Eveningstar Battle. Feedbacks
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We have had a pretty massive event yesterday, one involving two DMs and most of the playerbase logged, and since we can experience only what goes on on the other side of the curtain, we would like some player feedback.
Specifically, these are our questions:
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Was it too fast paced? Did the characters have enough time to recover during the breaks?
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Did it give enough sense of urgency and danger? Was it too long, making fighting result dull after two hours of hack and slash?
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Enough time and chances to RP for the characters involved, or did fighting require all the attention of the moment? If it is the latter, can it be changed somehow, or is it a natural consequence of this kind of events?
Prior to this event, I had possessed NPCs and interacted with single charecters, or at best groups of two or three. These are two opposites on the spectrum of DM time investment. We can have huge events involving the whole playerbase, that can though result generic. Or we can have specific events, involving small groups and dedicating them hours while RPing with them, but it would naturally be spread among the playerbase, making these events, in regard to the single player, less frequent. Which kind of event do the playerbase prefer? One best than the other? A balanced mix?
Discuss (If ever there is a time to be honest, this is it. Nobody will be "punished" or "ousted" for saying they didn't enjoy something, because it is a mater of tastes, and they cannot be forced. If you lie and say something you didn't like was instead awesome, chances are we will keep having such events, and you will find yourself with a gameplay you hate over and over)
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Personally, I thought the timing worked out very well. The spawns didn't come in so fast there wasn't time for RP. Some of the interactions I saw were extremely ic character for the ones involved and the RP with the demon was great. I think if more events were set up like this, more of the general playerbase would respond positively. It gives a break from a hack and slash, endless spawn, type event.
Just my two cents…
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Normally I despise these server-wide battles with a vengeance for being imbalanced and without much communication but for "Where's everyone run off to? We're going to feed these corpses to our half-orc bandit army then", but this one was truly something epic because of the way it was orchestrated. If there was one concept that was nailed in this event it was the sense of urgency, not least after that first "taster" of what was to come followed by an evil speech and a four minute ultimatum - niether too short to be insignificant nor too long to kill interest. Surprisingly the challange of it was also well pitched - maybe some of the lycans were too easy to kill but there was nothing that went on a PC-eating rampage that I saw, nor any one PC slaughtering everything around them with ease.
No complaints about the pace of it either, the regular intervals in which Takata came and took verbal shots at the defenders, becoming more generous in her offers to try and get people to abandon Eveningstar, kept things from becoming one long drone of battle and gave some time to RP.
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I died 4 times. In future I wish this to be cut down to 3 times. I'd also like a lollipop to assist in my recovery.
Stupidity aside, that was utterly epic. Timing was massively perfect. Didn't have any stragglers randomly appearing trying to nab the glory or nothing. I just wqish I'd still been available for the reward (whatever it was, I had work :( )
Anyways, awesome work :D
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I think the event was indeed as those before said: EPIC.
I liked it that we had time between fights to RP and react to the situation as it unfolded.It could be nice in the future to see the NPCs react to tactics or commands from the PC of their faction, giving that PC a bigger role to play and much more responsiblity.
Another idea is to have some supplies distributed at the start of the event and maybe alittle inbetween rather than just one chunk load of it at the very end.
Other than that? So so awesome. Thanks!
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All I can do is echo what's already been said. It was an amazing event!
The battles had me at the edge of my seat, there was more than enough RP to make it meaningful, and the end reward was… well... rewarding... :)
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I think i arrived around the halfway mark. So i was a little unsure of the role of the Mages and the reason for protecting them.
I found the pace and atmosphere great, allowing time to recover and make some RP and plans but not too long you lost the sense of urgency or inevitability. Like the jaws of a vise slowly closing on you.
As the outer defences fell and the demons closed in on the last defenders there was the moment you wonder if the line would hold or collapse. The time to use that last spell or widget you have been holding in reserve?
I liked the temptations offered by the Demon. Some could have been whispered into the ears of the defenders during the lulls in the battle through tells. Offers of power and riches if they only slipped away during the chaos. :twisted:
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I have been part of a lot of huge battles over the years, and I thought this one was a lot of fun! I thought the pace was perfect. Having opportunities to role-play between skirmishes was great, and possessing the demons and giving them personality during the battle made the event feel more alive.
I think the only thing that would have made the battle more fun was if we were made to fight on more than one front, splitting up the party to guard the approach from the King's Forest and the approach from Eveningstar at the same time. One thing I have noticed during the huge battles of which I have been part is a tendency for one or two powerhouses to run from one side of the battlefield to the other, fighting on two fronts at the same time. We were attacked from both sides, but they were kind of two waves. I feel like a more concentrated attack from both sides would have forced characters to commit to one side or the other. That kind of thing may be unavoidable, though, and a concentrated, simultaneous attack may have been hard to pull off without the event getting out of control.
This isn't the thread, but I also wanted to give props to the players of Evander and Ulayne for making non-faction characters feel important during the event, as well as any other faction character I may not have seen who made others feel important. This is based upon my personal experiences, so the experiences of others may vary, but I feel like non-faction characters often turn into window dressing during these events. These players helped make me feel like I was more than a no-name red-shirt in a Star Trek landing party.
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Was a good event, even opportunities for evil PC's. Im suprised there was no lag either, which might havea made it enjoyable for most too as there is usually lag with larger events. All in all, good stuff!
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Agreed with all of the above. There was little lag for me (unlike the Greencastle and Castle Crag events) and that made things much more enjoyable.
The NPC enemies were new (at least to me) and quite scary (demonic werewolves! :shock: )
The sense of urgency and danger was ever present. My favorite part was watching Furin's dragon summon get eaten by the demons within a few seconds. That made me giggle. :twisted:
Big kudos and appreciation to the other PCs who continue to recognize Simay's shifty behavior and reacted accordingly. I appreciate the DMs who allowed me to contribute in my own chaotic way, and had I succeeded, would have thrown the whole event out of whack.
If I had one complaint - the event wasn't long enough. :wink:
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It was all around one of the better events I've ever been apart of! I arrived shortly after the beginning of the event and things were still clear enough as to what was going on with little need for much explination.
There was one of the greatest sences of urgency and fear I've ever experinced in an event with just enough time inbetween attack to heal, up and RP, but without losing that sence of urgency and fear that was present through the whole event. The combat was a perfect amount of difficulty for the PC's we had there. I often felt like the battle could go either way, but never felt so overwhelmed as to not want to be a part oft he event or fighting. The length of the event was great as well, I think towards the end many were starting to use up some or all of the "reserves" and what not.
The lag was bad for me a couple times, but always bareable enough to keep on fighting, especially compared to events in the past where I couldnt do anything. The reward for sticking through the event was fair as well.
Finally, while I do like large events like this, and sometimes find them necessary for some events/plots. I often end up enjoying events between smaller groups of 5 or 6 people or so more.
Overall, a great event, I'm trying to find a negative or at least some constructive criticism but I cant really think of anything off the top of my head.
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I found the Mages Maintaining the Ward acted like an Anchor holding the action to a limited area. The buildings also kept things contained somewhat.
Most of these events end up with a chaotic frenzy as everyone goes running all over the map. Which makes it hard for players and i imagine the DM's to keep track of the action. This set up made it easy to keep track of most of the action most of the time. At least in the later half of the battle i seen.
Not sure how spread out the action was for the first half of the battle.
Lag was only a factor for me when i first entered the area and a few times during the battles.
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Thank you all for the feedbacks.