Heya.


So, I recently became Ambassador and whatnot, something I'm really pleased with, and have set to screwing with the way things are handled with Glommie-newbs. I've been fiddling with the shop, messing with our newbie clan, (Using both to create a newbie-only-hyper-discount-store) and a few various other things I haven't even begun to tweak as of yet. (I had a ridiculous weekend, and now my week is off to an equally busy start with my unit heading off and our Op commencing on Wednesday.)

Why is this relevant? With Glomdoring being one of the 'smaller' organizations, it's my opinion that newbie welfare is of the utmost importance here, perhaps even moreso than other orgs. Population is a huge issue in Glomdoring from what I see, and it all starts with that little newbie who comes from the PoF. So, this is me drawing as many ideas as I can.

How does your guild/org take care of newbies? What do you do to ease them into Lusternia? What sort of little events do you run? When is a newbie no longer considered a newbie, and can stand on their own feet without much assistance? A big thing I want to go into is how to properly assist a newbie while maintaining a harsher RP atmosphere (I'm looking at you, Mag). I've had alts everywhere and I certainly have many of my own ideas and notions concerning this - After all, I've been around a few years. However, I'm incredibly interested in other viewpoints as well.

So... give them to me!


-Oh, and please nothing about asking everyone ICly, I've got something going for that as well. Please feel free to throw me stuff if you're from Glom too, though. Are my aide requirements too rough? Am I not advertising the shop enough? Accessability? Etc, etc.

*edit* I wonder if this is in the right section...

Imo it should be up to the guilds to take care of their own novices so exclusively, but since I am sure Glom's guilds suffer enough in that sense, something the Celestines did was put a magical chest in their old GH. It was non-decay, prevented anything put in it from decaying, held an unlimited amount of things, and was only accessible by secs and undersecs. Items within were meant for novices only, but some people used it as a storage space.

Anyway, you shouldn't spoon-feed your novices. A little help (like giving them weapons, or shields, which are stupidly expensive for novices), goes a long way without spoiling them, and also helps them get prepared. A set of robes is also pretty nice.

Or an instrument! SS

Well generally, don't ignore them.

I've had the case of a newbie where I told them to ask on CGT what they should do next. Apparently a very smart person told them this was not the place to ask questions and they should rather ask their guild with GNT... Yeah, because a person straight out of the Portal can access GNT. Sure. Took me a bit of encouragement to make them ask on CGT -again-.

If you have such people - nix them.

I don't know why my "thinking things in the wrong way" kicked in here, but I thought this was going to be a thread about newbies getting a monthly cheque... and was going to see if there was a way to pretend I was a newbie.. I needz moar gold!

Hmm, I think it is a bit more up to the guilds then the city to take care of the novices. But take a look at the collegium, make sure everyone knows the basics of each guild so that they can help novices who are not a part of their guild. Don't hand everything out, I think that turns people off. Give them goals instead, give them a way to earn those basic enchantments and potions.



In Magnagora I've noticed that there are some novices who join up and really like that underdog feeling. Especially new ur'guard, I think they love being grunts. The thing that always works for me is the idea that the novice could be someone but they are no where near there just yet. You can be aloof and act above them without being a jerk and unhelpful.

When I was first seneschal of Serenwilde, we had newbie packs. Marsu our then Ambassador would get backpacks and fill them with the essential starting type things he felt novices needed. A couple health vials, a couple mana vials, a mending, a few herbs, and I think a couple rings with enchants. I remember switching to jeweler at this time to supply him, as well as the gargling pixie, with wooden rings for enchants.

Things like this have since fallen by the wayside and many of the games early bouts of caring about the well being of other players and stimulating some RP interest in various activities have given way to the "Play to Win" philosophy.

Those things usually fall away because who ever was in charge left and no one picked it back up. I really don't think every single player in this game is in a "play to win" mode and can't give times for a novice. A system like that could definitly be reintroduced. It could even be easier now with the collegium.

Well, you know as well as I do Valarien that our newbies are rather far and inbetween in the guild.

When I first stepped up, my first thing to do was to encourage everyone to do their tasks in hopes I'd come across someone willing to do the Trades tasks. I came across a forger who was and got them to make up 40k (I'm sorry it is the task ) worth of forged goods that mesh well with a young warrior that'll get them started, so leathers and clubs/blades. Nothing too fancy but definitely longer lasting and a bit of protection compared to what they'd have if they didn't.

Now, I don't always catch them, but I try and ask around how they're doing in tells and stuff just to see where they're at, whether they're interested in doing the college stuff to advance/willing to do the Wyrm test to gain some experience in how cures and exploring work and benifit them.

I guess I'm trying to get at, help them understand what they're doing, help them when they need help and if you can help them by getting them items like instruments, weapons/armour. regen enchants, fills, etc. cheap as they're young or as gifts. In the future, if they stick around, they might remember about it and try and return the favour. Either that, or they'll just stay around to help bring up the population.

Also, on the subject of jerkiness/aloofness/etc. You can be aloof, merciless, etc. without being a total about it. It's a matter of moderation.

I think making a city scroll with basics of how to get a little one up and running would be really helpful.

It could include the basic non guild skills that we should make sure they get as well as the contents of a "newbie pack"

List important places that we should give them a tour of or make sure they know where they are.

Basic lore and mechanics that they will find most helpful.

I know these things are scattered about in different scrolls and help files but I would certainly feel more confident stepping up to the plate and showing new people the ropes if I had some kind of resource that would help me not worry so much about forgetting something or screwing the whole thing up.

In my experience, it was characters like Shaddus that made me stick around. He always stopped to ask how I was doing, put his own personal interests aside to help with a college quest or bash, and supplied me with a robe and some gold. He didn't "do" thing "for" me, but rather showed me how to get started so that I could help myself.

This is exactly the approach / attitude that I am trying to emulate as the guild secretary for the Ninjakari. I can't tell you how important I feel it is to require the guild sec's and undersec's of the Glom guilds to be available for new players.

Don't limit your help to those fresh out of the portal, but give particular attention to those of the 21st circle. I found it confusing and frustrating when I couldn't bash in Newton. Fortunately a city mate inducted me into the Inquisitus Lyceum guild after completing the college quests. The help files on bashing grounds and such were invaluable. Also gave me a place to ask questions outside of GNT.



On a side note-- what does Glom have to offer for more experienced players? Let's just say I have this "friend" who was bit with wanderlust, and wants to see the world from the perspective of another guild / org.

I agree, Shaylene really got me situated nicely in the game. She helped me when I needed it and would check up on me frequently. I'm working on my undersec skills with helping novices at the moment. But I kinda want to be like Shaylene was to me.

It is a hard question to answer. While I like the idea of the shop in theory, I do not see how it can be put into practice. It will be abused, often and repeatedly and it will not be used as the way you intended. I would suggest to do what Aison already said about the chest. Most (not all) new players want clothes .... either robes or armour. Blackened leather robes (public design) is what we use for newbie robes (80 leather, 10 cloth is the comms). Most people are willing to help put newbies ... send messages to various trademasters (non-enemy of course) and see if they would be willing to make specific items for newbies at comm cost. Someone would do it, provided it was for newbies. Then give them one mana and one health. Newbies generally go bash in Nortons. They do not need mending and whatnot, nothing in Newtons break limbs. Tell them that these robes and vials are there to help them get started, whatever else they need is up to them. Check up on them from time to time so that they do not feel forgotten about. You don't have to hold their hand every step of the way, just let them feel like they belong.

The shop isn't a new fixture in Glom, and the abuse is nearly non-existent. The trick was always keeping it stocked.

Definitely, that's the problem.

Plus, you can have bins set for the clan that only they can access. Which would limit the big players from accessing them.

That's the plan, only people in the right clan can buy from there, and all newbies are inducted into the clan. Huzzah!

It's been mentioned I think, but RE: novice shop, I'd love to see weapons in there (warrior ones, bard instruments, and the like).

Mentors are extremely important as well, but that's something the guilds more cover. I'm not sure what you can do there beyond prodding around in guild business and seeing whether each guild has enough active mentors to handle their novices.

Though I'm a bit jaded now since I've been playing IRE games for a while, when I first started out, I -loved- playing little games the guild or city would run (this was moreso in Achaea than what I've found in Lusternia). I'd set up scavenger hunts (which helped a little with geography), little quizzes about the basics of the world (ie what cures stupidity?) as well as the basics of the org (what are the five parts of the "Code"? for instance). Small prizes were given out, such as moss (Achaea's sparkleberry) and bloodroot (cures paralysis there) and other small necessities. Since guilds in Glomdoring don't usually have many novices around at once, it might be appropriate for Glomdoring to adapt some ideas for the novices on a commune scale on occasion.

I'd say someone is a newbie up until after they're "newly graduated" from novicehood to GR1, maybe a few game months after or something. Hard to measure though, unless each guild helps keep on top of that. Any longer than that and I think it's babying them too much.

We don't have that many novice-specific contests in the Harbingers, though we do give out free instruments.

I've taught tons of novices in all the time I've played Lusternia and only about 1/3rd of them have stayed to become something. One could say it is a reflection on how I teach? I seriously doubt it since I encourage them to ask questions, and do everything else short of pulling their pants up when they are done.

Everyone seems to like the idea of giving them free stuff, while I also make my novices robes out of my own pocket, I usually find I'm out 8k at the end of the day and the novice I gave it to has suicided.

Making the game fun for them seems like a good idea along with the free stuff, that should keep them around if they were anywhere near coherent "Ooh free stuff! Yay games!" then again I get distracted by shiny things.

Likely not your fault. 1/3 isn't a bad ratio. Most players just don't stay around whether because they don't like MUDs, don't like Lusternia, don't like their org, don't mind any of these things but don't have time to commit, etc. etc.


Painful. Can be gotten around by using commune funds (they are not often used in my experience) for this kind of thing rather than making people do it personally.

Maybe have a chest and encourage the novices to put back the robes when they're done, so other people can use them? Maybe not only when their suiciding (else they might just never log back in).