Surviving Dm events

I spent a considerable amount of time on Narfell being involved in Dm run events when I played regularly and I have some views on what you can do to survive them effectively.

Lesson #1: The Arch-Villain will talk.
Attacking a plot monster usually wont accomplish anything but a quick and painful death, talk first then attack if you have to. Combat is not always the solution to the problem.

Lesson #2a: Know your enemy.
Every opponent has a weakness, i.e. Vampires and Liches can be killed quickly by use of healing magics. Know these weaknesses so when you get involved in a fight you can resolve it quickly and safely.

Lesson #2b: Know yourself.
Though you are a hero of the people that does not mean you can face any foe unscathed, some opponents are simply beyond your ability to handle in combat and you have to understand that they will kill you sooner or later, if you wouldn't challenge a bugbear alone don't do it in a Dm event just because its a Dm event.

Lesson #3: Know when to RUN.
You may not be able to kill a Dm plot monster in a normal fashion, in fact you usually can't. If you have to engage them in combat do so only to buy time to escape so you can deal with the situation on a more permanent basis.

Lesson #4: Don't Travel unprepared.
A Dm event can happen at any time, in any place. Even if the only reason you left town was to skip rocks across the pond in the North Rawlinswood, be rested to full capacity, there is nothing worse than having some Dm decide to have the deflier make an appearance and having to spend 30 seconds preparing for combat while the bugbears he summoned up pound you into a bloody pulp.

Lesson #5a: Mixed groups are better.
If you and the DM (discuss this with the Dm) decide that you will need help on a Dm run event, don't form a party of 6 of the same class, odds are good that you will need a skill that you arent good at and if you are all the same class, then odds are even better that no one in the group will be good at it.

Lesson #5b: Know your Role.
Once you form a party for a Dm event, don't act like 6 indiviuals running around killing everything. Your class is better at something than any other class. i.e. Bards can act as good archers and increase the entire parties effectivness, mages deal with groups of weak monsters faster than anyone, clerics and druids can heal, rogues disarm traps, and fighters stand toe to toe with monsters. If you do your job then the odds are better that the whole party will survive the event.

Lesson #5c: Dont clog things up.
When a Dm event starts people are going to want to get involved, this is inevitable, however not everyone can function at the same level of capability. Try to keep the parties small (6-8 people) and try to segregate the lower level people into their own party. Find things for the lower level party to do so they can be involved. For example if you have to enter the lower crypts for something, have the lower level party guard the head of the stairs so that when escape becomes necessary you have a clear route out, this way the Dm's can send threats at this party that challenge them without instantly meaning their death, and they are not facing the things that will challenge a high level party where the only thing they can do is act as a target. The third bonus of this is that it reduces lag on the server which we all want.

Lesson #6: TALK!
Communicate with your party, things happen to people on Dm events, i.e. Poison, Diease, Curses. someone in your party may be able to deal with that issue right now and you may not have time to rest before the next threat raises its head. Also by communicating you begin to act as a group which will make you more effective.

Lesson #7: Be paitient and prepared.
When you get involved in a Dm event, have necessary supplies with you, (Healing potions, medicine bags, healing kits) these things can save your life in the long run because then you dont get stuck with the cleric needing 6 hours before he can heal again, and a horde of orcs breathing down your necks. Also be paitient, despite the fact that the fighter and rogue need to rest only rarely OOC, that does not mean they should go looking for trouble while the members of the party who do rest often (clerics, mages, bards) are resting. If you run into more than you can handle you could get the whole party killed. Also if someone needs a minute to buff up to survive, give him that time it will benefit you as he will be a more capable companion.

Lesson #8: No plan survives first contact with the enemy.
Things will change mid-event, there is nothing that you can do to prevent this. When it happens the only thing you can do is adapt quickly, Rogues and bards may have to act as momentary tanks, mages may have to turn into healers, and the fighter may have to act as the problem solving thinker. Be prepared as it will happen.

Lesson #9: Be in character at all times.
If you get involved in a Dm quest, that Dm has taken special effort to involve you in it and taken note of your skills as a roleplayer. Don't spoil this by whining, making dozens of OOC tells, shouting, complaining about the monsters OOC, inviting a Dozen people from halfway across the server or anything of the sort. Try to look at this from your characters point of view and Ham it up a little, if by your efforts you make a Dm event memorable for everyone, it will happen to you again. Also if after the event ends you dont get Xp from the Dm or some neat prize for being involved, ask politely once on the Dm channel then drop it. Sometimes the only reward of being involved is just that, being involved. You meet new people, your name gets remembered, and you may get involved in the main plotline, these are all worthwhile rewards and more valuable to me personally than some arbitrary reward of points.

Lesson #10: Respect your companions.
In the course of the event the likelyhood of someone falling in battle is high, do everyone a favor and dont loot the body, this is supposed to be someone that trusts you and respects you and it seems horribly innapropriate to take everything they owned and sell it just because they died. I personally would do everything I could to restore my fallen friend to life before I did something that abhorrent. If the player and the Dm agree that the person is not going to return to life then take their equipment, but dont just snatch everything up because they fell down and you didn't. The Dm's and players frown on this and there can be stiff penalties from alignment shifts to banning, do yourself a favor and don't do it in the first place. I'm sure you wouldn't like it if the reverse happened.

Lesson #11: This is just a game.
While most of us have spent a long time and a considerable amount of mental and emotional effort making a character we love, Death happens, characters die, and heroes are slain. The thing to remember is if you work hard at being a good roleplayer and making the event a positive thing for everyone involved then the Dm's and other players involved are going to make an effort to keep you on the server, they are going to try to get your body, raise you or otherwise try to continue your character, Dm events can be lethal but that doesnt mean just because you die that you should throw a fit, log off and never log on to Narfell again. If you stay in the spirit of the Dm event things will work out, you will be remembered and probably brough back to fight another day.

I hope that all of these lessons serve you well in you future event dealings and make your time on Narfell more enjoyable.

Ganon_Dwarf

For the most part you'll probably be able to tell if you are wanted/needed in an event or not. If you're sitting on a bench and all of a sudden a massive earthquake begins and undead rise from the ground all around you… You're in the event. If you come upon another group doing something then quickly, but politely, ask the DM channel if it's ok for you to be there, then, if the DM says yes, RP asking to join the group, just keep in mind that you'll need some reason to want to tag along (studying creatures, hate undead, hope to steal a sandwich...). For the most part just roll with it, for instance, there is no reason to ask if you can stay if the town's walls are under attack, or if there is some other group-oriented thing going on.

Kell_Durand

As a fellow stumbler my advise, as has been stated before, is drop a tell to the DM channel and ask if you are unsure. Personally I fly by the principle that if my Character has a Valad reason for being in an event that he should RP as best he can into the event, and if his help is not needed walk away. For example My Character has extreme hatred of the Undead … which is funny that he isn't in many undead events, but if there was one going on he will ask questions, and if undead should sprout out of the ground in Jiyyd and he hears of it you better believe he will be running there with a dark look in his eyes and his arrows ready to fly. Of course if a DM says turn around or be smotted he will turn around willed away by a greater force then he, ... maybe his stomach tells him he is hungry and to get a sandwich at the Boarshead. However as I have learned there are events that you Fall into ... then there are events that LAND on you. Try and figure out which is which. My character ran across some goblins roaming too far north. So I investigated and it lead me to another group already investigating it. I'd say I fell into that and the DM was kind enough to let me in on the fun. Then there is the LANDING one where your just sittin by the fire when a hoard of gobbos attack Nork. Sometimes you could be just walking to a town for RP purposes want to buy thier stuff cus its cheap ... when you get there you see a ton of Orcs knocking on the door. They don't look like they are selling stuff, they turn and see you, guess what you ran into an event and depending on the DM a Crusher may spawn and turn you to mush or you could survive into the safty of the walls and be sucked up in a defend the town event. When in doubt PM the DM Channel and ask if its ok that your there, otherwise play it as your character would, are they self rightious? Goody Goody? Or walk away as the Orcs tear the defenders a new one. whispers If a DM tells you to go keep RPing your way out, show them they are missing out on some amusing RP by not having you in thier event ^_^ ((granted never happened to me before but hey try it)).

"Just tossing my thoughts to the wind, Listen if you will"

john

if there is a dm event can a char rp into it? or should they see if they get invited to or some how get mixed up in the event, or should the char just leave? im asking couse i useually just stumble into events.

Why oh why did I attack that Goblin shortie?

Thanks for the advice. Very nice.

Arden_Chasemoradin

Thanks for the information…I had an incredible time...I'think the pauses were great it was like everyone regrouping and trying to figure out what to do next. Maybe next time I'll actually kill something lol...Thanks for a great late friday night activity.

Father Ribs

Glad you liked it. Yep, there are breaks between attack waves for a number of reasons, including among others…

1. Gives the defenders time to heal.
2. DMs get called off for tiny chores constantly.
3. Gives us a chance to sneak in among you and get immediate feedback, plus hear your expectations for next attack.
4. Having to shoo off people who accidently wander into the staging area.
5. Determining what exactly is going to come next.

We're only human, so anything you can do to help us make your events better, go for it.

Arden_Chasemoradin

I was involved in a defense of the Southgate in Norwick last night and it was GREAT! Though at times, it was slow…it gave time to recoup and rest and RP a bit.

That explains a lot! Thanks!

Kanen_Hightower

A blast from the past but still great advice…

((WHY WHY did I attack that orcish messenger ? The cuttthroat captive? The rampaging grey render..))

Do the DM's the main plotline?

as long as the DM who's running it wants the event to be =P

Well said. Just how long are DM Quests?

If you see a Gray Render running around town and your a LVL 1 Cleric…don`t shoot an arrow at it. I learned the hard way.

I agree 100% with what Viragos is saying, but I want to add a few things to this list. Some of this is second nature to many people on the server, but I still think it bears repeating

Listen to the DM Do not get in the habit of only watching text that appears in the main window, keep an eye on your message window for tells from a DM with information, instructions, etc. Also, there will be times when a DM will use Talk mode that only appears in your message window. If a DM asks you to make a roll of some kind, do it as soon as you can.

Act on information given to you If a DM sends a tell to you about something concerning the event, act on it. Many times only some people in a party will notice something, think of something, be affected by something. If you need clarification from a DM, send a response in a tell or on the DM channel. In some cases it is In Character to keep something to yourself, but for the most part, information is given to be either shared, or acted on. If you do choose not to act on something, let the DM know you did recieve the information and choose not to act.

Have a party leader This usally goes without saying that there is a party leader, but what does that mean? If the party comes up with a plan to deal with a situation, the party leader should make sure the DM is aware of what is happening. Many times DM's are running all over the place and are not in listening range at all times. It is always a good idea to at least make sure the DM involved gets a heads-up in a tell or on the DM channel as to what you are doing.

Remain in talk mode unless another channel is absolutely necessary If your group is hatching a scheme and it makes sense to do it in whispers, either have the party leader recap the conversation to the DM or simply emote the hushed tones. When running an event, it is much easier to focus on one channel of conversation to deal with, if a group is using a combination of party and talk mode, things can be missed by the DM. The only time a group should switch to party mode is if they are communicating across a transition for some reason.

Keep OOC comments to a minimum This is a good policy in general, but especially during a DM event. OOC comments can add to confusion as important IC information gets buried. If you have an OOC comment, question that directly pertains to the event, ask in tells either to the DM or other players.

Be patient if the group splits up In most cases, only one DM is handling an event. If those involved decide to split up for some reason, prepare to have things slow down as the DM must split time amongst the groups. Some situations can be handled long distance through tells, but for the most part, the DM will want to be present. This sin't meant to say never split up, becasue that is the furthest from the truth. Some of the most fun I have had are in events where a group splits up and the pieces come together seperately. But be aware that when this happens you might end up alone for some time.

Feel free to comment on these points I made

To: [Viragos]

wow… do I get paid for your book? JK well said... very good info...

walkerm372

Good Info. Thanks for the Post..

Great post! I heard some/most of it on IRC last night before I logged in, but missed the first 4 or 5 points.

Now… if I can only get in on another event. I was part of a defense of the South Gate of Norwick about a week ago, which was fun.

di_Em

I think this is the most important @0ca7c903c6:

Know when to RUN.

Eledaar

Give it a sticky, Admins!