Poll: Which modern Achaean House is the best and why?

Jacen

I failed my GR1 Kharon interview and was kicked out of the guild waaaay back in the day for answering a test question, saying that I would toss a homeless person a few coins if I walked by them. That's it, was literally kicked out for that, lol.

Cailan

I like the Dawnblade because I didn't have to read anything. We only have one HHELP file and all it says is "Do better."

Exxia

I like the Heartwood for no reason

Draqoom

Aodfionn said:

I joined the Harbingers because @Draqoom tried to pull the "WE ARE SO DARK AND MYSTERIOUS" card when I tried to join the Luminai. Have never regretted it. 

I like the Harbingers; outside of the Occultists or Naga, they're probably my favorite house. It's very much like the Sylvans were (which I loved), just without all the clique-ish bullshit and uselessness (which I hated). They have a small but awesome group of active people (Torinn/Elipise/Aralaya/Daeir/Carmell/Greys/Micaelis/Reymi/others) who do a lot of work to help make the game more fun for other people, which is rad. 

We also get the loosest rules on fraternization (in practice), which means we also get the opportunity to RP with people from other factions on a fairly regular basis beyond just raiding them. I like that. 

I don't recall this happening.


As for the best House? I've been in a ton, I've built up a ton, I've touched nearly all of the old Houses and am apparently starting on my path of doing the same for the new ones. I've been in Dawnblade, Luminai and Shield of the new ones. I see endless potential but lackluster performance. This isn't necessarily the players fault. They've got a decade of old stuff to basically erase from memory and prove to the old players that these new things can be great if given time and effort, and that's all they need. Time and effort.

Yeah, having a House dedicated to combat in a Theocratic War city is redundant and a combat House in a city devoted to peace/pacifism/neutrality is a little discouraging, but both can work and be valid given time and effort. Shield could easily crack skulls to promote the continued peace and prosperity of Cyrene.

Prythe

Kafziel said:

I'm pretty sure that's verbatim stolen from sentinel guild novice test

Not quite. 

Druids had it first, then Sentinels split off and took the Novice stuff with then Sylvans did the same. 

Deonymus wrote quite a bit of the originals.

I still have all my wave quarterstaff faux illusions from the days when the interviews took 3-4 real life hours.

Oy.

Sarathai

Prythe said:

I still have all my wave quarterstaff faux illusions from the days when the interviews took 3-4 real life hours.

And people wonder why Guilds were overhauled.

Cailan

Someone needs to flip the switch on these stockings I want my 27 coal. 

Cailan

Oops wrong thread

Prythe

Sarathai said:

Prythe said:

I still have all my wave quarterstaff faux illusions from the days when the interviews took 3-4 real life hours.

And people wonder why Guilds were overhauled.

I never wondered. 

So many stories I could tell, none of them flattering. Except about me. I almost always look good in my stories.

Aereidhna

Man, I miss giving those interviews. I never failed anyone on a technicality, though I know now that they were horribly designed and a lot of people DID get failed unfairly. It's fun to reminisce about the good old days but I am glad Guilds are not a thing anymore.

I think that's part of the struggle with the new Houses - it's also fun to reminisce about old Houses, but one can remember the past fondly and also try to create a present that, though different, is still fun and awesome. I've been playing this game for going on 16-17 years. I have seen a lot of changes, good and bad, and I find it's mostly what you make of it and what you put in. I have faith that it can be done.

Nataliia

This thread is one of the examples of why it's hard to figure out where to go now! Man, decision making is hard.

Minifie

I've found the cities themselves ideologue a lot better than almost any point in achaea, but the houses feel like a "place within a place" so to speak. I feel that breaking them hard to be very specialised may help, so no real combat path is study houses as an example, would have been beneficial, but that may be way too constrictive for some.

It would be nice to be able to join any city and have them offer houses or none at all. Personally I feel more connected to the cities themselves than the houses, and feel like another potential form of internal dispute available instead of being a place to foster characters who amy share similiar ideas.

This is all personal opinion and not a dig at the houses, this is just how they have felt to me. Personall though before my dormancy krym is definitely an intruiging house.

Prythe

Minifie said:

I've found the cities themselves ideologue a lot better than almost any point in achaea, but the houses feel like a "place within a place" so to speak. I feel that breaking them hard to be very specialised may help, so no real combat path is study houses as an example, would have been beneficial, but that may be way too constrictive for some.

It would be nice to be able to join any city and have them offer houses or none at all. Personally I feel more connected to the cities themselves than the houses, and feel like another potential form of internal dispute available instead of being a place to foster characters who amy share similiar ideas.

This is all personal opinion and not a dig at the houses, this is just how they have felt to me. Personall though before my dormancy krym is definitely an intruiging house.

I agree with you. Now that in some Cities Houses seem more a subset of Cities, rather than distinct entities which have joined together in a place, there is a different feel, and less need for Houses. 

If each House is required to march in lockstep to the ideals of one City (or one Divine) then there is nothing truly unique about the Houses, no matter how much one might want to label them so.

I do _not_ find this to be the case in Cyrene where each House is unique, and marches to the beat of its own drummers. The Houses have distinct personalities and if any one of them left Cyrene then Cyrene would clearly be missing a part of its collective personalities.

Nobody in Outriders is expected to be able to design or perform, nobody in Virtuosi is expected to be able to fight, and nobody in Shield is expected to need much education (I duck!).

We _may_ all join the Army, or become Cook, or Explorers, no matter our House, and there are resources for that.

But if we were to be attacked,  the Shield would be required to defend (along with any who had joined the City Army), the Virtuosi would provide provisions, and the Outriders would provide information.

That mimics real life much more than "Everybody must defend," or "We all have to follow the dictates of the same Divine," or "We all must forge and create inks."

We lament the passing of Guilds - but one thing which I loved about the Druid (then later adopted by the Sentinels/Sylvans, etc.) tests was that when we shuffled that deck of cards, "Nature" was first - and distinct from Guild or Divine. Druids eschewed City living, so that wasn't even a consideration, when Eleusis was added, it too could not be first. Nature ever and always first, and Nature was never defined as being anything but distinct from Guild, from Village, from Divine.

"If a Divine comes to you and tells you to burn down the forest, would you?"

Answer: No.

You'd quibble maybe, maybe try to find out why they wanted you to do that - perhaps suggest that the Divine knew something you do not, particularly if it was one of the myriad "Nature" Divine who have wandered in and out of the lands, but no, you would not do that. Even Divine, even your Guild, could not tell you what to do if it violated your higher oath to the existence/defense of Nature. 

This led to spirited debates "Should we allow natural fires to burn?" was one.

"If your family does [something horrible] do you tell your Guild?"

Answer: Yes.

That is what we learned, and taught.

That is probably one of the reasons we have trouble keeping Nature Divine. They want to be *BOSS* but the teachings still relegate them behind/under the concept of "Nature."  (Or do they, that might have changed, and that would be sad.) - which creates an internal conflict which makes for great RP but unlike PK it is not over at a death or battle victory, it continues and can pervade everything.

Now there is no (allowed) independent thought, and all must do the same, be the same, to some degree worship the same, following the dictates of a Divine not theirs.

The reason I am not Lupine (although in my heart... I have my deep abiding love of the Hunt and respect for the Lord Lupus) is because when I spoke with the Lord Lupus He was insistent that I put Pack ahead of my Guild. Put Him ahead of Nature.

I was young and naive and thought that RPing my connection and belief in "Nature first" was more important than "going along" with everybody else concerned about something that "might not happen anyway."

I've rambled a lot. 

I love this game. I have been playing it for about fifteen years.

But each and every time there is a shift towards "Everybody must do this" many people are lost.

PK, Battle is fun, can be loads of fun.

But it is not all the game has to offer, and each House, each City, should ensure that it has a place for its Members and Citizens who share common ideals, but want to enjoy differing aspects of the world. 

Heck, if I was required to *create* something, I could not be in Cyrene. I would fail miserably. 

So long as there are ways and places to fight, credits will be bought, new combatants will come and play.

But why potentially lose out on the money to be made from all those people looking to do all those other things this vast, wide, world has to offer by concentrating on only one aspect of the world?

Sholen

Omg! krymenians got second place! Woot!

Illyose

I'm loving seeing the different sides of this game which I haven't seen for years. On the one hand, I don't miss guilds for all the drama that they had. On the other hand, one of my favorite things about this game is the richness and depth of story it has created. I feel like the revamp of all of the cities did a great job of really making them stand apart thematically, with a down side of at least from the rogue gallery looking mechanically far too similar. I feel like the Houses themselves have tons of Potential, and I really look forward to them stepping into the big stage, both in representing themselves, and their respective cities. I miss guilds and the original houses only for how much story they had behind them. The rich traditions of the Druids. The world grand standing of the Kharon, or the Ashura. While many of the houses did have similar class origins, they managed to carve out unique identities and accomplishments, which I look forward to seeing the new Houses accomplish. For now, I'm fairly put off by many of the cities, and the constant need to fight and be contrary to all but themselves. In short, I miss the history and stories which were, and hope that in the future these new Houses will create stories and accomplishments just as rich and exciting.