AAhhh Fredian.

[maylstryx]

Sorry everyone but you have or might hear I lost my temper at not only alex xilocent but whoever plays the character. With alot of time invested here and then seeing the new training tactics as of late send newbies into instant badass status, the warring and squabling and puffed out chests has gotten to me and made logging in a chore. Love you all but also love the Max Payne demo i downloaded so to keep my sanity and my neverwinter disc unbroken Im gonna be a cop for a bit.

[Makzimia]

I level some of the blame for this obviously at biowares feet for making it impractical for certain players who like to level fast to do so normally. However, Maylstryx makes a valid point, and if I do see newer players puffing up and making themselves out to be some sort of god, and I mean none IC. I will kick some players butts. IC is one thing with RP, but just running around, going, oh I am tough, look at me, is not on! Want that go find a PvP server that is for brainless fighting.

Makz.

[Phoenix]

You should also consider the RP of the Island of Fredian. We were all 'brought' here from other places, why assume we were all level 1 in that place, before we got here... Don't assume that because you have not seen a person around much they should be low level. I'm going out on a limb a little, but did that assumption get in your way of your RPing?

The reason I ask is you make 2 different statements. 1. You disagree with people training/leveling quickly, and 2. You disagree with their OOC remarks.

I play a 'power hungry' character, so puffing of my chest does happen (all IC), but I also don't get into fights left and right. In fact I have yet to PK anyone, *yet*.

Granted this is RP stuff, if the person behind the character is acting poorly, that's another problem. But I have no problem with people who level quickly, A. the server is setup for it, B. there can be valid RP due to the way we all got on the island. and C. If someone does RP that they got here at level 1, whos to say his character isn't power hungry?

[addicted2rpg]

At least from watching how you behaved on my last event, Phoenix, you do a good impersonation of evil. I think Makzimia is referring to a hostile player type, using RP as a mask to back someone into a corner and then kill them. Of course, they don't follow the golden rules like not pursuing, leaving a way out (without degrading dignity), etc...

I like the idea of everyone coming not being level 1 per se, but consider the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks.

Essentially you have semi-ranked middle manager totally thrown out of his world. On the island, he is totally alone w/out employees to boss and his currency is worthless. Fredian isn't exactly a parallel analogy, but whatever titles a strong person held in their previous lives are gone on the Island. This should give them some cause to be humble.

Really what it takes is that to be someone, it will take more than muscles. In IoF culture, I've observed most people equate 'that something more' to reputation-- having RP'd a well-known character whom many people are familiar with. In medieval days, a nobleman was usually right at trial, even if he was the one doing the wrongdoing (peasants had crappy rights). In a way, an unknown (but strong) outsider would not stand a chance against a more wealthy and established resident in the scope of a conflict that went beyond a blade battle.

The trick now is how we could setup that kind of environment, assuming we want one like that in the first place

[Cella]

As someone who tends to forget about levelling and enjoy the RP experience entirely, I do not see these issues as being that major.

The Levellers do not hinder the plots that the RP players put together, and tend to just act like a load of Adventurers wandering in and out of our plots.

The RP's know generally who is Role playing and who is not so we generally remain in each others arena.

For me, the RP is the difference between this world being what it is and not decending into a Diablo style game.

[Makzimia]

Various styles of play will show up in Fredian, and that alone I have no problem with. That is why I put SIMPLE rules in place, and why generally speaking I do not RP police, however, I do want respect for space given, and as Cella said, some do, others however, well... anyway.

Non rpers, just remember if you want to carry on, do so in party, not talk, that way if you are in your mode of " coolo... hey just wait a sec..." etc.. it won't ruin it for the Rpers. And if you are doing something like just coming out of Styne Castle dungeons and a RP session of council if going on, don't just run past.

Thanks,

Makz.

[JoScMa]

Personally, I don't mind if players "power level" as some people put it. If they are having fundoing it, then who's to say they cannot have that fun? I managed to get Mac into a high level, but I also tend to play a lot as well. Anyway, I like having the balance to adventure out in wherever I go and to do a lot of RP'ing. I RP wherever I go actually whether I slaughter demi-liches or hang around West Styne

So I like to have fun with every feature NwN has.

[Cella]

Thank ye Mac,

As ever your words speaketh volumes, for we know the benefits of Role playing, do we not?

Cella

[Phoenix]

addicted2rpg, thanks, I try to walk a fine line of being obviously evil, but not attack everyone/get hunted by do-gooders. BTW I realize some things I do may also walk the fine line of irritating a DM who's directing a party in an event. If that happens a quick cease and desist tell will suffice.

I read your 'leave a way out' post and I have to admit, it's something I'm definatly thinking about. I think I leave the gracefull part out, or minimize it. Hey sometimes you run with tail between your leg, shamed... But it's definatly a good way to think about things.

[Zhoreb]

I must admit i took a few 'training' sessions myself with my early characters. My newest incarnation took some as well, but that was mostly to figure out how the subrace xp-loss works. Very ooc but necessary as a player learning process.
As for the RP element, I'm not opposed to occasional sessions where a high level character is showing off his battleprowess, and a lower level character is eager to learn. I just think the lower level character gets way too much XP for just watching the fight, benefitting the higher level character as well, boosting his xp gains.
Maybe some script can be made that cuts the xpvalue if the partymembers are too far apart levelwise. It will take out the 'fun' for powerhungry players, while still maintaining a roleplaying aspect.

[AvengersWraith]

I have been on some of the power levelling trips as the low man on the totem pole. I always try to participate some with a ranged weapon. I, myself, find it very hard to only be a spectator. I also ask to carry reserrection scrolls (if I don't have any) and healing kits so I can aid with support in the background. Some of my favorite memories of the first server I played on was getting large parties with a wide range of levels to go on the major quest.

I did go with a lower level character once, I was a little hesitant when asked to go for higher level encounters, but the player behind the character knew how to fight using his brain and I later learned it was addicted2rpg I was playing with. I found this particular encounter very fun, it was nice adventuring with someone who chose out smarting the opponents as opposed to just bashing them in.

I didn't do this with addicted's character because he knew what he was doing, but in the past I chatted people who wanted powergaming; here is what I do, look for weaknesses, making stratagies, etc... Imagine my surprise when many of them decided to go find someone else to powergame with.

[Phoenix]

As a rule of thumb I try to not party with Impossible/Effortless people for that reason. Honeslty there few good reasons for them to be together other than power leveling. Once I get about 18th it doesn't matter much to me as long as I'm not traveling with a 5th level... Once your epic, it's much harder to find 3-4 people 'your' level, so I don't care as much if the party is 23-24-29-31-36. But knock 20 levels off everyone 3-4-9-11-16, and why is that 16th partying with a 3rd?

[Silentus]

--- This opinion only applies to those who engage in RP ---
--- strict Hack-n-Slasher need not consider this ---

As long as we are on the topic, I have to say this outright - I am against powergaming. Period. Particularly power-leveling. For anyone who argues "well I am a half-dragon and only average 1.2xp (after the racial penalty) per enconter..." - all I can say is, yeah, so... that is what the penalty you chose to accept for those benefits.

If you must powergame, keeping it in character it is much more palettable. A good example is (character) Sniven's host of followers a while back who he was training for 'thier best interest'. I'm still not certain whether that was for his charaters personal level advancement or an IC RP ploy for social/political power or a mix of the two. I had NO issue with this because of the RP circles created around it.

The ones I most have a problem with are those who pick up a young one ooc who they have no reason to befriend and take them to epic locations. Even worse - those oung ones who randomly send out tells looking for triainers.

HOWEVER, despite my strong felings on this matter. I am not and never would consider being the gaming police. You do what you want. It is not my business, and if you are having fun, who am I to stand in your way (providing you are not causeing other players grief of course). I just request that you consider these activites before exploiting them, and if you still choose to do so at least try to have some RP reason.

- My 2 coppers -

[JoScMa]

Couple problems encourage people from doing this power levelling business. First, once people are getting higher and higher into epic levels, the xp reward for monsters drop significantly. If I solo with my character, Mac, he gets 6 xp with every monster in the game. Doesn't matter if it's a warped barbarian or an orc. 6 xp across the board. With that xp reward system, it highly encourages players to bring along a young character along to boost that xp.

Second problem is that xp drops dramatically if multiple epic level character adventure together. 6 xp per will turn to 3 per, and if enough high level characters are together, everyone gets 0 xp per monster.

This reward system is encouraging this kind of gameplay. It sucks but hey, that's life for ya.

[Radog]

I like a mix of less powerleveling and more RP, that to me seems the perfect combination. Here's what I did when used to "train" lower level characters (don't much anymore). First I would send them a "Tell" letting them know that we will RP the entire training process. Then my char would explain that the fastest way to advance your training other than trial and error (by yourself) is to "watch" me, study the "techniques" I use against various creatures, study the "weaknesses" of the opponents I face, then take notes. Then occasionally I would ask something like, "Did you see how I used blankity blank technique" or "See, his weakness is fire" or something like "Are you taking notes?". Then I would also tell them to critique me and "analyze" different things about me in combat such as my speed and efficiency, technique, etc, because it helps for someone with a "fresh" perspective to critique me instead of a veteran who has seen it all, I get a more "unbiased" opinion. I am not condoning powerleveling people because it sucks to see someone go from level 1 to 30 in three days, but when I do it occasionally, at least I RP it to the hilt. My two cents.

Radog