RE: Last Night's Helite Event

[Akai]

While hating to stick a non-rave in a rave, it was pretty boring for the players at Mirtho to get an "event starting" notice, and then be left on their own for four hours doing their best with vigilance and search with very little in the way of DM feedback, and have the searchers' efforts (four hours' worth) be worthless, and then have the guards' efforts (four hours's worth) prove worthless. (OK, I wasn't counting, I don't know how long it was, but it seemed an awfully long time!)

Seems to me that if there were 2 DM's, one could have been working to give the players who were not the focus of the event, but got caught up in it, something fun to do.

[orvarg]

thanks arkon and shanen for the time they put into it and some of the misery that arkon could dream up (i ain't sayin all the misery cause i know damn well he can come up with worse LOL).
it was a blast and sorry i missed some of it .
(and to eigil sorry about that lad it happened all so fast i panicked and used the radial menu to attack. it took me almost a minute to hit the rite damn button on the screen to hostile everyone so my appolygise.)

[Tremayne7]

Ditto to echo Akai. I have to agree. It was pretty boring for us in Mirtho and then to have hardly any warning was not really fun for us.

If there were 2 DM's on one could have focused on the attackers and the other on the defenders.

We seemed to be "collateral" damage.

[Rali'vinee]

This was NOT a 2-dm event.

This this was Arkon's amazing event and I was along for training, not to actually dm. So everything going on behind the scenes was him ALONE, except for helping set up a TINY bit, putting out the occasional fire and doing things directly with Thomas and the Helites as I had planned (I am their dm sponsor).

I'm amazed at what Arkon juggled last night, and hope whoever is feeling badly about last night will turn that around and instead be appreciative with his wanting to be inclusive. If you're not having a good time, you don't have to go along on things either, and I say that gently, not in anger or bitterness. We're human (Arkon a level or two above human, but still rooted in our species).

He was holding an elaborate event, planting seeds for future events and interactions/plots between PC's, getting information to an entire server and teaching me. I know I do a lot here, but I also don't know how to do an awful lot, and I'm a PITA to teach. He deserves a medal for dealing with me.

I'm glad those who had fun, had fun. I learned a lot, and laughed a lot. I adore every one of you.

ARKON ROCKS SOCKS!

Edit: Ah crap posted under wrong board name so I'll sign -- *hugs* Shannen

[Akai]

If you're not having a good time, you don't have to go along on things either, and I say that gently, not in anger or bitterness.

Well, no, not if you don't care about characterization. Hm! Mirtho is under threat of imminent attack! Therefore my LG character will wander away because OOC I am bored.

Which is not to say that I do feel bad about last night; only that I think it might have been done better, in a way that was enjoyable for the background characters as well. Maybe to have asked another DM for a hand? Or not to have thrown the warning out, if there wasn't going to be anything we could do about it for many hours.

[darkfire]

* reads some of the posts... *

[Rudiki]

A few thoughts:

If you're not having a good time, you still have to play your character and have them do what they would do.

Arkon is human too. He does a great job, but he isn't a god. He is, however, a legitimately excellent world leader, and I trust him to use constructive criticism wisely.

Thank you for explaining that there were not two DMs. I eventually figured out that this wasn't our event (nor did it need to be, and I'm glad the baddies had fun), but I think it might be helpful in future to find a way to make this clear at the outset. I think people would have still done the same things they did IC but not been OOCly disgruntled.

As for the mechanics of CvC, I am always completely understanding of people not being able to/remembering to do every technical thing they are supposed to in the excitement of the moment, because I never do either. It never becomes an issue in my case because I almost never initiate it and I always immediately die, but just as an open letter to everyone, my apologies when I mess up, and no hard feelings when you do.

Thanks for listening!

[Arkon]

While hating to stick a non-rave in a rave, it was pretty boring for the players at Mirtho to get an "event starting" notice, and then be left on their own for four hours doing their best with vigilance and search with very little in the way of DM feedback, and have the searchers' efforts (four hours' worth) be worthless, and then have the guards' efforts (four hours's worth) prove worthless. (OK, I wasn't counting, I don't know how long it was, but it seemed an awfully long time!)

Seems to me that if there were 2 DM's, one could have been working to give the players who were not the focus of the event, but got caught up in it, something fun to do.

Wow....

I do not even know how to respond to this....

My stint that I did with the smoke and mirrors and the Temple of Eilistraee was a Prelude of things to come. Not an event starter for you guys. I had planned that event with the Helites for over a week as a repair for the pathetic event I ran for them last week because I was unprepared.

All one of you had to do was hit up the DM channel and ask questions. Only 2 people ever said a word to me in the client regarding what you guys were doing. 2. That's it. I had no clue what you guys were doing because I was TRYING to do for the Helites what I did for you guys the week before.

I saw a bunch of you on in Mirtho so decided I would include you in a small way to give you guys a hint at what the evil team was doing in this plot, trying to tie it all together. Not to start a full fledged event for you. That event was for the Helites.

The reason you did not find anything in Mirtho is because there was Nothing in Mirtho to find. They were not anywhere near Mirtho until the end of their event when I dump them there.

You will come to realize in time why they ended up in Mirtho. It was not even by their choice.

I'm going to stop writing now because after the day I've had at work today.. I really did not need to read this...

[Akai]

Very sorry to give you angst! To put this rave back on track, I think you're a great DM. I refer here specifically to how you take a character's strengths and weaknesses into account in your events, and also the player's preferences; and you let the players choose their actions and adjust the events' course and consequences to that, without railroading them into a predetermined course, and yet never let those consequences make a character unenjoyable to play. I have personally benefited from your willingness to go out of your way to help a player have fun, and I appreciate it! I would not criticize a DM I did not like or trust, I would just quietly avoid him.

I suppose that the helpful hint for DM's to take away from this particular criticism then is to add an OOC "This concludes tonight's episode, the DM's are now going to be busy with other things, report your follow-up actions in PM's." (In the same way that an IC performer tries to insert an OOC hint when the performance is done so that the audience knows when to applaud... and doesn't sit quietly waiting for more!)

[ambrosia]

May this thread be split please? This rave should have stayed a rave and questions about the event should be a second thread, IMHO.

Helpful hit to any player: If you have a question, ask. Our team is great with answers.

[Trinity]

If there is any consructive criticism that players have for any dm/dm's involved please talk to them in private involving any plots/events if you feel something wasnt right. This is a rave thread not a rant, we dont support rants for a reason.

[Shannen]

I had planned that event with the Helites for over a week as a repair for the pathetic event I ran for them last week because I was unprepared.

Ark,

This comment you made has been BUGGING me because ... NOTHING you do is pathetic. EVER.

You're wonderful and creative and perfect.

Hala is an AMAZING server in so many ways, from the lowest piece of chamomile near the Great Bridge, to the gorgeous building done by Silverdragonams ALL OVER the place, to the uninhibited and phenomenal board postings by the pc's (especially Rudiki!!!), and in large part because of you, your vision, and your sense of what "play" actually means. (Oh, and cause Duney's such a pink fuzzy teddy bear.)

RAVE and *hugs*

You're the best.

[p0m]

Welp, I just accidentally this thread.

On the upside, it seems to have snipped the thread right before it became negative.

[silverdragonams]

NOBODY is perfect. We are all human (or at least humanoid) here. What happened the other night was a simple case of miscommunication, typical of us humans.

Yeah, Arkon could have given an OOC hint that it was the end of the show for you guys.

In the same vein, if you are sitting around waiting for something to happen and it doesn't or if you feel like something isn't right; there is nothing stopping any of you from shooting a question through the DM channel. No DM is ever going to bite someones head off for asking a question.

[Arkon]

LOL Rali'vinee... if you had been there last week you would agree... the event I ran for the helites was pathetic. I was not at all proud of it. hehe


To the rest who were involved. I do apologize for not being more clear about the intentions. If I had known you guys were sitting their in Mirtho doing guard work because you thought I was goign to attack, I would have either ran something after my plot with the Helites for you, or I would have given you all bigger cookies. And if I had elected to just go with the bigger cookies, I would have told you all that was the end...

I just kinda thought the 250 xp cookie i gave at the end of Aly's speech was a good indicator I was done lol.

*files away under, to be considered file*

[JD Smith]

I just kinda thought the 250 xp cookie i gave at the end of Aly's speech was a good indicator I was done lol.

May i point out that those of us that turn off combat results to reduce lag don't see the xp rewards?

[Tremayne7]

NOBODY is perfect. We are all human (or at least humanoid) here. What happened the other night was a simple case of miscommunication, typical of us humans.

Yeah, Arkon could have given an OOC hint that it was the end of the show for you guys.

In the same vein, if you are sitting around waiting for something to happen and it doesn't or if you feel like something isn't right; there is nothing stopping any of you from shooting a question through the DM channel. No DM is ever going to bite someones head off for asking a question.

You summed up it perfectly Silver. I have already sent my thoughts to Arkon and to Shannen.

In light of the responses given here, I will say I feel better and agree it was miscommunication and the fun I had earlier in the evening is restored, so it was still a fun time had by me.

Thank you to Arkon and Shannen for clearing up the miscommunication.

At least I have learned from this and I hope everyone has learned something positive from this as well.

I will second Shannen in that Arkon is an amazing person and what he does is never second rate, if it is a small something. His few minutes to set up a meeting for a search in the desert the following week, lead to many great plans and a fun event we all raved about afterward.

I am glad we were able to talk about this and get it cleared up and I thank everyone involved for their understanding.

I am feeling better today and don't feel as scattered.

[DarkWaterMelon]

Arkon, its not the size of an event that matters - its you and the other dms, that makes a smile on my face.

Okay, we were running around like madmen in that Chaos place in Mirtho last week, but we all had fun. I hadnt been there for years anyway, so you kinda made me realize why that was...lol. Im amazed we all got out..lol
But all in all, it wasnt pathetic - just different

Moni