Seeking advice

[Haer Dalis 83]

Fellow Sanctuarians, I come to you today with a question. Nwn is an old game, many of us started playing as kids and are now grown up men. We all coped with the responsibilities of adulthood in different ways, some left while others didn't. I just started working and alas I have found I do not have the luxury of affording nwn as many hours as I used to. I am, though, among those that are not ready to leave yet, those that still feel the compelling urge to log in and tell my little part of a wonderful, immersive story. I can probably spare around 6-8 hours a week for nwn, and I know with that kind of commitment it can be difficult to play a deeply involved character. But I also do not want to miss the most beautiful part of efu, that is the meaningful, deep interactions and the involvement in a fulfilling, poetic and overarching storyline. I know that with that kind of availability it can be difficult to find the time to log in and roleplay deeply with several characters, keep up with all the events, develop a consistent, reliable network of contacts. So I ask you, what is the solution you have found? If you can spare only a few hours a week, how do you enjoy your time? Do you log in and play a lighter character, one maybe not multilayer but rather brash, easy to spot and understand? How do you keep in touch with all that happens without becoming just a bystander? How do you cope with trying to give meaning to what could be intermittent, irregular relationships? Have you found a solution? Have you ever wondered about this, faced this problem yourself?

[goate]

I've had to struggle with this often;  Generally what works for me is to play a non-faction PC who isn't in the critical path of more serious PCs getting things done - a sort of "background PC".  If you can keep people from relying on you, then you can log out at any time guilt free.  EFU players are wonderfully talented about roping you into their plots (that one of the reasons I love them), and so unfortunately you must be a little bit OOC about trying to stay out of their critical path.  Them: "You will be my top lieutenant".  You: "Sorry boss, I'm not lieutenant material."

The bad news of this approach is that deep involvement is much more satisfying, for you and the other people playing.  When I play a background PC I often feel jealous of the other players who are obviously deeply involved in the plots of the server - they're moving things, they're getting DM attention.  I just have to remind myself that I'm playing casual and have to man up and live with the disappointment;  You get what you put in, and I just can't put that much in.

I get a fair amount of satisfaction from being in the background.  It's better than not playing EFU at all.

-Grackattack

[Golgo13]

Apathy and thinking short term. Can't go wrong with it.

[putrid_plum]

I play when I can.  That's life and most people cannot play 6+ hours a day and why would you??  Do what you can and involve others to fill the gaps you cannot.  That's what I try to do anyways.

[Paha]

Play when you can, want and have the passion to do so out of enjoyment and fun. If you got to leave to do other stuff for some time, do so, and come back if you feel like it. Fact of the matter is that everything ends, and one day so will efu and nwn. But so far even with everyone that has gone, they have always visited and come back at one point or another, when times have been more allowing.

There's no one answer to any what you asked at original post. Honestly, I review levels of involvement differently than others do, and I dont necessarily find myself to be a bystander when someone else does. In the end there is a lot to be said about your own state of mind, your goals and what you want to get out of it. That is what you need to figure out and set on your path towards towards that.

[Random_White_Guy]

Sea-faring Mercenary, petty thief on the run, wandering preacher, drunken lazy watcher recruit, traveling circus performer. Basically anything that can justify being gone for a period of time. Also a Journal thread helps. It lets people be familiar with your PC even if you can't be IG.

[Bearic]

It kind of sucks. Some times you miss cool stuff your pc wouldn't, some times you're gone too long and everything changes. I find if I do go away for a long while, it helps to just sort of jump in, especially if it's been a few months. Make a new pc, don't read anything other than announcements, and just let the pc figure out the difference in setting.

If you do have crappy play times, you can still have a very fulfilling character, even if they're not necessarily a major one. Like, with Deoradhain I only had a few hours every other day, but I still got him to be an ex-ordinant right hand to a thane that saw the end of Kingsley. So, you don't have to play a lesser character, and you don't really need to grind levels to have fun, you just have less time to play, and if anything, I find it's far more worth role playing when you can.

[Skovox Blitzer]

I found that when I didn't have 'regular' time to play it worked best playing a druid.  Even missing months of time I could get back into the groove, so to speak.  The plot themes are far more broad and allow for extended leaves.  Even if you miss a plot, you can still go out and do druid things, and fuck with the citizenry.  EfU is set-up very nicely to play an occasional druid if you like.

[Aethereal]

Paha's advice seems spot on to me.

I do feel I can give pertinent advice (from experience) on this matter as well though. My suggestion is to have a very strong character concept that appeals to you and requires time to fully explore that is not dependent on things like specific character alliances, but factions/associations are fine as they have the stability of NPCs and shared goals. I do not feel there is any need to play a 'light' character but avoid one that is going to get into heavy conflict and constant PvP unless you can ensure you are there to allow your opposition a chance to fight back. There was a notorious case of a character named Clyde back in EFU:M who would go on a killing spree and then disappear/log off that nobody could do anything against, and it wasn't fair on the victims and victim's allies - which is something you do not want to replicate.

But really, just log in and work on your own character goals and interact with everyone you can - naturally by your time restrictions you will probably gravitate to a few meaningful interactions with just the right characters or at least establish a presence that can be built up and as the character develops a reputation, relevant characters will come to you. Also make liberal use of the IC forums to approach characters and set up meetings with those that make sense for your character and you may find IC journals are handy to remind yourself (PC notes are also useful for OOC planning and having info available for the DMs) of what your character is about and as RWG mentions help share that character with others.

[PanamaLane]

I've always been a bit of a forums warrior because it is something I can do while at work any moment I have a little down time. I understand that is not the case for everyone, but it does allow you to develop interactions and relationship even as you may not be able to meet in person too often. Use of the forums is also a good way to make the best of the time you do have when you log in, by setting up RP beforehand, or events, or sermons, or whatever it is you want to do with your character. It also helps if you have a DM plot you are aiming to be a part of in character creation. While you may not be a major mover and shaker in these plots, when you log in to play it gives you the kind of focus and structure to make the most of your time. I know that when I have all the hours in the world to play, be it on vacation or whatever, I spend a lot of them looking for things to do. On the other hand, when my time is more limited, each time I log in I am trying to get a specific thing done. Playing a "background" character is also an option of course, but it is not the only option out there.

Consider these archetypes:

1. Preacher. Log in and give a public sermon about your god. Meet and greet people afterwards. Raise gold toward your church. Set up pilgrimages on the forums. Public postings about your god.

2. Adventurer. You love to quest, you love to be the best at questing, you have a crew and a goal- to quest. Form a mercenary "company". Hire a #1 to basically run things when you are not around. When you are around, go quest. Glob onto other people's hard work and DM events because you have XPs and a crew that will fight for gold.

3. Assassin. You kill people for money. When you have time to log in you are either killing people for money, or you are trying to get contracts to kill people for money. You keep to the shadows and out of the public eye, but it becomes known by clients to seek you out when they want someone dead.

These are just a few ideas, of literally millions. I would say the key is to make the most of the time you do have to play by focusing your goals and putting yourself in a position where other PCs do not rely on you, but do have reason to seek you out for this job or that. Hope that helps/