Pathfinder said
I would say that if you really wanted to go with the heavy hitter route, then I wouldn't be abrasive to it. However as it stands we have 2 tanks, 1(?) mage, 3 sneakies, 3 warriors, and a nymph. If you were going to move out of the big guy rought we could use a healer of sorts because all our mage knows how to do is shoot death bolts, or maybe an explorer that doesn't really fight as much but can move in all terrains and knows a lot about said terrains. Just a suggestion but mull it over.

Hmm..... alright, that sounds like a good idea. I'll change my character. I just went with the heavy hitter because it's the first thing I came up with, I can just as well go with something else.

Pathfinder said
I would say that if you really wanted to go with the heavy hitter route, then I wouldn't be abrasive to it. However as it stands we have 2 tanks, 1(?) mage, 3 sneakies, 3 warriors, and a nymph. If you were going to move out of the big guy rought we could use a healer of sorts because all our mage knows how to do is shoot death bolts, or maybe an explorer that doesn't really fight as much but can move in all terrains and knows a lot about said terrains. Just a suggestion but mull it over.

You say deathbolts like it's a bad thing

thewizardguy said
Hmm..... alright, that sounds like a good idea. I'll change my character. I just went with the heavy hitter because it's the first thing I came up with, I can just as well go with something else.

Of course you could make your golem a philosopher, or a pacifist. That would be entertaining, listening to a golem drone on about his musings on the nature of mortality.

Stefan0620 said
You say deathbolts like it's a bad thing

Last time I checked, deathbolts killed people.

Pathfinder said
Last time I checked, deathbolts killed people.

If you get wounded, I can just amputate the limbs

Wraithblade6 said
Oh. I wanted a recap. Did I post asking for one? Maybe I didn't. where are you all now?

I'll PM you and Wizard a brief summary, but that migraine inducing rabble from that double crossing metal orb goes most way there to explaining it.

Rockette said
I hate bolding text like that, it hurts my eyes. x n xBut I think I caught up well enough, if I missed anything, lemme know.

Yeah I know what you mean. I was horrible and left everything normal in my last post, partly because I hate the world, and partly because I wanted you all to read it. Having read some of the posts though, I'm not entirely sure that was wise. Some people didn't seem to think Mundhir was dying, despite him saying so. Hey ho, not important.

Naunix said
Hello there! I'm working on a CS right now, but I just wanted to check and see if a vampire hunter would fit in well with this RP?

I am mistrusting of vampires ever since Twilight, and the spawn of sexy teen vampire dramas that followed it. Whilst I have nothing against vampires themselves, as they are monsters, I have disagreements with the "beautiful" human looking creatures. I prefer the oldskool monster looking bastards that actually make you think "Holy shit that right there is evil, KILL IT, KILL IT WITH FIRE" rather than "Oh wow I want to put my willy in that".

Rockette said
I didn't realize we were still accepting?... Iunno.

The player count will become less of a problem soon, as you all start drifting off your separate ways on various quests/adventures.

Wizard and Wraith are with me, they're from Castle Rivergate, and the three of us turned a silly freeform RP into one of the best stories the world has ever seen since four weeks ago. It's okay, I wouldn't start drawing in the dregs of the guild at this point in the RP, they are both solid writers with creative knacks.

Naunix said
Venator Elyota

I'll give this a look in a minute, after I'm done answering all this OOC fan mail.

Naunix said
That signature just causes me to have flashbacks of all the deaths I've had via fiddle ult over the past 4 years of LoL-ing........stupid crows >_<

I have no idea what you guys are going on about, I am just going to come out and say it.

Steel fist said
Guys, I'm sorry! But not everyone have the entire day to sit in front of a computer! (for example I have in average 40-45 min. a day for RP).And we do have big amount of people playing in this one!I suggest that everybody except the GM will avoid posting too long posts, basically you're all very talented writers, but getting updated on the posts becomes very cumbersome.I suggest that no post except the GM's will be longer then 10 - 15 rows (shorter is better), a good writer should be able to describe everything within those limitations.About the GM, he has more to do in his posts, he is both controls a character, GMs the game and directs the flow of the game in order to avoid mishaps (like my 300 soldiers earlier), so his posts suppose to be longer then the others (but even with all that, Hamster manages to keep them relatively not too long).Really guys, we have to keep it readable and playable!

I understand your concerns, it is a problem for me too, but as GM I put my personal life on hold to ensure this RP happens, and that all of the hard work of the players gets an equal share of my attention. Besides, I actually really enjoy reading the different styles we have here, and the characters are developing really well. All I can say for now is: hang in there, and be thankful this RP hasn't died a death like 99% of them do on this guild within the first two days.

This will become less of a problem once we're done saying how awesome Mundhir is, and start accepting his quests like they're hotcakes at the sunday fare. You'll only really need to pay attention to the posts of the people that are with you, rather than everyone. If you can fight the good fight for a while longer, all will suddenly become much easier. I will get this phase of the RP rolling as soon as I can, but not so fast as to skip past what I consider an important part of the story.

Nephriel said
Holy crap, that was a lot to read... XD You guys are awesome... Be to a computer soon!@Shorus Not to pick a fight but I am pretty sure that only the actual GM, being Hamster and not you, can set a post length.... I am also pretty sure that he has yet to tell us our posts are too long and if he does that's cool, I am sure we would alter our posts accordingly. In the meantime everyone has their own writing style, someone posting more or less than someone else does not mean they aren't GREAT writers. Please be more careful how you phrase things and please... stop trying to gm when the gm is away. :/@Hamster Sorry about the fuss... Do we need to tone down our posts for any new comers if you are still taking them? I am pretty sure that the reason most posts are currently so long is that we are all catching up to the change in our prior positions and our new locations and health.

I want to refrain from setting post lengths, as I believe such things constrain creativity and generally piss people off. Sometimes you need to write a couple of paragraphs, and other times you need to put together a small essay, it's the nature of the freeform beast and I will nay don my sword and shield to combat it.

You are right, everyone needed to catch up and fill the time lapse, plus we're at an important development stage with regards to the story. For the moment, I'm not touching anything, everything has been working fine as it is.

Perhaps putting this in the "casual" section was the wrong decision, but it's what Primal had originally intended and I pretty much followed suit when I took the helm.

Guilty Spark said
Hey, when was the last time I told you to make your posts longer? Oh wait, I didn't. So why don't you refrain from trying to stifle the creativity of others.

Let's tone down the hating, but yah in a nutshell I agree.

Stefan0620 said
Thanks! :DFiddles too stronk

Still no idea what you guys are talking about.

The Roman07 said
I'll be on later tonight to post. Had one crazy couple days

I imagine you live in a tree.

The Roman07 said
Damn what's with all the hate guys? Geeze love and peace bitchez! @Shorus- I understand your concern for new players and others who don't have time but in all fairness this is an entertainment site meant for people who enjoy writing and want to further enhsnce their craft. Limiting ones post is like telling someone to play battlefield4 single player campaign but not the multiplayer. Sure it may be enough for some but others not so much. I get it was just a request, but I fear your request would get overruled due to people not enjoying the game nearly as much if they had such restrictions. Sorry ya big ox but that's just how the cookievwould crumble.. XD@Everyone else- LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!!! -er I mean Shorus :-P

Agreed.

However I will defend a player's right to question the RP's system to my last dying coffee.

The next time anyone offers their opinion, makes a suggestion or a request, I'll get inwardly sad if I walk into the OOC and everyone is bundling him/her with extreme prejudice.

We all have a degree of responsibility over the shape this RP takes, that's the strength of freeform, it decentralises the power and allows for a greater, more varied playing field. If we jump on people for voicing their concerns, opinions or requests, even if they come across as a bit heavy handed, then you stifle this gift, requiring the GM to stand in and start taking control to avoid bloodshed. We need to show kindness, restraint and understanding at all times, it's what Gandhi would have wanted.

camillethegnome said
Haha man, there's always so much drama here. Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been caught up with summer assignments and registering for school. I think I'm the baby of the group o.o. Anyway, I'll probably get a post up today. I thought this was supposed to be a relatively community run RP, so having everybody shout out their suggestions should be a good thing, whether or not people agree with them. No one is trying to be the GM, but people have opinions and whatnot. Personally, I like reading both long and short posts.

Jesus so many kindred spirits here, I love you all in the gayest way possible.

thewizardguy said
You think so? I must admit, I've been unable to read all the CS's in detail (so many!), so I wasn't sure about it. I could change into something less combat-oriented, if you guys think that would work better.

Told you he was a good guy. Will be with you as soon as I can Wizard.

thewizardguy said
Personally, I have massive abundances of free time on my hands, and I'm able to easily read pretty much any posts. So for me, limited time isn't much of an issue. However, I think that it might be that we who have lots of time could place a little 'post summary' in the ooc or something of the like, to help you guys keep up.I think creating a rules system like you're doing is a bit overboard, and I think people might ignore that just because they dislike someone trying to tell them what to do, as is a common reaction to such systems. I think it'd be best just to ask people to try and help out those with smaller quantities of free time at their disposal.

It is a bit overboard, but I appreciate the suggestion. Freeform democracy has spoken quite thoroughly here, and as far as I am concerned, there will be no post limits.

---

Okay, now I'm going to go and make another cup of tea, because I got home from work today, looked at the OOC, saw bloody murder, and promptly went to sleep.

I am now grouchy, hazey and I just had to spend half an hour reading a God damned OOC section.

When I come back from making my cup of tea, I do the following:

- Reiterate my support for Steel's/ANYONE's right to make their concerns heard, without fear of being run down by an enraged mob.

- Give my full answer to the post length issue.

- Write a "Story so Far" and put it on the original OOC.

- There will also be a "Quest" section, where the various objectives of the characters will be listed so that everyone knows what everyone else is off doing. This may come until after the IC develops a little more though, we shall see.

- Look at the recent character entries.

- Make another cup of tea.

- Make an appeal for a transatlantic co-GM, to cover the hours I'm not around and to stomp out this kind of OOC violence early. It'll also help to have someone around who can clear up a disagreement, or confusion, when I'm not about in order to allow the RP to progress.

- Read the IC.

- Go to bed at 3 am.

- Wake up late for work and get in trouble with my twat of a boss.

I suppose I reacted much too abrasively, I've only made one post and my character pretty much feels like an NPC anyways so I'll just quit while I'm ahead. Good luck guys.

Poor Hammy! Busy busy busy!

Guilty Spark said
I suppose I reacted much too abrasively, I've only made one post and my character pretty much feels like an NPC anyways so I'll just quit while I'm ahead. Good luck guys.

That's a very unhelpful statement to make. Very much akin to the beloved "KTHXBAI" slogan of yesteryear.

I am sorry that you feel that way, but I answer rashness with rashness, and I bid you good day. Nothing short of a shame, but if you feel that whatever has happened here has made this RP incompatible with you, then I guess that's your business.

Any hey, if this is because I referred to you as a treacherous metal orb, I was making a Halo reference.

Happy trails.

@Stephan Lol... not so much a bad thing unless they are aimed at you. Otherwise they're pretty helpful... XD

I am a Halo reference, I picked it up. And if I'm going to leave I might as well do it before I interact with anyone or effect the flow of the RP, I'll just leave my character as the plot device that got you out of the tunnel situation.

Okay, now let's clear this up.

If any of you have a problem with the way the RP is going, then I not just want you to speak up, I NEED you to speak up. You'd be surprised how many times you get a whole bunch of people sitting there, all harbouring the same reservation about something, but all being equally afraid to say something until it's too late.

It's equally important that the players take an understanding point of view to someone who has a concern that they feel needs addressing. What happened today escalated far too quickly, and there was no reason for it. It's created a falling out, and cost us a player. If this happens again, I will be less than reasonable in my handling of the situation. Respect people's opinions, even if they come across as agitated - firing back just creates an angry mess.

If you are in doubt of what to say to someone, when they do bring up something they want looking at, then don't say anything at all. Let me handle it. If you feel you want to add your two pounds, then do, but please don't make any attempt to fan the flames of RAR. Just say "Well, tbh I feel this blah blah blah blah blah, but we should wait until Hamster gets back and see what he says". That way no one gets hurt, and the RP develops as the good Lord intended.

I hope we are all clear here, and that I wont need to revisit this issue.

Guilty Spark said
I am a Halo reference, I picked it up. And if I'm going to leave I might as well do it before I interact with anyone or effect the flow of the RP, I'll just leave my character as the plot device that got you out of the tunnel situation.

You're not a plot device, although you did operate as one in your introduction. I feel you are being very hasty in all this, and now that I've had my second cup of tea, I ask you to reconsider.

I just don't quite understand where all this has come from, it's very sudden. Ultimately though, I respect your right to leave the RP as and when you want to, and wish you well with whatever you want to do.

The Lengths of posts

Steel Fist, I understand what has prompted you to speak up, because I share the same problem. I have to spend hours a night on this RP, often at my other half's expense, and usually it means me sitting here for most of my free time tending to it.

Whilst personally it's no problem for me, because I love reading the posts, and I love watching an RP of this scale grow, I can see why it's an issue for the average joe. I'm well aware that life is a hectic mofo, that waits for no man. If you feel this issue is going to become too problematic for you to handle, then I fully respect your right to leave the RP. I don't want you to though, as I quite like Shorus, but I do see where you are coming from.

The players seem wholesale opposed to a post restriction, and so I'd be an idiot to implement one. For now, posts may be as long as they need to be, and as short as they need to be.

However, as I have said, the RP is on a knife's edge regarding the story direction. If everything works the way I have planned, then we wont have 10 players walking around together, thus negating the need to read so many posts that may directly effect your character. If you can hang on until that point (after the meeting in the IC), then I think you'll be happy with the much reduced workload. More importantly, as you're the minotaur warrior with little love for stealth, you'll more than likely be serving in combat-heavy scenarios. I know you are fond of these, and I hope you stay around long enough to assist Mundhir in repulsing the impossible odds arrayed against him.

As someone who struggles to find time to read everything I tend to avoid reading the majority of OOC posts and focus on the IC, just thought I'd let you guys know that's why I'm kinda silent in this section. For that reason I suggest you PM me if you need something urgently.

For all to read, I think I pretty much got everything. Wanted to keep it as short as possible.

The Story So Far

A motely group of adventurers, thieves, assassins and the downright bizarre found themselves on the wrong side of Eblistan’s law. Imprisoned for a series of crimes, though not all of them justified, the group was waiting for their impending doom at the hand of an executioner’s axe.

In their midst was Mundhir Sadek, formally a prince of Eblistan, who had been taken to the dungeon after being presumed dead by his assassins, so that his body may rot in the dark depths of the world. As it turned out, he miraculously escaped death despite the potency of the Ice Venom used to kill him.

As Mundhir attempted to talk his way out of the dungeon cell, planning on using his good standing with the people of Eblistan to secure an immediate release, the group launched a bold escape attempt. Slaughtering guards in their droves, the group battled its way through the dungeon; at first Mundhir was revolted by the scale of the massacre, and after seeing one too many of his kinsmen slain by the convicts, he abandoned the group to its fate.

Shortly after doing so, he was set upon by a World Breaker – an elite warrior of the diminished Eblistan military. They answer only to those that possess the Royal Sadek bloodline, yet this one did not heed Mundhir’s command to stand down. The World Breaker then made clear his intent to slay the Prince. After a brief battle, this mighty warrior was slain by the group, and the Prince suddenly realised that his own family had tried to kill him. Though which one of his many brothers had given the order, and whether his father was compliant, is yet to be seen.

Not sure he could trust his own people, Mundhir then sided with the prisoners, and led them through a secret passageway. They emerged a mile away from Eblistan Citadel’s eastern wall, but found a whole regiment of City Watch waiting for them. A bloody battle ensued, as the prisoners made their last stand against impossible odds, and one by one, they start to succumb to their injuries and exhaustion.

Sitara, Mundhir’s sworn bodyguard, then appears on the scene with a company of the Prince’s soldiers. Before the attempt on his life, Mundhir had just led a successful campaign against the Elves of Nillanor, liberating the ruins of Baalor from their grasp. This campaign was not sanctioned by his father, who at the time was seeking a lasting peace with Nillanor; therefore the soldiers who served the Prince had pledged their allegiance to him, rather than the Caliph.

Sitara, after learning of the Prince’s whereabouts, leads the company of mamalukes against the City Watch, using their skill in horse archery to beat off the numerically superior force. The Prince is rescued, but before he has taken away, he demands the prisoners brought with him as payment for their service to getting him (partially) to safety.

We then fast forwards seven days, and find ourselves in the ruins of Baalor.

Mundhir has learned that the Ice Venom has done its damage, and although he has made a ‘false recovery’, his organs have been irreparably damaged and in weeks or months – he will die. To make matters worse, two of his brothers, including the Crown Prince Jazeer, are assembling Eblistan’s army for an assault on Baalor. Meanwhile, Prince Thrandel of Nillanor has regrouped his forces following Mundhir’s victory, and is likewise poised to attack the ruins.

Mundhir approaches the prisoners, gives them their freedom, but asks if they will stay and help him in the upcoming war, and to uncover the man/woman responsible for his murder.

SyrianHamster said
You're not a plot device, although you did operate as one in your introduction. I feel you are being very hasty in all this, and now that I've had my second cup of tea, I ask you to reconsider.

I just don't quite understand where all this has come from, it's very sudden. Ultimately though, I respect your right to leave the RP as and when you want to, and wish you well with whatever you want to do.

I seriously just don't see my character going far, or at least I don't want to go where I see them, which is why I haven't made a post since her intro. Perhaps I'll come up with another character.

Right, I have run out of time tonight. Sorry for the five million posts I've had to make, I wanted to dedicate one to each subject.

Wizard, Wraith, if you guys want to get your character sheets up I'll give them a looking over tomorrow.

Naunix, again, I'll look at yours tomorrow and give my verdict.

---

I need a co-GM, if there's anyone willing. I live in the UK, and work during the daytime hours, which means I can't be around for the prime-posting time for many players.

If I can have someone who will be happy to fulfil my role during the part of the day where I am unavailable, I'd be grateful.

Responsibilities:

- Accepting/Rejecting new entries.

- Resolving disagreements between players.

- Clearing up confusion.

- Generally keeping the RP moving, if an obstruction arises.

It's not as daunting as it sounds, and it would be really really really helpful if I didn't have to spend most of my allotted RP time dealing with OOC related topics. Generally speaking, I'm around from GMT 0 17:00 to 23:00, so you'd only really need to take care of the hours outside of that. For example, say GMT 0 00:00 to 06:00. I'll take care of the really important stuff, and if you're at a loss of what to do, again I'll handle it when I get home from work.

My main concern is cutting down my OOC workload so I can actually get posts out in the IC.

If no one is willing/able, then I'll dutifully struggle on as I have been doing.

Many thanks.

I can try... though considering my recent outburst I would understand a "hell no neph!" Though to be honest it was less that I was trying to attack anyone and more that I disagreed with the manner in which the request came across.

I... love you.