A "Modest Proposal for Preventing the Players of Unbusy Characters in Barovia...

[DM Tarokka]

I agree 100% with Vespertilio and want to add something. Ravenloft is not just -fear- and that kind of interaction she speaks of is what contributes to the general mood of the setting (feeling lost, being biased for being of another place/race, searching for a new "cultural" identity in the new place, and so on).

[LoLJohnFerro]

well with zelkos gone some dms will have some more free time I guess?

[Ingwulf]

Lately I have been notcicing some activity by the DM's controlling NPC's around me. Petre at the Vistani camp for instance.. But I do agree it would help to bring some mor immersivity to the server to have more mini events, Such as the archery contest if someone remembers that, That was quite a fun.

[dutchy]

how hard is it to arange a mini event?  could be a random hanging for some so called rebel pc?   or a thief that gets punished?   lil toruneys?   uhm gather stuff for the local farmer woodworker?     so much beside horror or other things the dms could do.

whack a outlander instead of wack a mole i dunno be creative.

[Grieyls]

how hard is it to arange a mini event?  could be a random hanging for some so called rebel pc?   or a thief that gets punished?   lil toruneys?   uhm gather stuff for the local farmer woodworker?     so much beside horror or other things the dms could do.

whack a outlander instead of wack a mole i dunno be creative.

LOL 

I just got an image of a large table with holes all over it with outlander heads popping up randomly with a Garda standing over it brandishing the largest warhammer you've ever seen

[arrmuth]

I don't think it's just a matter of quantity, though admittedly it's true there are less active ones in this period. But the thing is not of just this week or month. Massive plots and factions have drained almost the whole efforts of the team, this is something which has gone on for some months. Of course also that enhances the mood, the setting and so on. Not for everybody though.

Have to agree with you on that. Seems like there are so many mega plots going on that if you are not involved in them or arent part of a click your  time is better spent finding another server to play on. Hate to say that because i used to love this server, but one can only stand  having no world immersion for so long before they decide to move on. So i think it would be great to help alot of new people to the server feel at home with some minor going ons.

[Mrjunkie]

I've done my odd mini event in my time, mainly targetting a set group.

As the Mpc's are now meant to enhance the other charachters with the horror experience rather than following they're own goals, i imagine it will lighten the burden off of the dm's, mini event wise.

We can all make our own fun, you can rp what'ever you want, yeah, dm's can visualise it but we all play here cause we have a imagination.

[DM Tarokka]

Nothing bad with personal goals if they involve a general gaming, and nothing bad at inventing things with one own's imagination. Problem to focus on is the "mood" of the setting, otherwise the setting itself becomes just a "gothic" layout and landscape, in which everyone, because imaginative, can do whatever he or she wants. Some new players need a help for their imagination in order to have it channelled the more setting-wise as possible (and even a deviation from that if wanted, but an aware deviation is more fun and enhancing); on the other hand some older players can help the new ones at the same time being helped to recover a mood which some seem having lost (or slowly losing).

[eyeofpestilence]

As the Mpc's are now meant to enhance the other charachters with the horror experience rather than following they're own goals, i imagine it will lighten the burden off of the dm's, mini event wise.

I'll be honest....I still don't get how this works yet. Sounds as if monster PC's will be very short lived and expected to die in the lack of rp sessions NPC's do.....but it's really unclear atm.

[DM Tarokka]

I don't see how monster playing characters are entering in this thread actually.

[eyeofpestilence]

Mini immersive scenes is what I take the topic is about. Add knowledge from monster boards that Dev's seem to be looking to implement some change to monster templates and expectations, which are still undefined, that will allow monster PC's to create more immersive feeling scenes with some widgets that create blood or the fog or what not. It should help to alleviate some of the scenes your referring too. I'm just expecting a lot more dead monster PC's. But then, as I said, it's still undefined so I could be off base.

[DM Tarokka]

Ravenloft setting is not just monsters. I mean, I'm sure it's interesting and enhancing all the RP and involvement that MPCs create in the server, but maybe for that subject it should be done a separate thread? (since not everybody has that side-knowledge about the developers and DMs ideas about MPCs).

[Mrjunkie]

As far as im aware the Mpc's will get a few Dm-like powers so they can enhance the vibe as they approach charachters icly.
I would imagine that the emotes in your right bottom screen-scroll thing would be one of them.

I also guess that the teams are aware that we have enough wannabe hero's to take on the sith lordand Strahd.
So the perma risk for the Mpc's will probably go a bit more lax as they will be getting more and more involved with the public scene.

For now Mpc's are mainly slinking in the shadows, picking they're victims/allies carefully before stepping forth.
It will be cool to see how it plays out, but i'm sticking to my guns on the fact that Mpc's should still be allowed to follow up they're own goals and aims.
It is something the Mpc player can strive for aswell as enhancing the mood of the setting.

As for mini events, you can always make your own.

[DM Tarokka]

One: doing one own's mini events is nothing opposed to have DMs doing it. Autonomous playing is of course a main part of everyone's gaming. I'm not suggesting here there are babies needing nannies. Abilities of normal player to interact with the setting and the surrounding world are nevertheless limited. Example: if I decide to play the waitress and enter to, let's say randomly. in the Tigan's and start working there, autonomously, taking people there I might be accused to ignore NPCs, to ignore what that inn is, what its setting goal is. Plus, the surprise element provided by a DM is something characters can be able or not to produce.

Second: I still don't see how the topic "monsters" enters here. Ravenloft setting is not just monsters. Otherwise we might have more dungeons and set all the RP in there. A new rule system about MPCs can be good. Might assure some persistancy in the horror mood. But again, in this topic I was trying to speak of something else. And many others have understood.

[Kni7es]

Keep it simple. DMs, when you see a PC running through town, every now and then keep them on their toes by having a guard in the next area go, "Hey buddy, where's the fire?"
"Uhhhh... nowhere, I was just... running for my health?"
"You know what else is healthy? Fresh air. HOOD OFF."

I'd love to see more of that, like when I first started playing last winter.

[PolarSam]

I'm guessing this would be hard to do while also running events like the Zeklos attacks, so perhaps this comes and goes. I've seen Bianca get pissed because we got blood on her floors, and that was fun. Whatever the DMs feel like doing, IMO.

BTW when I read "A Modest Proposal" I instantly though Jonathan Swift. DMs should go about eating unbusy characters.. not a bad idea.

[Budly]

I would love to see a DM take over Lizuca for a few hours so people have to RP the whole deal with her helping the sick and dead

[DM Tarokka]

The dark humour of the title is a tribute to Swift. And I actually thought that unbusy character could mate to breed food for monsters *nod nod*