Avalon Soul's Fireside Chats: What Topic would folk like to see next?

[DM Avalon Soul]

Per the title of this post, I'd like to put out to the community what topics you'd like to see.

Please keep in mind these are intended to help improve the RP and Arelith experience overall. I cannot speak on specific situations save where I've been given consent to do so (Likely in the case of talking about plots I have ran) , but I would like to see some thoughts here on what would interest people?

[Drogo Gyslain]

I would like to see more natural DM engagements instead of planned out events and scheduled chaos.

I.e. A Group of adventurers doing a dungeon has an unexpected encounter with one of the soldiers, and are pulled into a fight that was much stronger than anticipated.

A Group walking along the road come across a wounded animal/NPC and they have choices to make like helping them, robbing them etc.

Natural events like the above, that don't have to be some giant, amaze Pufferfish story that create lasting engagement or play off of what's already going on. Too often we see DM's getting swept up in Narrative stories, but far to infrequent do we get to see DM's just... Take control of a guard and start chatting it up with a player.

We have a HUGE world, but we (as a community) take so little advantage of what's there.

My conversations with Clarissa or Archmage Brown were poignant and Story Driving, but what about a random Cow named Bessie that wandered into the Dale and lays down? Or Thora mind coming out of his shop to do a small magic display.

There is so much that goes into making "new" content and telling "new" stories, that we sometimes forget and take for granted the fact that... Lucrecia hasn't been out from behind her counter in her Jewelry Store in probably 50 IC years or Kasha Derlson has stalked the paving stones of Cordor with nothing better to do than just babble on the same story 10 times a day to whoever decides to click on her.

Seeing the staff take control of these characters and do random engagement makes them feel less static, and more a part of the story as well, not just part of the landscape.

Edit: To this I just want to add that I know this has happened in the past but it makes the world feel more living and breathing than a bunch of anamatronic NPCs that don't do anything. I have lots of ideas for stuff like this, like with Campaigns I've run on in person Tabletops.

I know it's hard to do for some but playing off the cuff and presenting quests like this is possible as well.

Like for example:

One of the Loggers in Westcliff has a damaged axe, and he walks into town looking for an adventurer to bring him a few pieces of Rare Hardwood for a large sum of gold, or perhaps a Small EXP. Boost for a quick fetch quest if they don't have it on them.

The Scroll Salesman in Bendir is looking for someone to provide him an ancient scroll fragment, and the character that does is given 10x scrolls of their choice from a "special selection".

These are things that can be done with little planning and can enhance the overall landscape while giving some handy things to players.

They don't have to be huge events either, something that could be a small, 10 minute thing. I've seen DM's do this in the past, but I would love for it to be much more common instead of huge 40 man raids that lag the server.

[Royal Blood]

Thank you!

[Eira]

To clarify, this post is about Avalon's events on the Discord voice channel, to answer questions, delve into a specific subject; give advice or insight into various topics.

Not about their actions as a DM or what other DMs do ingame. Think of it like they're asking what to give a TED Talk on.

[DM Avalon Soul]

Thank you for clarifying Eira yes, this is more for the Voice chats I do every Wednesday at 3:00 PM EDT

[Aelryn Bloodmoon]

I'd be interested in a discussion about the narrative goals and direction of the server's story at large. Most playing here know the setting and a bit about the server history and how Arelith got to where it was today on an IC level by this point, but we don't really have a scope of the future. Think of the perspective of the person picking up Lord of the Rings for the first time, who turns to the back of the book or the inside cover preview for an idea of wtf is going on.

For clarity, I'm not asking for the play's script, more like a synopsis. I'm not interested in knowing who kills Dumbledore so to speak, but more about the on-island story in the background that leads up to his death and the next novel. What factions have an active interest in the island, and what are they doing to further those interests? What key NPC's are moving this cog over here and replacing that one over there? What is publicly known about these figures of influence and their goals?

There's a lot to be said for WYSIWYG, but if I sleep through the protest in a mall and it drew enough public attention, I can probably read about it in the newspaper, hear about it in the local bar, etc. There's a lot of atmospheric detail many players might not ever come across that could inspire them to take actions IC on the island, both DM-quest led and completely independently as PC's, and while the Cordorian newspaper is neat, I don't feel like it fulfills its narrative purpose on an OOC level (IC it's always great when an issue comes out).

[Ork]

I think I'd really like a discussion about what sort of activities players can do to turn a 2d character into a 3d one. How to make characters become a little more real.

[Amateur Hour]

Considering the current environment, a chat about enriching conflict on both sides would be great, i.e. how to add a dimension that isn't just "how fast can I kill you". Maybe something also about how to bend personal narrative for general gain without breaking lore or character concepts?

[DM Avalon Soul]

Please keep ideas coming, I've already picked on for my next Chat but will keep noting them and trying to use them where I can for future Fireside Chats.

[D4wN]

I definitely like the idea of the topic of server direction / vision. Maybe also a day in the life of? I find that often people lack empathy through a lack of understanding. I'd love to gain some insights into what DMs need to do to set up events. How much effort is it. Tell us about all the tools you have. What else is involved? A day in the life of a dev? Tell us what goes into creating a new class or a new area. That sort of thing.

[Tarkus the dog]

I'd like to talk about the lack of fun anti-mage classes on Arelith. I wish to play out my fantasy of a mage hating zealot right out of Dota 2, unfortunately my options are very slim.

These are: a dwarf Earthkin Defender ( I'm not masculine enough ), a monk ( monks are not fun ! ), a champion of torm and a paladin. The last two are very difficult to pull off, especially the paladin, because my character would desire filthy mage blood on their hands.

Here is what I propose: A class based around this idea: It deals damage based on the target's spell slot levels ( and naturally it also destroys the spells in process ).

What do you guys think?

[DM Avalon Soul]

This is intended to provide topics about regular chats I run every Wednesday. If I can find a way to work that into a chat I'll try Tarkus..

[Peachoo]

I haven't been to one of these yet, though I plan to try to catch them.

I'm not actually sure how many new players use the discord, or if you've already covered any of these topics.. but I had a few suggestions in mind.

1. The difference between ic and ooc. What is cross streaming? How can cross-streaming stories seriously affect roleplay? And why is it bad? - I have recently, while playing in myon, come across many new pcs who didn't understand these concepts, as well as basic racial lore like 'elf vs drow'. I think taking a ride back to the very basics may be helpful for new players. I know that there is also sometimes still the problem of IC problems being taken into the ooc realm.

2. Basics of mechanics, how to build your own build. No idea if you know anything about building. But this is something a lot of players don't know how to do, and understanding the basic fundamentals can lead to a better experience playing. Especially since many, many dungeons require a meta-build + other pcs with you to complete. Maybe if not you, someone on the team who does understand how mechanics work can help explain how you can go about creating your own build as a new, or even veteran, player.

3. The Be Nice Rule. What is it? What does it cover? How can we come together as a community both ic and ooc? This is more influenced by the recent thread on Slanty Shanty. The Be Nice rule is very important, but often its definition throughout the years has changed and morphed. And for new players, this rule may not be so easily defined or even confusing because of it being vague-ish. (I know it's supposed to be common sense, but sometimes stuff like this is needed in the IRL)
It may be good to have a reminder session on how players can currently respect this rule and share in creating a more positive environment to play in.

4. Forgotten Realms Lore and Arelith Alternative Universe Lore. What is okay and what is outlandish?
So this is a thing that I've come across so so so many times over the years on Arelith. Arelith is understandably an AU, which means that some lore can be made up, and is by the team. For example, the Favored Soul Class. it's based off of a real 3.5E class, but it isn't called favored soul and the 3.5E class is described very differently. Therefore, FS is a slight AU class. That's just a small example.

I've seen more than a few players take some liberty with this idea that Arelith is an AU so things can be made up, right? I believe at one point, there was a player made god that was made up by pcs that was a 'human supremacist' god that put humans before all other races. This was stricken from cannon by the team, because of.. well, many reasons.

Or the fact that good/neutral aligned warlock pacts (like draconic) can be made in 3.5 but Arelith warlocks strictly are all evil or neutral alignment and are made with all evil sources. The team has made it clear that warlocks are to be evil on this server, and that is apart of the Au.

There's been many examples of this through the years and honestly, I could list several more. Some of them were struck down by the team, others were not.

I think it'd be good to establish general guidelines for this sort of thing. I know you can always reach out to a team member but- my thought is- if you're a new player... you may feel a little shy of reaching out to the administrative team like that because most other games don't offer that sort of access to the admin team.

5. How to reach out to the DM team when it comes to requesting Player Events. What is required? What sort of format does the team prefer? What sort of prerequisites should we try to meet with our pcs before reaching out to avoid wasteing time?

I think this is another thing that new players, and even old, players struggle with. I certainly do. And I think maybe talking about it with folks could lead to more efficient requests and less frequent requests that are likely to just be flatly denied because it isn't something the team can exactly do.

DM Poppy made a great announcement for this recently, but I think it'd be good to hold a small talk for any new or old players interested in better parameters being set and understanding what sort of events the team are looking for that would facilitate fun rp for the server.

[DM Avalon Soul]

Peachoo you are a goldmine of potential topics here that I'll have to dig at, reorganize and work into Fireside(s) but still.... thank you!

[Azensor]

heres one: hostile interactions and how to do them.

by that i dont just mean "xas you die" !, i mean interacting in a hostile way without leading directly to pvp

[ImWithThisGuy]

I think it would be very useful to go over conflict conclusion and resolution.

Players often struggle with this, even very experienced ones. Some conflicting roleplay can start up and everyone is having a good time, but then two weeks later, nearly or literally nothing has changed. People suddenly get very sick of the interaction, and start wishing it would just end.

Sometimes due to new players being involved in the conflict and extending or complicating it, sometimes because players enjoy ramping up the drama, or of course, because some players involved refuse to back down. Regardless, I think it's a good topic for discussion, if you haven't covered it already!

[UilliamNebel]

I'd like a good back to basics topic.

How to engage new players, how not to be their crutch or elevator through levels and content while being supportive and helpful, and how bring them into Arelith RP as a player and character more than a faction number.

[Alyxnia]

Are there any plans for these 'fireside chats' to be recorded/broadcast somewhere besides discord for those of us who don't use it or aren't in the official arelith discord for whatever reason?

[DM Avalon Soul]

Are there any plans for these 'fireside chats' to be recorded/broadcast somewhere besides discord for those of us who don't use it or aren't in the official arelith discord for whatever reason?

At this point no, but it is something I can look into options for if there's enough interest.

[Edens_Fall]

Requested topic: how to be a good villian with a focus on non PvP approaches.

[AstralUniverse]

I would like to discuss (or even just listen to a discussion) about the role play of shady/evil/neutral/witchy unpopular concepts and how to make it interesting enough for the goodies so they dont just go "eww evil *spray spray* go away" instantly. For me it's been a real struggle sometimes. Or as Edens summed it up - how to be an interesting villain.

[MathAenya]

As a counterpoint to that: How To Be an Interesting "Good Guy". I see many examples of one tone Good Guy ("I slay Evil because I am Good! I am Good because I slay Evil!"), who then complain that the vilains don't often better RP themselves.
There are a lot of avenues to explore, even Good vs Good conflicts.

[DM Avalon Soul]

I like this idea MathAenya.. I think I might develop a Fireside on How to be better at both?

[MathAenya]

I like this idea MathAenya.. I think I might develop a Fireside on How to be better at both?

Absolutely, there is no real need to divide these topics into Good and Evil characters. These chats can apply to characters of all alignments:
- how to create 3 dimensional characters
- how to create engaging conflicts
- how to play in a manner that encourages others to develop their characters
- how to become good at improv (avoid of the pitfalls of "I don't know what to say anymore so my char will stay silent"; reacting to other players such as "Yes, and...")


For a more collaborative topics I would love to hear about everyone's favorite characters/storylines/rp moments. I am sure this would spread some good ideas around and it's always fun to reminisce of your favorite moments.