So, I am thinking of trying Armageddon.

[Tendrin]

...however, I only have a few hours to play a night and generally late at night. This game seems like something that would eat up a lot of time, and more importantly, require a lot of invested time to get much out of it. Sometimes, I will have more time. Others, I will have less. So I have a couple questions.

1) Is there a significant, late night batch of roleplayers to get involved in? Or is there a general and active enough presence in the late night crowd to make it possible? And by late night, I mean after midnight PST.

2) Are there any groups or organizations that are primarily active at those kinds of hours? And will having more limited time -really- hurt, or just be a serious inconvenience?

Thank you in advance.

[spawnloser]

Most organizations are active primarily during prime time hours.  There are plenty of people active past 12pm, though.  Not as many by far, but there are some.

[Beux]

It's worth the play. I'll be honest, you may not achieve as much, as quickly with less play hours, but you will still achieve over time, and RP can still be very rewarding.

There are players from all around the globe, which means there tends to people on...I find the quietest times tend to be between 10am GMT to about 3/4pm GMT which is well, the early hours of the morning PST time, with about 4-8 player, with peak being around 3am GMT (7pmish PST) with about 60 + players on. It varies though, but really it's your call. Whatever time you play there will be people around, but it might take some effort to find them.

Despite this, I recon Arm is at least worth a try, try it out, and if the times don't suit you then fair enough.

[Tendrin]

Interesting.

I will need to put some thought into exactly what I want to do and how much time I really have to spare for something like this. With my addictive personality type, I can't really risk getting -too- sucked into something right off the bat, either.

My primary hope is to find some kind of in and actually -get- an in, so I'm not stuck kinda wandering. I am sure that I'll be able to locate something, but it's more like I just thought I'd touch the waters here and see what people said about my current situation.

That said, I've been poking around the files and I am hopeful that I'll be able to figure some things out before I get sent back to make a second, third, fourth, or fifth character. Hopefully. ;p

The downside is that it takes me a  good while to make characters I am satisfied with. It's the perfectionist in me. ;p

Thank you for the information. It did help. Perhaps I will see you folks around in game.

[Bluefae]

Welcome to our little shared madhouse.  My own play has waxed and waned, depending primarily on real-life exigencies.  Even occasional play can still be worth the effort, although it's true that a significant investment in time is required for a lot of the "earth-shaking" plots, at least in my experience.

Hope to see you in Zalanthas.  

[Tendrin]

Har!

I'm less interested in getting involved in anything earthshaking anyways, but I do hope to have some minor effect on the storylines, or people involved in the storylines, and I plan to gear my characters accordingly. Like, relatively minor, background support concepts. A would-be sage, for example, or an entertainer. Concepts that will let me flex my RP muscles without really demanding too much in the way of time.

Thank you.

[Tlaloc]

Tendrin, if you're interested in getting 'in' quicker and easier, I suggest doing the following:

1) Read everything in the

Introductory Information Pages.
2) Find a newbie helper, on the Helpers Page
3) Read everything you can in the General Information page, and the Help Files.
4) When you get into the game, get involved/find a job with a clan, regardless of what your playing hours are.[/list]

If you do those things, you'll be able to find your way around the Mud, getting involved pretty quickly, I think. I'd say the biggest hurdle many new players have to face is the whole 'lone wolf' mentality: while playing solo is fine, this game is really about other people, and how your character interacts with them.

Hope that information helps, and good luck with your character! Let me be the first to say:

Welcome to Armageddon!

[Tendrin]

Yar. I plan on going through those things. Mostly, when I say 'in', I was referring to a niche and place in the gameworld more than anything else.

Thanks a bunch!

[Anonymous]

You should be warned though that MUDs, particularly RPI MUDS and on top of the this mud inparticular can get extremely addictive. Eventually,you'll pretty much be sucked into the world and actually 'see' it. The game is not called crackageddon for nothing at times, just something you should keep in mind.

Other then that its pretty fun and catters to most RP desires given the harsh theme setting. I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself once you learn more about the world and its theme.

[Pale Horse]

I'd say the biggest hurdle many new players have to face is the whole 'lone wolf' mentality: while playing solo is fine, this game is really about other people, and how your character interacts with them.

Much truth in this statement, though don't be afraid to solo rp.  Some people get a big kick out of it, and sometimes it's the best way to flesh out your own concept of how your character acts, thinks, talks, ect, before exposeing him/her to the social scene in the game.  I find, IMO, that my characters develop better when I've had plenty of solo rp time to get their mannorisms down so that I'm not constantly thinking "okay..how would he react, this time?"

Also, pay head to the warning of how addictive the game can be.  I've been away for months(one time years) at a time, but I always had the intention of returning, as the game is just so addictive..this is not a word that is used figurativly, as you will find out if you stay long enough.

[Tendrin]

Well aware of the addictive potential of these games, though thank you for the friendly warnings. I really don't have more time than I've offered, though, so it's not something I'm particularly worried about.

Thank you all again for the kind words and help. It's much appreciated. I've got a decent character concept in mind now that I'll toss out there and see what I can do with it, though I doubt I'll last very long at all.

[Beux]

Good luck!

[Cuusardo]

Tendrin, there are plenty of European players here, and most of them are "off peak" players due to the time difference.  There are also some players in the USA who play off peak as well, due to whatever reasons.

And please, please do get in touch with a helper.  They can give you valuable advice, and show you all the little nuances of the game that will help you survive and enjoy your characters.

[jstorrie]

I'd also suggest that if you're playing in off-peak hours you aim for a role that can keep you entertained by your lonesome when necessary. Hunters for merchant houses are great for this.

[Anonymous]

For what it's worth I've probably played no more than 2 hours a week averaged out over the life of my current character.

I think the best thing to do is to either play a city-dwelling hunter or a city-dwelling guard/merchant that belongs to a house, that way you are maximizing your limited time.  If hunting and exploring are your bag then go with the hunter character concept, otherwise stick with roles inside the city that are likely to see you get hired.  Human guards, aides, merchants, etc, because being in a house helps you get the most out of your time if it's limited.

[Tendrin]

Thank you for the advice. It helps!

[Tendrin]

Well, the application is in.

I think I lost the last few lines of my BG, though, when I apped in and I didn't realize until I'd already apped. Doh! Not a big deal, though, I suspect, but I'll probably send an email in or wait and see what they say, as I need to step away for a while anyhow.

Just wanted to thank everyone again for all their kind words and help. Perhaps I will get a chance to roleplay with some of you in the future.

[Akaramu]

otherwise stick with roles inside the city that are likely to see you get hired.  Human guards, aides, merchants, etc, because being in a house helps you get the most out of your time if it's limited.

I disagree with this point of view about city-hired roles.

Clanned characters, especially guards / aides and the likes, are often hired for one reason: To be there for interaction with their superiors, and to drive clan plotlines. If I was a noble who hired a personal bodyguard who also acts as my aide because the Atrium happens to go through a long phase of inactivity, I would be pretty disappointed to find that the PC I just hired to spy, help with tasks, help entertain the lone bored other guard in the same timezone, and help drive plotlines is only active 2 hours a week.

I would find it much better and less frustrating for everyone involved if characters with a very limited amount of playing time stuck to independant crafters, merchants, hunters, etc. You might still get hired for specific tasks, but remain unclanned.

Without reading back, I vaguely remember you mention that you have a few hours a day. That, imho, is fine for most roles in a clan (except maybe very busy aides). 2+ hours at regular times (as in, you play pretty much the same time every day) will make people appreciate having you around in a clan.

[FiveDisgruntledMonkeysWit]

Don't worry about being able to find other players. They're are plenty of off-peak players, supplemented by plain ol' insomniacs like me.
Welcome to Armageddon!

[Ktavialt]

Don't worry about being able to find other players. They're are plenty of off-peak players, supplemented by plain ol' insomniacs like me.
Welcome to Armageddon!

Word.

[Jherlen]

If you can find a clan whose players match your playing times, definitely join it. If you can only play a few hours a week, that's fine, as long as you know your clanmates will likely be on during those few hours.

Don't just jump into the first clan you see - wait around a bit until you notice which PCs you meet up with often, and then try and join up with them. If they don't have a clan, maybe you can be independent partners or something.

Good luck and welcome to the game!

[Tendrin]

Yeah.

I think my largest concern here is, out of necessity, needing to wind up involved with the same people over and over again with the lethality of the game is reputed to have. I'll just have to play it by ear to some extent.

[Tendrin]

Well, I'm approved and connected. Here's hoping I live long enough to learn a thing or two.

[Gimfalisette]

Yeah.

I think my largest concern here is, out of necessity, needing to wind up involved with the same people over and over again with the lethality of the game is reputed to have. I'll just have to play it by ear to some extent.

When your character dies, start a new character in a different location. That will largely take care of the "winding up involved with the same people over and over again" issue. Especially if your character lives any length of time at all--character turnover is so high, if you spend an RL month in one city before going back to the other, you'll see plenty of new faces.