about, I'll talk to you for 5 hours in that tavern, but if I want to be a quick, get to the point, rp the way I want, player/character.  LEAVE ME BE!

[Maybe42or54]

Theres your problem. Don't play for 10 hours a day. Play for the two hours the other person is on, for sure. And maybe 2-4 more. Not 10. Save your sanity.

[Jarod550]

bumping for the edit of my previous post, I think people are missing the point.

[Maybe42or54]

Well alright now. Every clan has its ups and downs. When your clans down starts to go up, your pc will be the one that rides the waves. Giving you so much stuff to do, it'll be crazy.

For now, your clan is on a down, what can you do to change that? Well, the least popular is, stay alive. You can go to the taverns and show how awesome you are and how often you are on and other people will DIG that and join your clan. But you can't recruit? Tell your bosses you want to recruit. They'll admire it and probably help you out.

As a personal experience I will tell you about, I was in the Bynn. When I first starting in the byn, I started at the peak of one of those "up" times. Every day after that, the clan's amount of players went down, down, down, down. It was a lightweight bopper. For the next week, it felt like I was alone in the world and I wanted to quit. Two months later of logging in a max of three hours a day, I started to log in five when I heard a sargeant got promoted. I would hang around taverns, bitch slap people, and just get the bynn name out there.

And as soon as I started doing that, other people started doing that and then all the sudden I was on the wave, it was pushing me.

Then I died, and my next pc saw the bynn rising and rising. And I was trapped in another clan on a down spin.

So keep faith, It will get better. Just wear your damn colors, make everyone know you play in that clan and then other will come. I promise.

[Agent_137 (2L2L)]

I was there along side Maybe42or54, just on the other side of the known world. I am witness to his claim.

[JustThisGuy]

I would say, reading about what you want from this game, you're going to be disappointed.  First off, you're never going to know all the secrets of Zalanthas.  Second of all, given your unquenchable thirst to always be doing something and insatiable curiosity, you're going to die quickly and often.  Bored players are apt to do stupid things (like running up and slapping a mekillot in the middle of the flats, just to have something to brag about).  My longest lived charater (over a year RL) dies for his curiosity as to what "is out there."  He was strong, he was fast, and he died anyway (although not until after a long battle with some nasty bugs).  As others suggested, your best bet is to only log in when you have that PC to RP with.  Consider him your AA sponsor (adventurers anonymous) because he might be the one that keeps you from slapping that mek.  You keep logging on with no one to RP with and get bored, I guarantee you you are going to do something dumb that gets your character killed.  If you want to be strong and know the secrets of the world, expect to weather more than a few droughts of player activity and RP.