Balancing RL & still making an impact
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I read a discussion on another server forum today, which pretty much summed up some of the issues I myself have been having as of late. The big question of balancing a busy RL with still having a desire to tell stories through nwn on CoA.
The question they raised, more or less went as thus:
"NWN is an old game, which many of us started playing as kids. Now, most of us have all grown up, have jobs and families and what not, that sadly removes the ability to play 10 hours straight each day, or stay up until 5 in the morning because of some event in another time zone was dragging out. With that in mind, can you still have an active, server change seeking pc? Can you still make an impact playing 6 hours a week, when you used to play 60?
If yes, how do you balance the desire to involve others in awesome tales, with a greatly reduced play time? And if No, what do you do, what kind of pc do you play to still have fun?"I figured id like to have said discussion with my own community :)
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It's an issue i've been having. I may or may not have a job tomorrow, after which my time online may drastically dissapear. Yet.. it takes a lot of time to plot reliably. Halp!
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Delegate responsibility, don't horde it. Create opportunities for others rather than seek opportunities for your PCs. Make posters and communicate with your chosen demographics (Criminal scum, mercenary neutrals, lawloving cormyrians)
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My experience is that its a sad reality that CoA is essentially at least a part time job if you want to make an impact in plots. Best thing I think a person can do if they find themselves not having alot of time (Likely 2-3 hours a day, 5 days a week at least) to contribute to coa, and still wanting to get involved is to accept that, and fill a more support position. Also using forums and irc to coordinate rp becomes a must, so that no time is wasted.
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A team of players working on the same goal can push a lot of things forward, these don't have to be among the usual alliances or factions but like minded characters working together.
You can get a player forum very easily to communicate more privately if the nature is sensitive or you don't want things OOCly spoiled.
I know of a few player councils or groups started by players in the past. One such one was the Iron Anvil back in v3, the old Dwarves community. Individually they didn't have much time but collectively they made a difference. Where one member might find a plot another would pursue it and a third might deal with the ending. Collectively they achieved things where individually they could not.
The oldest thing though is players wishing to pursue more than just their own agendas and their own stories with a willingness to tell someone else's story, or share in a story. If you can't form a group then use your time to help along other people's stories.
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I think changing your focus from making an impact to having fun is probably the biggest thing. Something I also struggle with. I think finding a group to play with in your TZ is also a biggy. Standalone concepts don't work on slow game time.
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Ahahaha.
I'm a cleric.
I force plots on people in exchange for raising them.
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The key, and perhaps ONLY way to do this, is be a part of, or lead, a GROUP. Make your achievements their and their achievements yours.
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This right here is pretty much why I've stopped playing. I can't devote all of my free time to CoA like I use to, so I don't get the same fulfillment out of it anymore.
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My doctoral studies have done awful things to my play times. Sometimes I'm so damn drained from doing school stuff that even when I have time to log in, I just don't from lack of energy.
This is generally why you guys see bursts of Arkham during winter and summer, and why I try to play characters who burn super hard and bright for about 1-2 months. Sometimes that works (Azzam!), and sometimes it doesn't (Enzo). I can't recall a character I played for an extended period of time that I hated by the end of it, though.
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My recipe was to play a casual adventuring character with singular self-contained goals such as growing mushrooms or ensuring an area remains clear of lizardfolk. A PC of mine managed to last over 3 years of occasional playing bursts this way, i.e. I did not need to concept up a new one each time I "returned". This was on EfU, until the policy changed, I was forced to reapply for playing after being gone for one month and the application was declined.
I have a similar character now - the elf - which I intend to play this way in the slow-burn mode when not involved on a plot PC. The quick-burn PCs are usually more fun but there are risks of RL kicking back in in the midst of all the plotting.
My advice re. Olouth's conundrum would be to focus on 1-2 plots/agendas and keep doing IG activity related to them continuously instead of coming up with something new every week and failing to follow up. Orcs are a good thing since there will always be orcs on the server. Or giants, or Hullack, or Haunted Halls - each one of these is a sustainable theme around which you can orientate a slow-burn long-term PC and make it compatible with RL.
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Just focus on one thing. Unfortunately, if you do not have time, your ambitions have to be less lofty. I moved to a new country recently, and I am feeling that as my gaming time has been cut in half, if not more. Play at a slower pace, and focus on what matters, which is personal enjoyment.
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Damn.
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This "balance of RL and CoA" doesnt just affect players; it affects the DM Team, too.
I thought I had a handle on it until the last few months. Now.. not so sure. I'll figure something out. Eventually.
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I've played a character that I like to believe made some impact, and his most successful moments were when I could only play on the weekends.
The best way to do this is to form a group, and the best way to form a group is to be fun.