Netheril : Age of Magic
Player Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: Fiona Voust on November 07, 2018, 08:32:13 am
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Since a few DMs have asked for feedback i would like to give some feedback and opinions for DM plots and DMing in general but not limited to Blackheart or Mortui.
DM'ing ought to be fun, running your plots and doing your villains or heroes etc. but i am starting to get the impression there's a lack of promoting player agency latetly and most DMs seem more absorbed in their own plotlines.
For example, i have noticed that all of Blackhearts plots are elves. It's always the elves. I knew him as a player and i know how much he loves elves but up until now we had very few elves.
Why not do a plot that can help and involve current initiatives get pushed forward and complete their stories faster so we can all move to a new concept?
So vaguely now we have a new Mayor, House Voust, A Barbarian Tribe, The Adventurer's Guild and i'm not sure what other people trying to do plots.
Wouldn't it be more fun for all and more fulfilling if your villain or DM event tried to include agendas pushed by all of the current factions?
I understand the need for more general plotlines but if you help push character stories faster we can all move on to something else instead of waiting indefinetly for DM input and pray a DM will look favourably.
So instead of elves how about a bandit elven villain? How about some elves attacking a Rengarth Tribe so the barbarians can be directly involved? How about someone asking the adventurer's Guild for aid etc.
You get my point i believe.
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Point is read and considered
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I will say I’m never opposed to running things of that nature for players and I have already done so in the past, though I am far more likely to do so if you send me a PM or tag me in a note on the forums. PMs especially are easy for me to see and follow.
I believe i suggested you do such a few days ago with your bandit debacle, as I am still interested doing something with that.
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Feedback? Feedback...
Feedback about dming inside game only. Not talking about forum things. Only inside of the game.
Backheart events and quests are fun. Not only limited about elves. He have a good sense of humor and know how to balance different type of characters, with difference classes, background or races nicely in open events. I don't mind if the elvens get some attention, because the elvens is a good counter-point of human noble houses. Having Blackheart to do this, because he know a lot of elven lore and backgrond is pausible. About the current group of dms, Blackhard is more inclusive, and this is nice. Have some goods plots, and sometimes he dm'ing one shots and arch of events around. I don't mind if he give attention to the elves. We have other dms taking care of the server.
Man of the Mists and Rainman are both good dms too. But because the time zone, is hard to get in touch with the same playing hours of rainman. Rainman deal with building stuff, and because this is more difficult to see him Dm'ing sometimes. I don't know now, but Rainman dealed with the swords. I know he is a good reliable reference of druid stuff, helping a lot in this field. Because his work as builder, having arch of events and following his adventures is more hard. But the reason behind is plausible.
Man of the Mists dealed in the past more with arch of events and adventures. If you get luckly enough to join in an arch of adventures done by him, maybe can develop something nice with your character. The only problematic point is to join in his chain of dm events propely, because if this take a group of characters to start something, is hard to join later.
Saravok is a good dm, can do a great arch of events and deal nicely with individual plots or group plots.
In the past, Mortui and Gmork ended more related with noble houses and arcane guild. Both are good dealing with events. Maybe you can meet them doing some large dm events in each two weeks more or less.
Goblin make some good events for rogues and adventures. But he is more "one shot" in most part of the time. I don't know if he done any arch of events or developed any plotline before, for a group. But some players get some help in events in certain playing hours.
Voss can make good events and quests, and he try to be inclusive icly like Blackheart and make a lot of adventures and events, and even arch of events. The only point to work better is dealing with his arch of events and plotlines, because is very hard to get extra information icly without using forum to talk with npcs, and if you miss an adventure, become really hard to compensate the lost of information later.
Thinker and Elvenstar is another case. Both deal with building and checking stuff with other players like other dms. Both dm'ing nicely, but I don't know about being exclusive to make arch of aventures, but sometimes both help in group plotlines.
About being more inclusive for different groups of players: The fault is not just the dms only. Much of this "isolation" comes about because certain groups or players, wishing to develop own plots and characters themselves, sometimes go too far. Nothing wrong with having conflicts and confronting someone under some circustances, if both sides have room for it and gain space to roleplay and develop things. But the problem is that some postures are quite uncomfortable, as players just using others as ladder, to develop their own ideas and plans, discarding the other plots of others, or stealing, or destroying without giving nothing in return.
This kind of more aggressive attitude is really common in this server... And has made it more practical to create "isolated" groups and subgroups of players that respect each other or try to keep some ideas and ideals in common to feel more safely to play. Many players are not so diplomatic (read: Know how to convince, or sell the idea of getting help, and try to help others in their plots to conquest some respect) with others, and of course, being part of a group and avoiding others is safer and plausible because in any RL society, you walk among your peers, not with unknown people or with someone who cause you problems and limit your actions and destroy your plans.
I personally do not agree with certain situations or certain behaviors, dms or players. But I do not expect the dms to force the situation to make other groups that hate or avoid each other more inclusive in dm events and plots. A lot depends on the players' posture in allowing themselves to be more humble and trying to be more inclusive with others.
Read: Inclusive. It does not mean that you should avoid conflict or stop causing problems, but know your own limits and take more consideration in certain situations, giving room to others.
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since i've been named here Ill add my two shineys.
Every event I run is connected to a long plot line. I set up each event usually on the back of players initiating an action or triggering an npc reaction.
Every event I run, no matter how inconsequential it may seem to the player, I attempt to weave hints and plot hooks that players can follow up to lead them to the over arching plot line.
Are they always successful? nope... on two separate occasions ive had the same plot line fail due to lack of player pickup/interest. So it goes.
Secondly. It may appear that my event is a one shot, this is intentional. this allows random players to blow in and out of the plot without disrupting the arc. and having the plot stall because X player has something Y needs and they cant continue without it.
Third point.. time zones are a bitch. so yes the reality is certain players will see more activity from me than others purely by being awake at the right time