As any project progresses it tends to mature, and with that maturity it tends to change. Perhaps not at the core of things, but certainly the player perception of what it entailed in the beginning – the raw, new, and fresh idea – has been altered by becoming more comfortable with the setting. There have been multiple posts about a desire to “get back to the original feel” and many suggestions to modify the current setting as it stands to revert it perhaps to what a certain player, or player group, enjoyed. I hope this post will remind players of the things that EfU has at it’s core that are still new, fresh, and exciting—and that there are still a wealth of ideas out there to latch on to and stories to tell that would be very, very entertaining.
I like the setting: Very well crafted, and continually in flux. The ability to have a setting that can be changed very significantly by player IG actions is a prime example of how interactive games should be set up. I as a player appreciate a setting where I can play and interact, but I get more interested in the setting and my character’s interaction with it if my character can matter and alter the game world. The chosen setting allows for free interaction of a lot of different character concepts, and that freedom is refreshing. The mere fact that it is not like the beginning is refreshing, it proves that the setting is not static.
I like the interaction: Not only the players who want to tell a wonderful story, but the DMs who want to do the same. It makes it fun to be able to play a game that others enjoy similarly, and who have a desire to make the game fun for others as well as themselves. DM interactions serve to help a player feel motivated, interested, and invested in continuing the story of their character, and all the fun people put into their characters and interactions keep old players playing, and new players staying.
I like fun of it: It represents an open setting where any idea can fly so long as you put in the time, make it fun and exciting, and involve players. I enjoy spending time here because I have fun doing it. The stories, the conflicts, the battles, and the great RP along the way make me look forward to the times when I can log in.
I like the power the DMs let us have: We as players I think can sell ourselves short sometimes, and think we NEED DM attention to make things happen. Some times that is true, but the majority of the time it is us the DMs have invested from the get go with the opportunity to run with practically any idea we have. If we show the initiative and get things moving, growing, exciting, and functioning, they have always chimed in with help and support, with ideas, and with scenarios that challenge. I have seen things stagnate in groups both as a player and as a DM, and 99% of the time it is due to lack of PC support rather than lack of DM interaction. You show a DM a good, fun plot line through IG actions you came up with, that you have gotten off the ground, and have had fun with yourself, and with others, and I guarantee it will fly. (Perhaps not the way you exactly envisioned it, but it will be fun!)
If you have things about EfU that you like, post them here. This is not a gripe board, a board for suggestions, or for things “I would like to see X”. Please post things you yourself enjoy about playing here on EfU. Really, this is a tribute to all the DMs present and past who have helped us as players to have an amazingly fun way to rot our brains out.