Player Friendly

[Selveem]

I realize there was a Newbie Friendly 2 thread, but that wasn't exactly the tone I was looking for.

What I would like to discuss are just little things that we can do as players (and even for the Immortals) to make new players and even older players feel comfortable and enjoy their time here a bit more.

There are little things that we already do, such as interacting with other characters and helping out whenever we suspect assistance/intervention is required, but I was thinking more along the lines of little things that make this game great.

To mind, I have already brought up the addition of more faith quests. I think I will write up a scheme for a Tempus faith quest to help new players (or even just new characters) get a feel for what Tempus faith is about.

There is also the delivery quest that has been instrumental in helping new players (and even I!) learn more about Waterdeep.

I was just curious as to if more people would share some of the greatest events they've had here and what made the events so special. I would also like to hear ideas on how to improve what we already have.

Thoughts?

[Selveem]

For me (as much as this will make my Immies a get a little smug grin), mine are the events for things like the Fighters Guild championships. I think the thing that makes them so great is the very high volume of participation. Also, you always get to see oldies who have been away a long time come out of the woodwork. You get to meet people that you otherwise would not get to introduce yourself to.

Now, often, this presents a language barrier. Selveem met his first PC Drow at one of these events (though Selveem sucked at Darkspeak, so it was a bit hard to understand each other). It was awesome, though, because of all the tension. Even though I wasn't competing (maybe I was too nervous? I dunno) it was still great fun to watch!

Also, you could tell the high quality of participation of the Imms in redesigning the weapons and new equipment (and even some magical equipment you could buy one of!)... I think it was the combination of all the hype, all the possibilities for RP, and the chance that you'll get something (that you most likely don't even know is magical) from the event.

I know these events take a high amount of work from our staff, so I'm not suggesting it anytime soon. Just thought I'd share.

[Raona]

I know that for me a little ice-breaking and encouragement from other players to get involved was huge, so I go out of my way to try to do that for other players who I suspect are new. When someone in plain armour bounces into the square and (just as someone is confessing to some grave error, such that you could hear a pin drop) asks where they can get a bigger sword, I used to OOCly roll my eyes and hope they would go away. Now I try very hard to engage them - not just hand them a big sword I happen to have, but introduce myself, ask them a bit about their backstory (they usually haven't thought about that, but it encourages them to start!), and try to find a way to help them get what they want that encourages them to try their hand more at the "other" side of the game. In this case, she might observe that one needs to be rather skilled to make use of such a blade, and offers some lessons in the rudiments of great blades. Granted, this is very much in line with Raona's RP, so it's easy for me to do where it might not be for many other characters, but if you have a character that would ICly introduce themselves or offer to help at the drop of a hat...don't wait for someone to "level up" to do it! I think it has the greatest impact if you do it early.

I want to give another example of how this can be done - a very different kind of meet and greet. When Raona was a young buck she was fighting some orcs who were chopping down trees. Who should show up but the biggest Choppa of all, Grafghur - he was most displeased at seeing his folk being the cuttees rather than the cutters. ICly, Raona didn't enjoy the encounter at all. But OOCly Graf's player handled it perfectly...well, (s)he played the perfect orc. It was my introduction to orcish culture, and as a player at the time it felt a bit heavy-handed (Graf could paste Raona with one punch), but in retrospect it was RP'ed perfectly. Raona left with a gash, a new (more three-dimensional) vision of orcs, and a great respect for this new (to her) threat. It was a milepoint in her IC development. I could see the same thing being done with a newbie an evil runs into in the Keep - "You know, little one, this is a dangerous place to be wandering about all alone. Lots of hungry people here, ready to mistake you for dinner." As I recall, Yzelle did a superb job of raising exactly that sort of concern, though ever so subtly, when Raona met her somewhere relatively sinister. She conveyed just that right combination of cloying sweetness tinged with the feeling that made your hair stand on end...and made me, OOCly, want to come back for more.

[Jaenoic]

Just to expand on what Raona said, I believe a reason to help a newbie can always be found. Sure, it's easy for characters like Raona and Jaenoic who are all goody-goody and on the Waterdeep Watch, but not all characters are like this and in fact many are diametrically opposed to them. I have one character who is nothing like Jae; she is arrogant, spiteful, and believes people can be a means to an end. But I still try to help newbies when I play her, and justify it that by giving them help now, they'll owe her a favor later. =) It doesn't have to be anything spectacular like bring me Elminster's pipe, but it never hurts to be on someone's good side and have them owe you a favor. After all, who knows what that person might become? The next high priest of Tempus?

So my contribution to this is the concept that no matter what your alignment may be, there is always reason to help newbies. Even if it is only to try to convert them to your "one true way" later.

[Kirkus]

Just to back up Jaenoic a bit;

The few times I have come across a newbie in Waterdeep I have found that discovering a way to rp consistently with my evil self and still help out the new character is one of the most challenging things, yet more rewarding for the trouble. It takes a delicate hand at the keys to be evil and mean and still not scare off the newbie. I have succeeded at times and at others not so much, but it has been actually fun trying.