Posts Thanked By User

101

General Discussion / Stepping Down from GM'ing

« on: February 27, 2010, 12:45:15 am »

Well folks, it has come that time for me to step down from being a GM. Thanks to L and the team for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of the team.

I have been on this server for over five years now and GM'ed for the last year or so of it between deployments. It was definitely interesting to see how the server operated behind the curtain.

I appreciate all the fun that I had while serving the server. I enjoyed my time helping players, running impromptu quests (my favorite by far), and bringing the world alive by possessing NPCs (especially animals), changing spawns, and keeping players on their toes. There are truly fantastic RP'ers in our community and it is constant. There is almost always someone RPing in some form or fashion all of the time. There are different styles and different levels, thank you for the education from that side of the field.

Thanks again,
twidget

102

Wild Surge Inn / Funeral Services

« on: February 17, 2010, 06:24:25 am »

[SIZE=18]The Angels' Guild has recently lost two members of our family. We, the Guild, have been very fortunate in our lives to have been exposed to many heroes, among those heroes Benjamin Poetr and Sonya Darsus would be included near the top. Both of these fine people have physically left this world for good, though they will live on in many hearts for many years to come.

Memorial services/Funeral services in memory of Ben and Sonya will be held in the meadow by the pond outside Port Hempstead on Threas, Oclar 5, 1461 (//Saturday, February 20, 2010 from 3:00-4:00pm EST).

Please come celebrate the lives of Ben and Sonya with us. Toast the good times and enjoy good food with good friends. Life is fleeting, but fun.  Everyone is welcome, and everyone is welcome to speak their mind, say a prayer, read something they wrote or whatever. If anybody has anything to say, or any last words for them, this is the place to say it.[/SIZE]

103

Trade and Market Hall / Poster in the Vehl Tradehall

« on: February 08, 2010, 09:11:54 pm »

*posted in Vehl, a rather large poster*

104

General Discussion / Emerald Rumours.

« on: February 01, 2010, 05:01:30 pm »

Okay, I know this may not be the best place for this, but this is a situation that I am getting tired of.

Firstly, I will write here right now, that I will not put a name in this thread. If any one wants to know. Come to me directly.

I have heard yesterday that someone is spreading lies about my dealings of emeralds in tells, to how many people I do not know.

But here is the deal. My emeralds has been sold as I posted in the market hall at 50 K a piece. Except on one occasion to someone who will be buying more than one. That time it was 40 k a piece.

I have not, and will not sell emeralds at 20 K a piece (that price is ridiculously too low for the amount of effort needed to get that rock), and that person who is lying about me, yes you know who you are, is probably spreading those lies because I refused to sell him some at that price, and I refused to exchange three emeralds for 1 deep red ioun stone.

Now truly I don't expect any apologies, nor do I want any. I just want the community to know of the lies that is being spread right now about this.

Manny.

PS. No it's not the someone that is having an Rp banter with Fehriel on the forum.

105

Layonara Server / Version 3.21.6 is online

« on: January 27, 2010, 05:52:52 pm »

[SIZE=24]Version 3.21.6 is online![/SIZE]
 
 This is another small one, consisting mostly of quick fixes.

• Tile fixes to recent remodel to 237 Haft Lake District
• Angels Guild hall remodel
• Fix facing directions on transitions into Prantz from adjacent areas
• Fix descriptions on several beverages and other items to fix typos and lore issues
• Fix typo in Marrent Aylomen's conversation
• Fix seating in the Mithril Anvil
• Horse speed selection works again
• Staff in The Jhemina Inn in Sadinia no longer say "Unicorn"
• Remove Stoneskin visual from Creekskipper's Defense
• Adjust spawn points in a few Great Forest areas
• Rename Near Fort Laer to Near Fort Rael
• Some adjustments to the loot drop tables
• Fix area tagging for 250 Prantz - Haft Lake District
• Remove some too-happy music from the Deep
• Area update for plot reasons
• Fix some missing respawn timers
• Adjustment of spawns in Sharawood
• Rename West of Corax Lake to East of Corax Lake...because it is
• Fix facing of Lor bank exit
• Added some new plot-relevant creatures

There it is!  Thanks to those who supplied input to this, and also to Minerva for her plot areas and to Alatriel for her help with remodels.

There are no downloads required for this update.
 
Enjoy!

106

General Discussion / Cool mod

« on: January 26, 2010, 10:11:50 pm »

I have found this cool mod that unlocks the camera angles for NWN. You are now able to play as if you are in a fps, and look up at the sky. Or zoom out a bit more than what NWN usually allows you.

I am presently testing it, it's a client side mod that doesn't impact the server. And as far as I know, it doesn't affect performance either.

It needs a bit of adjusting to do when you are in FP mode due to not seeing your body, but then again, you can see the tips of your weapons, so it helps to know which way you are facing.

Pics will follow.

http://forums.layonara.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=140032

http://forums.layonara.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=140022

http://forums.layonara.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=140012

http://forums.layonara.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=140002

http://forums.layonara.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=139992


ps if anyone knows how to just drag and drop a picture using fire fox.. please let me know, or even how to use the insert image tool of the advance options. Cause frankly I'm a bit tired of using a third party file hoster.

107

Layonara Server / Layonara Team Applications Now Open!

« on: January 24, 2010, 06:15:13 pm »

Do you desire to be a part of a fantastic team? Then now is the time to read through the public version of our GM Primer here and apply to the Layonara Team as a gamemaster, or perhaps as part of the LORE team. Please reply to this thread with your application if you are interested. You will also need to send a sample quest in a PM if you are applying as a Gamemaster, as specified below.

For those who are interested in applying as a Layonara GM or to another team position but are hesitant because they feel they may lack experience, please know that we will offer apprenticeship and mentoring as needed. We don't just throw you to the wolves! So if you think you have what it takes, then give it a shot.

If you are applying as a GM, please make sure to answer questions 1-9. If you are applying for the LORE team, please answer questions 1-6 and 10-11. If you are interested in both teams, you can just answer them all! This round of applications will close on Sunday, January 31th, 2010 at 5 pm PST.

Gamemaster Qualifications:

• Has been a community member in good standing for at least four (4) months
• Works well on a team but can also take independent initiative
• Acts responsibly both individually and within teams
• Understands both the rules and the spirit of the server  
• Enforces the spirit and rules of the server when necessary
• Communicates well in text in an online environment.
• Can commit to perform GM Duties as either a part time or full time GM

Gamemaster Duties:

• Run impromptus, CDQs and quests, reward RP, assist players in game, or otherwise be active in game with your GM avatar (Part time: 1 hour/week ; Full time: 2 hours/week)
• Spend at least 2 hours per month working to help the team and community on IRC or forums (e.g. Character approvals, disputes and grievances, answering questions, providing other assistance)
• Participate in GM team discussions
• Write up quests after they are completed with detailed information for tracking.
• Keep appropriate records of character profiling, player interactions, quests, CDQs, etc.
• Communicate with individual players who may need help understanding the rules or spirit of the server.
• Check the forums regularly (Part time: at least 2  times/week ; Full time: at least 5 times/week)

LORE Team Duties and Qualifications:

The LORE Team is responsible for keeping LORE content up to date with game events and rule changes, editing current content for errors (grammatical or content errors) and creating new pages and adding the content that isn't up on LORE yet.

Qualifications:

• Organized, responsible and reliable individual
• Strong writing skills and the ability to write in a professional tone
• Strong proofreading skills and knowledge of English spelling and grammar
• Patience and the ability to coordinate with the rest of the team via the forums and IRC
• Good knowledge of lore is an asset but not required
• Prior knowledge of Wiki Markup or a willingness to learn (It's not that hard! We promise!)
• Able to spend a couple hours a week on LORE editing and tasks

Application Questions (All applicants):
(please answer in a response in this thread)

1. What position are you applying for? (Gamemaster or LORE team member)

2. How long have you been a member of Layonara? You need to have been an active community member in good standing for at least four months to qualify.

3. Why do you want to be a GM or LORE team member in Layonara?

4. What characteristics make you well suited to the position of GM/LORE team member?

5. Please read through the GM/LORE team duties and qualifications, if you have not already. In light of these obligations, what other responsibilities (either Layonara-related or real life) could affect your Team performance and how would you balance these?

6. Are you a member of any other Layonara teams? If so and you are accepted as a GM/LORE team member, how do you plan to balance your new role and your current role?


Gamemaster Applications Only:

7. Please describe any DM/GM experience, including any NWN GMing experience. Please note that GMing experience is not required for an application to be considered.

8. Are you applying as a part time or full time quest GM? (Please note the GMing time commitments as specified under GM duties.)

9. Please submit an example quest in a PM (addressed to Leanthar, Harlas Ravelkione and EdTheKet). Your quest should have both a start and a plot with one or more expected conclusions. Your summary should include any side things that a party can do within the quest, as well as how you would handle any anticipated situations within the quest. Your sample quest summary should be between 300 and 500 words in length.


LORE Team Applications Only:

10. Please describe your English writing and editing skills, and any relevant experience you have with proofreading and/or Wikis.

11. How much time per week do you have to devote to LORE editing?



All qualified applicants will be contacted for an interview which will take place in IRC or in game by February 8, 2010. Successful applicants will be notified by February 15, 2010. Good luck!

Important! Special Note About Author-Publisher Agreement

[/B][/U]
All successful applicants will also be asked to sign an author-publisher agreement releasing the work they do while in the position to the Layonara IP. All Team members must sign an author-publisher agreement before they run any events, do any writing or editing, or otherwise create content. This is for the legal protection of the Layonara IP. Regrettably, we cannot accept anyone onto the Team who does not sign the author-publisher agreement, because of the potential legal ramifications.

108

Just for Fun / Dungeons & Dragons cartoon

« on: January 20, 2010, 04:27:37 pm »

Did anyone ever watch this cartoon on Saturday mornings back in the early 80's?

I can remember playing pnp D&D till all hours of the night, then get up to watch that...then get right back to our campaign. hehe

Do not know if it was shown in other countries but for those who have never seen it...there is one of my favorite episodes below to see, 3 vids for the one episode.  Ofcourse the graphics back in the 80's were not what they are today..but back in the early 80's...It rocked!

Go here

Enjoy!

109

Rumour Has It / In loving memory

« on: January 13, 2010, 06:46:14 pm »

~In loving memory of my dear wife, Amanda Doesscha~

[/size][/b]

Whose life was cut unfortunately short by Trollocs.
May the Lady of Spells forever watch over her soul.

Amanda's Layonaran remains are being transported to her home town on Voltrex where it will be buried according to the wishes of her family there.

~Storold Doesscha

[/color]

110

The Dragon Storm Campaign / Two upcoming mini-questseries

« on: January 12, 2010, 02:10:43 pm »

Hi guys,

I have two series of quests planned that are highly involved in the world plot, the Dragon Storm Campaign. Each quest series should not stretch for more than 3-4 sessions max. The timezone will be primarily GMT friendly, but I am willing to work with one of the two groups with regards to involving weekends.

One was initiated by a player (Miltonyorkcastle) and begins on Monday (if it suits him and those that tag along). It is much dependant on player choices and actions, so once we get to it there may be a quest and there may not be. It depends on the players involved. To participate here you need to contact Steel in game (forum name: Miltonyorkcastle) or be contacted by him. If you don't your character will not know that anything is taking place. This quest has the possibility to involve actions/choices that may not suit your character. It is perfectly acceptable to walk away, even though it is a plot quest.

Another series is soon to begin and is aimed at characters that are involved with the nature faction (druids, rangers and clerics/priests of appropriate deities), at least to begin with. I imagine that it will be opened up after the first or second quest session. These quests are mainly aimed at lower level characters.

I hope to see you out there!

Harlas

111

NWN Ideas, Suggestions, Requests / Lower all HP, AC and AB's for creatures

« on: December 11, 2009, 11:38:48 pm »

I want to be able to solo more with my fighter, but the creatures have too many HP, AC and too large of an AB to make it possible.  Can we add some CR-30+ things that fighters can get as much XP and loot for like mages, bards, and clerics can by themselves?  It's only fair.  Also, we may be able to just make the damage on weapons incredibly better based on pure fighter, barbarian, and weapon master levels so that melee classes have a chance to do things on their own -- that way the extra weapon damage will not apply to cleric or paladin levels.

As an alternative, we can also raise the magic immunity or saves of all creatures and justify it with natural selection and breeding due to overkilling the species by magic users.

112

General Discussion / What I like about Layonara

« on: December 09, 2009, 02:00:07 pm »

Er, first of all, apologies to all of you folks out there who are working on the MMO and have put so much time and effort into it, but...

Duchess was on her way to Dalanther to meet up with some others, and tooko the boat to Hurm, with her horse, as usual.

When she disembarked, she could not ride her horse past the captain, so she dismounted and tried to walk the horse past.

No luck.

She tried a few times, and a few other options, when suddenly, her horse started to sway on her legs and looked really unwell (seen as a series of "talk" messages" from the horse).

Duchess gave the horse some water to try to settle her, but she quickly threw it all back up again. She tried various things until eventually her horse felt well enough to travel again.

And this is what I really like about Layonara and what makes it so special!!

Lord Cove had come on, seen me travelling, and took an impromptu decision to throw in some rp for me and my horse - fantastic (once I got over the shock of seeing the horse objecting to move and reacting tot he voyage).

I really, really enjoyed this diversion and even though I was going to meet some other people, it was great fun and a great change from normal events.

Thanks LC and kudos to you for the idea.

113

NWN Ideas, Suggestions, Requests / Hlint

« on: December 01, 2009, 01:45:42 am »

LOL, this probably will give Dorg a heart attack after the last prolonged discussions about tweaking Hlint, but I couldn't help myself.

I was driving on the freeway today and was pining for the days when Hlint was a hub of activity and roleplay. I of course know the people of Hlint are more than happy to be rid of troublemaking adventurers and am familiar with all of the reasons behind those feelings. Anyway, I was just thinking it would be sort of cool considering all of the destruction caused by tidal forces if the opportunity was taken somehow to shift things in the direction of how they used to be with a little town having all of the craft halls and other things that would cause us to gather in one particular area more often. Perhaps some sort of additional plot twist in the campaign... It was a lot of fun logging on at any point and time and having several people waiting right there to RP, or putting together expeditions, etc. I guess this is a little more like grasping at some nostalgia than a real suggestion, but what the heck. :rolleyes: And yes, I know all the arguments for doing what was done before as well, which were, and in some ways still are valid.

114

Ask A Gamemaster / Active GM's

« on: November 24, 2009, 08:52:24 pm »

Is the GM's that are posted as a sticky all still active GMs? Are there any that has not posted?

I would be great if the GM's would post on theirs if the are active and in what.. like miltonyorkcastle and EdTheKet did.

It would help players decide which GM to go to when they begin to look for help from a GM.

115

General Discussion / Warning: Rabid Opinion. Beware of Debate. ;-)

« on: November 24, 2009, 11:55:44 am »

Heh, right. Here goes:

[SIZE=24]Epic levels do not an epic character make.[/SIZE]

At least, not in the current incarnation of Layo. Blasphemous, you say? Let me explain.

Levels are not tied directly to a character's worldly influence/standing/impression/status/activity/achievments. Your character could be 30th level and while your friends may think of your character as powerful/influential/epic, the greater (NPC) populous of Layonara doesn't even know your character exists (and cares even less, with the possible exception of the hundred-thousand giants the PC killed). On the flip-side, your character could be 6th level and be credited with saving a thousand people and have his/her name engraved over a castle door. When the king is choosing someone to save his daughter, he'll be more inclined to ask the 6th level fellow known for saving the town rather than the 30th level fellow with nothing to his name despite the obvious OOC power difference.

In my opinion, this is why we historically haven't pushed/provided for (and still don't push) gaining levels.

Whether or not this is how it "should" be, I leave that to you to debate. I know some have claimed that by 20th level a PC should have such and such title/achievement/status, that it just doesn't seem possible that a PC could make it to that level without having worldly status. However, wordly status (in this incarnation of Layo) can only be gained through quests and GM adjucation. Put another way, you don't need a GM to gain levels, but you do need a GM to gain the title of "knight" or to save the king from an assassin's blade or to gain entry into a thieves guild. So I stand by my initial statement that epic achievment cannot be assumed by having epic levels.

I'm sure some folks who read the above went, "Duh." Just as I'm sure some read it and went, "Then why gain levels at all?"

116

Ask A Gamemaster / gotta ask why

« on: November 21, 2009, 11:02:29 am »

Why is it when somthing really good happens on Layo, it has to get complicated in the long run.  Take the Graceful Pleas, great idea, you make a mistake building your character, you get to redo it.  Great idea but now, it seems that character reapproval is necessary.  This from the people that are complaining they dont have time to approve characters that are waiting in the  wings.  Why? why cant it just be kept simple, you only get 1 shot at this as I undersatnd it, so why not make it a blanket thing.   you make a mistake, you get it fixed, you have fun.  
   The same is true with the SS reinbursement.  To get them replaced,  it seems like now you have to file an incident report on them.  A lot of us, me included, have not posted an SS loss, in the past, due to no WL/DM being around.  In cases like that, the chances of a reinbursement are pretty much zip, so why bother.  So I have to ask, is it such a horrid thing to give 3 GP's to extend a characters game life and have it be a blanket thing???  The way I see it, the GP's made life for a player simpler and the game more fun, but for some reason, it seems like that is just not right, that it has to be made tougher, like that is some badge of honor.  Why?  This server like its competitors is about fun.  So why does it always seem like it has to become a pain?  O.o

117

Layonara Server / Pankoki out until further notice

« on: November 17, 2009, 01:07:13 pm »

Hello everyone,

Due to RL reasons, Pankoki won't be around for the next few days.

Any PMs will therefore remain unanswered, as will posts in the various Quest forums. His scheduled quests will be cancelled.

When he's back, we'll let you know (or he will).

118

General Discussion / Pm's, Quest, CDQ's and more!

« on: November 16, 2009, 04:05:25 pm »

//new thread to not take over the other one.

I will comment on this...




Honestly I didn't know how important it was to pm gm's with things your character wanted to do until just recently. With the way it is now.. a character can have a huge part of the world without even having to log into the game for anything other than quest. I hate bugging GM with pm's. I know they are busy with their RL jobs and families on top of planning quest answering forums etc. But from the way it looks that is the only you can grow your character other than quest and grinding xp.

If GM's don't mind taking the time answering all the pm's they get from a server of people then I guess there is nothing wrong with that other than it leaves everyone else out on what is happening in the world. You go to try to do something only find out that such and such has already did that. Leaves others frustrated.

One thing that does help, is the public threads that people post to IC. That allows others to be pulled in and get involved.

And now you understand one of the big reasons why you see WL's and high level characters less and less IG, or only on quests. World-changing projects take massive amounts of OOC and IC planning, which ultimately boils down to spending lots of time in conversation (either via PM or IRC) with GMs before you can even do anything IG.

So why even log in to play the game? That just says you can't do anything other than search for xp or craft.

To me this leaves a lot of people out.  I think public forms works much better to pull others in.

Because after all the big planning (which often includes forum posts, since you mentioned bringing others into the picture), then you hop IG to actually make the deed happen.

Heh ... you know when the GM says at the end of the quest, "And remember, my PM box is always open" or something? We do really mean it. Or at least I do. I received around a hundred PMs last week alone, and sent just as many.

Forum RP is great, and serves its purpose. As do IG events and quests. But PMed inquiries also have their place. To me, PMs are to forum RP as CDQs are to quests in at least one way: they allow for a greater range of efforts and pursuits than one might otherwise be able to pursue. There is a time and place for things to be public and shared, but we also make opportunities for a wide variety of playstyles and for people to be involved in as many ways as possible, and for players and characters to take initiative in more private, solitary, unique or individual ways too. Or at least I do. My two cents for the morning.

Just in case this does not go to a separate thread (like it should), I just wanted to add. That when I was a GM I would run 80% of a CDQ by PM with IG sessions only to finalize or deal with key events.

119

World Leader Development Quests (WLDQ's) / Abigail Firesteed- WLDQ request

« on: November 01, 2009, 09:35:28 pm »

Here we go!

Official request for Abigail Firesteed to be considered for an attempt at being a world leader.

Her original pc submission

Her PrC submission

Her Journals:

My book- By A.F.
Lost

Her updated bio with quest list


Id like to thank the academy ahead of time for their consideration.

120

Ask A Gamemaster / Graceful Plea Usage For Ability Reallocation

« on: October 29, 2009, 05:55:28 pm »

Are Graceful Pleas now(1) available for ability point reallocation?

Your other request, to move two ability points from Strength into Intelligence, is approved with the use of a Graceful Plea, as these points were added after character creation and we can edit your character files to make this change. This requires some database edits and changes, and will likely take some time to take effect, so your patience during this time is appreciated.

Regards,

Script Wrecked.



[SIZE=10](1) I say "now" because I have not been able to find mention of this in the Combined Disputes, Grievances And Reimbursements Policies. This is something I had wanted to do for my character a few weeks prior to the release of the updated policy, and could have pursued it under the new policy had I been aware of the possibility.[/SIZE]