Making a New Character and Fitting In

[Swift]

my point is simply that two individuals who obviously are trying to look out for new players also both happen to be heading up servers that have a lot of activity.

TSM is just as busy as MS these days.

[Ronan]

+1

This is why the people I've been recruiting haven't been staying... it's not because they don't know how to make PCs that fit in. It's not like I don't know how to get people to interact with my PCs. They don't like logging in and wandering around alone for hours, and neither do I. I have enjoyed the people I've encountered from time to time (Voric has been really helpful, and probably the reason I still log in occasionally), but I just don't get why ith keeps bugging me to play here.

I'm sorry if this sounds like a rant. I'm really trying to like this place.

Please delete if this is offensive.

This is great and useful. Read it, peoples.

tl; dr.

Want activity, other players, and plenty of corpses* to loot? Come to BG!

Warning: Corpse may be your own. BG is not responsible for lost or damaged items on said corpse.

[fluffmonster]

Integrating players in-game is too late. That's like refusing to talk to someone who shows up at your table until the dice start rolling. Doing it this way is doing it wrong. It is a lingering habit from the conceptualization of alfa as some wide open PW, which it really isn't.

The integration and hellos and advice and whatnot should be happening out of game first, between people, just like if someone were sitting down at our table to play.

The issue is not whether PCs fit in. Its whether players fit in. Treat newbs like players first and PCs only in-game.

[Veilan]

Integrating players in-game is too late. That's like refusing to talk to someone who shows up at your table until the dice start rolling. Doing it this way is doing it wrong. It is a lingering habit from the conceptualization of alfa as some wide open PW, which it really isn't.

The integration and hellos and advice and whatnot should be happening out of game first, between people, just like if someone were sitting down at our table to play.

The issue is not whether PCs fit in. Its whether players fit in. Treat newbs like players first and PCs only in-game.

I was under the impression "Retentions" is trying to do exactly that. There's a meet & great, links to the common documentation, and offers to help make a match should browsing the forums and getting to know folks not yield good ideas where to play. Of course, if those efforts are lacking... I'm sure Rotku is always willing to recrut more volunteers to help out.

In any case, you will not manage to convince ALFA that it is a campaign-based gameworld, even though campaigned and scheduled games is where it is most enjoyable usually.

Cheers,

[Rotku]

Of course, if those efforts are lacking... I'm sure Rotku is always willing to recrut more volunteers to help out.

Do I smell volunteers?

[paazin]

Integrating players in-game is too late. That's like refusing to talk to someone who shows up at your table until the dice start rolling. Doing it this way is doing it wrong. It is a lingering habit from the conceptualization of alfa as some wide open PW, which it really isn't.

The integration and hellos and advice and whatnot should be happening out of game first, between people, just like if someone were sitting down at our table to play.

The issue is not whether PCs fit in. Its whether players fit in. Treat newbs like players first and PCs only in-game.

Whatcha think would be a good concrete example of what to do f00f?

[Tegid]

My first character lived to see level 3; Kard Lyonson - Sharran minstrel/gangster on Moonshaes. I retired him to play a drow warrior in the underdarkz. Quickly realized that wasn't going to work out, retired him. Since that, I've gone through a bunch of characters, some killed but most retired, trying to regain the magic. I'm sure some players see me as some b00b-n00b who doesn't get it, logging in with yet another new character. Ok, I guess that's true. And I don't know where I'm going with this...

Uh yeah, I like the OP and my gaming experience with her. I like that Bogs guy too. This thread has given me stuff to think on as I consider creating some new character to log in with...

[NESchampion]

I'm sure some players see me as some b00b-n00b who doesn't get it, logging in with yet another new character. Ok, I guess that's true. And I don't know where I'm going with this...

I used to do this a lot; sometimes it's just circumstantial, other times it's finding that the character I'd made was too focused on some gameplay gimmick and not enjoyable to RP outside that, and so on. Having a character that is malleable, outgoing enough to meet people regularly and get involved, and fun to interact as makes the biggest points for me now. There are a bunch of concepts I would love to play, but I still enjoy interacting as Olaf now because Olaf now has grown as a person, and isn't the same character as Olaf then.

[Heero]

My first character lived to see level 3; Kard Lyonson - Sharran minstrel/gangster on Moonshaes. I retired him to play a drow warrior in the underdarkz. Quickly realized that wasn't going to work out, retired him. Since that, I've gone through a bunch of characters, some killed but most retired, trying to regain the magic. I'm sure some players see me as some b00b-n00b who doesn't get it, logging in with yet another new character. Ok, I guess that's true. And I don't know where I'm going with this...

Uh yeah, I like the OP and my gaming experience with her. I like that Bogs guy too. This thread has given me stuff to think on as I consider creating some new character to log in with...

Ive always had fun with you, but I am in the same boob noob boat as you.

[rorax]

It's not the first time that the issue of new players having hard time to get in is being discussed, that fact alone probably points to the conclusion that there is some truth in it. There are out of game cliques around, this is something natural in every online community and cannot be avoided. What's sad is that those cliques have impact in game itself, it's not rare to see people reaction to other people in game based on what they think of them out of game.

I spoke with someone who recently joined and he phrased it perfectly :

"It sometimes feel like the real game in ALFA is not the RP with our toons but the politics, intrigues and cliques outside of the game in the forums and the chat troom"


Tip of the day - like someone said on the previous thread – you can always play female lesbian elf. There is a reasonable chance you'll have easier and smoother time fitting in like that.

[Keryn]

I spoke with someone who recently joined and he phrased it perfectly :

"It sometimes feel like the real game in ALFA is not the RP with our toons but the politics, intrigues and cliques outside of the game in the forums and the chat troom"

We must be playing in diferent places rorax, I have not seen intrigues, politics or disputes, the enviroment seems quite healthy, and specially for a newcomer to feel that.... Is specially weird, since folks take quite a while even to understand how the elections on ALFA take place let along get into the politics of it.

The only complains I have heard, like we can take from Lakhena post, is the same issue we have suffered for a while, which is, people log in and there is not that many people IG.
In the case of TSM since regular PCs moved to other servers for some vacations and the others or most are stuck in a UD campaign, means the server is pretty much empty the whole time, yesterday there was a DM IG for some hours and no one there to be DMed, just an example.

Also I think people have to keep something in mind, if you are new, its also your job to try and approach other PCs, its somewhat unfair to think just for having an established PC, we need to each time to see a new face to speak with them like if we were old friends, there must be an effort made from both sides, some trying to fit in and the others trying to accommodate them in.

[oldgrayrogue]

I'm quite certain many people do this but when I see a player logged in with a tag I don't recognize I generally send a friendly tell that says "New Player? Welcome to ALFA -- is there anything you need help with? Questions? Ask away" or something similar. Usually I will get a friendly response and a few questions about the UI or whether certain features are available in game etc. From my point of view, this is just polite -- if someone new comes to your house to play its nice to welcome them. If every new player that logged on received such a message from every player in ALFA when they first joined I think they would feel welcomed, and more inclined to stick around.

That's an OOC welcome obviously, IC welcoming is also important. "But my PC is a backstabbing sgadow lurking bad ass who doesn't talk to anyone" you say, or "I'm a super important muckity muck with very serious important things to do that don't involve clueless adventurers." Well, its pretty obvious but one need not be "welcoming" ICly for the player of a new PC to feel welcomed. All types of RP interaction will make a new player feel welcomed. Whether its a "sidelong glance and a spit in the dirt" from the backstabber as the noob passes or even a "condescending but appraising look" from the muckity muck. Its all good as long as its something. Clearly, involving new players in a more substantantive way in what your doing is even better, but every little bit helps.

For DMS, and our DMs do this already, OOC and IC interaction with PCs right up front goes a very long way. It gets players saying "I love ALFA! I wasn't logged in 5 minutes before other PCs were talking to me and a DM reached out to me and involved me in an event."

[Keryn]

I'm quite certain many people do this but when I see a player logged in with a tag I don't recognize I generally send a friendly tell that says "New Player? Welcome to ALFA -- is there anything you need help with? Questions? Ask away" or something similar. Usually I will get a friendly response and a few questions about the UI or whether certain features are available in game etc. From my point of view, this is just polite -- if someone new comes to your house to play its nice to welcome them. If every new player that logged on received such a message from every player in ALFA when they first joined I think they would feel welcomed, and more inclined to stick around.

That's an OOC welcome obviously, IC welcoming is also important. "But my PC is a backstabbing sgadow lurking bad ass who doesn't talk to anyone" you say, or "I'm a super important muckity muck with very serious important things to do that don't involve clueless adventurers." Well, its pretty obvious but one need not be "welcoming" ICly for the player of a new PC to feel welcomed. All types of RP interaction will make a new player feel welcomed. Whether its a "sidelong glance and a spit in the dirt" from the backstabber as the noob passes or even a "condescending but appraising look" from the muckity muck. Its all good as long as its something. Clearly, involving new players in a more substantantive way in what your doing is even better, but every little bit helps.

For DMS, and our DMs do this already, OOC and IC interaction with PCs right up front goes a very long way. It gets players saying "I love ALFA! I wasn't logged in 5 minutes before other PCs were talking to me and a DM reached out to me and involved me in an event."

+1

I tend to do the same here. OOC greets are great.

Though once again to point out what Lakhena mentioned, that may come short if then they don't find people to play. Its not something we can work for the moment since we have ongoing plots, but something to keep in mind when trying to give some love to our newbs.

[johnlewismcleod]

What OGR said

[Blindhamsterman]

I too often send tells to folk I don't recognise, though less often now as I had some seem to take odd offense to a 'welcome to ALFA' PM a while back :/