How to make NWC work for you.
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 1:05 pm
The following is a reposting of something I wrote up for NWC which I think might be of use to those ALFA folks thinking of tapping into NWC. For the full thread I refer you to...
http://www.neverwinterconnections.com/f ... htm#169690
While far from perfect, NWC offers a fair number of useful tools for those wishing to promote their games. In this thread, I'd like to share a series of observations on these resources. I encourage others to chip and add their insights as well.
1. Game Calender
Scheduling is, of course, the most basic feature of NWC. Most recently added events and upcoming ones are highlighted on the front page, so more likely to attract attention. Invitation only sessions are NOT shown on the front page, though you can see these if you view the game calender directly.
Make sure you adjust NWC time from default to your local time. You'll need to adjust this if you have a time change in the spring and fall as well. If you don't do this, the time displayed to you will be off and you'll miss games.
If you are trying to attract new players, you may want to look at the game calender before you schedule your game to see if there are any other games already running at the time you're considering. Shifting your own session, before or after another one, might draw you some players for the existing one.
Many PWs advertise their existence in NWC forums, yet most fail to utilize NWC game scheduling for their regular events, so don't end up drawing very many people from NWC. Schedule and run events on a regular basis and you will attract more folks.
In scheduling games, earlier is better. Some folks only stop in once or twice a week, others maybe once a month. The earlier you have your event posted, the better the chances new folks will see and sign up. This is even more important in application games as you'll need extra time to correspond with applicants.
Provide complete and relevant details and background info when creating your game entry. The less complete and more cryptic, the less likely you are to attract interest. A host can save such as a template for future postings to save the time of retyping a lot of important details each session.
In addition to the game entry, you can create game forum postings for things like hak links, player bio's, pregame RP threads and customized portrait links and important announcements.
2. Player Connection
Once you've created your game in the calender, you can improve your exposure by advertising your session in the Player Connection forum. You can simply copy and paste your game description, or type up something more elaborate if you like. It's best to include a link to the game page posting so folks can find the session with a single click. You can also field questions and fill out your party roster in this thread.
3. Direct Recruiting
Scanning thru the Player Connection forum, you may find some players looking for a game. Drop them a PM with a link to your game posting.
Look at the users who're active in the NWC forums. These folks are likely going to be around more than others. You can try PM'ing some of these folks directly with personal invites and links to your games. Note: many of us are already pretty busy, but you may find someone who's got the time and interest in your particular game.
Ask your current players to recommend potential players and PM these with invites and links.
4. Communication
Nothing kills off campaigns faster than silence. You should check NWC regularly for PMs or forum queries to insure a timely exchange of info as required by hosts and players.
If problems arise, post to the game forums, as people will look there first. You can also use the game page to PM all players.
Remember NWC is an international site with folks from all around the globe. A message a few hours before game time may well be in the middle of the night or work day and go unread or unanswered till just before game time.
A postgame note to all players thanking them for playing, reminding them to use RP threads and post reviews is often appreciated.
5. Campaign Forums
For those lacking a campaign website, create a private personal campaign forum on NWC to provide a more permanent area for OOC and IC threads. The session game forums disappear so anything you wish to keep permanently should be posted in campaign forums instead. These are only viewable by those added by the creator, so you can include server IP and passwords for your players here.
6. Continuity
Most folks want to play on a regular basis, usually at the same time and day once a week. Unless everyone is agreed, changing schedule after the fact will likely lose you some players.
7. Ratings/Feedback
Those playing and hosting on NWC are subject to review. While not everyone provides feedback every session, when taken with a grain of salt, you can gain some insights into a player or host by the ratings and written feedback left by others.
http://www.neverwinterconnections.com/f ... htm#169690
While far from perfect, NWC offers a fair number of useful tools for those wishing to promote their games. In this thread, I'd like to share a series of observations on these resources. I encourage others to chip and add their insights as well.
1. Game Calender
Scheduling is, of course, the most basic feature of NWC. Most recently added events and upcoming ones are highlighted on the front page, so more likely to attract attention. Invitation only sessions are NOT shown on the front page, though you can see these if you view the game calender directly.
Make sure you adjust NWC time from default to your local time. You'll need to adjust this if you have a time change in the spring and fall as well. If you don't do this, the time displayed to you will be off and you'll miss games.
If you are trying to attract new players, you may want to look at the game calender before you schedule your game to see if there are any other games already running at the time you're considering. Shifting your own session, before or after another one, might draw you some players for the existing one.
Many PWs advertise their existence in NWC forums, yet most fail to utilize NWC game scheduling for their regular events, so don't end up drawing very many people from NWC. Schedule and run events on a regular basis and you will attract more folks.
In scheduling games, earlier is better. Some folks only stop in once or twice a week, others maybe once a month. The earlier you have your event posted, the better the chances new folks will see and sign up. This is even more important in application games as you'll need extra time to correspond with applicants.
Provide complete and relevant details and background info when creating your game entry. The less complete and more cryptic, the less likely you are to attract interest. A host can save such as a template for future postings to save the time of retyping a lot of important details each session.
In addition to the game entry, you can create game forum postings for things like hak links, player bio's, pregame RP threads and customized portrait links and important announcements.
2. Player Connection
Once you've created your game in the calender, you can improve your exposure by advertising your session in the Player Connection forum. You can simply copy and paste your game description, or type up something more elaborate if you like. It's best to include a link to the game page posting so folks can find the session with a single click. You can also field questions and fill out your party roster in this thread.
3. Direct Recruiting
Scanning thru the Player Connection forum, you may find some players looking for a game. Drop them a PM with a link to your game posting.
Look at the users who're active in the NWC forums. These folks are likely going to be around more than others. You can try PM'ing some of these folks directly with personal invites and links to your games. Note: many of us are already pretty busy, but you may find someone who's got the time and interest in your particular game.
Ask your current players to recommend potential players and PM these with invites and links.
4. Communication
Nothing kills off campaigns faster than silence. You should check NWC regularly for PMs or forum queries to insure a timely exchange of info as required by hosts and players.
If problems arise, post to the game forums, as people will look there first. You can also use the game page to PM all players.
Remember NWC is an international site with folks from all around the globe. A message a few hours before game time may well be in the middle of the night or work day and go unread or unanswered till just before game time.
A postgame note to all players thanking them for playing, reminding them to use RP threads and post reviews is often appreciated.
5. Campaign Forums
For those lacking a campaign website, create a private personal campaign forum on NWC to provide a more permanent area for OOC and IC threads. The session game forums disappear so anything you wish to keep permanently should be posted in campaign forums instead. These are only viewable by those added by the creator, so you can include server IP and passwords for your players here.
6. Continuity
Most folks want to play on a regular basis, usually at the same time and day once a week. Unless everyone is agreed, changing schedule after the fact will likely lose you some players.
7. Ratings/Feedback
Those playing and hosting on NWC are subject to review. While not everyone provides feedback every session, when taken with a grain of salt, you can gain some insights into a player or host by the ratings and written feedback left by others.
