For quite some time many of you have expressed an interest in getting our chat into full swing again. Well maybe not full swing, but active at least. Anna (Dystopia) and I have combined our thinking (which can be a scary thing) and we've made some decisions about chat.
First, we are going to start doing chat events once every two months. These events may be things like festivals, dungeon exploration, tavern brawls, etc. They will last for three days (one day IC) to give everyone a chance to respond and join in. Typically this will fall on a Monday through Wednesday. This is the same way we did the Winter Masquerade Event and I think it worked out well. The next event will be on
Second, as you know we have Monday and Wednesday chat night. Wednesdays have been pretty slow and Sorceress used to lead. Since she is having chat issues once more, this puts a damper on Wednesday. I, unfortunately, cannot keep up with doing chat twice a week every week. Instead, what we're going to do now is...
Monday night chat every week.
Wednesday night chat every two weeks.
The next Wednesday night chat will be on June 19th, since Anna and I were on last night.
With the new design coming up soon, I'm thinking of setting up some sort of calendar, which I personally think is a fantastic idea. (Good idea, Adria!)
Last, I know some of you want to move away from sorcery as it’s bulked up with a bunch of chat rooms and we just get lost in the woods. I have asked the good folks at rpg-directory for their advice on a chat server. My hope is to get us something a little fresher and more awesome.
There are also other options we could look into as well like integrating our own chat into a browser. Click here. This actually seems pretty cool, but I believe some of you like the idea of having other random players walk into our chat and join in, which we probably would only get with an irc server.
I know I said "last" but there are a few other things I want to tie up here about chat - a few reminders if you will. We want to make chat active, but please please please remember that the GMs cannot do it ourselves. An RPG needs GMs to manage things but we are not nearly as effective without our players (this goes for forum and chat RP). As GMs, we can only do so much. We can participate and try to hold events, but without you all, we're set on a path of DOOM.
Some of you struggle with chat RP and try to find ways to fit in. My advice is to stop trying! I say this nicely by the way. Typically, chat should be considered free-for-all and if you want to join in with someone, find a spot to weasel your character in. You can also whisper/PM the person and see if they mind if you jump in. I know that people also struggle with finding someone to RP with in general. Get to know your fellow players and their characters (which sounds silly since most of us have known each other for years). Get their contact info and message them by other means. Example: my msn/skype is kaila @ neverend.org. Now you all have it. If you guys ever want to RP and I am around on Monday/Wednesday, send me a message and we'll think of something.
Just remember that I can push and plan, but I can only do either so much by myself. I did not ever intend to for Aleris to owned by the GM staff. I wanted it to be owned by all of you as well.
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 8:38 am
