Year of 1353 Player Feedback Thread 2017

[DM Boo]

Good evening ladies, gents, and gerbils!

As Dialectic has already pointed out in a previous thread, Creo and I will be looking for feedback over the next couple of days, hoping to find out what YOU want to see in this year's metaplot!

The DM Team has some great new talent this year, and I am confident that we will be able to raise the bar even higher and do more than was possible in previous years.

We are not looking for ideas for plots, we already have tons of those. Instead, try to focus your feedback on any goals, styles, suggestions or improvements that you would like to see.

Please keep your comments polite, relevant and clean.

Or, if you would rather give us your feedback privately instead of posting it here for everyone to see, send it our way via PM to the Campaign Coordinator usergroup.

Both Creo and I very much look forward to building an incredible story year with you all!

Thank you,
The Campaign Coordators for 2017

[thids]

Just off the top of my head, I have one suggestion in regards to style:

Mix allowing the players to run their own initiatives in regards to your plots, and DM's running the show. While being behind the wheel with a reactive DM is great for players, it is also very exhausting. Sitting back, relaxing and letting the DM weave his/her story is a good cure for that. So basically it would go like this: player initiative>dm story>player initiative>dm story...

This is when DMing for the same group of people over a prolonged time ofc.

I'll add more these days when I'm not a zombie from the lack of sleep.

[7threalm]

more events in the server areas and less in dm designated areas.

it seems like part of the server is somewhat removed when a ton of events happen in the (dm areas)

( I remember a project to diasable the spawner on maps not sure what happened to it)

[Deathgrowl]

Sitting back, relaxing and letting the DM weave his/her story is a good cure for that.

All in moderation. Any such DM weaving of story that removes the choices of the player characters is bad. Railroading isn't fun.

[TheTwiste11491]

Sitting back, relaxing and letting the DM weave his/her story is a good cure for that.

All in moderation. Any such DM weaving of story that removes the choices of the player characters is bad. Railroading isn't fun.

+1

I'd also like to see less massive server wide DM events (Events where the entire server take part)

[thids]

Sitting back, relaxing and letting the DM weave his/her story is a good cure for that.

All in moderation. Any such DM weaving of story that removes the choices of the player characters is bad. Railroading isn't fun.

I didn't say anything about railroading. I was talking about a plot/event revolving around a DM story, and plots/events revolving almost purely around player initiatives.

more events in the server areas and less in dm designated areas.

it seems like part of the server is somewhat removed when a ton of events happen in the (dm areas)

( I remember a project to diasable the spawner on maps not sure what happened to it)

I disagree. One of the main advantages of DM interaction is the possibility to travel to the parts of the world which are not on the server. It gives less of a "MMORPG" feel and more of a "living breathing world" feel IMO.

[flipside43]

1) A campaign headlines post would benefit the playerbase greatly in seeing what is ongoing, where to look for it and which DM is responsible for what.

2) Periodic campaign updates (every month or two perhaps). The RP threads for the campaign are very useful but they can be very long and the story can be quite scattered and from many different viewpoints. This would let everyone see in brief form what's happened to give some perspective to any campaign headlines.

3) Metaplot not megaplot. The team is very rich in active storytellers. Don't try to do it all yourself. Everyone has a unique way of DMing and many different strengths. Use them all to tell an amazing story together.

I would disagree about avoiding the use DM areas. Their use allows both high levels of customization and gives some population control in the party as you avoid massive party swell.

[Steve]

Good evening...

We are not looking for ideas for plots, we already have tons of those. Instead, try to focus your feedback on any goals, styles, suggestions or improvements that you would like to see.

Good evening Eye-Ball Gouger!

Goals:
Is this Goals of PCs, goals of Players, or the goals DMs could take up as their own? My goal, as always with my Characters, is to work towards seeing visible changes to the Server, be it in actual environment/Area changes, or in social/political changes that are somehow "marked." Most often, I fail to manifest any changes that are directly the IG goals of my own PCs, but it is still something that drives my energy here...so, if and when possible, if the Campaign for 1353 DR can allow for possibilities for individual PCs or Groups/Guilds to actually cause Change—for good or for evil—then grrrrrrreat!!

Styles:
It would be pleasing to see more DC-based results, challenging Skills and IC RP actions than the unfortunately usual Event ending mechanical combat session. Personally, I'd like to see my Characters have their Skills and actions challenged, more than their swordsmanship. Any of us Players can have the mechanics challenge us on a daily basis, but if it was possible to say, for example: By IC means a group of PCs get a hint that in order to defuse the eventual DEATHWAR, there is a chance that one particularly diplomatically—or intimation, or bluffer—skilled Character could attempt to parlay with the enemy, and by speech and wit—and a well established DC—change the course of the Act. Or, even in minute ways, but, what is REQUIRED is that certain PCs with certain non-mechanical gifts are shown roles they could fulfill, which have serious weight in the Campaign outcome.

Of course, this requires Player RP to back up the Skills/DC checks, and that should be a given and well understood. But I think that if Players understood that playing PCs to their strengths is what matters—and if your PC does not have strengths in any particular way, they should NOT try and "wing it"—then many more Players will feel useful in the Campaign, in general.

Suggestions:
Because the Server is 24/7 and has many in different Timezones, finding means in which to leave clues, treasure hunts and other objects related to the Campaign to exist and be found during the 5 hour Server uptime, can really allow for added involvment, especially for those that game outside the high traffic hours. DM Spartacus has shown that possibility with the Search for Spears storyline. As well, in the past, DM Bloodlust made many DM Items that were clues and parts of the storyline, that Players could find and share and RP over while DMs were getting sleep (which, btw, they should never need! )

So that is something that works pretty well, and I hope you all can keep that tool sharp.

Improvements:
Pretty basic: communication and open door policy. Which can be broken down a bit, as in:

Communication: Just keep keeping the Playerbase informed through IC posts and OOC ones when necessary. Have Private Events possibly and always have some public reference posted (when appropriate). When the news cycle stops, then Players think there is nothing left to do regarding the Campaign, and many will wander off....(and that can in turn annoy the DMs, who think Players are not keeping up the storyline).

Open Door Policy: Let Player-submitted Character actions have a result, even if wacky, or, uncalled for, but maybe have some influence. A place for some small responses to RP would be nice, and maybe that would empower Players a bit, and give them a feeling that their PC's actions are not being railroaded, considering that they can essentially apply ANY action toward the Campaign, and some reaction(s)—even a Forum post—will come of it.

Essentially, it is nice to not feel ignored, when a Player is trying to bring influence to the Campaign, but gets no response of feedback. Doesn't always happen, but happens enough I think to make many Players just simply steer clear of the Campaign in general, seeing it as a waste of their time.

Good luck Boo and Creo!

[404ninja]

Minor at "random" events that occur while small groups of people are out and about. it can be minor tid bits of information that lower level/new players can receive that are planned to be handed out to long term players anyway. It was one of these that really got me hooked on the plot two years ago before I needed to go deal with IRL stuff for a while.

[Calodan]

Let the players make impacts on your stories. If they happen to foil a plan be prepared to adjust just as we have to. Do not for the love of God pause and reset us! Let us shape this story as much as you tell it!

[TarnishedSoul]

Guilds, guilds, guilds. Give guilds more opportunities to work with / against each other.

[Calodan]

Guilds, guilds, guilds. Give guilds more opportunities to work with / against each other.

+1000 that too. I was thinking it but as a guild leader and trying to rebuild the Hunters I did not want to be too pushy....heh. Yes guilds depend on DM attention to be truly active and have members. The most active guilds tend to be well entrenched into DM events but sometimes due to RP and it is IC RP that can block out some guilds from participating and since the server is mainly good guys the walk the line types Lawful Neuts and below tend to get left out.

[Narsil]

Minor at "random" events that occur while small groups of people are out and about. it can be minor tid bits of information that lower level/new players can receive that are planned to be handed out to long term players anyway. It was one of these that really got me hooked on the plot two years ago before I needed to go deal with IRL stuff for a while.

THIS.

Not all the players are dedicated Second-Lifers. I suspect a goodly amount have become more "casual" in terms of time spent here. (I count myself amongst them.) Besides a way to "hook " new players to the server, it also acts to keep the less-intense players involved.

Besides, not EVERY single DM event need be epic in importance. And I am not referring to character level, but let's throw that in as well.

[Master_Sarevok]

War. I like war.

If you need help in having a good war event, and avoid some lag I have an idea.

In another server I was on they used a separate area that was rather small, that acted as the battle ground area of central importance, such as a canyon path.

You have a few npc units on both sides to act as the soldiers, and the PC's would be the Champions. They could engage in dm prepared single combat which could affect *Morale, which I guess could cause a buff or curse on the NPC soldiers* and then have two waves. A scouting wave, skirmish wave then the main wave that had a commander.

Short and quick, rather simple. Not a lot of hassle. Might be a cool way to have warfare in the server.

[Ithilan]

Less focus on individual characters, more emphasis on involving the masses.

Ive been here for some years now and if there is one thing that always bothered me, it was when people stepped on others to be the center of the limelight. What bothers me even more is when the DMs catter to it and I had a DM tell me the past year that this was the natural way of things and something he appricated and encouraged.

I really hope that is not how the team designs the plots, picking out characters they appreciate and centering it around them. So yes, more focus on group play and involving everyone and less individual emphasis.