The Tazlure Crisis

[Maeve]

As a gesture of trust to the entire community I am breaking normal protocol and address the entire community about a problem that we as staff have been unable to solve.

For at least the last three years the game of Tazlure has been fighting a very important problem: a lack of resources.

I don't mean money. I don't mean space on the website, or access to excellent software.

I mean people. People with loads of free time, an understanding of moderating and game management who are inspired enough to keep a creative writing community like Tazlure going, and who in fact enjoy the running of a game as much as they do participating in one. Veteran community members have moved on to other games, or simply found their free time or their inspiration reduced. The community has not been able to replace them. Gaping holes have appeared. The momentum in the game has stopped, with people feeling no progress and instead a whole lot of stress.

This includes all the GD's (yes, me too) who at one point or other have been away, leaving one or two behind who then of course find themselves in over their head, sticking with it out of loyalty, or failing to stick with it.

We have tried to rescale Tazlure to a smaller model twice. However since the lack of resources is happening at all levels (players, mods, GD's) this was always too little too late. Yes, we have a great group of people but most of you do not have enough time to maintain Tazlure as it is right now and instead just want to play and relax, which we do not blame you for. After all you come to Tazlure because it is fun.

In the past our analysis of the problem has included stale plotlines (we've used the reset button with recesses), players spread too far (we've downscaled) and a lack of fantasy/overapplication of realism (we've reintroduced fantasy elements). None of this has resulted in the long term result of retaining staff for longer periods of time.

Our options as I see them.

1. We downscale dramatically.
I do mean dramatically. With about 5 mods per location. It could mean only one location, or two in each others direct vicinity (only one continent) or on two different continents, each dramatically different. It would almost certainly see the resignation of a great number of characters because we'll discontinue their content. It will mean players for now will be allowed only one PC to prevent stretching resources.

This still requires that new GD's have to be appointed and that new moderators have to be trained. This can only be a cooperative effort, on all levels. No people who will single handedly save the world of Tazlure this time around. It would only continue our misery. If we go this way it should be a long term viable solution.

2. We go free form
We only offer Tazlure as a platform and setting, but without the moderation. People need to self mod. Skills as a concept are no longer used. Tazlure will likely loose some very crucial aspects, such as realism and interwoven storylines. Nor will there be a referee for behavioural issues.

This still requires a small group of people to be the administrators, who need to be appointed.

3. We close the game and move on
This will close a community that has continued in one form or other since 1992, in its current form since july 2001. It is painful. However in this option no new GD's and moderators have to be found. Perhaps it will be the basis for something new.

None of these options have been pre-decided. I am asking the entire community for input. The final decision will fall to the GD's (it is our heavy burden) but all of you matter to me and I would hear your advice before we reach that decision.

Remember that we are looking for viable long term solutions only, not acts of desperation. We have always been a mature game. Lets be that way now too.

[Aerin Penna Seleratus]

My suggestion for Option #4 - reposted from IRC

Instead of true freeform, have senior players be 'player-mods', modding in threads/areas that they play since they are established and know the rules, etc., and less likely to 'godmod' than newbies

[Gaelena]

I know that I'm not the best one to be saying this, as I have often attempted to try and help, but RL has always gotten in the way. But, I believe there isn't a need to truly close down Tazlure. There's a way to scale back that makes it more PC-centered, cutting back on the amount of mod work required.

Currently, the way it is set up, 90% of the story is mod driven. PC with PC interaction is sparce. If, say, a plague were to suddenly strike Tazlure, forcing survivors into one of two locations, it would centralize the action. Also, a changing of the NPC guard could occur. Positions once staffed with NPCs are now open for PCs to take on. PCs with important positions could then interact with other PCs, more than just one or two. A mod would only need to step in to set up a storyline or diversion. Any PC that wished to remain could have an immunity to the plague, or have caught it but survived (perhaps leaving them with something extra). NPCs that are no longer active or might prove less entertaining in this new environment could die.

It is more like a combination of options 1 and 2 without having to go as extreme as option 3.

[Amber Kynterle]

Personally, as a player in Taz since April of 2003, I would be extremely saddened to see Tazlure close down. I don't think that we're at that point yet. I think that introducing a bit more freeform in some locations and in plots that are satellite to key plots, as well as possibly downscaling temporarily would be a good option.

I tried to become a mod a few years back, but I wasn't ready for the challenge. However, now that I'm about to get out of the Navy - in two months - and return to some semblance of normal life, I am planning on becoming more involved in the game, with the hope of becoming a full mod. I go on 30 days of leave in a couple weeks, and I plan to get the ball rolling on that then.

As you said, Maeve, one person can't save everything, but I figure I can try to do part of it.

So anyway, I'd been planning on this for some time, but seeing as this message came out, I thought I'd put it out there so that at least ya'll know that at least a little help is on the way. If ya'll want me that is, heh.

[Fauna Winthrope]

Remember that we are looking for viable long term solutions only, not acts of desperation. We have always been a mature game. Lets be that way now too.

We must consider the main problem, which is TIME. Even if we have Senior Players mod threads, we'll still be back to the problem if they can commit to it on a long ride.

Option number TWO is going to be like Taz being a huge ROOST or AETHER thread. I'm a person who likes order and neatness and I want to have some sort of person who I can look up to for moderation. We still need Modems! (Moderators Demoderators!) So I do not like Option Number Two and Taz's not going to be Taz with option number two. I'm a bit conservative, I do not like change, yeah we don't even change our underwear most of the time (j/k). And option number three is a big No for me.

Option Number One, downscaling, can, I hope, solve the problem. Let's go back to the beginning, back to where it all started.

[Aerin Penna Seleratus]

Now that I have landed a job with a set schedule, I am open for modding again and willing to mod wherever. I know this doesn't solve the problem, but it might help to bail some water out of the capsizing boat at least.

[Ssinith DIllil]

If this goes freeform, I'm leaving. Not because of hate or anything of the sort, but I don't trust myself to write fair at all. Without a system, an RPG will fail.

I'm trying to help support, but I'm finding that being a player and being a mod at the same time doesn't feel very fair (even if they are in different locations). If I am going to devote my time to this game, I'm going to have to choose one route or the other.

If the survival of the community depends on it, then I will go full mod. However, if as a player I can generate more storyline, then I will. S'sinith is a powerful enough character to pull this off, I just find myself writing stories which don't involve more than one PC... this is kind of wrong. I blame myself even though that wasn't my intention, but hey, it's something we all need to think about.

Senior players... how much power do you have and how are you flaunting it? Pick on someone your own size... I.E., a PC who can fight back. I tried to lay some story stuff down when S'sinith came up with the United Army concept, as well as thinking about getting a party to Aveas to kick some butt.

I'll try harder to bring in more PC's into plot. There are a lot of good new ones.

[Deianeira Saitheria]

I saw this and went 'NO no closing. I liked someones idea of focusing on PC to PC intereaction. I mean have the GDs and Mods start bigger area plots but also think it'd be cool if we caused something to close off the world and put them all in one or two areas perhaps.

[Maeve]

Nobody likes any of the options. This is not about what we like. This about what is a viable long term solution. Thank you Fauna for reminding us

Saying "I'll mod" is tempting but reality is that in the past we've had many of these offers and they appear to be temporary patches.

Don't look at the tree options as cast in stone though, there might be others, or combinations there off. I know everybody's first instinct will be to call for a downscaling and think it solved there by. Least amount of pain, right? However, that doesn't solve the core of the problem which is that right now we have one active GD (and it isn't me) and a handful of mods. Next time somebody drops by the way line we'll have to downscale again. Is it different from what we've been doing or just muddling along once again? Are we delaying the inevitable by not being honest with ourselves?

Long term solutions could also include closing this site (including the use of the name Tazlure) but allowing those that still feel inspired by the setting to set up something similar by either using the Aether (which, face it, is free form Tazlurian style which we've had for very long now) within this setting, or the Tazlurian Game system, using a portal to export characters to a totally different setting that will be the responsibility of a new team. Either way it will not be the creative responsibility of the GD's or current mods. Tazlure will have evolved into a different game, run by different people.

Sad, but also a form of closure and we would part as friends instead of falling apart snipping at each other.

[Ssinith DIllil]

Well, if we're going to do option 3, at least have one world-devastating event and finale story.

That way, if anyone decides to re-open the thing, we could start centuries after the calamity or some rot like that.

Actually, I sort of like that idea. Those players who actually survive the apocalypse have a potential to be carted over in the next game as a prize (as a powerful NPC, no doubt). Consider it a HUGE recess and overhaul. All that would need to really happen is for the UoM to blow and take out half the empire...

[Syra]

I have to agree with all the observations above. There is all the feelings as described, but also a harsh bit of realism acting up inside of me.
Tazlure closing?
First reaction?
ACK!

Second reaction: where on earth are we gonna find the people and the time for a long term solution? In fact, we've been trying to find exactly that for about 2,5 years now, if I count back to what I remember to be the first worries about Taz' existance.

I would in fact be in favour of an Aether kind of solution. No more centralized responsibility, no more people feeling guilty or taking on much, much more than they should because they feel obliged to keep Taz alive (I'm not kidding, people, how many of you have felt it?).

It would give players a chance to continue, by simply stating 'hey, I wanna continue this and this, anyone feel like leading the thread or are we gonna go pure pc on this?', just like we've done in Aether for a long time now.

It would give the people behind the characters and mods and gd's a chance to breathe, to smile, to look back at Tazlure as a wonderful time without seeing it end in (sorry for being so blunt) fire and frustration because people get too tired or try to force creativity for no other reason than feeling obliged.

It would also get the more pc interaction going, which was mentioned above as well.

Long story short: yeah, I feel weirdly divided on this, being a 'first year player', but on a practical basis I completely agree with Fauna and Maeve and would feel more comfortable with an Aether than with anything else.

[Finley Ward]

I'm on the periphery of this issue, so I'm not certain how relevant my opinions will be. But I suppose if this is a public issue then all opinions are, to some extent, valid. Or at least opinions. It's taken me a very long time to post this, and a lot of thought. I'm still fairly sure this is badly worded and says too much in some places, and not enough in others. I hope what I intend to convey is at least partially clear.

My first thought, too, was one of sadness. It saddens me to suggest that Tazlure might, inevitably, be on the verge of closure but I know I have not been alone in suspecting this has been a long time coming, and fearing it might for several years. Perhaps in my own mind I have come to terms with the idea, which allows me to (perhaps) be a little more rational about it. Because, to my mind, I'm not entirely certain this is a solvable issue any longer... and even if it were, I am not certain it would be advisable to try and fix it.

I spent a lot of time writing out what I thought the fundamental structural issues with Tazlure were that needed to be addressed in order for it to move on... but... I'm not entirely certain this is the correct place to address those issues. We could happily discuss all the things that have led to this crisis in order to try and find solutions - and I'm certain the mods have valiantly been doing just that - so I don't see much point in beginning that debate again... and it's probably shorter for me to say, I think this issue is something that can't be solved with a mere downsize, no matter how dramatic. There are other issues, behind the scenes, to do with the actual structure of the game which are perhaps past being corrected. And there are other issues behind the scenes which have little to do with the game and are the fault of nobody at all that even if they could be 'corrected', shouldn't be. So I've removed all the paragraphs of bumpf in which I address those issues directly, and boiled down what I really want to say into three short pieces.

Firstly, Tazlure has been a wonderful experience while it has worked - but short of a massive restructure, I fear it cannot ever have another golden age... this isn't something that can be fixed with a simple downsize. It's far more fundamental than that; and as I've indicated in the above paragraph, some of those problems, perhaps, shouldn't be solved. Bluntly, here's an example: if a person no longer loves the game and isn't having fun, why should that be a problem to be 'fixed'? It isn't. The difference is, a player who does not love it can leave. A mod can give notice. A GD, though, must consider who is left if they leave... sometimes, maybe people hold on for too long, because they're thinking of everyone else, and not thinking enough of themselves. Sometimes, it's the right thing to do to be selfish: just as leaving a failing relationship is the right thing, even though it might break the other person's heart. It was never going to be 'right' if your heart was not in it. And that's okay. That's not a bad thing. And it's not something that can be corrected, either.

Secondly, I think it's important to note that this has been a fantastic learning experience, and that if Tazlure must close (which, you know, someday it will. Perhaps not now, perhaps not tomorrow or next year... but someday...) the knowledge gained from running this game could give us something wonderful, strange and new. Something new to play, in which we can take everything we've learned here and start over. That's a very positive thing, in many ways: think of everything that Tazlure has taught us, applied to a new game.

Thirdly, I hope I am not being too public (I think I might've gotten a bit personal in this post, but I feel strongly about this)... but I've been concerned for a while that the owner of this site (Maeve, looking to you) has not been enjoying herself here for a long while. This worries me. The last thing I want is for something that was once fun to become a millstone around your neck, Maeve... and this is your game. Do not force yourself to continue with something that is no longer any fun for you. :) Sometimes it's the right thing to do to be selfish.


...I think the bottom line is this. All issues aside - for we could discuss the origins of this crisis til the cows come home - sometimes a group of tabletop roleplayers play a particular game for a month, or a year, or several years, and they have a lot of fun and make characters they love and tell all sorts of fantastical stories. And then, eventually, the landscape that began as a rich, strange world that they longed to explore has become cluttered with memories and ghosts, stories told and things done and history. All the possibilities seem exhausted; it has become tiring and complex and too full of things to remember. Every concept you think up has been done before, or can't be done because of something that came before, or just seems stale. And, without quite knowing you're doing it, you find themselves looking to the bookshelf once more.

And then someone says, as if they're reading your mind, "Hey. Maybe this week, we should start a game of this?" And they hold up a new book, one with a shiny cover and new, strange, rich worlds inside.

And that's okay. That's normal. That's good. Perhaps it's because I have already come to terms with this idea that I don't fear it, but rather see it as an opportunity. We have (collectively) years of experience running a successful online pbp rpg... we have learned things that work, and things that don't... we have a core base of wonderful creative writers and dear friends who, even if Tazlure closes, we want to stay in touch with. Perhaps it's merely time for something new? Crack the spine on that new book, and time for something completely different.

[Morg]

Option 1 all the way, for me. I'm inclined to agree with Ssinith - I can find freeform anywhere on the interwebs, but the type of system found on Tazlure allows for a completely different type of world, and a completely different type of story dynamic. Whatever happens, Taz freeform is bound to run roughshod over the world we've crafted, and once we've abandoned realism there's no getting it back.

Player interaction is great fun, but, as Taz's history has shown, it's no substitute for stories co-written with mods. I therefore suggest that we simply cut back.

None of the Seven Isles is particularly thriving at the moment. Solution? Cut the Seven Isles and concentrate on the WK alone. The three most thriving areas are KC, Roque and Pax, so I suggest we keep only those three and drop areas like T'aquar with fewer links to the outside world.

This doesn't mean we can't run adventures elsewhere - only that those adventures would essentially be storyboarded by willing mods, on the understanding that it's a special excursion. If the mod running it flakes out and no one wants to pick it up, then the thread's abandoned and the PCs move on. Simple as that.

By contrast, some areas within towns (such as taverns and markets) could be designated freeform areas, where threads are unmoderated and anything goes as long as it doesn't have earth-shattering implications. They could be run like the Roost was supposed to be.

We can reduce admin by ditching skills and inventory altogether. It's a shame, but neither is necessary for realism, and they're just too much work for the staff. We should downsize also to one PC per person, and also only one moderated thread per PC. Under the scheme I've presented above, that would mean that each PC could have an unlimited number of social interaction threads, including training and sparring etc., but only one "adventure" or "meeting with major NPC" thread.

Recesses cause far too much admin work and only tend to dissatisfy everyone involved by disrupting perfectly good plots, so we should abandon those.

Just throwing a few drastic suggestions out there. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

[Andolin]

Well said Finn. Oh, and thanks for the limerick.

Maeve and Syra have been here from the start. Each have tried to carry the game on her back and each have burned out from the effort, as have many others. It is just too big. A game like this has to be a community of good writers and players to work. Taz has met this standard for the vast majority of time since 2001.

Really, the thing most important about a game is its people. If there is an option that can keep the community together, that is something important. Free form does that, to some extent. You could have senior players, as has been noted, try and police powermongering and such, but the community could continue to exist. Though not a fan of free form, it does have its many adherents.

I don't have a solution to pose, as most of my recommendations are likely not "long term" solutions. So, maybe (as Syra and others ) have suggested, let it become aether for awhile and see what happens.

I could support a drastic downsizing too. Even if it is just KC, as the game started.

I'll support anything the GDs decide.

[Lucian Hood]

suggestions from the periphery.

1) Downsize.

2) Keep a solid moderator on Each Forum remaining.

3) Allow Peer Moderation with clearance: Meaning allow players to moderate each others threads with permission for story archs and anything that would change the game setting. Keep the main mods on Threads that signifigantly affect politics, game world etc.


This also bumps up the chances of the player mods becoming full time staff and reopening cities.
--

Attracting more players will mean a responsive staff and allowances on slightly less lengthy character descriptions and backgrounds.

The unrefined copper of my two cents;)

[Sebastian Beauvais]

My first reaction was the selfish one, perhaps predictably. Although I've taken a spin at moderating it was shortlived and not very successful, which means I really am a player in body and soul. So when I first read Maeve's message, my immediate thought was "Will Sebastian's location survive a cut? Surely that's all we need." Considering the other options was too unpleasant.

But having let the matter settle in my mind for a while, I have concluded there is only one answer I am comfortable with. Others have said this ahead of me, but I echo them here. Tazlure and all games like it are created to provide enjoyment to the participants. When it is no longer fun, when opening up the lists to see how many posts are waiting on you becomes a dreaded chore instead of an eagerly anticipated challenge, it is time to leave.

I know it is hard to look at things so simplistically when you are more than a player, when your decision will affect a great many people. But I think that is what must happen for each of the wonderful mods and GDs that have carried us so far. It is time to be honest with yourself and not let the guilt inherent to your position unduly affect your decision.

Maybe this leads to an Aether-like continuation of Taz or maybe the curtain will fall for good, leaving an empty stage available for the next production to come along. To be honest I won't be particularly happy about either, but I will understand and respect the choices made.

Above all else I am grateful for the opportunity that has been provided by Tazlure and its creative team. You have devised and overseen a wonderful place that has provided enjoyment year after year for more people than I can count. You have all given of yourselves for our benefit, now make sure you look after you.

[Trajan Constantine Aeneas]

I, like many who have already said their piece, felt a deep sense of sadness with a sharp stab of pain when I saw that Tazlure, my beloved Tazlure, was in Crisis. And when I actually learned the details, it only got worse. I am, relatively speaking, a new comer. I've only been playing here for thirteen months, which, in the grand scheme of Tazlure is not long at all. Torc recently celebrated five years here not that long ago. And I want that. The thing about Tazlure I have discovered is the people that comprise it. Yes Ulder and Aerin and Ashari and Haikan are all PC's and all have amazing stories to tell, or to continue telling as the case may be. But it's the people behind those characters, who truly make a place like Tazlure what it is.

As for what is best as a long term sustainable solution, I don't have any answers. All I know is that I don't want Tazlure to close. I don't want to lose my friends, and I don't want to miss out on the stories I know they hall have inside of themselves. However I must agree with Sebastian in that I don't want Maeve or Syra or Gray Wolf or any GD past, present or future to kill themselves and their fun for the sake of my selfishness. This is the best community i've ever been a part of, so I know that somewhere amidst all these brilliant people that I viable answer will be found. Is it downsizing? Possibly. I believe it was suggested that the Western Kingdom be focused on, and that is fine if that is what it comes down to. Even if if were the Seven Isles and I had to either move or start over with a new PC (or PCs) that would be fine with me as well.

The long and short of it is this. Tazlure is in my blood, and many of those in it's community are in my heart, but I don't know how to save it. But I do know that it is worth saving, and for my part I am willing to make any concession to see that happen. I can do no less.


Phillip

Trajan Constantine Aeneas
Nar'zul Qa'dar

[Ssinith DIllil]

Well, look at what happens to D&D... though theirs is for profit and not pleasure, sometimes a complete overhaul is needed.

Might I suggest a new option;

4) Press the cosmic reset button.

PROS:
Fresh new stories, characters, and world.
We could limit our boards while keeping the same system

CONS:
A lot of wiki re-writing.

Some wizard goes back in time and changes the course of history by preventing the assassination of Charlemange. An entire time rift happens, slaying millions (excuse to kill off characters), and altering people's histories completely (including the gods).

I suggest a "Alternate Time Recess" rewrite for characters you wish to keep, but completely rework.

If the time thing is too much, then destroy Tazlure and start a new game with the same system, though that will need much more writing. That would be the next option.

5) Press the TOTAL Cosmic Reset Button

[Arnholt]

I know next to nothing about what all is going on behind the scenes that it's come to this, or how man moderators are left here or how burned out there are. I do know that I originally came to Tazlure after fleeing another "dying" RP, and maybe its example will be helpful.

I'm talking about the Kingdoms of Telgard, for anyone who knows that name. Different set-up there, but similar problems leading to its "downfall." Telgard was once extremely active but with this and that many of the long time players and (especially) mods drifted away. The game's original CDs (think GDs/owners) had all burned out and left and most of the game's energy was gone, too. We mods who remained had this exact same discussion. I recall that I myself came down on the side of "Let's blow it all up and go out with a bang."

In the end, though, the consensus was that Telgard ought to keep going as long as there was a single mod and player interested in RPing there. I resigned and left because I wasn't having fun anymore, but others stayed, and the setting was downsized dramatically. And Telgard is still around. It's not nearly as busy as it was in its glory days, but it is most definitely still kicking. Some people who left have returned. Even I came back, though as a player only, since my own mod had returned as well.

I will note that even now, Tazlure is vastly more populous than Telgard was during its own decline. In fact it's a fair bet that Telgard in its prime never had many more players and mods than Tazlure does at this very moment.

What I'm saying is, downsizing Tazlure and grabbing everyone who volunteers to mod may not be a "long term solution. But then again, it might very well be. I don't think there's much point in doing a "rocks fall, everybody dies" unless it is absolutely certain that there's no valid alternative. Go down to only two locations and even if Tazlure never reclaims whatever its glory days were, it can still be a fun RP. If things go horribly wrong somehow (Unsupervised mods carving out small, feuding spheres of influence across the message board? A coup d'etat by players resulting in skill stars being handed out indiscriminately? A massive invasion of new players who write nothing but hardcore lesbian porno and don't care that their characters were never approved?) it's never too late to push the doomsday button after all.

[Gwayne of Vendeling]

Mmmm, this is a interesting situation, I know from some that they have more fun and spent more time roleplaying in WOW then writing here at Taz. Some Mods burned down because they had been pulled by away real life and feeling responsible towards their players and they ended up modding for a whole lot of people.

Everything in life ends somewhere, the Taz as we know could end here. It does not end writing, and also does not end life. So the challenge is not how do we keep Taz alive. The challenge as I see it is how do we keep a community of very loveable and creative people together so they can have fun writing stories.

So for me as a person I don't value Taz very much, but I do value the people and the stories I write with them and I would hate it when that disappears.

So I want the fun back, I want people like Syra and Grey wolf to write and enjoy it. I want to enjoy it. So if we have to change for that.. its ok with me.

So I would like to see Taz change if that brings results like.. Seeing maeve/fin/syra/rat/whooever posting and having fun.

I think that Aether is a bit of a good example of what could be. Its freeform with limits. And the limits are based on players and storylines. It doenst always work out the way we want but we could create some great stories out of it.

So whatever the choice is, I am in.

Only shutting down the Taz community.. over my dead body

Then even I become a mod.. and thats NOT a good thing.

[Raina Courtez]

I'm new to this game and I haven't done much, but even the little bit that I have done I LOVE! This is my all-time favorite PBP game. I definately do not want it to close. I think downsizing slightly for an ingame reason would be a good idea and then doing more PC control in some areas.

[Gwayne of Vendeling]

As said we should use our strength not our weaknesses.

The strength of Taz is the love of the players for it. Our weakness is that everything depends on the mods/GD.

The easy solution would be to remove this need for the mod to post.

[Arnholt]

Oh, just one more suggestion. If Tazlure ends up going with option 1, how about downscaling for a "happy" IC reason?

NO: An awful plague/war/whatever has killed everyone you know and destroyed everything you've ever worked for. Please proceed to post-apocalyptic hellscape where you and your PC will be horribly depressed.

YES: An amazing miraculous Magical Thingie has been discovered in Location X! It is like the Holy Grail of Tazlure or whatever! It will grant your wishes, help you lose wait and feel great, even conquer the world! Everyone who is anyone has come to Location X to try and find the legendary Magical Thingie, as all of the really cool prophecies have foretold.

(Don't want the Magical Thingie? That's okay... your friend/lover/significant other/family wants it bad, and they've dragged you along too. Also all of your customers/victims are after it, so you'd better follow them if you want to stay in business as a merchant/hoodlum. And as if that's not enough, your boss/king/superior officer/deity has ordered you to find the Magical Thingie at any cost. So you'd better get cracking! Or not. But as long as you're here in Location X you'll probably want to stay and do some other stuff instead...)

[Ssinith DIllil]

Rules Changes to Make Modding Easier:

1) Make players require to keep up their own damn characters.

- You can not post a new thread until you have posted a brief summary of that thread in your bio so that the mods don't have to go back and read old posts over and over again.

2) "Skill Pleas"

- After a thread is finished, a player goes through the thread and makes a "plea" for skill points and what they think they have earned through it. They point out which posts they think they earned it and how many stars and a mod merely accepts the plea or revises it to what the player deserves (maybe giving a new skill if the player might have missed something).

[Razelus Urso]

I've actually just started, but to tell the truth, I've been making an attempt to really get into Tazlure since, I want to say, 2006.

The difficulty I always have is that it's slow to move, and it is precisely because of what is addressed in option #2 - Too much modding is required under the current system. Regulation IS important in something like this, but the level of moderation can really stagnate things for players and I can't imagine how onerous it is for the poor mods, who need to step into so many roles and be enthusiastic and focus on making sure everybody has fun.

My two or three times trying to jump in just haven't allowed me to really hit the ground running in the sort of stories I want to write. Easing up the amount of moderation, combined with (perhaps) a stricter approval standard for players, might serve the purpose of getting players more excited and giving mods more room to try to help move larger things in the world and resolve possible disputes or questions rather than keep them tied up resolving everybody's conversations with NPCs.

I hope this has been helpful and that things keep moving forward, and I appreciate allowing everybody some input.