A Land Far Away

Edit: Fuck it, seeing as voicing concern gets me a big can of STFU, DF2 it is then.

In real life I play this game called DnD, and in that game there's somebody called a DM that makes those kinds of decisions about what the gameworld is like. I think that kind of system might work here to.

Please, don't sit there and complain at the DMs because you think the world should be run another way. The primary effect is to discourage DMs. If you really want to run the world, at least get on the proper side of the screen.

LOL, just FYI Swift, I didn't design RM. Also, none of the other DM's and builders had ever DM'ed or help build Daggerford. Indio had never been there, nor Wynna, who were principle builders for content on TSM.

Also, I designed as much of the militia and military aspects of TSM on the canon. I used some Daggerford scripts, but some things are universal when it comes to military organizations.

And the concerns about RM being turned into a military camp are fully noted on the DM boards by the HDM and other DM's.

Non-military static quests and DM quests are being considered and planned.

It would kinda make sense though right? Rivermoot's a town of fair size, in The North, orcs galore and what not.

It would make sense for them to have a strong military.

Not really.

Rivermootians are soft. Like all city bred.

They are underarmed and overmatched. They will never revel in the chance to perish against suicidal odds and die with the grin of pain and glory on your face after the strongest of orcs are sent to the lower plains with your axe or sword buried deep in their guts with your dying heave.

Only the tribes of Uthgar know this glory. And they have saved the citybred for ages past when rivermoot was but a muddy farmyard. And they will rending orcflesh until they flee.

And then we will hunt....

That being said there are some more northerly towns and the orcs are further north in the mountains breeding....for now.

We fully recognize that not all players want to be involved in heavy combat scenarios and we're trying to roll out content that will allow for different types of play. Wynna's DMing at the College is a prime example of this and as we get Silverymoon filled in a bit more, there'll be an entire city that is relatively safe from combat. All in due time.

They will never revel in the chance to perish against suicidal odds and die with the grin of pain and glory on your face after the strongest of orcs are sent to the lower plains with your axe or sword buried deep in their guts with your dying heave.

Are all Uthgar this wordy?

i'm translating


they would sneer and spit

Leevoth wrote:It would kinda make sense though right? Rivermoot's a town of fair size, in The North, orcs galore and what not.

It would make sense for them to have a strong military.

Not really, Rivermoot's like four buildings on stilts that get washed out by a flood every year. Nesme and Mithral Hall are the only towns of any size in the area. Most of the small towns around the Marches are dependent on the largest nearby city for any real protection. In this case, Rivermoot is a protectorate of Silverymoon.

Yeah, Rivermoot's undergone some changes in the 5 years since the sourcebook came out. To do with plots campaign plots, so probably not the best place to discuss them.

Rick's been really polite about this thread, so I will too. I've made a new thread about where I see threads like this leading, and I really hope everyone reads it and respects the rights of the DMs to determine what our campaign is and will be.

Very well put Indio, and I do hope everyone reads the other thread.

Erm, I didn't catch what the rant was about before it was self-deleted, but I'm guessing it was just a rant against the situation Rivermoot is in at the moment. I've got to say though that the ALFA DMs have been the gentlest DMs on a Permadeath server I've met. They've been going pretty easy on PCs as far as I can see.

I mean if they really really really wanted to make Rivermoot a war setting, they could, easily enough. Spawn a few more Legionaries, place barricades, and fill the lower hills with a mix of weak orcs and strong orcs. Then fill the upper Fourthpeak region with super strong orcs. Perhaps even claim that the orcs allied with the local kobold and goblin tribes, and maybe brought in a few ogres and pepper the highway with them.

As it stands, Rivermoot feels like... well... a town positioned too close to an orc tribe. Not one at war with said orcs. But the DMs decided that this is how it was to be done, so that's how it will be done. Remember that complaining can change things, but it doesn't always have to be for your view of the 'better'.

There's always a fine line to be tread when it comes to addressing discrepancies between player expectation and what is given in game. I think it's pretty obvious Swift was frustrated, from his inability to get much roleplaying and play time, something that would frustrate most of you as well, so cut him some slack and do not dismiss his points on tone alone. It's tempting to all pile on now and "defend" the DMs, but it may not be the nicest thing to do - besides, those guys are well capable, as TSM should aptly demonstrate .

The DMs have a right to determine the campaign in ALFA, which is a good thing. At the same time, however, ALFA DMs are expected to adhere to FR canon, and it's an equally fine line to be tread - DMs want dynamics and to do something of their own, while equally they cannot make a castle town out of a canon hamlet, and completely disappoint player expectations in what the Silver Marches are. Personally I think the balance was maintained well enough. Rivermoot cannot be a 'nam movie, but if the DMs want to have current trouble with orcs close by for an intermediate plot - hey, why not.

I think all TSM DMs are grateful for feedback, if presented to them in a cordial fashion, more as a suggestion than a complaint (they do have a suggestion thread after all ).