An alternative to the Sending system for Lower

[WeAllGonnaDie]

It has been my understanding that every setting for EFU has had a sending system, not simply because they make sense thematically but because they serve a useful function.

500 gold to buy into the system, then 20 gold for each sending for a chance they work might make sense thematically to bribe a NPC to make a sending but it is expensive and I don't think it serves the purpose that the system is meant for as a feature.  The initial costs are too high and it limits the type of messages too much from a gameplay perspective.

I propose a few alternatives.

1.  The "Rumor Monger".  With no up front cost of 500 gold, you pay a child 20 gold to "get the word out".  This takes the form of a message which goes out like a sending to all locales in Lower including the Canals and some of the alleys, the text reading:
A young child runs by to let you know that.... some message written in manner suitable to be shared by a street urchin.

2.  The "Mad Gnome".  A crazy gnome has rigged up a monstrous mechanical mess to a pipe somewhere in Lower with which he can project a voice through pipes throughout Lower and the surrounding environs.  It uses the persons actual voice and can be written appropriately. No up front cost and some fee between 10 and 30 gold the DMs deem appropriate.

Do you have an idea for something else?

[Talir]

It is a system which rogues get access to for free at level 5. It was not intended, in EFU:A, to be open for others. In EFU:M we opened it for a player faction and then later anyone could buy into it. This carried over to EFU:R as you now describe, where you can for a fee of five hundred gold pieces make anonymous sendings.

That they work irregularly is a bug that has been reported over and over again. Fixing it is a bit tricky as it messes with a movement feature and it's been a low priority to look into it. The gag that it's intended has also not helped matters. At the end of the day, it very much is a unintentional bug that is still in need of fixing.

Lower not possessing its own sending system is not an oversight and is why we have the beggar children down there for those who pay the cost. It's a region still in ruins that we hope players try to make their marks upon and lead into prosperity. While you propose some interesting ideas, first we want to see more people making use of the opportunities in place for them and develop Lower through their actions.

[Heavyfog]

When using the Lower sending system of children, I have found that paying the messenger girl works (so far) 100% of the time. Just my 2 cents.

[Aethereal]

I might add my own suggestion that if your character can't afford to make a sending but is aware of the system, they could always interact (humbly request, intimidate, beg, and whatever else suitable to the character and only limited by your imagination) with other characters to have their message sent. That really is a golden roleplay opportunity that reflects in-game reality.

I'm aware though that the limitation there is that sometimes when you want to make a sending, you're doing so precisely because you have nobody to interact with.

The solution to that seems to be to have known hideouts and community gathering places. It's also highly circumstantial: you might not even have people online who would interact with you IC even if they could.