Open Letter | To Team and All



  • Hello it's me, I heard this was happening and thought I'd pop my head in.

    Obviously I've been out of the loop in the time I've been gone, but from what I can tell by other people's posts is that the grievances I had with the server are still around. So here goes my hat, let's see how far I can toss it into the ring.
    (this ended up being 5 pages long, so there's a tl;dr at the end, but it'd be nice if you read all of it anyway 🙂 )

    This is probably an open secret, but "RedMenace" was not a new player to the server, I played years ago under a different username. I didn't put in a lot of effort to hide it, so if you knew that you probably knew who I was. I wanted to be treated as a new person, without the baggage of being a returning player. That old person was a total dweeb and I'm glad they're dead. Glory to the new flesh. If you don't know who I was please don't message me asking to know, I'm not going to tell you. In many, many ways that I don't want to get into that person is not who I am anymore, if you know you know and I thank you for not making a thing of it.

    The reason I'm confessing to this now is because I'm seeing a lot of posts harkening back to the old days. Back when you started at level 2, the place to be was the Norwick Gate so you could take part in those sweet sweet gate attacks and the Troff Legion was an active faction. A level 12 PC was high level, and a +2 Longsword was a legendary weapon. When the server's main villain was a smart bugbear, when a Dracolich was something that needed the server to cap out to deal with. When people would stand guard by a gate listening to a halfling rant about the superiority of a crossbow. When things were, in the eyes of some people, better. I want it to be clear that I'm speaking from the same place as them.

    But also, the main reason I'm laying all of that out is because something I felt very keenly in my comparatively brief return to the server was that the opinions of new blood was not as valued as the old blood. I kept my mouth shut and resisted the urge to say it, but seeing people who I considered friends the first time I played here treat me like shit when they had no idea who I was hurt a lot. Since this is probably going to be the last time I try to express my love, and heartbreak, for this server I want the attempt to have everything going for it that it can.

    The Problem: The server has lost all identity.

    Narfell is a country that is far, far to the north east of Fae'run, cut off from the majority of civilization by absurdly dense forests, rugged mountains and general Bad Weather. Its people are rough, barbaric and eek out a struggle to survive with the only sizeable settlement being Peltarch, a ramshackle fishing village made out of the ruined stone of the Old Empire, populated by pretentious barbarians acting like they're better than their kinsmen. Now obviously, this isn't accurate to say of the NWN server Narfell. But what /is/ server canon Narfell? Well, the answer you get depends on the DM you ask. If you ask one DM, yeah, it's a podunk shithole that no one cares about. Peltarch is just some nicer than average city that has a few people in it. But if you ask another, Peltarch is a flourishing kingdom that has all of these vassal villages that totally exist, they're just off screen. It's the center of trade with caravans from Calimshan rolling in to do trade from the literal other side of the continent, but it's all very mundane and low fantasy. Except no, if you ask another DM it's all very magical and high fantasy. Caravans aren't just rolling in from Calimshan, that would be stupid. They're actually making permanent teleportation circles connecting Narfell and Calimshan forever because it's such an important trade route, because that's much more reasonable.

    This disconnect between visions of the server is present in everything. What is the Bag of Holding storage place? Is it just a big warehouse where you store your goods? Or did these random commoners get their hands on hundreds of bags of holding and make an interdimensional warehouse? Because I've heard people insist it's both. Is Narfell a gritty low fantasy setting, where the people are superstitious and death and violence are common and brutal, or is it a high fantasy setting where gods meddle with common people frequently, common bandits on the road to High Hold are high level wizards or wield powerful magical gear, and there's an elite knightly order of spellswords that control Peltarch.

    These weird inconsistences aren't just in the Low Magic/High Magic dichotemy. Even things such as How does the governmental structure of Peltarch function varies from DM to DM. The importance of the Cerulean Knights, the core concept of the Far Scouts, the authority of individual officials, who is even in charge of what. Every DM has their own idea of how it goes and it seems no one cares to talk it over with each other. And at the time I left it was very clear that the utter refusal to set a baseline expectation was draining each DM, as everyone was making their own settlements to control so they didn't have to bother with the inconsistency of Peltarch.

    And once again, these constant inconsistencies aren't even limited to just the RP and setting. What can you expect when you leave Peltarch? Originally, the rule seemed to be that if you stuck to the major road you'd be relatively safe, save for one particular spot that had an alternate path to avoid. But now design philosophy depends on who made the particular area. Peltarch to Norwick, safe. Peltarch to High Hold, an equally as major route, you have to fight your way through hordes of Giants, Manticores and then the most absurdly powerful bandit army I've ever seen. When you break through the Rawlinswood onto the Golden Way, literally one of the most important trade routes in Faerun, you’re likely to get absolutely swooped by some kind of horrifying high level beasty. Who is patroling these roads? Who’s even traveling them to begin with?

    This entire point has already been made by Digit in an earlier post.

    @digit said in Open Letter | To Team and All:

    Form follows function. What kind of server are we??? Really? And who is our target audience? More people? Small group? Mulchers? Broad appeal more people? Nostalgia Presence? Decades of required investment or the possibility to be involved as a casual? Low magic high magic small stories big stories death and levels and positions and RP guidelines and builds and options—

    But in my opinion, this is just the symptom of the bigger problem...

    The Bigger Problem: The server has no direction.

    Why did you add a recall stone?

    I don’t doubt it was hotly debated. I’m sure there was a vocal number of players who directly protested its existence. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the final nail in the coffin for a few players. And I’m sure that you knew that there would be this response when it was added?

    So why did you add a recall stone?

    If I can hazard an obvious guess why, it was to cut down the amount of time spent traveling back to Peltarch. This was a problem when I was still playing, all the new high level content was so far away that it would take hours to complete it. And half of the trip was just making your way back. It actually had a pretty direct effect on population too, a player would see 10 people online, log on and then find out they were all far far out in the Rawlins. They knew they wouldn’t be seeing anything for a few hours, so they’d just log off. Adding a recall stone cuts out the most boring, feels bad part of adventuring, it saved people’s time, it made people able to interact with new log ins easier. Adding a recall stone was a good solution to the problem of content being so far away from the starting area.

    But why is the content so far from the starting area?

    This is another obvious answer. Of course it’s far away. Progressing difficulty is just how these things work. NWN PWs tend to be best described as West Marches campaigns. The idea being that the players have their hometurf on the east side of the map, and then they can explore the entire map as they choose, but the further west they go the more dangerous it gets. To get to the level 8 area you must pass through the level 4 area. To get to the level 18 area you must pass through the level 12 area. Narfell sticking with this progression style is also a good idea. So of course, if you’re going to go to the content for the level 15+ players, you have to slog through the content for the level 2s (redundant areas from when Narfell started at 2), then the 4s, then the 6s, then 8s, 10s, 12s, and so on and so forth. Again, this is just how things work, and if you want there to be content for the level 15+ players, this is generally how things will just be.

    But why is there content for the level 15s?

    There is a very clear trend in the responses in this thread and none of it is surprising to me. It was very clear to me when I was still playing. The majority of Narfell’s players are people who have been around since the old days, and they liked the old days better. I mean hell, have you guys been keeping track of how many “Time travel back to the OLD SERVER MAPS” plots there have been? There’s been a lot. In fact while talking to people and reexamining some maps I learned that there was one recently. Is it simple nostalgia? Very, very likely. But frankly, I think there might be truth to it. Back in the old days, when the level cap was lower, when the Norwick Crypts was the place to go for XP. When the Cold Caves was the long trip. When there was no RLG loot, when everyone had these eclectic mixes of DM made loot with stories and histories attached, when the threats players faced felt tangible and real.

    But people kept progressing, people kept leveling up, and those people wanted content. The narrative that there was “Nothing to do” became the problem to overcome, so new content was made to satisfy them.

    But then, when players made new PCs, the gap between a new PC and the average PC became even wider. New PCs couldn’t take part in the events with old PCs and get geared up. They needed something to catch up with.

    RLG Loot. Now creatures just dropped the items they needed, now players can catch up. XP gain rates were increased, the starting level was increased from 2, players kept progressing, they kept growing. But then, they KEPT GROWING, the economy was in shambles, everyone had millions of gold. Quick, a way to get rid of gold. Paid TRs, no one wants to lose XP, they’ll pay a massive premium to make sure they don’t.

    But now players weren’t losing XP, they begun growing FASTER. Worse still, now there was a direct motivation to hoard millions of gold, we need it to pay for TRs.

    Every new feature that’s been added to Narfell since I started playing again has been a bandaid put over a problem. But now the server’s run out of bandaids, and the doctor’s saying that the problem got infected a while ago and a more severe treatment is required. You really should have gone to see the doctor earlier before it got this bad.

    Solution: Oh boy.

    The recurring solution I’m seeing people make is rollbacks and revamps to the system. Slow the level curve, cap the RLG items. In my opinion, this is just another bandaid. PCs are already high level, and they already have the +3 RLG items. They still have their millions of gold.

    What’s more, from the RP side. The scale has already far surpassed the kind of things that happened on “Old Narfell”. The idea of the main threat of a plot being a Dracolich hanging out in the Lost City is quaint OOC. IC the response to such a thing is “Well let’s just go kill it then, whatever.” The players have already done these kinds of things, and they’ve trained themselves to be flippant about it. I still cringe thinking about players passionlessly rattle off the different kinds of dragons they’ve killed.

    Pandora’s box is open, you don’t get to put all that shit back in.

    I have two solutions. I think both would need to be done to really fix the problem, but the first one is, again in my opinion, a decent enough bandaid.

    DM team, and players. Get your ducks in a row. Figure out what Narfell is. Is it high magic? Is it low magic? Is Peltarch an isolated fishing village or is it the grand trade hub of the east? Are the roads safe for travel, or is anything past Peltarch a deathtrap for everyone.

    Are you an RP server, focused on telling stories, or are you a PvE server, focused on grinding XP and loot?

    I’m going to continue talking like the correct choice is to be an low magic RP server focused on stories, because it’s clear from responses in the thread that this is what a lot of players want. It’s what I want.

    For the DMs, this will mean needing to put foot down. You will need to communicate, work together, rein in anyone who goes against the new status quo. The constant one upping of previous plots will need to stop. You’ll need to find the confidence in your skills as story tellers to make lower stakes stories interesting.

    For the players this will mean needing to pick up what the DMs put down. To lower your expectations of your character and their place in the world. To treat the bandit as a credible threat, even if you’ve killed 100s of them. If you can’t find things in the world for your character to be interested and challenged by, it might be time to put the character away and move on from them, they’ve reached the end of their life cycle as a character and there is nothing wrong with that.

    `

    But let’s be honest. That’s not going to fix things. They’ll still have the gold, and the loot, and the XP. The story about the nobleman’s sick daughter who needs a rare herb to be cured will still be solved by a player going “I can just cast heal on them.” You can’t go back to a +2 Sword being a legendary item if Jarnathan had a +3 sword randomly drop while killing giants.

    The only way to really solve this problem is to wipe the board. Delete the server vault. Restart the economy and forcibly retire all of the long term characters. I would go as far as to say players shouldn’t be allowed to remake their characters in the rebooted server. This has been suggested so many times in the past, and it’s been extremely unpopular every time but I think it might be the time for it.

    So that’s it, I’m done. I know this was long, I bet not many people even finished reading it. I wouldn’t be surprised if some people saw my username and threw this post out based solely on that.

    When I came back to this server just for a laugh I didn’t expect to be drawn back in as much as I was. I really had a wonderful time. I’ve heard a lot of rumours about what’s going on here lately, and the potential, final, result it could have. I’ll be entirely honest, my first instinct was schadenfreude. But typing all of this out has really reminded me how much I cared, and still care, about this place. I want it to keep going, I want it to continue be a place where people can tell stories together.

    Tl;dr: Problem: The past 4 years of the server have been reactions to what came before and the server’s become bloated with problems for it.

    Solution: Reassess what things exist for, change what’s needed to fit a more unified vision.

    Better solution: Do that, but also do a total reset of characters so that this can be done without the baggage of what came before.


  • The Halfling Defence League

    Karni has said basically all I have to say on this. I like all you guys and like spending time with you and hope we can get things back on whatever track they need to be on for us to enjoy doing this stuff with each other again.



  • I think I just watched too many of the groups I liked to work with die a planned death. The Norwick Militia, the Farscouts, The dwarven Hold, The Legion. I understand that things have their time but most all of these seemed to die due to actions outside of the immediate group. Players who felt jilted, left. DM controlled NPC's taking place of PCs, DM focused groups lost DMs who cared about them and on and on.

    Once the player base got so small and DM focus shrunk and shifted it lost its luster.

    I like gathering, crafting and enchanting, my focus always turns to that and that just sort of stalled and died. The crafting always seemed off and then basically became useless with RLG and shop supplied items. The fishing system never got past minimal stages. The herb gathering and cooking system kept getting pushed off further and further.

    I think the focus on fleshing out more and more territory and maps was nice for a visit for explore xp and maybe even combat xp. But as far as RP xp, really added nothing. When quick travel came along, travel guides to the new territories died, one more RP thing dead.

    I tried several servers after Narfell, there are a lot out there vying for a limited number of players. I settled on one with a larger player base and enough focus on hunting, gathering, fishing and crafting to make me happy. I have enough people to interact with and create RP. In the year or more I have been there I think I have not been involved in any DM events, most everything I do is player driven.

    As far as suggestions for improvement, I do not really know what to say. With limited Dev's I would look at a serious player discussion on where that focus needs to be and the Dev interests. If they do not align then maybe there is a deeper issue.

    No one is getting paid for any of this. It is a game done out of love for the genre. I have been on a server that died before, and it is painful to see. The worst part is when player and staff start lashing out at themselves and each other and the bleeding starts. The focus of every discussion needs to be about Joy and Fun.

    Sorry, it was a lot of words and probably little help, but it is a game and I would rather spend my time doing what is fun for me.



  • When I first started playing, once upon a long time ago, I admit to feeling nervous. I wasn't really a gamer - in fact in many ways I'm still not - and for me to set virtual foot onto an online roleplaying server was a big step. I fumbled about with a first character that didn't take wings, before I found one that stuck and magic started to happen. The reason why I stayed, despite the discomfort of my initial flailing about, was that I was met by such friendliness and understanding.

    That's one important aspect of what I think Narfell should be: friendly and welcoming. It's been likened to an old pair of slippers before, and comfortable is a strong positive to me.

    The magic, then - the magic that got me hooked and made me stay for more years than I care to count? It's of course the immersion into a living, collaborative narrative. Narfell was a story we told together, players and DMs, and at the best of times both sides might be surprised at how it all turned out. Moreso for the player side, of course, which is one of several reasons why I've never wanted to become a DM. I like not knowing, and instead living events out through my character's lens. I've laughed, cursed, panicked and cried behind my screen and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

    What makes Narfell special to me is also that its stories have such longevity - even when I started it was a server with history, where many different DMs and players had left their unique mark on its pages. There were stories to discover from its past, both on the forums and IG through talking to long-lived characters; stories that sometimes played a part in active plots, and some that were still ongoing. That gave the world depths and believability to me, and also spurred me on to write my own tales down. Actually, to a large part I've Narfell to thank for freeing me from years of writer's block, another of my personal reasons to be fond of this place.

    All the rest - the items, the levels, the XP-progression and death system, the monsters and the maps - is always going to be secondary in my mind to the first, so I'll leave them be for now. My final note will be this, instead: when in the past I'd be frustrated that all major events inevitably happened outside my playing hours, at an unlucky death or something else IG, I'd repeat to myself: "This is what I do for fun."

    Playing a game should be ~fun~ and that's something I feel is slipping. This includes both players and DMs, because we need one another for the real magic to happen. Apologies both for being wordy and for not following the format, but I feel it's important to spell out what I see as the heart and soul of the Narfell I love.



  • I’ve been asked by a couple of people to put my thoughts to words regarding Narfell – What it is, what it was, and why I left. This forum entry provided that opportunity.

    I want to say that all of this is just my opinion. I make no illusions about being right, or that what I see as problems are really problems at all. This community has wide and varying opinions on what it finds fun, and I openly admit that what I find fun might be in the minority.

    Stories

    That’s what I’m here for. The stories. The struggle of the everyday person, whether it be adventurer, soldier, thief, wizard or merchant in the Narfell and surrounding regions of Faerun. The players are the standouts in this crowd. They have their own unique stories to tell. While the players are responsible for telling their character’s stories, the DMs are responsible for telling the stories of the greater whole and weaving the players’ stories into it.

    That’s the hallmark of a good PnP campaign. Narfell should be that, but on a greater scale with more flexibility. Instead of one DM with a handful of players, there are multiple DMs and more players on different schedules.

    I want to feel as if I’m in one of the episodes of Carnival Row or Game of Thrones (early seasons). That’s why I have a hard time wrapping my head around the players that prefer to solo during busy times. It’s their preference, and it’s what they find fun. For me, if you’re going to solo regularly, there’s far finer fruit for story opportunities in a single player game. Narfell (for me) is about community, even if it’s just one other player. The Hound and Arya’s relationship, dialogue and adventures in Game of Thrones were epic. I want that with other players.

    This theme and concept segways into everything else I’m going to touch on below.

    Levels

    My view on levels somewhat mirrors the guides for 3e, 3.5e and 5e

    1-4: These are the levels for most commoners. Players who start in this range are people with aspirations. The commoners with hope to do something different with their lives. They want to join the militia, adventure, see the world and what have you.

    5-8: These are the levels for most soldiers, accomplished bandits, and adventures with some experience. The upper levels in this range would be the sub-leaders, the sergeants and folks that commoners and lower levels in this range look for guidance. You have experience.

    9-12: These are the leaders. The lieutenants and captains of the military. The bandit leaders. The adventurers of some renown. When a political leader, general or merchant clan is looking to solve something, they go to YOU and your band of merry men to get it done. You have a reputation of being skilled and exceptional in your field.

    13-16: This is the stuff legends are made of. These levels are for the legendary warriors and wizards of the realm in which they reside. You are not only sought after by leaders of city states and nations, but by regions beyond. You’ve seen and done things that would give commoners nightmares. Stories are told around the fire about the deeds you’ve accomplished.

    17+: You are known the world over. Your name is spoken across Faerun. You are in the same league as Drizzt Do’Urden (19th) and others

    As it stands, leveling is far, far too fast in Narfell. The tiers above are blown through in weeks without having a chance to earn the story behind them. My character Sebrienne reached level 15 in 3 months. I ground out the levels quickly with her in order to make valuable contributions to the level 15+ characters she was hanging around with. There are players who have reached level 17+ in less than 6 months that I barely heard of. While others my not agree, I find that a travesty.

    Level 17+ should be legendary. They should have done amazing things to have their name resound throughout to kingdoms, bringing hope or fear to the masses. At the very least, they should be legendary amongst the other regional adventurers. They should know them by story or song.

    That is no longer true. Higher levels simply you to grind out certain areas ad nauseum. Coin is plentiful enough that recklessness can be overcome with it easily.

    Suggestions

    • Remove TR and make death meaningful again. However, instead of losing 90% XP for that level, remove 50% instead. Death is death. Make the price fixed. It’s shallow enough to overcome a once in a while mistake or bad luck event, but heavy enough that recklessness and stupidity will exact a price.

    • I prefer a cap of level 16, but I know that’s not popular. If we are going to allow up to 20, ensure that characters who reach loftier levels have spent the time to earn it. I honestly don’t feel that grinding area X ad nauseum earns it. If I meet a level 17 cleric, I should know by sight his name, what god he represents and who he is. He should be a scion of his faith. The same for any other class and what they represent. Sharply steepen the cost for levels 13+. I would even go so far as to put back the daily XP cap as unpopular as it was. I rather liked the level spread when I was playing Autumn in 2018 and 2019 and it stopped someone spending 12 hours grinding an area over and over.

    • Lower the XP granted by exploration. It’s not only inconsistent, but too high in some areas. Seeing new landscape might give you a new perspective in life, but it won’t make you fight better or cast better spells.

    Gold and Equipment

    Gold is too plentiful. In the current environment having a lot of gold helps with the TR situation, which has become a crutch for many. Unless there is a very expensive enchanting option, that much gold isn’t needed if you remove TR.

    Suggestions

    • Make the RLG items unsellable except in player run stores to other adventurers, or sharply reduce how much coin is obtained by selling them to vendors.

    The other thing I wanted to touch on is +3 equipment. It was supposed to be rare. But when it becomes available for a high level character to get one every time they conquer an area, and they can do it repeatedly, suddenly they’re not rare.

    I don’t have an answer to that, other than make them somehow harder to get. You can’t make them gated to events because not everyone in Narfell has the time or availability to play in them. Perhaps somehow making them only available with a series of skills or talents that require a group effort. Perhaps when a 12+ point item is called for, a +3 item is only generated a very small fraction of the time.

    DMs

    For a variety of reasons, it never sat well with me that DMs are allowed to play characters in the same server they are telling stories. While players and DMs both tell stories, their responsibilities and access to information are far different. There is too much opportunity to do something shady and lose trust of the player base. Once you lose that trust, it’s gone forever. There have been DMs on this server that I’ve entrusted implicitly, and others … not so much.

    Suggestion

    Play or DM. Take your pick. If you get tired of DMing, and I know all too well that’s a real thing, then take a break. If you prefer to play, then resign your DM privileges for a minimum set time period … say 6 months, and play. Then re-apply for DM privileges again when you want to go back.

    A DM wouldn’t even consider playing their own character in their own PnP setting. As a DM, I occasionally had an NPC or two accompany the group for a mission. Sometimes, the players would hire a tracker or someone with a specific esoteric skill. I would create a character for those missions. Sometimes, they would be part of some grand scenario. But they were always disposable, even if sometimes players got attached to them.

    The other thing I wanted to touch on is favoritism. It’s a touchy subject, but I know it’s caused a rift in the player base.

    When you’re a target of it, it’s intoxicating and hard to refuse. I know, because I’ve been the subject of it with a few of my characters. People, DMs or players might have favorite players and characters, but as a DM with a larger responsibility it’s important to spread the attention around.

    I’ve seen players, good players with intriguing characters get largely ignored. Every player deserves some kind of attention at some point, even if it’s just something little that lasts 30 minutes. As a DM it’s fun to see good roleplay by players and characters you enjoy. They write stories about the scenarios you create. They offer feedback and make you laugh or cry. Of course you want to spend time with them, you’re only human. But I see so much opportunity lost. It doesn’t even have to be an event focused on their character. It can be a little thing like when Rika spent time with a kid watching an egg hatch. It’s funny how I remember that.

    As a DM, focusing on your favorite players all the time creates resentment. I know, because I hear about it from others.


    That’s about it for now. For those that have made it this far I apologize for the wall of text. The reason I’m no longer playing is that for me, Narfell has lost its roots and I was not having fun. It’s no longer a low to moderate level RP server. It’s an MMO with an RP afterthought with plentiful level 15+. If that’s what players want, I think that’s great. I hope they’re happy and wish them well, but it’s not why I started playing 20+ years ago.

    Thanks for reading



  • We have a whole two weeks to continue gathering information here. So far I'm encouraged by what I've seen, the majority (overwhelming majority) of responses have come from a staff level, from DMs and Devs, as well as former DMs. I'm looking forward to reading some thoughts from a solely player perspective.

    Thanks for taking part those who have so far, and feel free to keep spit-balling here - you're never limited to one single post.



  • These are my thoughts and in no way reflect the team as a whole.

    @Gonnar

    Concern: Leveling is too easy and that:

    • Diminishes the motivation that comes from progressing in the game.
    • Highly affects the RP that comes from slower(ish) advancing, rather than going from farmer Bob to OP hero smasher of worlds in 2 months without any character development.

    Solution: Remove TR, fix the XP curve.

    • 100% XP to level 12.
    • 75% combat XP from 12 to 15.
    • 50% combat XP from level 15 to 18.
    • 15% combat XP and 50% exploration XP from 18 to 20.

    (Not ideal cause it would make newer PC’s and specially new players have a harder time catching up)

    Alternative solution: TR stays, XP Curve stays BUT open Epic Levels with:

    • 0% combat XP once you reach level 20.
    • Cap it at level 22 or 23 (I’d need to check when it becomes overwhelming, it would still take years anyway to get there).
    • A few feats are restricted/nerfed.
    • I too believe leveling is too easy and the loss of level 1-4 was a major building point on character development. I would be in favour of once again starting at level one, having an easier leveling period from 1-12. After that, a steep decline. I would be more in favour of..
    • 100% XP to level 12.
    • 50% combat XP from 12 to 14.
    • 25% combat XP from level 14 to 16.
    • 10% combat XP from 16 to 18.
    • 5% combat XP from 19-20.
    • Also, I would be in favour of a reset of characters through a new Build plot. Everyone is on the same playing field again. Even if you wanted to remake your character, it would be at level 1.

    • This would again set the average character level from 12-14 mostly. I feel this actually makes it easier on DM's for balancing events. Something I have issues with it myself as a DM.

    @its_a_fire

    Apologies, for I am wordy.

    Concern: When staff attention switched to prioritizing PvE 3-4 years ago, Narfell accelerated the trend of losing what made it special -
    which is storytelling. Leveling, exploration, and magic items have become disconnected from morality-testing, character-defining stories. > Player gaming skills have become mechanically rewarding while character actions have become virtually meaningless (with a few
    exceptions). Recent changes to the module have little to do with PC choices, and the in-game, in-character status-quo has largely been > unchallenged. There is less a sense of being a part of something, much less a living world, much less a D&D campaign with an
    impressively ambitious scope.

    (N.B., there are obviously significant exceptions to this overall trend, and I hope those exceptions know that I appreciate their efforts!)

    Solution:

    Everyone: Recognize that in order to see change, a change in our own behaviors/expectations is required.
    Players: There’s the usual, yes, to make extra efforts to be inviting, to post on the forum, encourage discussions and action on motivations, goals, character growth, etc. Also accept and support other players in accepting consequences, change, and loss because these are necessary.
    DMs: Experiment - especially with scheduling and stories. Respond enthusiastically to character initiatives, giving quicker in-game feedback. Let PCs break things and let there be consequences. Recognize risks other than death and gold loss. Recognize rewards other than loot and XP. Test character bonds and morals. Acknowledge that returning to the status quo is an unsatisfying ending.

    • I agree with this as well. I enjoy our PvE type of stuff as well, but I do believe it has taken away the focus of what the server should be. I think this ties in a lot with Gonnar's comments. Dungeons for level 1-12 are great (Which is what I like to focus on), after that, when you reach a survivable level on the server, the focus should shift to RP. This also makes it easier to DM events that aren't so insane and world changing, imo.

    • I feel the forums have been left behind. It used to be a great place for information IG that you might have missed. Great stories. Now we have moved to Discord and all the interesting RP aspects of the forums are being lost. RP aspects that greatly affect or inform a PC in the IG world at times.

    • I believe consequences being a thing for PC's has been forgotten. It is seen more as punishment when it should be seen as an opportunity for character growth. The same can be said for change and loss, as you posted above. 100% agree.

    • As for the DM part. I am guilty of not experimenting more. I have always been a fan of half story/half combat type plots or events. I find them more difficult to do in a balanced way for the party or individual PC's. This all ties in to the power creep of the server. I would gladly try to do more to correct this on my end.

    @KingCreeper

    RLG system is out of control and the acquisition of +3 items has become trivial.

    A rollback to +2 soft cap with enchanting / crafting options.

    • I would be absolutely fine with a rollback to power levels of items and PC's/NPC's.

    My personal concern is well enough documented and I've been vocal about it. But as an example.

    Concern: I have a tremendous issue with the current death system, 180 days is far too long.

    Solution: A straight reduction in the duration, and/or a method in game by which it can be reduced (outside of waiting it out, obviously).

    • I don't exactly agree with you on this? Beyond the TR aspect, not sure what your thoughts are on the death system itself. I do believe a change is needed to the death system. I feel death is meaningless on Narfell now.

    • Death system should be a straight 200 sheet per level lost for Raise Dead and Resurrection. So even as a level 12, you would lose 2400 sheet if you died. The 200 might be a bit steep, but I like starting a bit higher and moving down if the need arises. Also, some type of penalty to stats for a short period, like a few hours. It represents the drain of dying. I am guilty, as many are of making death seem so trivial.

    • Full PK available. If you are killed by a player, you should lose only 100 XP and a cooldown period after you are killed, to let possible tempers cool. This will tie in with some things below.

    @Gonnar .....

    • TR shouldn't be removed. However, I think the cost should be a flat rate and on top of that flat rate, you need a specific item IG that can be found out in the environment itself (At a low low drop rate -- 0.1%--in higher area loot), that you can only hold ONE of and will be used whether you use a PC or an NPC to TR you. Once it is used, you would need to find another. No hoarding them, make them non-drop. I feel TR is overused, even with the increased cost.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------_
    A few ideas mechanically that I've always been in favour of.

    PrC's, Races

    Concern
    The concern I have is that we pick mechanical perfection over enjoying things the game can offer. I wish had the ability to change some of these things myself, I just don't.

    Solution

    • Open up the remaining PrC's. Some might need a bit of tweaking, but offering up fun classes to play that are already provided with the game seems secondary to the worry of possible balance issues imo.
    • Offer up special races that you can earn IG. Some of them might be monsters, but so long as a player realizes that they will be attacked (And should be attacked), let people play them.

    Recall stone

    Concern

    The concern again, is that we seem to worry more about regulating the use of it, instead of just having fun with the added feature. It was one of the best additions to the game that I've seen. It encourages people to go out and explore the world.

    Solution

    I think the use limit should be either lowered drastically or removed. Who cares if people use it once an hour? At least they are doing things and having fun.

    Spells

    Concern

    There is so much more out there that can be done with these types of things.

    Solution

    I think a great focus would be to add/modify spells. A wider range of choices for casters. The Assassin and Blackguard spell additions were fabulous. Most important would be adding in more RP spells that are actually represented IG, or also a travel system that includes magical spells like teleport, word of recall, dimensional door, planar travel, treestride, etc.

    Expansion

    Concern

    The concern is obviously that we have expanded massively in maps and monsters. I have done this as well and I don't regret, nor will I say it is a bad thing. However, I think we have come to the point where we need to fill in the gaps now.

    Solution

    This one I can help with and I try to. Fill in the gaps on maps. Not the same monsters everywhere. Make maps more memorable with special features. Small things like this can be great.
    Also, make it so players can do things IG, like make shrines to their gods in places that seem fitting and that need to be maintained. A small bit of RP that can be done at any time.
    ----------------------------------------------------------------_

    I'm sure I will think up some more things. Especially those regarding DM'ing itself.



  • I’ve hemmed and hawed about what to say, if to say. I believe there are a lot of genuine issues and concerns that come from a love and care of the game and wanting to play in a Public server with drop in play. Stuff like accessibility, accountability, transparency, balance, activity options, request turnaround, community outreach, just to scrape the surface.

    The more I’ve dwelt, the more I look at all my analyses and arguments of these individual problems and possible solutions and what people would Actually Want and are also good for long term server health and the health of players and staff when we remember this is a game we play in our free time. It all traces back to the same root problem of identity, and I’ll say it again.

    Form follows function. What kind of server are we??? Really? And who is our target audience? More people? Small group? Mulchers? Broad appeal more people? Nostalgia Presence? Decades of required investment or the possibility to be involved as a casual? Low magic high magic small stories big stories death and levels and positions and RP guidelines and builds and options—

    Because all of our decisions and changes should be made on, and solutions reveal themselves, on that principle. Our mech and map layout should follow the wants of our players. Stories should follow the wants and comfort levels of our players. Policy should follow the wants of our players. Who do we want to attract and what is our end goal? Because it’s completely fine to not be the target audience, even the suggestions I vehemently disagree with personally can come from a valid place based on a perceived identity and direction- but stagnating in the middle like we are now isn’t sustainable if I’m understanding the vibes correctly.

    So. The open question on the open letter is as a majority playerbase, what do we want out of this server. Because all the other answers and options and potential new players we attract will be a lot easier to parse when we have something concrete to market ourselves as



  • This one concern in particular has bugged me for a while. There's other points I'd rather keep to myself for now at least.

    Concern: Leveling is too easy and that:

    • Diminishes the motivation that comes from progressing in the game.
    • Highly affects the RP that comes from slower(ish) advancing, rather than going from farmer Bob to OP hero smasher of worlds in 2 months without any character development.

    Solution: Remove TR, fix the XP curve.

    • 100% XP to level 12.
    • 75% combat XP from 12 to 15.
    • 50% combat XP from level 15 to 18.
    • 15% combat XP and 50% exploration XP from 18 to 20.

    (Not ideal cause it would make newer PC’s and specially new players have a harder time catching up)

    Alternative solution: TR stays, XP Curve stays BUT open Epic Levels with:

    • 0% combat XP once you reach level 20.
    • Cap it at level 22 or 23 (I’d need to check when it becomes overwhelming, it would still take years anyway to get there).
    • A few feats are restricted/nerfed.


  • While I will hold my own opinions on these matters... I will keep a separate list of discussion points here to split out into polls.



  • Apologies, for I am wordy.

    Concern: When staff attention switched to prioritizing PvE 3-4 years ago, Narfell accelerated the trend of losing what made it special - which is storytelling. Leveling, exploration, and magic items have become disconnected from morality-testing, character-defining stories. Player gaming skills have become mechanically rewarding while character actions have become virtually meaningless (with a few exceptions). Recent changes to the module have little to do with PC choices, and the in-game, in-character status-quo has largely been unchallenged. There is less a sense of being a part of something, much less a living world, much less a D&D campaign with an impressively ambitious scope.

    (N.B., there are obviously significant exceptions to this overall trend, and I hope those exceptions know that I appreciate their efforts!)

    Solution:

    • Everyone: Recognize that in order to see change, a change in our own behaviors/expectations is required.
    • Players: There’s the usual, yes, to make extra efforts to be inviting, to post on the forum, encourage discussions and action on motivations, goals, character growth, etc. Also accept and support other players in accepting consequences, change, and loss because these are necessary.
    • DMs: Experiment - especially with scheduling and stories. Respond enthusiastically to character initiatives, giving quicker in-game feedback. Let PCs break things and let there be consequences. Recognize risks other than death and gold loss. Recognize rewards other than loot and XP. Test character bonds and morals. Acknowledge that returning to the status quo is an unsatisfying ending.


  • RLG system is out of control and the acquisition of +3 items has become trivial.

    A rollback to +2 soft cap with enchanting / crafting options.



  • My personal concern is well enough documented and I've been vocal about it. But as an example.

    Concern: I have a tremendous issue with the current death system, 180 days is far too long.

    Solution: A straight reduction in the duration, and/or a method in game by which it can be reduced (outside of waiting it out, obviously).