WD Braindump 2015

[Eosi]

Do I think we need plants and animals? No. I think we need ideas, concepts, monsters, factions.... think of Mizahar as a clean room with no decorations. We need Christmas lights, garland, and a glorious tree all proudly displayed. We have some of that now, but its never enough.

That's precisely it. This is a discussion for big ideas. Keep in mind that we're toying with things but like she said, nothing has been approved. I obviously have thoughts on the matter as to the shape it'd take, but I threw the reputation system out there primarily to galvanize some people into coming up with their own ideas. That is the whole purpose of this being a "braindump."

I think in a way, this actually points one of the things that we're dealing as a site, where everyone is willing to hop on the ideas of others but not necessarily really sit and come up with their own. That can lead to stagnation. With only a few minds producing and the rest consuming, this site could inevitably wither and die. What we want are people who are unafraid to get their hands dirty. I believe that you guys are those people. It can be tough because you're never sure what will gel and what won't, but that is precisely what these discussions are for.

Likewise, I plan to be brave and exploratory in what I come up with, but I find it important to stick to the script. We have processes on Mizahar for a reason. Everything needs to go through the appropriate channels before we go into actual development. That means getting it approved the the HD, for starters.

Developing the endgame for maxed out PCs is definitely something that needs to be addressed. I'm certain that something within the purview of a reputation system could be reworked to address that need. That actually inspires me to take this in a new direction, so that's pretty exciting.

Additionally, I have many thoughts on integrity and leading from the middle that will go into a scrap sometime in the near future. Remember that when it comes to any structured enterprise, whether it be a corporation or a roleplaying site, there are many people in the middle and only a few on top. The guys at the top find it harder to move forward if the guys in the middle are standing still.

I'll save the rest of that for later.

[Astator]

I am going to drift away from the idea of a reputation system as that seems to have taken on the majority of this conversation. I am hugely interested in the Eyktol region and seeing that fleshed out. I know it has been grabbed in the past and worked on, but nothing came out from it.

Editing this cause it is far easier: I do like to echo what Goss said about needing active Scribes though too. If people are willing to step up and take on this mantle after a while. Do it! We want you. =D

[Nephti]

I think maybe Education needs to be fleshed out. What sort of schooling would you find in each town, if any? What would they be taught? Cuz then people would know what sort of things their PC would be educated about, and what things they wouldn't know unless they had special lessons or a reason to know.

[Anthere]

I agree with Nephti. There needs to be more information about the standard education in cities.

[Eosi]

I know that a lot of education is domain-specific. I can see why you'd want something like that fleshed out but typically, things of that nature are found in the player's guide of a given territory. You can always contact the local DS to know more in the event it doesn't gel. I'm just not sure if that translates as well to wiki development. I'm not the expert though.

As for Eyktol, there's an idea! I know we've had a scribe in the past begin re-writing the Eypharians. Someone could always shimmy on down to the HD and apply to perhaps pass the torch. In fact, it'd be cool if as a team we all came together and picked a closed region to just develop like crazy. I'm sure it'd stimulate renewed interest in the area and maybe even inspire some folks to apply for storytelling in that region. After all, if you put that much effort into something you begin to get attached.

What does everyone say?

[Nephti]

Definitely! As an Eypharian, I'd love to see the region get some love!

[Azmere]

Goss has already been quoted on this thread. Monsters, ideas, factions and concepts. Eyktol and other regions are in serious need of revisions and lore, true. However, without the staff to run these areas, I think or efforts would best be focused on some of the things a Founder brought to light. I realize it's been mentioned that developing lore on a closed region might convince someone to step up and ST. That would be nice but I think that's something that should be left to the staff. Developing lore for a dead region might be a waste of time because an ST could come in and change a bunch of stuff anyways.

[Gossamer]

^ Agreed 100%

[Eosi]

Well sorry. Nevemind then.

[Azmere]

There's no need to apologize, Eosi. Mizahar needs all kinds of people to make things work and, obviously, you're a spark plug. Combustion engines don't run without functioning spark plugs but occasionally the spark needs direction.

Moving on...

Factions have their own page in the lore with a list of 40. There are some that need finished/updated.

Bells
Crimson Edge
Cult of Bears
Cytali
Golem Cult
Opal Order
Order of Radiance
Ruv'na
Seven Robes
The Second Edict
The Shroud

Certainly, there are some people out there who will find these groups worth the investment to develop or develop new factions!

If you have a knack for monsters, we could always use more of those. Every region has apex predators and huge, scary things that are rarely seen. What Miz needs are more functional monsters that would be more of an everyday menace. I am not good at coming up with concepts but I am willing to help add details about behavior and abilities if anyone needs that.

Staff: I also noticed that Factions and Magic Factions simply reroute back to the Factions page...maybe these could be eliminated. Also, there are several gnosis planted on the Factions list as well. Is this intentional?

Azmere