Ask the Storytellers

[Adhira]

This thread is for players to ask Storytellers the things they've always wanted to know. We have a bunch of new and returned Storytellers on board, with differing perspectives on the game, staffing and what they've discovered.

Be warned, just because you've always wanted to know something doesn't mean you will get an answer! We will try and answer what we can, while still preserving things that are ICly sensitive or that might reveal things that other players wish to discover in game.

We will do our best to answer respectfully and honestly, in return we'd love it if you asked your questions in the same light.

We'll keep this thread open for the next few days and invite you to enter into dialogue with us.

[Nyr]

First time caller, long time listener.

If you could pick just one clan that you would douse with a fiery rain of terror, lava, and irony, which one would it be, and why is it the Tan Muark?

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

What is each of your pet projects, disregarding plots?

[Cerys]

What is each of your pet projects, disregarding plots?

Right now I'm working on building claypits for Allanak so that Tuluk isn't the only source of clay in the world.  It's still in the planning stages, but I'm hoping things will be all linked in and approved by the end of next month.

Plotwise, well...I'm having a lot of fun with that right now, too. 

If you could pick just one clan that you would douse with a fiery rain of terror, lava, and irony, which one would it be, and why is it the Tan Muark?

Stop trolling or face the banhammer of Cerys.

[Xolotl]

First time caller, long time listener.

If you could pick just one clan that you would douse with a fiery rain of terror, lava, and irony, which one would it be, and why is it the Tan Muark?

nyr, nyr stop trollin me. pls.

What is each of your pet projects, disregarding plots?

I've been making some new critters, and I've been helping out with some stuff that Enthemu was doing too, but I'll let him talk about that.  I don't have a 'pet' project really at this point, I'm still learning things.  I did make some irrig bugs, and I'll probably start making other little changes like that to help bring color and life to the gameworld in general too.

I've also got those charms to make, but I fell behind a bit due to some RL and other stuff that came up.  So look for new charms in the near future!

[seidhr]

*ignores nyr*

An example of something I'm doing is working on creating more desert elf and/or human tribal clothing/armor/tidbits that will eventually be available in the desert elf outpost.

[Rahnevyn]

What is each of your pet projects, disregarding plots?

My incomplete todo list as of now, disregarding plots and general clan-related stuff like character reports:

- Finish adding the tattoo submissions you guys sent in (thanks!)
- Add a couple rooms added to the Fale and Oash estates to represent stuff they both should probably have but isn't coded
- Find a way to foil Cerys and her fish of doom
- I just finished a brand new Who's Who document for House Fale, now I need to go back and update NPC backgrounds to match
- Need to start on a Who's Who for Oash
- Do a couple updates in Allanak to reflect some consequences of plots that have been going on recently
- Help with those southern clay pits so we don't have to treat clay as a valuable strategic resource (lol)
- equip all NPC soldiers with sword-chucks

[Talia]

If you could pick just one clan that you would douse with a fiery rain of terror, lava, and irony, which one would it be, and why is it the Tan Muark?

Ooooh, burn.

What is each of your pet projects, disregarding plots?

I just looked over my list and I have a lot of plot and project stuff I really can't talk about. Some of it's pretty high on my priority list.

But I can talk about this: Sponsored leadership roles are my pet project. Specifically, for quite some time (started this when I was on staff previously) I've been looking at what is good/bad, playable/unplayable, fun/unfun about sponsored leader roles and thinking about it and talking about it with other staff, and I've been looking at the retention rates of the different roles. I'm not sure I can really talk about most of my conclusions, but I hope I'll be able to put out some stuff in the near-ish future (with the help of other STs) that will be useful documentation for those taking on these roles. My goal is to make these roles more fun, more playable, and more sticky for players.

I think I can say that it's pretty clear from the analysis that southern templar is the most fun sponsored role in the game. It is also one of the most dangerous! Southern templars die a lot. (So do Byn Sergeants.)

[Rahnevyn]

Cerys has just reminded me it isn't a fish of doom, it's a bright pink and yellow rubber chicken of doom. How could I forget.

[Cerys]

- Find a way to foil Cerys and her fish of doom

Just haven't killed you often enough lately. FIXED.

[Enthemu]

What is each of your pet projects, disregarding plots?

Hi! First time poster long time listener here:

I'm actually working on a few different projects at current.

1) Working on implementing rooftops for all the lovely buildings scattered about a certain southern city-state.
2) Assisting Seidhr in bringing some fabulous new desert wear to the Tablelands.
3) Working on adding recipes for existing clay objects in game.

[Molten Heart]

This is a question for the returned Legend Storytellers.  What was your motivation to return?  I know you can't cite specific but what are your hope to achieve now that you're back?

[Talia]

This is a question for the returned Storytellers.  What was your motivation to return?  I know you can't cite specific but what are your hope to achieve now that you're back?

I love contributing to the game. That sounds like a total bullshit answer, but it's not. I used to have a lot of time to contribute as a leader (and I loved doing that), but I don't have that specific sort of time anymore; because playing a leader effectively means, usually, lots of hours logged in paying actual attention. When I'm on staff, I can idle if I need to, and the things I need to respond to aren't immediate, in-game things (usually).

What I'm doing differently for myself this time around is that I'm trying to maintain my own sense of fun. Kind of like what Adhira mentioned in the other thread. I need to keep a focus on having fun. I do really enjoy building stuff, animating, running plots, and helping players enjoy the game. But I also want to be in the game, playing, because that's where a lot of joy is. It keeps me close to the heart of the game.

I didn't come back on staff in order to achieve anything in particular, although as I mentioned above, sponsored roles are a big area of interest to me. (I can't play them anymore, but I can try to make them better for players and the game!) There is one other near-term project I'm going to be doing that was an objective for the southlands...and a long-term maybe project. Can't really talk about those

And I really enjoy working with the staffing team. They are fabulous people and we have a lot of fun.

Just a side-note on animations: For some reason, I think I'm not very good at doing them, but then when I let myself do them, they generally end up being a lot of fun. I very much enjoy animations that are just "hey this NPC is chilling with you." Animating bosses kind of sucks because usually someone's getting yelled at and that makes me . Lately I've been doing a lot of building/animations/echoes for a particular plot thing, and a lot of PCs have been puking in response to stuff I've written, and that makes me so hard. I think I've finally found my niche! I have a talent for the disgusting, I guess.

[Rahnevyn]

This is a question for the returned Legend Storytellers.  What was your motivation to return?  I know you can't cite specific but what are your hope to achieve now that you're back?

I've been back a while but I guess this still technically applies to me too, right?

I was cold turkey on Armageddon a long time, while I went out and got pesky things like a job and a wife and a life and so on. Last year my life had started to settle down, and some friends contacted me and convinced me to get back into Armageddon again. So I did. Now I'm hooked once more. CRACKAGEDDON, as they say.

I think Armageddon offers a kind of experience you just can't get anywhere else, with any other technology, new or old. We're able to blend the coded mechanics of tabletop roleplaying games with the persistence of an online virtual world, with the sort of immersion and depth you can achieve from reading a good book . Roleplaying in Armageddon will always be superior to a graphical MMO because we can harness the full power of a player's imagination, and the medium allows us to change and reshape the world with much greater ease and less expense. I can see Armageddon surviving and thriving as long as there exist roleplayers with internet connections who want to take part in, and help shape, that sort of experience... in other words, a very long time. I joined staff, and came back to staff, because I'm excited and proud to be a part of that.

[Eukelade]

This is a question for the returned Legend Storytellers.  What was your motivation to return?  I know you can't cite specific but what are your hope to achieve now that you're back?

I have wanted to return to staff for a while, but the cards weren't aligned for me until this last call.  I first staffed from 2007-2009ish and it was fun, and the feeling I have now with our team is similar to the feeling I had then - that there are a lot of really invested, happy people volunteering to improve the game.  It's a good feeling.

My motivation for this game has always been to entertain others rather than myself.  I've never felt completely comfortable in the spotlight, I'd rather help other people's game experiences stick in their memories for the rest of their lives.  Making the game a rich and fun experience for the players is very important to me. I love it when I see players immersed in the world, scared out of their wits, or experiencing intense emotions about something that happened in the game. It's a feeling I have not experienced with any other game.

What is each of your pet projects, disregarding plots?

I've recently done a LOT of plot-related building.  It's been tons of fun.  I also really liked doing the GMH specific apartment building revamp in Allanak and would like to continue with that project and bring it north, too.

One of the things I'm also working on is making Tuluk a little grittier, a little harder to survive in, and a lot more dirty.  I'm hoping people are starting to see the affects of some of the work Rathustra, Xalle and I have been doing already.

Who's Who docs for the Noble Houses in Tuluk are high on my priority list.  I think that having a richly described cast of npc and vnpc characters can make the Noble House experience feel much more real and immersive.

[Cerys]

My motivation for this game has always been to entertain others rather than myself.

I'm not a "returning legend" or anything, but I wanted to say that this statement really resonates with me.  In fact, I even have a note in my staff room that I wrote up when I came on staff that reminds me of this exact thing.  I'm here to entertain the players.  That is my purpose as a staff member of this game.  That sentiment is what drives me, and that is what I love to do.

It's all about you guys! <3

[Voular]

Tell us about your staff rooms! Or what silly outfits your avatars wear!

[Rahnevyn]

Rahnevyn's Sanctum [33245]  [INDOORS IMMORTAL LIT] [Save]
   This seems to be an office suite on the executive floor of Tektolnes'
Tower.  As on the outside of the structure, the entire room appears to be
constructed out of pure gold, from floor to ceiling.  The northern wall is
partially open, revealing a majestic view of the cityscape (and beyond that,
a not-so-majestic view of the crumbling Labyrinth).  A shimmering green
force field blocks sand and debris from getting in to dirty the immaculate
golden immaculateness of the chamber.  A whiteboard hangs on another wall,
scribbled with all sorts of reminders and thoughts and designs from things
ranging from "World Domination" to plans for "how do we move the jail closer
to the criminals?" 
   The expansive chamber seems to have plenty of room to allow lost souls
who have somehow found their way here to mill about for a bit.  A cute,
fluffy bunny sleeps in a corner beneath a potted tree, making the sanctum a
bit more welcoming to Tulukis. 

[Talia]

Tell us about your staff rooms! Or what silly outfits your avatars wear!

> look me
Her lips are red.  Her thoughts are free.  Her eyes as black as her soul.
Her skin as white as leprosy.  The Nightmare Life-in-Death is she who quicks
men's blood with cold.  Pale veins protrude.  Deep scowl persists.  Her
hated borne upon her face.  Her demeanor seethes of insane bliss and casual
disgrace. 
Upon her forehead is a large red circle with 'OK' in the center.
Talia the Everywoman is in excellent condition.

<in hair>                an elegant tiara of shiny black glass
<face>                   a brown and black ring tattoo
<in right ear>           a diamond earring stud
<around neck>            a dull black gem
<about throat>           a ruby-petaled, obsidian rose
<across back>            a leather-strapped, sable etched baldric
<on torso>               a fitted, floral-embroidered black dress
<on left shoulder>       a half-stitched, severed human arm
<on arms>                a deep orange silk shawl
<hands>                  a shattered jade cross within a desert storm
<secondary hand>         a diamond-capped, polished silver pen
<on right index finger>  a shimmering shadowy diamond-set, gold and copper ring
<on left index finger>   a plain black bone ring
<on left middle finger>  an amethyst and jade silver signet ring
<as belt>                a twisted ruby red silk scarf
<around body>            a plush, bright pink snuggie
<on legs>                a sheer pair of black silk stockings
<on feet>                a pair of black leather thigh-high boots

The description I am using actually came from our bank of awesome rejected apps. The wearables and tattoos are mostly related to the different clans I've staffed in and/or played in over time.



Talia's Greenhouse [13870]  [PLANT_HEAVY INDOORS RESTFUL_SHADE NO_MOUNT IMMORTAL] [Save]
You are on the inside of a green house.  Everything is green.  The
curtains, the rugs, even the walls.  The couch even has a strine-green
stripe pattern. 
A shadow falls over the area, driving off the uncomfortable heat.
A sprig of scarlet flowers climbs another plant here.
A low-growing plant creeps along in the shadows of the rocks.
A graceful, white-flowering tree stretches its limbs here.
A narrow-leaved plant wavers upright in the breeze.
A towering agafari tree with leafy branches and peeling grey bark erupts from the ground here.
A web of interlacing ivies is strung between the trees.
A ginka vine with red leaves slithers across the ground here.

Rathustra wrote the description for my room when we started as Storytellers in 2010 and I've never changed it, because I'm lazy. I filled it with plants because plants in game are one of my favorite things.

[seidhr]

This is what my room looks like.  I am almost never there.  I just use it to store NPCs that I inhabit from time to time, have a place that I can mess up and not feel bad about, etc.

Code Select Expand

Seidhr's Room [3472]  [NO_NPC SAFE IMMORTAL LIT] [Quit, Save]
Seidhr does stuff here.  Presumably.

Here is my description and leet gear.

Code Select Expand

Carrying little excess bulk, this willowy elven male is remarkable in
that his smooth, caramel skin is streaked with jagged lines of natural
pigmentation of varying widths and colors, almost geometric in appearance.
Intensely violet, his two eyes seem oversized on his face, the almond-shaped
irises contrasting vividly with his base skin tone.  His limbs are long and
sinewy, even for one of his kind, accommodating only a sparse musculature.
His arms end with elongated hands and nimble-looking fingers that would
likely be treasured by most any musician.  Thick hair, a shiny dark brown in
color, completes his look.  
Seidhr, the clueless elf is in excellent condition.

<floating about head>    a tiny, red devil
<in hair>                a glowing humming limp rolled tube of spice
<slung across back>      a bloodied six-foot steel greatsword
<as belt>                a thick pouched belt
<hung from belt>         a bloodied solid bone skinning knife
<around body>            a glowing humming black, hooded templar's robe

Yeah that's right.  You're jealous.

[Taven]

seidhr, why is your GDB name not capitalized? Are you secretly a dorf? Do you desire to destroy all capital letters? Do you just mock me with your lowercase s? Is it to signify that you're so quiet and stealthy that you can't have an uppercase S, because it's too loud? Did all of Tuluk's subtly go into your s? Did Armageddon steal so much of your soul that only a lower case s was left? Are you secretly British, and so really your name should start with a z, but you added a random s instead? If your name started with a z, would it be a capital Z? What does your name mean anyway?

[seidhr]

seidhr, why is your GDB name not capitalized? Are you secretly a dorf? Do you desire to destroy all capital letters? Do you just mock me with your lowercase s? Is it to signify that you're so quiet and stealthy that you can't have an uppercase S, because it's too loud? Did all of Tuluk's subtly go into your s? Did Armageddon steal so much of your soul that only a lower case s was left? Are you secretly British, and so really your name should start with a z, but you added a random s instead? If your name started with a z, would it be a capital Z? What does your name mean anyway?

...Yes.

[Taven]

seidhr, why is your GDB name not capitalized? Are you secretly a dorf? Do you desire to destroy all capital letters? Do you just mock me with your lowercase s? Is it to signify that you're so quiet and stealthy that you can't have an uppercase S, because it's too loud? Did all of Tuluk's subtly go into your s? Did Armageddon steal so much of your soul that only a lower case s was left? Are you secretly British, and so really your name should start with a z, but you added a random s instead? If your name started with a z, would it be a capital Z? What does your name mean anyway?

...Yes.

I'm going to call you Zeidhr now, and use it as a word to signify the affirmative, after a pause. Just so you are prepared.

[CodeMaster]

Does anybody know what a "shedyu" looks like?  I've seen a pretty basic item in game made of its hide.

[Rahnevyn]

Does anybody know what a "shedyu" looks like?  I've seen a pretty basic item in game made of its hide.

There are "shedya beetles", which are basically just normal Zalanthan beetles by appearance, but nothing called a shedyu I can find.