Quest GM applications are now open !!!

[Harlas Ravelkione]

Do you desire to be a part of a fantastic team? Then now is the time to apply. Please reply to this thread if you are interested. You also need to send a sample quest to Harlas in a PM. We will offer apprenticeship if it is needed. We don't just throw you to the wolves until you are ready. So if you think you have what it takes then give it a shot.
 
 
This round of application acceptance will close on February 5th at 6pm GMT.
 
 
Duties:
  • Run quests according to your own schedule in RL but still meeting your time requirements for either part time or full time. Though most of the quests will be placed on the community calendar so that players can make plans.
  • Write up quests after they are completed with detailed information for tracking.
  • Help the community in game or on the forums when it is needed.
  • Able to communicate with individual players that may need help understanding the rules or spirit of the server.
 
 
Qualifications:
  • Able to act responsibly on your own as well as within teams
  • Able to work well on a team
  • Understand the spirit of the server
  • Understand the rules of the server
  • Willing to enforce the spirit and rules of the server when it is necessary
  • Able to perform GM Duties for at least 8-10 hours a month as a part time GM
  • Able to perform GM Duties for at least 12-16 hours a month as a full time GM
  • Able to communicate well in text in an online environment.
 
 
Questions to answer in this thread:
  • List any DM/GM experience that you have and when the last time you performed this function. This is not a requirement.
  • Have you GM’d using NwN? If so please list for what world(s)/module(s) and for how long. This is not a requirement.
  • Describe why you want to be a GM in Layonara.
  • Describe what Quest GM’ing means to you in Layonara. What do you think will be the outcome if you are chosen to be on the team?
  • How long have you been a member of Layonara? You need to have been active in the community for at least four months.
  • Do you wish to be a part time or full time Quest GM?
 
 
Be sure to submit an example quest to Harlas in a PM (forum name: harlas ravelkione). It needs to give the starting and ending of a quest and any side things that a party can do within the quest as well as how you would handle situations within the quest. If done properly it will be at least 300 words but no more than 500 words please.
 
 
Read the Public GM Primer:
  http://www.layonaraonline.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=25520&posts=2&start=1

[osxmallard]

Questions to answer in this thread:

• List any DM/GM experience that you have and when the last time you performed this function. This is not a requirement.

I have not been a GM before.

• Have you GM’d using NwN? If so please list for what world(s)/module(s) and for how long. This is not a requirement.

I have only used the GM module of NWN on an extremely small server -- and that was just for 2 players.

• Describe why you want to be a GM in Layonara.

I want to be a GM in Layonara to help give back to the community and provide increased opportunities for quests and interaction with the player base. I really like being a player in Layonara and know that I would very much enjoy experiencing Layo from a totally different point of view as a GM.

One thing I notice the most as a player is that the senior GM's are very involved and busy with side projects and the project team development. To have a person GM and not be involved in the project side benefits both the players and the project team. This allows increased interaction with players as well as allowing the project team to focus on important aspects of module development.

Layonara was my first real RPG and I have learned so much about RP from the more experienced Role Players. At this point in my Layonara time it would be beneficial to shift out of the mode of player and dedicate more of my time to GM'ing and providing a fun interactive environment for the players. My actions as a GM would allow things to occur outside of the expected spawns or areas and allow NPC/player interaction including smaller side quests/impromptu events.

• Describe what Quest GM’ing means to you in Layonara. What do you think will be the outcome if you are chosen to be on the team?

Quest GM'ing involves a large commitment to the community and the Layonara Team. It is not a responsibility I would take lightly or without a great deal of thought prior to taking actions in the world. Being a quest GM will allow me to use my creativity and experience to provide an immersive world for the players on the server.

If chosen to be on the team, initially I would like to start with smaller quests for the lower level players and eventually advance to the point where I could run more complex in-depth adventures for the more senior/experienced players on the server. It amazes me to see the amount of creativity and puzzle making the GM's like Minerva put into quest modules like the Exploring the Past series. I think I will add a fresh perspective on some things and learn even more about RP and the Layo experience as a whole.

• How long have you been a member of Layonara? You need to have been active in the community for at least four months.

I have been a member since October/November 2005 as a player, forum member, and most recently working closely with the GM team as a character approver.

• Do you wish to be a part time or full time Quest GM?

Part time. I also play in a time zone of PST -2 or PST -3 (depending on whether mainland U.S. is on Daylight Saving Time) and can run quests/events in the PST and Australia time zones quite easily based on my normal play hours.

• Quest will be sent in a PM to Harlas.

EDIT:  Quest sent.

[LynnJuniper]

List any DM/GM experience that you have and when the last time you performed this function. This is not a requirement.
   No official GM experience but I have tried writing up some quests in the past and throwing/bouncing some ideas and riddles off of people. I love the writing aspect of the questing such as coming up with the stories and interacting with other players from this standpoint so I would like to give this a try. I've been reading the various D&D handbooks to get a better feel of whats going on as well. .I've also ran through a few 'stories' not D&D Gming but running a few text based rps with a couple people each run .I think I understand enough of the dice system to be able to intagrate the two ways of doing things. But still, no official GM experience
   • Have you GM’d using NwN? If so please list for what world(s)/module(s) and for how long. This is not a requirement.
  I haven’t Gm’d using NWN but I have played around with the DMFI and the DM client along with another to learn the basics.
   • Describe why you want to be a GM in Layonara.
   I want to be a GM so I can give back to the community.
   That seems like the standard answer doesn’t it? Well its true, but more Truthfully I have a lot of ideas in my head and would like to be able to do something useful and productive with them. I would love the chance to see the basic plots/quests I write come alive and even would relish in them moving away from what was originally intended with player involvement. Though I have no Dm’ing experience I have run some text based stories in a Dm-ish manor; watching the stories come alive as quests often do with the players involved. This is what excites me most about being a GM.
Least Importantly. GM'ing will give me more productive things to do when insnomia kicks in  
   So the long and short of it is, along with giving back to the community I want to see the stories in my head come alive and I want to see others have fun knowing that in some small way I influenced it and that we’re all having fun together.  
   • Describe what Quest GM’ing means to you in Layonara. What do you think will be the outcome if you are chosen to be on the team?
   A big part of being a GM is the time, effort, and enjoyment the GM can put into it along with the enjoyment others get out of it. Being a GM means being a part of the player base but also being an example for the player base. Quest Gming, I won’t lie, means a lot of time and effort put in to things like set up and post and pre quest write up. This I have no problem with as I enjoy all of it (Now hear me say that when the server crashes 5 minutes before quest and an hour after I started setting up ) . Quest Gming Also means having someone the players can come to if they have any problems; any at all, and for them to be able to expect quality support, even if the answer is not known. Being a quest Gm means volunteering a service to the player base, and enjoying and respecting them for giving you the chance to provide them something,
Becoming a part of this team in any way also means being able to work well in teams, something I think I've learned by both questing as a player and being in the Writing Team of layonara. You have to learn to work together as well as working sufficiantly alone as both are parts of GM'ing on Layonara  
   Oh! Its also fun! Lots of fun! Getting to create a story long or short and seeing the characters play the story. The plot won’t run the quest the characters will. Choose your own adventure! A Quest GM must be able to remain open and improvise and still at the same time provide direction to the questers as to not let the quest get out of hand, and YET still understand that Rp between characters is a MUST even if it takes away from the quest time as a whole. All of these things must fall into a balance and that’s another thing quest Gming is about. Finding the balance between direction and improvisation/letting the characters move their path.
   I don’t pretend to know what will happen if …anything but I know that if I am chosen to be a member of the team that I will try my best to uphold the guidelines I’ve set out for myself and the ones set out for me both. I also know it will mean a lot of random and crazy (and probably without warning) quests!
   • How long have you been a member of Layonara? You need to have been active in the community for at least four months.
   I’ve been on Layonara for…*counts* about ten months I’d like to say. Since late March (Although Rhynn was created April 4th and I like to count from then).
   • Do you wish to be a part time or full time Quest GM?
Part time. I can probably pull full time during the months I have off from school but for now I would like to sign up for part time until I am off. There is a good chance I may be able to put in hours as if I was full time. (I’m in EDT with almost wide open schedules depending on school work)
    Quest Sent (as of a minute of this posting)

[Weeblie]

List any DM/GM experience that you have and when the last time you performed this function. This is not a requirement.

Long time ago... hehe... years to be exact.

I was the DM on a couple of PnP sessions (mainly when our primary DM was unavailable) but not much more than that.

Though, in my opinion, it's not a very huge difference between a DM and a player, except that the first one has multiple characters and also is the "narrator".

Have you GM’d using NwN? If so please list for what world(s)/module(s) and for how long. This is not a requirement.

I have been using the DM client before, but only while DM-ing for my friends (um... the ones I meet in real-life, that is).

Describe why you want to be a GM in Layonara.

"Hm... The Dark Side always strong has been."

There are those reasons that are common for everyone else signing up for this and I don't feel it's really necessary to repeat them.

The extra reason I have for why seeking to become a DM now and why not already on the previous application is rather simple: I have a quest-series idea that has been on my mind for some time that I wish to run. And what's a better place to run it if not here on Layo?

Describe what Quest GM’ing means to you in Layonara. What do you think will be the outcome if you are chosen to be on the team?

"Clouded in shadows, the future is."

Rather simple answer: Quests

Quest DMs are about... well... quests, after all (and some minor playing helping like pulling people off cliffs, answering to questions, etc).

There has lately been a lack of quests at my playing hours which I wish to change!

How long have you been a member of Layonara? You need to have been active in the community for at least four months.

"One year, passed has. A new one, here is."

One year and one month (around that). Oh... funny side note. At the time writing this, Allei is revision "400" on LORE.

Do you wish to be a part time or full time Quest GM?

"Promise, you can. Keeping them, another matter it is."

Part-time on Aussie weekday evenings (GMT mornings/afternoons). In reality, will most probably be more than full-time.

[Harlas Ravelkione]

* Bumping this for those that consider to apply for a position, but feel that they will not be able to free the time for it. I can assure those of you who feel that way that 2 quests a month of around 3-4 hours is not that much work/time really - and it pays off!    *

[Tanman]

• List any DM/GM experience that you have and when the last time you performed this function. This is not a requirement.
  I have been a DM while I was playing the PnP game when I was still in High School and continued till I finished high school.
  • Have you GM’d using NwN? If so please list for what world(s)/module(s) and for how long. This is not a requirement.
    I have not GMed any games using NWN engine.
  • Describe why you want to be a GM in Layonara
  I want to become a GM especially in Layonara is because I would like to contribute something back that has given me entertainment and an outlet for meeting new people.  When I was in high school, I have always liked being a DM in PnP mainly because I could write an immersive story that would embroil the players into an interesting and entertaining quest. With that however, comes with its own frustrations as what I found is that it took such a long time to roll for dice for combat and such like. What was only 10 minutes in game would amount to a lot of time in real life.  This brought on my desire to GM in Layonara. This is because for the large part the NWN system does the background work such as rolling the die; the DM/GM can now focus on making the story interesting. Additionally, the Layonara online world has so much history, it makes it easier to write a story/quest which in turn makes the quest more intriguing and players feel that their characters are really adding something to the world.  • Describe what Quest GM’ing means to you in Layonara. What do you think will be the outcome if you are chosen to be on the team?
  Quest GMing by and large means a lot of things. The main thing that comes to mind is that of creating an interesting and in-depth experience whereby players can role-play their character. Quest GMing for me does not necessarily mean that it is just hack and slash. It involves role play and thinking. It means that the player’s actions do have repercussions in an online world like Layonara where the result of a quest could be incorporated in the world in some form or another.  This means that there is a possibility that the player/s could fail in the quest. Quest GMing doesn’t mean that we make sure that players succeed. It is up to the players to make sure that they do that themselves.    As a GM I bring to the team knowledge in making an interesting, immersive and enjoyable experience to players. I work well in teams and enjoy doing so.  I am from New Zealand so this can help those people in my time zone.  I have a willingness to give help to those players that have queries about problems that they are experiencing in game so that they are having fun, and to make sure that everyone is keeping in the spirit of the server.
   • How long have you been a member of Layonara? You need to have been active in the community for at least four months.
  I have been a member of Layonara for six months.  
  • Do you wish to be a part time or full time Quest GM?
  I wish to apply to be a full time Quest GM
   Example quest is PMed to Harlas

[stragen]

• List any DM/GM experience that you have and when the last time you performed this function. This is not a requirement.
   I started GMing in 1987 when I discovered the Dragon Warriors system, which followed on the heels of the successful choose-your-own adventures book series. I still remember all the local neighbourhood kinds coming over for games as a kid. I quickly grew to want a more powerful system, and after a little hunting around I found GURPS. During the early 1990s I ran games in the back of high-school library at lunch times. The theme and the setting of the games varied greatly, from fantasy, to science fiction, to modern day mystery and time-travel. However, the longest campaign I ran was in a high-fantasy low-magic alternative Earth setting. At University I found some like-minded roleplayers and was introduced to a range of other systems, including D&D. However, I only ever used GURPS as a core rule set for games I ran. As I became more experienced I started to become more minimalist in my use of the rules, and relied on the GURPS Lite rules (a free 40 page document that can be downloaded from the internet). I found that less rules, helped create a more immersive environment and a more seamless story; reducing the distraction of rolling dice and checking rules. After University my opportunities to play and GM became less. Though I did manage to organise a small group with some work colleagues in 1999, again I was the GM. We managed to play about two or three times a year for a few years before the group broke up in 2003. In the last five years I have only played and GMed once every two years. These are usually weekend long sessions as I catch up with old high-school friends and we relive our youth.  In December 2005 I tried something different in our yearly get-together. I had heard that NWN was a good multiplayer RPG. So I organised a LAN party with my old mates and had a blast. One weekend wasn’t enough. I wanted more. After a few misses with some lesser servers I found LayonaraOnline.    • Have you GM’d using NwN? If so please list for what world(s)/module(s) and for how long. This is not a requirement.
   I have effectively zero experience with the GM client.  However I am willing to learn.
   • Describe why you want to be a GM in Layonara.
   For the first time in my roleplaying life I have been involved in a community where I play far more then I GM. I have been enjoying this immensely. However, I want more quests in my Timezone. After the last round of applications closed I felt guilty for not applying, and helping fill the need for GMs in the Aussie Evening timeslot. This application to become a GM is for those GMs who’s Quests I have played on. With one or more GMs in the Aussie Evening timeslot they too will get to play a character in a quest.
  • Describe what Quest GM’ing means to you in Layonara. What do you think will be the outcome if you are chosen to be on the team?
  To me GMing is the process of telling a collaborative story. I would liken it to being the director in a free-form play (if I had ever directed a free from play). The key things I have learnt in my previous experience as a GM are:  
[INDENT](1) The players characters are the heroes (or villains) of the story. No matter what they should be centre stage of the imaginary universe. Their actions should be of consequence and important. The NPCs and plot created by the GM is merely the background stage for the hero’s to perform on. Not the other way round. This rule is to stop me from getting carried away with the performance of my NPCs and steal the limelight from the players’ characters. For if the players don’t feel important then they become bored and restless. Without the players there is no play.     [/INDENT] [INDENT](2) Always keeps the story moving. At times, the PCs and the players may become far removed from the central story. It is then the GMs role to nudge them back in the right direction. This is best done discreetly, so a character can claim credit for the revelation. For example telling the rogue that he notices a set of footprints leading into the butlers room…     [/INDENT] [INDENT](3) Always give the PCs a second chance, this doesn’t apply to NPCs. This follows on from Rule 1. The previous fantasy system I played on death, even once was permanent. There was no raise-dead magic. I once created a simple yet deadly natural trap. A waterfall with a hidden cave, the other side of the waterfall the cave dropped away in a sheer drop, for hundreds of metres. The scout of the party, not wanting to swept away by the waterfall decided he would investigate the cave by taking a running jump through the waterfall. I didn’t expect him to do this. He rolled a critical failure and plunged several hundred meters to his death in the darkness of the cave within. This event pretty much ended that campaign. In hindsight I should have given him a second chance, to grab the edge of the cave wall, or to miraculously survive the fall, by landing on a thin ledge. However, given that characters in Layonara can die many, many times. I may relax this second chance rule if I GM here. *Evil Grin*.     [/INDENT] [INDENT](4) Have fun. If it’s not fun, then it is no longer a game worth playing. I have my own brand of humour, those of you who have interacted with my characters as GMs and player would have witnessed this. Humour can be done while staying in character. As a GM I use satirical humour a lot in my stories and plots. There is a separation between the player and their character, similar to the separation between the reader and the main character in a novel. The reader may know things that make the situation entirely humorous while character will consider the situation deadly serious. For those who don’t know what I am talking about read some Douglas Adams or Terry Prachet. Stay in character and laugh on the inside.     [/INDENT]  What I like about Layonara is the richness of the world, the immersive setting of online world. I expect it will be a unique challenge to GM here. I am just now beginning to grasp the nuisances’ its culture. I expect that I will learn even more about the world as a GM then I have as a player. GMing will give me a chance to bring to life some of the characters in my mind as NPCs in the world of Layonara.
    The major outcome if I become a GM will be fun quests for all the good little GMs and players of Layonara.
  • How long have you been a member of Layonara? You need to have been active in the community for at least four months.
   I have been a member of Layonara since Januaray 2006. I would consider myself a reasonably active member. Posting comments, idea’s, and suggestions when I think they are needed.
    • Do you wish to be a part time or full time Quest GM?
  Part time.  I work full time, study (supposedly) part time, I am a Dad for the first time, and run two social sport teams.    Currently I won’t be able to run quests in October 2007 but the other months are clear.   I would intend to post quests in the Aussie Evening timeslot, and sometimes on the Sat/Sun mornings   A sample quest-plot in my style emailed.

[Harlas Ravelkione]

A huge thank you to those who have already applied and sent me their quests!

10 days remain for everyone else to submit their applications

[Eight-Bit]

I operate as if I am a GM sometimes. I roleplay my characters with the same standard I held while I GMed. I am experienced, and I am not going to be humble about it, I am a good GM. I would be an asset to the team because I have an overactive imagination and a knack for playing on the fly. I occassionally am asked questions as if I am a GM, espically by newer players, and I've put much thought into just why and have yet to understand the answer. I have GMed here on two seperate occassions, both of which I had to cut short.Bothinstancesare my fault, but I'll post it here honestly. I think I was about seventeen or eighteen when I was first GMing, and I was on the verge of flunking out of highschool so my parentals cut the interweb. It was embarassing, but to be frank now it is kind of funny. The second time I was asked to leave,which is information Ido not feel is very private anymore, and I am more than willing to be honest.I've made several mistakes and I am perfectly willing to accept that.
I've run many quests, over many 'genres' of a quest - battle, diplomatic, the "talky-walky", escape and rescue, save the world, and all of the combinations I can think of or draw from other sources. My influences for quests come from a myraid of sources, but most of which are other forms of media. I draw heavily off of music for my ideas, but there doesn't need to be a list here.Literature plays a heavy impact on my ideas lately, the paramount at the moment happen to be Charles Bukowski and Salman Rushdie. Both are amazing and well respected authors, and I suggest anyone who is able to read to pickup a copy of any one of Bukowski's numerous works(I believe he has over fifty books in print), andMidnight Children by Rushdie.Videogames and movies I've watched or played make up a good portion of my influences.The execellent roleplaying situations I've been in have bred several quests that have since gone unused. I am not a fan of cliches, as I feel that if the quest idea has been done too much the players will not be engaged in it, and will likely be ruled by one or two people when there are others who could be leading, or the group as a whole could take over.
That brings me to an interesting point, at least one that is interesting to me. I've seen a trend on quests that is kind of disenchanting to new and old quest-goers alike - the in and out crowds. It is nobodys fault and everyones, from the GM and players for allowing it. This is neither a positive or negative aspect of Layonara, it just happens, but it is something I would like to keep out of my quests. I want to run quests that are both engaging and attainable, and quests that anyone can join and enjoy not just for the experience reward, but the experience of the quest itself.
It is a lofty ideal and one that will prove very difficult, but I want to run quests for people in my situation. People who work often, or who go to school or college, and are unable to join a quest series or are unable to make every quest. I want to keep an open door to anyone who wants to join, and will take strides to keep every quest I run open to the public and hopefully without limits. I am a fan of micromanagment and in the past I've run quests with an unsually large group and it was still an enjoyable experience on both sides.
I am quick-witted and I will easily admit to my ability to not only roleplay, but also create interesting character concepts. All of my characters fall into a specific niche and are all distinct from eachother. They are powerbuilds, with the exception of Yü and Aschenbach who are essential carbon-copies of the same build. I have an understanding of the game that only more than four years of experience in playing it online can bring about. That is kind of a depressing thought, four years of my life on this, but it isn't my life which is boon in my eyes. Layonara is and always will be an alternate universe I go to visit when I need a break from the real world, and because of this I am going to be perfectly open and say that my responsibilities in the real world have a higher priority. As such I will be a part-time GM, but I will be able to run more than what is required when I am free of homework. As Harlas stated above, the eight to ten hours amonth are easy to attain and I will no doubt go over that guideline.
I am a college student, enrolled in the honors program, and working towards a computer science degree in the programming department. I have a fair knowlege of NWscript - enough so that with enough time, trial and error, and some guidance I an churn out almost anything asked of me. That is an asset that will only grow with time as I delve deeper into my issues with syntax and the grammar of the languages I am learning.
My past on Layonara has and will again play a huge part in the decision of my qualifiaction and reliablity. I can assure you that these claims, with an aside to the breaks I've taken from Layonara, have no grounds are are infact quite wounding each time I post one of these applications. I am an able GM and I have proven so on almost every quest I've run. I do not believe in favoritism and despite the fact that I am close with many players here, everyone is given the same treatment. The claim of favoritism is an unavoidable aspect of being a GM and people will try and call you on it whenever they feel necessary, but I can say with the upmost of regards for my sense of right and wrong that it is not an issue with me.
I've read the primer once and again and I happily agree to the terms, rules, and guidelines enclosed within. I will make an asset to the team. I have the experience, ability, and history with Layonara. I am well-versed in the game and the mechanics of it. I believe everyone has a right to play and above all else that is what I want to do here. I have an changing schedule,but I work second shift and complete most of my homework at school. My desire is to run an early quest and a late quest so thatseveral timezones and players can get involved.This going to be an easy semester, as will the next, as I have to get several required courses out of the way before I can tap into the difficult and mind-bending concepts that have yet to come.
My quests, as I have said above, will be open to all. I do not want to lock anyone out, and if the situation presents itself I will run an alternative. I want toaddress the claim that all quests are locked, and that nobodyis able to get on a'single' quest by providing the opportunity as much as I am able. As a long-time member of this community, espically one who understands the ideals and spirit of the server, I want to enrich the playing time of others.
I hope I covered every point. I understand the duties, and I know I am qualified. My sample quest will be PMed shortly. Thank you.

[Pseudonym]

List any DM/GM experience that you have and when the last time you performed this function. This is not a requirement.

I have been DMing Pnp games for approximately 20-22 years. I wish that meant I started when I was aged 2-3 but unfortunately it means I started when I was a teenager. In this time,  I have run limitless modules, countless campaigns and designed and detailed several 'worlds'. Of the, say, *guesses* 500-700 PnP sessions I have DMed, perhaps half have been modules and half have been games that I have written myself. Two of the current GM team have been players in PnP games I have run and I suppose may be called upon to support this application if required. I/we currently play approximately once per fortnight.

• Have you GM’d using NwN? If so please list for what world(s)/module(s) and for how long. This is not a requirement.

I haven’t GMed using NWN. I have had a play with the toolset and got an idea as to it's workings and I am extremely clever and confident in my ability to wrap my head around how it all works. Humility is also one of my assets.

• Describe why you want to be a GM in Layonara.

I want to be a GM so I can give back to the community that has given me so much. Yada yada yada. Really, the reason is solely I love having fun and providing fun for others.

I love DMing. I love to design modules/quests. I love to RP. I appreciate good RP from others. I love having fun and providing fun for others. I love to run the NPC that says things that challenge player's and character's perceptions and ideas.

Another thing that I am sure sounds corny and contrived yet nevertheless is true is that some of my  best and most fun moments in Layo have taken place as a result of GM interaction, both on calendar quests and on-the-fly quests. I want to provide that same experience for others.

• Describe what Quest GM’ing means to you in Layonara. What do you think will be the outcome if you are chosen to be on the team?

Initially, it seemed that those players who provided the longest answers to these questions must have the best opportunity for being chosen. *shrugs* My answer is pretty simple. Isn't the whole idea about Layo to provide a place that ensures fun for a community of people that enjoy a similar past-time? I just want people to have fun. From this answer stems a whole lot of 'sub-answers' . In the end however it all comes back to that. To 'provide' the greatest likelihood of fun means to be helpful, available and informative for others. It means being considerate, mature, respectful and thoughtful of others. It means being fair and empathic.

The outcome of having me on the team?

(Hopefully) More fun for a wider range of players. More quests in timeslots that suit AEST and GMT timeslot players.

• How long have you been a member of Layonara? You need to have been active in the community for at least four months.

Since June-July 2006. Not as long as many. I will not pretend to know the history of Layonara nearly as completely as many/all of the other candidates. I am willing to learn and as a member of the project team I probably have an advantage on seeing a lot of the building that is going on for geography and history in v3. I imagine for some time my quests would be less world-affecting than the other GMs but I would hope to bridge this gap of player consequence with the bridge of fun!!

• Do you wish to be a part time or full time Quest GM?

Probably Full-time. *sighs* Three little kids, I really have no other social life!

PM Sent.

[Makashi]

• List any DM/GM experience that you have and when the last time you performed this function. This is not a requirement.  I've ran through a campaign with some friends as the DM online. Was about 2 years ago however, and it went on for about a month. So, not much!  • Have you GM’d using NwN? If so please list for what world(s)/module(s) and for how long. This is not a requirement. Same as above.  • Describe why you want to be a GM in Layonara.  I've always appreciated the the help the GM's have been able to pvoide me with over my time playing on Layonara, and do think that I could contribute to the server by providing this help to others. I've played since near the end of summer in 2005 so am pretty clued up on the members of the team and have been on a lot of quests to help me understand how the running of things works.
  I also know that a lot of the quests recently have been at odd hours of the day for people living in the UK or on similar timezones to GMT, Most quests are found either a few hours after midnight, or quite early in the morning. I do think it would benefit having more quests run at varied hours during the day, or early evening,   • Describe what Quest GM’ing means to you in Layonara. What do you think will be the outcome if you are chosen to be on the team? Well I will obviously be helping out players with problems/queries, be it on the server, web site or IRC, but also running quests, I think that I would be the sort of person to end up running quite a few spontaneous quests aswell, Always do find it exciting when something out of the ordinary happens to a place commonly visited, so I can appreciate players wanting this to happen a bit more often.
  I also know a fair bit about things that have happened on layonara during this time, as having other friends who played when I first started knew a lot more than I did, and actually taught me a lot of history, places of interest, General things that have happened on their quests.  • How long have you been a member of Layonara? You need to have been active in the community for at least four months.  My house mates have played on Layonara since early 2005, and I created Rané in...September 2005, and carried on from there.  • Do you wish to be a part time or full time Quest GM?  Well I'd prefer to be part time, as I work full time and also have other commitments outside of work. Though a lot of weeks I could probably do the full time minimum of 12 hours from time to time.

[Harlas Ravelkione]

* A friendly bump *

ONE WEEK TO GO !!!

[Harlas Ravelkione]

* BUMP *

3 MORE DAYS ONLY !!!

[Filatus]

*Bumping.. sort off*




• List any DM/GM experience that you have and when the last time you performed this function. This is not a requirement.

I have no DM experience whatsoever. My first experience with a DM'd setting as a player was through a small online world two months before I joined Layonara.
Obviously my first experience was a good one, since it got me hooked.

• Have you GM'd using NWN? If so please list for what world(s)/module(s) and for how long. This is not a requirement.

I never GM'd using NWN. I did use a DMFI introduction module for aspiring GM’s, which was a few months back. It taught me a lot more about how much these tools add to the game.

• Describe why you want to be a GM in Layonara.

Perhaps it is time for me to discover a new aspect of the game, much like role-playing as a player was new to me about two years ago. I think I've matured a bit over the last two years as far as role-play goes. Spending those hours with some very good rp'ers must surely have rubbed off on me at some point I'd hope. Basically, my primary motivation for this application is that I want to see whether it is something I'll enjoy and can grow into.

Submitting this application has been far from a rash decision for me. I have given it some thought at previous applications for new GM's, but was always ending with the same questions. Can I show the commitment? Wouldn't I enjoy the game more by just being a player? Do I even have time for this? In the end, the first two questions can only be answered by actually trying it. As for the third, the last months have been busier than ever and I still find the time to play my two chars. So it shouldn't be a problem.

I have been able to enjoy a lot of GM'd settings in two years time and pretty much know what styles interest me most. At this time can not say that I have several write-ups for quests in my head and such, except for the example quest of course. My thoughts are mostly on the process involved during a quest and the dynamics between player and NPC actions and reactions, which should be able to be applied to every setting.

• Describe what Quest GM'ing means to you in Layonara. What do you think will be the outcome if you are chosen to be on the team?

Being a Quest GM partly means to me, that a player will always have to expect the unexpectable in some degree and not only during quests. Without its GM's Layonara is a completely static world and it's the GM's that add dynamics together with the player base. I'd like to add a bit more immersion outside quest times. And with this I'm not necessarily meaning impromptu quests.

We all know the AI in the game is quite limited and it should be in the community's best interests that players occasionally find a standard spawn to act a bit smarted than normal. Of course there is a fine line in such a thing. A GM should be looking to spice up the encounter from time to time. Make sure the players realize it before you really start moving away from the spawn's standard behaviour.

As for GM'ing a quest. I like the idea of multiple factions in every situation. It shouldn't just be a black and white world. And this goes for players as well. Which also means situations can be more tricky then they sometimes see on the surface. And every action could lead to unexpected consequences. Which can be avoided by making good use of the skill of the party, but also daring to think outside the box.

What do you think will be the outcome if you are chosen to be on the team?

Cookies for all? *winks*


No, seriously.. I can only hope to add a fresh perspective on questing. I know the experience in the GM-team and I know mine. But I am eager to learn and try out my own ideas.
The part where I am most sure about is in creating more diversity in Layonara's arcane population.

• How long have you been a member of Layonara? You need to have been active in the community for at least four months.

I joined Layonara the 13th of june in 2005, never really left since.

• Do you wish to be a part time or full time Quest GM?

At this time I am applying for part time Quest GM. I'm working on my thesis at the moment and do not want to endanger my progression. Next to this I might have a lot to learn, only one way to find out of course. [/b]

Be sure to submit an example quest to Harlas in a PM (forum name: harlas ravelkione). It needs to give the starting and ending of a quest and any side things that a party can do within the quest as well as how you would handle situations within the quest. If done properly it will be at least 300 words but no more than 500 words please.

-Quest send-

[Lord of the Forest]

Questions to answer in this thread:

• List any DM/GM experience that you have and when the last time you performed this function. This is not a requirement.

Well I am a DM for around a year now I guess. I made my experience as a GM on DSA, another PnP system. The last time I performed my function as a GM was last weekend.
In my own PnP group I helped our GM with the finale of a campaign he ran for three years.

• Have you GM’d using NwN? If so please list for what world(s)/module(s) and for how long. This is not a requirement.

I did not really GM’d using NWN. What I did was using the GM log in for PnP setups or just for fun.

• Describe why you want to be a GM in Layonara.

From my experience as a DM at PnP I can say I love DM’ing. But why do I want to become a DM on Layo? That’s quite simple. I love to set up quests and quests are keeping Layo alive. It adds depth to the entire world. And Layonara is a great place to set up quests, swirling around in my head. And I guess that Layonara is a well fitting place to let my ideas come true.

• Describe what Quest GM’ing means to you in Layonara. What do you think will be the outcome if you are chosen to be on the team?

Quest GM’ing means a lot of fun and joy for me. GM’ing means to set up Quests and let the players RP their character the way they are.

Quest GM’ing basically means being there for the players, not even on quests. Many need help during IG, may it be stuck on a cliff or something similar.

I am quite a fan of spontaneous events or quests. It adds depth and so players have to be cautious and RP their characters all the time. I’d be often lingering around, and suddenly I got a nice idea and could end in a spontaneous event which could even end in a little quest series.
So the outcome will be lots of fun and joy. Therefore I am trying to find a balance between lower and higher level quests so everyone can join my quests and have fun to RP their characters.

• How long have you been a member of Layonara? You need to have been active in the community for at least four months.

I am a member for almost two years now. I joined February 6th 2005 so just a few days left to 2 years.

• Do you wish to be a part time or full time Quest GM?

I’d like to be a part time Quest GM. Quests will me mainly placed GMT evenings.


// Quest will be send tomorrow, too tired right now.

[Harlas Ravelkione]

10 hours left !!!

[Rayenoir]

• List any DM/GM experience that you have and when the last time you performed this function. This is not a requirement.
- I have run games using the Storyteller system from White Wolf games for a small group of friends in the past with a campaign setting of my own design, the last taking place roughly three years ago.  

• Have you GM’d using NwN? If so please list for what world(s)/module(s) and for how long. This is not a requirement.
- I have never had any experience as a GM using NWN.

• Describe why you want to be a GM in Layonara.
- Since I have been playing on Layonara for nearly two years now, I have had quite a deal of experience from the player side of quests and interaction.  As well, when I was running games for others in real life, I enjoyed very much the opportunity to create spontaneously and to see plans come to fruition.  I joined the Project Team to offer what I could to the world, and have been urged by others that I could make an impact on the GM team as well.  I know that many people who play on Layonara enjoy when GMs take on more of the PnP atmosphere, and I have an encyclopedic knowledge of that.

• Describe what Quest GM’ing means to you in Layonara. What do you think will be the outcome if you are chosen to be on the team?
- Quest GMing is, to me, a chance to expand the players' experience within the game world.  It provides interaction with the world, an ability to change and influence it above and beyond the standard "run around and kill things" of most other games.  I like the fact that when a player wishes to do something that could be done in real life, but not using the NWN system, the GM can step in and make it possible.  
Not only on the side of the players, it makes the other creatures of Layonara seem more real as well.  When an NPC human runs up and asks the adventurers to assist in quelling a goblin uprising, only to find that the goblins have a reason to be striking out of their caves, it gives that much more feeling of involvement.
I think that the outcome if I am chosen would be a significant number of more spontaneous events, as that is what I find most enjoyable as a player.  While scheduled quests are always welcome, it feels as though when NPCs just begin speaking and acting as a player would expect rather than as the AI would normally have them directed, it is more immersive, and I want to add to that.

• How long have you been a member of Layonara? You need to have been active in the community for at least four months.
- I have been a member of Layonara since June of 2005.  I have been active ever since.

• Do you wish to be a part time or full time Quest GM?
- Due to real life obligations, I feel that part time would be the best fit at this time.

Quest PM on its way as soon as I hit Submit.

[IDii]

• List any DM/GM experience that you have and when the last time you performed this function. This is not a requirement.

Ran some pen and paper games back in the day, though not in a few years now since lately I've been more into the online RP thing anyway.

I was a quest GM on Layo before back in 2003-2005. Part of that time as the lead quest GM running this whole new GM search myself. So yes I could say I have some experience. Last time I actually ran a quest on Layo was in December 2005 so about a year ago.

• Have you GM’d using NwN? If so please list for what world(s)/module(s) and for how long. This is not a requirement.

Like I said above. Layonara for a few years or so.

• Describe why you want to be a GM in Layonara.

Because it's something I miss doing from before. And seeing as I have more time at my hands these days again, I would like to contribute to the world for everyone else's enjoyment and of course to have some fun myself running interesting quests and weaving exciting stories.

Also I usually have time to help people with their problems and would like to be able to do that better again.

• Describe what Quest GM’ing means to you in Layonara. What do you think will be the outcome if you are chosen to be on the team?

Layonara is a RP server where the quests and GM involvement play a big part in the overall enjoyment. At least they always did to me, ever since that first quest I managed to join a few days after I started playing here.

Quests and how they make the world feel more alive has always been one of the main attractions here and that's why having a good amount of GM's running them is necessary. As a GM you need to provide a wide variety of different kind of quest experiences for different players. Single session quests for people with too busy schedules for series, longer quest series with interesting plot twists that make the players realise how their actions effect the world around them, character development quests for players, and so on.

So quite simply, a quest GM's duty is to provide a good time for the people playing their characters but it's also about having fun doing it yourself. Providing the quests, special events and other GM-interaction to players is one thing. But there's also the other side to being a GM in general which includes helping people with their problems, helping to police the server rules somewhat, working well with the rest of the team, being easily approachable to the players and just being a good guy/gal in general.

If I'll be chosen to be on the team again, I'm going to put a lot of time into running quests that will feel like more than just a few hours of running around following a GM's lead. I will also try to provide quests for those people who aren't having much luck getting on them due to busy schedules and such, seeing as that's something I always tried to do before as well. I'd also use some of my free time for general outside quest GM-interaction with players, to make the world feel more alive. Little things can mean a lot sometimes, especially for the new people.

Also I've been around for a long time now and am fairly knowledgeable about what's been going on in Layonara for the past few years... both outside the game and in game. I'm also not new to the quest GM job either so I can pretty much start on it as soon as possible.

• How long have you been a member of Layonara? You need to have been active in the community for at least four months.

I started on Layonara as a player back in February 2003... So that makes it about 4 years. Few of those years I spent as a member of the GM team, some months I wasn't really playing much and some months back in 2005 I was enjoying some military training. But I've been a full time member of the community easily for over three years.

• Do you wish to be a part time or full time Quest GM?

Full time would be my preference. It's not a huge workload anyway with the free time I have.

[Harlas Ravelkione]

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED !
 
  A big thank you to those that have applied and sent me their quest samples.
  Interviews will be scheduled shortly, so please submit times you are available in the thread that has been opened for that purpose.
  Thank you, Harlas