Team Good! Unite!

[Krivoklat]

I definitely recognize and respect every players decision to allow his or her character to go about their own path that emerges and evolves organically. #respect.

but, as a player, we all have the power to shape and control the greater course of the server! And it's been my experience lately that some groups that really should be strong and dominating within the campaign are weakened by the lack of player participation.

The first one that comes to mind is the Heartwood Grove.

The Heartwood, being the central hub of Nature-Anything on the surface, within the Campaign as a whole, IMO, should be stronger. It just should. I mean.. i get it that people who play druids can play (and should play) however they want, in any style they want. And I know the joke about Heartwood Moots not being official unless someone storms out of the meeting in an angry huff. *cackles at the thought* But really... as players.. -the pilots of our characters.. it would just make the server a richer place if -more- druids gravitated to the Heartwood, and just made it a base of operations. I'm not saying Druids need all participate in its governing, or arguing and debating, etc.. I just feel IMO, the server would be a richer place to play with a strong Heartwood Grove.

And yeah, there's been some IC arguments with the whole concept of how things should be run. -well, IMO, these are player-problems, not character-problems. Suck it up, Rangers of the Dark Heart... eat a little crow, and rejoin the Mother Ship.... And Bramble Watch? You're stronger as a division of the HEartwood than you are as a solo group. All three of you are struggling for members... dogs fighting over a few scraps. UNITE! Get your collective snuggybears together! Stop bickering about who gets what vote, and just team up! and Kick Butt!!!! You're freekin RANGERS! yeah, you're isolationists.. big deal. You're a bunch of bad-snuggybears! You need to own the forests! not fight over them! *angel-halo*

The second... Myon. The central hub of elven life upon the entire isle of Arelith. A race of people who consider themselves a family. Who support and help each other survive because they know they are stronger as a single group, than not. This is another one. I feel would make the server a much richer place if more players of Elves steered their PC's to Myon and used it as a hub. -is it difficult to send messages? yes. Is it more difficult to get in and out of compared to other settlements? yes.
But, honestly... I just watched the Extended Versions of all three Hobbit films, and gosh darn it... the elves are such bad muthers. They just are so great... and then I log into Arelith on my beloved Elf PC's and seeing how many more elves gravitate towards Cordor than Myon? It's just a tiny bit disheartening. -again.. #respect to every individual who has made their individual choices for their own Elf PC's to live where they want, do what they want, and play them however they want. More power to ya. -buuuuut... IMO... the server would JUST be richer. Using Myon as a central hub will be a sacrifice. absolutely. buuut... once it gets rocking again as it was in years past... it will be SO worth it!

Third: Of course... Brog. I think if I didn't play elves (because I just love my elf pc's) I would hands down play a Dwarf. Dwarf-centric RP is so cool to see. Entire Groups of Dwarves, playing traveling together, banding together, etc.. etc.. The guys who have dedicated their time to playing out of Brog over the years I wish I had a giant KUDO's for cuz they're the greatest. I think the Earthkin Alliance has done a lot for the Dwarves, but stil, they need players. Think about your next character and consider a dwarf. Myon needs elves to just go to Myon... Dwarves need players to roll up dwarves.


I know there's been some chitter-chatter about racial-cities, and some have expressed how they aren't needed. But again... after having binge-marathon-watched the extended HOBBIT movies... I think for a fantasy D&D campaign to really thrive? These racial-city-centers need thrive as well.

Don't get me wrong, I like Cordor, I think it's a good platform for RP, and it's cool that there's a lot of people playing there... that there are Guards that play Guards, and sub-groups like the Red Knights and The Circle, this is all waaaaay cool.

but IMO, in a lot of ways, the condensed population in Cordor, on the surface, is starting to strangle the beautiful diversity of the server. -again, just my opinion... and I don't fault anyone who disagrees with it... that's the beauty of having an opinion, it can be yours, even if no one else agrees with it.

SO, I'm sorry if you disagree, but i would encourage you druids? Go Heartwood Go! (Rangers too!) make it a decision, as a player, to guide your PC to help build something together and I promise you it will be G-R-E-A-T !!


Elf players! Go be ELVES! BE that alien group that non-elves are a little fearful of pissing off! people entering elven lands need be intimidated when they enter. Two words for you "Elven Warband" <-- yah, you need to be a part of this! IT will be GRAND!!! Go! Go to MYON! Your Kin need you!


And Dwarves... ya... need more dwarves. Think about it, when you roll your 26+ to get that medium/standard reward... re-roll something Dwarvish! You will be glad you did, cuz the Dwarf Players are amazing!!!




Okay. So.. nuff said... who has the Extended Edition LotR films to loan me so I can binge watch them next week???

[Emotionaloverload]

I am always an advocate for using the space you were given whether or not this location is one your character rents or is title/class/race specific but~ people will go where the rp is and historically, when certain locations/factions have had strong leaders that do stuff(tm) then people gather there.

We have a wide range of players that play across time zones and so might not be able to see the leaders specific to their place and then turn to a place more filled with rp when they are on.

A good way to keep everyone included across time zones is -factions, varying the time or day of events or be as loud and active as possible.

Hope that helps.
-S

[Thera]

The issue I've always had "team good" is that inevitably, at least from my own experience, it devolves into "thou shalt not," conformity, and restrictive RP, which in essence, is lazy.

Team Good thrives when it's able to acknowledge the shades of grey. But when there gets to be too much "legalizing of moralizing" it dies off, with only the players that created those norms in that place enjoying it.

[Tashalar]

This isn't really something that needs to be in General Reference; moving it to the Shanty. Enjoy

[Seven Sons of Sin]

I think there's a few insights in here:

- the idea of "join" rather than "create" has a lot of merit. Is it necessary to start your own thing when there's 3 other things you could participate in? A fair bit of advice.

Conversely, however, players (or characters) are at times incapable of bowing out and thus those recruits never get to progress, or get the feeling of progression, because those who have stayed at the top for the past year and a half are still there - and show no signs of leaving. So they take a bunch of frustrated lowbies and start their own thing. Fair.

- Consolidation of forces is something always talked about. There's two sides of this,

If all good-folk were United, it would make for more roleplay opportunities and more cooperation, and more ways to interact regularly. It may also mean there's broader, more epic good vs evil showdowns. And everyone wants to re-enact Helm's Deep.

Flip side, however, is that some of the best conflict I've ever partaken is was good vs good - in my case, Nelehein vs Godfrey/Aria Sweetwater/traditional LK. It can be far more divisive and enthralling and enticing.

- races vs ideas

I don't know where I stand on this. I think the most unique experiences are sometimes racial roleplay; at the same time, you see the best racial diversity when it's the Fellowship not Homogenous Elf Scout Group #4.

But at the same time, there's often a strong mentorship and learning process in racial settlements - players learn what it means to be dwarf, or get new equipment for Seldarine, or have a place to hangout.

Ironically, the one place the OP talks a lot about - Heartwood - is the one thing I think needs to go. Druidic circles I find to be almost too political and institutional and systematic.

[Aelryn Bloodmoon]

...Team Good thrives when it's able to acknowledge the shades of grey...

I actually disagree with this sentiment.

I accept that in Real Life, shades of grey apply.

One of the most demoralizing and frustrating things I find about playing a Good character, however, is that some things aren't grey, they are black or white- and it seems more often than not a large part of 'Team Good' wants to legitimize someone's right to do evil things for reasons x, y, and z.

It takes all the glamour out of trying to play an adventuring hero for me and rains on it by introducing harsh, complex moral and ethical distinctions that the world we're playing in is supposed to be an escape from.

When I kill the goblin, I'm not supposed to suddenly feel guilty because that goblin might have had children. It's a monster, and it might've eaten your children.

When I slay that skeleton, I'm not supposed to feel guilty because it used to be your pet dog. It's an abomination, and your dog is dead.

Not everyone is a paladin that's going to lose their powers if they perform a single evil act, but it would be nice if I never heard the hypothetical argument IC again that 'if you create a vampire/summon a fiend and use it to save a baby, is the act of summoning/creation really still evil?"

The answer is yes. I'm not a DM, but I'll burn a stack of gems and fifty thousand gold in a trashcan if someone finds a DM that (seriously) says otherwise.

#TheMoralAbsoluteIsReal


Edit: To summarize why I feel this is relevant- I believe that an insistence on rationalizing every moral quandary individually, rather than being willing to fall in line with established 'norms' for the world we play in, is in large part responsible for many of the difficulties in larger groups of good characters working together.

[Kreydis]

The answer is yes. I'm not a DM, but I'll burn a stack of gems and fifty thousand gold in a trashcan if someone finds a DM that (seriously) says otherwise.

Not much in arelith terms of wealth from what I understand. FL though that makes me cry, give me the gold! That being said, I also feel like more absolutes need to be held by good aligned folks. Neutral might be able to bring up the grey argument but otherwise it causes rifts in ideology where their shouldn't be any. To much of real life ideology seems to have seeped into arelith, and that's fine but it makes things a bit challenging to navigate if people insist on bluring the lines. Which in almost any situation would be fantastic.

[dirza]

Best described by Kreydis and Aelryn.

People bend alignments because it makes more confirm play. They don't need to oppose wrong doings their toons should. They get apologies for tugging along obviously evil characters, hanging out with them to have fun. Nothing wrong with people having fun but sadly it breaks immersion of world. The good hero rushs to prevent some wrong doing to happen, but then characters who are supposed to support him talk him down lol. Just because that paladin crush's their friends warlock he becomes public enemies number one because takes from others that comfort area and forces them to pick sides (which would their characters do). Players don't like to take sides IG, They want to hang around with all (most of them).

So long good aligmented characters will allow grey stuff to happen and overlook wrong doings under cover of some apology for it, so long villains will be two steps ahead.


Back on topic... trying to manage low lvl elven party is giving me big headache. So many kinds of elves (wood, moon, sun...) in party everyone with different opinion on honor. I always feel like guarding kindergarten with kids running each to otherside you try to support one and another gets immedietly offended:):). Good old drow stuff. You either led or followed no such band of anarchists to handle! I am just terrified what comes at higher levels. Cannot imagine how good side can cooperate when I see this happen in that small scale now haha.

[Xarge VI]

I do enjoy those moral dilemmas when playing a good guy. I often play the extremist kind of characters and it makes me giggle every time the more diplomatic characters try to talk my character down. Only to watch my character march off on a glorious crusade. (And get himself beaten up.)

I really think the purpose of this thread can be handled in character. In fact it would make a good concept for a goodly preacher. That's how you really get these things done anyway. Just make the character and make it fun to follow. Just don't be afraid to do the things on your own, despite getting beaten up at every turn.

[Yma23]

Re Moral Absolutes:

It's important to know the difference between a character believing something, and a player.

Most evil characters must have motivation, and well played evil characters tend to be able to rationalise their motivation, and even give an argument for it. Otherwise they're little better than blank cut outs. And often working out why a person might be driven to such lengths, and having that philsophical conversation is fun!
But that doesn't neccesarly mean that the player believes that the charcters actions are good, or that the good guys should agree with him.

For example: May Thayan could probably give a fairly good argument why he believes that slavery is a Good Thing. He would point out the economic benefits, the fact it might be considered more humane than, say, death. That often slaves cannot care for themselves or have lost the 'right' to freedom by their actions, and so on.

Does this mean I OOC think Slavery is a Good act? Hell no!!! Taking slaves is definatly Evil on the alignment scale. Do I expect the good guys agree with me? No - but it can be funny making people think around the debate a bit. And if I'm playing a character who enslaves, when people ask me, 'Why do you do this?' my answer can't be 'Well you see, on my character sheet it says evil.'

The issue of more conflict between good and evil... is a complex and multi-faceted one.
On the one hand I do agree, it's poor form if you have Paladins running aound knowingly hugging infernal warlocks because they're best buddies ooc. (To use an extreme example.)
On the other- I'd rather not have a situation where the response to knowing a character was evil (or good) was automatic exile from every settlment, and PvP on sight.

What I'd say is conflict and combat are two different things, and it's possible to roleplay with someone without being friendly with them.

A good example right now is my character Azar Anskuld and another character Skellen Varg. A Thayan and a Rashmani, these two bicker, squabble, Skellen constnatly threatens to murder Azar, Azar constantly dimeans the Rashmani, yet a curious kinship has developed.

In a more typicaly evil/good situation - a paladin and say, a Necromancer can have lots of 'build up' before conflict happens. The Paladin may wish to redeem the evil guy, the evil guy may wish to corrupt the Paladin. They may fail but end up with a mutual respect. They may end up holding smaller 'fights' before the big fight. They may end up making smalll deals with one another when a greater threat appears, and so on and so forth.

[Daedin]

Arelith (and roleplaying) is all about choices and options.

We have several options as far as classes, races,alignments, deities, etc etc, and we can chose to do an infinite ammount of things with all of those.
Just as we always have choices to make in every interaction with other characters. That's the joy of it


And me, personnaly, whenever I feel like I am being pressured (or sometimes outright told) to play my character contept a certain way, that's when I lose interest and usualy stop playing.


In short..if you want to play a half orc cleric/sorcerer of Beshaba who dreams of becoming the mayor of Bendir, go for it. Maybe he will end up falling in love with a dwarven maiden, get married, convert to Shauntea and spend his days as a farmer. Or maybe he'll go crazy and start a war.

Choices. No one can make them for us.

[Kreydis]

if you want to play a half orc cleric/sorcerer of Beshaba who dreams of becoming the mayor of Bendir, go for it. Maybe he will end up falling in love with a dwarven maiden, get married, convert to Shauntea and spend his days as a farmer

New concept bagged and tagged, see you soon Bendir and my future dwarven wife that's a blackguard assassin palemaster that uses her powers to fight the scourge known as weeds!