Your assistance helping new players enjoy ALFA (please read)

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Dorn
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Your assistance helping new players enjoy ALFA (please read)

Post by Dorn »

Hi all,

The Lead Admin has made helping new players join and enjoy ALFA a focus. A bunch of us are helping to do that. I think we all agree more would be good and we've got such a great place to share.

Part of what we are working on is providing a good in-game experience for new players who join. The things about ALFA we like (eg a very IC experience including risk, permadeath, lower advancement) can be hard on new players who don't know where the statics are, where the dark alleyways to avoid are, and in some cases arrive on server at a low period with no one on.

So we would like players to nominate themselves as 'ALFA companions' for new players in each major timezone on TSM and BG in particular, but everywhere.

What we would ask is that you:
- take someone under your wing when they log into 'player introductions', or if i direct them to you
- log in if you see someone alone online with an unfamiliar GSID
- if IG, stop what you're doing and speak to the new chars and offer to come and meet them to
- bend (not break) immersion to invite a new player into an event (either DMed or otherwise)
- possibly agree some times when you can meet them for IC sessions or invite them to existing
- keep contact with them through the forums to invite them to regular game-times, link them to other ALFAns who can help

Some of you may already have been doing this, hopefully in the future we'll all just do it out of instinct.

US EAST
Duck: TSM and BG
Acadius Lost: TSM and BG
Mick: TSM

US WEST
Arianna: BG
Acadius Lost: TSM and BG
Zelknof: BG

EUROPE

ASIA/OCEANIA
Dorn: TSM and BG
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Duck One
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Re: Your assistance helping new players enjoy ALFA (please r

Post by Duck One »

I am US East. Will help on TSM and BG.
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Zelknolf
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Re: Your assistance helping new players enjoy ALFA (please r

Post by Zelknolf »

I'm US Central and tend to be up late, so can help any US times.

Primarily on BG; can travel to help on TSM.
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Mick
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Re: Your assistance helping new players enjoy ALFA (please r

Post by Mick »

I'm US Central. Play on TSM.

I also try to get them involved as DM on BG.
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AcadiusLost
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Re: Your assistance helping new players enjoy ALFA (please r

Post by AcadiusLost »

US West, I have (sociable) PCs on TSM and BG. I'm away some weekends, but also available during the day sometimes.
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Arianna
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Re: Your assistance helping new players enjoy ALFA (please r

Post by Arianna »

US PST

I am mostly on in the evenings after 6PM , occasionally earlier on weekends

I play mostly on BG
Current NWN2 PC: TSM- Lessa

HDM of Moonshae Server DM on BG
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DM times - 6:30-10 PM Saturdays PDT on MS . . other times as I show up
PM me on Discord if you want to be DMd on BG I have Monday nights available
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Heero
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Re: Your assistance helping new players enjoy ALFA (please r

Post by Heero »

You guys have some really ideas going (here and the public relations thread) but might I suggest maybe not putting them out there for all to see? It sort of reeks of desperation which may be unattractive for people having recently signed up or just browsing the forums.
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Dorn
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Re: Your assistance helping new players enjoy ALFA (please r

Post by Dorn »

Thanks Heero

I reckon the above is just a good thing to do irrespective of a broader drive to invite more folk on board.

It's kinda what I had in a more informal way when I joined ALFA 1 about...*thinks back*.... jezus....a long time ago. I probably would have turned away if there wasn't some friendly crew who steered me through the first few weeks on BG. Since then i've had fund here through several relationships, a marriage, two kids, 3 jobs and two continents and still come back every time I quit (just like smoking actually)...just because of those two folk.

As for the rest of the stuff....I hadn't realised the LA staff forums were public. I'll have a gander. Not so much that it's super secret, but if your interpreting it as desperate rather than an attempt to build, then you're right and it's not helpful.

Anyway, thanks for the heads up but lets not talk about this anymore in this thread. Seems half the community want the chance to help our new players have fun so that's a good thing!
playing Nathaniel Ward - Paladin of the Morninglord and devout of Torm (cookie cutter and proud of it)
Dorn
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Re: Your assistance helping new players enjoy ALFA (please r

Post by Dorn »

PS holy sh$t acadias lost!
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Brokenbone
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Re: Your assistance helping new players enjoy ALFA (please r

Post by Brokenbone »

What if "Companions" got a third PC, locked at level 3 or so, who was issued a backpack of Cure Lights and attaboy/attagirl cookies that granted 50xp on use?

Anyhow, mentorship of any kind always sounds like a good idea, people are fun and solo is boring.
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Duck One
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Re: Your assistance helping new players enjoy ALFA (please r

Post by Duck One »

Brokenbone wrote:What if "Companions" got a third PC, locked at level 3 or so, who was issued a backpack of Cure Lights and attaboy/attagirl cookies that granted 50xp on use?

Anyhow, mentorship of any kind always sounds like a good idea, people are fun and solo is boring.
I had a similar idea, but more like an NPC. A city guard or something that is part of the landscape that can come to life and help, complete with a context and back story. Perhaps even a slate of them, a level 1, a level 4, and a level 7, of different classes that could help round out a party and offer guidance. Something that doesn't really earn XP or evolve, just is always there and ready to lend a hand to new people. These could even be those rare usually non-playable races, a githyanki, kobold, lizard man, or even a dog ("What's the, Lassy? Timmy has fallen down the well again?") Seriously, if you give players the chance to play an NPC, they could have a lot of fun helping others get into the game.
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Brokenbone
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Re: Your assistance helping new players enjoy ALFA (please r

Post by Brokenbone »

By the same token, I guess that is what DMing is (then you can be a Town Guard, a Dog, have an infinite amount of CLWs and loot, also XP-granting capacity), and ALFA always needs DMs.

ALFA also forbids DMs from playing where they DM, and closing turf off to yourself is a sacrifice not all are too into taking on... and if someone just wanted to be a minor-mentor DM, they might not also want to be hassled about rescuing someone from quarantine, presiding over a tech rez, importing an item or whatever... anyhow the mentoring "Companion" thing as is will work however it works.
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kid
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Re: Your assistance helping new players enjoy ALFA (please r

Post by kid »

Brokenbone wrote:What if "Companions" got a third PC, locked at level 3 or so, who was issued a backpack of Cure Lights and attaboy/attagirl cookies that granted 50xp on use?
Wait, so what's the cookie for if they're locked on level 3?
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Re: Your assistance helping new players enjoy ALFA (please r

Post by Zelknolf »

I believe the idea was to let approved player-mentors grant XP to new players.

Such a thing would almost certainly require a complex implementation or fall immediately into fighting-- I sincerely doubt that the PA would approve a DM-player hybrid (which this essentially is), on account that her current position is "no, never" on DMs playing where they DM, and a player playing an NPC with the power to give XP is that but stickier.
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Duck One
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Re: Your assistance helping new players enjoy ALFA (please r

Post by Duck One »

I guess it depends upon what you’re after. If I am logged in and my PC is out at Citadel Felbarr and presently embroiled in a complex weekly plot that keeps me close to there, and I see a newbie log into server in and I shoot him a “welcome” tell to find out that he ported into Silverymoon, will I be able to help him? No, because it would take me 45 minutes to hike across the server, and my character has no logical reason to be making that risky trek alone at night on those roads. All that aside, my PC may not be of an alignment and/or disposition to be merrily walking up to perfect strangers and getting into their business.

But I would gladly log out of my PC, log into my ready-made NPC which is parked in Silverymoon and happens to have a back story which readily lends itself to helping others, and spend a bit of time being a tour guide / host / facilitator of static content.

A DM requires much more. It means I need to know the politics, ongoing drama, and be careful not to spoil canon, etc. It means knowing the server scripts and hidden content so as to not step on it accidentally. It means knowing the interface for DM’s and making sure you don’t accidently make something happen whereby the guards are slaughtering the civilians due to some faction issue. In short, it’s complicated.

If you want the players to be more than just player characters who stick strictly to their own motives, you may have to make some allowances. Letting them have access to NPC’s to help newbies get situated seems like a workable compromise.
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