Shattered Kingdoms

Dungeonmastering.

Animate the otherwise static game environment. SK needs active dungeonmastering to function, not just a bunch of scripts. We need little angels to float around to make NPC's talk, to provide spontaneous quests, to surprise grind-levelers with unexpected groups of enemies that attack them in their sleep and stage other isolated events.

We also need people to make small developments of longer plotlines. Has anyone ever noticed for example that 'war' between countries in this game is insignificant to the fate of both countries, that there are no movements of people, significant gains or losses, no encroachments into national territory by hostile foreign NPCs, sieges, city damage, or anything of the sort?

The only thing you can really 'do' is kill a bunch of guards, another treadmill.

SK really, really, really suffers from a lack of this sort of stuff.

This is the single most thing I will say is lacking compared to every other game I've played. All these GRP events are generally not very fun and tend to cater to select groups. Why can't staff just do the odd orc attack/etc once a week or something?

The only way to roll this out under SK's paradigms of managed territory, cautious conduct, and the limited availability of currently eligible dungeon masters would be pretty much exactly what we see now.

It's completely possible and does happen when conditions are ripe.

I'm just throwing this out for you to chew on.

Almost every imm I've ever known through the history of this game who has taken the time to RP with players on a regular basis has been virtually crapped on, tarred-and-feathered, and crucified by various elements of the player base for doing so. You're either attacked for "playing favorites", or for ruining somebody's character/RP without their permission, or accused of being too nice, or accused of being too mean, or accused of being a crummy role-player, or accused of being too silly, or accused of being too ineffectual, or accused of leaving somebody out, or accused of choosing the wrong play-times, or you're harassed for doing any number of things that one player clique or another dislikes, disagrees with, or is disappointed by. More than one imm over the years has been virtually chased out of the immstaff or lost all interest in the game as a direct result of player harassment over these kinds of issues.

I'm not going to say that I don't love being an imm, and I'm not going to say that I don't love RP'ing randomly with players, because I do love both. But it's a thankless job, every action you take puts a gigantic target on your forehead, and it takes a lot of fortitude to endure the OOC crap that comes with it. And that vitriol has just gotten worse over the years. Be nice to your DMs. Maybe they'll stick around and play longer.

Ironically, in response to player RP, there *HAVE* been permanent changes made to kingdoms and there have been specifically orc attacks designed and role-played, multiple times, within the past 2 months. Mostly I've been crapped on for it, been accused of playing favorites, accused of leaving people out, accused of doing it wrong in a dozen different ways.

Maybe this is why this doesn't happen more often.

It is very sad that the evil one is telling the truth. I've seen lots of imms getting crapped on for trying to do little things. I love the little things. I remember more little interactions with imms than I do GRPs. Only three global RPs even stand out in my memory. I remember hundreds of smaller interactions with imms.

This is a serious question, for any thread like this, but why is the playerbase and staff interested in retaining you?

Ardith, is that question pointed at everybody or certain people?

It's a question posed to the central question behind this thread.

I can get behind that.

I personally don't know that I bring much to SK. I have ran most in game factions. I have been a lightweight in PK for 10+ years, yet I have been involved in many battles. I have been throughout the entire game, yet have no real understanding of high level things. I've been real idealistic with tons of efforts to play out different situations, but lack the skills that demand respect in SK(PK). In SK like real life, I tend to lack friendships, because I have an unusual personality type which is hard to connect with for many people. IC most of my characters are known after I develop them. OOC I know handfuls of the player base, but doubt that even now as I type most of them will know my 10+ year old forum_id. I have very few friends in the community anymore, yet return over and over hoping that I will run back into them. I've done some small things to help the mud with player events. I often take a backseat to the strong personalities IC and on the forums. I would like to take a bigger role with relation to RP, but a lack of muscle keeps me down(pk ability or pk enabled buddies).

I still know you.