[Gossamer's Scrapbook] The Ethereal Canyon I

[Wikus]

This is for you, Jen.





Enjoy.

[Wikus]

I take it you didn't like JJ Fish' astonishing talent. Shame on you. Fine, here are some other musical choices for you. Next time, if I ever post here again, I'll make a special Spanish edition





^ Cady Groves - This Little Girl ^ For some reason, it reminds me of Kavala way too much.



^ Alondra Bentley - Giants are Windmills ^ This one I really like and I think you will too.



^ Cora Novoa - Golden Apples ^ This is a Spanish artist I discovered last year. I think you'll like this song, especially when chilling.

Enjoy!

[Gossamer]

Quest Etiquette
The Player Section

Quest Etiquette can be a real make or break thing in terms of a quest. Players sin and moderators sin. Sometimes I wonder if its because players have no idea what true quest etiquette is? Do moderators? From years of D&D tabletop I've formed what MY OPINION of quest etiquette is. I go by it now on Mizahar. Be sure you review this if your in one of my quests and try to adhere to the basic premise of this post. If your a moderator, make sure you are trying to enforce these things in your quests. Otherwise, your quest party is full of douchebags and you should just run their horses off a cliff and end the bad behavior once and for all.

• Acknowledge the other people in a quest. Note their actions in your post by reacting to them even if its just a brief line or two. Don’t ignore their presence. It’s rude beyond belief to come into a quest and solo it without paying attention to the others in the party. The same thing is true if people break into subgroups and ignore the other subgroups. Subgroups are fine as long as everyone is a part of one and they note each other’s actions and include each other and everyone else in their posts.
  
  
  
• Acknowledge the actions of others in the quest. You aren’t in a solo moderated thread. Note others actions as part of your response and put some opinion of the action in there. Do you approve? Are they being stupid? Make that part of your post. Argue with their action if you disagree or try to block it. That’s all part of the fun. Agree with it? Help them do the action! Step up and say great idea and lend a hand. The biggest crime in a quest thread is to ignore a fellow quester.
  
  
  
• Establish what your PC is wearing/wielding/and has on their person. Magically appearing gear is annoying in any sort of quest. That goes double for the whole ‘its in my bag at all times things’. Please make sure in your initial post to establish to yourself and the others what your PC is wearing, holding, and carrying for the duration of the quest. If your allowed to take the time to ‘gear up’ then go get your full gear and re-establish what you have in a post following a ‘gear up’ session. That way one can avoid the magical bag of ‘everything even the kitchen sink is in here’ and yet your pc moves unencumbered through the quest.
  
  
  
• Don’t poach information. If one character learns of something by their actions, its up to them to share that information with the party. If they don’t then you don’t know it. So long as they are paying attention to you and acknowledging your actions, its perfectly fine to withhold information.
  
  
  
• Stick to the posting order. This goes along with information poaching. Try very hard to post in the order the original postings were made. This gives everyone an equal chance to post and react in the order they carried out actions and learned things. Skipping posting order is only okay if a moderator says it is or the moderator is tired of waiting for one slow poster to post.
  
  
  
• Don’t stand and do nothing. No one likes a PC who’s in a quest just to observe. This is a huge waste of time too. Don’t do nothing and don’t actually join a quest thread if you think all you are going to do on your first post is observe. Moderators hate that and might get spiteful towards your PC if all you are doing is lookilooing the whole time. Perform actions, ask questions, and think heavily about what might be going on.
  
  
  
• Do things you can do. Don’t do things you can’t do. Are you a fighter? Fight then. Are you a wizard? Perform magic. Healers can heal. Everyone can look and observe for things. But if your unskilled at something like say disarming traps, don’t try to disarm traps. You’re going to get your stupid ass killed and probably those around you. Quest parties form organically and come together in a way where everyone has a role. Play your role. Don’t suddenly think your superman when you’re a three inch pycon. Those roles don’t work. Play roles that work.
  
  
  
• Make quest posting a priority. If you are in a moderated thread, post to that FIRST before you post to your solos or socials. They are important to the moderators and the players so be sure you make it a priority to yourself as well.
  
  
  
• Keep information organized in your mind. Understand and keep it straight in your mind what is ‘general’ information that everyone learns and what is ‘private’ information that someone finds out. You can act on general information but not on private information unless it is private information you earned.
  
  
  
• Know your character limits. What is your characters size and strength? Can you lift that? Can you wield that? Does your character know what that thing is even if you do? Make sure you are aware of your lores and your skills. If you don’t have say a huge physical presence, don’t think you can lift a knight in full body armor as an average female and carry him out of a burning building. That probably won’t happen. You probably can’t even roll him over.
  
  
  
• Be aware of YOUR location and the locations of the rest of the group members. Describe where exactly you are standing carefully in the scene in relation to fixed objects or things that are the focal point of a scene. Are you right next to another group member? Are you standing behind the group ready to heal them? Are you kneeling in front examining something? Be specific. Remember, let everyone know where you are. Don’t stomp on anyone in making an action. Slide around someone if they are in front of you and what you want to do. This goes back to acknowledging someone is somewhere doing something. Acknowledge them.
  
  
  
• Just ask and you’ll know. Sounds like a simple thing right? But don’t assume anything. If you want to know more about something specifically examine it in your response. Ask in your post. “John Smith wondered how the man had managed to carry enough water to traverse the desert without dehydration. He should have been dehydrated right? So John decided to check his gear and see if there was any evidence as to how it was done.” Boom. You’ve just asked the Mod how something happened and made it clear you were looking for the answer. Now it’s the mods turn to do their job and tell you in their response to your actions. “After a few minutes of searching, John found a bag of holding that had five hundred canteens, most of which were still full, all stuffed inside it.” Don’t assume. Ask!
  
  
  
• Let the Moderator know how you’re feeling about their quest. Are you bored? Have your PC yawn in boredom. Are you feeling left out or ignored? Write about that. It’s their job as a moderator for everyone to have fun as they tell a story to you. If you’re not having fun or there’s nothing for your PC in the quest so far, let them know by writing about it. They can and will adjust the story accordingly. Though remember, there are two types of quests. One is a sign up quest where a story should be tailored to every PC that signs up. And there are random posted quests you join. The random posted quests are the luck of who shows up first and its less about the PCs and more about the story in that case.
  
  
  
• Don't criticize the moderator. They are doing it for your fun and their own enjoyment. Go easy on them. Understand that a good moderator might be flexible with the rules to preserve pacing or flow and add an element of the fantastical to the story. This goes for undermining the narrative, too. “This seems straight out of last months' Letters to Penthouse, Jen. What's the deal?” NoteYou know I'm just throwing this in there as a humorous reward for reading this far right? That might not be cool to point out. Just go with it. A good mod will change the ending or the middle and if you hate the quest you can not opt in on another one of theirs later down the line. Also, if you’re noticing inconsistencies, and can’t help it, try phrasing it in the form of a question. E.g., Is this the same begger we met in the last scene? If so, why is his peg leg on the right now instead of the left? Is that really necessary to point out? Probably not. The whole point is that hes a peg-leg dude and leave it at that. It might even be intentional. Is he an illusion that has changed over time? The changes might be hidden clues.
  
  
  
• Don't engage in non-rewarding conflict or squabbling. Everyone knows that fighting among party members can be hugely distracting. try to limit this type of conflict to those instances which are dramatically rewarding. Contribute to the narrative as a PC rather than distract from it. This game is a social cooperative one. Players forget that. They like to grandstand defiance under the banner of staying true to a character concept. That's bullshit and everyone including themselves know it. The exception to this rule comes when tension or opposition within the party results in dramatic role-playing rewards. In order for the latter to work, remember, all PC’s need to be on the same page and it needs to be fully IC. OOC contempt for another players actions can't creep into the overall narrative or you're violating this rule.
  
  
• Understand your role in a quest as a party member. Your PCs presence in a quest should be to strengthen the bond of the party, support each other player’s character-concept in game, weave your story alongside the other characters’, and finally work together towards your goals. That's it! Everything else like comedic humor or superfluous knowledge is icing on the cake.
  
  
  
  And finally…
  
  
  
• Don’t void the social contract of quest fellowship! Remember, when you are joining a quest, you are agreeing to join a group and work towards a common goal for the benefit and fun of all the player and the characters in the group. This is a social contract! Avoid slavish behavior meaning a character acting in a way that makes no attempt at originality, constructive interpretation, or development. We all know the pc types. There’s always that pc who won’t go with the party even though the player has joined the quest because they don’t know the others, don’t trust the others, and can see no benefit in it for them. It’s your job as a player to suspend disbelief and find a reason to go and help and be in that group. It’s not the moderator’s job. It’s your job and your social contract of RP QUESTING that you signed. Follow through.

Quest Etiquette
The Moderator Section

In my mind there are two types of quests. There is a quest you want to run because you like the story and think other people might enjoy it as well. Then there's the quest you might want to run tailored to a individual or a group that has a few goals in mind.

• Always remember who you are storytelling for. Tailor the quest to the party members. Don't force the party members to tailor themselves to the quest. This is especially true of 'sign up' quests where you know who exactly is going to be in your quest. Don't make it a fighting quest when there are thinkers and craftsman in the quest. Don't make it a magical quest when there are no magic users in the party. Always be mindful of who is in your group.
  
  
  
• Be willing to adjust your story/plans accordingly always. PCs don't do what we want them to do all the time. In fact, they rarely do what we want them to do as moderators. So be willing to adjust your plans and rewrite your quests if the quest gets off track and you can't seem to get it back on track.
  
  
  
• Don't overplan your quests. At most you should have a brief outline of events, perhaps even broken into sections with an abstract description of what the quest is and what its end goals are about. Any more planning than that and your in for a world of hurt because PCs break the social contract of questing all the time either knowingly or unknowingly and make your life miserable as a moderator. If you have monsters in the quest or protagonist things like evil npcs or encounter npcs, loosely plan them, and be willing to adjust numbers accordingly. Shit happens. Roll with it. Usually downhill.
  
  
  ... and finally.
  
  
  
• Don't let one or two PCs grandstand a quest. Get everyone involved and let everyone have a chance to be center stage. Pull the shy PCs to the front and center a little bit. You don't have to do it all the time, but give them EQUAL time. If someone is grandstanding, invent a way in the middle of your quest to sideline them a few rounds. It's more than they deserve if they are stealing the show.

[Pulren Marsh]

I need more quests in my life. If I can ever think of a logical reason to come to town, I will be there with bells on for one of these, Jen!

[Gossamer]

WAR
Or Rather Why War In Mizahar Is Stupid...

So, there are a million theories out there as to why humans make war. We honestly don't know if its nature verses nurture. That means, in essence, we DO NOT KNOW if the tendency to make war for humans is hard wired into our brains and psyche or not. Some of the popular theories out there range from Groupthink to Hawks verses Doves, and even things as seemingly far fetched as the Male Warrior Hypothesis. We even sometimes blame it on Malthusian Overpopulation. I've never really been one to buy into Thomas Malthus' population theories for what its worth. But the bottom line is in the history of mankind war has been waged over one thing and one thing only with any consistency.... acquisition and security of resources. The resources vary of course; land, food, good water sources, deep warm water ports, access to trade routes, and even women.

That's something Mizahar doesn't lack. We're resource rich and population poor. Whether you buy into it or not, Mizaharian cities are never going to make war because they are stretched to the brim and there's no more land or food. The population centers make up far less than 10% of Mizahar's land. If we have enough people, we can always clear more land for food. Land is in abundance.

People aren't.

If you are born to Mizahar, you are super lucky to be born without mishap. You are then lucky to reach maturity. There's no guarantee that you are are going to get skilled enough to survive. If you are orphaned or without support you are dead. If you get hurt and have no support to assist you through an injury you are dead. Certain things are hard to get depending on where you are. Metal is hard to find in Cyphrus and farmable land is almost impossible to find in Kalea. Travel is long, dangerous, and cities are far apart. Sea travel is easier but still not guaranteed.

Then there are the Gods. They are involved in everything. The 'good' gods are strong. The 'evil' gods are strong. They've been locked in an ongoing conflict for a long long time. Sometimes one gets an upper hand and sometimes others do. But none of them can afford wars.

Why? War takes coin, support, and enough incentive to carry out. There's simply NO INCENTIVE in Mizahar - not even religion - to drive a person to start a war - especially cities - because cities don't have things other cities have. Everyone has plenty of land. Everyone has plenty of hunting. Food is harder, but doable.

Are you starting to see the bigger picture here? It's just not logical or feasible and there's no real drive behind hosting a war. The only possible reason equates to 'I'm bored. Lets start a war." And that's just a player or moderator being lazy. Use your brain. There's a million other ideas out there to create plot with rather than the term 'war'.

[Gossamer]

What? What's Groupthink?

Stupid term... important concept...

And because someone asked... Groupthink is a book by Irving L. Janis. It examines all the evidence regarding three fiascoes: the Bay of Pigs invasion, Pearl Harbor, and the United States' invasion into North Korea. Then it contrasts those events and the decisions made in regards to them with the Cuban Missile Crisis and Marshall Plan.

The bottom line is that the first three incidents were examples of Groupthink... a theory which hypothesizes that during a crisis, groups — no matter how smart or well-informed — will suppress dissenting opinions because of the pressure to agree on a plan of action, leading them to make terrible decisions. Sheep mentality anyone?

The Cuban Missile Crisis and Marshall Plan were able to avoid this problem. And we are alive and well today because clearly if the same group patterns were applied to the Cuban Missile Crises that were used in the Bay of Pigs, the world could have possibly been destroyed by nuclear war. Anyone remember the mini series The Day After?

Anyhow, war is attributed to Groupthink a great deal. And Groupthink doesn't really apply to Mizahar in terms of war. When it does apply is when someone won't state their REAL opinion because they are afraid it will make them unpopular or somehow uncool to the rest of the sheep. This is especially prevalent in chat.

[Gossamer]

What Do You Add To The Site?
Think about it. It really does matter...

Everyone has something to give to others. Mizahar is a community full of giving and receiving especially in regards to our threads and what we write about within them. I would like all of you this week to take a long hard look at the question above. What do you add to the site in regards to your writing? Do you add anything at all? I know myself I think about that all the time. Am I being too heavy handed? Do my means justify my ends? I try to temper that and give a lot in threads, but that sometimes equates to being taken from. Its disappointing and sometimes it makes me bitter.

The more I think about it the more I've decided that some people just don't have this on their radar and that it probably just has never occurred to them. That needs to change. I want everyone to start thinking about this. What do you give? What do you give? What do you give? If you don't give, how do you start and where do you begin? What is adding and giving to the site anyhow?

I'm going to give some examples of how to give.

Make threads about others. They don't always have to be about your PC or what those other players can do for your pc. It's not always about skill building or gaining coin or loot. Sometimes its about just having fun, making memories, and cutting loose. Those threads aren't the dreaded 'socials' but they have so much value as it is.

Do things for other PCs. Throw surprises in character be they parties, trips, outings, or just do something special like drop by their homes with a small gift or a chance to get to know them. Make them feel important. Let them know in thread how they make your PC feel and how much they add to your PCs life. It doesn't have to be a ten thousand word thread. It can be a short one or two post or even a five post thread of appreciation. I rarely see these types of things and it saddens me.

When Moderators post quests, I'm always hugely disappointed to see characters that have already had a lot of heavy moderation join these quests especially when the quests are limited in the number of pcs that can participate. It would be so much better to allow newer players or players that haven't been overly moderated a chance to join. Modhogs are what I call these people and in general they are unappreciative and ungiving in their threading and often very slow at posting. This is just selfish and self serving. So a way to give back is to hold back, let others join, or even spread the word that something is available. Encourage shy pcs or shy players to get involved.

Create plots for others. Sometimes our best ideas might be for others or even the realization that another PC needs to experience something and then making it happen in thread for them.

I know a lot of people give ooc by making codes or helping people get started. That's great and valuable too. But this scrap is about giving IC and adding to the game.

What do you add?

Are you just here for goreporn? Do you maybe just play a PC that does a series of threads where you're tortured and beaten and walk the thin line of bondage porn? That's zero value in my mind. Others might think its fantastic, but truthfully its nothing but thinly veiled disease and overall doesn't really belong here if its the sole reason for your existence here.

Fantasy is fun, but we like realistic fantasy here. And while bad things happen, other things should happen too that balance those dark or horrible things out. Just being here for that is douchbagville extraordinaire.

Giving should absolutely be a priority. What do you add to your city, threads, or even to the game as a whole? And if you can't come up with anything especially IC, then maybe its time you started thinking about what you could give. Shape up. Get on board. Understand the world isn't just about you.

I hope you understand what I'm saying.

I'd really like it if people responded to this scrap with just a line or two... what you give to the game or what your favorite things have been to receive. It might give people more ideas on how to change their ways and be better players.

[Fiachra]

What do I add to Miz with my few little IC posts?

An absolute understanding that there are people behind the characters and empathy.

I see time and time again on sites like this people get treated badly. I am happy to say it happens less on Miz than some other places. The writers are as a whole amazing human beings.

I will write with anyone. I will do whatever interest them, I will find a way for my character to be there. I will come up with stories or plots to try and hook them if necessary. I will volunteer for every quest so that someone is taking part and justifying the work the mods put in, but I will also find a newbie and try and talk them into going, if it's full I'd swap with them. I guess technically I count as a newbie here, but I've been writing a long time, so I forget to think of myself as one.

I don't take IC personally. OOC I try and remember that I don't know people. That I don't know what's going on in their lives. Maybe this is the only positive thing they have, and someone coming down on them and making this not fun or safe, maybe that takes away their last bit of hope. I've known kids like that. So I try not to just tell people they're wrong or stupid. I try to give them chances. I explain things, I give them resources they need. I forgive and I try and treat everyone respectfully because that's what I think people ought to do.

Mostly what I bring is just myself. I have fun, and I think if you are having fun, other people will have fun with you.

[Avrial Stalinsa]

After saying what I said in chat I took a moment to reflect and think on it.

I think what I give is time, as in I'm usually quick to respond to others. I think time is important because without taking time out of your day to write, it's easy to forget about things and others. And I feel like that's the worst when you start something and don't finish it.

For me I think there are two best things.

When I wake up in the morning and boom there's a red spot signaling a response. I feel like it's Christmas because I know someone took time to respond.

When we break the thread content down I think being acknowledged outside of the thread you started in is the best. Like that person had such an impact on your character that you mention them when they aren't present in the thread and your character is doing something else.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

Gossamer, your post made me think about whether I’m doing enough and whether I’m doing it right.

In Kenash I try to RP with everybody, regardless of their skill, their importance in the city and whether they are a new or old PC. I discuss things with them to make sure that they enjoy the thread. I prefer threads that have some kind of plot, but the dreaded socials that you mentioned can be fun as well every once in a while. Sometimes a social thread can really surprise you!

I’ve RPed violence and torture as well, but I try to balance that with other threads. In Alvadas I’ve started an open thread with my alt to tell people their fortune and socialize with them, and I might make another thread before the season is over, to make the city more active and get people to RP with each other. I’ve actually given him this job on purpose. I wanted a PC whose job threads could benefit others rather than soloing job thread after job thread without ever involving other people.

I haven’t started any open threads in Kenash though. Maybe I should do that sometimes …

I’ve actually been thinking about similar things as you this morning when I looked through another city for threads that may alt could join and didn’t find any. There are hardly any open threads in Mizahar. Most are either closed or „PM to Join“. I think that this is something we could all do, something that we could all give. Make more open threads. New players may be too shy to approach us older, more experienced players …

As for quests, I feel a little bad about that after reading your post. I just signed up for a quest. The next time I will let a newer player that might not have had as many interesting threads join instead. I’ve already had a lot of exciting things happen to my PCs.

As for the favourite things I’ve received, that had nothing to do with money or skills. One of my favourite threads ever is a thread with Melenna, the Konti, who made Valerius really think about what kind of person he is and brought out a side of him that neither he nor I as his player knew existed. My favourite threads are not the ones where Valerius is trying to get rich, but threads like that, where he finds out new things about himself with the help of another PC.