AMIA ARCHIVE • View topic - Archive (2014

I'll help guard the caravan.

~signed~
Max

I will help and Yes

~Wilfire

Hudson wrote:

*a few Greenspans*

Including a rather fancily written "Sammy"

The loud and rawkus dwarven banter continues into the late evening, serious matters are discussed and those that are not so serious. Ale is drunk and gnomes are teased. Most leave the inn at the end of the night in good cheer. Aaegus heads back up to his room over looking the river to watch the dark waters flow thinking about the resolve of his Dale kin to defend their home. "Stubborn bastards he mutters to himself" with a small smile.

He makes a few mental notes to prepare for his meeting with the treasurer if he finds her in the morning. He lays down to fall into a deep drink heavy sleep.

*signed on the petition and under the other volunteers for the caravan guarding job*
~Rosie Adenney

Kurchin would also sign his name, down for both.

Spoke with Aiseth Nosdivan from one of the Cordor Trade guilds. She told me that Cordor is more or less crippled in terms of producing anything, and confirmed that the city is in massive amounts of debt so it's unlikely that we'll be able to actually trade food to Cordor. She said she could pay for food for the city and distribute it fairly by paying from Wiltun's coffers, though.

Updated confirmed exports from Wiltun, and Cordor.

~Jannah.

Spoke with the Chancellor of Kohlingen, they might be interested in buying a whole nice big chunk of the next harvest in exchange for building materials to upgrade the Dale. Haven't hammered anything new out with them yet, though.

Updated Kohlingen's exports list.

~Treasurer on High, Dame of the Dale, Almighty Jannah D. B. Vindle esquire.

Good work Jannah!

I am glad Kohlingen responded. I am suspicious about Wiltun's motives in buying food for Cordor and would like you to only make trades with Cordor through an Cordorian official and not the Wiltun court wizard.

Perhaps you could approach Andrew Fryar to verify some things? He's a good fellow.

-Nof

Will do, since I have now been approached by about three different people all claiming to be in charge of trade for the same parts of Cordor.

~Jannah.

Updated most entries to reflect current status, and added a services index to each entry to show what kind of things we might be able to exchange goods for that aren't solid trade items in quantity.

~Jannah.

*Some would see Nick post a sign on the Town Hall stating the following*

Due to lack of turnout I would suggest we reschedule the meeting to a date to be determined later to make sure we don't "rush" into any decisions and deal with the issues at hand as needed.

~Nick

The time allocated to nominate people has ended!

The coming week (18-25 May) is for campaigning. Our venerable matriach Annalee Weatherbee will oversee the elections and count the votes.

*Posters would appear in the Hin Inn, on the noticeboard and in the own hall*

Vote Nof for experianced leadership in these dark times!

In these dark times with war looming on the horizon we need an experianced mayor who knows the Dale as well as he does his pantry. We need a level headed steward to look after the Dale. We need the right persons on the right spot!

Nof will uphold the idea of the conclave to make sure the right person does the right job!

Nof will hold an election speech and answer questions this evening.

((May 19th, 21.00 GMT, 22.00 Cet))

Good idea lad!

Right now we all have to think on the following.

What do we do when war comes to Bendir? We have some options..

- We have been asked to evacuate the Dale and head to Kohlingen. The Bronzebeards have received an offer to move to Barak as well.
- We can stay and see what happens.
- We have been requested to join the war council from Kohlingen and their allies. They asked us to send two persons to attend. Do we accept this invitation?

Please post your thoughts below.

Also, at what time can the most of you attend our weekly meetings? Do we need to hold them earlier or later?

-Nof

http://i.imgur.com/GxnlC9E.png
http://i.imgur.com/VhzHWj7.png

As announced Nof held his speech, drawing a large crowd of locals to the Inn to listen to the seasoned hin describing his ideas on how to keep Bendir as he named it 'Safe, prosperous and pleasant'

Perhaps noteworthy - or perhaps expected - the cheerful young Oldfur who had placed her name up for the Mayoral election makes no sign whatsoever that she intends to put up some kind of campaign information. In fact, she spends most of her time spreading a "Vote for Nof" vibe. If asked about her own run for Mayor, she just grins and states, "If'n I were ta make Mayor, I'd have ter kick ya lot in the shins fer bein' silly."

Nof wrote:

What do we do when war comes to Bendir? We have some options..

- We have been asked to evacuate the Dale and head to Kohlingen. The Bronzebeards have received an offer to move to Barak as well.
- We can stay and see what happens.
- We have been requested to join the war council from Kohlingen and their allies. They asked us to send two persons to attend. Do we accept this invitation?

I personally feel the Dale is more defensible than the other two options as we are not easily accessable by water and have a defensable wall, leaving only an attack by air as our only weakness, however, if the evacuation option is made I will stay behind to keep an eye on the Dale and prevent any from trying to take ownership

*a few golden hued comments are added and signed Grimwarden Boaz.*

Hudson wrote:

Good idea lad!

Right now we all have to think on the following.

What do we do when war comes to Bendir? We have some options..

- We have been asked to evacuate the Dale and head to Kohlingen. The Bronzebeards have received an offer to move to Barak as well.
- We can stay and see what happens. I would prefer this option but will stay with the bulk of the population to continue tending our faith and community.
- We have been requested to join the war council from Kohlingen and their allies. They asked us to send two persons to attend. Do we accept this invitation? Yes, I think we should, if only for information.

Please post your thoughts below.

Also, at what time can the most of you attend our weekly meetings? Do we need to hold them earlier or later? Later.

-Nof

The lack of appearance of Theadric could easily be based on the fact he was limping home through Bendir, having not left his house since.

I'm not keen on leaving the Dale, we've been through a lot and we're just going to let it all go? After all those years of 'holding the fort', sustaining ourselves from blights and what not.
Leaving the Dale by itself and waiting seems too risky. I'd prefer the last option - join the war council from Kohlingen and their allies.

~ Rosary Doodlekins

Personally, when war comes to Bendir, I hope I have hin by my side to stand for our home. Get intel from Kohlingen. But no, I'm not leaving my home. It's my home, and it'll stay that way.

-Theadric.

Kohlingen doesn't actually have the supplies to feed their population and their army, let alone refugees from the dale, the shrine, winya ravana and cordor like they were talking about. If we don't hold the town and our crops it is likely that everyone starves to death anyway.

Unless we get supplies from elsewhere, fleeing the dale will have us eating rats and each other sooner rather than later.

~Treasurer Vindle.

Another note is tacked up beside the old pillar in Town Hall

While the mayoral elections are underway, it is clear that there is a need for support in military areas. Due to the looming threats, it's clear that no matter who gets the vote: We will need to upgrade our defenses, and these needs have not been ignored by the Office of the Treasury! This notice will be where I announce the trade deals which will improve our defenses and militia's equipment.

Current Material Acquisitions:
Mithral Weaponry for the Militia (From the Drow Shrine, small volume)
Rare and Powerful Enchanted Weaponry for the Militia (From Cordor, very small volume)
Building Materials for Wall Improvement (From Guldorand)

Current Service Acquisitions:
None.

Offered Materials:
Dwarven Crafted Weapons for the Militia (From Barak Runedar)
Dwarven Crafted Armor for the Militia (From Barak Runedar)
Siege Weapons (From Barak Runedar)
Golem Parts (From Barak Runedar)
Building Materials for Defenses (From Kohlingen)

Offered Services:
Defensive Engineering and Masonry (From Barak Runedar)
Militia Drill Instruction (From Barak Runedar)
Arcane Crafting Assistance (From Kohlingen)

I talked with a knight from Cordor West, and agreed to trade them a steady supply of water in exchange for a few really powerful weapons for the best of our militia. More importantly, it gave us trade inroads to Cordor itself which will help us keep the city from being starving and dying of thirst by the time the Amnish march in there. If we're to survive the coming conflict we need Cordor to stand for as long as possible.

At the same time, I understand any objections people may have to me trading with them so if people think us tolerating Cordorian attitudes I'll accept any veto orders from the Elders or any Mayor involved with this. But right now I do argue that having a more secure buffer in Cordor is more important.

~Treasurer Vindle.

I don't want to push things but we're running out of time.

I wanted to send Theadric as delegate to this war council as him being a follower of Avoreen makes him perfectly suited for this. Who else wants to accompany him? I want to go myself but it seems people want me to stay in the Dale so we'll need someone else.

-Nof

I don't see why we wouldn't trade with Cordor. The elders generally don't mind too much as long as it doesn't foster strive in the Dale or clearly goes against our interests.

I'll ready a large shipment of water as soon as I find out how to ship large amounts of water and find escorts assuming this deal is finalized.

-Nof

*A stout hin leaves a note*

IF Theadric needs me to I'll accompany him to the war council. As my place is among the Dale standing side-by-side with me Kin!

Frido

Gulliver Goldwoods would pass through Bendir Dale - and feel greatly inspired and truly touched by the sincerity of his cousins and kin.

*A small note in spidery writing is posted by a young hin*

I urge the candidates who didn't do this yet to present themselves and allow our residents to ask their questions before the elections end.

-Annalee

*Nof would scrible some under his original note*

If anyone has questions I will be around later to answer any questions our residents may have.

-Nof

((today 23.00 gmt/ midnight cet so people from across the ocean can hopefully make it as well if they want to. Nof won't be around more then an hour due to me needing sleep.))

*A note is left on the message board*

If I may be so bold, I'd like to suggest that we postpone the Mayoral election until after this whole Amn war ordeal is settled. I recommend in the meantime that Nof be made Mayor on an interm basis during this wartime and he appoint an interm Vigilant Sentinal to oversee the militia until we can have ourselves a proper election with all the pomp and circumstance it rightly deserves.

Nick

*A note would appear soon after, written in a neat spidery old persons script*

This war business has been building for a year and can last for a long time to come, easily several months. We need leadership in these dark times and an interim mayor feels like a half measure in a time where half measures will lead to defeat.

Since mayors are elected for a half year period I hope that covers the war. Seeing we have two veteran warriors running I am quite confident the right mayor will be chosen and hopefully when we have the next elections priorities and our needs have changed, hopefully from firm leadership in war to creative leadership in peacetime.

-Annalee

// As i've been given permission by the player to do so...

*A poster pinned onto the noticeboard at the hin inn*

Free, single, ready to mingle? Ready to find true happiness? Look no further, for you have the chance to date Jannah Vindle. Yes! The Dale's very own treasurer.
Being with Jannah Vindle is a one of a life time opportunity, to spend the rest of your life with her. She is an amazing, intelligent and overall a beautiful person, inside and outside. We all know how lovely she is!
Auditions will be held by me, Rosary Doodlekins.

Requirements:
Male
Hin
Preferably good looking

May good fortune be with you! P.S She also has lots of gold!
~ Rosary Doodlekins

Please sign your name below or look for me instead if you don't want to present your name.

*a very poor attempt at forgery is made*

General Nof

*The hin known as Jillian Bashere, little wicker basket in hand, would peer at the note for a few minutes, then she'd burst out into laughter before she scribbles on Crows forgery.*

She'd better be a good cook then or that will be a very brief and unhappy union.

The actual treasurer herself just looks at this notice and groans, before promptly not leaving her office for a day or two out of embarrassment.

Voting has started; all residents of the Dale have one week to deposit their written votes to Annalee Weatherbee! (pm me)

The candidates are:

General Nof
Sentinel Theadric (There are rumors he resigned his candidacy but he told me no such thing nor leave word)
Pebs Oldfur

*As Rosary heads back to her poster she scribbles down on a notebook, writing a familiar name down a dozen times. She then makes an attempt at forgery:*

Wilfire Strongfeet

*Someone scribbles something under the last note attached.*

Only four more days! Cast your votes while you can!

If finding themselves unmolested by the time they reach the north gate of Bendir Dale, a caravan of oxen lead by a team of dwarven workers and soldiers would roll to a halt in front of the town militia guards. The lead dwarf, a stout red bearded councillor known to the hin of the Dale as Aaegus would greet the militia guards and state they have a delivery from Barak Runedar for the town Treasurer, Vindle and motion to the crate laden oxen.

On inspection of the contents of the crates, it would be found they are full of gleaming half sized mithril arms and armours of fine dwarven craftsmanship. Handing over the inventory along with the goods. It would list two hundred sets. Each set containing a short spear, a short sword, a helm, a suit of chainmail and a shield emblazoned with the sigil of the Dale. Enough it seems to stock a small army of hin and gnomes.

There was one last crate remaining which had been marked for delivery to Angus Bronzebeard, this would contain thirty-odd sets of dwarven weapons and plate armours forged from adamantine. Including most notably a keg of Brogendenstein dwarven ale.

Elections are closed!

I'll need some time to count all the votes so I will announce the results later today!

-Annalee

Hello everyone!

I was curious what you lot expect of me DM-side.

I have to admit I am slightly put off by the lack of initiative in the Dale but I realise that may be in part my fault. Hence the question above. I'll put my own expectations below because that may clarify things!

And please, please, please don't turn this thread into a flamewar - lets keep it contructive and civil for the benefit of all involved!

I'd like to see residents of the Dale gather and do stuff basicly.
Exemples are Jannah working on her ledger and meeting people for trade and Breazy raiding libraries (which has a lot of consequences which still aren't played out fully - absolutely awesome!)

Think up something awesome to do or achieve, gather people if needed (inform me of it and arrange a time) and do it. Things that benefit the community are best in my book and things that don't require permanent changes to the module are easiest - changes are possible but as you all know, take more time.
Exemples are making stone golems, making a brewery, raiding evil libraries, drag Gulliver back bodily to the Dale (kidding!) or anything else that expands on Bendirs safety and trade.
Other things could be patrolling the Dale lands, keeping tabs on banned persons or gutting the worst of them when they least expect it on Dale land (coughs) - preparing for the war would be great too, a lot is going on and pc's can act (and are encouraged!) as embassaries there.

People standing around and rp'ing is fine too ofcourse but I would love to see a little less joking around and a little more working towards a goal.
I am not going to toss things at people standing around often (Most of those would be negative and I don't want to toss negative stuff at the Dale out of the blue.) - I want to help people do things instead and narrate a story (negative things can offcourse happen as a result of enthousiastic hin action but then it has a good reason and I think would be easier and more fun to deal with.)

It's easiest for me to oversee things when I know who wants to achieve what and when (so I can be online)

That's it! Please post your expectations of me below here! I'll keep a close eye on this post.

Honestly, I wouldn't take a lack of initiative personally with your DM role if that's what you're thinking, though that said:

I think the issue lies therein is roles within the community. For the sake of your understanding it's a lot like the community of Kohlingen operates. Everyone has a role, and thus when situations arrive people with the corresponding role have something to do and typically things to inspire and motivate them soon follow.

An example of how you could do this is: Freddo the Farmer just farms his Papyrus day in, day out, typically sitting near the carts talking. Sometimes he grabs his sickles and uses them to stab Trolls instead of farming, but nothing eventful really happens. If you, as a DM, want this character to develop can provide numerous situations. Maybe one of the Papyrus seems extra fertile, leading the character to want to find more fertile grounds? Maybe an abandoned farm nearby is told to Freddo, possible making him want to pursue restoring it? Such personal quests, whilst not having to pertain to any particular quest chain, does A LOT to motivate characters.

The examples you listed are good ones with regarding the above suggestion. Jannah has had the treasurer role and treasurer-like roles for a while, thus when funds have been needed to be raised and budgeting needed, she's been able to step up and develop her character through this. The same regarding Breazy's library raiding, Bendir Dale needed information to stop the Blood Curse and thus Breazy, having an important role at the time, took it upon herself to push forward with it.

Perhaps, you as a DM, could a couple things if you want to plan these situations:

-Catch people off-guard, some of my best RP experiences have been through moments where you had no idea something was going to happen. I'd give your little Gnome sub-plot a nod with that.
-For people wishing to pursue actions requiring your DM approval/input/possession, maybe try using this thread more often? For a non-FR game I perform the role of DM on, it is extremely useful to give your availability some notice if you want things like this to happen.

Also I'd really like to see more NPC character progression! It's one of my favourite things you've done since stepping up to the role.

Thanks for the response Kamina!

Quote:

Also I'd really like to see more NPC character progression! It's one of my favourite things you've done since stepping up to the role.

I am trying to do that but it's fairly hard going.

Some people making local born characters helped immensly there but sadly I haven't seen those much lately which makes npc progression more forced.

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-Catch people off-guard, some of my best RP experiences have been through moments where you had no idea something was going to happen. I'd give your little Gnome sub-plot a nod with that.

Good point. I like to occasionally do that but its much easier and more fun for me if I can do that in a related way to actions done by the players.
Tossing stuff out of the blue is too often a problem with a solution needed and Amia has enough 'problem' floating around now that can be tackled (or tried to) I feel.

Quote:

For people wishing to pursue actions requiring your DM approval/input/possession, maybe try using this thread more often? For a non-FR game I perform the role of DM on, it is extremely useful to give your availability some notice if you want things like this to happen.

Player response to that thread has almost been non excistant which is part of the reason for this post, I understand it's only a 'good' time for euro players so I will give it a shot or two on the weekends to see if anyone is interested.

The biggest thing that stunts player initiative (based on my experience over the years in other RP hubs as well) is a lack of direction. You will not get player initiative if there's nowhere to go with the story. As an example, why did almost no one run for Mayor? What does being Mayor even mean, other than being someone people will point at and blame whenever anything goes wrong (or right, occasionally)? What is there to do in the Dale that furthers the actual story, makes people want to get involved? You can't expect people to step up and put a ton of work into one little thing on their own, especially when it's just a personal thing that may or may not ever happen because they don't actually know if the Dale has a direction, a directive. Why? Because even the littlest thing requires a ton of work. No one likes a ton of work for nothing. We have to worry about that in RL!

One could argue that a direction is put together by the players. But that will take time, and I bet most people didn't bother with the Mayor thing because a major NPC was running for it. Maybe some people assumed that because Nof immediately jumped on being Mayor, the DM in charge (you) wanted an NPC Mayor. Maybe even more people think an NPC Mayor is just a better idea and didn't let their character run even if they would have liked to normally. If you wanted to present the election as a catalyst, it may have been better not to have Nof jump all over it. I'm certainly not saying he's not currently the best for the job or anything on that front, but it's just something to keep in mind. I don't know what other players were thinking; I'm just listing options!

So! I suggest working out the direction of Bendir Dale before we start hoping/expecting anyone to step up and take more initiative to further the story. At this point, the story is unclear. The trade part of the Dale is taken care of with Jannah's exemplary work, but that can't be the only aspect of the Dale that's fleshed out. Here are some things to consider:

What does the Dale want? Expansion? Better diplomatic relations? A stronger presence to deter crazy adventurers? Other stuff?

What is the point of playing a hin and/or getting involved with the Dale on a deeper level?

want

There's trade, agriculture, and the Militia. What else is there to be involved with if you're not drawn to staring at ledgers, picking plants, or stabbing murderous adventurers?

What is the local lore?

added to this thread maybe

That's all I can think of specifically right now, but I'm sure you can think of a whole lot more if you get my drift! The important thing is that the Dale needs fleshed out and I personally think that's something we all need to work on together. Don't be discouraged, Hudson, by a lack of initiative. More often than not, it's because of more than just lazy players who only want to "stand around and RP". Think of it as you would in a tabletop game. The DM isn't there to just give people random encounters when they look bored. They don't say "You're in Bendir Dale, the place of your birth. What do you do?" without following it up with a quest or a direction ("You see an old crone that's not one of the regulars in the Dale. She looks hurt." Yay, plot hook!). I know it's different for a persistent world, but that's sort of the point, too. We're working on a larger story, a server story. I'm not talking about massive world-ending plots, but a direction for not only the Dale, but everyone else as well. What can we do to make our players feel like they're part of the server, and not just some rural, out-of-the-way po-dunk that doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things?

You might say "But Bendir Dale is the breadbasket of Amia! Of course it matters in the grand scheme of things!" But unless you want everyone to stand around picking plants and milking cows - which I gather is not what you're worried about! - then it needs to be more than just the convenient Wal-Mart for everyone else. It needs its own draw, its own identity.

Anyway, that went on longer than I intended! I haven't been playing much lately because of RL things that currently have my attention, but I should be able to get back on regularly soon. And I'd love to help with fleshing out the Dale so it can start to have its own place in the story that is Amia.

Historically the lack of bait on plot hooks has been a major problem. I can only really speak for myself but Jannah seemingly became really prominent really fast to me. But in my view it was only because there existed an impetus for me to personally create someone to solve a problem that existed and was quantifiable.

The Dale had no food, and I wanted to exploit remedy that. I created a character who would go around shouting for food donations and suddenly: Bam! Jannah has the ability to stick her nose into international politics because everyone needs their soldiers to eat to maintain the big war in the plot. The need for some detail for the threats surrounding us is what gives us a little handhold to keep climbing the wall.

For example: Recently I had the pleasure of helping someone set up in West Cordor to help against Amn. They went there and then went 'Now what?' and my first response was something like 'fix the place'. I thought it was a little dismissive, so I thought better of it and I gave them a checklist of a few basic things to do, people to talk to and some problems that needed solving along with one or two hints at how to solve them. They praised it as 'the most helpful thing [I've] ever seen on this server.'

One thing they didn't get is I have no idea whether or not those problems are things which can be solved in the way I suggested, but they instantly went ahead with them willing to make some mistakes. Why? I think it's honestly because someone else suggested it. Lots of people are afraid to do things on this server because they're afraid of rejection at some point along the way, that they'll work real hard for something that will ultimately fail. I suspected they're willing to go at it harder because I suggested some small part of the go ahead, as such it shifted a little of that burden on to me.

The burden however doesn't bother me because my goal was never to solve West Cordor's problems: My goal was to get them to play some Amia. Within three days they got into interesting roleplay and tense standoffs with street thugs, and folk heroes, and a criminal underworld. Conspiracy all over the joint! It was great.

I am, at this point in time, working on expanding and am trying to help people around the Dale under my own initiative. I recently convinced a new player to join up with a nutty gnome wizard to start a Bendir mage-artificer group to make us some golem buddies. Get those Forrstakkr gnomes a new home and workshop up and running. It's a little slow going since I'm still a bit busy with some real life stuff, but I do have one major reservation:

While I can help guide the dale through all my economy stuff, I still have no real clue whether or not people want what I'm doing. And while I can help people around the Dale through being a facilitator, I don't know what anyone else wants.

I can't read the minds of the DM's and I can't read the minds of my fellow players. And that often makes me balk at the idea of suggesting anything that wasn't already suggested by anyone else. The indication that something could be possible to look into, whether or not it would work, means I don't have to work up the nerve to just ask DM's randomly to bow to my will and pray it's not some stupid idea I'll be letting myself down with.

Yes, I am really that awkward with people I play anonymously with over the internet.

So help me out, I'll set up a Bendir Dale version of Dragon's Den or something if you want me to ICly point you in the right direction to achieve your own goals. But please have your own goals; if you want I can even coordinate with you OOCly but I don't like putting myself out there too much. The important thing here is just remember: Have an idea, then just make stuff up to make it seem possible to everyone else, then tell everyone else.

Except where it comes to major server wide plots, the mindset for Bendir Dale is closer to what you'd be looking for in Minecraft or Terraria than an ordinary roleplaying game. Sure, most of it is sitting around picking crops or looking over tables of figures. But you can use those skills to build a world crushing empire to fuel our collective napoleon complexes.

Thanks for the response Jes!

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One could argue that a direction is put together by the players. But that will take time, and I bet most people didn't bother with the Mayor thing because a major NPC was running for it. Maybe some people assumed that because Nof immediately jumped on being Mayor, the DM in charge (you) wanted an NPC Mayor. Maybe even more people think an NPC Mayor is just a better idea and didn't let their character run even if they would have liked to normally. If you wanted to present the election as a catalyst, it may have been better not to have Nof jump all over it. I'm certainly not saying he's not currently the best for the job or anything on that front, but it's just something to keep in mind. I don't know what other players were thinking; I'm just listing options!

I think most players don't want the commitment or their characters know better then to run. I think Nof running was quite logical seeing the current woes facing the Dale so he ran. That wasn't about what I wanted but more about what is logical.
I would prefer an active pc over an npc because that leaves much more time for me to do other things but an npc as mayor does make it easier for me to nudge people and give incentives on the other hand.

Quote:

So! I suggest working out the direction of Bendir Dale before we start hoping/expecting anyone to step up and take more initiative to further the story. At this point, the story is unclear. The trade part of the Dale is taken care of with Jannah's exemplary work, but that can't be the only aspect of the Dale that's fleshed out. Here are some things to consider:

I don't want to set out the direction of the Dale on my own. Almost every character has a speciality or area of focus and I think integrating those in the Dale direction is what we should try to accomplish.

Quote:

-What does the Dale want? Expansion? Better diplomatic relations? A stronger presence to deter crazy adventurers? Other stuff? There needs to be direction. Whether the DM in charge decides this or the characters get together and decide it, something needs to be determined. Right now, it could be said that the Dale is just a dot on the map, there to pause and wave at the locals before the "important people" go on to their previous destination. The Dale needs its draw, too.

I think that's what the Dale needs, a bit more political involvement. Embassaries for the war council have been requested, but that's only a start. The Dale does have some well connected pc residents but that doesn't seem utilized yet.
A stronger defense - yes, especially with the war.

But 'the Dale' consists of npc's and pc's together so it's more 'What do we want?' then 'What does the Dale want?'

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-What is the point of playing a hin and/or getting involved with the Dale on a deeper level? The Dale has seen some rough times and it could take a while for people to feel comfortable with a deeper involvement without being afraid everything's just gonna fall apart suddenly (again). Hin are fun and generally playful creatures. When it stops being fun, people stop playing them. If you look at the setup of Dale "politics" you can see that there's a whole lot of NPC activity there. A lot of the time that can be off-putting, especially if a player has had bad experiences with the NPC waiting game. Give the players some reason, some incentive. Maybe that sounds bad, but why should they work for something when they could just as easily lounge around and have care-free fun without the stress? We have to make our players want to work for the Dale!

Those rough times won't end if they aren't adressed and worked on. You can't look to Kohlingen or where ever to solve the current issues while twiddling thumbs imho.
While politics in the Dale are pretty light, informal they are needed to make decisions. The player's reward would be shaping Dale policies at the very least and hopefully the Dale not being just a dot on the map anymore.
The Dale will never be Amia's powerhouse (as far as I can see) but it has many strong points that could be worked on and strenghtened.

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-There's trade, agriculture, and the Militia. What else is there to be involved with if you're not drawn to staring at ledgers, picking plants, or stabbing murderous adventurers? People will need inspiration if you want them to have initiative. Maybe the Dale is viewed as "too narrow" in terms of what there is to do.

Religious activities for one.
Building up the Dale perhaps, there isn't much in the way of education as far as I saw.
The Militia is fairly broad too as they need about everyone from engineers to recruits to mages.
Perhaps a pc run merchant house can increase the avaidebility of items in the Dale.
Perhaps a hin mage can go for a mage tower intended to share magical lore.
Priests could got for a small temple or encourage the others with fervent speeches.
The Dale is fairly multi racial so there too you have options with hin, gnomes, dwarves fey and even the occasional human/ aasimar as residents.
Jannah also will need help with her trading schemes no doubt.

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-What is the local lore? This is getting better, but I think it could still use further fleshing out. There's a lot of lore dotted all over the place, but a proper compilation could be added to this thread maybe. It seems a good place to put it anyway! There's plenty on the way the Dale is run currently, but there should be more for players to drink up regarding the history.

I think there are a lot of players that have been around the Dale a lot longer then I have been so that one is fairly hard. I haven't found too much about the Dale yet.

Thanks for the post Murkoph!

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While I can help guide the dale through all my economy stuff, I still have no real clue whether or not people want what I'm doing. And while I can help people around the Dale through being a facilitator, I don't know what anyone else wants.

I can't read the minds of the DM's and I can't read the minds of my fellow players. And that often makes me balk at the idea of suggesting anything that wasn't already suggested by anyone else. The indication that something could be possible to look into, whether or not it would work, means I don't have to work up the nerve to just ask DM's randomly to bow to my will and pray it's not some stupid idea I'll be letting myself down with.

I love Jannah's work myself and I am hoping for her continueing it but I can't read the others minds either.

This thread partly comes from me not knowing what the Dale players want either so I am hoping for insights into that exactly.

You can always PM me with ideas/ questions and I can promise you I'll never react dismissively or angrily to an idea.
Npc's may dismiss an idea if you ask them but npc's are not me.

Most of the stuff I said will require input and work from multiple players and probably multiple DMs! Also, "the Dale" was meant as a weirdly-worded "we" so that was my fault.

But that's a good response, Hudson! I think if we all keep working at this we'll make ourselves a nice little place on the server. I'll be on this week (mostly when you're not, sadly - silly timezones), so I'll see if I can nudge folk in a way that only Pebbles can.

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