The 'rinth - does it need more?

[Hymwen]

My previous character was a 'rinther, and while it was interesting to see the place, I found a lot of things lacking. Most of this was caused by a lack of players, which in turn I believe is due to the following problems:

There's very little to do in the 'rinth if you don't have PCs to interact with. This is a double problem, since what little 'rinther PCs exist at a given time usually hang out in the Gaj or the Barrel, causing the next PC to notice this lack of PC activity, and do the same or play something else. So without PC interactions, your choices pretty much amount to exploring, which is quickly over as the 'rinth is very very small.

Lots of things can't be found in the 'rinth at all. It has always been my impression that 'rinthers are meant to stick primarily to the 'rinth unless they have a specific reason to go outside. However, something as simple as food and water does not exist in the 'rinth save for one place which is somewhat inaccessible for most 'rinthers.

The area itself is, in my opinion, very boring. Save for a handful of special and a few hidden locations, and the two taverns, it's just alleys with mostly the same room descriptions. It reminded me of a game of Pacman where you just wander around and see nothing but "the figure in the dark, hooded cloak is standing here". Like I said above, there's pretty much nothing to do, especially since attacking NPCs is generally frowned upon.

The above problems, I believe, are the reasons why there's so few 'rinthers, and the ones that are spend most of their time outside of the 'rinth, something that the documentation says that you definitely shouldn't. I understand why people do that, and I did it myself as well, because there simply is nothing to do within the 'rinth if you don't have some PC interaction. And while I played a 'rinther, there was no elven tribe so no conflict RP, and I was bored out of my mind.

I don't have the ideas to solve all these problems, but I have a few, and I'd like to hear yours as well. What I'd like to see:

:arrow: More items available in the 'rinth. Flour, grey/muddy water, bad meat and fruits and other items that current 'rinthers are forced to leave the 'rinth to get.
:arrow: More interesting areas within the 'rinth, with things to do even if there are no PCs around at the moment.
:arrow: More spice trade, and with some cheaper, crappier kinds of spice; the prices they have now are ridiculous considering that this is the 'rinth.
:arrow: Not sure if this already happens, but I didn't see any of it: more staff interaction within the 'rinth. Stir up a gang war once a week, bring in a mysterious threat once in a while, have the occasional building collapse and reveal a previously hidden top floor which still has ancient furniture and funny antiques for whoever finds it first - basically anything new and interesting instead of the empty, silent alleys that we have now.

I wanna hear your ideas too, and I believe that if something's done, the 'rinth will get a few more players, and hopefully they'll stay inside the 'rinth more, meaning the next 'rinther decides to stay, and the next, and the next, and suddenly it's actually worth playing there. I'd love to play a 'rinther again if something was done, but I was honestly bored out of my mind - there were perhaps four active 'rinth PCs when I played, all of whom spent most of their time outside the 'rinth because nothing ever happened inside.

Edited out some stuff that might have been too IC

[mansa]

I like the 'rinth.

I think that the labyrinth needs more players in order to make it feel extra special.

And, to solve that problem, is to recruit your friends and family to play!

[Larrath]

I agree about the food and water in the 'rinth.  There should be rotten and half-eaten fruits, moldy bread and leathery meat to eat on, and the prices should be realistic.
It's silly that 'rinthis are supposed to be made poor by the high costs of food in the 'rinth, since it provides even more encouragement to just leave the 'rinth and buy some flour.

I want to see more jobs in the 'rinth, similar to obsidian mining.  It could be clearing rubble, or maybe even special NPCs with scripts that would allow them to be mugged somehow.  I'd like to see more apartments in the 'rinth that can be broken into (and containing NPCs) and interconnecting alleys.  Also, maybe leaving the 'rinth simply needs to become harder somehow - there must be a reason why most 'rinthis never go Southside.  It could be an Allanaki initative to keep the 'rinth clear - going in or out through the main road has a 100 'sids way tax.

I'd like to see more wandering NPC vendors, especially with spice.

A waterseller of some sort could also be great.  And lastly, I'd also like to see magickers become more of a menace inside the 'rinth.  Not just the odd PC magicker that hides there, but as a threeway war between the Westside, the Eastside and the Magickside.

At the moment, the 'rinth has a four or five commonly known 'safe rooms' that aren't -really- safe.  I'd like to see more of these rooms appear, especially in interconnecting alleys so it could truly be possible to disappear in the tangles of the 'rinth.  A few roads inside the 'rinth could be nice as well - small, neat roads that are maintained and used by various gangs, mostly for purposes of trade.

Last thing, I'd like to see more redundancy in the available shops.  The 'rinth should have a merchant selling a few raw materials for crafting, a few basic supplies, and a few Fence shopkeepers so stolen goods don't always have to end up in the same place.

Also, rats and cockroaches of varying sizes.  I'd love to see a couple of gortok-sized cockroaches scuttling through the 'rinth.  Maybe even bats if they belong.

Way-taxes for going to various points could be cool, really.  Like, an Eastsider could pass through the Westside safely if he paid an unreasonable protection fee.  That would also help make the distinction between the powerful 'rinthis and the normal 'rinthis.

[Intrepid]

I think it needs SimRinth, brought to you by our favorite Halaster.

One of many cool idea he has on his list.  Other than that, I think it's good.

[Aldiel]

Some solid ideas you guys.

[ThirdEye]

The 'rinth is fun, but it could definently use something to keep you busier, and enjoy yourself more. Those ideas were great....My opinion anyway.

[Anonymous]

...I'd also like to see magickers become more of a menace inside the 'rinth.  Not just the odd PC magicker that hides there, but as a threeway war between the Westside, the Eastside and the Magickside.

the fiery-eyed, fiery-haired man crosses his middle fingers and forks the rest of his fingers towards the ground.

the fiery-eyed, fiery-haired man says, in rinth-accented sirihish:
    "Magick side represent! Word."

[naatok]

Just my schmoe opinion, but if I was a 'rinth rat of the typical sort, I would move the hell out if magickers and other, similar weirdo creepy slime balls were wreaking havoc on a regular basis.  Dunno where I'd go though.  I mean...when da 'rinth becomes unlivable for the poorest of the poor...where the hell do they go?!

What the 'rinth needs are pcs who are willing to be total pimp-ass fly 'hood gansta types with flashy hand signs who hang out together and do run-by crossbow shootings and knife throwings on rivals, beat the snot out of others stupid enough to wander into their 'turf' and come up with some nich of nefarious activities as a realistic reason why they have a 'turf' inna 'rinth in the first place.

It doesn't take alot of code.  It takes alot of imagination.

[Intrepid]

I mean...when da 'rinth becomes unlivable for the poorest of the poor...where the hell do they go?!

Red Storm?

Anyway, magickers could conceivably go to the Rinth for the same reasons anyone
else would--or a magicker could have been born there.

In any event, I would think any rinthi magicker should either be ungemmed or on
the run from the law in southside.

Or both.

[Kalden]

Red Storm?

Good one.

I'd like to a lot more diversity, personality, flavor in the 'rinth room descriptions, as well as the NPCs, but I've given up on asking for it.

[Synthesis]

The gang signs thrown for East, West and Magick sides could get extremely confusing, since all three of them can be performed by crossing your middle and ring fingers and extending your pinky and index finger.

You'd have to be -very- careful about your wrist and elbow placement.

[Bushranger]

I think that the labyrinth needs more players in order to make it feel extra special.

Since Mansa feels that The Labyrinth needs more players in order to make it feel extra special I am going to send my next application for a character to fulfil Mansa's wish. Let me know how this character sounds:

Name: Jareth
Keywords: tall blonde cruel human Goblin-King
Short desc: the tall, blonde Goblin-King
Long desc: The tall, blonde Goblin-King sings and dances here.
Description:
   Tall and proud, this lithely built man has well groomed blonde hair kept in immaculate style. His agile, supple body is that of a dancer and is complemented with the soft dulcet tones of a singers voice. He glows with a regal aura, as if constantly backlit to increase the dramatic mood.

Height: 78  (inches) and Weight: 7 (ten-stone)
Race: Human
Guild: Sorcerer and Subguild: Bard

Biography:
   Jareth rules over the denizens of The Labyrinth, stealing babies and turning them into goblins. He revels in his cruel, supreme power and enjoys singing, dancing and luring beautiful young teens into the labyrith. He can often be heard saying, "You remind me of the babe!" and "It's only forever, not long at all." not to mention "So, the Labyrinth is a piece of cake, is it? Well, let's see how you deal with this little slice...", the catchy phrase he uses when one of the young teens gets ahead of herself. His goals in life are simple, all he wants is for everyone to just fear him, love him and do as he says.