Looks at the thread …. looks at the date .... looks at the thread .... looks at the date. Enough said. :)

I admit I am relatively new / returning to this server and was not directly involved in the event, but I have talked extensively to some of those involved and believe a point is being overlooked. People log into the server to have fun. People often measure fun by succeeding at a challenge, its part of human nature. Granted with a worthwhile challenge comes the possibility of failure, which is rarely fun (how many trips to the fugue have you really enjoyed?). Still, as long as everything in within the understood rules, people can usually handle the failure and indeed past failures make it even more fun when they finally accomplish a goal. When their is a perceived breaking of those rules, it causes a great deal of frustration. Especially given the time we invest in these characters.

Please keep the above in mind when reading the below. We had a series of treasures we were told to find IG by the various faction PCs. It was ruled a DMless event and, in the Legion at least, the faction NPCs had no further information when asked. Moving forward to the exact event, you have group Legion/CoG finding the tomb, defeating the creatures in the tomb, and working on the puzzle (to the extent they might or might have been able to determine it is still outstanding given the following events). TheKn group Mage Guild is transported to the area outside the tomb by a DM. Group Mage Guild is then able to move past group Legion/CoG and secure the treasure via invisibility spells (against I wasn't there but that is what I understand).

From talking to the various players in question who where there and are honestly upset enough over the matter to stop playing for a time, you have the following perspective. A DMless even that appeared to be billed as find it on your own merits / defeat the NPC guardians on your own merits. During their attempt to do just that, another group was given a DM port to the area -after- group Legion/CoG had found the place and killed the guardians. Some of the second group then used invisibility spells to get the end treasure and run away. From the Legion/CoG perspective the players actions are no different than someone waiting until another group killed off the guardians of the Haunted Halls, then using invisibility to get the regents / treasures in the chests and run away. The question of the parties abilities doesn't really come into it, as the challenge was suppose to be the same for everyone. I understand the Mage Guild players apologized for the action afterwards and amy not trying to attack them over this, but here are some ideas. Instead of charing in for the win next time when you just had DM assistance, what about trying to negotiate ICly. For instance .. "you can't get that door open, ok we will open the door for you but in return we get half of what's inside". From the Legion/CoG perspective the fun was removed by actions that appeared to break the rules of the quest / server. If the Mage Guild had come upon them without the port and still managed to get the treasure, I am sure people would be far less upset. The invisibility tactic might have stilled caused some annoyance, but I think that was greatly exasperated because the DM port allowed it to be utilized.

From the DM perspective I can certainly understand wanting to set up conflict. But I would ask the DMs to remember that players don't have the entire big picture. They only see their piece of it and their fun is based off of what they see. When they see something that appears to break the understood rules, especially when they appear to lose out on the reward because of the breaking of those rules it becomes very frustrating. As a player you mind turns to questioning when the next breaking of the agreed upon server rules may occur. In other words, should I put effort into playing a great character with deep plots if those plots may be ended at any time with an action that seems to break the understood server rules. That is the true reason for the frustration form the event in my opinion. That Legion/CoG team failed at the given event due to an action that appeared to be favoritism to the Mage Guild (frustration / lack of fun), and the worry that the favoritism may occur again in such a manner that it ends the deep plots being worked by the Legion/CoG players (very frustrating / lack of fun). I am not saying this is the case at all, because frankly players don't see the big picture. I am just saying this is how it appears to the players involved. This event, combined with a few other bad experiences, have made them no longer enjoy playing and believe that regardless of their actions their plots will be made to fail / suffer. To be clear, not saying this is the true intention of the DMs and given the posts in this thread I doubt it is, saying that it is how it -appeared- to the players.

It's not fair to note short comings (perceived or real) without offering ideas to help fix the situation (the old try it from THIS side proverb). Given the above frustrations on the players side (remember everyone we have had several very good players decide to take a break over this, that does no one any good), and my inability to know the DM side (never been a DM :) ) I suggest the following. Clearer rules / communication on what may happen on a DM event, if everyone understands the ground work going in then there is far less room for frustrations. The DM team has worked very hard to set up a server that is fun and where players can make a difference, as a result let player vrs player conflict and the resulting consequences occur naturally as long as it is IC. Anyone else with some good ideas how we can help to resolve this going forward and keep the awesome going?

Hey guys I think we got a little off topic here. The point of this was to encourage new players / frustrated players to give the DM factions a go. I admit, I am just one data point. But they were very welcoming to me and filled with players willing to lend a hand. If you had a bad experience I encourage you to roll up another character and give them a try again. One DM on another server put it this way, server changing leaders are awesome but don't get anywhere with out helper / followers. There is room for all of us and the point is indeed to have fun!

I played Arabel over three years ago fairly frequently. For those around back then, when the Three Bars was the home of team evil and people like Anen, Nelson, Pree, and Raven were causing all sorts of fun. I tried out the sever again a few times over the years but could never get myself fully engaged. This time, it has really reached out and grabed me due my involvement with a DM faction. I would encourage all other new players / people having a hard time diving into the server to give the DM factions a look. The best part is that you do not need an Application to become an Applicant / Novice / Auxiliary / Squire etc. Just earn the position IG. This lets you dive right into the awesome from the start and become involved. Then, once you have been around for a bit and earned a promotion you can worry about the DM application. Trust me, there is a massive amount of plot goodness with these factions (and that is based off the little bit I have seen).

As a long time Mac user, I usually Bootcamp my Mac and put NWN on the Windows partition. This is also nice as it allows you to run other games that come out for Windows only. It runs great on that, I can attest. What type of Mac are you looking at getting? The only downside is you have to purchase a full version of Windows to install on the Windows partition.

• There And Back

Take a look at these everyone, they are fantastic. The city override combined with the Baldur's Gate give the game a whole new feel. The standard city tile for NWN was never my favorite, the above overrides really give it a whole new feel.

I have seen quite a few posts in the past few days on character creation. I found the below guide concept a while back and find it very helpful in creating my own characters. I hope it helps some others as well.

• There And Back

Character Creation: Guide Template

• General Information -
  Name:
  Race:
  Archetype:
  Diety:
  Profession:
  Class:
  Alignment:
  Age:
  Home:

• Important Note -

• Philosophy -

• Background -

• Goals -

• Current Events -

• Old Events -

Character Creation: Example Template
Here is a quick example of how the guide can be used to help you flesh out a character. I personally prefer to play base class characters. I find that playing a truly excellent cleric or fighter and portraying all the complexities of such extremely rewarding and fun. In any case, the below example takes the idea of "cleric of Ilmater" and runs through the guide. Hope it helps!

• General Information -
  Name: Karl Phoebus

// Dont discount the importance of a name. Go to a name meaning sight and find a fun sounding name that means something appropriate to your character. It will help keep the character interesting and remind you what you are suppose to be doing with the character. In the above example the name could translate as "Man of Purity", Karl is apparently derived from a word meaning man and Phoebus derived from one meaning pure.

Race: Human, Damaran

// I fill this in the last, as it depends on the rest. Usually human is a great default as they span the range of possible characters. It will also be affected by the place you were born, the FR is very rich in lore. What specific race of human / elf / dwarf are you? This can also have ties to your archetype and deity. Have fun with this, it can go as deep as you like.

Archetype: Mentor

// What is the overarching archetype you are attempting to portray? What do you want to play?

Diety: Ilmater

// Who is your god? Should be reflected in everything below given it is the Forgotten Realms.

Profession: Healer

// You have your diety, you have your archetype, and you have your philosophy. Now how is your characters going to accomplish or implement all of that? Your profession is not your class, rather it is way you make money / impact / influence in the world around you. A fighter may be a city guardsman, an honorable mercenary, sell sword of the lowest sort, etc.

Class: Cleric

// Your DnD class. Better role players than me say you fill this in last as it is reflected by everything else you created. I cant make myself do this as there are certain classes I love to play. Given the length of time we spend on these characters, my advice is do some offline research on the various classes and their builds. Make sure you have something you will enjoy. Oh and resist the temptation to overpower your combat stats at the expense of your social stats. You dont want to gimp yourself, but trust me. It really stinks to have a great concept, get half way into playing it and admit to yourself that your social stats dont support your role play. Is there really that much of a difference between a constitution of 14 and 16? Not really, and there are plenty of potions or items to help you out in game.

Alignment: Lawful Good

// This should follow directly form your diety, profession, class, and philosophy.

Age: 29

// How old are you? It seems like a simple field, but can profound impacts on the way your character sees the world and goes about his life.

Home: Heliogabalus

// Where are you from? This can be expanded on in your back story. Remember your a level one character, you probably did not escape the Underdark single handed.

• Important Note -
  None.

// Any important notes about your character not covered elsewhere. For example, had an arm cut off due to a childhood accident. Etc.

• Philosophy -
  The soul is the spark of the divine in every mortal. The body is the vessel of the soul, it is the means by which the soul interacts with the world around it. What affects the outer, affects the inner and vice versus. Therefore, heal the flesh and keep it whole. To heal the flesh is the first step in healing the soul. To heal the soul is to heal the individual.

// What is the driving philosophy of your character? What is their core belief? This should tie directly into your diety and your profession. The easy way to do this is to take your diety's dogma and come up with a spin on it. You dont want to violate it, just come up with an interpretation. After all, its a big Realm.

• Background -
  Karl was born to a large and poor, if devout of Ilmater family in Heliogabalus. From an early age he heard the call of the Crying God. As such he was given to the small shrine, near his home, at the age of ten. While his family loved and continued to care for him, they were relieved he would be well cared for in the temple and reduced the strain on their meager budget.

As such Karl, was raised in the faith he had been called to. In time he took the vows of the Acolyte and learned the skills of the mundane healer. As the Head Brother of the Shrine was found of saying, Ilmater seeks to mend the flesh and ease the pain. The method is of less importance. By his twenty ninth year, Karl was judged to have gained sufficient skill as a healer and a deep enough faith to be presented with a choice. He could take the vows of a Brother of Ilmater and remain in the shrine, or he could move into the greater world and seek to ease the pain there. While Karl loved his homeland and the people he cared for there, he hungered to spread the healing of Ilmater to the greater world around them. After some consultations, it was determined Karl would travel to Arabel and seek to aid in healing that war torn city.

// This can be as detailed as you want, and the DMs have graciously let us apply for membership in organizations and the like. However, keep in mind your a level one character at creation. No one likes the dragon slayer that was "bumped on the head" and now cant kill a goblin alone. I admit I have been as guilty of that as the next, it actually only makes your life harder. If you were such a badass before and cant live up to it now, it turns into one of those DOH moments. I find that being apprentice / acolyte / etc is great. It lets you have some fun backstory but keeps your power level where it is suppose to be. Also keep in mind you have to send in an Application if your an actual member of an organization I believe.

// Second, have something that plays into your philosophy / profession / diety. This is -why- and -how- your character got to be the way they are. Take your time with it, you will most likely spend a great deal of time playing the character itself.

• Goals -
  Provide healing for free to injured adventures and citizens of Arabel.

Utilize his position as a healer to council those who have fallen from the light. Show them a different path exists and assist them on this journey.

Establish a chapter of healers in Arabel to spread the healing hands of Ilmater throughout the region. Insure these healers understand that the first step is to heal the flesh, the second is to heal the soul.

// The goals for your character on the server. Frankly the more of these you have the better, it keeps you from the "oh I am board" feeling. I see them as three basic types, an example of each above.

// The first, are basic goals you can accomplish on your own with no other player assistance or DM help. These are very important as they give you something to do when you dont have any IC friends or DM attention.

// The second are goals that require other players but no DM attention. These are also very important as you want a reason to interact with others around you.

// The third are very large long term goals that require other players and DM attention. Shoot for the moon here and go big. That way you always have something to work for no matter what happens. Do understand you will have to earn these IG, they are intended to be the things that you -might- accomplish over the entire length of a great character. Dont be surprised if they dont happen.

• Current Events -

// Given the above, what are you doing right now on the server?

• Old Events -

// Given the above, what did you do in the past on the server?

Result: You go from a cleric of Ilmater, to Karl. The healer from Heliogabalus whose deep devotion to Ilmater lead him to Arabel in an effort to heal the flesh and souls of the war torn city.

It was not showing up for me under the general section PW: Story. I agree that it would hurt new players trying to find the server. Is it possible to return it to PW: Story?

I played here years ago and decided to give CoA another try, I have to say the server is simple beautiful and everyone I meet IC did a great job. Looking forward to diving back in! Thanks for the awesome.