Pax Merkaile's page

Bringslite got the order wrong. Crafting should go at the bottom and pvp at the top. We might forgive him.

Honestly I hate big guilds. I'm all about quality over quantity. I'll be honest that I was hesitant to join a "big" multi-game guild in the beginning. Of course the fun of the application process did appeal to me; it's a great process.

Pax is very similar to Boston in some ways (the city, not the band). A big city that doesn't act like a big city. Small town appeal. Pax isn't even close to the biggest guild out there, but it does have numbers. The difference is that those numbers are inclusive and friendly. The officers are always there to listen to AND resolve any issues a member has.

Don't worry about those boring LN types, or the fascist LE types; our core of goody goodies will be pretty strong. There are likely more than a few of us looking at something other than LG. ;)

If I were choosing a guild for PFO at this point it would without a doubt be Pax.

Good night Golgatha. Well done. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning.

I'll invent beer if I have to, it tastes better.

Looking forward to butt-kicking for goodness in Fidelis' name. Also, Charlie George's avatar makes me sad.

Good beer.

Obviously I dislike the system for the way it affects Pax and some of the things we've been workin on (a good aligned group - and how/why they fit into the whole). I pretty much assumed that went without saying. ;)

That's not the majority reason for me. I dislike the concept of alignment as a whole. I prefer realism within the boundaries of the setting. I don't like the current handcuffs of the proposed alignment system for any group. If it goes in as it is, so be it. I'll either live with it or not; doesn't much matter in the grand scheme, though I'd much rather have a system that works for everyone. I put forth a problem then thought about it and proposed a solution.

As some others have pointed out (some great ideas) it may be a better idea to reward alignment homogeneity instead of restricting settlement citizenship to one step. Allow buffs or other mechanical benefits to settlements whose alignment standard deviation is low. This represents a more focused group who works toward goals rather than a rambling group. You could apply this to race and religion as well and it would provide an interesting depth to the game.

You could take it further and provide a term and rating.

Alignment Focus Rating
Racial Focus Rating
Religion Focus Rating

At certain ratings benefits/buffs are received.

It's a matter of perspective/opinion. I'm not that familiar with the setting but I'd see it as not passing the cost benefit analysis to test the alignment of a large group. I don't see magically trained people as a common commodity to be used in something like this.

I'd argue that the US is somewhere in the LE/LN realm. Before anyone gets bent out of shape by this I'll say that I've served my country and chosen to live here. I don't like everything my country has done and downright defame some actions. I don't see myself as within one step of either of those alignments but as I stated earlier I think the 9 alignment system is wholly simplistic. I could easily move somewhere else but chose to live here and enact change as I can. The best way to do this is from within the system rather than being forced by an outside entity. My good aligned character is trying to change things from within and counterbalance those that take things too far in the name peace, prosperity and protection.

There is some difference between being born into a system and forming one from anew, yes, but I still don't think things would be as homogenous as far as alignment goes. The puritans weren't all good people any more than those prisoners forced into the Carolina's were bad. One was forced and the other was semi-voluntary, true.

I'd like to see the system where there was a certain percentage of deviation from the one step rule allowed if the one step alignment rule stays in place.

First level wizard spell "See Alignment"
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/see-alignment

When you are selecting the people you are allowing to officially join your brand new settlement in the wilderness, you have your wizard glance at them.
If they don't match the alignment, you kick them out. If their alignment is obscured, you kick them out.

Depending on how paranoid you are, repeat the process as desired.

I feel sorry for the wizard's time wasted in the endeavor, though I suppose it will help the economy with all those peasants out collecting eyes of newt. One does feel sorry for the local newt population, though.

Meh, this is why I don't really like alignment systems in RPGs. They're great for two dimensional cutout characters but I'd argue most people are driven by motivations rather than principles. I could see various towns within a nation having to have a one step average alignment difference otherwise why are they really banding together except in the most dire circumstances. A town on the other hand is made up of all types. Settlers may have a common motivation but I'd never argue they have a common alignment. Anyone of any alignment can be in a real world religion and thus persecuted for it (one of the many reasons in history for relocation). Now granted the God of a fantasy setting may not take a liking to the individual upon death but I doubt they'll get banned from a church unless caught in a contrary act. Then again I'm not really here to argue for realism in a fantasy setting.

An interesting system which will promote playing a role for sure but so does every other RPG. It will however drive a larger difference between playing a role and roleplaying. The burgeoning good group within Pax is going to be harmed by this system. There are more than a handful of us that desire to play and RP good aligned characters. I imagine most wish to play with our friends as I do. My character will likely be mehanically neutral and in RP goodly so that, that may happen. It all depends on the system but we'll have to work it so that we take evil hits occasionally, which are out of the norm, to neutralize our active alignment. This may mean occasionally randomly killing an npc or some other evil deed. If that's how it ends up then I'm okay with that. I'm fine with playin a meta-game one way and RPing a completely different way if necessary. There's going to be some of that regardless of any alignment system.

I'll preface this with what was my initial intent and what I felt were the intent of the thread. I felt they were the same which was what I would have liked to see in the game eventually.
If we are talking about what we could possibly see in EE, which seems the frame of reference others were in then yes very little of what I mentioned earlier would be essential.

Then the list of things would be those bare things many of us likely saw in MUDs.

-Customized text only emotes.
-A page on our "character sheet" that others can see with customizable text. A history and description page, if you will. It has non-RP use in that folks can recruit for their organizations and whatever else their imagination allows. This wasn't on my initial list I don't believe and it should have been.

I could live with only the first honestly as you're right, my imagination can supply everything else.

Make a purely pvp game. Smashing people's faces in, in pvp is easy. Sometimes smashing the same guy's face in repeatedly each day gets tiresome. Killing "The Goblin King" for the fifth time that day is tedious. This is why not every action I enact in game is in character as it stretches my bounds of realism and realism within the bounds of the setting is what I enjoy. It's also why I enjoy RP. I can achieve things in game. I haven't met a game where achieving was difficult. RP maintains my presence in games when I'm done kicking ass and taking names for the day. Sure some actions can be seen as RP but how many goblin kings can there be?

The game that gets gameplay elements (most important), PVP, PVE and RP all right is going to be one hell of a game.

Some CC has feuded mine. We fight them back. My character sneaks into their settlement and writes them a note and leaves it inside their leader's home, "Better luck next time." Kicks much hind end in my opinion. It's the small things that matter most. Attention to detail.

...also, Beat Army!

1. You are out hunting for a much needed meal. You enter a small clearing and spy a deer. The deer is a female and this is the season for birthing fawns, but you cannot tell from this distance if she is a nursing mother or not. What would your character do?

This depends on the situation. I have spent a lot of time in the wilds, and often your chances at obtaining food come only sparsely. I would have to make a judgment call. How scarce is food in the region. What is the deer population in the region. Am I likely to run across other sources of food. In the end, if I'm hungry then it's likely food is sparse so I would follow the deer for a time quietly. If there was no sign of a baby then I would be finding myself eating a fine meal.

2. You are in a busy town intersection and stumble across a coin purse. Upon inspection, it has not only coins, but cut gems inside. What would your character do?

I don't like towns so much, at least not those that aren't filled with good honorable folk. I would look for any distinct markings on the purse. Perhaps I recognize the purse. If the town constable was an honorable man, then I would turn the purse in. Within a period of time if no one comes looking for it I would come and collect it and put the coins to good use.

3. You spy one of your settlement associates (someone you know well but less than a good friend) speaking in the shadows of his shop to another person. As you watch, the second person quickly makes for the settlement wall, climbs it, and disappears into the neighboring forest. You recognize the man as someone who has been banned from your settlement. This associate is of good standing in the settlement and has a wife and two children. What would your character do?

Someone with a wife and child should not be putting them at risk with such behavior. However, perhaps there is a good reason for why they are conversing. I would approach the person and ask them why they were associating with such a person. It might depend upon the nature of the other individual's banishment. In the end I would hope they would come clean as to the reasoning. Let us hope he doesn't become violent, for his sake. Any community I would associate with would help out the wife and child regardless of the outcome; and I'd make sure they were seen to.

4. Your settlement leader has approached you in secret with concerns about another settlement member who he believes may be a spy. The person in question turns out to be a close friend of yours. The settlement leader asks you to keep an eye on him, report anything suspicious, and not to mention any of this conversation to your friend. What would your character do?

A close friend of mine that is under suspicion would be a large concern. I would keep to myself for a time and watch my friend. However, depending on what I find I may or may not divulge the information. True and loyal friends are hard to come by. Those that can watch your back in battle or times of duress are rare. If they are a traitor or a danger to others then perhaps I was wrong in naming them friend and I would relay the information.

5. On a recent escalation raid, you recovered a small crystal sphere. Thinking it to be harmless but attractive, you take it home and leave it on the small table beside your bed. As you begin to drift off to sleep, you hear a voice in your head. "You and yours were not as thorough as you think," it says. "I endure and I will reward you handsomely if you return that crystal to me." When you open your eyes, you see a fading light emanating from the crystal. What would your character do?

I would take the crystal to someone that is well versed in the arcane that I trust. I would relay the information I saw in my dream and come up with a plan of action depending on the result.

6. You and a fellow settlement member were out patrolling. A party of Orcs ambushed the two of you. You managed to kill several and flee into the woods, but your companion is badly wounded. The settlement is a decent distance away, your friend is at least your size, and the Orcs are closing in. What would your character do?

I'll never leave a comrade in arms behind. Depending on my condition I would carry the friend to safety or find an adequate hiding place. They are, after all, only orcs and poor trackers in general. I could be surprised, in which case I would fight to defend the both of us.

7. You have spent twenty minutes single handedly clearing the monsters out of an area with the intention of setting up a harvesting camp. After killing the last monster, you return to the spot where the harvesting camp can be erected, only to find someone else has planted their harvesting camp in the same spot. What would your character do?

I would calmly explain to this other person what has happened. Hopefully they are honorable enough to recognize my legitimate claim based upon my hard work. If this is not the case I am well prepared to defend what I have fought for.

8. You are searching the settlement market for a new item that you need. You see the item for sale by several merchants. One is a member of your settlement and one is a guest with permission to use the settlement market. The settlement member's price is double that of the guest. What would your character do?

I would purchase the item with the fairer price. I would perhaps investigate the cheaper merchant to see if everything was as it seems. I might also approach the settlement's merchant and explain that his price is twice what I could get the item for. Perhaps he would match the other price and benefit the settlement. Resources should be conserved, however. It's best to always be prepared.

9. You are on patrol and see a man being accosted by bandits. He is still alive, but it is clear he has been beaten into submission and is lying prone and helpless on the ground. The bandits are picking through his pack. You are certain you can handle the bandits, but as you look closer, you can tell that their victim is a member of a settlement that you are at war with currently. What would your character do?

Bandits are a bane. The next victim could well be a friend or fellow settlement member. I would take out the bandits and then take the merchant captive. I would bring him and his goods back to the settlement if I am able and figure out what the settlement wished to do with him.

10. It's time to begin training a new skill. Your settlement is short on < enter a skill you normally wouldn't think of training >, but you could also start the next tier of your favorite skill. What would your character do?

I would carefully weigh the options. Which skill truly makes me the most effective. While the other skill may very well be needed by the settlement perhaps it does not play to my strengths. In the end, while I would wish to aid the settlement, that skill may well not mesh well with my own strengths. That would drive my decision. I would seek the advice of others and see what they would think as well. A group made decision for the betterment of all is the wisest course.

Hobs has hit on it. I've yet to play a game that I've not had to separate what my character is doing mechanically from what they would be doing if I were being true to the character concept I created in my head. Roleplaying isn't about escaping a dull real life, it's like acting in a movie and getting into the depth of a designed character. The props used for the set can either be cardboard cutouts from a middle school play or they can be an intricately designed Hollywood set. Roleplaying is an entirely social aspect of the game and builds strong communities. Someone with an imagination doesn't need props. You could RP in DCUO if you really wanted to, but it's not as much fun as it was in SWG.

RP is a time filler for when you can't do anything else and I'd argue it's the only reason besides being Star Wars that SWG lasted as long as it did.

Will I play this game without tools that support RP, probably. I enjoy pvp immensely so yeah I'll be pvping with Pax. It'll get pretty old fast for anyone but someone who concentrates solely on pvp without some tools. I've gotten use to games not supporting RP and I've gotten older and curmudgeon-ey so I don't do it as much as I used to.

The tools I'd like to see at a minimum (the other things that have been mentioned are nice too):
-Variety of clothing/armor with the ability to dye
-At least the ability to use customized emotes.
-Individual housing with furniture.
-Sitting in chairs

Why wouldn't you want to add things to the Skinner box that players come up with themselves to spend time in your game. They're doing the work for you once you build the set.