A Few questions about the server. Few comments too!

Just a few questions that have crossed my mind looking through this board that I'd like to have cleared up. I don't know if any of these have already been answered but here they are.

1. Where, chronologically in the DL timeline is the server starting off?



2. Will there be any tie-ins the the past DL Chronicles characters or events?



3. Will there be restrictions on magical and divine characters at the start? (Besides RP restrictions such as the Laws of Magic and Faith in a Deity).



4. Will group play be rewarded? Will area's be balanced for groups to encourage traveling with friends? Will there be Long, Tough dungeons for seasoned players with appropriate rewards at the end?



5. Will there be any banned/restricted feats/spells/class combinations? And if so, what?



6. Are weapons going to be balanced against each other? The last module was very sword heavy, Long swords and bastard swords mostly.







And some comments/suggestions from myself.

1. To stop the server from becoming a Magic-centric battleground, besides the test, a character should have to apply to take any magic casting class at all, this also includes divine casters. Magic, both divine and arcane, is a incredible force in krynn, and its practitioners are uncommon and feared/respected. While I don't want to turn the casting classes in to a popularity game or favoritism kind of deal, it is in my opinion that the option should only be extended to proven RP'ers or those who are willing to work with the DM's and the playerbase to make the server a funner place. Newer players who don't want to make another character just to prove they can make the character they actually want to play? Thats fine, Use that passion and write up a interesting story for the forums about your character to be approved. Use the time until the character is eligible to take the test/be tested by a diety as a probationary period to show you know what your doing.

Still not approved? Roll up a mundane character and find a willing teacher in magic/faith, start from scratch and prove with your RP that your character should be rebuilt to reflect the lessons/RP. Most of all, have fun with it all, we're all here to play.


2. Its my position that players should not be able to reach the highest levels of guild leadership, at least for the first few months of the server. DM's who's goals for the advancement of the story and actively involving characters, will find it difficult to order a leader around on quests, often resorting to actions having to come straight from the gods since the players at that point have no one above them. Magi should be able to strive to conclave status, knights to positions under the grandmaster, and DA players should end up high ranking generals/dragon riders but not in charge of their own armies.

In time, trusted, RP proven characters should be allowed to ascend up to the highest of ranks, but only once it's certain they can carry the load. A faction lead by a leader who doesn't enrich the RP of all of those under him is limiting the potential of the server.


3. Schedule schedule schedule! While spontaneous events and RP should be the lifeblood of the server, it shouldn't be wrong to schedule a event on the forum with other players. Not a dm? No problem, set up your own RP with players. How bout DM's? Find out who's interested, and pull them together for a good old fashioned D&D quest with a party overcoming challenges together. No one can be online all the time or checking in for people often enough to know when theres fun to be had, so minimal planning in advance can advert alot of headaches.


4. Do away with DM tokens, having a currency to show your RP? That just kills RP when a DM isn't around. Give players rewards when they've earned it, for the character they've earned it with. Doing your best work when DM's aren't around? Take screenies, make RP threads, retell the tales for everyone, show your character is effecting the server! But don't beg, don't whine cause someone else got something you didn't, just keep on going, your day will come.


Feel free to debate this point, or any of my other points in this thread, I look forward to the feedback!

I like the idea of magic using classes being DM approved I would add to that that renegade mages even after DM approval for being a mage should have to be DM approved.To often in DL servers rengades have it far far to easy with virtually no consequences apart from the odd PVP v's Tower.In all the source books and novels high lvl renegades are as rare as hens teeth and in servers the tend to distract quite a bit from the Rp of being a Tower mage with all the politics etc that should be going on between the Orders.

As for Dm's running guilds that is fine for a start until a player base is built and players get the oppertunity to settle into the various guilds but i think that ultimately Guild leadership should be in players hands albeit working closely with Dm's to enhance the guild and the stories.To me that was a problem with the old server the dm's ran everything and there was no real feelng that a player could advance to the dizzy heights of leadership and make the decisions about where and how the guild advanced.

Well thought out points tho Drake some nice ideas

ah well enough typing best go download all these new haks *sighs*

my tuppence worth
martin

1. The Timeline for the mod will start during the War of the Lance.

2. Not in any significant way. Chars can be re created ( un-assisted ) from DLCO but anything there i think should remain in DLCO.. DLCR is a brand new chapter.

3. Only in regard to the timeline. example. during this time there were no magical dwarves around

4. yes , yes and yes.. Group interaction will be encouraged and rewarded when the group RPs in the way it should. Traveling to some areas will not be possible for solo chars and some dungeons will require multiple char types to proceed

5. DLCR will be low - med level magic mod, so that might be considered as restrictive. Numbers of high level magic users maybe limited. Class combinations will be enforced along the lines of realism and circumstances. If in doubt, ask in game.

6. As far as i am aware, the items / weapons etc have been created and all types are included so there will be no specific type that offers basic advantages. Certain Customised weapons may become reality later on.

Hope this helps.
As to the suggestions.. some good points.. i think your suggestions on the magic issues and the RP tokens are spot on

..

i also agree with most everything you have said Drake.

rp tokens are not going to be in this mod, that was a device of the later days of DLCO and we have all agreed that they have no place here. RP rewards will be given on a rp basis, and of course there is always travel bonus's as before and encounters will be very balanced and easy to find in this mod.

dm's will not take high positions in guilds, but we will also be very patient and allow players to get to higher ranks and guild positions through rp only, last time we did keep those roles filled and alot of those leaders were no good and that could have been helped if we were a bit more patient, this time we will be. what we are doing this time is to assign guilds to specific Dm's and they will handle any of those guild issues but will not run it as a player or a dm/god, just guide it and support it from the background allowing for players to develop their guilds themselves.

the magic issues are large and were a struggle last time around, that won't be so this time, I am personally going to guide the tower and pay very close attention to it. what you said about taking classes for all casting, that is very interesting and i think some of the best rp for a mage is learning/teaching magic and magic experimentation. also, tower areas will be stunning this time, waywreth will really look and work like the tower, magi pc's will love it.

another point about the items this time around is that they are all directly derived from the rulebooks on krynn from 3rd edition source books, thanks to dm evenstar who worked tirelssly to get our basemod made perfectly, it includes pretty much all krynn items that are ever mentioned in the books throughout. very cool stuff. and other items will be much more normal, last time we had alot too many items in shops and overpowerment was a problem but this time it is lower and slower on all counts, items included.


since we are starting before the war again we will have to restrict the cleric class again as before but that will only last so long before we are into the war and clerics have returned for all gods. as to restrictions on magic, there have not been many discussions yet about spellhooks or such, we will get that dialogue going in the tower section soon.


everything about magic in this mod has been scaled down so that only those truly dedicated to the art will make it to high levels, this is the same for all classes, it will be rare to get a character to 40 and certainly that won't be easy, but the world has been balanced to this meaning that a lvl 6 character is actually pretty powerful and encounters will scale to this as well, thanks to DM An-Marcach and DM Evenstar.

thanks for bringing this stuff up drake,

kyre wrote:

I like the idea of magic using classes being DM approved I would add to that that renegade mages even after DM approval for being a mage should have to be DM approved.To often in DL servers rengades have it far far to easy with virtually no consequences apart from the odd PVP v's Tower.In all the source books and novels high lvl renegades are as rare as hens teeth and in servers the tend to distract quite a bit from the Rp of being a Tower mage with all the politics etc that should be going on between the Orders.

As for Dm's running guilds that is fine for a start until a player base is built and players get the oppertunity to settle into the various guilds but i think that ultimately Guild leadership should be in players hands albeit working closely with Dm's to enhance the guild and the stories.To me that was a problem with the old server the dm's ran everything and there was no real feelng that a player could advance to the dizzy heights of leadership and make the decisions about where and how the guild advanced.

Well thought out points tho Drake some nice ideas

ah well enough typing best go download all these new haks *sighs*

my tuppence worth
martin

Yeah I remember that with you being the "fake" leader of the blue army, unable to do anything with your troops, Im not saying that Players that reach leadership positions should be DM pawns or anything, Im all for letting people run with their faction once they have reached a commanding position, I just find that people tend to advance through factions way too quickly, and instead of having players at the start of the server race for leadership, it should be a gradual climb from the bottom, replacing NPC dm controlled stand in's in a meaningful way.

On a side note, good to see ya back buddy!

Yip totally agree nice and slow with plenty of rp a chance to build your char story and relationships with peers,superiors and even enemies.Every promotion should be earned and there for even if it is just from corporal to sergeant should be really appreciated

Oh and P.S
Good to see you to man

you two guys are talking our language.

couldn't agree more.

and your right about one big thing, rapid promotion does not lead to great rp, in fact i think it kills it a bit. in the past i was one to want to give up positions and rank quite easily, thinking that we needed to fill up the ranks, but that was not the right way and this time around we will be much more careful.

samm

Yesyesyes! This is the reason for the inclusion in the mod for NPC (DM) Leadership/guidance (Sir Gunthar, the companions, The dragon Highlords), on all sides. Gradual character arc is the key to a rich character.

This way, a high ranking NPC can give a guild leader/rep/member/potentiate their directions and quest without needing a DM that says, "You can do this; but not that, and only when I say so" I always thought that was just bad RP. It's not DMs leading the player by the nose or thumping them into a course of action by having a god come down and demand it

As a long-time PnP DM. I always favored the approach of allowing any player to chose any course of action that they liked. Really. I never say, "You can't do it, because..." I always just play out the consequences of their actions, which may, very well, be death (ah, well - it's only a game - roll up another).