Keepin' it Fresh

[Zhaei]

Recently, there's been a lot of talk about stagnation and the like. I touched on my thoughts here, and I'd like to act on what I think. However, peer review is a wonderful thing and I'd like to throw up what I think for you to pick apart and criticize as well as the go-ahead as it may need approval due to its nature.

I was thinking about the subject today, and came to the conclusion that, from an over-simplified point of view, humans tend to speak a lot about the following two things: current events, and fashion. Now, of course, this leaves out many things. I'm not saying these are the only things.

Current Events. The news, international, local or anything in between, is a topic talked about a lot. This one doesn't need much explanation.

Fashion. This is a bit more interesting. I don't mean fashion only in the clothes and beauty sense, but, basically, popular trends in culture. This can mean anything from gardening to skydiving, painting to watchmaking. I refer less to 'this is cool, this is not', but more to 'this is new and/or exciting and thus interesting'.

The major complaint is that the server is static, stagnant and thus boring because there's no custom lore. Personally, I completely disagree, but improvement on a good thing is just as valid as it is on a bad thing. I want to help change this by adding in the current events and fashion aspects to the world we RP in.

The bare basics of the idea is this: A post that details current events and fashion. The content would be fabricated by me and posted at an interval.

A more in-depth explanation that I would like reviewed...

I would separate the post into sections. Right now, I'm thinking splitting it into each zone or organization (Cenarion Circle, Kirin Tor etc.). Each section would get a small text detailing current events in the area. This would serve to not only create things to talk about IC, but things to do IC. Bandits on the road in Duskwood. A bunch of people are online and they can throw together a mini-event and take them down.

I would also create categories for things that characters are interested in IC and write a little about each one. I'm still coming up with a definitive list, but what I have at the minute is...

• Arcane Magic
  
• Technology
  
• Both of the above together
  
• Demonic Magic
  
• Each of the Ingame Professions (Blacksmithing, Inscription etc.)
  
• Clothing and Beauty
  
• Each type of weapon skills (Swordsmanship, Axe fighting etc.)
  
• Music
  
• Art
  
• Food and Drink
  
• And more at players' request
  

Little things that serve as a conversation starter. "Oh, have you heard of the Tanari smith who fused khorium and mithril for a sword? Plus, what's stopping blacksmiths from doing it themselves? Or even someone requesting that thing from a smith IC?

That'd be it. I'm thinking I'd update it once a week, or maybe 5 days.

Possible problems and solutions:

This would force new players to look at this thread if they wanted to be able to RP!
The things posted in this thread won't affect the world nearly enough to be present in RP or even the minds of characters. One doesn't have to RP around what is posted in the thread; it's used to create topics if people want them, with easy access.

What if it affects my RP? I don't want to be attacked by bandits on the way to Darkshire!
This one is more difficult. Either just straight up ignore it, "Bandits? What bandits?" Or, simply say you missed them. I won't post up things like "ALL OF NORTHREND FLOODED."

What if my event is occurring in X and it doesn't involve what you've written?
A great point, and one I thought about a lot. Firstly, the events won't be important enough to hinder anything one might want to run except in very specific circumstances. On the very unlikely occasion that it does, simply ignore it. This also leads to a final point:

I'd like to, should the concept work, open up the thread to others' input. Say you ran an impromptu mini-event in Ashenvale, killing demons. Or a large, scheduled event that makes a large difference to the world. Drop me a message and I'll add it to the list. This would make the world much more alive and player-driven and gives people the opportunity to get their ideas out.

[Reigen]

I'll just leave this here, as a note.

[Zhaei]

I'll just leave this here, as a note.

Not really the same thing. I'm trying to make something that anyone can look at, Ctrl+F their location and have something to talk about. Interesting World News Last updated 2 months ago, only affects one area at a time and requires people to write (and read) a lot of text which isn't necessarily relevant to what people RP around.

[Holynexus]

For Fashion stuff, I have Emma.

[Zhaei]

For Fashion stuff, I have Emma.

...What do you mean?

[Sol]

Something I'd really like to do is work with people to invent a kind of Azerothian literary canon. Come up with a list of well-known written works (not necessarily literature) in the World of Warcraft's background that our scholarly characters can talk about. Seems relevant to what you're talking about in here, as it provides us bits of background lore to talk about IC. :P

If anyone's interested, I might be making a separate thread for that kind of thing.

[Stealthscout]

I am smelling some new version of Shakespeare in wow... Kretspeare

[c0rzilla]

Something I'd really like to do is work with people to invent a kind of Azerothian literary canon. Come up with a list of well-known written works (not necessarily literature) in the World of Warcraft's background that our scholarly characters can talk about. Seems relevant to what you're talking about in here, as it provides us bits of background lore to talk about IC. :P

If anyone's interested, I might be making a separate thread for that kind of thing.

Would this include books readable in-game, and/or things we make up?

[Kretol]

Why not create a nicely-formatted Wiki page which can be linked both in the OP of the thread as well as the side link menu? This would also enable everyone to update it as well.

[Scout]

Why not create a nicely-formatted Wiki page which can be linked both in the OP of the thread as well as the side link menu? This would also enable everyone to update it as well.

It would be very easy on such a wiki page to have a section titled, say, Ratchet or the Barrens, and then people can leave one or two line notes about significant events in RPs they had, with a time stamp. That way people can easily look at that and see what happened recently in a short, easy-to-read format.

[Nikodemos]

While I haven't touched on fashion in the least, (it is a bar after all) I make a point of inquiring as to rumors and the local news when patrons arrive at The Glass Shovel and once I get the thread up in the Bazaar I intend to post links to guild posts and the like that are posted on the bulletin (Which is macroed for inspection, by the way.). With the idea that players prefer player run establisments in mind, I created the bar as a place for storyline recruitment and the like in addition to a casual RP opportunity. I think you have the right idea here about being, essentially, creative with your RP discussions and RP opportunities in general.

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Something I'd really like to do is work with people to invent a kind of Azerothian literary canon. Come up with a list of well-known written works (not necessarily literature) in the World of Warcraft's background that our scholarly characters can talk about. Seems relevant to what you're talking about in here, as it provides us bits of background lore to talk about IC. :P

If anyone's interested, I might be making a separate thread for that kind of thing.

*Cough* Historical Institute. I just need to get off my lazy rear and open it back up.

[Zhaei]

Why not create a nicely-formatted Wiki page which can be linked both in the OP of the thread as well as the side link menu? This would also enable everyone to update it as well.

That works nicely. I imagine that people can simply update the section that applies to what they did, then I'll fill in everything else when the week comes around. Super!

I assume your posting here was a 'yes' to my PM, then?

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Hm. I'm thinking of using the OP of the thread as an archive for previous weeks, whereas the wiki page stays on the most up to date version. Thoughts?