That can be annoying, however having completed the Earth path myself (in about 3 days), you can realize that it's not an english professor reading your essay. It's someone who's probably around your age, give or take a few years, and who is just seeing that you put some sort of thought/RP into it.

But you have to ask yourself, what would you prefer? Do you want a guild that just says, hey, you made it through 24 hours of playing (or less depending on reductions), welcome to the guild, have fun! For true newbies to the game, the requirements should be aimed at helping people understand the game more, and enhancing roleplay.

As for people not enjoying your leadership positions, you might as well give it up. Am I hypocritical? Yes, because I went dormant and that's just as bad, and I know when I should have resigned looking back now. But hindsight is always 20/20. It's better to have someone who -enjoys- a position rather than thinking, "ugh, I have to go do this again." I always loved being GA and doing all that grunt work. I equate it to smiling while speaking over the phone. If you're enthusiastic about your job, that enthusiasm will carry over and inspire people. I think Magnagora's future is definitely in the hands of the leaders, and the future of any org really, because they're the ones who are going to make or break it for the people who are new or not as established. (Note: This isn't a personal attack at anyone, just the masochist comments made me think of it )

We are having the same problem in the Serenguard, so I assume that many other guilds are as well.

It sounds like a good idea, but when novices are just sitting around doing nothing just so they can graduate, they aren't having fun, IC or OOC. We've just begun to brainstorm new ways to advance novices, for example, having them explore the Basin and then taking a mini geography test.

This game relies on it's novices more than we realize, and all the guilds are going to need to find ways to keep them interested until they can discover for themselves reasons they should stay.

Interesting, I can't imagine any really new character just sitting around with so much to explore. I'd be willing to bet that any characters sitting around doing nothing just to graduate, are alts.

Also, I think just talking to the novices occasionally (as in role-playing with them, not just asking them how they are on GNT) will do a lot more to encourage the newcomers, teach them about the world, and stimulate their own role-play, than say, forcing people to write essays.

But thats just my perpective from when I was a novice.

My honest opinion, please don't get offended:

I. Magnagora has and retains a bad reputation.

A. City credits were used to purchase artifacts during an artifact sale for private citizens on the basis those said artifacts would be used to help the city. While I'm not going to argue this point, I have spoken with people who left Magnagora that told me they felt this was extremely shady and unfair. In a roleplay world, every city/commune can find a reason to make an elite class of citizens/members; however, one negative backlash of doing so is that some people are going to feel like they could get more bang-for-their-buck elsewhere if they fall into the lesser citizen category.

B. Magnagora has (fairly and sometimes unfairly) the reputation of being shady. Fain may not be Magnagora, but lets face it, novices and other newbies and lowbies (read: new players) were enemied to Fain's Order for no reason other than being in the village and worldburned through sanctuary.

Likewise, we all remember that gold bug with clans. There is no reason to get into it, but it was formally stated that the bulk of the people who abused it were Magnagora citizens. Furthermore, other organizations took a stand against the abuse. All persons except for Branwyn (because she was involved on a lesser degree) that were shrubbed were kicked out of Serenwilde, the Moondancers, Serenguard, and Hartstone. Branwyn, I believe, now plays an alt in Magnagora.

What did Magnagora do? Zomg, "I can't wait till X-person is unshrubbed." I know of no persons who were removed.

II. Magnagora has more raiders.

A. I think this is somewhat unfair, but as far as "griefing" goes in Lusternia, it generally equates to something that has to raiding. Magnagora has more people who fight and raid and as such, I find is more easily tagged a griefing organization because it is easier to write Munsia/Narsrim or Amaru/Malicia as independent citizens that it is to write off 15+ Magnagorans.

III. Guild Officials were (and may still be) underminded.

A. I know a former geomancer champion/guildmaster OOC who had expressed at one time concern for how he/she had no voice at times and was always out ranked by other people such as Murphy on nearly every topic.

Likewise, Magnagora has in the past had poor city-to-guild communication. If we recall the dreamweaving event, serenwilde and celest both had intra-city communication to figure out the puzzles, etc. The geomancers were at odds, however, with Magnagora. There were fights about geomancers not telling other citizens; geomancers being told to shut up and let the city take control; etc. Likewise during the Moon Avatar/Gorgulu event, the Nihilists were totally outranked again by the city (Daevos even ordered several of them slain) when everyone bound together to kill Gorgulu. Thus, Luciphage break the crap out of Magnagora (which was funny), but nonetheless representative of how poor communication at the time was.

Not going to comment on the rest of it, but to be fair a couple people were kicked out of the Geos, I think.

I personally agree with point 1, about artifacts being bought for the benefit of magnagora. I can't think of a better purchase that has been made for the benefit of the city. Bear in mind the receiver or the said artifact pitched in at least an equal amount of credits, if not more.

At the end of the day, magnagora isn't a fluffy democrasy, everyone isn't entitled to their opinion being heard unless they earn it. The council supports Daevos, and Daevos runs the city.

Daevos does a pretty damn good job in my opinion, there are no sqwuabbles, no discussions that go on forever because random roleplayer A who usually keeps to themselves wants to pipe up about some spirit or teachings of hart/whatever other reason to inflate their own opinion of self worth.

In my opinion, if Magnagora's strength weakens a little, but we keep the idiots, snugglebunnies and other annoyances out of the city i'm more than happy to go down that path. I like the idea of a semi-dictatorship supported by the council and the whole aristocratic thing that Aiakon and Nokraenom go on with, I love it.

As for your guildmaster/champion, There is only one person that could be, and to be honest I don't think i overrulled her on any issues at all should my memory serve me correctly.

One other point i'd like to make, guild officials are just that...officials. They have their say but at the end of the day in Magnagora, the general's and combat leaders get more of an input into those kind of things, and the officals mess around with politics, novices, and the running of ministries.

And there are those of us who like it like that.



Don't elaborate on issues that you weren't there for. There was a whole lot more to that event that only a select few know about.

Regardless of the validity/inaccuracy of Narsrim's statements, I think they have merit inasmuch as they are an outsider's unmitigated view of Magnagora.

Llexyn talked to me about this on the phone numerous times. While yes, that doesn't mean my opinion is as accurate as someone who was there, I am far more informed on "what went down" that you might think.

I also was talking to Revan, Veonira, and Yukari on the phone too. I think "what went down" isn't as secret as you might think.



That's fine. The point, however, is that such does not attract new people. People who are on the "inside" tend to remain on the "inside" giving new people less of a chance.

Or in the case of some, you pull a buddy from Achaea/Aetolia and they get everything handed to them while people who have been working get shrugged off. Jelaludin told me at one point he was essentially handed GR3 in the geomancers so he could contest for champion at the time because people knew (and he is from what I've seen) a good fighter in other places. :/

I believe he got GR3 in like 2-4 days or something. It was a record at that time.

Sad but true, and not I think, confined solely to Magnagora.

Oh, I totally agree that Glomdoring, Serenwilde, and Celest do the same thing. The three just don't parade it like Magnagora tends to do. Again, this isn't "fair" for Magnagora, but perception is greater than reality.

Increase communication and a sense of community if you want people to stick around and get involved. It's a proven fact that community connections are essential, whether in a local, virtual or roleplaying level.

Actually Revan and I were both kicked out of the Geomancers and Kayde and Marcalo were kicked out of their guilds and Magnagora as well but I'm getting off topic in my own thread..

Anyway thanks for all the feedback everyone...I'll see what I can do in my power to help out the situation

There are a lot of good guys in Magnagora.

Tainted != Not a good guy.

From a fresh newbie glomdoring and magnagora=evil, celest and serenwilde =good.

Most games almost always have a high population swing in the good guys favour.

Jelaludin never got champion of the Geomancers if you recall history.

Also Llexyn Veonira and Revan were somewhat on the inside, but the real story is between 3 other people about the whole event.

If llexyn talked to you on the phone i'd like to know what issues excatly i overruled her on? I don't recall any

That wasn't my point, Murphy. The point was that Jelaludin joined the geomancers and was given GR3 -to contest- when he had done almost nothing for the guild. His character was less than a week old. You are correct that Revan won the election... but I was talking about how he was basically rewarded for being on the "inside" as he was recruited by friends from other IRE games because he could fight.

As for the event, Llexyn, Veonira, and Revan all expressed similar concerns. The whole dreamweaving ordeal was for the Geomancers, and some people in Magnagora couldn't handle that. They weren't "in the spot light." As a result, they got all nasty and tried to "take it away" from them, which resulted in the geomancer banning members from talking about which lead to silvanus quitting the geomancers because he thought the city should come first, etc.

And Llexyn never told me you specifically over ruled her on a given topic. The point she was making is that her opinion was "less" even when it came to political matters like that treaty at that time with Celest (which fell apart), that she worked pretty hard on. If someone disagreed like you, you outranked her - which as a GM, I guess she felt (just speculating here) was crap.

==============================================

Ixion, how many credits were provided for the amulet and cubix?

Hmm i can't be expected to keep track of ALL my wheelings and dealings!

(gold star if you can pick that quote)

I don't really remember but things like that don't really happen much these days. however, Magnagora > the guilds within in my opinion. What makes the guilds stronger makes Magnagora stronger.

EDIT: I don't think its appropriate to disclose such information about how many cr were provided for arties. If you wanna know please take it to PMs.

QUOTE- Self.
"As Murphy touched on, the recipients paid the lion's share for both the Cubix and the Amulet."

By this statement, less than half were provided from a source other than the individuals.

So that's like was... 2500cr together? Half a cubix is 1000... the amulet almost went for 3k, I think. Which is something like ~$900