Reviewing game organisations: Preamble

[Kelemvor]

There are currently nine in-game organisations listed in the Help File 'Organisations' for players to join.

Each has a specific identity and role within the game, but many of them have fallen dormant due to absence of recruiters or members.

In an attempt to revive this area of gameplay I have volunteered to review the existing organisations and oversee their removal, amendment or revamp.

The ideal for an organisation would be for a similar set-up to that of the various faiths - a group of players dedicated to a structured set of goals which are defined by canon sources but adjusted to allow for the differences which our setting promotes.

Each organisation would be overseen by one or more player character 'leaders' responsible for recruiting and directing its members.

As with the faiths, there would also need to be avenues for the Immortal team to become involved. This would primarily be in order for roleplays to be constructed. To this end, I would anticipate the need for key NPCs to also be reflected in the organisation.

[Kelemvor]

I will be setting up a thread for each of the current organisations, as well as adding a number of polls around how organisations might operate in the future.

This thread is a general heading under which all players are invited to give their thoughts on the overall role of organisations. eg how many do we need, should they be tailored to particular classes, how should recruitment operate etc etc.

If you have specific comments or question around a particular organisation, please post to the appropriate thread.

[Aegir]

Just a few immediate thoughts that come to mind on this subject:

How many: I think its best if there were only a few to start, so as to get them active and try new concepts (a beta test, if you will). If we simply re-activate all we'll, then odds are you'll have 2-3 that are fairly active, while most of the others will have 1-2 members, if that. I don't think this helps anyone on the MUD, the members of the "lesser" orgs especially, so stick to three or so to start seems like a good plan.

Tailored to particular classes: While I suspect some will have specific leanings (Shadow Thieves, Night Masks and Spy Guild were always considered thieves organizations), I don't think they should be restricted to particular classes. One reason specifically regards the above mentioned orgs: thief is one of the most uncommon PC classes in the game, and limiting it to thieves only would simply artificially retard the process of making them viable orgs. Most every org has places in it for figures of any class, so they might as well accept them if they're interested.

Recruitment: This depends largely on if certain prior restrictions are still in place (the "one org per player" rule being the big one), but I wouldn't think imm involvement in recruitment should be needed any more than it is for the various faiths: appoint trustworthy people to leadership positions and go from there. I would like to see a fairly strict activity requirement on leaders, however: if you're inactive for a certain amount of time - say, 120 days (4 months), something in that area - you at least temporarily lose your leadership position. If suitable reasons are given (military service, family reasons, whatever, so long as it isn't just the PC vanishing), then other arrangements can be made (another leader appointed with no loss of power from the other, for example), but leadership positions should come with some fairly rigid activity requirements.

Also, consideration should be given to having multiple leaders in an org for exactly this reason.

NPC leaders: Assuming the practice of auction characters remains the same as in the past, I think they should be required to meet the activity guidelines to keep their character, but the biggest problem with auction characters is their changing of hands (which often ruins most everything regarding RP that came before), and sporadic activity. My personal opinion is that orgs should be left in PC hands, but they should all have 1-2 mortal NPC members for use by IMMs on special occasions. They would naturally have power, but shouldn't be regarded as the leader. For example, Manshoon of the Zhentarim: currently in FR, Manshoon holds no specific position of power within the org, but even so, only Fzoul outranks him within the Zhentarim. A position like this is perfect for Imm-controlled NPCs, because it allows them to come and go, and large chunks of inactivity will not hinder the org in any way.

I'm sure more will come to mind as I continue to mull over my thoughts on the topic, but for now I think theres more than enough to get things started.

[Mariela]

The things that kill me about Organizations is that most Organizations have a guild house, a meeting house.. SOMETHING.

And yet it's next to impossible to find the character who is in charge of it. And that goes triple for organizations that are evil/secretive.

Don't get me wrong that is how it SHOULD be, but one should be able to figure out where to leave a note at? Even if it's bending the rules ICly a little to be able to get a message out that you are in fact looking for the Harpers, the Night Masks ect. Rather than just plastering it up into your title.

When we narrow down the organizations to the ones we keep and want, and those that get tossed... can we make a master directory of them in the help files including the player run organizations that are being kept up?

And also, maybe develop some sort of mail box that the heads of the organizations can get at.. either on the message board or in the game somewhere so if people WANT to be a Paladin, or a Night Mask whatever.. they can send up a flare that way and that way the heads of the orders can take more responsibility for the members?

Just a thought. I know -I- would love it as someoen who KNOWS where some of the organizations I want to join home base at.. but I have never been able to touch base with the leaders or when I do, I am completely disuaded.. cause... hello secret organization. And if you are not THE leader, you are generally turned away.

And does this mean organizations that go beyond....
Priests = Faith Halls
Bards = Barding School
Wizards = Wizarding School


Or do these include those organizations as well?

[Glim]

Hope this is the right thread to throw this out in:

On that note, I think it would be a good idea for the leaders to be required to have a monthly meeting with all of the members. This way it would, I think, bring the group closer together. They could formally discuss plans, settle disputes, trade news, make announcements, etc. It would also give people a chance to tell who is actively in this and who is not.

I.e. Joe hasn't been to the last two meetings? Frank, go talk to him. Fine out what's up.

It could be held in secret, sure. I could even see a spy guild member going Psst, you interested? *passes a note on the low low* Then here, come to this place at 8pm in five days. You will get your chance. Bring a mask, everyone else there will have one.

[Kelemvor]

A big thank you to those of you who've posted so far, this is exactly what I am looking for from this thread.

What committments should the leadership be giving in return for their status.

How should ongoing tasks and roleplays be organised and directed.

Who pays the subordinates and how

What happens when the leaders are absent

What are the best ways to handle recruitment, particularly in secretive organisations.

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A general note here, to all players and relevant to any joining issue you might have whether it be game organisations, player run organisations, orders within faiths or faiths themselves.

If you are having difficulty meeting up with the relevant player feel free to e-mail the applications team and highlight the problem. We are only too happy to pass on a message or step in to help.

[Dalvyn]

I'm not sure if it's the best place to post this ... I don't know what list of organizations you plan to use, but after reading Vibius's thread in the Events section, I wonder whether it wouldn't be a good idea to use "the Merchants' Guild" as a possible organization.

Unlike the Watch or the Zhentarim, it wouldn't be related to a specific location but rather oversee the whole world (yes, including drow merchants from Skullport). We have seen several characters with a roleplay of merchants, and we have "recently" reintroduced Waukeen as a deity, so I think the Merchants' Guild might deserve to be at least considered (even though it might not have been one of the "official" organizations of the past).

[Duranamir]

Generic Organization structure.

This is just my opinion, and deliberately put up for discussion.

• An Organization should have one NPC leader the IMM's can use if they wish to influence the organization, most probably the canon leader if it is known.
• Below this should be 2 or 3 or so PC leaders who have the normal responsibility for managing the organization, if the number ever falls below two then another will be appointed. A character leader not logging for a month counts as inactive, this does not remove them from the org, just triggers another leader being added.
• PC leaders are in general responsible for there organisations and for policing the members below them. There powers should include the ability to induct and fire members as they wish.
• How PC leaders are chosen may vary IC by organization, but they should all be willing and able to perform the duties of the leader. This does not mean they have to be high level, just that they can RP the position properly.
• Below this level the organization can have as many or few levels or titles as it feels like, these are primarily for RP purposes rather than having any major game benefit.
• Organizations should have a charter of some sort, detailing any goals for this organization. This should be freely available to members, but may or may not be available externally. This charter should be agreed by the IMM's and will be considered official for the game.
• Any fees/tithes of being in the organization should be stated upon joining the organization as part of the recruitment process.
• PC leaders should make themselves available a reasonable number of time a month. If they don’t feel they can do this then another leader should be appointed. The previous leader is still a member of the organization and may well have some specific title to reflect there previous position (for RP purposes).
• There should be some way of IC finding out who the leaders of a given organization are. Or arranging a meeting through carefully coded notes on the note board for example. This does not require the organization leaders to induct someone, but they should at least try and RP with them though possibly not revealing there position.
• Entry tests are allowable similar to faith quests, but really only done as an RP run by the organization leader. These can not require anyone to break the rules of the game, though obviously can involve illegal acts as many of the organizations are not very nice.....
• It would be nice if each organization had an internal note board within there base/lair. This would allow members to arrange meetings IC for group based RP's.
• If the organization have a desire to change there base/lair this will be done through the normal build process. There is no special resource for this.( You want a nice base then design and build it !).
• Organizations can have a limited set of specific items, though not a huge inventory. It might be nice if there was an item that the PC leaders had that indicated this rank.


Duranamir

[Kelemvor]

Duranamir, many thanks for those thoughts I don't think I disagree with anything you've posted there.

Dal, you're not the first one to suggest new organisations. Excitement is spreading as evidenced by the number of PMs I've received this last week

I've tried to limit the task I've set myself by just reviewing the current major organisations, those which generally span several classes, faiths, races and aligns.

A Merchants Guild would certainly come under the heading of a major organisation and would definitely be in a position to interact with the other groups to promote roleplay. At this time, though, I'd like to get the review of existing organisations completed before we look at additions.

[Kelemvor]

On the subject of PMs, several of you have asked what is meant by in-game organisation and despite my best efforts I'm not sure I've gotten that concept across as well as I might. One last effort before I get to the summarising stage.

Religious Orders

These are player groups which are derived from the various faiths. They are generally administered by the deity of the faith and have either the Faith Manager or a nominated individual as the recruiter.
These Orders may have items of equipment which identify membership and which allow access to order-only trainers and storekeepers.
Some are class restricted eg my Knights of the Eternal Order, or the Mystran bard and ranger orders Starry Quill and Shooting Stars.

Guilds

These are IC organisations which are present within the game in order to allow characters to select a class which is not available at creation.

Warriors will join Fighter guilds in order to become fighters or the ranger guild in order to become a ranger. Rogues can join bard or thief guilds, wizards can join a guild particular to their School of magic.

These guilds may have a player leader, but membership is often by default since the recruiting is mostly done via coded quests.

Player-run organisations
These are groups set up and run by players who have applied to create a specific organisation which they design a charter and area for.

The Fellowship of the Undermountain is an example of this type of organisation.

The groups are generally not supported by direct Immortal involvement and recruitment and roleplay are in the hands of the founding members.

Game organisations

This is what we are currently looking at. These are the game-spanning groups which are used for wider roleplays and more directly supported by Immortals and builder efforts.