[Discuss] To the Game Masters in Beluaterra

[Jamie Cheyfetz]

On Nov 26, 2007 9:17 AM, Tom <tom at lemuria.org> wrote:
> completely ignored. I don't mean as in "not understood" I mean as in
> "posting a roleplay with some information that _should_ interest the
> characters because it's, you know, about the immediate area and some
> important danger, posting it to a dozen or more characters, and not
> getting a _single_ response".

I know that every time there was an undead/monster/daimon in my area,
I tried to open communication with them.  Sometimes they answered.
I'd say I've done this at least 15 times and they've answered maybe 6.
 Whenever they did, it was some cryptic stuff that amounted to, "Here
is something that you cannot make heads or tails of (literally --
looking at something and not even knowing which way was up).  But I've
said too much." End of messages from the undead/monster/daimon.  I've
tried extracting information.  I've tried giving information.  I've
tried offering story lines.  After each of them is utterly shot down,
I've given up trying.

Maybe I'm dumb.  Maybe I don't have enough information from the other
close to 1000 characters that are spread across the island.  Maybe I
don't read enough of the other messages that go around because this is
a lightweight game.  As our next experiment, maybe we can try giving
1000 people a piece of a 500 piece puzzle, don't tell them that the
piece is a piece of a puzzle, don't tell 500 of them that their piece
is not real, be sure to kill off 100 of the people with pieces, allow
each person to only communicate with 50 other people and have them put
the puzzle together.  Failure?  Yeah.  Surprised?  No.

All that said, I did like the idea behind making this invasion
interactive.  I think it needs more of the concrete things.  I think
every single person on the island knew about the stones and that they
closed portals.  *That* is the kind of thing that gets everyone
involved.   A concrete goal with concrete pieces that everyone can get
involved in.  Once the pieces are no longer concrete (information), no
one knows if what they have is a piece and people don't share the
pieces.  There surely can be parts of the invasion that are like this,
but they shouldn't be necessary parts.

Am I volunteering for the next invasion to help come up with ideas?
Yes.  I know it will be quite some time in the future, but if the call
goes out for ideas, I will jump in ready to help.


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