RwG's comprehensive guide to rocking with initiative

[Random_White_Guy]

After reading Nihm, Lovethesuit's, Plum, Scotty’s, and other post in the "replace DMs forum",

It's really important to learn how to do certain things without a DM. Things flow a lot smoother when you can just wing it.

I thought I'd lend my sizable ego and unique skills and present EFU with a guide of sorts. As a PC who enjoyed building and running factions and heavy plotting, then DM, then back to PC who enjoyed building and running factions and heavy plotting thought I'd share some information that is worthwhile.

So. Without further ado-

RwG's Comprehensive Guide to Rocking with Initiative[/color]
Because whether or not DMs are around, the PCs who step up and shine are rewarded in the long run

Introduction- You are in a world of pure imagination: Willy Wonka said it best in Gene Wilder's lyrical tones: "Come with me, and you'll be, in a world of pure imagination" In EFU there is tangible limits you can reach as a PC but if you flex and hone your creative muscles you can literally shine on 6.55$.

The introduction to PCing without a DM or with limited DM aid is a complicated art form but if obtained it can be greatly enjoyable. You have to be willing to take risks, you have to be willing to fall on your face and lose, and you have to be willing to take a loss.

You won't always walk out of a situation with all your gold, all your potions, and all your equipment. That's simply the price to do business. It takes money to make money, so to speak.

In EFU you are quite literally able to do anything you want with a PC or group of PC friends. Gangs, Warlords, Scholars, Mercenaries, Outlaws, Philosophers, Aristrocrats, Beggars, spies...

The only limit is your imagination. And buddy, we're gonna put on our gym shorts and work that imagination. All you need is a good night’s sleep and some initiative.

[Random_White_Guy]

Chapter 1-  A strong foundation:  Just as with everything in life, EFU requires you to start from somewhere. The question is simply “Where?”.  In whatever way you have drafted your concept you have found yourself in EFU in various locations. Will you be a Docksman and fight the good fight? A loyalist to the Dominion and profit on the sweat of others? Or simply go wherever you desire and into the wilds? No matter what you do you will need a strong foundation and story for your character, and through that perhaps even a friend or two.

You need to find your location to operate then slowly begin acquiring your funding. Be it fedex quests or the low level combat quests or simply finding a random group from a sending and wandering along to get your coin. Taking initiative focuses on a single issue: Gotta spend money to make money.

[Random_White_Guy]

Chapter 2- You must have Ambition. After you build your foundation it’s time to get started. More or less you need everything that the DMs would offer to PCs as reward for plot sand otherwise. The concept is the same: You offer rewards for jobs, tasks, and services to you. This can be varying and discussed later.

As you begin to do you work you begin to realize: Hey, this is sort of what DMs do IC. And you’re right! It IS. If you gather an IC faction and do it properly it will have many qualities that make you feel like you are a small scale DM. You are being creative to PCs, you are offering reward, and you are advancing plots. You are organizing RP.

Pro-tip#1: There is a reason PC factions get involvement from DMs historically. As a DM I would love to see PCs organizing and growing a plot or story around a faction. Not only did this mean I didn’t have to, it showed that PCs were dedicated and had initiative. A group like this would make me want to give them stories and quests. Partly because I liked their direction but partly because the faction was using their time and effort to make the server a better place and that’s reward-worthy in my opinion

So you’ve got your coin. You’ve got your Mini-DM hat on. You’ve got a few rough plot ideas. But what now?

You need a location, a place for you to call your own and make it your home sweet home. It doesn’t matter if it’s a room in the kingsman, an abandoned arena, a room in the sewers, a weird looking tree.

You need a place to call yours so you can mingle, loiter, and otherwise. Inventing a place to make your own gives people a chance to know where to find you. In time as your faction grows this area will become more and more popular perhaps, and that’s always a fun feeling.

One of my favorite PCs to play was a necromancer who lived in the sewer. I was able to get faction members and people seeking my faction to brave nightrisers and otherwise to come and chat with us down there. It felt like I was running a legitimate group and business.

[Random_White_Guy]

Chapter 3- Vision You’ve decided you want to make a faction, you’ve decided your character. Now comes the fun part: How does your character carve his niche into society. Will you be a Gladiator seeking challenge and opening a Gladiatorial school to help others?

Protip #2 That does not need a DM at all, simply the funds to heal yourself and your students you train and can lead to infinite enjoyable RP with no DM involvement, and you having a few unique training styles and ideas to help your apprentices RP the training process

You simply must have vision. You have to look at everything in the server, find where you want to find, and ultimately find how you want to fit into the server and craft it to your desires. Fun RP can be had in questing, sitting around plotting world domination, or simply helping a PC learn that you can’t just swing your sword over your head like a maniac but there is training and such that goes into it.

When there are few DMs around, which leads at times to fewer players,  you have to OOC get used to the idea that sometimes You RPing with one other PC can be the greatest RP you’ll ever have, and in a lot of ways that’s the truth. Many of my favorite encounters have simply been sitting in a room with another PC sharing our stories and visions for a future, and then hatching schemes to get them.

You must have OOC vision, which you can translate into IC vision for your PC, which allows you to craft and build an experience for yourself to enjoy. If you are having fun yourself, other people will have fun too…

[Random_White_Guy]

Chapter 4- If you build it, they will come…(Recruitment) You’ve got your gold to pay people to work tasks and such and get involved for you. You’ve got your awesome name for your Gladiator school. You’ve got your spare equipment and weapons for new PC recruits who don’t have them and need them. You’ve got herbs. Perhaps even a friendly cleric. So how do you get people to join your school?

Protip #3: People look at DM factions and go “Oh, they get loot, or paycheck, a uniform, and Quests!”, well guess what billy?  You can â€"MAKE THOSE- for your fellow PC if you are willing to put in the time. As a PC you can tailor and make unique uniforms as well as duplicate them, if you have the coin and patience.

Using the DM-idea of LPUQ (Loot, paycheck, uniform, quests), you can begin my favorite part of PC factions: Recruitment. My first suggestion is to give yourself an awesome title. As my example thus far has been a gladiatorial school I will go with “Drillmaster Vahlenko”. And now you begin the information flow.

Protip #4: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, USE THE FORUMS!

• Letters, I suggest you sign everything you can with your full name, your title, and an insignia. This shows you’re organize and have put some thought into it. PCs won’t be interested in something that seems half-assed. Also always be sure to put how you can be reached. Even if the PC you sent the letter to isn’t reading the letter they will see some interesting developments and in time perhaps show up to a sending

• Fliers. Keep them on topic and interesting.  There’s no limit to how many forum posts you can make in one thread so don’t be afraid to spam to get people’s attention.  Make a flier recruiting students or PCs, Make a flier about the stuff you’re trying to purchase or sell. Etc.

So an example Ruins Litter thread would be:

Title: ” VAHLENKO’S VIOLENT VENTURES: Premiere Gladiatorial Academy”

Post #1: Catchy post attracting attention and explaining your group. Flirt with them. Tell them some credentials about your history as a gladiator, and other stories about your character and how you are offering premiere training for those interested.

Post #2:  List of Employees, where they can be reached (If it is a public company. Sometimes shadier factions don’t need to post this, or if it’s a list of faithful or otherwise)

Post #3:  A newer, creative flier about how the group is getting established and how more should seek you out

Post #4:  A post describing training sessions, customer satisfaction, etc (‘After a week working with Drillmaster Vahlenko, I’ve won four fights! Before I was getting beat by small girls!’). DO NOT BE AFRAID TO FABRICATE! Sometimes people enjoy humor, and in posts that gets people’s attention. Sure someone may say “Man that’s kinda fake”, but every post you make gets your name out there.[/list]

• Sendings!- My favorite thing about EFU is the sending system. The important thing is that no matter what sending you make (Be it for questing, merchants, etc) you add a few key words to every sending.

Your Title, Your Company, and make it sound lively. You hear a sending from “Okay we’re gonna go kill orcs” does not sound as enticing as “This is Drillmaster Armand Vahlenko of Vahlenko’s Violent Ventures.  The recruits and I are taking a break from the combat dummies and are looking for a few mercenaries willing to join us in a bit of bloodshed against a local tribe of Beastmen”.

Every time you make a sending, someone listening will go “Wait…I’ve never heard of this guy. He’s got a title? And a Company? And a Quest? May as well go have a look…”.[/list]

• IC Notes- Don’t be afraid to scatter around some IC notes.

“Looking for fun? For coin? For Glory? Seek out Drillmaster Armand Vahlenko of Vahlenko’s Violent Ventures, the premiere Gladiatorial Academy of the Dominion!”

They’re relatively cheap, you can copy them and get like 10-15 at a time, and you can throw PC 50 gold to go scatter them around the Dock, the Gobsquat, and everywhere.[/list]

[Random_White_Guy]

Chapter 5- More the Merrier You need a Lieutenant. For a lot of my endeavors, before he became such a cool DM, Talir was one of my favorites to recruit. You need an ambitious and creative PC with similar time zones and their own take on your pursuit. Drillmaster needs a Lieutenant.  Most PCs are never the same, so a grizzled badass Drillmaster needs a Lieutenant who can be at least friendly to the public, and help people stick around if he yells too loud.

Protip #5:  Don’t be afraid to play up stereotypical or cliché character styles. A somber, intimidating man should always have a more loud and boisterous and entertaining buddy. It makes good RP and makes good group dynamics. Don’t hamfist it up but don’t be afraid to try the old hat.

Every mad scientist needs his Igor, Every noble his Bodyguard. Every Emperor his Vader. You need to find a PC who shares your passion but can bring their own unique strengths and strategies to the table. A lot of concepts start as Two-Man concepts, which is completely okay. Especially at a time where faction population is low and there is a lack of PCs to recruit.

Wandering around bored early on is the #1 death of amazing concepts, so if you have a trusty #2 you will be able not only to combine resources and quest together, but also have a soundboard for various plot meetings and pursuits. Two heads are afterall better than one.

[Random_White_Guy]

Chapter 6- Events! Okay so- You’ve got your foundation of gold and equipment. You’ve got your vision. You’ve got your recruitment fliers and such posted. You’ve got your trusted lieutenant. Now I shall give you a brief outline of how to run an event entirely of your own initiative.

Make sure you’ve got all your affairs in order, as well as enough time. There are two types of events: Short term and long term.  I’m more partial to the impulsive short term but there is something to be said about a long term event.

A short term event would be announcing something over the sending system like “The Lieutenant and I are offering a short term, free training session to any individuals interested. Seek Drillmaster Vahlenko outside the Main Gate. Healing and pointers shall be provided”.

Now you and your Lieutenant stroll down to the main gate and wait.

And wait.

And wait.

And wait a minute…no one is here?! Damn it, we just wasted 10 gold on a sending!

Protip#7:  If every sending you made drew a crowd it’d be glorious, but that’s simply impossible. Keep your expectations reasonable.

Wrong. Even if PC’s don’t answer, they see that you are active. They see that there is something going on around the server. If no one shows up it means they are either off questing, not in the city, or it simply doesn’t apply to their character. The worst thing you can do when doing a short term event is get frustrated.

You didn’t tell anyone ahead of time you were doing this, so you can hardly get upset that you didn’t draw a massive crowd. The thing to do though is be persistent.

Take a little time between quests, or RP sessions, to make a sending that draws in folks. You may have no one show up or you may have quite a few bored people show up. Strike up a conversation, talk about your faction, sell yourself.

You may not find new recruits, or people to work with, but you may make a new ally… or even an enemy.

Long Events are those you post on the forum, advertise IC and OOCly, and hope to get a fair crowd of people to show up. Most people can do these fairly well so I won’t go too into that.

[Random_White_Guy]

Chapter 7: Rivals and Allies Alliances and rivals are without a doubt and bar none the most successful way for a PC faction to thrive without DM presence and influence. If you’ve got a group and someone else has a group, you’ve got instant involvement.

Be it a Combined event- “The Vahlenko Venture â€" Stygian Armada March against Ogres!” makes a very enticing forum title.

Be it a Rivalry- “You receive a sending from Armand Vahlenko: This is the Drillmaster. Some pathetic Elf from the Woodwatchers thought he could jump our men because we cut down a few trees to make dummies.  Reward is offered for information on an Elf with green armor calling himself Lomy’ran”

There is no such thing as bad publicity and when you have two groups interacting it creates instant conflict or instant expansion of people’s awareness of you. The greatest thing about running a faction is watching people love or hate you. Either way it means they are involved with you, RPing with you, conflicting with you.

And guess what? That’s when EFU gets a lot of fun. With or Without a DM present.

[Random_White_Guy]

Chapter 8: Being a PC in a PC Faction Gonna take a brief aside to discuss being a PC in a PC faction. If you’re joined up with a buddy who is running a group the best thing you can do is help out. Be it through discounts on potions and wands you make (Or at cost), sharing equipment, or even working for free. As a PC you are in a unique position to help out a faction.

Believe it or not, most factions are looking for recruits so if you are willing you can have fun with it.

“No, Mr. Vahlenko, I’m quite against violence However I find myself with free time so if you are interested I could easily aid you. I am a servant of Ilmater so I desire to relieve suffering across the Dominion. I will offer you free blessings to your training sessions and removing the suffering of your men if you are willing to allow me chance to serve as an instructor in your academy. I can bring you more doctors and physicians as my apprentices to assist you if we are allowed to use you and your men for our own testing and training purposes and protect us from those who would seek to assault us”

Anyone running a group around FIGHTING likely spends a fortune on healing, so if you offer free healing? You god damn bet they’re willing to listen to you.

And just like that you have a fair few new plot allies, and the PC faction you approached or approached you gets a new member.

Sounds like a win-win to me.

[Random_White_Guy]

Chapter 9: PC Faction Forums So you’ve got your faction, you’ve got your gear , your friends, your enemies, and most importantly your Plots. There’s a simple and easy way to A) Keep track of things, B) Contact your faction members if you’re across timezones, or C) Organize events and plots in brainstorming style.

PC Faction Forums!

All you need is to find a DM with the ability to do this and you will be set. Simply send them the name of your faction and the list of your characters involved and in time you will have a faction forum of your very own. Very important, very useful, very fun.

This allows DMs to monitor your PC to PC interaction, your lofty plans, and more! Even if they aren’t around to get IG trust me when I say that plots are noticed and some DMs take a lot of time reading through the forum posts of prospective PC factions with initiative.

[Random_White_Guy]

Chapter 10: The DMs Much of this guide has been my attempt to show people that if you’re willing to take the risks, take the hit to your PC’s resources, and be malleable to new ideas and change to accommodate recruits you can create an enjoyable and successful faction if you are having fun with it.

And guess what? You did it without a DM.

So guess what else?

If a DM does take notice of the work you have done and thrown you a bone you will be in a great position to further expand your PC faction and go on unique and interesting DM quests.

Perhaps even get DM offered Headquarters in the form of a rundown old Gym and arena, or spontaneous commoners showing up to a massive gladiator match you host, or a rival gladiator school coming to town to challenge you and your students.

And that ladies and gentlemen (Pardon the emphatic cursing), is where the FUCKING MAGIC OF EFU HAPPENS!

You have established a group of PCs, no matter how many there are, that have a presence and chance to influence the server. Even without a DM you’ve been successful and managed to have fun so when and if a DM does show up he has a lot to work with and a lot of interesting ways to interact with you and your PCs.

This takes the load off of him, and the load off of you, and in the end EFU is a richer place for it. All because you have taken steps to enjoy yourself and find other friends to enjoy EFU with.

It’s my hope that if you’ve read this you feel a little more empowered, a little more interested, and a little more  into EFU. Not only as a player, but as the idea you as a player can emulate a fair deal of DM tactics and tricks to build and run a successful PC faction and add spice, plot, conflict, intrigue, and fun to the server.

You do not need a DM to walk you every step of the way.

And if you do it right you don’t need a DM at all to help you.

And as a former DM, believe me when I say- I loved nothing more than seeing PCs with initiative.

There was nothing that made me more inspired in the legacy of EFU like “Hey RwG, me and some buddies are going to run an event, if you’re free can you help out?”

If I said no I was busy sorry, they said “Oh well, thanks anyway!”

If I noticed later a sending for their event, even without my help or heard about it later on the forums, or heard about it from other players…and that it was still attempted without my help I definitely made note of it for future fun.

[Random_White_Guy]

Final note:

Don’t be afraid to fail. Please. The worst thing you can do when showing initiative is be timid. Don’t be afraid to challenge the Stygians or Sons or other groups that some people may claim “A futile effort”. Sometimes the greatest thing about playing a fantasy character is how you can suspend your OOC feelings by ICly having a vendetta, holding a grudge, or being simply fanatically devoted to a cause.

It creates a great character flaw, creates great conflict, and adds a lot of spice to any pursuit you take. EFU is a game so naturally the focus is to have fun. If a PC concept or Faction concept starts to stagnate look for the help of a DM or friends OOCly for advice or tips.

If it comes to it, you may fail. It’s part of the nature of the beast.

So roll up your next concept, your next inspirational endeavor, and get ready to start Chapter 1 all over again, heh.

 If you take risks and show initiative you can get yourself and other PCs involved and enthralled with plots, RP, the setting, quests, and anything you want if you do it right with or without DM aid. It just makes EFU a more fun place for everyone, PCs and DM alike.

Thanks for reading and I hope you found it useful.

-RwG

[Equinox]

Heartily endorse this. Boss post sir.

[lovethesuit]

Willy Wonka said it best in Gene Wilder's lyrical tones: "Come with me, and you'll be, in a world of pure imagination"

get out

Yes, this all has merit.

[Mr_BBQ]

Man, this is great help. Thanks RwG!