Post:DR on Life Support? - 12/17/2013 - 22:40

Re: DR on Life Support? · on 12/17/2013 10:40 PM CST	8682
Don't read into my comment about board rage too deeply. It was more of a high-level assessment of event-responses I've had in the past, on a completely different server at that. I was trying to inject some levity in an otherwise serious discussion. As a player, I often went on the boards and voiced my anger - repeatedly - when events didn't go the way I wanted. It was so frustrating to have the plot change out from underneath you, or for you to miss one encounter that changed the course of actions to come. But for every time when things got jumbled, I found a handful more that went really well and kept me coming back. So where do we go from here? Would it be possible to identify some key areas that need addressing so we can move forward with future events and try to remedy past mistakes? Top of the list seems to be repercussions. Maybe a way for GMs to formally indicate to players that their actions are leading down a path that may not be intended. For example - Player is a part of a big organization and holds a key position in office. GMs: They've noticed this player hanging around with Necromancers. If it becomes public knowledge, they feel it appropriate for the player to lose his or her position and get banished from the province. Player: The player didn't know they were necromancers. If they get banished, they'll quit and/or be devastated. So the GMs would have a method for communicating this to the player before it got out of hand. The problem could be exacerbated however if... Player: The player's good friend is a necromancer. But he doesn't want to stop playing with him, and rationalizes it in his head that if his buddy necromancer doesn't out himself, then everything should be fine. Except his friend is outing himself when he's not around. The GMs communicate this to the player, and he gets mad and bad things occur. These kinds of situations occur. I'm not sure there is a good answer because oftentimes players want their actions to have meaning, but only in a context they can define and control. Does that make sense? Would a formal way of alerting players to potential problems before they happen be useful to people?
This message was originally posted in Discussions with DragonRealms Staff and Players \ General Discussions, by DR-KODIUS on the play.net forums.