ATM II Planning/Discussion Thread

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Everybody please refrain from posting until you hear from me again.

Thank you.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Count this as hearing from me again.

I gathered information last night and organized it in a very clear way that was much upsetting. Which is why I paused the game until I could work a few things out.

A very brief glimpse of our co-writers's lives right now shows busy work, busy lives, business with school and with friends, Internet-less extensive travel, real life emergencies, conflict that makes writing hard.

These issues are not limited to individuals, but have come up with us all. They are just a few examples of my concern.

It appears to me that very few of us (certainly less than the majority) have the time and ability right now to dedicate themselves to this story. I would not see it tangent away from itself due to characters falling into shadow at their masters' absence. I would not see the story stagnate into ruin.

My proposed solution is that, until we can all get ourselves into an order better in which to participate, we kill the game. September or October seem a good time to bring it back.

This is where you guys come in. I want responses, and I want them honest.

If we put the game on hiatus until we can sort our lives into something conducive to writing, will we lose interest in the game? Will it be possible to stop the game and restart it, as a team working together, with a better ability to participate, later on?

Or, will the coma that I want to put it in slip into a silent death while we attend to other things?

Please answer. I prefer the idea of simply stopping the game until we can give it the attention that it deserves. What do you think? Will it help, or will it hurt?

[the guy who be short]

I posted before but it didn't appear. Alas.

I posted to the effect of: I can be dedicated from probably Wednesday to Mid-September.

You should draw up a timetable of when people will be absent. If there is not too much conflict, coma can be avoided.

Coma will probably lead to death as we will have to get back into character after months.

[Kath]

Fea, right now I have more free time and net access than I will after September, as I will (hopefully) be starting at university in mid-September, which is likely to take up a rather large amount of time.

As for taking a long break, I'm not sure it would be such a good idea. As TGWBS said it's hard to get to know a character again after such an absence.

I think the reason the game is stalling a little is that we're not entirely sure of what we're doing. Getting an agreement on trade? Ok, but Ang's post pretty much summed up the whole meeting.

But if everyone thinks we'd benefit from a break then it's alright with me, though we might have to restart nearer October if you want posts from me!

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Well, as anyone who has seen the 'How Long' thread will know, I have very little on my plate these days and spend much of my time on the Downs. September, however will be the worst time for me for three reasons:

1) I will be starting University.
2) This includes a trip to Wales in the early days of September and
3) The course I am taking will require a LOT of my time and concentration.

However, I'm sure the thread will go on splendidly (if not better) without me. If the final decision is to re-schedule it until September then I'll have to pull out, I'm afraid.

Also, the Mount Zoom challenge offers in incite into the badness of a pause. After the pause it seems that most players (including myself) found it hard to get back into it. So far it has begun to stagnate, but we shall see what we shall see.

[Formendacil]

As with the (thus far spoken) majority, I've got a good deal more time on my hands now than I will in mid-September- and I agree with the Lady Kath that the main issue is that none of us really has any clue where to go with negotiations, or how to make them interesting.

That said...

Although I will have less TIME to be online come mid-September, I think it might serve me better to start again then, because while my time is definitely going to be more limited, I think and hope that it will be more REGULAR. August, in any event, is going to be a horrid month for regular internet access between family events, packing, a week-long trip out of the country, and getting settled in at college.

So I'm in favour of a delay.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by the guy who be short

You should draw up a timetable of when people will be absent. If there is not too much conflict, coma can be avoided.

Will do. If everybody could let me know?

I can start by saying that my availability from July 24th until September 4th is severely limited. LMP has agreed to keep an eye on things for me, but it means that there will be next to no writing from Alli, Roggie, or Malfoidacil (I'm carrying him until Ang returns). It also means that Illamatar won't be cameoing any time soon.

It also means that, based on this:

Originally Posted by Kath

I think the reason the game is stalling a little is that we're not entirely sure of what we're doing.

the game will stall that much more since I won't be around to answer the questions that you guys haven't actually asked.

If we can sort out all of your questions in the next week so that everybody has a clear idea of what's going on, I'll rethink killing the threads.

But you have to ask them. I can't read minds.

[Kath]

Ok, the final aim of this is to have Roggie and Mardil agree a treaty so that inhabitants of Mordor aren't escaping into Gondor and that no anakronisms are leaking out, yes?

So, if all the negotiators are sitting down at a table together and trying to work it out, do we all actually want it to work? The problem I'm having is that we could have this finished in a week, I can't work out where the drama is.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Ok, the final aim of this is to have Roggie and Mardil agree a treaty so that inhabitants of Mordor aren't escaping into Gondor and that no anakronisms are leaking out, yes?

Exactly. And quite honestly, you really don't have to worry about that, because if it comes down to it, we can spend the entire game accomplishing nothing but self-made adventures and have it end with Mardil and Roggie getting bored, sitting down together, and working out a treaty without any of their negotiators involved. I actually like this plan a lot, to be honest.

do we all actually want it to work?

Probably not. Where's the fun of actually getting things done? You're politicians, loves. Everybody knows that they never accomplish anything important.

The problem I'm having is that we could have this finished in a week, I can't work out where the drama is.

What I want you guys to do is work together to create the drama. There is unlimited potential for it. If you guys want, you can totally ignore Alli and go off and do things that have nothing whatsoever to do with the instructions that she gives them. As long as you work together and weave a plausible story out of your plans. Hyarmenwe having a daughter somewhere in Mordor? He could go on a quest to find her. Heck, have him bring Maika along on the quest. Smilog and Tollin can be bodyguards. Skittles could take advantage of her warlordessness and wage a fully fledged war on slugs that the entire country gets involved in. Aime and Malfoidacil are caught up in their own subplots that you can weasel out of them and take part in. See what I mean? Take advantage of the possibilities, just work together to do it.

This isn't my game, it's our game. Yes, I have say in how it ends and there are a few things that I hold sacred (the blue wizards shouldn't be messed with is pretty much the only one), but you guys are writing it more than I am.

The middle of the game, between "We need a treaty" and "Holy cow, we actually have one!" is fluid, created so that you guys get to write the story how you want it. If I wanted the story the way I wanted it, I'd have written a novel by myself.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Pax Vobiscum says:
But mostly, I think we think that we're supposed to be negotiating.

Pax Vobiscum says:
It was never clearly stated that negotiations are only an excuse for parodic fun.

Viê Revant says:
and here i'd assumed that it was understood as such...

Viê Revant says:
i'll fix that

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