The Rise and Fall of TLE

[ImagenAshyun]

It may not be long until we lose this subforum. May as well use what we can until it's gone.


Anyway, below is a long one. I apologize.




Ahem.

I've had big plans for TLE, especially over the summer, when we made the Cata switch. Prior to the switch itself, I also made plans for TLE to get new management and hopefully a bigger guild so more RPers can get matchmaking RP. I got us a new boss, hoping he'd replace Kapre as the business' new head. I promoted some of the most popular player characters as additional representatives. I even divided the factions as to establish the changes Cataclysm brought to a neutral guild where neutrality is punished. These seemed to be great ideas that would really solidify and freshen up TLE in hopes to rekindle RP.

I feel like a bad TV exec when I see all this fall short like a bad season premiere and plummeting ratings. And I can predict why:



1.) The schedules (and interests) of the Matchmakers were inconsistent. For me, I have other characters I want to play, and so do the other TLE associates. For those who do actively RP TLErs, they have their character developments aimed elsewhere. I always give everyone the freedom they want to do, and I am happy when players take advantage of it. Maybe I give too much freedom. Maybe not. I am not one to limit freedom, as I've seen what it's done--it inhibits RP as a whole. On an OOC level, a few of us became even busier than in the school/work year. Summer turned out to be a bigger plate than some of us can handle.

2.) No one likes the new boss. I brought in a new boss not only to replace the old, but to bring forth a story and some RP opportunities--especially considering the irony lying in a man who doesn't know a thing about real love. It seems, though, no one took the bait; while I've been told some people like Willelm's jerkassedness, it clashed too much with what people want with TLE. I thought people could help him learn THE REAL MEANING OF LOVE or something, but I feel he pushed too people away too much to really invite RP. Really, the only times I've done TLE RP with him is to push meetings and rules and hope they follow through. They rarely don't... because no RP would start right after. Is Willelm boring? Too much of a Replacement Scrappy? Do people just want Kapre back? I have no idea.

3.) The new goals do not fit the server's needs at all. I think this is the biggest one of all. You see, the thing about a divided business is that it works best when the server population is big. This server--even when the Cata switch was fresh--was never big. I aimed too high. My expectations were unrealistic. The server is far too small to place the racial restrictions. Before the 4th Profile Wipe, we had a large clientele, but it was only large because we allowed all races to mix, thus allowing a higher success rate. While Blizzard and hardcore WoW fans would agree that interracial mixing shouldn't happen at all, let's face the facts: this server is far too small, and too frequent in its changing population, to allow strictly one-race couples, and one-race couples only.

In addition to this, it's just difficult to maintain unity within TLE at all--Out of the rough 7-8 active player characters, only 2 are Alliance--and played by me. 3 if you count another, and even she is drifting from TLE. TLE is all about uniting all races and factions under the name of love. It just doesn't work.





Normally, I have a poll for this, but this time, I'd rather ask for qualitative opinions for TLE instead. What do you want from TLE? If you want to know what I, it's just to foster RP on a social, romantic, and familial level, regardless of race and faction. As I've said before, the changes I made were not only to establish change due to Cataclysm, but also to respond to and answer complaints players I've had to TLE. It didn't work as well as I hoped.

Any ideas, complaints, wishes for changes (or to bring back the old), please state it here. I am open to all ideas and suggestions. I hope to bring back social/romantic RP, even as war is going about.

[CappnRob]

NPC dates.

THEY CAN SAVE US.

[Kage]

I has a suggestion .o.

With the war going on, why not have the LE become a safe haven for inter fraction couples to stay free of prosecution? (Ignore if that was the plan already)

I've had some good rp with these guys. I'd like to see more. And it would be refreshing to see love in these hard times. Specially forbidden love.

[ImagenAshyun]

It was intended to become a safe haven, yes. So far, it hasn't mostly due to lack of RP.

Perhaps the issue, really, is just that I haven't been making RP happening. But I'll need help.

[Kage]

I offers help .o. If I wanna start to run my own guild again, I want to help others run theirs first so I can get back in the swing of things. You have my (cubid) bow.

[Geoni]

I brought in a new boss not only to replace the old, but to bring forth a story and some RP opportunities--especially considering the irony lying in a man who doesn't know a thing about real love.

Well, I can say that opportunities might not always be taken due to the population of the server, which becomes a bit more problematic during the school year. However, I do understand what it was that you were trying to set up with Willelm, and I think that it's something that could have seen more attention if there were more people around to see it.

That being said, I think it's kind of ironic that there aren't more Alliance characters in TLE, seeing that Alliance is dominating the server at the moment, and there are plenty of Alliance characters around. If you want to keep this idea of 'love uniting' up, perhaps do a personal/shoutout for more Alliance workers?

If you don't think it can work, go back to neutrality? I'm not sure: I can't ever predict what the server will find interest in the most. And in the end, I think that this...

this server is far too small, and too frequent in its changing population, to allow strictly one-race couples, and one-race couples only.

...is indeed true, and the problem that gets in the way of having any significant clientele. So right now, the mixing shouldn't be too much of a problem, considering. I think that the love exchange is still a useful service within the dynamic of the server, but something to keep in mind is that...well we struggle with population, and clientele and frequency of TLE being used will be slow. Yet, slow doesn't mean it shouldn't exist.

What do I want from TLE? Well...the many new services that have been added over the progression of TLE's existence as a guild here. As for those services being used? Perhaps there are a lot of people here that forget that they exist, so finding a way to remind the community about them might be beneficial?

[Xigo]

I would suggest attempting to create a neutral hub of sorts for people to roleplay in, that TLE sponsors. The Sable Dragon Inn, for example, was rather popular when it provided a safe haven for casual roleplay before it was set aside for a full-blown Felfire club.

This would both bring interest to your guild (because you'd have people around often [hopefully]), and potentially create a place for people to sit around instead of lurking in the OOC zone. I think we GMs need to do what we can to push people out of it, and maybe we can take some steps to do that with TLE.

I'unno. I'll chat with you in more detail about this. I'm just spitballing at the moment.

[Reigen]

The sable dragon did bring in a lot of RP, so having a hub like that would be a swell idea I think. I was going to suggest something similar, but Xigo worded it best.

Flex-off nights immy. Think of the funds you'd raise.

[MstrCorvus]

We bringing flex hour back? I'LL GO RING UP THRAGASH!

[Grakor456]

We bringing flex hour back? I'LL GO RING UP THRAGASH!

Thragash will return to bless everyone with the sight of his bulging muscles.

In seriousness, I think Geo's right that this is primarily a population problem. TLE is kind of limited by the fact that it's a matchmaking service with too few clients to really make matches. This especially really limits its usefulness for certain outlier characters, like gay males or undead.

[Mathias]

There was no problem with Willelm himself. I enjoyed his back-and-forth with Jof'waz during the meetings and his constant mispronunciation of the troll's name. Plus, Kapre was still there. Not like you completely replaced Kapre with Willelm, he was just a new head, and that was all fine and dandy. Really, the problem with Willelm is a problem with most of us since how many of us actually in TLE (Roux doesn't count, she's not actually in it) RP as our TLE characters? I'm almost always on Matthew, you are on one some other character or working, Cara is working/in school, etc. Willelm is fine. I would RP with him on any of my characters, though it would only Jof'waz, who believes in Kapre's dream for TLE, and Norell, who would be supporting Surthak 100%, that would really challenge his views. I do encourage you RPing Willelm some more, but not solely with TLE.

And sure, bring some love to Sable Dragon Inn.

[Jonoth]

I can get Remyl involved in this, as either a client, matchmaker, or provider of booze at events. Shout me a holler and we'll set it up.

[Caravan]

NPC dates.

THEY CAN SAVE US.

Please give me free rein to do this :|

What could possibly go wrong?

[Dae]

In addition to the Sable Dragon Inn, I'd like to see the Love Exchange do a little more that isn't just about romance, but is very much in tune with its ideals. I'm not much of a romance person, myself, but I think the noble ideals of bringing everyone together is really useful in the times of rising Cata conflict.

One thing I'd like to see is to play up the setting in Dalaran- make a bigger deal of it and its magic portals being an alternative means of transportation through out all of Azeroth.

It would also be really cute to, say, have events to visit the orphanage in Dalaran (is there a building designated as such in-game?? I know there's an Orphan Matron) and help out there.

As for getting more Alliance members in, there's tons of Worgen Druids around, so maybe also fostering some sort of something that would make use of their skillset? It could be the fostering of rare plants and herbs, or the rehabilitation of some of the critters suffering from the state of Northrend below.

Also, while Kapre is always delightful, he has his own story. The only thing "wrong" with new management is that I never wind up seeing him! :< (or you in general, outside of skype) One of the things that really holds the Felfire Club together seems to be its frequent and fairly regular events. (not that I've ever actually been able to go to one. ;-
Perhaps the Sable Dragon Inn and TLE can have some sort of fairly regular or weekly events? Wine tasting? Resturant week exploring cuisine of each of the races? Magically-imbued foods that simulate the experience of taste for the livingly-challenged?

[Grakor456]

NPC dates.

THEY CAN SAVE US.

Actually want to go back and offer actual suggestions this time, since I realize I didn't do that before. This here is actually not a bad idea.

If you're willing to embrace the idea of the TLE members being event runners and they're willing to do this, then why not? Sure, they may not result in lasting IC relationships, but it'd give the applicants something to do in the meantime. And who knows? Maybe the TLE folks would actually get new characters that they enjoy out of it. It's worth a shot, at least.

And I concur with people talking about a new neutral RP hub. Not the Sable Dragon itself, since I don't know if Rose is still planning on reviving that or not. But it was nonetheless popular when it was maintained. The problem, of course, is that you'd need to give such a place a fairly regular presence in order to keep up the RP momentum for it. I'm not sure how easy that would be with the current TLE members, but I think it'd be a good thing to try if you've enough consistently active people, and it might draw in more folks.