National Event, what do we want out of it?

Dreamingfurther

Dreamingfurther

Exemplar
The title for this tread sort of says it all. Additionally I'm actually kind of interested to know if people out there are actually interested in a national event. Or is that interest contingent on particular factors? A national event is personally something that I LOVE the idea of, however I'm willing to accept that it is possible not enough players really care much about a national event to make it worth running. However we'll never know if we don't talk about it.

But also what is your ideal 'concept' of a national event? I'm really interested in trying to pull together different opinions/thoughts about what a national event 'should' be so that we could perhaps work towards crafting something that has bits and pieces of game that everyone actually enjoys. So I'd really love to hear what everyone would like to get out of their 'ideal' national event.

Just fyi I am not posting this in any official capacity, I'm honestly just interested in peoples thoughts. (However I would be interested in doing stuff if higher ups wanted someone to 'work on' national event stuff.)
 
After the last one, I'm not sure how interested I'll be in going. Everyone involved put in a ton of effort, but I don't think the resulting mish-mash of several different chapters' big bads was really all that compelling from a storyline perspective. Part of that was probably the result of the logistics disasters, but it really underlined the fact that the different regions are playing distinctly different flavors of the game, and they don't always mesh well.

Really, what I think a national event should be is the result of a season-long lead-up coordinated between the plot teams across the Alliance. Rather than a few mods right before the event to give people hooks to go, it should be something that is built up over time to actually be a climax for plot threads that have brewed up locally, thus making people excited to go.

Or, alternatively, something entirely separate from everyone else's plot, that players can walk into blind knowing that whatever is going on there has nothing to do with what's going on back at home, and they don't have to worry about being chased in by whatever's after them there.

But that's mostly because I'm of two minds as to the Alliance having any plot continuity between chapters at all.
 
Hey lets try to keep this positive ok? I know there are a LOT of hard feelings out there regarding national events in the past and any sort of 'hope' for national events for the future, but I really don't want to turn this into a 'rant about national events I didn't like' thread...


That aside, culmination of a season long lead up between a large number of cooperating plot teams all over the Alliance sounds like an exciting idea. A self contained one weekend story arc is also certainly another possibility.

Additionally are there more 'non plot specific' types of things about a national event that people would like to see?

But more plot specific 'design' ideas would certainly be welcome.


(Ideally more 'what I want it to be' thoughts and less 'well that won't work because' thoughts... :thumbsup:)
 
I want a 4-day event that is completely contained plot-wise. The 4 days could go Monday through Friday (I know that is technically 5, but it is only 4 Logistics periods) which gives people time to (a) travel to the event, (b) travel back home, and (c) rest a day or two before going back to work (for those of us that work normal weekday schedules).

But, take my desires with a grain of salt. :) I doubt I will be able to afford flying out to an event next year.
 
I would like to echo the 'self contained plot' request, void of participation requirements from local chapters plot teams. I want an event that I could go to as the only event that season, and find it interesting. I know that makes it tough for that 'epic' feel, killing the dracolich etc. I found most of the last national event enjoyable as a chance to play with my friends and meet new groups. I would prefer the next event to do more of the open world feel. Rather then trying to gel an entire town of strangers together. Town mods are only cool if you're invested in the plot, IMHO.

Give me a well repped, interesting world to explore for a weekend. Let me beat up some monsters with friends, and find some cool puzzles.

Thanks for asking,
-Joe
 
This is great feedback guys! Keep it coming. :) The more opinions the better.
 
Alavatar said:
I want a 4-day event that is completely contained plot-wise. The 4 days could go Monday through Friday (I know that is technically 5, but it is only 4 Logistics periods) which gives people time to (a) travel to the event, (b) travel back home, and (c) rest a day or two before going back to work (for those of us that work normal weekday schedules).
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Seth's comments mirror most of what I would say. Beyond that, I'm pretty easy to entertain. My traveling primary is all about meeting new people, getting into trouble, and rescuing pretty ladies (or being rescued by them) (or from them, for that matter), so the details of exactly what is going down are somewhat secondary. I do think a 4+ day event is necessary, though, to tell a complete tale that feels fulfilling, though. The best arcs take time to make you care, take it away from you, and let you exact revenge/fix things. 2 or 3 days doesn't feel like enough time to get that done.
 
Self contained plot-wise, definitely.
Very little 'direct' plot tie-ins ("your local BBG is going to be at Random location X" never makes sense to me) but instead lower impact, opt-in sorts of tie-ins (Tournament of Champions, for example) that have the option to attach to something bigger on arrival.
I like to hang out with people in a new place, meet some folk IG and OOG, and work with some new groups. Pretty much just like going to a new chapter, but without the problem of not being in the 'primary PC clique.'
Organization of logistics, marshals, etc beforehand, as well.
More people organizing check in, not just logistically, but checking weapons/shields/armor as well. There were some clearly illegal reps at the last national event, and I assume that they got through because there wasn't an obvious way to make sure everything (or anything) got checked.
Co-ordination of people flying in, rides from the airport, etc. much, much farther in advance. We had no idea what we were getting into until the week of the event, when that stuff had to get coordinated at the last minute by people who were already busy with event and symposium prep. We knew our dates and times 6 months in advance, it shouldn't have been a last minute thing.
More symposium time before the event, with no meetings the day of the event. The people involved in the prep need that time to work anyways, and the other people in attendance could really use a little time to clear their heads before trying to PC.
At least a 3 day, a 4 might work. Not any longer than that.
 
I absolutely agree about the increased level of organizational folks helping people get to and from a local airport and pointing out where logistics, weapon checking, npc camp, donations, and personal accommodations are would be a HUGE improvement.

I mean there are groups out there that put on nation wide gatherings and whatnot, I'm sure there might even be some resources out there for organizing a medium/largish event like this. I mean the reality is that for something like a national event to work, even for only 100 or so people details have to be worked on longterm in advance.

Good thoughts. Thanks!

And more good thoughts on the plotlines bit. We don't want the event to go so long that folks get wiped out, but we do want enough time for things to happen. :)
 
I know I was a bit strange in the fact that I was so new to the game when I attended last year, it was my 3rd game, but I had a blast partly because I didn't realize how useless my character card was. That being said now I would notice the level gap quite a bit. Since we do have some new chapters in the fold I think making sure that low levels can be affective in certain ways would be great.

I very much enjoyed the Race plot that was given. Being a rare race of sorts it was wonderful to feel like I belonged and was needed in a specific plot. This also served to bring people together from different chapters which I think is really the point of having a national event, to meet new people and make new friends.

For me the game is more about RP. I feel like I win when I make new friends, make the world better, and save lives in game. I loved that I was able to be involved in puzzles and recuses and just making so many new friends. I still use stories about what happened to Gorka at Nationals as resurrection stories.

I loved the out of game voting and competition. It was a great opportunity to recognize a player, NPC or group that put a lot of effort into their costuming or decorations. I am also proud that I was honored in that so I may be a bit bi-est to that. The MI award to go with it was very nice too. (25 arcane armor and 4xd magic armor, if you any one was wondering)

Logistically I would have liked someone around when people arrived, to tell them where they are staying, where logistics was, where the tavern and bathrooms and monster camp is, and what time logistics was opening.

I also think the game would benefit from a PC talk. Though I understand soft lay on works better for varied arrival times. It still feels necessary for us to do the safety talk and review active LCO affects and to know when food will be, where the first aid kits are, and when logistic periods are.

I liked having an in game resin to be going to nationals but I don't think it needs to be a dire "fortanis will parish if you don't go fix this" type of thing. Seeing Friends is enough for Gorka, and I think chance for profit is enough for others. Maybe call it what it is a big gathering of the adventures across fortanis. That will attract enough trouble in and of its self if its known though the dreaming. Though I understand not everyone would share this view.

Those are some of my opinions.
 
If, suddenly, I had the money/time to go to a national event, I would love to see an event where all the PCs get tossed (not literally) into a new land, with all sorts of new critters and history, open for them to explore and/or conquer. And definitely a 4 day event.
 
I'll also say self contained event is a good idea.

I didn't encounter the 'race plots' at the last national event but I think that these are definitely something that should be focused upon. By doing so will help to give people who play the races a sense of unison when it comes to their races. Yes, there are slight differences from chapter to chapter but those differences could be discussed, interesting ideas could be exchanged and people can feel as if a bigger part of the same racial community. (I'd love to be part of the Dryads to hear how each chapter brought the new race into the land/game)

For those who love political intrigue, a meeting of the various barons, counts and other nobility could be interesting if there was some 'global' treaties that could be discussed and signed. Something that also involves just knights of the realm would be interesting too - perhaps having them command, or be part of, mock wave battles to see each kingdom's combat tactics that are taught to their military leaders.

Something that was interesting when I was playing in the satellite game in San Francisco was finding a new use for the various crafting skills used to build specific components to create larger items of power. Something along those lines could add a new facet for production.

There could be event long plots that involve all of the above, as well as even such things as people who belong to Earth Guilds, Celestial Guilds and even thief guilds (although the latter would be really difficult to do without outing everyone who has flexible morals).

Basically, give reasons for people to come together. Make sure that whatever is done, gleaned or handed out doesn't give people reasons to 'hoard' that information but rather seek out others to work with and get things done. I see the national event being more like when various tribes of (choose your favorite historical tribal races) would come together to meet, exchange ideas and perhaps fix a problem in the area to keep those who love to kill things happy. :)
 
Personally, I would like the plot to be both.

I would like it to be a self contained area, totally separate from Fortanis. There would be totally new creatures and problems to fix along with interesting NPCs to chat with. In SoMN we recently had an event put on by a group called the Soap Factory where the PCs were all placed into a new land and had to find a way home. A LOT of work was put into NPCs and it made the event. Basically, get the preregistration up as early as you can, and have the heads of plot start talking about roles and such. Having a few NPCs playing dedicated roles all weekend really helps to get the players in the mind set.

On the other side, I would like to have some reason to be going to this new land. These reasons could (and probably should) be totally different from chapter to chapter. They could be anything from, there's an item there that the PCs should get and bring back, to a wanted criminal fled there and the PCs need to go and track them down. I wouldn't make the plot hooks town wide, as that leads to butting of heads over how to tackle a situation, which ultimately leads to the lower level PCs having nothing to do. I have personally seen it happen so don't say it doesn't... Also, that means that there will be plot that is chapter specific and leveled accordingly, and the PCs are going in knowing that that is there for them. Granted, it will be a bit hard to structure...

Lastly, give some incentive to NPC for a day if the numbers are vastly out of balance. With such a big event, you're going to need as many NPCs as you can get. Maybe a hand full of Dragon Stamps or something. This strikes me as something that all chapters should consider, but that's for a different board...
 
I didn't get to attend the last nationals, but I am looking forward to attending the next one. I agree that a 4 day event would be best. It gives me a better reason to spend the money to get there. (longest events we have in our chapter is a weekend)
And racial plot is very important to me. Being one of few Barbarians in my chapter can get pretty lonely.
 
I would like to see a self-contained event as well with the full 3 acts playing out in a longer weekend.

There may be different hooks to get a charater to go to a certain location outside of a big bad (i.e., dark elf gathering to save a dragon or something; orc hunt/tourney of stregth; etc.)

Organization would have to be key. Wherever the event is, there should be a dedicated logistics team (outside of plot and "traditional" logistics roles) to coordinate travel to/from the event (possibly get discounts on mass travel), coordinate food, symposium activities, etc.
 
These are all great ideas folks. It seems like most people like the idea of primarily self contained plot. Quite frankly this seems like it would be somewhat less work from a coordination perspective which might make things easier. It also sounds like perhaps it would be easier/cheaper to host the event NOT on a holiday weekend.

What would people think of having strong Celestial and Earth guild 'masters' present at least early on and then perhaps holding some sort of 'test' or whatnot to invest a handful of PC's in each type of permanent circle that would be on site? Certain elements of events always seem to work better when PC's are able to perform these parts of the game world, and obviously there isn't the time to have longstanding 'established' PC Guild masters.

Would most people traveling a significant distance (6+ hour drive or flight) be only interested in coming to a national event to PC? I'm wondering if it would be reasonable/possible to ask each player to NPC for a day and play for the other several days. Perhaps there could be some sort of varied price/IG benefit or explanation of what your character is doing while you NPC for a day. Permanent NPC's would of course also be welcome. Making the NPC/PC numbers better than like 4 or 5 PC's to 1 NPC would really help the event a lot I think. What would motivate you to NPC at or for some of the national event? Would you be willing at all? NPC'ing can be very rewarding and fun too so as long as its done right it should be another really fun part of the event.

Obviously this is going to depend on personal play-style preference but are epic large scale wave battles something people like to see at a national? Or is getting 'the whole town going' something that isn't so preferable? I think everyone loves mods so having a strong focus on those seems smart.
 
I do like to see large "Town Mods" but not often by any means. I really liked the mod that happened not that long ago in our chapter. There were two areas that needed to be attacked. One of them had a stronger presence then the other. Basically, there was a low level mod, and a high level mod that both needed to be completed in-order to move onward. Since there would be SUCH a wide range of levels at the game I would recommend trying to do low level plot, mid level plot, and high level plot and weave the three together. Its so great to be a low level PC but really feel like you accomplished something important. This can also happen in a town mod. One area of the town might be less important, but if it falls then forces can come in from behind and swarm. In this instance, the low to mid levels would guard the back while the high levels focus on the main forces. Anyways, just thoughts to try and keep all the PCs involved and having a good time. I do know how hard it can be to accomplish this though, so a big good luck in that endeavor...
 
If you're going to ask people to take NPC shifts, some sort of schedule known ahead of time would help that. You don't want your Barbarian plot going down the day that most of your barbars have hopped fence, or some So Min plot happening the day that crew has chosen to all NPC together.
 
I've never been to a national event but to be honest I don't know about mandatory npc'ing. I actually like hoping the fence for a bit when I've had too much downtime but that's never for a full day. It's more like a couple of mods worth. I wouldn't mind so much though if there were dragonstamps or some sort of reduced price for a part-time npc schedule.

If I do go to a national game it's more to see and meet the PC's then to fight a giant big bad. Both of my characters are pretty low level compared with the average of other chapters. I'd second the suggestion for more low level plot hooks since I know I'm not the only one in this situation.

4 days would be a good length, preferably not during a holiday weekend. I have a family and I like not having to choose between the two.
 
Personally, I'd love to see the PCs get thrown into a completely new place, with a solid 75% of plot being new, contained plot - with 25% of the plot coming from individual chapters. I'd love to see a "how'd we get here?" style plotline, using each chapter's specific plot flavor to maybe facilitate the PCs return home (like the parts of the plotline to help anchor the PCs back to Caldaria might involve Shadows or Bugs, Crossroads might have Darkman or the Lizard King, HQ might have Morganna or Lochaber, Deadlands might have Legacy, etc.) - which would give each chapter a chance to showcase their stuff, but really as a means to an end to move along the over-arching plotline.

I'd like to see the ability to pull a pre-determined NPC shift (have sign ups for specific 6-hour shifts, allowing folks to do one or more at a time of their choosing), and maybe use Caldaria's white flag used to indicate a shift change.

In general, my interest in a National Event is to meet other PCs, see other perspectives, and have tons of RP time.
 
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