First of all, I'm all for making village inductions harder than other cabal inductions because of the potency of their powers. However, should they be such rehashing of garbled crap? I can't say I'm a regular player anymore, but I do log on from time to time to have some fun.

We've got some ideas for 'helping' the Village application process out. Mostly that means putting additional information in the hands of the players who are in leadership positions, so you don't have to rely so much on history lessons to weed out applicants.

Recently I tried to play a villager, but after two interviews I couldn't help but delete in amazement and frustration.

I've posted on this before, so I won't go into a lot of detail here. You'll experience both long and short interviews trying to get into any Cabal, and interviewers will ask you all sorts of questions. It's hit or miss.

I logged on tonight (in the wee late hours) and I saw a dismal 9 people logged on (I imagine that there were a few more hidden and invis) and it just made me sad.

Yeah, that's the low point of the day, though usually there's at least twenty on.

'Has the game became run by elitists and become inacessible for the casual player, fun-seeker?'.

I don't think so. There's a steep learning curve, but that's always been the case. If anything, I'd say the game is more newbie friendly now than ever.

As for the casual player, there have been times when my mortals are casual players, logging about three to eight hours a week. I usually don't join a Cabal for those characters, and find that I still get a great deal of satisfaction with logging on for an hour here and there and interacting with others. Your mileage may vary.

In my opinion, CF's main attraction has always been the diverse playerbase who for the most part were all out there to have fun and let themselves be consumed by the vast world and intricate roleplay. Have we lost sight of this?

Maybe some folks have; maybe this post will kick them in the butt and get them to remember, "Hey. It's a game. You're here to have fun, just like everyone else."

I think it's a great exercise to put yourself in the shoes of a newbie and think 'what would make the game funner for him right at this moment'. I think we'll all have more fun if the people we're playing with are enjoying themselves as well.

Amen.

Kastellyn the Devourer of Magic, Lord of Legends