Serenguard had no actual recognition of Jaguar, Eagle, and Wolverine until the Collegiums came out and they got a passing reference each. You can do a whole lot without mechanics. Unfortunately, with the Shofangi, you are right-- they don't have ANYTHING to build off of, even mechanically.

When we were designing the collegium I specifically worked on using it to establish those spirits, on the theory that if you're careful in choosing it, the tiniest detail can have a really big impact. But the Shofangi were so new at that time we couldn't really figure out what we wanted to establish with the collegium yet.

Shiri and I worked on a project Sarrasri started which might do something similar for various questions and groups in Serenwilde (not just Shofangi, but notably for Shofangi in this discussion), again trying to set up a tiny cornerstone on which a lot can be later built. But it got sent in a long time ago and we never heard back, so I don't know if it's just on a pile of things to do, or if it was decided not to do it.

I wonder how it would work if Shofangi tried to base of bit of their RP around Tosha's angle. I mean, Tosha is all about spirits and animals, which fits really really well with Serenwilde.

It may not incorporate Bull, but at least it would be something solid.

What I don't get is how people can stand CT being filled with inane dribble for hours on end, personally, heh. Ala Celest, Serenwilde, and Gaudiguch.

That's not to say our CT is usually like that, we do have conversations and such... but I prefer them to actually be semi-meaningful.

Ours is relatively quiet now, it just gets loud and full when we have an election!

Also, did I mention I love kalikai so much right now?

It was more that on top of silence there, the past couple novices I've made there have never been greeted on CGT once when there were 5 or 6 Professors on. If it was just a quiet CT, that wouldn't be so bad. But when everything is quiet and there's no sign of any life at all, that isn't very appealing to new people.

Did you ever try asking anything? I usually see quite a bit of responses to questions / need for help, but I suppose there is a bit of a tendency to expect that people are able to be self-sufficient if they aren't looking for assistance at the moment.

While I do get your point, there are also those who don't like being 'pestered' regularly.

When were these novices made is what I want to know.

But when a novice comes out of the portal, not one of 5 or 6 Professors even bothers to say hello, check out CGHELP WHATEVER to get started?

It'd be different if they just didn't ask how I was down the line--that I can understand. But not even a welcome to Glomdoring message from anyone? That's a tad erk.

Personally, I'll never understand where people draw the energy to teach novices, sometimes. Answering questions is fine, but grabbing them by the hand and showing them around and paying all that careful detail and remembering to keep checking up on them... draining, I guess.

One earlier today, one a week or so ago?

It is! And I have never seen that happen! Not that I don't believe you, I'm just not happy it's happened. Cause, I know I try to go out of my way to greet novices. I've seen Narynth do so as well. And I'm always asking novices in my character's guild how they're doing and if they need anything. I assumed everyone did that.

Glomdoring needs to stop running folks off.

Speaking for myself, I stopped the day they took away guild-novices and put them in the Collegium instead. I've said it before, but the Collegium feels too impersonal and distant for my tastes. I wasn't even a professor for a very long time so I never even knew what guild they joined without checking every single novice, which made the whole thing a hassle.

I liked the old way, really, but then I'm not a person who deals well with change a lot of the time.

(I honestly have no idea why I was made a professor. It came within the last 2-3 months or so, and I hadn't been one up until then since the time collegiums came out.)

Upside to collegiums: More people to answer your questions.
Downside: Not anywhere near as connected. Especially since they can't even hear GNT until they graduate.

They can hear GNT, but they can't talk on it.

And yeah, I agree, I prefer the old system.

I have a beef with Glomdoring's dealings with novices since I came not so back. I've been bugged that people are just being referred to help files and nobody teaches anyone anymore, it really kind of would discourage me if I had to do everything on my own from a help file. At least it bugs me because when I taught I always spent some time, let them get to know the guild a little, tell them how to do some things, maybe spend a little time with them. That's the stuff that gets people to stick around, especially as a new player or an alt sticking around. It's the only reason I stuck to playing Daem instead of having gone back to Shishi like I did about 10 times with different alts. It bugs me when a novice asks a question several times for several hours and doesn't get an answer when I'm just popping in to check the news. This is probably why the same people are still in the Shadowdancers and nobody has changed since I left over a year ago, with very few exceptions.

How does one 'teach' a novice?

You refer them to a help file - and then drag them off into your guildhall so they can learn from you?

But what do you do while in there? Honest question. I think it was Saran that taught one of my first ever novices, a Moondancer. If I remember, he did SPIRITBOND NATURE and I was like "O______O HOLY CRAP" and then gave me a sprite to bash Newton with and I was like YAY~ and I loved the Moondancers. That was fun. I'm not sure how to replicate it.

How do you create immersion without boring either of the parties? So far, I've only managed this with the Chaote advancement tests - just as they're about to join the full guild, I try and mystify them with our vague Secrets and Mysteries and Truths, reminding them of our guild's secrecy, hiding transformations, etc.

You should hypnotize them repeatedly and make them do funny things.

EDIT: Oh wait Grace.