I saw you from many perspectives, all of them enemies. I didn't like you. I didn't like seeing you on "who pk". I didn't like being unable to finish you off. I didn't like a lot of things.

Well done. None of my characters should have liked you.

I truly believe that most all of those who have posted some vitriol toward you follow this pattern: If whatever they are playing now (be it shapeshifter, paladin, whatever) was given a quest skill that allowed them to make all devices that allow magical transport on an enemy suddenly disappear, they would use it all the time.

Twist waves a hand at you and all of your potions evaporate! Even those within your containers!

Yeah I'd use that 100 times out of 100 in pk if I could, I'm thinking.

And yeah, maybe you didn't have to sacrifice the containers, you could've done get all.potion girdle, drop all.potion, and so forth...but that's not your problem, now, is it?

And as for losing all those valuable items...this is a roleplaying game. Flaaayin the character wouldn't give a crap about that. Ragers carry a bag full of spare loincloths, meat, and beer, dammit!

So yeah as much as I didn't like seeing you online...I also didn't like seeing Ahtieli online as an enemy of hers. Or Ravon. Most any potent character that is an enemy, I'd rather not see log on. Give me those nice soft level 42 elf paladins as Hunsobo, please.

So in all I wouldn't worry too much about the vitriol for all that.


All of the above said, I do have a bit of (hopefully) constructive criticism/commentary.

I've been thinking for a while now, as I watched you approach age death..."I really wish I felt like this guy was pillar-worthy, but I just don't. Maybe if he weren't ever Drillmaster, I would. If he was just a well-known and feared rager that wasn't ever in a leadership position? Maybe just an Elder or something? Yeah, I could see him on the Pillar for that."

You talk about how many guys you booted in your post and I'm not sure if you're just remembering wrong or what, but your numbers are grossly inflated. Grepping the logs I see you uninducted precisely three: Karkarrak (we'll talk about that later), Phoalex (who got back in) and Marg.

You wrote a few notes to Immortal (and likely some directly to Thror) about removing some guys too, but those were always about how those guys weren't "committed to the war" (i.e. these bastids are probably playing their alts. Screw'm). While I definitely applaud that, it isn't exactly "putting the hammer down on cowardly behavior in the Village."

And that's really the bottom line, isn't it? Flaaayin was a great rager. Courageous? Maybe, sometimes. But you don't age die a character without him looking like a coward quite frequently. Don't get me wrong. Cowardly play as a thief is smart play. I did it with Faolai. But it doesn't shine on you as pillar material, IMO. I know you took on some groups, and took down some big names. I know you entered some combat situations where a true coward would have just walked away. But so do a lot of ragers. You certainly didn't stand out among other ragers when it comes to Courage.

Back to Karkarrak for a minute. He was of course quite upset at being uninducted, and I didn't like having to force your hand, but a lot of us upstairs had gotten really tired of the blatant ganging coming from the Village over the course of about a week, week and a half. It so happened to be going down during a time when Thror was on vacation. So when we talk about how many you uninducted, yeah you pulled the trigger on him, but sorta only because I busted on you as "the spirit of a former drillmaster" for the overall crappiness of the Village and he was the next one to screw up.

It is hard being a Drillmaster (and/or Commander) because you have so many morons who just want you to boot people left and right. But that's part of the deal. As a hiding class, and one who many saw as a "griefer", you probably didn't get even a third of the complaining that a lot of DMs do. And, hell, maybe that made it harder in the long run for you to know the #### your men were doing. When a complaint like that comes from a foe that you kinda have a lot of respect for, for instance, you can at least kinda be like "Ok I definitely need to keep an eye on that rager." Then you can bust on him right away when/if he DOES screw up right in front of you. As a hiding class, it should have been a lot easier for you to witness a lack of pride and courage in your men.


Wow, I've rambled long enough. The TL/DR version? Great rager, IMO, but sub-par Drillmaster. Good luck with your next.