[MUD-Dev] A flamewar startingpoint.

[Marian Griffith]

On Mon 05 Jan, JC Lawrence wrote:
> 
> On Mon, 29 Dec 1997 11:55:29 PST8PDT 
> Marian Griffith<gryphon at iaehv.nl> wrote:

> > [scenario snipped, sorry]

> <sob>.

*blush* looks like I was too rash in snipping the scenario as I want to
respond to it now.  Maybe somebody can dig it up again?  It was about a
caravan travelling through the desert I belief  with their rations run-
ning short...

> >> The difficult as always would be to retain the players for the
> >> gradually expiring party.  Many/some may (I have no experience in
> >> the RP values used here) bow out early rather than continue with an
> >> apparently doomed campaign.

> > In a game where the example could take place it should be clear that
> > there is no easy way to escape an adventure.  When you join a party
> > you are in it until you die or you achieve your goal and escape. The
> > game would not make sense otherwise.

> Agreed.  The problem is not that this in't made clear, but that many
> would rather suicide and start again than continue playing out a
> likely no-win scenario.  _Something_ has to convince them than playing
> out the hand was an enjoyable value greater than the unpleasantness of
> knowing you are doomed.

I guess that is a reasonable measure to find out if somebody is a role-
player or not.  Somebody who plays to win is likely to start anew if it
becomes clear that there is no hope left for the current character  and
a roleplayer might enjoy the challenge of continuing the doomed mission
and rp-ing the way the characters deal with their hopeless state.

> > That is where the variety of minor goals come into the
> > game. Travelling across the plains could in itself be an adventure
> > even if it is only a minor part in overthrowing the evil sorceror of
> > the mountains of doom.  And of course some other players could be
> > minions of said sorceror and try to prevent the party from achieving
> > their goal.

> The more critical point of what the dead players do now that is
> enjoyable comes to light.

You are right, this is a problem that I have not given thought to.
They have to create a new character I suppose?

> Some of you may be familiar with the board game "Risk".  For those
> unfamiliar, Risk is a board game where the board is a crude map of the
> world, divided into continents and territories, and players control
> armies and attempt to take over the world by battling for ownership of
> all the territories.

> However, we don't play world domination Risk for a specific reason.
> World Domination takes hours to play, and for tha majority of that
> time most of the player aren't playing any more as they've been
> "killed" and are thus out of the game.  The result is that two or
> three players fight to the bitter end while the other four sit on the
> side lines doing nothing.  Not good.  Not fun.

> I don't see that the game you describe is "fun" for a player whose
> character dies early on in the campaign.

No, you are right and this is something I have to think about first
before I can answer the question.

Marian
--
Yes - at last - You. I Choose you. Out of all the world,
out of all the seeking, I have found you, young sister of
my heart! You are mine and I am yours - and never again
will there be loneliness ...

Rolan Choosing Talia,
Arrows of the Queen, by Mercedes Lackey