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Cards on the table: I am not completely certain I'll be able to run this right now. I'm still working that out. I'm also not sure anybody will even be interested, and if they aren't, it'd be silly to spend time setting up a thread.
If I have time, and people are interested, I'll create a proper CC area. If people are interested, but I'm too busy, perhaps someone else will choose to found things.
The idea is simple: A Chartered Company oriented around community enrichment through the encouraging of artistic projects. It would focus on helping members create stuff–be it fiction, art, or machinima.
It would also be dedicated to recording the notable events of the River Kingdoms. Ideally, if there is a war, there will always be at least one bard around to record each battle, through video, sketch, or simple written log.
Company Goals:
Basically, the company would be dominated by bard PCs and be dedicated to recording conflicts through LPs and writeups and stuff. The company would have firm rules like "Don't reveal stuff that's still going on, like telling someone where bandits are located", wear bright clothes to distinguish itself, and try to establish nonaggression pacts with everyone.
The bard group might also welcome people with creative talents, like writing and drawing. Maybe a newsletter or something?
I didn't want to make a whole thread about this, and I'm gonna post this right now without reading over it because I have to go catch the bus home, but...thoughts?
As a follow-up (writing this on the bus without internet), here are my general thoughts.
Alignment: True Neutral.
Goals: Record and create. Things that help the community by showing off what it can do, whether that be through recording recent events or making fanart, are emphasized.
Welcomes: Bards and other creative-type PCs (performers, artistic craftsfolk), creative players (people with interest in recording/writing/drawing/music) and people to protect those squishy artists from monsters and the occasional hostile player.
Based In: I'm thinking a tavern might be ideal, thematically, but since I seem to recall CCs needing settlements, we might alternate between friendly towns--wherever the action is, we'll be a little bit to the left.
Potential Allies: Ideally, we would have alliances with everyone, with the understanding being that we remain neutral and are in turn left alone--even if the war is being fought over our base settlement. Like the Grand Lodge*, we are primarily motivated by helping the community as a whole, not individual factions. Exceptions are made for escalation cycles, obviously.
Enemies: That smurf organization. Yes, this is all my evil scheme to pit my own two organizations against each other and profit from the carnage.Hopefully none, but our biggest enemies are people that are jerks to other players and newbies.
Bardic Duties: Members of the CC are expected to protect each other and, above all, to be honest. If they take creative license with an event, they should be clear (OOC) that they are doing so. The main goal of this organization is to show off the best things about PFO, after all. No point if we're just gonna lie. A bard is free to wreak havoc on his own time, but he will not receive the Company's protections while doing so, nor will be be protected from repercussions (meaning that a bard could be a bandit every Tuesday, but he doesn't get backed up by his pals onWednesday when the cops show up).
Bardic Privileges:
Members of the CC are rewarded with easier access to locations, such as a safer way to observe a great battle, or permission to accompany a merchant caravan to a closely-guarded mining site. They are also given constructive criticism from other members and a place to show off their work.What else does the organization do? Like I said, I was thinking something like a newsletter--perhaps a monthly or biweekly publication that features writeups of recent events, quality art/writing, and links to PFO machinimas/Let's Plays. If it's not too silly an idea, we might even feature opinion columns about game stuff (like arguments about whether bandits are OP or whatever), but that might be a tad much.
* Come to think of it, maybe I could sell this CC as being an offshoot of the Pathfinders. They have bards, right? ;D
So...any interest? :)
EDIT: Just to make this clear, you don't have to be a bard to enter this organization. It might come in handy, but we welcome all classes. Except Summoners.
Crap. I really need to remember to "mushroom"-proof my quotes before posting this stuff.
Goblin Squad Member
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Awesome idea. The two could complement eachother greatly, the art-side of things and the written records. So the in-game presence would be a Company with members that try to report every interesting event that is going on/has happened in the world, and out of game you would need a seriously cool website where the written records would appear, maybe later accompanied by art submitted by players? Paintings of the Great Standoff at Mosstown.
I expect when the company and its members gain credability and fame that many settlements will give them free passage. But if this company is bound to a powerful LG or NG Settlement then there may be some settlements that will look dubious upon them no matter what.
Name recognition will be key. Even so expect to be infiltrated with spies, if your members get free passage it is too good to pass on. :)
I could see the website being done by GW in a far, far and succesful future of the game, like 5 years from now. The reporters would still be players off course. But if the community manages to get this going in an early stage that would be so much better.
Love the idea. The Herald of the River Kingdoms! (THoRK)
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Goblin Squad Member
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D:
I think a lot of the success of the Company would depend on the quality of the Website and the reports.
When I read a fun report about a certain event that happened in the game, on a good looking website, with possibly some screenshots or even art (drawings) and signed by Jorah Celestine the Minstrel, then Jorah Celestine in-game would be recognized and have immediate and positive exposure. Name-recognition.
It will be exiting to encounter the writers of these chronicles in the game, also because it could mean that something interesting is happening, or will happen nearby.
PFO deserves to be chronicled from the very start.
A huge and difficul task, both for the Bard/writers as well as for the website administrator. But very rewarding if you manage it.
I understand that the members of the COmpany are also the ones to deliver the art: I would open this up to any player who has something cool to offer that could accompany the reports of your Bards. Or any art. :)
Hell, I can see beerglasses etched with the heraldry of some great Settlement! Did you know that Star Citizen Online already has dedicated fans making all sorts of art relating to the game(that is not out yet either)? Beerglasses with Decals, miniature ships and such, very nice.
I expect when the company and its members gain credability and fame that many settlements will give them free passage. But if this company is bound to a powerful LG or NG Settlement then there may be some settlements that will look dubious upon them no matter what.
Ideally, we'd stick to Neutral settlements.
Name recognition will be key. Even so expect to be infiltrated with spies, if your members get free passage it is too good to pass on. :)
Some measures would be taken to encourage full OOC openness. I believe standard procedure would be to place bounties or the like on bards who abuse their OOC/IC privileges.
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Any thoughts on what the organization's name should be? I'm trying to think of a way to tie it into Golarion's lore, but if anybody has opinions on it, they're welcome--even if they aren't planning to join.
I'm currently thinking the company started out as sort of "Pathfinder rejects": Members of the organization who got tired of the faction politics and national meddling and decided to seek a purer path in the River Kingdoms. Eventually, the company evolved into something less about acquisition of ancient lore than the recording of current dealings/preservation of art.
Chartered Company Name: The Pathlosers.
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Kobolds and Kompany is obviously the superior name, but I have this weird sense that our numbers might dwindle rapidly if I put it into effect.
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Goblin Squad Member
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The two gods I'd associate with this project are Shelyn (as goddess of beauty and art) and Irori (god of history and knowledge), so perhaps the name could be related to one or both?
Shelyn is the Eternal Rose; maybe the group is known as the Company of the Rose? Or maybe you want to get more self important, and be the Blessed of the Rose. Just some ideas.
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"Wayfarers" does have a nice Pathfinder vibe, but there's already a Pathfinder vibe with the "Pathforgers". I'd hate to get regularly mistaken for those guys. ;D
I do like the link to Shelyn. Ultimately, though, I think "Freelancers" might be just what we're looking for.
I also kinda like The Herald of the River Kingdoms (THoRK). Decisions, decisions.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Do you want the name to reflect the people who write the news or the name of the business itself?
I'm all for 'The River Kingdoms Herald' or 'R.K. Herald'. It gets right to the point and it's hard to see it for anything but what it is. I'd definitely be keeping an interested eye on anyone I saw with that tag running around.
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"The River Kingdoms Herald" sounds good to me. It has the nice bonus of giving a clear, interesting name for members of the company.
The River Kingdoms Post Intelligencer
also known as the River Kingdoms P.I.
I like that. I like that a lot.
Unfortunately, the reason that "Intelligencer" has the squiggly red line under it is that it's now considered a somewhat archaic word. In addition, the definition was "a person who gathers intelligence, esp. an informer, spy, or secret agent." Nice as the acronym is, it doesn't really convey what we are.
We're playing in a fantasy setting. Our terminolgy is still subject to real-world lingo. If you want to found The Gay F~~ Making B&~&~ Trainers (a group of cheerful tobacco-selling dog breeders), be my guest. ;D
And the other issue I mentioned is that Intelligencer and P.I. both imply investigations, spies, and agendas. That's exactly the sort of vibe we want to avoid.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Pfft. Semantics. Besides, that is exactly what you will be either way. Either unintentionally, or due to someone joining for ulterior motives. You will be serving to further someone's agenda, you will be investigating things (even if it is only for a story), and you will be spying on nations. Why should I pay a spy to go look at a settlement and how it is doing that is on the far side of the world when you do it for free?
The barest tip of the iceberg/underwater-starbase of nefarious things that go on in those darn wicked-minded fellows' head.
Pfft. Semantics. Besides, that is exactly what you will be either way. Either unintentionally, or due to someone joining for ulterior motives. You will be serving to further someone's agenda, you will be investigating things (even if it is only for a story), and you will be spying on nations. Why should I pay a spy to go look at a settlement and how it is doing that is on the far side of the world when you do it for free?
As this is the reputation we are determined to avoid through strict discipline and careful out-of-character moderation, yeah, we are going to be avoiding any name that implies we can't keep subterfuge under control like the blippin' plague. ;)
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Goblin Squad Member
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But Koboldddd you can't remove the image of subterfuge from the act of disseminating information D: If you deal in information, especially on a global scale, especially for free, you will be used by people to watch others. The object you need to focus on is not stopping that problem, but rather on making the information being given is neutral to every party existing.
A key rule of the organization is that we do not publish information that will bear consequences during wartime, such as troop movements. Such information will be released after the fact, generally with the permission of those involved.
Any member who publishes information independently of the organization in a disruptive manner will be banned, blacklisted, and quite possibly get a big bounty on his head just out of spite. These ex-members will be regarded as griefers. A policy of OOC-openness will further help nail down these disruptive players, even if they use sneaky measures.
The system is not perfect. No system is. But we will not tolerate espionage, and that is all I have to say on the matter.
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Wow, that plug worked? I figured people would just ignore it. This actually makes me feel kind of embarrassed. XD
How on Golarion did you half-smurf yourself?
Let's just say you shouldn't cross the smurfs. I mean you shouldn't cross the smurfs. I mean...okay, let's just say don't cross Gary Teter.
And as I say that, the Postmonster eats my edit. Anyways, here's a tiny bit of yappy, yappy context. Remember that I was twelve at the time.
You used the word "mushroom".
I'll dial it back Monday if you, umm, you know, stop threatening to kill me.
And so unreasonable!
Also, guys, announcement! I'll try to post the official Chartered Company thread on the weekend, assuming my math test goes okay and I finally force myself to catch up on homework. God, who'd have thought college would be hard...
In the meantime, I could use some general advice. Aside from what this thread provides, what is customary for a CC owner to do? I understand some sort of offsite communication network is standard--I'd like to use Skype, since that's what I'm used to, but I'm open to whatever the "MMO Guild Protocol" happens to be.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Typically you need to setup an actual website with its own forum, especially for an mmo. You might get guildies who live on the opposite side of the world from you, so talking via skype could be an extreme hassle.
So is maintaining a website, which is why I'm not even going to bother unless I get more than a single party, or if people beg me to create a website for Brother Zael.
I might have to setup a website anyway as sort of the "official" cross-nation council (read PfO UN) where treaties and world-laws can get signed and posted.
I think that, short-term, I'd just use a PDF for the Company's projects. If things grow, I'll expand to a proper website.
You might get guildies who live on the opposite side of the world from you, so talking via skype could be an extreme hassle.
How does that impact Skype? I have Skype friends in Australia and the UK. We generally just use the text chat service, except when gaming.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I think that, short-term, I'd just use a PDF for the Company's projects. If things grow, I'll expand to a proper website.
That sounds like a realistic approach. I'd certainly subscribe to that PDF/newsletter. Would be cool if you could sell them in-game for in-game coin, but that is not possible I guess.
The only games I know where you could create written records in-game are Asheron's Call and UO (I think). Well, and probably some muds.