Apprenticing (non-wizard)
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In my time at Arabel, I've tried to do a LOT of recruiting using different methods. In the end, I've determined I'm totally terrible at it, and have virtually given up. I can interest individuals, but I have trouble drumming up widespread support for my ideas.
This brings me to my current conundrum. For some time now, I've been seeking an "apprentice." This, I thought, would not be so difficult, especially compared to entire faction recruitment processes I've done before. Yet it is this task in which I have totally fallen flat on my face. I'm a bit befuddled by the failure, in fact, so I'm turning to the community for thoughts and advice.
I play an established, higher MID-level character who has proven his skill in his craft before many, over a rather extended period of time. In fact, I guess he's outlived a lot of his contemporaries (which may be the problem, I guess). He's not character with a spell-book, so this apprenticeship would have been more of an RP experience than "How can I gain phat character power?" (perhaps another reason i'm struggling). He does, however, have a good deal of resources, and could likely have well equipped an apprentice. So there were definite mechanical benefits to another player to take up the role.
So, what I'm looking for from the community is some feedback. Is it just that playing an (non-wizard) apprentice is no fun? Is it that people are logging in these days, powerleveling to 4 or 5, and then believe their character is too "experienced" to seek out an apprentice? Is it that the very concept of apprenticeship, which was commonplace in feudal culture, just doesn't make sense in our fantasy setting? Or perhaps its that this is more of an "on creation" concept, as opposed to something you could realistically recruit for IG?
I feel like I've failed so miserably in this goal, that there MUST be something I'm missing. Some fundamental understanding of how other players think (that I don't follow, apparently), or something I've just taken for granted. Thoughts?
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Well, I'm curious as to what methods you've been using to seek out an apprentice. It seems to me like your best option is to find a suitable character, and convince them to become your apprentice. Showing interest in someone elses character, telling them that you want them to be your apprentice will definately do better then trying to get one to come to you.
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What's your interesting tie in?
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Showing interest in someone elses character, telling them that you want them to be your apprentice will definately do better then trying to get one to come to you.
This has always been why I have latched onto another player's character as apprentice, minion, call it what you will.
Go out there, find the character you want to apprentice and then entice them to ask to be your apprentice. This is best done, in my experience by showing huge amounts of interest in them. Meeting them in game lots, inviting them to join you on quests and ventures, making them feel wanted and special.
Most players love being the focus of someone's beneficial attention. So give them that attention.
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Everyone hates The Boss..but loves bossing
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I like The Boss. I can't Boss though.
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What are you trying to get an apprentice for? Baby eating?
Zhentarim are pretty much black hat villains with very little reason to trust them or work with them, it could just be that everyone hates you rather than the idea of being an apprentice -
It would be like Adolf Hitler walking into England just after WW2 and saying ''Hey guys, I know I've been a bit of a twat but is there anyone about here who wouldn't mind coming and learning a bit from me?''
The Zhents are there to be hated, as Deadlock said. That coupled with the fact they are so ''generally evil'' it makes me want to be sick
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no u r hitler 21 tonne giant
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@Deadlock:
What are you trying to get an apprentice for? Baby eating?
Zhentarim are pretty much black hat villains with very little reason to trust them or work with them, it could just be that everyone hates you rather than the idea of being an apprenticeI was certain this would come up. Notice I used (I think) a lot of my verbs in the past tense, because the current climate is almost totally non-conducive to the original plan. However, I started this apprenticing idea a LONG time back, before I even joined the Zhentarims. Do not confuse the character prior to joining the faction with the character post faction involvement. Sometimes there is development pushing evil, as there was with mine.
Point is, even in the pre-Zhent days, I had difficulty finding an apprentice. And on another note, I'm rather surprised that the belief is that people don't apprentice on to evil characters. That seems rather one-sided to me. Apparently, no one in fantasy world is driven by ambition, and they are all driven strictly by morals? I would have guessed the driving factors for seeking a master in the apprentice-area were a bit less black and white, so perhaps this was another flawed assumption on my part.
Lastly, I've seen a certain theme here which, in honesty, I totally overlooked. I have always looked at the master-apprentice in a simple see-saw manner:
Apprentice gets training, RP, equipment.
Master gets RP and marginal authority status in eyes of apprentice.I would not have guessed that most people saw the need for a master to engage in a wooing stage in Preparation for an apprentice. Conversely, I would have seen this opposite. I guess the laws of supply and demand when applied to a real world setting were entirely unfounded for CoA. It would seem the advice is that a master should not only seek out potential apprentices, but suck up to them like a lackey or friend, prior to any offer of a teacher-pupil relationship. This definitely runs converse to my logic train, but, well, since what I'd been doing yielded nothing, perhaps I was totally wrong.
Note: In rereading what I wrote, I realized it could be misinterpreted. It was not written as biting satire against the advice received, but rather as surprise, with a listing of my primary beliefs. Since I was looking to see if the beliefs were unfounded, this was the sort of information I wanted to see, so thank you to all.
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We all want to be the boss and tell our story. It's that simple.
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I think the pre-Zhent stuff was just bad luck then. Not always someone around at the right time.
I'm not saying that people don't apprentice evil characters, but there's a difference between an evil character who still stands for something "Oh man, Bob killed all those helpless commoners - but he'd do anything for his buddies." and lacking any redeemable qualities - and Zhentarim seem to be the latter. This along with the fact that they have an awful reputation because of it means there is probably little gain for the average character in working for one.
I dunno, I'm just looking at this from the PoV of Joe Neutral Adventurer.
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I prefer the servant role in most situations.
Okay..
All situations.
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I do not think you are wrong, in principle. However, there is much a new character can do in Arabel without needing to apprentice to a master. You're competing with many things so the rules of Supply and Demand are still in effect.
You also need to consider that a new character can "Train Up" by just getting out there and adventuring. It will take a player who is actually keen on roleplaying the Apprentice-Master relationship as Apprentice to seek out a Master. You may be lucky and find one of these, or you may have to go out and "Woo" the player with your concept. I see this as very different to a Master wooing the potential apprentice IC, though there is nothing wrong with this, in my opinion.
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I think there are just so many things in CoA that lure apprentice and minion styled characters. The current number of players isn´t enough to fill all slots. I´ve witnessed this with many characters.
I personally like the idea of non-wizard apprentices. In fact that suits well for all classes.
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Part of the problem might be with termonolgy. Warriors don't have "apprentices", they have squires. Someone to follow them around, carry things, run errands, handle the things too demeaning for the great hero to bother with. Not to say that's what was being looked for or offered, but might have been what some saw.
Brings us to another point. What was the real offer? Follow me around, I'll give you some gear, and you help me with stuff? Of course there was more, but isn't that really the heart of things? With the right person, that would be enough, but to get to a wider audience, more would be needed I'd think. Stress the points of rp you are making, tactics of honorable warfare, or dishonorable, as the case might be. How to press a position of strength, set defenses or other "warrior" stuff. Try getting some people together to talk about these things, and see if any are interested, then lure in with the sweet gear and totally made-up plot hooks.
Other things to consider. Would need to be someone with close playtimes to your own. A master and student doesn't really work if you never see each other. It works for factions somewhat because you have all chasing certain goals, but for a close personal relationship as this is set to be, you really have to actually be together often.
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It would seem the advice is that a master should not only seek out potential apprentices, but suck up to them like a lackey or friend, prior to any offer of a teacher-pupil relationship. This definitely runs converse to my logic train, but, well, since what I'd been doing yielded nothing, perhaps I was totally wrong.
Take a page from Star Wars… Darth Vader was most definitely "wooed".
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If no one wants to learn from another player more loss to them..
If i had a fighter I would certainly be signing up..
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Some really, really good advice, all around guys! Thanks :D
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Its even worse when you are trying to start a group by word of mouth IG. Even suiting them to the other PCs needs, they usually tend to wind up only to be poo poo canned.
But I would have to say you kind of need knowledge of the game world a little bit. A lot of my mistakes were due to complete ignorance (major mistakes and very new to the server!) and a sudden lack of a boss when I was the only one left trying to shake things up and get things going. I spent so much time on intrigue/recruiting for my bench I actually didn't know 90% of the server. I was actually more newbie then people who where only a few months into the server but actually quested =/
Okay I'm still a newbie. -_-