How to bring back the people?

[Ithildur]

Ronan, just kill off every PC above lvl 10 (in character I mean, not DM kill button!); there's your level cap. Could totally do this legitimately and enjoyably... for most anyway.

The other route is various ways to support and encourage higher levels to do what BHM is talking about; opportunities to train, delegate, build, consolidate power/influence etc in ways that will not take away enjoyment from lowbies and if anything add to it. Elite guys shouldn't be wasting time cutting down CR1 kobolds meant for lowbies and stealing their thunder. Back in the day, it was expected that if you reached certain levels in DnD you'd obtain a stronghold and focus a certain amount of energy on consolidating followers anyway, not stomping through the Caves of Chaos monsters again.

It obviously can work the other way too as it did with Aglaril as long as the higher levels are willing and able to make it work (not always feasible) and the lowbie is willing to accept the risk/consequences of swimming with bigger fish. There's also the inherent system in DnD of lower levels in the group getting more xp which over time means they catch up in levels if they survive long enough (one of the hidden advantages of being a crafter in 3.5: fall behind in xp/level, but eventually you catch up again while getting rich - all things being equal that is).

[Rotku]

This is all moot for NWN2; we've not going to have a vault wipe, or institute E8, or whatever. That ship has already sailed. But its worth thinking about for ALFA3 (AGFA?), or whatever comes next. In hindsight I think we should have started with a low level cap and decided whether or not to raise it when our PCs started bumping up against it. A level cap is an easy thing to raise after all, but lowering one would cause some friction!

I like what this Ronan guy is saying. Let's make him Tech Admin or something.

[Ronan]

Consolidating D&D's power levels, via a cap or whatever, takes more than just dealing with the player side of things. There are all sorts of mobs that would need to be re-tooled, canon NPCs re-written, etc. It'd be a big job to do well. My preference would just be to find another setting, especially since it doesn't look like we're getting a real NWN3 anyway.

[Ithildur]

No need to tool up a bunch of high CR guys with complex scripts; just make ONE. One really, really badass boss that you've been saving up for a climactic moment, complete with a mother of a script that makes players go 'omg, did he just do THAT??', and force a showdown. Great way to kill off half the party of high levels.

You can name him/her 'The Equalizer'.

[Swift]

No need to tool up a bunch of high CR guys with complex scripts; just make ONE. One really, really badass boss that you've been saving up for a climactic moment, complete with a mother of a script that makes players go 'omg, did he just do THAT??', and force a showdown. Great way to kill off half the party of high levels.

You can name him/her 'The Equalizer'.

And have this play as the music

[Creslyn]

I think the Lavos theme would be more appropriate.

Curse you for making me want to pull out the ds again.

[Swift]

Take your pick I suppose (I already pulled my DS back out)

[SCI-kick]

Well, I haven't read this whole thread, so my suggestion might have already been said . . .

But, I'd like to see more "placed encounters" , kind of like what Rorax does on TSM sometimes. That is if a DM has some time and feels like DMing, but there's no players, can't the DM place a few spawns that change things up for adventurers? Especially in areas that are basically usually empty anyway.

They don't even have to be announced on the forums, because a party of PCs should be at their best guard anyway when exploring. Just a little something to actually make it seem like there actually is danger out there to be worried about.

[Veilan]

Well, I haven't read this whole thread, so my suggestion might have already been said . . .

But, I'd like to see more "placed encounters" , kind of like what Rorax does on TSM sometimes. That is if a DM has some time and feels like DMing, but there's no players, can't the DM place a few spawns that change things up for adventurers? Especially in areas that are basically usually empty anyway.

They don't even have to be announced on the forums, because a party of PCs should be at their best guard anyway when exploring. Just a little something to actually make it seem like there actually is danger out there to be worried about.

I love this suggestion, not only because rorax encounters are usually deadly fun, but also because it points to what we should value and encourage more of: providing thrilling, unexpected adventure.

[hollyfant]

Plus it promotes checking the forum for the server's latest IC news.

[Ronan]

Me and BHM totally did placed encounters before placed encounters were cool.

[Blindhamsterman]

Me and BHM totally did placed encounters before placed encounters were cool.

tru dat. Used to drop a number of encounters most days, and sometimes help ronan make super cool special ones... And folk then got grumpy about em, so I for one stopped... then also stopped DMing.

[kid]

it's either that or refreshing the spawn lists / loot dropouts more often. both would increase the desire to wander the server a little.

however, two problems:
1. wanting to DM control loots and XP gains. (which is too hard to accomplish it seems and still many go unDMed for months)
2. This would likely increase our death toll. most people tend to die without a DM.

If we can get over the first problem i'd think we should try and do something to increase randomization of spawns.
either assing a DM that would do it manualy or by chaining them on a server level more frequantly.
a larger death toll from real adventuring is not nessesarly a bad thing.
I think that is likely to make ALFA more fun to play alltogather.

adventuring > statics.

[Ithildur]

Why did we stop doing placed encounters? Someone start making a habit of dropping CR 15 mobs and posting they're 'lowly kobolds' or some such?

Otherwise, if people choose to take on placed encounters, hey, no risk no reward. People actually complained that they had adventure??? Complaining about dying after CHOOSING to take them on (unlike ALFA1 where mobs had better perception ranges and and could chase you across ATs)... what's going on around here??

Honestly, hearing about complaints like that to me undermine all these voices of 'we need to make changes, have multiple PCs, try different things to bring people back etc' which I agree to some extent; but complaints about stuff like this .... ugh, make me want to say 'screw all that and grow up'. No wonder people don't want to DM.

[Veilan]

They don't even have to be announced on the forums, because a party of PCs should be at their best guard anyway when exploring. Just a little something to actually make it seem like there actually is danger out there to be worried about.

Plus it promotes checking the forum for the server's latest IC news.

Someone's losing his edge...