Conducting ones self while learning about Faith

[Lysha]

Before I start this, I want it to be understood that I will not name any names and the intention of this post is not to attack anyone. If you feel I have done so, please feel free to PM me and we can discuss it in private, and if I'm wrong, I will apologize here.

As a follower of a faith, I have a duty to spark interest in my chosen patron. As a faith manager, it is my job to either teach you when asked, or if it is a joint effort, to see that you are taught by someone within the faith. I will not turn anyone away when it comes to inquiring, because to learn is not a commitment. I am more than happy to teach anyone, even if they are already of another faith.

I know that real life comes before the game, this is understood, but when you have asked for a lesson please pay attention. I feel discouraged from teaching you when you say right off the bat "Please teach me about (GOD)" then turn around and osay "I'll be AFK for (XYZ reason) but keep talking". Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, and if I am, please disregard this, but to me, this tells me you are too busy and you don't have time to hear what I have to teach you or it isn't important to you. If you have something come up while you are being taught, I have no problem waiting. Things happen. If you ask me to teach you my time is yours.

The same goes for using your amulet. I know that no one is clairvoyant and knows you are discussing matters of faith at the moment, but please don't continue both conversations of faith and amulet. I think it is better to ask one to wait while you take care of the other, which one you choose is up to you. A simple gesture to the amulet while you say "Pardon me a moment" or a reply to the amulet with "I am discussing (GOD) right now. Can I contact you after?"

All I am asking, and I'm sure that every faith manager would ask the same, is please respect us. We are here to help you, and we are happy to do so. We can be patient if you have real life needs, we are people too.

[Nysan]

Agree on the OOC part. If you are busy RL, there are certain activities you shouldn't try to multi-task. Mining? Sure. Baking? Fine. Shopping? Go for it. Involved conversation with one or more people? Just say no. Don't try to do everything and end up causing headaches for everyone. I've been there, we all have. It is a simple matter to osay "RL problem, can we do this another time?" Most will understand and, as Lysha mentioned, would prefer undivided attention over half-afk juggling.

Amulets, not so much. Thats just me though. I am used to carrying on 2 amulet conversations and several in-person conversations. It happens when you play a character like old Gilain and its more like second nature to me these days. Still, like many other aspects of my play-style, I never expect others to follow my pattern, or in some cases even understand it. If you can float an in-person and an amulet conversation, great. But you should know your limits and if the in-person one is suffering from the juggle its best to prioritize.

Rambling translation: Know your limitations and avoid headaches, yours and others, when possible.

[Raona]

I would like to second this as well, even though for me it has largely meant relegation to bug testing because I can not get a reliable hour to myself these days. I've decided that if I can't give it my full attention, RP isn't worth trying for. It's impolite to the others involved, and the quality of the experience just isn't there. If you are RPing toward an end and not enjoying the ride itself...something is wrong.

[Mele]

Remember also, when someone does this you are not held to spot with them. In the past it's also happened to me, and I would wait or leave rather than rp with myself.


Amulets are a large pet peeve of mine, one of the first things I say when giving a lesson is not to use it. ;)

[Nysan]

Of course the student should follow the rules of those giving the lessons. They say no amulet, detune it. That's what the command is for after all: quiet time. My comments were from my preference, not a standard for anyone to follow (besides my occassional student).

[Mele]

I was speaking about the mention of amulets in the original thread opening post. :)

[Lysha]

I'm going to explain my dislike of amulet usage when talking faith.

You are going into an interview for a new job, something important to you. You're seated with the boss of this job when your phone goes off in your pocket, on silent. Do you answer the phone and try to talk to both your interviewer and the person on the phone?

In character, joining a faith is one of the single most important things your character does in their life, mostly due to the fact that their immortal soul goes to the realm of your deity after they have passed on. The use of the amulet when you are speaking to a manager of a faith, to me, is very rude when you've asked them to teach you, much like trying to hold a conversation on the phone and in person.

These are my thoughts, and maybe now that I've clarified my view of the matter, it will be understood a little better. <3

[Harroghty]

I will only chime in here to say this: we do not generally ask a lot of potential faith members, but the greatest justification for inducting someone to the faith is their demonstrated interest. You are not generally asked to do great things in order to join the faith. The long quests and detailed books come later as you progress through the ranks of your chosen Power's followers. In the short term you stand out by demonstrating your interest in the Power. Just like in any class you've taken at any level, you had to learn what the instructor preferred in order to convince them that you were serious; they maybe wanted things written in a certain font or wanted to see you do certain things in class. Your faith manager (FM) is that instructor now and you need to learn (and conform to) what they want in order to be successful. Demonstrate interest and comply with your FM's personal desires and you'll be golden.

By that same token: FMs please be clear to your hopefuls in the same way that Faria has been. Someone may not think much of using the amulet and you cannot really fault them until you've told them once, "Hey, I'd prefer that you not do that during our lessons". Once you've told them then you can hold them accountable.

[Anguin]

I know that real life comes before the game, this is understood, but when you have asked for a lesson please pay attention. I feel discouraged from teaching you when you say right off the bat "Please teach me about (GOD)" then turn around and osay "I'll be AFK for (XYZ reason) but keep talking".

Never having been faithed (in the game), maybe I should not comment. But it seems to me that the process of learning and joining a religion involves interaction, not just listening to a lecture. In most cases, especially in one-on-one interaction, would not the teacher be asking questions to be sure the student gets the point? Even if not, surely the teacher watches the posture, expression, and body language of the student to determine the level of interest and understanding. If the student is not ready to answer a question or two, or provide an occasional emote like a nod of agreement or a puzzled frown, I don't see how he (or she) can claim to be learning. Listening, maybe. But learning?

smote frowns slightly. "You seem distracted. Perhaps such a serious matter should be discussed when you can devote your full attention to the subject."