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1

Introduce Yourself -- Game Masters / Lonnarin/Brewmaster Bob

« on: September 13, 2013, 10:21:20 pm »

GM Name: Brewmaster Forum Name: lonnarin (with an L) Bioware Name: karma_virus Time Zone: EST Availability: 7pm-11pm EST Weekdays, 10am-11pm Weekends About myself: Howdy Folks! Good to be back in action. Currently getting my bearings here, relearning how to slip back into the groove of things from the other end of the table and learning how to use all these nifty new wands and GM tools. In another week or two I'm hoping to bring back the age of the impromptus, as well as light up that calendar with a quest or two on a regular basis. I'm currently part-time, thanks to working full time, but hopefully as I become more used to the scheduling and tasks, perhaps that role may grow as well. About myself, I have been playing various RPGs in computer form since I was a wee tyke back in 1986, and D&D in pen and paper form since around 1994 onward. GMing tabletop D&D for about as long as well, and Shadowrun since about year 2000. I have played on this server since October 2004, making me semi-ancient. Not quite a Lich compared to some, but more than a whelp. My GMing style is typically less hack n slash and more social-based, though there will be plenty of both, no doubt. I try to be very malleable about how my players approach things, as there are never simply one path to take to achieve a goal. If an enemy seems too strong, try to outwit or hoodwink them, perhaps even befriend them. If a task seems too daunting, try to find a way around it. I am very open to attempting other solutions, so never feel that there is only one way to achieve your goals on my quests. Moral ambiguity is just as treasured to me as ethical extremism, there is no right or wrong way to act, as long as it falls within the server rules. I may be a bit more forthcoming with alignment adjustments than many of you may be used to, but please, never feel that these are a punishment by any means! Good people can have bad days at times, and even the most despicable of villains may feel a twang of mercy or pity once in awhile. If at any time you feel slighted by any alignment changes, please let me know! The GMs are not all knowing, telepathic bastions of omniscience, so the more input we get from you about your intentions or ambitions, the easier we can understand your own perspective of how you see your character's thought process. Also, if you are leaning towards an alignment goal, please let me know that as well and I'll try to work with you on my quests and impromptus. While it is important to play the alignment a character is approved for upon creation, it is just as much so that all of us understand that character development and enjoyment must take precedence over stagnation. That is not to say that I want to see any of you LG paladins out there suddenly slay a baby out of the blue and shout "wooot, unholy champion here I come!" because that would be a strange case to make. But if you want that neutral character to make a few steps towards the path you see your character taking, by all means send me a tell and I will offer my feedback on how they have been performing thus far and some ideas on how to accomplish this at a reasonable pace I mention these alignment note specifically because far too often I see people take the alignment adjustment as a devastating thing, or the lack thereof as a stifling speedbump in their development. Roleplay, breathe, adapt, adjust, live & learn! It's those conflicted, complex and interesting characters that make it all worthwhile. For you "action" gamers out there who are drawn to this server for its utterly awesome area design and game balance, know this; I do not consider "action" to be a dirty word on RP servers! I myself have played rather bloodthirsty and overly excitable gems in my past & present (Earl & Kurn come to mind) and by no means is Action exclusive from RP or visa versa. Some advice on filling that roll? Know your one-liners! Live the role! Your character enjoys running around and killing 200 orcs before down every day before breakfast? Have them talk it up! Be boastful, act obsessed with the idea. Those kinds of character might draw some strange glances from the folks who prefer chatting in town and discussing more interpersonal matters, but ultimately this server is here for all of us, many different character types and gaming styles. Think about how your actions fit your character's psyche and play on it. I only ask that you not camp in the same area over and over, particularly for CNR items. Try to spread out a little, test your limits and find allies to take along with you to try new areas outside of your "sweet spot" for challenge vs. XP. Exploration over grinding, what's the point of hitting lvl 20 in a month when you've only seen 1/10 of what the world has to offer? On the note subject of camping, please be respectful to others and those who run this server. This means not sticking to the same area for more than half an hour, resting, waiting for the respawn, rinsing, repeating. Instead, try adding some variety, branching out to a north path here for quick break, doubling back and trying a different form of CNR, THEN returning. It gets really boring for the other players who have to sit through long smoke breaks, 20 minute bios, staying in the same area and fighting the same circuit over and over. Also, please don't be afraid to ask me to spice things up a little if you grow bored on your trips, and likewise, to tell me if you have limited playtime and would rather spend it gathering CNR and crafting vs. having an impromptu. I totally understand the limited playtime that many of us have, and I don't want anybody ever to feel that I am derailing them from their planned schedules! Feedback is a two-way street, so I'll give you a heads up if I see you in an area too long well before any "stern warnings" or reports. The GMs are not here to punish, but to enhance the gameplay. Never assume that any spawn is there to deter you or drive you out! That is not the purpose of a spawn, but rather to add to to excitement and stem the monotony of clockwork repetition. Above all else, we GMs are also players of this world. There is no Us. vs. Them here. If you ever have an issue with any of us for any reason, please let us know via PM or tells immediately. If you feel that talking with any of us has reached a dead end or you feel uncomfortable with it, we can mediate any issues out with a meeting facilitated by Dorg, Ed, Rowanna or Leanthar, or any other GM on the team for that matter. Don't ever take things too personally, if you need to log to cool off a bit we understand. Above all, rumors, bad blood and interpersonal conflict are not worth the effort. This is a game, and games are meant to be fun. If at any time it ceases being fun for you for any reason, let us know so that we can make amends as amicably as possible. Rules for my Quests: -Please announce aloud what rolls you wish to make and send me a tell on the GM channel before you make them. Many times there will be so much chatter that they can get lost in the shuffle! We appreciate a good hearty heads-up so that we can have the NPCs react properly to your actions. -If you see my avatar appear, please hold action! It either means I need to brief you on something that has occurred OOC, or fix some great blunder on my part to prevent somebody from dying horribly. Or that there's an emergency that you need to be aware of. -I do not mind looting of gold at all on my quests. For items too, within reason. Please notify me immediately if you notice something drop that shouldn't be there, and hold onto any iffy items that might need approval for the end of a quest. Try to use common sense and not grab anything way too high level. Don't try to hide it if you find an emerald in a 10th lvl goblin cave either; between the pickup item script and our mystical GM powers we usually will know. -Please try to be respectful to you fellow players and give them a chance to speak on quests, no matter their level. And don't feel shy when you're a tiny lvl 2 on a quest of Epics to speak up and take charge! Remember the tale of the Fellowship of the Ring, where the godling wizard, the human nobles and the gruff burly dwarves all shouted and argued over the meek little hobbit on his first adventure ever? Who was it who wound op driving that tale most? Level, class and self-importance is all irrelevant compared to the will to RP, get involved and make a difference. -If you feel upset with another player over the actions of their character, take a deep breath, cool down a little and send tells about the issue with them first before getting angry. If through the tells the issue is not resolved or you feel like they are being disrespectful of you as a player, please notify us. Don't let this bad blood broil within you. Don't go to the rumor mill. Deal with the issues at the source of the interpersonal conflict and find a mediator if need be. I know this from experience! -Please keep the OOC chatter to a minimum on the party channels. This does not include however, personal emergencies, afk announcements or needing to hash something out. If at all possible however, try to keep OOC in regular "talk" mode when addressing multiple people who are present. The OOC chatter is distracting to players and GMs alike. -If the challenge rating feels too high, please let me know! I'll try to keep the mass deaths to a minimum and will adjust the situations if need be. Unless of course you're trying to do something unreasonable, then I may remind you to try a different approach. -Don't let the game interfere with your RL duties as a human being! Don't miss any work that you can get fired over, pay attention to you kids, don't be afraid to drop a quest and leave early if a baby is being fussy or your kitchen is on fire. *study for your finals* It's just a game, and no game is worth sacrificing your life over. -an in the words of Bill & Ted, "Be excellent to eachother"

2

Layonara Server / Version 3.30.6 is online!

« on: July 08, 2011, 10:32:46 am »

[SIZE=32]Version 3.30.6 is online![/SIZE]
 

 You will need to download and extract a new HAK file for this update.
 

 New stuff:
 

• Leisa's WLDQ reward
• Interior added to Hilm Castle
• Added visible (though    inaccessible) portals in Blackford and Hilm to reflect plot events
• Added NPCs to the Vault guild hall

 Changes/fixes:
 

• Caverns of the Menace have been    collapsed due to plot-level events
• Fix a bug in the XP adjustment    database code *
• Jukebox conversation should be    private now, appearing only to the person using the device
• Foundation guild hall door now    gives the correct guild name
• Underground/interior tagging fixed    in Misted Village caves and related underground areas
• Adjustments to the Citadel of    Toran in Huangjin
• A few updated book and armor    appearances
• Placement and facing of some of    the kitchen crafting stations in the Bull's Eye have been adjusted    to (hopefully) be easier to use

 Notes:
 

• [SIZE=10]No    need to worry. No one was shorted XP as a result of this.[/SIZE]
  

[SIZE=13]
[/SIZE]
 [SIZE=13]Thanks again go to Alatriel and Script Wrecked for their contributions to this update.[/SIZE]

3

Ask A Gamemaster / Monstrous Submissions

« on: May 07, 2011, 11:01:47 am »

Back in May 2010, a hold was placed on monstrous submissions "temporarily, until the team catches up on submissions".  All of the submissions from May 2010 seem to have been completed.  Any ETA on bringing them back?  We're at the one year anniversary.

Monstrous submissions require little extra effort to approve than any other approval.  If anything, they require even less effort, since they can say that they "came from some tribe in the woods" instead of "he came from this city at this time, check the Lore, and this event was happening there, check the lore, and so and so was the queen of this land, check the lore, and he learned elven from his fathers friend, and dwarven from his mothers uncle...".  This is much more complex than say "Tog came from the woods, he learned the way of the warriors and talks with grunts, like most orcs do".

What I also find strange is that highly complicated races like Dark elves, each of which must detail their test, how they passed, their reasoning for leaving the underdark, how they cope with being topside in an alien world, etc. are fine, but a goblin who was raised in a tribe in the woods is more complex.  The suspension does not extend to wemics or fish elves, which are very monstrous and complex in their own right.

This is not to knock the submission/approval staff.  They have a tough and thankless job, very thankless.  The stress levels of dealing with all these hurdles can be frustrating.  But when regular submissions begin to take almost a month to approve, monstrous submissions have been denied for more than half a year, and we have massive blow-outs like what happened with Silvanne, and about 1/4 of the new players who submit a new character just wander off during the process and never return, then decidedly there is a problem.

We need more staff!  Maybe the time is right for a recruitment drive to bolster numbers on that front.  We need to lower the bar!  When I first got here, maybe 6-7 years ago, I admit the bar was too low.  Right around 2005-2006 it was raised to an appropriate level, I think.  But every year since then, we have demanded more and more from our players just to start playing.  It has gotten to the point where three grown men in their 30s have to meet 3x a week for over 3 weeks to brainstorm, rough draft, edit, etc. trying to find the secret codewords just to get a battle-rager approved in less than a month.  This is a family server, children are supposed to be able to play here.  How is a kid going to make a submission without tons of outside help?  Will children have the maturity to be told "no no no no" every time they want to try to play a new game?  We've had a grown man in his 30s snap and rage-quit over this system.  

Take a look around at the server numbers.  It's basically the same 10-20 people at peek hours, with 0-4 on any time less than weekend quest prime time.  Now you might say that this is simply because the game is old, then how come other servers far less incredible than ours that shall remain nameless are hitting 40-50/64 consistently?  I will tell you why, because in order to play a game, it has become work.  In order to alleviate stress, we fret and agonize about nitpicking little things in the bios.  I write awesome bios, so I don't have to deal with most of thise stress.  Luckily I can get my non-monstrous, mundane characters approved in say, 2-3 weeks.  I still think we can do better than that.

I love this server.  It has built many fond memories over the course of over 7 years.  Please, we have to stop starving it of new players in the name of law and order and meticulous structure.  I know I make this post every year, and every year now the problem has gotten worse and worse.  I do not fault the current submission team, but rather I commend them for lasting as long as they have and working as hard as they do.  But in the end, it's equally unfair to them as it is to the players to have the bar set so high.  

In short, we could use two things.  1) a staff recruitment drive among our tiny numbers to help speed things along. and 2) to lower this bar so that people less perfect and well-written than myself can pass the very 1st step.  We also need to lift the ban on monstrous races, because it isn't the problem that they are so complex, but rather WE are being too nitpicky with the mundane races as it is.  If every submission takes weeks and weeks, then a goblin or orc is not the problem, the system as it is working now is the source of the trouble.

I commend the team currently working hard to keep this awesome world running.  Just you're working too hard over a basic process that gets harder and harder.  The higher you set the bar, the more work you make for yourselves, and the harder your job will be.  I'd rather have lots of approvals green-lighted quicker and see you people in game, playing, than making an unpaid career doing paperwork 20 hours a week.  I would rather meet lots of new players new to RP in the world than a tiny handful of seasoned veterans that survived the overly difficult obstacle course it takes to get here.  We need more staff, we need more players.  More players mean more veterans that become staff, so don't turn away the players.

You incredible people work too hard as it is.

4

Layonara Server / Version 3.21.7 is online

« on: April 10, 2010, 10:49:49 pm »

[SIZE=24]Version 3.21.7 is online![/SIZE]
 
This version requires the download of layo_controlv3r9.hak and layonara_v23.tlk.  If you have not downloaded and unpacked these files yet, please do so now.

"So what's in this one?" you ask?

New Content!

• Backpack robe models now display properly
• Three backpack models area now available as cloak customizations
• Knight armor options reflected to apply to both arms
• WLDQ reward for G'ork
• WLDQ reward for Arkolio

Updated Areas!

• The Leringard Arms returns!
• The card emporium is once more available
• Leringard Arms monument added to the Twin Dragons
• Angels guild hall fixes and additional statues added
• Remodeled 224 Haft Lake District
• Remodeled 147 Krandor
• Guild hall for Caliomel Goods and Wares added *
• Spawns removed from in and around the Dapplegreen Abandoned Outpost
• Fix spawn location near the Central -> West Deep crossing
• Adjust location of Hurm ship captain
• Fix door descriptions in Castle Mask outskirts to reflect correct location name
• Fix bindstone name in Temple of Prunilla in Castle Mask
• Fixed typo in Mariner's Hold monument description
• Remove map pin in Sadinia for non-existent merchant hall
• Key now dropped for door in Thunder Peaks - Frigid Ruins
• New boss creature placed in Thunder Peaks - Frigid Ruins Cavern
• Ingot recycler added to Runic Anvil Clanhome
• Dragon statue in Fort Vehl temple of Rofirein adjusted
• Add pawn shop to Stort

Other Fixes!

• Fixed damage calculation on Sunbeam
• Fixed numerous other typos
• Archery targets and combat dummies should be more durable now
• Adjusted XP messages to not display when crafting under death effects to remove any confusion about whether or not XP is gained (it's not)
• Temple store in Prantz now uses the correct merchant profile

[SIZE=10]* This guild hall is for purchase by the intended Guild leader only. Only this character should purchase the property.  Anyone else may end up forfeiting the cost.[/SIZE]

Significant thanks go to Script Wrecked for his many contributions and Alatriel for her on-going remodeling work.

Enjoy!

5

Layonara Server / 2x XP and 1.5x GP Weekend

« on: May 12, 2009, 11:18:29 am »

Layonara will be running a 2x XP and 1.5x GP weekend from May 15th - May 17th. These are always great times to join up with friends and to explore the world, while also being well rewarded.