Request for Feedback

[Sanvean]

I'm putting together a doc for nobles that should provide information helpful for RP-ing one. If you've had experience with this and want to provide input, please do! If it's IC sensitive, private message or email it to me. If it's not, feel free to add it to this thread (but let me know your account name, so I can credit you as a contributor).

Questions that I'd especially like feedback on:

What's the most difficult thing about running a noble? The easiest?

What sort of actions on the part of a noble make you go, "woah, okay, that guy doesn't know what he's doing, why'd they give him that role?"

What do you think the responsiblities of a noble are?

If you ran a noble, what questions didn't get answered for you beforehand that you would have liked to have seen answered? Would you run a noble again? Why or why not?

Along the same lines, what would you have liked to have seen included in the noble documentation? Was there anything in there that shouldn't have been?

Which noble house or houses would you prefer to run a noble in - and why?

[deviant storm]

I played Borsail noblewomen twice, though I found I really didn't enjoy the role (had to go back and try again just to make sure that second time).

What did I like about the roles? The power, though the temptation was there to be very heavyhanded. But then, that's the way Borsail are :twisted: . That and the large amount of sids. Hey, I like to shop.

What did I dislike? Not enough to do, as my characters didn't seem to have any real responsibilities, ic, to attend to. No duties of their own. In an ooc way it was all of us nobles' responsibility to see that the people we hired were kept busy and got lots of chances to rp. Which is very hard to balance with keeping the noble ic as possible, at times.

I would like, at least in that particular house, for the duties to be more...compartmentalized. Have one noble who specializes in the planning of dirty deeds for the house. While another be the embassador to other houses. And another handle the slave sales, etc.

Perhaps this would not work. Every noble likes to scheme for power, within their house as well as bringing/keeping their House into the higher ranks of esteem.

Keep in mind, things may be different now. But that is what I perceived during my brief times as a noble.

Does this answer any of those questions?

Deviant Storm

I have a comment, I find that house tor and oash are almost the exact same. Do we really need them both? Tor is clearly more prominant. Now I've never had a char in either house so I feel my opinion is clearly of a neutral party.

Theres alot of players in oash, I think that we could easily concentrate the player base somewhere actually important. If someone has a reason to join oash, change to reason to join tor... or something else.

-I got no beef against anyone in there, I just don't like the whole thing, just because.

[Bakha]

I have a comment, I find that house tor and oash are almost the exact same. Do we really need them both? Tor is clearly more prominant. .

Do you mean by your question:

1. Do they both need to be open to PCs?
or
2. Does Allanak ICly need them both?

Number 1 is debatable.  Number 2 the answer is a resounding yes.  Oash has domain over mercantile operations in Allanak.  Tor is responsible for the Highlord's army. Two wholly separate things.  As for which is more prominent, if you only take PC presence into account, then perhaps Tor is.  However, in virtual power and social standing, that might not be the case.


Cheers,
Bakha

[Bakha]

What's the most difficult thing about running a noble? The easiest?

Difficult:
I'd say dealing with boredom.  When there is nothing going on for hours on end in the Trader's, it is oh-so-tempting to sneak down to the Gaj for some "action" when it might not be the most IC thing for your PC to do. Secondarily is organizing your hirelings.  If you can find a good second-in-command this becomes very easy. However, if you don't have a capable second, it can be a real pain to keep everyone involved and entertained. Lastly is dealing with newbies that don't understand Allanaki society. Nothing quite like having a newbie run in, start insulting you, spit on you, emote slapping you, and just have to sit helplessly by until a Templar or a PC guard shows up.

Easy:  
POWER! No, it's great working in politics. I enjoyed it immensely.

What sort of actions on the part of a noble make you go, "woah, okay, that guy doesn't know what he's doing, why'd they give him that role?"

This is a personal peeve, and shouldn't reflect staff opinion, but I really don't like it whenever nobles act like rich commoners. I want nobles to have the mindframe of superiority through and through. I think it is natural to their breeding. It seems all too common for people to play the enlightened noble that sees people based on their personal merit, not on their lineage.

What do you think the responsiblities of a noble are?

1. Serve as shining examples of the caste system and its implications.
2. Keep underlings entertained and involved.
3. Generate conflict and plots.

If you ran a noble, what questions didn't get answered for you beforehand that you would have liked to have seen answered? Would you run a noble again? Why or why not?

I'll answer the first part below.  As for did I enjoy it?  Absolutely.  I love the noble I ran, which was my last prominent PC before joining staff. It was incredibly enjoyable for me. Do I think it's for everyone? No way. It involved hours and hours of sitting around not doing much at all except waiting on underlings to report back. However, it matched my playtimes and playing style.

Along the same lines, what would you have liked to have seen included in the noble documentation? Was there anything in there that shouldn't have been?

1. Greater detail on the who the various representatives to the Senate are, as they should be prominent figures within the noble scene.
2. More detail on relationships between the houses.
3. Greater detail on what goes on with city government (even if it were just virtual detail).

[quote
Which noble house or houses would you prefer to run a noble in - and why?[/quote]

I really enjoyed Oash, but I don't want to go into the why and how of it for fear of spoiling IC secrets. It was a good experience, though and incredibly fun.

Cheers,
Bakha

[mansa]

What's the most difficult thing about running a noble? The easiest?

I've never run a noble, but, have ran other positions in power.

Difficult - Probably getting your plans into action.  Trusting the right people.  That's really hard, when you really want something to happen, but don't want to give your dream over to another

Easiest - Dunno.  Mudsex.

What sort of actions on the part of a noble make you go, "woah, okay, that guy doesn't know what he's doing, why'd they give him that role?"

Hmm.  Well.  This is sorta hard to say.  Maybe going in the 'rinth.

What do you think the responsiblities of a noble are?

To create conflict within the game.  To create someone others love and die for, or others hate and die for.  To have someone rich that thieves steal off of.

If you ran a noble, what questions didn't get answered for you beforehand that you would have liked to have seen answered? Would you run a noble again? Why or why not?

Didn't play a noble.  (Yet)

Along the same lines, what would you have liked to have seen included in the noble documentation? Was there anything in there that shouldn't have been?

I haven't seen that noble's documentation.  Actually I have, I lied.

I'd like to have a little bit more information in the 'Legal Issues' area, for nobles.  To find out what they can and cannot do.  What happens if noble X kills noble Y, or what if noble X kills noble Z.  Examples like that.

Which noble house or houses would you prefer to run a noble in - and why?

I wanna play a House Jal noble!
Why?  Because they are the lowest house, in Allanak, at least.  A politician that has no voice... and his quest to find one.

[Impska]

What's the most difficult thing about running a noble? The easiest?

The most difficult tends to be boredom, although I think people reacting unrealistically to your character's rank was especially annoying for me.

Getting plans off the ground to alleviate noble and employee boredom was extremely difficult in the house I played in. I feel I should qualify this, though, and say there are possible ic reasons for the opposition the noble pcs in our house faced from the staff, we weren't the richest house. But given this, it seemed there was a general response to anything we came up with that went along the lines of, "You're not expected to do anything, so stop trying". As a result, most pc's in the House ended up in dead-ends with their characters, became apathetic and retired or suicided.

Easiest? I really couldn't say... I didn't play a traditional noble. Nothing was easy about it.

What sort of actions on the part of a noble make you go, "woah, okay, that guy doesn't know what he's doing, why'd they give him that role?"

I think the "woah" effect is mostly generated by boredom rather than most people not knowing what they're doing, but I suppose one could say that if they did know what they were doing, they wouldn't be bored! There's a certain amount of pride I expect from nobles, and a certain degree of discretion.

What do you think the responsiblities of a noble are?

Give an active presence to your house in your city and give employees stuff to do.

If you ran a noble, what questions didn't get answered for you beforehand that you would have liked to have seen answered? Would you run a noble again? Why or why not?

It's hard to say for sure what questions didn't get answered. Any questions I did come up with were answered, but it's hard to ask questions about the position when you don't know what to expect. I suppose a lot of noble-runners could use more feedback about what they're supposed to do. None of these vague "get involved" answered or "create a plot", because most people don't know -what- is appropriate to get involved with, or how to create a plot, and what it should consist of.

Would I play one again? Possibly. Probably not. I guess if I got inspired.

Which noble house or houses would you prefer to run a noble in - and why?

Oash has always been my favorite, though I've never actually run a noble in it before. Maybe this is a kick back from my newbie days, but Oash was always the house with the scariest atmosphere. The creepy nobles live there.  :twisted:  

So, also in response to the previous statement that Tor and Oash are the same - No way. Tor is military, serious, routine/work-intensive. They are the experts of war. Generals in armies have been trained by Tor, or -are- Tors. As for Oash, they're equally serious, but concentrated on trade. I picture them a bit more studious, they don't focus on war tactics, but rather on a broader education. Of the nobles, I would picture Oash as the "researchers", they would be publishing scientific papers in the Allanaki Scientific Journal, if there was one. They do, afterall, have the funding for that type of curiosity, and "trade" tends to lead to time on their hands. This is obviously just my impression of the Houses, and certainly not devoid of exception. It would be nice to see Oash pcs given more of a role with trade relations in Allanak. All of the houses have "jobs" and they should be allowed to do them, and given some support with it.

Thanks for reading - I think this ended up a bit lengthy!

[Dan]

Sorry... but you forgot Uaptal! Noble House Uaptal!

Other than that, I've never played in a Noble house, only merchant ones. Or one rather.

[Noah]

What's the most difficult thing about running a noble? The easiest?

Like most others, I'd have to say the boredom.  Due to the things you're expected to do as a noble, a lot of waiting is involved.  Didn't bother me much, but I can see how it would make things difficult for some players.


What sort of actions on the part of a noble make you go, "woah, okay, that guy doesn't know what he's doing, why'd they give him that role?"

Things I dislike about some Nobles:
-Hanging out in the Gaj, and expecting the whole room to stand up and bow.
-Interaction between Noble and Low-ranking Commoner.  In a clan with ranks including cadet/recruit, private, corporal, sergeant, etc. all the way up to captain, having a noble befriend a private simply doesn't make sense (even if most of the players in the clan happen to be low rank, the virtual numbers are still there.  This too ties in with the boredom point, as not interacting with the majority of the players does take away much to do)
-Disregard of rank.  This is related to the previous point.  I -hate- seeing Nobles use their players for long-term guard duty during tavern-sitting periods, especially players of high rank.  I -hate- seeing Nobles using high-ranking NPCs as guards (Borsail in particular).  Privates/grunts are there for a reason, so use them.  Ranks are implemented for a reason.  Officers have their rank because they lead well, not because they stand exceptional guard duty.  I especially like Oash in this regard, because it separates their guards further into "Elite" and "regular".  Even though "regular" may not hold much room for PCs, virtually it would be the number-dominant side of things, and most NPCs would fall into this category.  Elites are treated (or should be treated) as more of a specialized task force for the House.  Unfortunately, I have seen Oash Nobles abuse this and have their high-ranking minions stand guard duty.  I've even seen them use PCs not even hired on as guards, being used for guard duty.  To sum it all up: I hate a Noble who could say "Hello, this is my personal bodyguard, Captain Joe Blow of my Elite Task Force.  No, he doesn't have any other pressing duties to tend to because I'm too incompetant to give him any tasks more suitable to his rank."


What do you think the responsiblities of a noble are?

To be a mini-immortal?  To enrich the playing world for commoners, to drive plots and storylines, to circulate coins through the PC population including such groups like the T'Zai Byn, and have their own clan's PCs as central figures in their plots as often as possible.


If you ran a noble, what questions didn't get answered for you beforehand that you would have liked to have seen answered? Would you run a noble again? Why or why not?

It took me quite some time before I was introduced to any NPC's names involved around my Noble's estates.  It's difficult to act like a part of the family when you don't even know who's in your family.  Once said-clan immortal found out I didn't know these things, it was fixed quickly.  I guess it was just an oversight on both of our parts, while I was creating the character.


Along the same lines, what would you have liked to have seen included in the noble documentation? Was there anything in there that shouldn't have been?

Greater detail in the overall government of Allanak, mainly the House's working relationships with the other Houses.  Noble and Merchant Houses both included.  Obviously, relationships can and should be developed by PCs, but there are things that are simply in-place virtually that any new Noble should be aware of.


Which noble house or houses would you prefer to run a noble in - and why?

House Oash.  In my experiences, while seemingly one of the most simple Houses on the outside, it has unbelievable depth if you do things properly.

[Noah]

Just a quick follow-up to my previous post, regarding Nobles' disregarding of rank...  If you have PC-guard leaders in your clan, USE THEM!  I'd like to see "Lieutenant, assemble your men and perform xxxxx task.".  All too often, Nobles insist on becoming the Lieutenants themselves, assigning each individual private and cadet with specified tasks and overseeing everything.  If you're interested in doing that, Nobles, then why on Zalanthas are you paying someone a Lieutenant's salary?

I don't know how to put a quote in right and all that, so oh well.

In responce to Bakha's note, I beleive that it doesn't need to be open to players. Surely allanak couldn't just kill off a noble house without anyone noticing. As for prominence, its not how many players are in it or its social standing, its the impact made upon pc's. Everyone hears about tor this and tor that, but every once in a while oash makes a note about recruiting.

Just wondering if anyone feels the same way.[/quote]

[Gem]

Feedbacks
What's the most difficult thing about running a noble? The easiest?
Difficult:  Many things.  I haven't played a noble, but I encountered what I imagine are similar difficulties as a high-ranking PC.  
Primarily, they are:  
1.  Recruiting - not many people will come to Trader's looking for jobs, and nobles/high ranking servants shouldn't go in Gaj.  Ideally, they'd have underlings to do that work, but in most situations, they didn't.  For those people who aren't ready for noble characters, playing a mediumish-ranking guard or servant might be ideal - then nobles have someone somewhat trustworthy to do the recruiting (among other activities).
2.  Finding things to do for the underlings.  Sometimes, you're just in a situation where the noble and their underlings have to remain in city for a long period of time.  It gets tiresome just sparring and/or sitting in Gaj.  
The same applies to the nobles themselves.  Although most are involved on the political level, it does not require that 100% of their total concentration.  I've seen a number of nobles sitting around doing nothing for hours at time.
3.  Also, I've found that some nobles are wary of reacting to subordinate PCs.  There have been instances where commoners should have been punished, but weren't.  I highly suspect that half of the time, it was because the noble char was OOCly uncomfortable/afraid of causing harm to another character (The other half being, s/he had ulterior motives for not doing anything).  
Easy:
There's nothing easy about playing a noble, I don't think.  It requires a large amound of patience, thought, cunning, and again, patience, mainly on OOC level.

What sort of actions on the part of a noble make you go, "woah, okay, that guy doesn't know what he's doing, why'd they give him that role?"
Typically, I think that when I see characters who aren't playing the role of a noble well.  I want to reiterate a good example, but it's probably too IC.  Mainly those who do not participate on the political level, or wander into the rinth alone, out of the city, befriend commoners on a regular basis (as opposed to doing that just to use them), etc.

What do you think the responsiblities of a noble are?
On IC level - the responsiblities should fit with the goals of the house.  More money, undermining their opponents (be it other prominent houses, north/south, or certan organizations), using people to attain the goals, etc.
On OOC level - they should be to try make things interesting for themselves and for other players, both within and outside of the house.  Nobles should be actively recruiting PCs to further their goals (but not so many that the other houses don't get the chance to hire PCs).  That said, I think having strife and tension between a house or two is fun.  Having everyone play as if things are hunky-dory just gets boring.

If you ran a noble, what questions didn't get answered for you beforehand that you would have liked to have seen answered? Would you run a noble again? Why or why not?
For a certain house I was a part of (I hope the IMMs will know which I'm referring to - if not, PM me), a problem we had for over a year was we didn't have access to the clan page at all.  I had to learn about a large amount of information about inner-workings of the house by badgering other members as well as the clan imm for information.  I imagine that didn't make me a favorite.  =P

Along the same lines, what would you have liked to have seen included in the noble documentation? Was there anything in there that shouldn't have been?
Last I saw of the clan page, it didn't include very much background information on the NPCs within the house.  Nothing on who the head(s) of the house was, their personalities/quirks, etc.  Also, some documents on the basic "public" businesses of the house would have been useful, and the current state of relationships with other houses.

Which noble house or houses would you prefer to run a noble in - and why?
I just loved playing in Oash.  I've had a few grunt characters in Oash already, and am hooked on it.  When I get a chance, I'm hoping to play an Oash noble later.  

Comments for some of the previous posters:  Oash is not wholly a military house, and I do believe it is necessary to keep them open as a part of Allanak.  And if whoever suggested that has a problem with that, please feel free to PM me. *grins*  I agree with most of Impska's sentiments, so I won't repeat them here.  That said, let me add - for those of you who think Oash and Tors are just military houses who just march their pc soldiers and servants around...  You are sadly mistaken.  Far more goes on 'behind the scene' than what you see publicly.

Now I think about it, that could probably be why people are somewhat disillusioned with being part of the houses lately.  They don't see the behind-the-scene part, and playing grunts that are stuck in a city can get tiresome.  So I'll advocate my previous point - tension, strife, hatred, bitching between houses would probably stir things up and make it more interesting.

Also.  I would like to see the Fale house brought back, at least temporarily - on an experimental basis.  From what I've read of the Fales, the original premise behind that house was they were to be the patrons of the arts.  Their nobles aren't/shouldn't be buffoons.  I know it's difficult to find people who are interested in RP'ing bardic/jester/actor types - as well as find people who are willing to listen and watch them.  I suggest that it start slowly - one noble, one or two underlings (the said bards), and re-integrate them back into Allanak.
The reason I think they should be brought back:  As of late, the focus seems to be on military and political activities.  Entertainment should play a huge role in both nobles and commoners' lives.  This could be done on a temporary basis, to see how well people receive it.

[Noah]

To N/A:

You're simply wrong about the Tor and Oash.  If you've been playing military/combat related PCs, then you'll obviously hear more of Tor, because they are the militant House in Allanak.  But as for prominence, Oash is simply higher up in the chain.  Period.

That doesn't change the fact that the game doesn't need it as a house. We got rid of fail -thank god- and I don't see how getting rid of one more could hurt. For all its social standing, the only thing I ever saw an oash do to affect -anything- was challange someone else to the death. Such challange was not accepted, so there you go. Oash are useless  :twisted:

[Laeris]

Sorry... but you forgot Uaptal! Noble House Uaptal!

Other than that, I've never played in a Noble house, only merchant ones. Or one rather.

Uaptal is a Tuluki Noble House that isn't open to pcs at the moment and thus wouldn't fall within the boundaries of this discussion.  But I'm impressed you recalled them.

[deviant storm]

About the Oash. I never played one, but I know for a fact they were doing a lot behind the scenes. I had good sources in my day. :twisted:

Tor was and probably still is a busy household. I don't agree with closing any of them down. I like the fact that lots of people have enjoyed playing around those houses

[Fedaykin]

Of course, when it comes to noble houses of either city state, I don't think anyone could hold a candle to the old school Reynoltes.  They had style.

As far as the questions, the only thing I'll comment on is "What do you think the responsiblities of a noble are?"

I think the main responsibility of a noble is to increase their house's and their personal power, wealth and standing relative to all others.  In most, but perhaps not all cases, to remain loyal to their God-King and city state by doing what they can for both.  To undermine through any means their rival city state, and the houses and organizations within it.

[Gem]

That doesn't change the fact that the game doesn't need it as a house. We got rid of fail -thank god- and I don't see how getting rid of one more could hurt. For all its social standing, the only thing I ever saw an oash do to affect -anything- was challange someone else to the death. Such challange was not accepted, so there you go. Oash are useless  :twisted:

As I said.  A lot goes on behind the scene.  Most people playing outside of the house, or even as a low-ranking oash member, would not have seen much.

[Eternal]

I've played a few nobles, though I tend to find templars more my style.  Still, I'll have a whack at it.  

What's the most difficult thing about running a noble? The easiest?

The most difficult thing has to be organizing pc's.  Players have a hard time living by hard-and-fast rules when the average lifespan seems to be measured in weeks or months.  They die often, so anything you try to do on a grand scale (which is most noble scales) needs to be dependent only on you, with expected support from a (possibly random and everchanging) cast of pc associates.
The easiest thing seems to be interaction.  Whether they're spitting at you, bowing and scraping before you, or trying to rip (or knock) you off, interaction -comes- to nobles.  It comes when you're not expecting or looking for it, and playing a noble requires you to "roll with the punches" much more than most commoners.

What sort of actions on the part of a noble make you go, "woah, okay, that guy doesn't know what he's doing, why'd they give him that role?"

Whoa... wow... this is like asking me what my biggest list of pet peeves are.  Here we go.  I truly dislike nobles who act as though they were rich commoners.  Hanging out with lower forms of life (elementalists, elves, etc.) "slumming it" and just generally having fun with the dregs of society.  Amusingly, it seems that about 50% of the ones who do this also expect a bow from everyone, including passing templars.  (A templar thread along these lines would be nice too, neh?)
I once had a noble's player tell me ooc:  "Well, the only reason I don't go to the Trader's and rp instead of the Gaj is because there's no one there."  That speaks for itself.

What do you think the responsiblities of a noble are?

Of course, not everything a noble does is ooc information, so I'm going to stick to the very generic things.  Nobles fulfill a role of the elitist semi-ruling body in the city-states.  They are the haves in a world of have-nots, and the only sense of nobless oblige that they are beholden to is other nobles.  Because they have such a unique role in society, I believe it is necessary for them to have a much higher standard of roleplay, be it both character development (NOT ADVANCEMENT... DEVELOPMENT) and interaction with others.  Many times people -like- to have their elves forced to lick the boots of a noble that they just stumbled over, it's ic.  It's roleplay.  It's expected.

If you ran a noble, what questions didn't get answered for you beforehand that you would have liked to have seen answered? Would you run a noble again? Why or why not?

I have had no problem getting set up with any of my noble chars, and the docs were all fairly straightforward.  There are some more esoteric things, like whether or not certain npc's could perform their tasks (i.e. if a vivaduan npc could create wine, etc.) that I had to find out for my own, but other than that, it was fairly nice.  I will always play another noble, I love that scene.

Which noble house or houses would you prefer to run a noble in - and why?

This all depends on my mood, and the character that comes into my mind after losing my current one.

Borsail - I love the haughtiness that the BEST have to offer.  They lead because they are most fit to lead.  Always fun for me.

Oash - Always something to strive for, being second best and working hand in hand with the city templars is something not to be missed.

Tor - WAR... what is it good for?  House Tor embodies the classic combination of nobility and military, they are the black knights in shining scorpioned-emblazoned armor.

Fale - I've played a couple of these, each more nutty than the last.  Anything goes, just remember that sometimes having no goals is an exhausting goal in and of itself.

The Others - They make good backgrounds for templars, but I don't see much interaction for the other Houses, some being busied in the affairs of others (e.g. Kasix/Borsail) and others being quite tedious (Do you want to oversee sewer detail as Lord Jal?).

[ShaLeah]

Seeing as I have never played a noble I am forced to form an opinion on interacting with them only so here goes.



What sort of actions on the part of a noble make you go, "woah, okay, that guy doesn't know what he's doing, why'd they give him that role?"

It has to be the slumming.  I understand the need to hire peons, I understand the reason to interact with them and give them things to do, hell, I even understand taking on a concubine.  What I do not understand is that these nobles are actually loyal to them.

Another thing is the tavern syndrome.  They should not be that accessible, I don't care how bored they are.


What do you think the responsiblities of a noble are?

1) Hire a staff of competent and incompetent peons.
2) Show the entire population that they are right to despise the blue bloods.
3) Plot.
4) Kill.
5) Maim.
6) Destroy, then gracefully rebuild and take the credit.
7) Smoke Spice.
Populate the world with more blue bloods.
9) Kiss higher up ass.
10) Never let anyone, anyone know how they really are.  Appearances are everything with a noble.

Which noble house or houses would you prefer to run a noble in - and why?

Some of the more less known Houses.  Why do we have so many but don't utilize them?  I would personally -love- to see some of the more obscure Houses make themselves known.

Further more, I am beginning to think that nobles should be treated as templars, they should be done by request primarily (note I didn't say only before people start to whine) by an Imm request.  It would be great if an Imm would say 'Hey, I need this and this sort of character' and then approach someone they know would play the role well.

I personally would never apply for a templar, not sure if I would a noble. I just don't think I am ready, I don't know the game politics and intricacies well enough to fake the funk and I tend t o get upset when my vision clashes with someone elses and that someone else is higher up.  

Last, Imms, please, be involved in your clan.  I -know- that you guys have RL's, that you have more than one clan to take care of, that you have many areas to make grow but if you can't be involved to the point where you know everything that is going on, then hire a secretary.  
Imm involvement is crucial.


ShaL
-who will shut her mouth now.

[Bakha]

Last, Imms, please, be involved in your clan.  I -know- that you guys have RL's, that you have more than one clan to take care of, that you have many areas to make grow but if you can't be involved to the point where you know everything that is going on, then hire a secretary.  :)
Imm involvement is crucial.

ShaL
-who will shut her mouth now.

Great advice and as a supplement to this advice:

Players, please, keep your imms informed about the goings-on in your clans.  I know, from when I was a player, that I thought the staff just magickally knew everything that I did.  This is very likely not the case. Unless you're being monitored by your imm at all times or unless what you're doing involves another clan in such a way that your actions are brought to the attention of your clan imm, it's very likely that your imm is clueless as to what exactly you're up to. Keep your clan imm informed. Mail your staffer a weekly updated of what you're up to, who you've killed, who you're PC is in love with, who your PC is working again, who your PC is allied with.  This kind of weekly update (or even monthly update) will do wonders in keeping your clan imm working to get your PC involved in plots both in and out of the clan.

Cheers,
Bakha

[Callisto]

Just a note on the Tor VS Oash issue: The problem is that House Tor is looking to be too much like Oash. House Tor is supposed to be the military elite and the nobles don't seem at all inclined to play that out to any serious degree - its all politics, cloaks and daggers. If House Tor actually made use of is Academy and payed more attention to actively recruiting soldiers, you would see the difference. As it is, House Tor's military aspects are all virtual.

House Oash is doing exactly what House Oash is supposed to be doing, and I'll leave it at that since what they -really- do should be found out ICly.

[Master Z]

What's the most difficult thing about running a noble? The easiest?

Only problem I've had is being able to play long enough to get done all the things my noble has to do. If I played 10 hours a day, that'd be ok. But I'm impressed that the hours I play (0-2 per day) actually seems to be enough. It depends highly on the role.

Another hard part is getting IC for someone stuck up. No one wants to play a meany, but you really have to have a sense of supiriority even if you are nice guy noble.

Easiest? Getting involved in plots. Easiest for a noble than any other character I've played, and its great.

What sort of actions on the part of a noble make you go, "woah, okay, that guy doesn't know what he's doing, why'd they give him that role?"

Never emoting. Most nobles are good at not doing this though.

What do you think the responsiblities of a noble are?

Same as everyone else. Play your role. Be fair in an ooc sence. Have fun, and let other players have fun playing their characters.

If you ran a noble, what questions didn't get answered for you beforehand that you would have liked to have seen answered? Would you run a noble again? Why or why not?

My only confusion was how I was supposed to address templars / other nobles of higher / lower houses, or family members in my own house. Its kind of obvious in retrospect, and some docs i read later did help. I didn't get the noble docs when I started.

Would I run a noble again? Probably someday. I like to play a role, then try a few wildly different things before doing something similiar. Well,l I havn't done anything twice yet, so who knows. I love trying new roles.

Along the same lines, what would you have liked to have seen included in the noble documentation? Was there anything in there that shouldn't have been?

When I got the docs eventually they were great.

Which noble house or houses would you prefer to run a noble in - and why?

I used to really want a Fale. Maybe I will someday... who knows. The one house I have experience with is great though.

[Angela Christine]

I've never played a noble, but I did play an aid to a controlling noble that gave her the same restrictions as nobles: don't leave town, don't go to certain parts of town, don't sit around in dirty bars like the Gaj because it unseemly, don't sneak in public, don't be dirty in public (after the dust/sweat/blood code came in), don't socialize with elves, half-breeds, 'rinthers, magickers and other scum.  I've also had another noble-ish role, but I won't get into it because it was recent.  


What's the most difficult thing about running a noble?

It's mind numbingly dull.  Chew off your own foot dull.   :x

You can spend hours doing exciting things like: try to contact person1, try to contact person2, raise your hand to your brow to show how much strain you are under, try to contact person3, sigh and fiddle with your wineglass while you wait for your stun to regenerate, try to contact person4, snear at some passing grubby person, try to contact person1, try to contact person2 . . . you get the picture.  Eventually you may actually reach one of the people you've been trying to reach, assuming you haven't passed out from utter boredom.  There is -nothing- to do, especially at off-hours.  You can select a craft that your character has as a "hobby" but you can't forage for supplies because that would be undignified, so you are at the mercy of your lackeys there.  Depending on the hobby you may not be able to pursue it in public, during those hours you sit around in a tavern waiting.  Your best bet is probably to get some writing materials, and start keeping records or even a diary.  That gives your character something to do, and the chance that someone might steal the resulting documents gives you a little thrill of anxiety from time to time.  

There is also the problem that you know everyone expects above-average RP skills, and they are judging you, waiting for any lapse.  "This guy gets to be a noble but me and my buddies don't even have 1 lousy dot of karma?  This sucks!"  I've seen people complain about the karma system on the GBD, and they nearly always mention people playing nobles, templars and the karma races and classes not playing as well as they, the karmaless complainer, does.  It gets to the point where I dread using karma at all, I can be a pretty good ranger or merchant but I know I'm just a mediocre RPer and when I try to be a Paragon of Excelent RP I stop having fun.  To me that's work, not play.

I don't think I would take a role like that again, not unless I had some way of making one of those eccentric nobles that are actually active doing something rather than just planning stuff for other people to do.  Seriously, I don't think I'd want to take a noble if someone was paying me in RL, because having a noble character would prevent me from having a character I would actually like.  In their own way nobles are more social pariahs then elves, neither one will ever have "friends" outside their own family, but elves can at least sit down at the bar and chat when they get bored.

The easiest?

You get an equipment saving room of your very own right from the start.  

What do you think the responsiblities of a noble are?

To refrain from committing suicide as they slowly go mad, and to log on all the time and try to make the game fun for other players.


Which noble house or houses would you prefer to run a noble in - and why?

I don't know, maybe Tor since you can be a military fanatic and escape the city occasionally.  Or one of those scholarly houses, and go off on half-baked missions to catalog the flora and fauna of the region.

Angela Christine

[Angela Christine]

As for prominence, its not how many players are in it or its social standing, its the impact made upon pc's. Everyone hears about tor this and tor that, but every once in a while oash makes a note about recruiting.

For some activities, the way you know you've done a good job is that no one is talking about it.   :twisted:  Sure, House Oash isn't likely to go clear out a mantis or gith nest like Tor, but that doesn't mean that their more subtle activities aren't just as important to the city.  I've never been in Oash so I don't know exactly what they do, but I wouldn't assume that they do nothing simply because they don't advertise their accomplishments and failures.

AC