*sighs* Well they say the second time round is always better.
I was thinking that one thing that may help to attract old players back and attract new ones would be a UD facelift. Meaning new content.
I think Sshamath is an awesome city, and I would not change a thing about it. I would consider making a drow/lolth centric town or city further off though, with room for new Qu'ellars to expand in. Perhaps a new settlement, start it small, let the players expand it. Maybe make it a large unhewn cavern that needs expansion and building. Perhaps even start it as a dungeon, multi-layered, and have players collects no weight drops that tell you how many creatures they've killed for the purpose of settling the area. Have only the temple area developed and a rudimentary merchant, inn, and guard area. The whole cavern would need building and expanding, and the Ilharesses that settle their with their Qu'ellar guilds then help direct the expansion and building interiorly.
Meanwhile, I would add two dungeon areas. One area would be a lost forbidden temple area to Krinshalee, perhaps between Shamath and the new settlement (cutting them off more or less) with undead creatures roaming those underwild areas around the forbidden templed. Undead dipslacer beasts, carrion crawlers, etc.
I would also consider another multi-layered dungeon in the form of another UD city, but all the NPCs here are (almost all) are hostile. Perhaps a Elder Father Vhaerunian Shadow Dragon rules there with fire giant minions and tanaruk shock troopers. Shadow creatures and shadow undead beasts roam the corridors while male half shadow dragon drow roam about. When yo approach the cavern you get a birds eye view, then have to travel downwards, and meet the tier one foes, the tanaruk shock troops, then the fire giants, then the shadow creatures, the personal guards to the Shadowdragon which would be the half shadow dragon male drow, and finally the Elder father himself. Within this hostile city would be some merchants willing to sell their products to anyone able to get by the defenses. You could have some special gear here for your shadow mages.
Just some thoughts and fantastical ideas. I'm about 6,000 pages into my Drow fiction now and spent 1 year playing a drow female Dreadguard to an Ilharess and her replacement. I find that drow rp is quite a lot of fun but very challenging.
I think Lolthian rp is exclusive and does not mix well with what most UD beginners would want to get into. But I also know there are tons of NWN UD rpers out there itching and looking for a drow server to play in.
Just some thoughts. I know the surface rpers would benefit from all these areas because surface DMs could draw many of their villains from the rich lore and stock of these various places.
BG is an impressive server. I wouldn't touch Sshamath. It is perfect the way it is. But I would start adding content to attract old players and new ones. It would make my job easiser of trying to coax them here.
Lam
