2012 Year in Review and Eye on the future

[Rumple C]

Hi Folks,

Lets have a look at the DM and Player hours in the graph below...



*Graphs have been lent a touch of old world class with the months in french (presumably french).

Not pleasant viewing on the surface is it?

Lets flip it around, though. Back in May - we were stronger than ever. And so we shall be again. I will repost this fairly candid post I made from the Admin Only forums, entitled "Fixing Alfa", it essentially lays out my priorities for 2013.

If it ain't broke...

But it isn't all that healthy.

We do need to balance our sense of ALFA identity with a healthy dose of pragmatism. We don't want to be the next *insert most popular server here*, but we do want to be the best ALFA we can be. Part of that is recognising realities as they are. Dwindling player populations, lack of support from Atari and Gamespy, lack of regular dm's, energy burnout.

A few months ago things were looking kinda grim for ALFA.

Gamespy pulled support.
Only 2! regular dm's!
Player numbers down
Player groups drying up and fading away
MS open server about to open - With little to no PR work done to promote.
Little to no (organised) PR work done in general.
Forum malaise and doom merchants galore

Things have improved a little since then. Some of it is seasonal, for sure. But I want us to go into the new year with a focus... of making ALFA a vibrant dynamic and exciting place and enabling our population to help make it so.

How to do so? I'd love to hear your ideas and thoughts, but here are some of mine.

* Get our own house in order. Resolve the Alternate PC issue one way or another in a timely fashion. It is in no ones interests for it to drag out.
* Get more DM's into regular sessions (and make sure players know all about it). Things are moving well in this direction allready.
* Match DM's to player groups. The group that plays together, stays together (and in ALFA).
* Cross server plots!
* Alfa wide events. Shieldmeet, Greengrass?
* Bringing Sexy back to ALFA, and flaunting it. Grow our player base with a PR push into the NWN2 community and PnP community beyond. More dynanacism in our website through front page updates. Server in the Spotlight. Player group in the spotlight. DM's in the spotlight. Alfa event in the spotlight. Alfa art! in the spotlight.
*Run another open season - with confirmed DM times for new players and PR backing. Hooking these new players into a campaign once they're in ALFA proper.

If we can take care of the above then the occasional doom merchant just becomes a random crazy on the street corner rather than the "voice of the people".

And I want you!

Your ideas, your volunteerism, your time in game, even just your words of optimism for others.

Mid Jan will see the start of a new PR brain storm and then implementation (and follow through even). There will be a call for volunteers and ideas.
Late Jan will see more DM's in game as they come off the holiday season and into regular sessions, there has been a lot of great dm's show interest in stepping back up to the plate. Communication will be key here. Support them by being nice and turning up reguarly for events. Remember to have fun!

2013 will be the year AFLA enters a renaissance. We have the people to make it happen.

[rorax]

Well, i'll repeat my ideas from previous threads:

1. Allow multiply PCs (already in process)
2. Make the 'farming' rules and leveling regulations less restrictive , at least for lower level characters.
3. Build more 'adventuring' areas and zones with high number of spawns that players would have the freedom to get organized and do something without DMs online.
4. Build more areas for higher levels, currently as it is now - once you reach level 9 or 10 there is no suitable static content, you are 'stuck' waiting for DMs.

[Rumple C]

Well, i'll repeat my ideas from previous threads:

1. Allow multiply PCs (already in process)
2. Make the 'farming' rules and leveling regulations less restrictive , at least for lower level characters.
3. Build more 'adventuring' areas and zones with high number of spawns that players would have the freedom to get organized and do something without DMs online.
4. Build more areas for higher levels, currently as it is now - once you reach level 9 or 10 there is no suitable static content, you are 'stuck' waiting for DMs.

Wouldn't #2 result in more pc's in situation #4?

#3 is a winner for sure.

[rorax]

Well, i'll repeat my ideas from previous threads:

1. Allow multiply PCs (already in process)
2. Make the 'farming' rules and leveling regulations less restrictive , at least for lower level characters.
3. Build more 'adventuring' areas and zones with high number of spawns that players would have the freedom to get organized and do something without DMs online.
4. Build more areas for higher levels, currently as it is now - once you reach level 9 or 10 there is no suitable static content, you are 'stuck' waiting for DMs.

Wouldn't #2 result in more pc's in situation #4?

#3 is a winner for sure.

Yes, that's why it's preferred if they'd come to together.

Really, what i am trying to say is that we should create much more content for all levels and ease up the 'farming' regulations. If it's fun for someone to make a paladin and clean 5 caves in one day by slaying orcs , let him do it, as long as it make some in game sense and justified.

[Rumple C]

For what its worth, i'd love to see more adventure purposed areas, where pcs of all levels can go and challenge themselves (preferably in groups). I will be shining a spotlight on WHL soon where heero is putting much brilliant work into doing just this.

[Ithildur]

More adventuring content is nice. However, my observation is that this has never been ALFA's strength. There have been some really fantastic content built over the years I've seen, but compared to some other PWs out there it's nothing really special.

And that's perfectly fine.

Why? Because it's better to be really really good at one or two or three things that are priorities, better than anyone else, than be poor or mediocre at a bunch of different things that are lower priorities. ALFA's niche and attracting point will always be focusing more on hardcore RP/storytelling than other projects, being closer to PnP than other projects, being closer to canon FR than other projects. That's what makes ALFA sexy for most of us, not the stuff that other PWs feature.

Stuff like static quests and things to do while DM's aren't around are good and even necessary, as is the ability for folks to get together and adventure with or without a DMs. But the bread and butter, the meat and potatoes that makes or breaks ALFA isn't that stuff; it's DM driven sessions/plots with everyone involved RPing their asses off. ALFA won't succeed by focusing on stuff that other PWs feature if it's at the expense of what it's supposed to be really good at. A greater focus needs to be on raising the bar once again and prioritize storytelling (including DMs), both in terms of better stories and better execution, etc. To that end efforts like Rumple's goals of matching DMs and player groups, Foam's work on the DM Client/client extension, etc imo are high priority pursuits.

I also think ongoing training and coaching from respected and experienced ALFA DMs is needed. There was a time a couple of years ago where I recruited people from other places here while touting what used to be ALFA's strength... and I was flat out embarrassed by the players asking 'so where are all these amazing DM sessions?' either because there were none around or because they were less than stellar (to be fair, I think it was folks who were really wrestling with the DM client). DMing is not an easy task... especially in ALFA. Equipping/training/empowering DMs should be a high priority.

Simply putting in more and better stuff to kill may be needed but is a lower priority imo; not saying we don't need content, but let's be mindful we don't take our eyes off the ball and think that's the real priority.

As for enabling folks to 'farm' more... I donno, it sure sounds shortsighted and a good way to spiral downwards into further straying from our main focus.

[Hialmar]

Sorry for the months in French, I am unsure I can create some with months in English with my French version of Office.

I don't know how we can revert the downsizing of ALFA.
I'm unsure if two PCs per player will be THE solution but at least it's worth a try...

[Rumple C]

More DM's and players in regular sessions is the greatest thing we can do. But I am prepared to throw everything and the kitchen sink at it

[I-KP]

If pixel-pushing skills are in demand to assist with a PR push then I'll make myself available.

[Rumple C]

Thanks IKP, much appreciated.

[loulabelle]

Probably a redundant skill here, but if you need help writing any PR stuff, I can do that. I can also help proof read/spell check, copy edit, edit, that sort of stuff too. Now Nano and Xmas/New Year are done, my life is bleak and empty again.

[Rumple C]

Your skills will be invaluable loulabelle.

[Castano]

We need to do 2 things (1) capture more of our member's gaming hours "Engagement" and (2) recruit new members "Recruitment". Every club or org I have ever been a member of (including work-related ones) does BOTH of these simultaneously. Engagement and recruitment go hand in hand.

Engagement:
We need more regular DMs running weekly or bi-monthly games. These game times/dates should be posted on the front page of ALFA and in ALFA General in an easy to see table.

Have coordinators who volunteer to gather a group to play, including a DM and 4-5 players.

We need to make it easier for members to participate in games. This is where 2 PCs can come in handy. Just look at the disruption the dwarf group caused by retiring and rolling up TSM dwarves (see prior complaint thread). What if they had kept their other PC too?

Follow up with each inactive member quarterly via email (not PM) to see why they are not playing. Keep tabs on the reasons, tabulate them and report them to LA. e.g. 30% of inactives are not playing because _____________.

Reduce the visibility of complaint threads by moving them to the more on-topic Brainstorming forum. You don't like something/think ALFA is dieing because of Game B stuff/wanna whine - it goes in the suggestion box. This is why the one in your workplace has a deposit slot and lock on it as opposed to it being a white board located at the front entrance of your workplace.
Please understand when you complain about stuff loudly on what is basically our active member's front page (ALFA General) you diminish numbers and motivation. Ditto fly by posts from people who "seagull" us repeatedly (fly in, poop on us and leave). You know who you are and all your vapor ware proposals to fix what we have been doing wrong for the past 5-10 years are exactly that - vapor. I have yet to see one materialize or see any meaningful contribution made. Please apply to DM instead.


Recruitment:

1. We should target the PnP community heavily

2. Radically change our application/recruitment process.

(a) Rotate one of our servers each month/quarter as the invite server for applicants.
Interested players who respond to our ads should be invited to play on a server for a probationary period and then reviewed for full membership. Cap them to lvl3 until approved for full membership.

(b) Include in our marketing links to acquire the game so that it is easy for prospects to get started.

Steps:
(1) Buy Game
(2) Ask to join ALFA
(3) Play for probationary period and get promoted to full membership at our discretion.

We're looking for RPers who do not PG or grief. That's our basic cutoff and has been for years.

3. Draft a cookie cutter ad as above that anyone can post in relevant forums.

[Stormbring3r]

Also more Mid Level Content as well as the Higer level stuff as Rorax mentioned..

More Content IG as to better Occupy the players when DM's are not around..

If we are to maintain a PW statis there has to be things that go with it.

[mother]

Item number 1: Get rid of anyone who would put months in French.
Item 2: Get rid of anyone who could read the months that were written in French.