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Old 02-12-2003, 03:46 PM   #33
Child of the 7th Age
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Thanks everyone for the helpful comments. There were a couple of folk I wanted to make sure and respond to....

First, Doug Platypus, you raise one point that also concerns me, and which Pio and I have discussed at least briefly. I wonder if some folk (myself included!) do get spread out thin, and take on too many games. I would never want to set down a flat number for how much is too many. Too many games for one individual may be just the right number for another! It depends on how fast a person writes and their real life commitments as well as how much time they're willing to give to it.

I do think that something like this might at least be briefly mentioned on a game's discussion thread, suggesting that folk weigh their real life commitments and consider how many games they're already playing in before signing up for another.

I am not familiar with the Rohan game you mention, but I do know that Shire games also can have problems with slow plot development. I think there may be factors other than busy posters that can lead games to slow down. I noticed, for example, in the Shire, when The Long Winter hit its climactic scenes where the hobbits outwit the wargs, other games on the board slowed down because many were busy getting their licks in! Something like this is just a matter of timing between two or more plots.

Also, sometimes a game slows down under the sheer weight of its plot, with too much time spent on detailed introductory scenes, or perhaps in another part of the storyline. The game founder sometimes has to be ready to give their game a kick to send it forward a bit faster. Otherwise, posters may lose interest, and feel that a game isn't going anywhere. Sometimes other posters or a mod can be helpful in pointing that out to a founder with a respectful pm. Then adjustments can be made.

There definitely have been times I've sent notes to posters, especially if a big scene is coming up. But it's a good point for us to keep in mind.

Your other point:

Quote:
On the subject of Inns, I agree that the divisions are a great idea. But placing the Inns in a definite geographical location causes some (very minor) problems. For instance, in a foolish attempt at consistency, my Dwarf bard travelled from his home in Erebor, to Rohan, read a notice about an RPG, and travelled all the way back to Dale to participate in it. I would like to see RPGs starting off from the Inns, as was done in this case, but that can become a bit tricky given the fact that they all exist in one particular (sometimes inconvenient) location. I can't think of a solution, but maybe someone that agrees with this sentiment is able to.
I think there may be a misunderstanding here. When we say that games can start off in Inns, we simply mean that planning can take place there. Your character can start from anyplace, and you don't have to explain how they got there or route them through the Inn or on any particular route. Some folk join games and never post in the Inn, which is also fine.

Also I wanted to comment on this:

Quote:
Assuming that the Inns do in fact need a physical location, the Shire as the novice forum is IMO kind of self-defeating. Almost without exception, newbie characters are Elves, Half-Elves, warriors or vampires, with piercing eyes, mysterious pasts, and sacks full of enchanted weaponry.
Ironically, the opposite has been the case in the Shire. We have a large group of newbie hobbits. But because we've had many games for hobbits, they tend to clear out of the Inn quickly. In fact, until very recently, most of our active games were hobbit oriented. Right now, we have one hobbit game going, another windng down, and another starting next week.

In fact, if we want to look at things through the cold eye of realism, nowhere in Middle-earth would you find the wide assortment of characters that each of our Inns boast....not even Dale, which admittedly is more 'multi-cultural' than many other locations. The only way around this would be to eliminate all geographical references in the names of the Inns. Yet, I would hate to do that. For example, we recently used our "Shire" setting to plan a dinner party for Frodo and Bilbo, and had folk scurrying around the Inn (including the Elves and vampires!) helping us get ready.

Also, one reason that we've had so many Elves and Half-elves in the Inn is that there haven't been Elf oriented RPGs for them to join! We posted one a week ago, and all the Elf slots filled up in 24 hours (a new record for us!). I'd love to put up another good Elf RPG that has real roots in Tolkien (not a Mary Sue!), but the seeds that are adopted and under development tend to be men or hobbits or even dwarves! We are definitely in the market for someone who could adopt an "Elven seed" who has the experience and the ability to lead a Shire game.

Aman -- I want to respond to one or two of your ideas, but have to run to do real life carpool now. Will get back on here later.

Cami, Shire Mod

[ February 12, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]
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