Does this mean Pico is officially dead? I wonder what manner of dastardly deed you had to perform in order to become an Implementor.

Is it a coincidence nobody has seen Pico in over a year? I think not...

Nope. The Pico is well and good, and has already given me The Pico's congratulatory handshake and/or head ruffling.

While I am uncertain as to why The Pico is always referred to with a definite article and appropriate capitalization, I suspect it is due to The Pico being much like The Wolf, of Pulp Fiction fame.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com

During Craynaths short and turmulent life he had an encounter with a certain "Terminator", often encountered in Balator.

He was wrecking havock on tribs and outlanders fighting in Galadon. My guess is The Pico, but it might have been the devious little guy under the name of Lyristeon.

Hmmm, can't resist asking a few questions now that you have your own forum.

1) If you could change one thing about the game what would it be?

2) Do you feel Cabals should play a large or smaller role in the game then they do now?

3) Have we seen the last of the major class revamps for now?


Random Trivia: The only character I had ever had booted from a cabal was my Master Falkaine by you as a mortal, for being too bloodthirsty. You then destroyed Master because they were too passive, go figure.

That which does not kill us,
makes us stronger.

1) If you could change one thing about the game what would it be?

I'd like to see the kind of class balance we have at hero apply at all ranks. Presently, most PK battles in the lower ranks (among players of equal skill) are decided more by class than by more interesting factors. I have some ideas in this direction, but it's obviously a large issue, and one I'd prefer to approach by incremental changes, not drastic measures.

This has a number of effects, but one of the most pressing ones is that novice players feel like they have to play one of a few classes to have a chance to survive. This takes a lot of diversity out of the play experience until you have enough under your belt to either outplay the average player, or quickly rank past the range where you are at your weakest. Playing an assassin is cool. Playing a warrior is cool. Playing ten warriors/assassins in a row because it's the only class you don't get pasted with is not cool.

It's sort of a running joke that the guy asking the most questions on the newbie channel will always be d-elf necro. D-elf necro is about the most fragile opening choice you can make, but it's stylistically appealing to a lot of new players. Can experienced players make it work? Sure. Will a newbie get pummeled into gelatinous paste with such a finesse combo? Yup. The effect of this is that some of these guys have a cool character concept in their heads, but they decide that our game is too damn hard (we're tough, but stacking the deck against yourself with d-elf necro makes it much harder) and get tired of dying. It'd be cool if d-elf necro had a prayer in the hands of an average or new-ish player.

Also, more experienced players in the slower-developing classes tend to power-rank, which dilutes the quality of play in those lower ranks. If you could fight effectively as, say, a teen-ranked transmuter, you might stick around those ranks and add to the PK/RP/etc. picture. This would be cool even if you were playing a warrior-type, as your interesting fights wouldn't always be against the same few classes.

2) Do you feel Cabals should play a large or smaller role in the game then they do now?

I'd like to see them play a smaller role, but I also recognize that as the bias of an experienced roleplayer. My initial hangup is that they often constrain you into a role archetype, instead of letting you design a character in a more free-form way. However, I also recognize that those kinds of archetypes are great tools for newer players- they provide a handhold that helps them get into the RPing side of the game without just chucking them into the deep end and saying "Swim!"

One of my major RP gripes is the trend towards over-unique characters. I've stated this before, but I'd love to see fewer demonically-possessed-schizophrenic-three-armed-werewolf-svirfnebli characters, and more well-played fierce barbarians, crafty wizards, etc. Even the most experienced players are pretty hit-or-miss with bizarre roles, but there are a huge number of characters who are clearly designed to be the "first" something, without considering that some things never happen for a reason. Cabals provide an incentive towards playing these kinds of "classic" characters (they fit in easier), and I think that's beneficial as a whole.

3) Have we seen the last of the major class revamps for now?

Certainly not.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com

>One of my major RP gripes is the trend towards over-unique
>characters. I've stated this before, but I'd love to see
>fewer
>demonically-possessed-schizophrenic-three-armed-werewolf-svirfnebli
>characters, and more well-played fierce barbarians, crafty
>wizards, etc. Even the most experienced players are pretty
>hit-or-miss with bizarre roles, but there are a huge
>number of characters who are clearly designed to be the
>"first" something, without considering that some things never
>happen for a reason. Cabals provide an incentive towards
>playing these kinds of "classic" characters (they fit in
>easier), and I think that's beneficial as a whole.

I have heard multiple IMMs say they would rather see your average dwarf be a dwarf and not a migitized and extra hearty human. I fully agree that it is fun to pull off a stellar character that is nothing fully unique. Here lies the problem as I see it and where I differ from Valg; that "classic" characters are welcomed in Cabals. Also might be able to grant some possible insight for you IMMs as to why there are not more typical characters in the CF today.

1) A reason I view people flocking to cabals is not only the easy to fit in stereotypical roleplay but for a feeling of security that people have your back, as well as a myriad of other reasons.

2) To enter many of these cabals the members want to see something special, not just your run of the mill character, such as the sly skulking wizard, the frenzied barbarian, the sad/angry drunk (I dont think the bards of CF should be represtative of the fact that 99.999% of drunks are NOT giddy drunks) and so on... Also I think this stems from most veteran players having seen just about every classical character idea, and they wish to see something new and/or refreshing.

Instead, it seems to me these cabal members are looking for those wacko-jacko, psycho-crazy, demon-possesed off the wall characters.

We have all been through grade school(or so I assume) so we all know... 1 + 2 = 3

3) I have actually been turned down fairly recently for an interview(what I like to in the futucall player imposed B.S. that I might be able to addrssre) for being a slightly above the run of the mill felar trying to enter the Village. It was not until I went back and changed my role and history drastically (to this mind numbingling wacho character) that I would even get the attention of one of the Veterans or other Villagers*. This has happened for me for more than 2 current as well as other defunct cabals that I thought I could be revolutionary by being what the Cabal represented.


Wish to be Cabaled + Wierd Roleplaying requirements to be in a cabal =
Cabals killing the "Classical" Character


Conclusion: I personally feel it is a crock of #### for me to get the sense of security of numbers** or other cabal benefits I have to jump through numerous hoops and stand on one leg balancing two poodles on my nose while hola-hooping like some trained bear in a circus, to get cabal members' attention.

At this time I do not have a proposed solution the problem of stereotypical characters being shunned in CF today, but I did want to put my thoughts out there.

Just my 3 a.m. rambling.




*I have yet to have a village character and I am now concluding that my mindset is not what it needs to be right now to do a Villager justice.

**Yes I am admitting a weakness here that at times I do not feel secure about my PK abilities with out a person or two to back me up. Hence a major reason my recent attempts at the village has flopped.

It might come down to the difference between a fleshed-out archetype vs. a cartoon copycat. I don't know your characters, or the interviewers, but I'll speculate a little.

Basically, even a very "typical" cabal applicant should have some things that stand out in some way. The applicant is an adventurer of some talent, trying to join an organization with very lofty goals, like the elimination of magic in mortal hands. Now, their story might be plausible and straightforward, but it should still have the bumps and wiggles that make it 'real'.

As an analogy, when you interview people for a RL job, everyone's resume or interview seems to have at least one thing that is rather unexpected. It's a techie job and they taught English in a foreign country for a couple years. It's an artsy designer job and they were an accountant for a couple years. They're from a tiny country from halfway around the world. Etc. But it's not like you're meeting people and they're saying "I used to be the King of France! Twice!"

If a leader asks you about yourself, and you just say "Nothing special, really. Just want to fight some magi.", they don't have a lot to go on. Even if they are looking to induct people, you have to give them some reasons so that they know you've put some thought into it, and won't embarrass them later.

If you do have a solid story, and it is deemed to be not "superunique" enough, I'd say that's the cabal leader's fault. Sometimes the person leading the cabal is a first-timer, and hasn't calibrated yet. Other times, they're feeling pressure from their patron imms to cut back on inductions, and it's a "It's not you, it's me." situation.

A quick note or email to the cabal immortal might be useful if you're really sure their calibration is off. I wouldn't expect action based only on that, but it would be a good tip to the staff member in question that maybe they need to keep a closer eye on the leader. We mostly like to be pretty hands off (myself especially) to give leaders room to operate, but there are a few situations that merit stepping in, and having truly unfair or arbitrary applicant standards doesn't help anyone- imm, leader, or applicant.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com

I have no problems with leaders turning me down, I fully understand and have been in that boat with Lloradonis in Warlock.

Interviews not from a Leader are a totally different matter, especially when you need something abusrd like three plus. Two, I am fine with that, but 3 is a bit much when the people in the cabal don't give 2 cents about you unless you have some super outstanding point or know them OOC. Having to talk to those people who would rather be exploring/pking/mudsexing is annoying, and makes your character seem extra annoying, when trying to get ahold of those people.

But once again I am now going to go on and say "Screw you guys, I'm going uncabaled."