Tazlure: The Way Forward

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Maeve
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Tazlure: The Way Forward

Post by Maeve »

As is our wont at least once a year the Game Designers have been evaluating Tazlure and its game mechanics to see what needs updating or complete change (part of our strategic game management to keep the game alive and well). After discussion with our moderators we now present to you the update of Tazlure the Game.

As a general observation we have noticed a trend over the last two years of increased player involvement, which has increased yet again with our recent changes such as the wiki and the recess or supersync, jumping us from Samheen to Chyril. This willingness of our community to participate and be proactive, both IC and OOC, making the burden of running the game lighter, while more fun for everybody, is something we seek to foster. We would like to enrich our community in every way possible :)

1. Recess as a permanent tool: declaring seasons
Yes, we are very pleased with the results of the Recess. It not only got rid of dead content, but also gave players impetus to be proactive in a more meaningful, independent way. In most cases, it's been beneficial...such as placing high-ranking pcs or establishing more "history" and "depth" to the average PC. It fits Event Orientated Modding and encourages more PC action/reaction. The only problem that came more into focus with the Recess was the need for established goals for players (we deal with that under no 2).

This freshness, that also allows for such long term events as healing of injuries, pregnancy, political developments, harvests etc. to become a natural part of our backdrop and thus improves the coherence of Tazlure, is something we would like to apply to Tazlure on a regular basis.

We have decided to do an annual Recess, ending our season at Chyril by May 2008. For this we will be providing a time schedule which will run three months. The beginning of March will see the opening of the new season and the start of accepting Recess write ups, end of April will close the acceptance of Recess write ups and in May we close all previous season threads, record history and move on.

This concept means new player tactics: You now have a finite time in which to explore the month of Chryil. Time your moves. Perhaps you will build up to a climax by the end of the season, while there may be some major events deliberately put mid season. Some events and their effects can span several seasons. Some high adventure threads will run ahead in time, but due to the Recess will be caught up again with the community so that they are no longer isolated.

It will also mean that each year both PC's and Mods evaluate their position and their location, which makes shifts more easy, allowing ourselves to keep our own focus fresh.

We have formulated some standardization of the rules.

1. Standard Sync Events will apply at a Recess (Yes, we will still have Sync Events during the season), but only after a PC's Recess has been approved. This means that when the new "Season" is available for posts, players might still be allowed to start a few minor scenes in the last Season if they have not "jumped" yet. We need to give this flexibility to allow "loose ends" to be cleaned up. These loose ends will be closed in May.

2. Players are asked to submit a public Season Summary (with or without links) to help people gain oversight at what has been happening.

3. Players will be limited in their Recess write up to a fudge of what has been previously established IC, or is a wrap up of events helping them and everybody else jump, without introducing new content that gives an unfair advantage. Think of what we would allow as background on your charactersheet as an acceptable amount of assumption, corrected for your characters level.

At this time we are still reviewing how we will deal with skills in the future both in season and in the Recess. Since the passage of time has been heavily influenced by declaring seasons we need to determine what would be a realistic skill gain while keeping players motivated.

2. Event Orientated Modding requires Goal Orientated Playing
There is only one real problem of a serious nature that came to the fore with the Recess, and we think it is caused not by the Recess (though that brought it into focus again), but by our introduction of Event Orientated Modding:

Modding Seminar wrote:Plotting is little more than preparing the structure of a story in which players can interact, though in Tazlure, you should consider plotting to be more of an exercise in preparing events, interpreting scenes that impact that event, and evolving your locations based on the outcome of those scenes.

As the moderator, you cannot afford to know or expect where a plotline will go. You might hope for a certain outcome, and you might not enjoy the outcome that results...but you must allow the location to evolve as it was meant to evolve. Expect from your players active involvement in your area...and demand this from them. Remember that we're not here to entertain them: we're all here to entertain each other, and the players are just as responsible for their contributions as anyone else. But even the best player can't help out if there are no opportunities or possibilities...so as a mod, that is what we must provide.

It's called "situation in crisis", and it's considered the cornerstone of any literary planning. A "situation in crisis" is exactly what it seems: a conflicting situation that requires resolution in whatever way possible. The situation in crisis makes for a fine cornerstone to any plot event, and once you've determined that situation, the potential for plotlines increases dramatically, giving your location life, depth, and most importantly, player opportunity.

An item to note above is how little we plan for the future. We might be able to predict the most likely actions taken by the people involved...but we don't know where, how, and in what way this situation will develop. This is critical to Event Planning! Let the event unfold in whatever way it does: don't force a result or guide the Event too much as the moderator, and don't ever try to plan the future. Just establish the situation in crisis, the background material that brought about the situation, and leave the rest to history.


The core problem is that a few players are sometimes unable to see a way forward. They do not see how they can move forward with their character and make use of opportunities of events to feel more successful. The players that struggle often have not defined concrete goals for their characters or a path of how to accomplish their goals. We have coined the phrase Goal Orientated Playing in an article in the wiki. Coordinators will be alert on players needing help in setting goals and the small steps to reach them.

Players might also lack the overview of an area or indeed Tazlure which makes it difficult for them to formulate goals. For this we have considered our Tazlurian wiki further, see below.

Because we want to stimulate proactive behavior by players we are reviewing material in the wiki and the rules. Any rules or FAQ's that are deemed no longer necessary, constricting or focused only on potential abuse that we do not see on a day to day basis shall be been removed or rewritten. We want to allow the players full creativity and not fear being thwapped for breaking rules. Having said that of course moderators are still qualified to call the shots about and beyond the rules, using realism and fairness as their guidelines.

3. Wealth, Status and Player Freedom
While we have an inventory since our start, for years already we have not been particularly diligent with taxing or checking for items you do or do not have. Wealth is a curious anomaly in our stories. Sure, it does matter how much money a character has...but this is more of an environment concern than any real story impact. After all, we don't charge for tavern drinks or food...lodging...or the occasional carriage ride. Depending on the level of the character, his social standing, his access to wealth, we allow more and more assumptions of resources (servants, troops to command etc.)

So, we would like to simplify this part of our game mechanics, while promoting creativity and set a standard for the assumptions players can make so that it is easier for them to apply their creativity (instead of it being limited to gutsy veteran players).

We therefor proudly introduce a new invention: the skill Wealth. This skill will be part of the normal skill list and can be chosen at the start.

Unskilled: The player has no income, and must live hand-to-mouth. No employment, student, serf, or slave fall into this category.

Basic: The player has basic income similar to employment as unskilled labor, thug, indentured servant, or basic pick pocket.

Apprentice: The player has some income, similar to basic, skilled labor, guard or man-at-arms, lower bureaucrat, or a specialized criminal. Landless knights might fall into this category, or landed aristocracy with very poor fiefs.

Journeyman: The player has a comfortable income that can include a home, some land, a carriage and coachhouse, etc. Most landed aristocracy might fall into this category, if not Apprentice.

Master: The player has considerable financial resources, allowing for ships, caravans, real estate development, small mercenary armies, or major financial trades.

A more concise write up will follow, as well as an items list per area that gives it an access level and a plan for implementation. The inventory list will remain, but only detailing the special, personal items of each person.



4. A new look at Multiple PCs
Right now, we limit players to two PCs, who also need to be in different areas. There has been however, an alternative developing that already is allowed under our strict rules but never much employed. That of having a stable of PC's, with only two active. As one PC gets killed, or breaks his leg, or gets on a very boring but necessary trade journey, he gets pushed into the background as passive, and you start another PC, already waiting in the wings. Several veteran players have operated this way.

Therefor we will be formalizing this use of the rules. If for whatever reason (dead content, character pregnancy, injuries that need healing, broken PC concepts that need to be reworked) a PC needs to be de-activated temporarily (worked into the background without much fuss) players can pick up one of the other approved character. This means allowing PC's in the same areas, but only one of them active (and none of them allowed to interact with each other). Only active PC's get a recess post (but if a de-activated PC becomes active again there will be some mention of what happened in the interim without recess benefits such as skill or wealth/status raising).

As this is an experimental phase players will be allowed four PC's, of which 2 can be active (and never 2 active in the same area).

5. Tazlure Wiki: How can we enrich our community further?
The wiki has engendered a more community feel of ownership among the contributors/supporters/etc. It's drawing people in both as a lure to the site as well as bringing existing players closer to the community. Just like the recess, it's empowered players to push forward Tazlure...and evolving it through their references and PCs...instead of just playing one post after the next. We have already added the ability to add pictures. Through debate with the moderators we have also found a new organization for the wiki that allows it to be used by new players to the game more effectively. You will notice the new main page as well as the wiki search bar. We are looking forward to ways to make it even more integrated with the site.

Among the information to be added in the wiki is a lot of background information that was previously limited to moderators only. This includes extensive notes on magick and other game mechanical articles such as modding seminar treatises. We hope this will help you understand how Tazlure works better from a behind the screens view.

We also hope to add up to date information on current events and more pictures and above all maps.

We invite your feedback on all the topics above :)
Last edited by Maeve on Wed Sep 26, 2007 2:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Quinlan Corodin
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Post by Quinlan Corodin »

Erhm...kind of embarrassed at being one of the first responses here, but anyway...

It seems universally accepted that the recess idea is fairly brilliant. If there's a better way to offset the slow rate of Tazlure time during normal posting, I don't know what it is. Seems like just the thing to keep things moving and fresh.
In many recess posts, my own included, the post was roughly half a wrap up of previous happenings, and half pushing forward and getting things done in the recess summary itself. For example, during my own recess post, Quinlan visited his family, received formal training as a Condotierre, and was promoted. In the update here, the summary of past events during the "season" seems to be what is stressed.
Players will be limited...to a fudge of what has been previously established IC...without introducing new content that gives an unfair advantage.

I wonder how the recesses we will now be doing regularly compare to the first we have already done?

I have mixed feelings about the grey area that seems inherent in the "wealth skill," but hopefully the developed write up will clear things up.
Does this mean that the popular "you forot to buy pants" joke will be a thing of the past? Along with the neat shopping list for your character sheet with things like soap and handkerchiefs? At what point is a purchase normal, and where is the line when it becomes over-fudging? For instance, what would happen in a situation where a character is about to be mugged in an alleyway, when suddenly, "Ah HA! How fortunate I went to the bazaar today. I am a journeyman in wealth, after all. Why, I happen to have a sabre I bought in my pants right now! How handy." Now that is a terribly over simplified example, but I think it presents the question without me wasting everyone's time writing a book on it.

Multiple PCs is intriguing. I initially worried this would brook a "watering down" of some plots and characters, but the players who seem most likely to take advantage of the new feature are unlikely to allow that to happen. :P

The theme lately appears to be "power to the player." My personal hope is that players feel empowered with what they can do and strive for with their characters, while reality itself remains solely the domain of moderators.

Highly exciting new developments. :D
Last edited by Quinlan Corodin on Sat Jun 09, 2007 12:42 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Grant »

Quinlan Corodin wrote:The theme lately appears to be "power to the player."
Nice, Quinlan! That is exactly the goal...and in that one sentence, you have validated all the hard work and thought that went into this large update! ;)
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Post by Quinlan Corodin »

Why, thank you. My pleasure. 8)
Unless that was sarcasm. Then I'm very sorry. :oops:
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Post by Maeve »

Your promotion is part of what I would call a normal fudge based on previous content (since it was based on IC actions). What we will limit is introducing elements that your character has not spend energy on during the season, especially if that gives an advantage you might not otherwise have had. You will still be able to involve yourself with developments that are introduced by mods. In short, we have tried to come up with boundaries, but players are still allowed a lot of freedom.

Roughly though the current recess write ups will be the same as future ones. We will however ask for a summary of the season, simply because it helps us record history and players will be able to see the total picture of a season more easily and thus make better use of opportunities.

Multiple PCs is intriguing. I initially worried this would brook a "watering down" of some plots and characters, but the players who seem most likely to take advantage of the new feature are unlikely to allow that to happen.


This is just a formalization of what was already allowed under current rules, a loophole that veteran players have sometimes used. This way we free it up to everybody :)
Last edited by Maeve on Sat Jun 09, 2007 10:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Mairi Armstrong »

Okay. Firstly - some brave and very bold moves here. It can't be easy to take a system that has been tried and tested for so long and remould it.

I suspected that you might introduce a regular recess after the first one recently. I had a look at Age of Intrigue with a view to playing (although I never got round to it) and they seem to employ a similar system there. I'm in favour of it, but only if it remains once anually - I think that's an ideal amount of time in which to enjoy the current time period. I'm in favour of this because it solves a lot of problems which I've observed in Tazlure over the years - for example, it allows the various training systems (magic colleges, bardic college, Abbey etc.) much more realism, with students able to build skills and graduate in a far more realistic time frame than previously. It allows ic consqeuences such as pregnancy and illness to beproperly implemented and played out (pregnancy in the old system being fairly impossible, unless magical). Relationships can be made more solid, and again more realistic, as they would be based on months rather than days of contact. Furthermore, I suspect we will see yet more PCs in high status and important positions, which is fantastic - it means that players are literally in charge and creates, imo, a far more exciting world in which to exist.

With regards to the wealth skill, as I understand it it would place restrictions on what players want to buy. It's a shame that the inventory list will be reduced, but then again as you say not many people check it. Maybe the inventory list will become more of a decription of individual items, such as clothing?

I'm not sure whether I will want to use the multiple PC option - I don't even have a 2nd pc yet. I guess if I see Mairi running out of steam I'll use it...I don't know. But I think it will be great for a lot of people, and it might also come in handy when you want to open new areas (like the EE...long way off, I know) and lots of senior players have 2 characters already. So in conclusion, some brave moves, but I think they'll do the site good. Besides, if they don't work out at least we tried them :)
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Post by Maeve »

Thanks for the support!

I had a look at Age of Intrigue with a view to playing (although I never got round to it) and they seem to employ a similar system there.


Similar but not the same ;) Some good and solid experience there though, that we did use!

It is no coincidence that you may have found your way there from the link above our forums. Out of six current moderators five are Tazlure trained, and that team of mods includes me. The same ratio goes for our player base. Plus as you may have noticed we use the same kind of website (minus the wiki).

We have a pleasant flow going to and fro between Tazlure and AoI, but it is important to keep the games separate. In Tazlure terms AoI is only one area (London) with very specific NPC's (historic), and a limit on themes (Politics, Social, Intrigue, Nobles). It comes with its own challenges (have you ever tried to stay true to a English King who actually lived?) but is not comparable to an entire globe where we make up our own reality. Subtle changes that have also been noted are for instance that AoI is more character than environment focused, has a faster posting rate (daily!) and makes less use of event orientated modding.

I encourage all Tazzies to play both games, as they each have their own niche :)
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Post by Shaeliana »

Mairi Armstrong wrote:Okay. Firstly - some brave and very bold moves here. It can't be easy to take a system that has been tried and tested for so long and remould it.


Actually, the game designers are always looking at ways to make the game run more smoothly... remolding it. It just goes on in those secret forums where you don't see it until we arrive at a consensus on something we want to try. The real difference here is that there is more than one thing being changed.

If you really look at it, Tazlure has always been in a slight state of flux as we fine tune the things that work and rework those things that don't. Over the years we've reworked every game mechanic, (except for the wealth system perhaps) and some of them have been reworked more than once.

Even in our disasters (like the uprooting of the Adhiel to Amun Rah), much discussion and thought has gone on behind the scenes.. sometimes many months of thought and discussion. Sometimes things happen as we envision... other times they don't. We'll just have to wait and see what this newest round of changes brings.

Basically, you are all rats in a giant experiment. We develop a theory and a way to impliment it, apply said theory to the game, watch the rats run the maze and evaluate what works and what does not. Then we go back to our theories, revise them and do it all over again!

Of course, it can't go without saying that we have the best and brightest rats one can find anywhere!

:)
Last edited by Shaeliana on Sat Jun 09, 2007 7:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Grant »

Quinlan wrote:Unless that was sarcasm. Then I'm very sorry.
No, not sarcastic at all: I'm "sarcasm deficient". I just don't use it! ;)

I guess what I meant was, "Player Empowerment" was the core focus of these changes when we first started kicking these changes around. How to better liberate the players from within our existing structure...and to shift the default of the site to player proaction instead of rules interpretation. These changes should empower the players to remain firmly in control of the evolution and direction of our content, while our "mechanical rules" will become a little more background, enforcing the standards we need to keep the IC world consistent. I have a feeling it'll work wonderfully...though the real limitation is Perception and Communicating the site's intent.

I guess that's why I was so pleased to see that our intent was communicated loud and clear ;)
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Post by Raevyn D`Altamooriana »

I have nothing to bitch and complain about. That just, doesn't happen. *shakes fist* Gimme time though, I'm sure I'll think of something... like, not letting me know in advance what you guys are up to. Yeah... I'll go with that one. :D *shakes fist again*
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Post by Shaeliana »

Mairi Armstrong wrote:With regards to the wealth skill, as I understand it it would place restrictions on what players want to buy. It's a shame that the inventory list will be reduced, but then again as you say not many people check it. Maybe the inventory list will become more of a decription of individual items, such as clothing?


Actually, I believe the inventory list will become the place to list unusual items or truly essential items such as a weapon. Clothing, unless it is something special and outside your "normal" wealth status, will no longer have to be listed in your inventory. So yes, as someone else stated.. this will eliminate the "where are your britches" complication we've seen in times past. We will assume you have clothing within your means without requiring you to list it.

However, lets say your character is skilled labor, but is invited to a special event and given a dress that would come from a higher wealth level,... that would go in your inventory since it lies outside the norm for you. The same would apply to if you managed IC to work extra, make a trade or otherwise acquire anything outside your wealth level.

Otherwise, I'd think critical items would be the other thing we'd list on the sheet.. such as a weapon. This is to avoid those players who try to pull rabbits out of their hat when presented with an issue to overcome. Suddenly, Martin has everything but the kitchen sink in his pack and he can come up with that if required!

What we've seek to do is get rid of the mundane stuff. We will assume you have soap and a comb and yes... britches! ;)
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Re: Tazlure: The Way Forward

Post by Hex da`Bergliin »

Hello there,

Maeve wrote:
This freshness, that also allows for such long term events as healing of injuries, pregnancy, political developments, harvests etc. to become a natural part of our backdrop and thus improves the coherence of Tazlure, is something we would like to apply to Tazlure on a regular basis.


Fantastic.

I think the whole concept of the Recess is brilliant.

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Post by Med »

well just going to go for it.. No ones answers will ever be right. To me it's about themes Shae would beat me down any day writing a romance type piece. I did okay with action adventure, but based on players. Wicker Needle cool idea should use that again it didn't go away.

Otherwise not sure what to say here.
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Post by Elvin Motricé »

I would like to make one remark on awarding skills like the Taz Birthday and the Recess.

It would help a lot if you could actually use those stars to get above journeyman in literacy and language skills that you already have. Language and literacy training during play are boring and language is something that improves as well when a character actively participates with others in that language. Most skills I can get by playing but upping my language skills? Frankly I don't want to write a thread about improving my language skills. Recess and timejumps might be an excellent way to address that problem.

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Post by Quinlan Corodin »

I would think that birthday stars remain the same in that they cannot be used to raise a skill above journeyman...

...although perhaps they could be merged with the recess posts? Much like you are expected to explain your skill choices in your background, birthday stars could become part of the recess posts, and in the recess you explain why they're going where they are? The gains wouldn't have to be tied hard and fast to the birthday stars, but it provides a tidy IC way to account for them...

...and seeing as how the recess posts are as IC as any other thread - just an accelerated time version - that any skill could be raised to any level within reason. Obivously trying to obtain Master of a skill in a recess post would be frowned upon, but surely a star or two in Journeyman wouldn't be outside the scope of what is good and right?
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Post by Maeve »

We are currently deciding what to do with the skills. As times move faster this may be the time to make skill advancement more realistic (aka slower for some skills while deliberately upping language and literacy skills that have a more long term view and get snowed under in threads). We are not decided on what to do with that.
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Post by Vanir Alfheim »

Well on the skills front, I have to agree with Elvin and Quinlan. Language and Literacy are rather mundane and boring IC, plus it is not uncommon for mods to even forget to skill those, unless their use is rather obvious or glaring. I think the idea of combining birthday stars and recess stars makes a good deal of sense, since we are going to a yearly recess. You could even add a point value to skills so you could use extra stars to add to journeyman skills or even apprentice skills. A star is a star at basic, the say a star and a half or two stars at apprentice, and so on. Perhaps limiting journeyman to a simple star increase at the extra cost, although it would need to explained in the recess. I hope that makes as much sense as it did in my head. (Most things don't, but here's hoping.)

Maeve wrote:This freshness, that also allows for such long term events as healing of injuries, pregnancy, political developments, harvests etc. to become a natural part of our backdrop and thus improves the coherence of Tazlure, is something we would like to apply to Tazlure on a regular basis.


Gah, does this mean I am going to have even more kids? Maybe I should invest in the Vanir Alfheim Adoption Clinic? :wink:
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Post by Finley Ward »

Gah, does this mean I am going to have even more kids? Maybe I should invest in the Vanir Alfheim Adoption Clinic?


Or you could stop sleeping with everything that moves, Vanir...? Just a thought... XD
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Post by Vanir Alfheim »

Finley Ward wrote:
Gah, does this mean I am going to have even more kids? Maybe I should invest in the Vanir Alfheim Adoption Clinic?


Or you could stop sleeping with everything that moves, Vanir...? Just a thought... XD


I don't sleep with everything that moves......just every girl that moves. :wink:
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Post by Maeve »

Before we sink deeper and deeper into some favorite topics like sex.... let me just mention that we've made a start to add modding seminar material to the wiki. Of course updates still need to be made to reflect recent changes.
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Post by Reinhard »

I like the idea of advancing language/literacy skills in the recesses (assuming the character is in a position to do so!). They do tend to be very boring to roleplay, and are often neglected.
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Post by Kaelara Mentahn »

Being newly returned, I have to admit that one reason I decided to come back and actually play again - instead of just glance around and enjoy the stories from a distance, per se, - was directly related to the recess concept. It also gave me an easy way to rejoin the game, without getting stuck trying to unravel storylines and find out how things would work.

I can see that, if people get waylaid by life, the Recess periods will allow people to catch up, dive back in... get involved without throwing a huge wrench in what is already going on or trying to pick up their own stalled storylines.

Just another thought, from someone returning. :)
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Abner Klop
Civus
Posts: 409
Joined: Mon May 12, 2003 6:11 am
Location: Dort Abbey (22 Chyril)

Post by Abner Klop »

I've been on vacation and only checking in periodically, so I missed this announcement until now. But anyway, I think this is a good step. I had mixed feelings about the last recess when it was announced--because Abner was about to culminate what had been a *very* long story arc and I felt a little cheated not getting to play it out--but when I actually sat down and wrote his recess post, I found it very fulfilling. I definitely feel like I've moved him forward in some interesting directions as a result. With my second character, who was still rather "young" when the recess hit, I wound up doing something like a reboot: cutting ties with his past and moving to a new location. Again, though, I feel like I added some depth to the character and developed a better sense of who he was as a result.

So, kudos to the GDs for taking this step. I'll be looking forward to seeing it play out.
"Wel loved he garlek, onyons, and eek lekes,
And for to drynken strong wyn reed as blood"
--Geoffery Chaucer
Maeve
The Dragon & Game Designer
Posts: 15536
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2002 1:29 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Post by Maeve »

UPDATE

It has been more than 9 months since the conception of Tazlure's new concept. Time for an update.

The Dip
First of all we apologize for the dip that has occurred especially since last autumn. Due to personal circumstance several GD's had to take a step back, leaving the rest to struggle. The same goes for moderators. Most of us are now back in full force and intending to stay. We even have new moderators join the team through our modding seminar. Our thanks go especially to Syra and Grey Wolf, and their great moderator team, who have kept the game afloat doing a zillion things at once. At the moment our activity has gone up with more than 25% since our deepest low, so we are going forward.

Closure of the Old, Opening of the fresh
Moderators are remarkably like players (well, DUH). Sometimes we need new horizons as a person, and for the game as a whole. Concepts may be worn, players less interested, or the moderator simply no longer inspired for an area. In true Tazlure style we have not shied away from closing areas, no matter how legendary, if on the whole the area proved too draining for the game. At the same time we've allowed moderators to find new loves. Dragonskeep, the Eastern Empire and Nether's Gate are but the first of these new areas that we hope bring new life to the game.

That is not to say old areas will never be around again. World's Mouth, Terra Incognita, Amun Rah, Trothgard.. they all but await new players and new moderators, two necessary ingredients for keeping an area afloat.

Wealth and Player Freedom
As of today, all players have been screened for the wealth skill, that is replacing our inventory. You can read details here:
http://wiki.tazlure.nl/index.php/Wealth

Your coordinator will be checking my work. If you think something is being overlooked please use the thread in the Approved Sheets forum.

Reminder of Changes that are now implemented
The following is now standard procedure:

1. Players can retire their characters at will and create a new one. This retirement need only be temporary. You can dig up an old character later, for instance after Recess. The only rule is that you have only two active PC's at a time.

2. Restricting rules have been dumped, such as the three thread rule of thumb. If you feel a rule is still restrictive feel free to discuss it with your coordinator.

3. You can request any change to your sheet in the Approved Sheets forum. We will try and keep an active moderation of the sheets, so please do point things out there.

4. The new Modding Seminar allows all senior players to enter and find what they need. The treatises are in the wiki, and participants in the seminar will gain a supportership place in one of the areas in Tazlure, with good feedback on how you are doing.

5. The wiki has been reorganized. More details may follow, because a wiki is never finished. We encourage everybody to participate in the wiki!
Last edited by Maeve on Wed Mar 12, 2008 5:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
[i][b][color=orange][size=92]Smile and carry a big stick.[/color][/b][/i][/size]
Maeve
The Dragon & Game Designer
Posts: 15536
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2002 1:29 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Post by Maeve »

Recess
We have not forgotten our plans regarding recess.

Despite our dip we expect that we'll jump into Recess by the end of of May or the beginning of June. The reason for that is the cycle of the game. Our quiet periods are Mid June till Mid August and December till mid February. In the summer break we can cover for Recess, while winter break will be used for the TMA's and general evaluation of the game.

This also means that we'll have frequent Sync Events to keep us on track for the Recess.
[i][b][color=orange][size=92]Smile and carry a big stick.[/color][/b][/i][/size]
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