Corwin

[Ronan]

This is just to let you guys know.

Being a DM involves a lot of multitasking to keep up with all the players currently in the event.

I have no way of showing you how much effort it takes to spawn the correct number of NPCs, lead the players the correct direction, possess the NPCs, AND keep track of all the players just on your screen at once. Nor how much can go terribly wrong if you slack off for just a bit when the players are trying to say, find something or deal with an NPC.

My suggestion is that you try being on the phone sometime, actively being the healer in a tough dungeon full of enemies in which the characters don't have damage soak spells on, sorting your character's bags, holding a conversation with five PCs, making tea, and folding your laundry at the same time. Ensure that you are doing at least one shirt a minute. Include honey with the tea and washing the cup first. Don't let any character go beyond 'injured'.

It is generous of the Arkaz DMs to be so invitational and inclusive to their events, particularily because I think this is the only server where they seem to be expected to. Believe me, when I go to Ysgard, I don't get tell invites from DMs asking me if I want to join the PCs.

But mostly, in all of this, remember not to take DMs for granted and to understand how much they're trying to deal with at one time. It's not just because they do this for free for us, it's also because they have a lot more to deal with then any single player normally has to.

[ForsakenPlague]

This may be unlocked in the near, immediate future(possibly even within an hour or so), but for now, it's locked.

I will add something here as a Dm. Three, simplistic questions.

-You like experience cookies?
-You like loot?
-You like npcs that talk?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, and are not present at the Old Hamlet campfire at least once for the next week, I really don't know what to tell you.

I have run an event each day(sometimes twice a day) for the last week and a half out of the Old Hamlet. Everyone has been invited; nobody has been excluded. If you are standing at that fire pit when I sit down and start rolling, I guarantee you, you will become involved in something.

These events are not ending anytime soon. Come out to the Old Hamlet, get your spiffy boots on, and be prepared to have some fun.

[terryrayc]

I'll go ahead and unlock this. For the most part I'm happy with the debate going on. As long as it stays polite.

[corwink]

Polite = No personal attacks, no matter how veiled.

[Tremayne7]

Being a DM involves a lot of multitasking to keep up with all the players currently in the event.

I have no way of showing you how much effort it takes to spawn the correct number of NPCs, lead the players the correct direction, possess the NPCs, AND keep track of all the players just on your screen at once. Nor how much can go terribly wrong if you slack off for just a bit when the players are trying to say, find something or deal with an NPC.

It is generous of the Arkaz DMs to be so invitational and inclusive to their events, particularily because I think this is the only server where they seem to be expected to. Believe me, when I go to Ysgard, I don't get tell invites from DMs asking me if I want to join the PCs.

But mostly, in all of this, remember not to take DMs for granted and to understand how much they're trying to deal with at one time. It's not just because they do this for free for us, it's also because they have a lot more to deal with then any single player normally has to.

I am not a DM nor a member of the team, but I would like to second what Ronan says. I have watched Greg-pooh/Pelagia DM. Sometimes it's really hard not to especially when you're in the event he's running and he's sitting beside you. But I would like to say that Arkaz is blessed with many caring, kind, compassionate, creative, imaginative and wonderful DM's. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your wonderful storytelling.

But I would like to point out again what I said before and Samhaim and others have said as well. If you were speaking for someone else Redda, please have them PM the team with any problems, suggestions, complaints, or complements. I get asked questions as a player too and any time I can't comfortably answer something, I suggest a quick PM to the Team or DM in question. There isn't a team member here I don't feel comfortable with bringing issues up. And I don't want anyone to think I bug my dearest husband all the time. I do ask him if I should PM the Team or someone in particular if I have a question he doesn't feel comfortable answering either.

And each DM has a different style and way they wish to work things. I know Grayking/Varm started a thread to address how he likes to run and ForsakenPlague as well.

I am glad we all work together and this thread did not get out of hand. And again, thank you to all our DM's for your time, your effort and your stories.

GAME ON ARKAZ!!!

[luminance]

Okay.

I am talking about open events, and I mean that the DM running the event has not invited me, either ICly or OOCly, for no reason I could see or think of.

This baffles me completely. Nobody invites you, because the event is open. If there is something on the board that says "Open event at 2PM, meet at the fire," then YOU JUST GOT INVITED!!!

If you are talking about the very last portion of the Arvia event, where a whole bunch of PCs got dressed up and went off somewhere, this was something we could not ICly invite you to without a whole bunch of NPCs flipping out and destroying everything we'd worked for. It was basically the epilogue of an event you had not been part of, adding more characters would not have made any IC sense at all and again, would have gotten us in a lot of trouble.

If that's NOT what you're talking about, then I don't know what to tell you. Open events mean that everyone is invited, that's what open means. Just show up.

although these accusations are directed at me, NONE of them apply to me at all. I don't even know where some of them are coming from.

Actually, no. I had originally written that section to generalized "you" and "they" parties, but that sounded too direct, so I changed it. In this case, Bob is actually modelled over the people who, again, destroyed that last forum game I was in. They did all this and more and it was terrible. This is also directed partially towards the ~mystery person~ who enlisted poor Redda to post for them (who may be you but I have no idea for sure) in hopes that attempting to look through the eyes of of the people they are accusing might help the situation.

Ronan's post about how hard it is to DM is also very important and well written. Please remember this as well.

Finally, it sounds to me like you, Rudiki, have a problem with ONE DM in particular, and probably one situation in particular, and you need to go to them personally about it rather than posting big broad statements, because a lot of this reads as really passive aggressive. Again, singling someone one with a post like this isn't going to do a thing but make people upset and defensive. You need to get over any "shyness" and talk to the person who has you upset, or talk to Terry/Soulkey, or something. Solve your problem!

[Tremayne7]

I've known Rudiki for nearly three years now. (Has it really been that long? ) And he is never shy about confronting a problem he sees within the game. We all have seen instances of the kind of behaviors everyone here has talked about.

And Lumi, I know where you are coming from as well. We've talked about the situation OOC and I know it hurts. I can understand reading about this opens wounds not healed yet for you.

And some.... ok a lot of us from the Hala server as well. We all read the post their Team put up last year and honestly, I can say Arkaz DOES NOT have the problems Hala does. Please know Rudiki we consider you family here too as you have spent a great deal of time here enriching our history and world.

I think we've beat the dead horse again (forgive me Gildan!).

[Rudiki]

This is my second attempt at this post, because I lost the first one while sending it, and I don't have time to spend another hour replying, so forgive the inelegance of this:

We all know DMs work very hard. I will never DM for an NWN game because I don't have the skills, and I'm amazed by and impressed with the people who do. I cut DMs a lot of slack, and I think most other players do, too, because the job is so hard. But the fact that the job is hard should not be an excuse for not doing the very best job you can.

"It is generous of the Arkaz DMs to be so invitational and inclusive to their events..."

In my opinion this should be standard operating procedure, and should never be seen as a special favor.

"...particularily because I think this is the only server where they seem to be expected to."

I expect them to on every server I play on, and the servers that do this well are the servers I prefer, all other things being equal.

"Believe me, when I go to Ysgard, I don't get tell invites from DMs asking me if I want to join the PCs."

I've noticed a slight trend to turn this in to a "Ysgard versus Arkaz" discussion, and I don't want to see that happen. I think that whether or not the Ysgard DMs are good should have no bearing on whether the Arkaz DMs should strive to be the best they can be.

Thanks.

[Ronan]

I've noticed a slight trend to turn this in to a "Ysgard versus Arkaz" discussion, and I don't want to see that happen. I think that whether or not the Ysgard DMs are good should have no bearing on whether the Arkaz DMs should strive to be the best they can be.

To make it clear, it's not my intention to make this a competition. The Ysgard DMs are good. Even with my native characters there, I don't get invitations as a regular thing. This has never offended me because on every server until now, I have never seen complaints that DMs should invite everyone.

Should we try to make this a both server thing?

[ambrosia]

Redda: Glad to hear you're doing well. We've been thinking of you and Manny a lot while he is gone.

Rudiki: I think you and everyone here are saying the same things, so I think you're fine with what you have said thus far. If you have a specific something that still needs to be worked out, please PM me. I'll help take care of it or help clarify what happened.

Everybody else: Thanks for the great feedback of support. I'm glad to see you all care as much about the world as we do. I believe everybody who has posted in this thread wants to have fun here and with each other, and that, at the end of the day, makes volunteering my personal time worth it. 8)

All: One more note I thought of to toss out there: If you are in an Inn Room or Player House, you can pretty much bet you will not receive a tell from me or an invite or be disturbed in any way. If you want to be included by me, be..um... not in a PRIVATE location.