Channels (Channel 'Questions' (Game questions))

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25-10-27 20:45:16: Adelinde: If we're curious about more information about something in our character's background, is there a preferred method for inquiries?
25-10-30 09:56:27: Radek: I don't suppose anyone has the discord invite link? The current one I was given is broken.
25-10-30 09:57:16: Ada: Huh. The one on the homepage keeps expiring. I'll refresh it. Not a big deal though - all the chat is on here.
25-10-30 09:57:52: Ada: Here, anyway: https://discord.gg/xtf6esqw
25-10-30 09:59:00: Radek: <3 ty
25-10-30 10:00:59: Ada: Channel colour changed to: |055[Questions]|n
25-10-31 17:15:57: Adelinde: I feel dumb...  But I have a log-in note that there is a story update...  How do I check/read it?
25-10-31 17:17:08: Ada: story 1. I need to make that clearer!
25-10-31 17:21:05: Adelinde: Thank you so much!  And, I'd asked this the other day, but not sure anyone was around.  If we have questions about more info on things in our BG, who and how should we submit those requests for additional knowledge?
25-10-31 17:21:41: Ada: Page me if you like, or a request if you prefer.
25-11-01 23:44:45: Panos: possibly a silly question, but in a large scene do we still follow the round robin posing, or is it okay to do 3pr?
25-11-01 23:45:41: Ada: Probably 3pr. I honestly dislike strict pose order anyway, and as long as people aren't crowding out others, just go with a pace that is comfortable.
25-11-01 23:46:16: Ada: I haven't thought of a better alternative than "Pose at an order that suits while being polite", which is nice but unhelpfully vague.
25-11-01 23:46:37: Panos: That makes perfect sense.  :)
25-11-01 23:47:16: Panos: with a new game/new to me folks i always like to ask though, because I have totally put my foot in my mouth a few times LOL.
25-11-01 23:48:31: Ada: Absolutely get it. Also, check out the options under "help emit" to help to parse text.
25-11-01 23:48:47: Ada: Only tangential but it's a big scene just now.
25-11-01 23:49:39: Panos: Will definitely be taking a look at that too!  I haven't played on a game that I needed a client for in years, so I'm trying to get less rusty with that too.  I know color coding will be helpful!
25-11-01 23:56:53: Orestes: Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but do you think we could create a dance floor set up as a place within this room? Just thinking that the conversation on the dance floor might not be easily heard by those on the fringes of the room.
25-11-01 23:57:40: Ada: Rejoice, for there is now a dance floor. Also, anyone can make places. :)
25-11-01 23:58:00: Orestes: Thanks! And good to know
25-11-03 00:37:51: Bernadine: is there a way to see who of a specific org is online?
25-11-03 00:38:45: Ada: No, but that's a great idea. One sec.
25-11-03 00:39:04: Udo: You could add it to the org command, just tag the online folks in a color or something.
25-11-03 00:42:33: Ada: There you go - so org house salfeld, for example.
25-11-03 00:42:57: Udo: Very nice.
25-11-03 00:43:20: Ada: I could probably make it a switch to who as a less verbose alternative, too.
25-11-03 00:45:52: Bernadine: Nice! Thank you!
25-11-03 02:02:57: Bernadine: Is there a map somewhere so I can get an idea of where everything is, re: the world?
25-11-03 02:03:13: Ada: https://empiremush.org/information/map-of-elthos-and-salthos/
25-11-03 02:03:26: Bernadine: Thank you! I'm using vivaldi, and the website doesn't play nice
25-11-03 02:03:58: Ada: Take it as indicative of where things are relative to one another, mostly, because it got way too stretchy in points and much too compact in others.
25-11-03 02:05:06: Ada: Anything specific about the site that's going wrong?
25-11-03 02:09:15: Bernadine: Oh the links just stop working. Like if I go to the characters list and try to click on one of the houses, it does nothing. But I'm p sure that's just b/c I'm using Vivaldi rather than a mainstream browser like Chrome or Firefox.
25-11-04 17:58:36: Tamar: I can't get to the Heshbeh Estate.
25-11-04 18:03:09: Ada: Oh, that's because I messed up an alias. Try channel/unalias he
25-11-04 18:04:08: Tamar: Thanks!
25-11-05 19:36:41: Guest1: :waves.
25-11-05 19:37:23: Ada: Hey, guest!
25-11-05 19:37:57: Guest1: How's it going?
25-11-05 19:38:32: Guest1: I know the game just opened, but I was curious if there was any sort of breakdown as to where the "activity" currently centers around?
25-11-05 19:40:13: Ada: There's been a reasonable spread from all houses, though the Imperial Territories are certainly busiest. If it's more about story focus, everywhere has minor bits and pieces going on, though Salfeld and Gabel are in line to be most directly involved with (and impacted by) major early-game events.
25-11-05 19:42:03: Guest1: The Hadash realm has gotten my attention at first look
25-11-05 19:43:15: Ada: Awesome. It has its own, more regional problem, and all three heads of houses apart from Rannal are off the roster and active. More Phavahs are coming once I get a couple of hours to sit and write, too.
25-11-07 13:20:12: Bernadine: Hey Ada, I saw on the fashion page that if it would fit in fantasy or historical it's ok. Does that mean there's no social stigma for women wearing pants? As long as they are fantasy-esque?
25-11-07 13:23:21: Ada: None whatsoever. The technology level might be late 14th century, but the fashion is whatever (as long as it's not wildly out of place tonally) because 14th century clothing would get boring quickly.
25-11-07 13:23:41: Bernadine: Thank you~
25-11-07 13:25:24: Andreas: :considers kilts
25-11-07 13:46:03: Bernadine: Hey Ada, do people have NPC retainers? Like attendants and stuff to help them with that we can pose?
25-11-07 13:48:04: Ada: Yeah - valets, maids, whatever. Bodyguards though are rare.
25-11-07 14:24:10: Bernadine: Apparently I never hit enter. Thank you for the answer, re: retainers, Ada!
25-11-11 20:04:00: Bernadine: Is there an XP system or something that will come online later on? Or are our stats just what they are? Out of curiosity, mostly
25-11-11 20:06:40: Ada: You can put a request in once per chapter to add a special effect, increase a skill or attribute. If a skill is already at d8, special effects to represent what's really good about that skill will be preferred.
25-11-11 20:07:21: Ada: I thought about an XP system but with a relatively small pool of attributes and skills that will be of interest to any given character, and SFX being very particular to the individual, I couldn't see a way to make it workable.
25-11-11 20:13:29: Bernadine: Oh neat
25-11-11 20:14:28: Bernadine: how do SFX work, btw? Like how do we determine what SFX we have access to.
25-11-11 20:18:01: Ada: There's a provisional list per vocation at https://empiremush.org/information/special-effects-list/ and then most characters start out with a bespoke one. Bernadine doesn't, because I probably forgot.
25-11-11 20:18:25: Bernadine: I was going to say mine is a little vague xD
25-11-11 20:20:53: Ada: Oh, that's because the Making skill is so absurdly broad, and I have nowhere else to specify what it's for.
25-11-11 20:21:22: Bernadine: :makes all the things; from sketches to boats.
25-11-12 00:27:29: Bartos: Does this code have something equivalent to an idle/@@/etc type 'blank' command? I'm having my connection hang a lot and I usually spam that on a timer.
25-11-12 00:28:06: Bartos: And/or anything like the keepalive flag.
25-11-12 00:28:16: Ada: Nothing native, I don't think. Check in options that NOPKEEPALIVE is true.
25-11-12 00:28:59: Bartos: It's set. But often it isn't enough, for whatever reason.
25-11-12 00:29:52: Ada: Hm. Give me a sec.
25-11-12 00:32:20: Ada: There you go - idle or @@.
25-11-20 22:05:25: Bogdan: :scratch head.  Is it normal I can't see the new event in +events?
25-11-20 22:06:03: Ada: It is! It's a private event following through on an action and I neglected to add a toggle to create one as private from the outset, just after it's been made.
25-11-20 22:07:19: Bogdan: :can't see the new event on the +events list?
25-11-20 22:07:56: Penelope: It's a private event, Bogdan. In regard to an action, so it isn't public to all
25-11-20 22:08:39: Ada: Yeah, it's just a code foible that events broadcast to the game when created, and I didn't make an event/createprivate option yet, just a switch to toggle it after the fact.
25-11-20 22:10:01: Bogdan: Ohhhhh.  Okay.
25-11-21 02:42:38: Bogdan: So Bogdan has an IC (and PC) daughter, so I assume that just means a tragically dead wife somewhere along the way?
25-11-21 02:42:47: Bogdan: Since there's no information on said spouse on the sheet?
25-11-21 02:47:19: Ada: She's off-screen, somewhere, but not appreciably detailed. From empiremush.org/information/marriage/ "A number of characters on the roster are married. Their spouses are all non-player characters. However, if two players together ask to play a married character and their spouse, the spouse can be turned into a player character."
25-11-21 02:47:37: Ada: Suppose I should really add a name!
25-11-21 02:48:33: Emil: She can have a different name each time. Keep people guessing!
25-11-21 02:49:18: Bogdan: :nods! I didn't know if the absence meant NPC or dead.
25-11-21 02:49:27: Ada: Just omission on my part.
25-11-21 02:49:47: Bogdan: No problem at all!
25-11-21 02:52:21: Ada: There you go - Bogdan married Denuta, from the minor Lonin House Mekas, resident in the Whitewater Plain, in 590.
25-11-21 02:53:23: Bogdan: Ah, yes, my beloved Denuta! I remember her well!
25-11-21 02:57:13: Ada: That's the spirit! And Helena's quite active.
25-11-21 20:33:51: Bogdan: Ada, I've been reading a bit and reading story updates and have an idea of how I think things work and next steps, but can I run it by you to see if I am contemplating things right?
25-11-21 20:43:13: Ada: Of course! I am going to be slow, right now, but always happy to answer questions.
25-11-24 17:41:03: Penelope: Does each region in the Empire have a RL equivilent? Like... ethnicity or culture-wise?
25-11-24 17:43:08: Ada: Yup. Adanans (the Imperial Territories) are German-derived, as are some of the nearer parts of central Elthos. The Commonwealth is lifted substantially from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Dyria is classical Greece propelled into a more medieval era. Hadash is a mash-up of Egypt and Phoenician territories. Thasen is Italian.
25-11-24 17:43:59: Penelope: Is this info on the wiki? I might have missed it.
25-11-24 17:44:31: Ada: Yeah, it's in here, though this is a singularly unimportant bit of writing: https://empiremush.org/information/ideas-behind-the-game/
25-11-24 17:45:02: Ada: To wit, "The historical analogues for regions are probably clear enough, though they are only fuzzily inspired by history rather than being straight replicas. The Imperial Territories and non-imperial Adanans are Germanic. Hadash started off as something like ancient Phoenicia (the name was taken by just haphazardly cutting out part of Qart-Hadasht, or Carthage) and ancient Egypt, and the Emerald River is blatantly just the Nile. The Commonwealth is lifted from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, including the bananas fact that one in ten people were noble. Dyria is Greek-derived in that there are hills, islands, a bunch of guys with names ending in -is, and a pantheon of rather transactional deities who I will some day actually detail further. Thasen came from Italian city states, though obviously grotesque centralisation of wealth has got the better of them."
25-11-24 17:45:17: Penelope: Disagree! I think it's super important! :D Does this reflect in their fashion, as well? I've seen the 'fashion' wiki page, but it is a little vague.
25-11-24 17:46:32: Emil: Merchant Princes speedrunning late stage kleptocratic collapse.
25-11-24 17:46:59: Ada: Sure, if you like. I'm happy if people want to go about dressed as a 14th century burgher and equally happy if they want to look like they wandered in from the Sword Coast.
25-11-24 17:47:19: Penelope: :will be a merchant princes--- no. Merchant Queen! (not really)
25-11-24 17:47:38: Penelope: Okay. So historical realism or D&D fantasy. Got it. :)
25-11-24 17:48:21: Emil: I do appreciate some of the fashion! https://world4.eu/german-medieval/
25-11-24 17:51:36: Ada: Some of it's fun. I always enjoy the sheer colour we see in depictions of medieval knights, especially comparing it with the drab view movies sometimes put forward.
25-11-24 17:52:35: Emil: Oh gosh yes. I really wish more adaptations would lean into the fact that clothing was _colorful_. Even lower class clothing! The dyes just didn't hold fast for as long, and the colors weren't as true.
25-11-24 17:53:02: Penelope: Oh, to be a bard at the court parties.
25-11-24 17:53:17: Emil: Wealthy Victorians, especially, should look like a dye factory threw up on them.
25-11-24 17:53:36: Penelope: Blues and greens were a sign of immense wealth. To have deep, bright colors was to be well-to-do or of high status.
25-11-24 17:53:55: Penelope: It also killed you with the arsenic.
25-11-24 17:54:15: Emil: But it made your skin pale and beautiful first.
25-11-24 17:54:41: Penelope: Definitely. To be pale as a ghost was to show that you were no commoner laboror, good sir. :D
25-11-24 17:55:01: Emil: Also, your chances of dying at a ball when your whole outfit went up like a torch were not zero.
25-11-24 17:55:08: Penelope: Hense the term 'blue blood'
25-11-24 17:55:31: Penelope: Skin to lily white and pale, your veins showed through. XD
25-11-24 17:56:16: Penelope: Now a tan is a sign of wealth. And women wear the heels. So backwards.
25-11-24 17:57:38: Koline: :has this book called 'Medieval Underpants and Other Blunders' which is just a catalogue of things people get wrong while writing historical stuff. And then largely ignores it in favor of whatever is more fun to RP. >.>
25-11-24 17:58:12: Penelope: Rule of Cool is always in effect in my brain.
25-11-24 17:58:41: Emil: Which is probably the wisest track. There are things I like to be accurate about because (to me) it makes the play MORE interesting, especially certain social structures and understanding how various forms of power worked in practice, but most of the fiddling details are just a fun spice.
25-11-24 17:59:44: Ada: I kind of hit that when starting to write about pastimes. It's potentially interesting but hardly important. People can make those up as they go.
25-11-24 18:00:11: Koline: :has Koline's effete noble hobby in mind. It's just never come up.
25-11-24 18:00:15: Penelope: I do love the maritime stuff. I am trying to get my friend to take a sailor off the roster. :)
25-11-24 18:01:12: Emil: Although I was reading a book on gin halls, dance halls, and other Victorian recreation, and very much enjoyed how deeply entwined some of these 'minor' things were to major cultural shifts, power structures, and things like women's rights and LGBT culture.
25-11-24 18:03:48: Ada: I think there are two and a bit sailors still there. Adela and Daphne both hold military commands. Adela's is the hardcore version of the rest of the Commonwealth, because not only is it fighting monsters, it is fighting them /on boats/. Then Anath is more of a general adventurer, but he has sailing experience.
25-11-24 18:05:00: Emil: ...how is no one playing the kraken-hunter?
25-11-25 18:15:25: Bogdan: When I try to do an action roll, I get: You must include the required traits in your dice pool: Leadership, Warfare.
25-11-25 18:15:42: Ada: Easiest to do it via the web interface. The in-game one is just hard to use.
25-11-25 18:16:27: Ada: I'll bring them to parity at some point and tidy the in-game command. The whole system needs a bit of a refactor sometime.
25-11-25 18:17:04: Bogdan: Ohhhh.  The web is so much easier.
25-11-25 18:22:44: Bogdan: That was so easy and I love how everything displays online!
25-11-25 18:23:20: Ada: The in-game command set is an absolute menace, meanwhile. :D
25-11-25 18:24:03: Ada: Seeing what some people have done with custom Evennia webclients has me halfway tempted to try my hand at it in the new year, so you could build your dice pool just by clicking buttons etc.
25-11-25 18:35:31: Ada: More generally, beyond a bespoke webclient -- that's not a small project -- actually adding individual elements to the web is largely trivial, though I think actions are probably the most useful use case covered. Notes if people are into that sort of thing.
25-12-01 20:36:55: Penelope: If I wanted to run a social event centered around, say, theme-appropriate gaming (like cards or jousting or other things), what is the policy of creating one's onw rules for the rolls? Like... taking the available stats and skills, and assigning my own method to how I determine success within the scope of that scene?
25-12-01 20:41:52: Ada: Probably grab the closest reasonable stat/skill and assign a difficulty, or if people are competing directly, don't roll vs a difficulty but instead compare their rolls. People can create temporary assets and complications at will for that sort of thing.
25-12-01 20:42:13: Penelope: So the answer is basically that you're okay with it?
25-12-01 20:43:22: Penelope: Though I don't know what 'temporary assets' means
25-12-01 20:45:50: Ada: See 'help asset'. So if someone has brought a good horse to a tournament, they might "asset/add Horse=6". If they're counting cards and have taken a round of a game to really lean into doing so, they would probably "asset/add Counting Cards=8"
25-12-01 20:46:56: Ada: Anyway, yeah, people can run that style of social event, tournament, or so on, as they like.
25-12-01 20:48:59: Penelope: Cool. I can't offer prizes, though. Not yet. Not until I understand better how I can utilized Penelope's own assets.
25-12-03 14:59:07: Bogdan: I am going to ask a silly question, seeing I was actually at the scene, but: What's a defile?
25-12-03 14:59:34: Ada: A steep-sided gorge.
25-12-03 14:59:45: Bogdan: Thank you. :)