An empty tent, in the bazaar, with an IC Board in it.

[jmordetsky]

I see merchants all the time, clanned and indy hanging out in taverns doing business.

Now, I don't have a problem with this. I love PC PC trade. But...

What I would like to see is a centalized place in the bazaar for it. Just a tent, with an IC board that people could hangout in if they wanted to buy or sell materials or goods.

Ideally, it would be great if instead of going to salaar to sell the new shiny mace I just crafted, I could go to the open trading floor at the bazaar and hang out during the day.  At the same time, before going into Salarr to buy a shiny new mace, I could stop into the trading floor to see if anyone was selling one.

The message board would allow people to place IC posts like "A fat dwarf was here selling shiny maces, word around the floor was that he usually around in the early hours of nekrete."


Last but not least, the tent should be big enough to house mounts.

Why?

Well, because I remember back in the day I played a wandering obsidian merchant. I would mine, mine, mine, then I would stock up my Kank and me and my buddy would roll up the Tuluk and sell the rocks at a higher price then we would get in nak where they were more common.

The problem was, our goods were so heavy, we had to set up shop with our kank outside the tavern there and hawk goods. Letting the tent house kanks would let nomads and such trade in heavy goods.


What do you think?

[Marauder Moe]

Why do you need a tent?  Just go to the bazaar, pick a spot, and shout that you're selling something.

[Xygax]

Yeah!  This could be just like the bank in UO!  And people could write scripts for their MUD clients to shout "WTS GM-crafted wooden spear, psi offers.  Also, check out clan website at www.merchants-of-allanak.org!"</sarcasm>

In all seriousness, I don't think a central selling place like this would suit the tone of the game.  If you want to sell in the bazaar, then go there and do that.  Plenty of hawkers spend their days in the bazaar.  But I don't think a communal selling-area like this would work out all that well, ICly.  Taverns come close enough to serving that purpose, I think, for our purposes.

-- X

[Ktavialt]

Yeah!  This could be just like the bank in UO!  And people could write scripts for their MUD clients to shout "WTS GM-crafted wooden spear, psi offers.  Also, check out clan website at www.merchants-of-allanak.org!"

I'm not one that bites the hand that feeds me (ie. thanks for all your work
on the game) but that seemed like a low blow. That sounded like a pretty
generic idea, not ripped off of some other game, whether or not it suits
Allanak. Not like all the merchant houses couldn't have an agent there
looking to knock off anyone that harms their own business.

- Ktavialt

[Xygax]

Oh, I'm not saying it's a rip-off...  I'm just saying I could see the idea sliding in that direction (probably not to that extreme of course, but that's sarcasm for ya).

-- X

[Many Faces]

I'm in support of the tent, but not so much the board.

[jmordetsky]

Yeah!  This could be just like the bank in UO!  And people could write scripts for their MUD clients to shout "WTS GM-crafted wooden spear, psi offers.  Also, check out clan website at www.merchants-of-allanak.org!"</sarcasm>

In all seriousness, I don't think a central selling place like this would suit the tone of the game.  If you want to sell in the bazaar, then go there and do that.  Plenty of hawkers spend their days in the bazaar.  But I don't think a communal selling-area like this would work out all that well, ICly.  Taverns come close enough to serving that purpose, I think, for our purposes.

-- X

Oh, I'm not saying it's a rip-off...  I'm just saying I could see the idea sliding in that direction (probably not to that extreme of course, but that's sarcasm for ya).

-- X

Okay Sarcasm aside, I see your point, but it's Arm and I doubt we will be seeing World Wide Auction shouts anytime soon.

The reason just going to the Bazaar sucks, is that it's like, well, 50 rooms?

So what you are really saying is I should completely limit the chances I have of finding another PC by hanging out in a 50 room span instead of one or two?

<sarcasm> But yea! Thats great, we can all just wander each room of the Bazaar asking random NPCs and PCs we happen to cross paths with if they have the goods we're interested in.

Or maybe I could just macro e;e;shout I'm Selling Gurth Shells!!!" from one side bazaar to the other?

While we're at it, lets make the Bards Barrel as big as the Bazaar and see if more people interact there! Wooo!
</sarcasm>


Because, that would last for like what, 30 seconds? Pretty much the way it does now, and then PCs will post a message on the IC board in the tavern about how they selling bandages or grass or whatever and everyone will meet up there.

As to not having a board on the tent in question, we all know if it doesn't have a board, the posts will go on the tavern board. The idea here is that if you were interested in PC to PC trade, going to the "tent" would become a forced habbit if you wanted to know who was selling what when and where.

[Intrepid]

I'd just stand outside Nenyuk's if I was trying to sell something.

Or go to the Barrel and ask people there.  It's worked like a charm everytime so
far.

[Xygax]

Yeah, standing outside Nenyuk is a great idea, or pick an apartment complex to haunt, or as Intrepid also suggests (and I mentioned above), use one of the taverns.  They're much smaller than 50 rooms.

-- X

[Marauder Moe]

I wouldn't have a problem with OOCly designating one particular section of the bazaar (either just outside the bank or just beyond the entrance) as the "PC market".  It shouldn't be coded with a tent or a board or anything, though.  ICly its the same as the rest of the bazaar.

[jmordetsky]

Taverns don't feel gritty enough to me for large amounts of trade. Plus I don't the owners would love if elves clattering with shells and skins came in just to hawk goods.

I'm thinking of something along the lines of the "Cluttered Salarri Selling Floor" in the north. It would be great to have a room like this open for PC trade.

I mean, it's just a tent until PCs agree that it's a place to do business so I would imagine just picking a room in the bazaar would suit. It's more about the consenus to trade in a spot then it is the coded room.

But the tavern works. *shrug* whatever.

Outside the bank is a really good idea.  Maybe even one of the corners.

[mansa]

I used to stand by the entrances to the bazaars.

[jmordetsky]

I used to stand by the entrances to the bazaars.

Thats sort of my point, you're standing at the entrance, Marauder Moe is near Nenyuk, I'm in the secluded corner (cuz I stink!), if it's not a specific coded place it will always be all over the place and as a result it will generally be the taverns.

Maybe it's better as the taverns as it keeps everyone together.

[Xygax]

Why should the PC population have a place segregated from the NPC population?

-- X

[Intrepid]

Thats sort of my point, you're standing at the entrance, Marauder Moe is near Nenyuk, I'm in the secluded corner (cuz I stink!), if it's not a specific coded place it will always be all over the place and as a result it will generally be the taverns.

Maybe it's better as the taverns as it keeps everyone together.

Also: Never underestimate the power of a bored imm.  Although this has rarely
happened to me, they have done things comparable (but not identical) to bringing in
npcs to haggle for interaction's sake.

[Marauder Moe]

Why should the PC population have a place segregated from the NPC population?

-- X

Playability reasons?

We already do it anyway.  Does Amber company of the Borsail Wyverns have NPC members?  Does Obsidian Fist of the Byn?  Do NPCs ever sit at the coded bars and tables in any of the taverns?  Do NPCs live in any of the automated apartments?

I think designating one room of the bazaar as the PC-trading room is only a minor OOC nudge but would be a great help for PC to PC economy (and get a lot of the trading out of taverns where really it doesn't belong).

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I like the spirit of the OP's post. I encourage more PC to PC sales. However, I, personally, do see the Taverns as a perfect place to do trade. I think it works out well that the Tavern is the place to drink and trade and such. It makes them valuable.

[Xygax]

I disagree with the assertion that trade doesn't belong in taverns.  I also think that, while playability is a goal worth aspiring to, this change would yield a great enough degradation in play -quality- and atmosphere as to be not worth the sacrifice.

-- X

[RunningMountain]

Why should the PC population have a place segregated from the NPC population?

-- X

Don't we already do this with taverns and specific IC rumor boards in the taverns? I don't see anything wrong with the idea. It's the same concept as having rumor boards in the taverns, just in the bazaar and in a specific place where PCs can post and not clutter the rumor boards in the cities with lumber for sale, or obsidian being mined for 50 'sid a piece for PCs, etc.

[jmordetsky]

I disagree with the assertion that trade doesn't belong in taverns.  I also think that, while playability is a goal worth aspiring to, this change would yield a great enough degradation in play -quality- and atmosphere as to be not worth the sacrifice.

-- X

I thought about this, and I think there is merrit to keep trade in the taverns.

I don't feel that this is realistic, (in fact I feel that is utterly unrealistic, especiall when people are selling birds and snakes and food and dung...) but, the original post was for the sake of playability in the spirit of creating more interaction between PCs.

And for the sake of playabilty, it's probably better to leave it in the taverns. Reason being, why have 1/2 the PCs in the tavern and the other half at the trading floor? It would just seperate us more. We're already divided over the Gaj and the Barrel and Traders to the point where we see bored nobles coming to the Barrel, which is generally unrealistic. I would however, never fault them for this as I have been a bored member of the nobility sitting Traders being, well, bored.

That being said, the first time I see a PC merchant getting harassed for hawking goods in the barrel, I'm OOCing Gax's quote.

:twisted:

[Xygax]

Hawking is different than quietly trading in a tavern.

Also, selling birds and dung is not appropriate for taverns, either.

Simply because some people don't know what behavior is appropriate for various areas doesn't mean that all behavior that seems even vaguely like what those people are doing is wrong.

-- X

[jmordetsky]

Also, selling birds and dung is not appropriate for taverns, either.

-- X

Thus the need for a bazaar, taking us back to a discussion of playability, which was the point of the original post.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Go about it in game.

That would be my suggestion.

It wouldn't be that hard, I wouldn't think, and plenty work to occupy an entire character concept.

[John]

I'm in support of the tent, but not so much the board.

Then you're in luck. Kurac sells tents in all of the major towns and cities, so save up enough 'sid and go buy one.

I am dead serious with that suggestion. I got the char idea a couple of days ago to do this very thing myself. I've tried it in the past. It's hard. It's damn hard. But I think it's worth the effort as well. I want to stay entirely IC. So I will. I'll spend the long haul getting a reputation for what goods I sell and where I sell them. I'll tell people where I've set up shop.

As to not having a board on the tent in question, we all know if it doesn't have a board, the posts will go on the tavern board. The idea here is that if you were interested in PC to PC trade, going to the "tent" would become a forced habbit if you wanted to know who was selling what when and where.

Do an experiment. A PC trader that doesn't post on the tavern board. If you try with me, I'm sure PCs will eventually get in the habit of heading to bazaars at different times, looking for PC traders.

Thats sort of my point, you're standing at the entrance, Marauder Moe is near Nenyuk, I'm in the secluded corner (cuz I stink!), if it's not a specific coded place it will always be all over the place and as a result it will generally be the taverns.

I think this is just something you have to train PCs to do. I think having one specific area in the bazaar isn't the best option. I think a better option IS to do it all over the place. And absolutely refuse to sell in taverns "I'm on my break. Piss off. I've had a hard day. I open up in the morning at the bazaar around X if you want to buy from me." There are ways to let the PCs know you're selling in the bazaar. Will your 0 day newbie merchant be able to be really successful? Hell no. But then, he shouldn't be either.

[Xygax]

Unfortunately, the code doesn't allow you to build a "camping tent" in the city.

-- X