AMIA ARCHIVE • View topic

I am recruiting players to create concept deep gnomes, halforcs, drow, duergar and other subterranean races to populate, buildup, and create (or recreate) a city in the image of our constituent populations. People who have spent or are willing to spend 10 or 20 DCs on making beholders, illithids, minotaurs, half-deep dragons and the like are also welcome.

The current plan is to gauge interest, and then set up with DMs about a possible large arrival of a caravan with the newly created PCs on board, being met by a welcome party recruited by forward scouts.

The objectives are Storyline, Interaction, minimal PvP, and serious amounts of cooperation. There is also a deep-set need to ensure that L'Obsul does not become Ultrinnen II.

At this moment, nothing is set in concrete, and I will be soliciting advice and opinions from others. The main goal however, is the creation of a player-controlled dominion through Roleplay over the course of a year or more.

The new Underdark on Amia Abroad is still relatively unpopulated, with a bare handful of independent groups, made up mostly of friends who have created their characters together, and older, more established factions looking for new ground to plant roots in. There is, essentially, an untamed power-vacuum within the political sphere.

I want to take advantage of that, and bring in old and new blood to tame this promised land.

The inherent system shall be an alliance of mutual benefits. While there will be a primary faction running things, there will be multiple allied factions. For example, there could be a PC goblin tribe, which operates independently of the other factions, but operates from areas designated as controlled by the alliance, and turns up for alliance activities as they are arranged by PC leaders, hopefully with the occasional DM involvement..

The most important facet of this however, will be the golden fleece of player domination over certain areas, resulting in the construction or control of faction areas, buildings and industry. Very important in bringing in new blood will be a system where by ranks are not permanent, and inactive characters are taken off the roster entirely, and lose whatever rank they may have acquired, and must go about earning or paying out favors to get back into the system.

Leadership will be exercised by a core of players. The only criteria is that leadership cannot be stagnant. If you can't play, you pass the baton. Inactive leadership is an intolerable sin.

While factions based on racial lines are anticipated, the main faction will be based on multi-racial concepts, allowing members of failed factions to jump ship and enter the main group. Drow Quellar, Duergar Clans, Goblin Tribes and Half-orc bands are the strongest candidates for recruitment.

Therefore, this is a call not just for individual character concepts, but faction concepts. There should be a spirit of cooperation, not conflict (though conflict is expected).

Current Volunteers
blackvswhite
Selvec Darkon
LordAzack
soundofastream
oshizo2
RuffTuff
Vaylek

Da Munchy Maggot should be there.... This sounds wonderful

I agree bar the minimal-pvp rule. You cannot state that as a Rule since Amias rules override it.

But yes go for it. Its seriously depressing that Disco and Cori(?) spent so much damned time on the AbUD and so few people use it seriously.

It sounds like you plan to make your own place? I would suggest using what is there, since it's virtually empty.

If the gist of this is that you'll actually do all this in L'Obsul, then add a Drow to the list. I wouldn't worry about it becoming Ultrinnan. That is impossible, since it's not a Drow only city. If a Drow slights a Svirf, they can duke it out, etc.

MoshingChris wrote:

I agree bar the minimal-pvp rule. You cannot state that as a Rule since Amias rules override it.

But yes go for it. Its seriously depressing that Disco and Cori(?) spent so much damned time on the AbUD and so few people use it seriously.

Thank you. Its not a rule, per-se. Its an objective. To clarify, I am looking for minimal PvP between allied groups. Keep in mind I'm talking Underdark factions here. The word Friends don't exist in some of the dictionaries down there. PvP vs Surfacers is expected. In fact, the whole Frozenfar area might undergo a siege or two over the course of things a few months down the road.

xordae wrote:

It sounds like you plan to make your own place? I would suggest using what is there, since it's virtually empty.

If the gist of this is that you'll actually do all this in L'Obsul, then add a Drow to the list. I wouldn't worry about it becoming Ultrinnan. That is impossible, since it's not a Drow only city. If a Drow slights a Svirf, they can duke it out, etc.

There is definitely a pull factor to L'Obsul. Activities will almost certainly be centered about it. To use an existing analogy, I would like to see L'Obsul become Bmia's Bendir Dale, and we are the halflings. Someone tell Kjetta to come back as the Ogre (Captain) of the Guard.

Kroann Bloodbeard is still skulking in the Duergar home on B, sulking at his family's apperent disdain of traditional Duergar existance & beliefs. If I have time, I may bring him back, though I imagine he will probably end up changing his last name when people get wind.

We tried to create an underdark alliance of sorts a while back, but it didn't work out. OOC things, IC things and just a combination of general issues causes it to eventually sink into obscruity.

Just something to remember however. Illthids would never be accepted by other underdark races, as they have a tendency for enslaving everyone, and also have a superioroity complex. Underport is proof of this.

Roger, Thanks. Illithids BAD.

Expect more areas being added over the next weeks, btw.

L'Obsul is really the tradeing hub of the new amia underdark. Sorta like where all the evils meet for common reasons. (Money).

My drow is in.

Looking for more people. Anticipate heavy amounts of RP, and plenty of guild-style roleplay. There will probably be DM support, since they are encouraging us to do stuff here.

Thinking about letting the Buck-Tooth clan go UD. This would be a bunch of Goblins and few Ogrillons and Hobgoblins.
I personally think this would be a great idea. Will discuss that with my minions

Quote:

Someone tell Kjetta to come back as the Ogre (Captain) of the Guard.

Kjetta come back as the Ogre (Captain) of the guard!

Do we allow kobolds?

I've got an Ogrillion and a Shadow Elf. The Shadow Elf lives there already, the Ogrillion doesn't as yet but was part of the Dark Alliance and one of Grimgor's cronies.

So I've plenty of characters built for that place. Tried to make it come alive once but no interest was forthcoming. Doesn't mean I've completely given up. If someone else can push things along, I'll ride their coattails for sure!

As long as I'm not expected to give up roleplaying my main character (Talana) then I'm happy.

Very_Svensk wrote:

Do we allow kobolds?

Quite frankely, yes. Kobolds are probably more likely to live in the underdark then ogrillions or orcs. They are small draconics without wings, so down instead of up is probably their fortay.

Not to mention Kobolds are rather numerous on Amia, where as honestly the more underdarkish races, with exception of the Drow, are not.

Kobolds and Goblins are a yes yes.

Okay dremauthin lives in duergar home now. He is so in as a matter of fact he is basically my main character. He lives a solitary life as of now I haven't met a single pc duergar down there. He does know one of those gobos "snot" I think and one ogrillion. I spend hours alone down there. I AM in! Oh yeah totally for duergar life the way it is.

This has caught my attention, and I believe that I actually might just go subterranean to participate here.

Good effort, Fireproof. Sounds like fun.

I've got a former banite ogrillion who is stupid as hell and might have wandered into the Underdark and found a home there!

Put my name down.

Thank you guys, we now have 9 people.

Thats more than enough to start a faction, and even ask for a forum. I would like to arrange to meet up this weekend.

Saturday, 9am (gmt+0) ok for everyone?

Please note down your UD character that you will be using for easier communication IG please.

I thought the requirement was 10 individual players active for a solid month?

Thats an increase in requirements as I remember it.
For the record, I'm not requesting anything yet. I mean, we haven't even done anything but discuss things OOCly.

Jyro X wrote:

I thought the requirement was 10 individual players active for a solid month?

The requirement is on a faction to faction basis and its longer than a Month of solid RP. Flavor of the month factions and all that, player history etc etc. Just because nine people commit on the forums doesn't mean those 9 players are going to get along OOCly etc.

This is the Underdark.
Its not about getting along, its about killing you later, after we killed everyone else first.

The weak minded end up killing each other first, and never get to killing everyone else.

Since the dms will get rid of ultrinaan anyway, just rename their forum into a general UD forum maybe?

fireprooftroll wrote:

This is the Underdark.
Its not about getting along, its about killing you later, after we killed everyone else first.

The weak minded end up killing each other first, and never get to killing everyone else.

If you can't get along OOCly as I stated your ability to form a faction dies pretty quickly.

MoshingChris wrote:

Jyro X wrote:

I thought the requirement was 10 individual players active for a solid month?

The requirement is on a faction to faction basis and its longer than a Month of solid RP. Flavor of the month factions and all that, player history etc etc. Just because nine people commit on the forums doesn't mean those 9 players are going to get along OOCly etc.

The Buck-Tooth clan itself already has 10+ more or less active players and have had several months of solid RP so if we fusionate with you other guys we easily meet the requirements.

Meeting the requirements does not guarantee you a forum.

fireprooftroll wrote:

There will probably be DM support, since they are encouraging us to do stuff here.

Never assume on something like that. Try getting some DMs to volunteer :lol:

I know this has been discussed before and that you all do not want to hear it but, I doubt under dark B will become very popular do to the dialog transition style that is there. Most people are used to the typical transitions and will more likely play in the type they are more used to playing in.

But hey, its your system to accept if it fails or succeeds, just do keep in mind if it fails that its not clanged too just because of any fear of it failing. The system has been in a while and from the looks of it it is not working out on bringing and keeping players there

I love the system. just no epic enemies that I can find.... perhaps if I look a bit deeper

Godo wrote:

I know this has been discussed before and that you all do not want to hear it but, I doubt under dark B will become very popular do to the dialog transition style that is there. Most people are used to the typical transitions and will more likely play in the type they are more used to playing in.

But hey, its your system to accept if it fails or succeeds, just do keep in mind if it fails that its not clanged too just because of any fear of it failing. The system has been in a while and from the looks of it it is not working out on bringing and keeping players there

This is easily solved by either:

a) Exploring Underdark B alone with a new or level 30 PC and finding out through trial and error;
Or:
b) Some new UD-B players are willing to be guides. Ask them to be your guide.
Or:
c) Make your own group and explore, you will be used to it with time.

Sorry but I personaly, and am sure there are others as well, do not want to spend months getting lost to try and figure out the text based directions to get around. If I wanted to keep doing that I would have stayed playing on a text based MUD.

This has all been brought up before, I just thought to bring it up again since apparently people are still bothered with the fact that under dark B is mostly unpopulated and this could be one of the reasons for that. Its fine if some like the system and others do not but at least do not dismiss the possibility that its one of the reasons it turns players away from the areas just because a few like it and can cope with it better then others.

I would go as far as saying, and risking to be accused of flaming here, that the issue is not ~only~ the system, but players themselves being unwilling to put some effort in figuring out the whole system. I will never figure it out, but more because I am lazy to try and too proud to ask around for a tutorial. I am sure that the moment I give up my laziness and get curious enough, I will go exploring.

In fact, the last time I checked the place without porting, but by walking, I only did not go exploring because I had to loggout, but next time I am on, I will probably do just that, especially if there are no other drow PCs around.

In other words: Do people give up using the mythal crafting system if they do not understand or do not know how to use it? No. They try to find out IC (or through the forums) how it works or simply ask another player to mythal craft for them.

And also, Godo, you thought you should bring the issue again as a reason for UD-B being empty.

I am sorry to say but, as you can see by this thread a lot of people showed interest and not one of them, except by you, is mentioning the navigation system as "the real issue" for people not playing there. They are actually going to try out RP there.

BlackDahlia, does that mean I can add your name to the list of volunteers?

I did not say it’s the “real issue” I said its one of the issues that needs looked at. As far as the crafting system goes, put a crafting system most people are familiar with on one server and one they do not know on the other and you will see people gravitate towards the one they know. Having the one single system then of course they will learn it but with the transitions they do not know and may have a hard time learning next to the one they know and get around easier with they will go towards the easy side and stay away from the other.

Please do not go with that old thought of I like it and do not have a problem with it so no one else should. Its also not a matter of being lazy as well, it’s a matter that different people learn in different ways, we all do not learn things in the same manner, Some of us do not learn how to get places by street signs but rather by points of interest and directions, I am glad you can learn that system of using street signs but not all of us have that same learning style.

Look, keep it as it is but do not just set aside one of the possible reasons it’s a unpopulated area just because you do not see a problem in it for yourself. If it stays unpopulated and its refused to be looked at then perhaps it will always be unpopulated. Its just like the haks, Disco is waiting to look at the stats of players staying and if new players coming in will be affected by it before turning it on, the new style of transitions has had a long time for testing but yet it still is not being populated there, time to look into it and perhaps get rid of it if it is one of the causes and if it is wanted to be populated.

I would love to play in underdark B myself but I can not get past that system to have it be fun for me, it totally throws me off as well as kills allot of what my character is. I rather go to the surface on B rather then the UD because I can move around easier. I still get lost on the surface because I do not know it well but at least I can still navigate without using street signs.

How about not derailing this thread.

I like it when people keep on-topic but it seems Amians are incapable of doing so as a whole.

The reason people don't go there is because people aren't already there. The RP they are looking for is happening over on the 66/65 server, not on the 20/65 (all surfacers)

I pop over there every once in a while, but it is usually deserted so I leave. Very good things happen when I get lucky and find someone. It only takes two to have some damn good UD fun.

This whole thing is an attempt to make things happen in the bunderdark. People will start coming more frequently if they see there are other people around.

@ FPT:
Not at the moment, no. Currently, all my three main PCs have plans including the surface. I might drop by UD-B from time to time and maybe more often once the new drow city is ready, but I cannot promise I will stay. Unless if roleplaying somehow leads either one of my PCs (two drow and one dragon) to live Below.

@ Godo:
I am not saying that there is not a problem, that I am blinding myself to it. Just saying that it could get better if people actually put some effort trying to learn it, instead of being doomsayers in the forums.

Depending on the posts made and the people that read, they might not even try it because of reading the negative comments about it.

Let people decide for themselves if they will love or hate the new navigation system.

We all know you do not like it, it is fine. No-one is forcing you to try it out. We are (or at least I am) just trying to say to keep your thoughts to yourself now that a lot of people that access the forums are aware of your opinion on the matter.

And unless you have actual statistic numbers of how many UD players or players at all are refusing to visit UD-B due to the navigation system, it is just too bad making generalizations like "no-one goes there because of this, because I say so".

EDIT: No flaming nor flaming bait intended with this post.

Give me a few more weeks (the removalists are taking their bloody sweet time transporting my rig down to my posting) and I'll be back down under again.

Greenskins and kobolds be warned, I won't be treating you like princesses.

Again I am not saying it is the only reason, just that it’s a reason that should be looked into. It has been given time, allot of time, to become populated yet it still, for the most part is not while the surface on B is becoming more populated.

It is only main areas between main areas instead of sub areas in-between and before there was the argument that its to save server resources, with a hak being added that makes that argument false because the haks would use more resources then areas.

It would be hard pressed to give statistics of such a thing especially when not all the players visit these forums and I do not wish to keep people from trying out that system and I believe many have done so yet just do not return, if from the transitions or other issues are not known but remember, the surface at one point was not populated but it grew, it has the traditional transitions except for the road signs and such to travel with but even those are just one option not multi options. It has been tested and that test seems to have failed so why keep a failed system?

Ultrinnan on A is being closed down and the UD Drow there basically being moved to B, the only reason I can see this is to try and get B populated, yet even that seems to be failing as well. You do not see that something is not working and just say we hope it still will without changing something to make it work. I am just putting out what I believe is a failed system test, to hang onto it even though it doesn’t appear to work as planed is not my call at all, it is up to the powers that be to decide to look closely at the results of their test or not.

I do hope that this call for players does help it to grow, I wish the best luck in that and if it does populate for a extended time then fantastic, but if it doesn’t then perhaps a better look at the test will come forth. How long should it be given though? By the way, that is a honest question with no sarcasm intended, I am serious, how long should it be given to see if it works or not? Also would it be possible or wise even to perhaps add the gnoll race just to the UD B? it may bring new players there that would like to RP such a race.

I approve of this. Zekni and Burick will be spending a lot more time underground from now on.

On the dialog navigation system, yes, its slightly irritating, but if you pay attention to what you're selecting, you can soon learn how to get where. For me, the only issue with it is its slight immersion-breaking effect, though it does make the UD seem bigger than it actually is. If it starts to bug people, then couldn't they do a crossroads system? Like, Start point > Random area > Random area > Random area > Crossroads.

Yes, I am blatantly ripping off the Khem thread.

Alright. Can I get all participants to put down their login and character name/s please? Also, is Sunday 4 AM GMT +0 good for everyone?

Hi! I haven't been a part of a group/clan or something before, and am still pretty new to an RP type server. But this sounds like fun! I should like to join up if I may. Login: Alevious. And my character is the Orog Radgush Skulm. Thanks!

Sign up my Drow; James Zau'tar, Of the house located at the mining shaft's bottom.

My login is very_Svensk

Im GMT +1(Sweden) (Almost london time)

Bringing things IC

Yes, you guys should probably advertise and recruit IC first, before taking anyone in. OOC recruiting is severly frowned upon by the DM's, and in some cases can get you warnings or worse punishment.

No it won't. the Banites and Sharrans have done this for years.

TormakSaber wrote:

No it won't. the Banites and Sharrans have done this for years.

Yes and from what I understand the leader of the Banites at the time was warned for it. By OOC recruiting I mean basically recruiting the player first before even meeting the character IC or anything.

The Great Underdark Invasion

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