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Subject: 
Re: Good News and Bad News, but mostly Bad News
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.gaming.starship
Date: 
Wed, 18 Jun 2003 06:31:47 GMT
Viewed: 
2091 times
  
In lugnet.gaming.starship, Andrew Engstrom wrote:
Ummm, guys, I don't know how else to say this, but the current Helix
adventure is no longer running.

Sorry to hear this, but I guess this does happen from time to time.  Trust me,
if anyone knows the real-life obstacles here it is me.  Would you like me to
mark the Sector Registry with Helix as "temporarily closed to travel" ?

It is good that you will continue to be available as a player!  :)

However, while I'm taking a short sabbatical from Starship SMing, I'll be
planning a new adventure for the sector.  I want some player input, so
please take the short survey below:

(1) Should the game be story-oriented, or *more* freeform?

As far as SM work is concerned, I think there can be an equal amount of work
running the game either way.  The action emails I have recieved as a player in
Freeform sectors have been as long and as detailed as any others, and included a
fair amount of setting and character description.  Adventure sectors (thus far)
seem to offer slightly more direct action emails, but also require greater
background and plot planning on the part of the SM.  Also, a good adventure
sector needs an SM that has skills in guiding players through the plot all while
giving them choices and options to influence it.  (I think you did a great job
of this in the original Spraw adventure, BTW.)

As for which of these I prefer, I guess I like plot when I am SM.  As a player,
I am having fun with both options.  However, I also have been travelling more to
the Social/Freeform Sectors.  I like the Trade and Social Sectors as safe havens
to regroup between true adventures (I think of the adventures as episodes in a
Star Trek like story and the Social downtime as the sorts of things that happen
between episodes).  Currently, I think there are more active sectors that are
Social or Freeform, and fewer that have true adventures.  As this is an RPG
where most player ships are explorers, I am all for there being more adventures
to enjoy.  (Of course the Trade and Social Sectors might have a greater purpose
if someone built a Commercial Fleet.)

(2) How much should the game depend on technology/items/etc found in-game?
(relates to above question)

If it is an adventure sector, then it can be nice to offer "prizes" in the form
of some in-game gain.  For example, in my Grave Belt (Derelict) adventure,
player ships can try to salvage valuable materials from ghost ships.  That
adventure is also influenced by the finding of items or knowledge that can help
a team locate the particular derelict that is their mission target.  ...I agree
with Richard though, we don't want adventure prizes to be so great that they
generate rules issues with the overall game.  Giving a prize of a technology
greater than allowed by the 3-tier system would generally be bad unless its use
has been discussed here first.

(3) Would you like a different/modified map for the game?

Your map is fine.  I don't see why you should invest the effort to make a new
one unless you feel it is needed.  If you do change it, perhaps you could offer
an in-game reason for the change in local scenery.

(4) How much In-Character interaction would you like to have?

Except for discussing rules, announcements, and the occasional recognition of a
job well done (e.g. after an entertaining action email), I think all interaction
for Starship should be in-character.  Even posts for new ships to be registered
can be in-character (as Richard and Patrick have done).  IC is fun!

(5) How would you make the Action Email form better?  (short suggestion
please)

Improvement is not required.  I really like Dan's action emails from Arbor.  I
find them easy to read because he uses formating to bold and highlight certain
elements.  But then, as SM, I am not setup for anything so fancy.  JHK has a
neat format that actually uses a web-based form for his players to respond to
action emails.  It really should be whatever is easiest for you, as SM.

Once things are straightened out...."I'll be back!"

And we await your return with eagerness.  :)

-GM Hendo



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: Good News and Bad News, but mostly Bad News
 
(...) Yeah, I'd appreciate that. Thanks. [...] (...) "And the Hand of God came down and smote the Earth...uhhh...Helix." No, actually, I was thinking more of a change in perspective on the sector. Or perhaps a different portion of the sector. (...) (21 years ago, 18-Jun-03, to lugnet.gaming.starship)

Message is in Reply To:
  Good News and Bad News, but mostly Bad News
 
Ummm, guys, I don't know how else to say this, but the current Helix adventure is no longer running. What with mix-ups, crashes, and deleted files, things are too screwed up to continue. I'm sorry for letting all you guys down. I *may* restart the (...) (21 years ago, 17-Jun-03, to lugnet.gaming.starship)

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