A new player's experience.

Beenie

So, I had an interesting experience today.

I started a new character.

Now, I am not a new player. I have played this game for between 10-15 years. I've been around for a long time, not as long as some, but longer than many. I've always played the same character. Today, I decided that I wanted to change up the experience a little. So, I created a Jester. I rushed through the tutorial/newbie areas and made my way into the world. 

I won't claim to be all-knowing about Achaea (or even close), nor have I kept up entirely with the history, lore, changes, etc., but I am mostly quite familiar with the world. Being an old player, my main character is pretty respected and treated well in almost all cases. But, oh the difference for a newbie.

I start this Jester off pretty quickly. Get to about level 20 no problem. I'm exploring the lands, doing a bit of shopping, and then I meet a couple of young characters in a tavern. I quickly use this opportunity to use my new Jester abilities to have a helluva lot of fun casting humorous illusions and blowing up balloon giraffes and performing/entertaining in general. I'm laughing, my character is laughing, the other characters are laughing. What a great time...

Then, I get a tell from another Jester wanting to recruit me into their House, which I then join and I'm out and about shopping when I meet up with said character. It's friendly of course at first, but then, as I express some trepidation about the (from the char's perspective) enormous undertaking that seems to be the joining of a house, I start to feel a slight tug of resistance in my newly met colleague. My character explains that he doesn't really like the idea of being regulated and limited (never really got the chance to explain what I meant by this -- just didn't want to feel like I had to be constantly accomplishing tasks and baby-sat and expected to be some big achiever -- my experience with Houses learned during play of my main char). Of course, I'm informed that regulations are necessary to prevent whatever and yada yada. I'm then told that the city my character is in would be far more constrictive, so my character quits his city (not really a player choice, so much as an RP decision, though I do start to recall reading scrolls about it being highly suggested or required to do this, that, and the other in said city as a novice). By this point, I'm starting to become aware that I may be frustrating this other Jester as well as yet another character (I believe also a Jester) that has joined us. So, in my attempt at a bit of humor, I illusion a sad clown cliche -- a small raincloud floating in over my characters head and my character states "all this talk about... is making me a sad clown". The characters respond with a quick "jesters are not clowns, but we'll leave you to your thoughts. Good luck." and leave the area before I can really even respond.

Okay. Not so bad, but a little annoying because I was actually kind of genuinely trying to get their assistance, albeit in a humorous way befitting a class with this namesake and considering the house I had joined makes it a priority to be comedic. So, I promptly quit the house and joined another city -- one that they actually suggested would be a good fit. I say my greetings and then: "I think I just got some 'tude from some Jesters". My kind of light-hearted, though admittedly unnecessary attempt at expressing my disappointment. Granted, I know emotion doesn't always translate well via text.

I get a reply: "You're about to get some more tude. buddy. [sic]"

"wait... what?"

I'm informed some members of my previous house are citizens of this new city; that I should not speak poorly of this character's housemates. I'm told to tread lightly by another. 

What in the hell kind of welcome is this? If I were a new player I would be out of here! I wasn't trying to make any waves and my character expressed as much via the proper communication channels, and then offered an apology (which was accepted). But, no one said to me 'sorry, maybe it was all just a misunderstanding' or whatever.

One character did, thankfully, show up at my characters location, quickly worked to be a listening ear and a calming presence, and gave me a generous lump of gold to get me started. He also provided me with some advice and patiently answered my questions about this new class I was taking on. (I'm a seasoned player, but I've been dormant for quite some time over the years and there have been a lot of changes as of late that I needed some clarification of).

So, eventually he leaves to go tend to something and I go about my way hunting. After about a total of maybe 4 hours of playing I get a notice that my character name has been reviewed and is unacceptable. Please read HELP NAMES yada yada yada. My character's name was Bullet. I guess it's unacceptable because it's offensive? I read through all the recommendations and criteria, etc., and that seemed to be the best reason. Fine. But, by this time I'm getting pretty heated. I've just had two characters short with me, one character (at least) threaten my character, and now after 3 or 4 hours of playing I'm told my name is unacceptable with no explanation why.

So...

Bullet -- I get it. It's probably because it's offensive. I didn't mean for it to be. It's short for Bullet Rodson/Bulletrodson a nickname of fictional character I've played in other rpgs. It's a nickname and is in no way intended to be associated with the ammo or any kind of weapon. But, even if it was, uh... we're playing a game where you can decapitate and mount heads on pikes. Further, bullet is the name of ammo for a shepherd's sling according to Baldur's Gate. So, to me it's a fine fitting name for a jester in a medieval/fantasy environment. In fact, I loved this name and the first character I interacted with complemented me on it. The -first- character I met complemented my character on his name. 

Secondly, a jester is not a clown. I understand. But, it's basically a clown. Yeah, a shoe is not a boot. A truck is not a car. I get it. But, really? I've played this game for almost 15 years and I've always thought of Jesters as goofy, fun loving (or mischievous, if evil) characters. Like a clown. I promise I am not the only one. The main House is named Carnivalis. Carnival. Do you see jesters or clowns at carnivals? Maybe both. I typically see clowns.

Thirdly, who cares? It's a game. Stop taking this so damn seriously. It's good to have some ground rules about how humorous things can be and whatnot, but there is a location in Achaea called Bopalopia that you get to by eating mushrooms and you escape by tickling a cat in a hat. It's okay to have some humor.

Had I not been a veteran player, would I still be around? Likely not. The welcome that I received with this new character was downright ridiculous, barring a few select individuals. Is this community truly as elitist as the impressions I got. Have I been blind to it all these years? How many new adventurers have we turned away because of similar encounters. Achaea is not just a game, it's a business. This could have actual economic implications.

With that said, I love Achaea. I love the community that I've gotten to know through my main character. And, I don't mean for this to be a personal attack on anyone. I just had to say something. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. 

Sobriquet

Sounds like you are being massively over sensitive with the knowledge and perspective of a previous well known character.

That said, if I were to start as a true newbie today in Achaea I wouldn't be around long. 

Also, if you think the name Bullet is acceptable in any form for Achaea I've no idea what to tell you.

Solnir

I had no interaction with you as far as I know, but you're showing only one side of the conversation. They may have been rude, but it's also possible you were putting off a very "I already know this" attitude. 
I'm a HoN, I deal with a LOT of "new but not really new", aka "old soul" characters. It's infuriating. From an RP perspective, I can't just say "Yeah, okay, they're an alt" and not guide them, but if they answer everything I say with "Yeah I know that" or something similar, it comes off very much like "I'm better than you."

Not saying this was necessarily your case, but I have no clue because no dialogue was shared except the other person's side.

Blujixapug

Beenie said:

Thirdly, who cares? It's a game. Stop taking this so damn seriously.

Scrabble is just a game but if you start taking more than 7 tiles and making up words that go diagonally, then why are we even playing

Beenie

Sobriquet said:

Sounds like you are being massively over sensitive with the knowledge and perspective of a previous well known character.

That said, if I were to start as a true newbie today in Achaea I wouldn't be around long. 

Also, if you think the name Bullet is acceptable in any form for Achaea I've no idea what to tell you.

Well, whether I think Bullet is an acceptable name or not really isn't my point as much as that I basically was told it wasn't with no explanation as to why. If I was a new character with the interactions that I had just experienced, it's just another reason why I'd say to hell with it. And, with that, since I did like the name, I am genuinely interested why it's not acceptable. It's an old word deriving from the latin name for bubble. Bubble, also, appeals to me as a character name... for a jester. According to the helpfile, Humblecat would be acceptable. How is that any less silly? I went down all the lines in the criteria. The only one that seemed even close was the offensiveness regulation. And, if that's the case, and someone was sitting there reviewing my name, why not just send me a short message or canned comment about why it's unacceptable. Just a "We think this might be offensive to some players". A little goes a long way. I would think "oh, all right... i guess it could be" and move on.

Solnir said:

I had no interaction with you as far as I know, but you're showing only one side of the conversation. They may have been rude, but it's also possible you were putting off a very "I already know this" attitude. 
I'm a HoN, I deal with a LOT of "new but not really new", aka "old soul" characters. It's infuriating. From an RP perspective, I can't just say "Yeah, okay, they're an alt" and not guide them, but if they answer everything I say with "Yeah I know that" or something similar, it comes off very much like "I'm better than you."

Not saying this was necessarily your case, but I have no clue because no dialogue was shared except the other person's side.

You're right, I really didn't do the best job of capturing the extent of the dialogue from both parties. I was telling this story entirely from memory since I really never planned on writing it up in the forum until that final straw name rejection. I know it's not terribly difficult to detect an "old soul", but I was trying to keep any sense of I-know-this-already to a minimum, except when it pertained to very elementary things like checking TASKS or reading HELP WHATEVER (I think I was even pretty receptive to HHELP file recommendations). I was, however, genuinely seeking some guidance on being a Jester. I just wanted to follow a freer path. I hate coming into a house and having to go through all the tasks and get reviewed and checked off, and, despite my penchant for humor, I wasn't really excited about being called a rubber ducky or silly goose or whatever else until I had. It just starts feeling like a job at some point. No offense to anyone that likes the work and discipline of the orgs. My play style just doesn't fit them all that well.

Blujixapug said:

Beenie said:

Thirdly, who cares? It's a game. Stop taking this so damn seriously.

Scrabble is just a game but if you start taking more than 7 tiles and making up words that go diagonally, then why are we even playing

That implies I was breaking or bending rules. Other than a possible name conflict (which isn't really what this last comment was referring to), I don't believe I did any such thing. If I did, I'm receptive to correction, I just want to know what I did wrong or why what I did was wrong.

Atalkez

Sobriquet said:

Also, if you think the name Bullet is acceptable in any form for Achaea I've no idea what to tell you.

I don’t personally see why Bullet is a bad name.

Sena

While "bullet" is also used for low-tech ammunition (like in slings, as mentioned; although it was used to refer to gun ammunition originally and then sling ammunition as an extension later), anyone who hears it will almost invariably think of guns first. I can't imagine anyone finding it offensive, I'm not sure why that was your assumption, it's simply too modern for Achaea.

Beenie

Sena said:

While "bullet" is also used for low-tech ammunition (like in slings, as mentioned; although it was used to refer to gun ammunition originally and then sling ammunition as an extension later), anyone who hears it will almost invariably think of guns first. I can't imagine anyone finding it offensive, I'm not sure why that was your assumption, it's simply too modern for Achaea.

Thank you, very much, Sena. I can see how that could be the case. I didn't really see it as such, but that's an acceptable explanation. (Are there not cannons on ships? Genuine question as seafaring is still new to me as an oldbie and I know that there is some form of weaponry on them.)

Sena

Cannons are in a sort of weird place, from what I understand. With the original release of seafaring, cannons were considered, but rejected in favour of earlier weapons like ballistae to better fit the theme and avoid introducing gunpowder to regular use. But that thematic choice hasn't been followed very consistently, so you can find cannons and gunpowder mentioned in other places in the game (though it's not common), and there's no explanation for why, if cannons are available, inferior weapons are exclusively used.

So cannons exist in-game, but are presumably uncommon and not used by players (as far as I know; there could very well be some in the new areas that I haven't had a chance to explore yet).

Beenie

Okay. I appreciate your response. That was good feedback. Despite liking the name, it's probably best for the change anyway. This way all the bad built up around Bullet can die out and, hopefully, Beenie can be born in his absence.

Freeling

I kiiiinda know what you're talking about with the CiJ. Freeling is a jester so tried to join them as a first choice, but went elsewhere after getting a very "Jesters are not clowns" reaction from them. Which is fine, they were very polite about it, but I wanted her to be a bit of a prankster and silly and that didn't fit in well with what they want their house to represent, I guess. I joined the Virtuosi instead and have been very happy there.

But as far as house tasks -  I mean - I don't think ANY house is going to give you a free pass on house tasks (no matter how seasoned a player you are). They might not bother you if you don't do them, but you're not going to HR5 and lose your HR1 title without doing house tasks. It CAN be exhausting, on some characters it's been the thing I dread about logging in, but there it is. 

And... sometimes you just need to let things slide off like water off a rubber ducky's back. Newbie experience in Achaea varies depending on who they talk to first, and whether those people are tired, etc, but I think overall the newbie experience in Achaea is pretty good.

Eta: I do find Bullet to be a bit jarring for a name, because I immediately think of gun ammo, and feels a little immersion breaking. But that's just my private opinion and I don't think I would ever bother someone about it.

Kiet

The game is built around in-character conflict. Most people assume that's pk and politics, but sometimes it's just you not getting along with someone. That's a feature, not a flaw, and the proper reaction is to go with it, imo. Develop a grudge against the jester house, or just write them off as boring. Do something with it more interesting than take it as a personal ooc affront.

This isn't to say Achaea is perfect for newbies, far from it. There's lots of possible improvements to make from both mechanical and playerbase side and there always will be, since it's more a journey than a destination. This, however, seems a lot more like my pet peeve of people being unable to handle IC friction.

Beenie

Freeling said:

I kiiiinda know what you're talking about with the CiJ. Freeling is a jester so tried to join them as a first choice, but went elsewhere after getting a very "Jesters are not clowns" reaction from them. Which is fine, they were very polite about it, but I wanted her to be a bit of a prankster and silly and that didn't fit in well with what they want their house to represent, I guess. I joined the Virtuosi instead and have been very happy there.

But as far as house tasks -  I mean - I don't think ANY house is going to give you a free pass on house tasks (no matter how seasoned a player you are). They might not bother you if you don't do them, but you're not going to HR5 and lose your HR1 title without doing house tasks. It CAN be exhausting, on some characters it's been the thing I dread about logging in, but there it is. 

Yeah, the "jesters are not clowns" response is probably what baffled me the most. I wanted to just slyly encourage them to read HHELP GREYFACE or whatever it's called.  Also, I get that about houses. That's why I just tend to avoid them. I don't expect to be handed something that a new player wouldn't be handed.

Freeling said:

Eta: I do find Bullet to be a bit jarring for a name, because I immediately think of gun ammo, and feels a little immersion breaking. But that's just my private opinion and I don't think I would ever bother someone about it.

Gotcha. Didn't intend it to have such an effect. Thank you for the feedback. Definitely don't want to ruin an experience for anyone.

Kiet said:

The game is built around in-character conflict. Most people assume that's pk and politics, but sometimes it's just you not getting along with someone. That's a feature, not a flaw, and the proper reaction is to go with it, imo. Develop a grudge against the jester house, or just write them off as boring. Do something with it more interesting than take it as a personal ooc affront.

Minifie

Some of my fondest jester guild memories were acting like absolute clowns, it was singlehandedly the most diverse guild of misfits and freaks, and clowns were part of it. CiJ suffers from not being able to have such a mixed citizenship anymore, and while I don’t see it changing, it’s definitely a house that needs outside-looking-in identity. Seeing a bunch of grafiti in delos isn’t all that awesome, compared to seeing an evil clown, a mime of the light, chaotic jester and a peace loving fool give a group show.

Beenie

Minifie said:

Some of my fondest jester guild memories were acting like absolute clowns, it was singlehandedly the most diverse guild of misfits and freaks, and clowns were part of it. CiJ suffers from not being able to have such a mixed citizenship anymore, and while I don’t see it changing, it’s definitely a house that needs outside-looking-in identity. Seeing a bunch of grafiti in delos isn’t all that awesome, compared to seeing an evil clown, a mime of the light, chaotic jester and a peace loving fool give a group show.

That sounds amazing. Really the kind of experience I was hoping for when I created the character. I suppose this scope of dynamics resides solely within the clans now? Also, I can't tell you how much fun my first little performances were for an audience of about two characters. If the point of Achaea is to have fun and be an enjoyable place to spend my time, it was highly successful. 

Shirszae

With the game being more factionalized now, having such a diverse cast of characters all belonging to the same org is nigh-near impossible nowadays.

Penwize

Shirszae said:

With the game being more factionalized now, having such a diverse cast of characters all belonging to the same org is nigh-near impossible nowadays.

I highly disagree with this, and hate that people are treating factions as de facto personalities as well.  Individuals all serve (or fail to serve) their individual factions for their own reasons and in their own ways.

Shirszae

Penwize said:

Shirszae said:

With the game being more factionalized now, having such a diverse cast of characters all belonging to the same org is nigh-near impossible nowadays.

I highly disagree with this, and hate that people are treating factions as de facto personalities as well.  Individuals all serve (or fail to serve) their individual factions for their own reasons and in their own ways.

Disagree with it all you want. Fact remains most factions don't allow people to join any other orgs but theirs, which is pretty much what I am driving at. 

Penwize

Really odd to hear that stance coming from you, though, given you're already a pretty anomalous Cyrenian.  I'd think if anyone were an advocate for breaking free of the assumptions made of entire factions, it'd be you!

Krypton

Her New Year's resolution is to think about leaving Cyrene, and maybe that's why

Shirszae

Penwize said:

Really odd to hear that stance coming from you, though, given you're already a pretty anomalous Cyrenian.  I'd think if anyone were an advocate for breaking free of the assumptions made of entire factions, it'd be you!

I think you might be misunderstanding me. I am not advocating so much as commenting on the state of things. Last I heard even Ashtan forbid people from joining the CIJ. So does Mhaldor and Targossas, at the very least. There was a time even Hashan considered doing it, though I am pretty sure they went back on that. So, not advocating for it to not be possible. I am just saying the direction the game is going has made such -harder- in most places.

Tahquil

Well, I thought it was because the CIJ specifically were trying to cut down on the silly silly lol type of clowning around associated with early jester and trying to father a more serious dark night tone of Jestering.

Kiet

Shirszae might mean that people from several cities can't be in the CIJ, ie the literal lack of variety.

However, the variety in orgs personalitywise is as strong as ever, really. RP has grown stronger over the past few years, and people have more distinct characters because even the beginner RPer has had years to develop their character.

In my house, for instance, just the three leaders alone are pretty drastically different in personality, even if they all share some traits. The whole mishmash of people the CIJ once provided can easily be found in the aligned houses, too.

Beenie

Tahquil said:

Well, I thought it was because the CIJ specifically were trying to cut down on the silly silly lol type of clowning around associated with early jester and trying to father a more serious dark night tone of Jestering.

Is this true? That sounds awful. Why would anyone want to get rid of that? I mean the roleplay power of the class is the fact that it has the potential to be so versatile. The skill set is there to be tricky, or silly, or mischievous, etc. Or, of course, deadly. The title for an HR1 is Rubber Ducky, though, so it is definitely intended to also be silly. As in real history, the jester is afforded the power to make a mockery of what others can't. With the other houses being so closely aligned with the various cities, CiJ seems like it could be a nice retreat for a player that doesn't necessarily care to spend all day at an exhausting job only to come home and immerse himself in another life of tasks and regulations. It would be nice to see it as a sort of sanctuary where creativity is blessed and entertainment is prized, even if it's silly, but where one can sort of stroll around and just enjoy the breeze.

Further, being in an organization makes it so much easier to get to know others, which is really what I play for. But, so many of the houses and cities require you to perform duties to simply be a part of them. For a sincerely casual player, this really decreases the opportunity to meld into the social pipeline. I really expected the CiJ to be a lot more easygoing.

Penwize

I might be a bit off base with this, but I think they wanted to get rid of that because there were a lot of people doing constant "LOLSORANDOM *holds up spork* tee hee duckies" RP with it instead of anything interesting or engaging.  It gave the house a pretty bad reputation, and as a consequence a lot of people simply avoided interacting with them because they'd rather indulge in a more immersive story than that.

Atalkez

Need more Pennywise/Jokers, less Ronald McDonald.

Alyxeri

                   

Tahquil

Being kooky isn't restricted to CIJ or jestering. Look in most organisations and you'll find those relaxed, silly character archetypes. i.e. Tesha.

I honestly though don't care for them and only know Tesha's shenanigans from the forums. That's why my list is lacking.

Xias

Atalkez said:

Need more Pennywise/Jokers, less Ronald McDonald.

I dunno, Ronald has killed more people than Pennywise and Joker ever will--combined!

Minifie

Tahquil said:

Being kooky isn't restricted to CIJ or jestering. Look in most organisations and you'll find those relaxed, silly character archetypes. i.e. Tesha.

I honestly though don't care for them and only know Tesha's shenanigans from the forums. That's why my list is lacking.

I think I'd fall into that category considering how many near zaps/angry looks I got from Ictinus and Mhaldorians, they can confirm though >.>

@Nicola am I still not allowed to fly kites?

Tahquil

Not really....  Just attention hungry.