SwordSaintMusashi DMA Q&A

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Veilan
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SwordSaintMusashi DMA Q&A

Post by Veilan »

Hey hey,

since we, for the first time in a good while, have enough candidates for this to shaping up to be a proper election, I think it deserves a Q&A threads.

Firstly and most importantly, thank you for volunteering your time and effort for our community. Without further ado, here are a couple of questions:

1. Do you currently DM in ALFA, and what is your DMing history (in ALFA)? What is your style?

2. I have long and with some frequency espoused the notion that I think ALFA should be less of a single-platform purveyor of fine entertainment, and rather be a roof for a certain brand of RP/gaming experience, to allow us more flexibility in the game formats we offer (play-by-post, invitation-only campaigns, Aria, Fantasygrounds, NWN 1 & 2, meeting up for WoW, Star Citizen, what have you). What is your opinion on this - how consolidated should we be or how broad? Is there an optimum, do you think there are limitations either direction?

3. Staff. Do you have any lined up - and what head staff positions would you advertise and envision?

4. What do you consider the most important core aspects of the "ALFA experience" that you would wish to maintain (across platforms)?

I think that is quite enough for a start - thank you for your time and answers!

Cheers,
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Re: SwordSaintMusashi DMA Q&A

Post by SwordSaintMusashi »

Alright! Let's start at the top.

1. I DMed briefly many years ago. My contribution to DMA in my past terms was to help other DMs with rules relating to ALFA and to help push out some outdated rules while updating what we had to remain fresh and compliant.

2. I think at this point in ALFA's life, if we wish to maintain the community we have gathered over the years, spreading out to other platforms is almost a necessity. I don't know that the pillars and rules set we currently have need be applied to that, however: spreading into games like WoW or Star Citizen, we'd simply gather together as a community for comradarie to enjoy a game together.

3. I do not have any lined up at the moment, though I also do not see a need to change the ones that exist as is. As in my previous term, I would bring up staff members as needed to fill in holes I see in the department.

4. In terms of ALFA NwN 1 and 2, I personally play here because of the content. Nowhere else have I seen a pen and paper experience in NWN come close to what we have in ALFA, and that is what draws me personally. Over the years I have drifted away from my stance of strict adherence to 'the books', but that draw has never left me and is what keeps me coming back.

As for other platforms, that is hard to say. Certainly in a game like WoW, the only real draw would be to play together as friends - no other core aspect needed, as we enjoy playing with each other. So I suppose that is really the core aspect of ALFA across other platforms.

Hope this answered adequately!
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Re: SwordSaintMusashi DMA Q&A

Post by oldgrayrogue »

As DMA what, if anything, are you going to do to encourage members to start playing NWN2 again?

Why do you think members choose to play on NWN1 rather than NWN2?

With NWN EE coming out soon would you consider making ALFAs primary platform NWN EE, why or why not?
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Re: SwordSaintMusashi DMA Q&A

Post by SwordSaintMusashi »

I should like to see more DM coverage in NWN2, and I am open to discussions with those that have DM'ed in the past, those that currently DM (thank you from the bottom of my heart, Arri) and those that wish to DM on what can be done to facilitate this and make them open to the prospect.

At this stage in NWN2's life, some adjustments need to be made to the way we think of ALFA to allow it to thrive.

I think a good deal of NWN1's popularity comes from easier access to building, which encourages more DMing, which in turn draws in more players.

While I would not push to make NWN EE the primary platform for ALFA, I certainly encourage its playing, and if anything I feel like those of us who wish to push forward with NWN2 should take lessons from what is making it popular.

I hope this answers your questions!
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Re: SwordSaintMusashi DMA Q&A

Post by Rick7475 »

What would be your take on DM controlled transfers of players from NWN1 to NWN2 and visa versa? Where Bob's level 3 fighter wants to go from NWN2 to NWN1 for a while. Then after 6 months of playing, wants to go back to NWN2 with a level 5 fighter, with the caveat that the build and equipment would be as close as possible?
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Re: SwordSaintMusashi DMA Q&A

Post by SwordSaintMusashi »

That is an interesting question I had not until now considered.

It is a thought warrants discussion, though I do not have a stance on it now other than "interesting idea" (in a positive way).
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Re: SwordSaintMusashi DMA Q&A

Post by Analogkid »

SwordSaintMusashi wrote:That is an interesting question I had not until now considered.

It is a thought warrants discussion, though I do not have a stance on it now other than "interesting idea" (in a positive way).

Given the difference in rule sets would you be willing to consider further thought on the matter? and if so ....to what degree?
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Re: SwordSaintMusashi DMA Q&A

Post by SwordSaintMusashi »

The difference in rulesets is why it is a matter of discussion and not just a "yes", in my opinion.

3.0 and 3.5 cross over rules in a great many ways. Unfortunately, they also differ in some rather frustrating ones.

I would need to sit down and work on an example PC with someone to really hash into if it could work, which is something I am willing to do.
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Re: SwordSaintMusashi DMA Q&A

Post by FoamBats4All »

This sounds like a tech and potential narrative nightmare.

Would we want a cross-platform ALFA to be have the same narrative across all worlds?

If we add Shards Online support in the future under a 3.5 or 5e ruleset, can characters move between the three?

Is the year in ALFA1 and ALFA2 the same? If not, how do you reconcile that?

ALFA1 would need to be brought under ALFA2's more rigid ACR structure and the rules would need to be made standard between them as best as possible. That's a lot of work.
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Re: SwordSaintMusashi DMA Q&A

Post by Rick7475 »

FoamBats4All wrote:This sounds like a tech and potential narrative nightmare.

Would we want a cross-platform ALFA to be have the same narrative across all worlds?

If we add Shards Online support in the future under a 3.5 or 5e ruleset, can characters move between the three?

Is the year in ALFA1 and ALFA2 the same? If not, how do you reconcile that?

ALFA1 would need to be brought under ALFA2's more rigid ACR structure and the rules would need to be made standard between them as best as possible. That's a lot of work.
My original intent doesn't involve a massive amount of scripting and co-ordination between platforms and timelines. I view it as a rare service for players in situations where they want to transfer a PC. The example I am thinking of it player A has a level 6 PC. There are probably 4 DM'd groups in ALFA right now, DF, WD, and a couple on TSM NWN2, maybe more. If for some reason Player A has a change in schedule and cannot join his regular DM'd group, but can make it to another, this is an example where a cross platform transfer would be beneficial if it were between platforms. The transfer would be a custom rebuild to the ruleset of the DnD version, if a DM is willing to sit down with the player and work out the details and explain the difference and losses and gains. Right now some players are on NWN1 and NWN2 with different PC's. I don't have an issue if the NWN2 PC wants to come to DF. NWN1 is sort of unofficial. But if a NWN1 PC wants to come to NWN2, that is the issue with official ALFA.
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