April 2016 feedback

What did you think of the last event? Post your opinions and disucss the comments of others here!

Moderator: Admin

Post Reply
User avatar
Eli
Town Member
Town Member
Posts: 346
Joined: Sat Sep 27, 2003 3:15 pm
Location: Hall of Justice

April 2016 feedback

Post by Eli »

As one of the old fart folk I figured it would be cool to start the posts. I also like to do it in this order for maximum effect and input potential. I want to start by saying I had a lot of fun and despite the length of this and some of the criticisms I had a blast and totally intend to be at the next event. I simply feel it's best to give as much feedback as I can to allow the chance for staff to see what a noob even a born again noob sees.

Good: The best part is after taking off 5 years for RL stuff it was fantastic to see so many of my old OOG friends still playing, even if I did not know who they were now as new PC's. The combat was intense. Special thanks to the girl dwarf that npc'd. Sorry for the head shot/eye, I was sort of swinging down when you were grabbing your claw and and felt bad. That being said it's been a long time since I had someone jump on me when I tripped and try to chop me to bits! That was FANTASTIC! I still have no clue how I was able to jump to one knee while blocking and attacking and then spring back to my feet and continue fighting. One of the best parts of my event. Also special thanks to our bar maid for the hot food and drinks. Christen is awesome. I had a great time rp'ing with you and Brian and a few others.

The bad: that jerk face Mike throwing a packet from like 30 freaking yards and nailing me right in the dead center of the chest, missing my shield by an inch! That was one hell of a toss. :) I will be putting up targets in the back yard and practicing... and by targets I mean small children that run and scream and throw stuff back at me.

Then there was the rain and mud. Nothing you can do about that.

The very slowness of Saturday morning until nearly game break. It was super slow. I don't recall a plot hook coming in that wasn't for something later that night ie the mass battle. I tried to get in on a few quests, but they were non-starters. It almost seemed like you couldn't do a quest sometimes unless you absolutely had the skill set required. It seemed like it was a "this is the only way to do this / solve this." I am of course only seeing it from the PC side and maybe there were other ways, but the npc question wasn't what do you do, it was "what skills do you have" to use to start doing stuff.

I tend to npc/story tell a different way. I rarely make a skill required to start something. I don't know how to change that, and if that's how the system is set up as to require skills always be used so that the people with those skills can have their moment to shine, I will simply learn to play that way. It just seemed backwards. I've always believed in wits first and skills to supplement in that order. What do you do, where do you start this, here is who you see/what you see and finally and only when they seem stuck would I ask them what skills they are using.

NOTE: there was a massive suspicion on my part, at least, that the thing we were looking into was PVP and as such, I totally understand being difficult because then skills are required as skills were used.

Note 2: I also already understand you had very few npc's and half your gms were not able to make it out. So I understood the reasons for the slowness. But still felt the urge to point out, that some of us born again noobs spent a lot of time with nothing to do and we were all looking for stuff actively. Maybe kidnap people (like you were doing) and ask them to run a mod or a cave or something for other people and assign one GM to over see them.

Soak and damage: Wow some mobs have a crap load of soak and I didn't see a single one swing for 1. It was always 2 if not more. I get that with numbers of pc's to npc's to make it a challenge you need to adjust. BUT when it's three npc's and one pc... do they all need to swing 2 and have high level rogue and have 50 soak? A full path warrior with full discipline in combat and his back to a wall should have a chance.

Finally The Ugly: omg that was the worst check in I've ever seen and I've seen some bad ones. Like the days of carps where you had to stand in different lines based upon the tier of membership/donation you paid for and so if you got there at 6pm and were waiting until 8 pm and some a-hole with a plat membership walks up "cuts" in line to the plat line and goes before you crap. This beat them all. In 22 years of larping I've never been like, I've been standing here for 30 minutes and the same person is still setting there checking in. WOW. I spoke to a few GM's about it and offered some advice as to how our check in process runs. I pray that they take the tips I gave them and use the ones they like and implement them into a system that works. This did not. One man can not check in 30 people, let alone 50. You sir were brave and fearless. Break up the things that are done. Have one person only do down time. Have one person only hand out tags. Have one person take money. Make PC's send in sheets before the event. Have a person that checks and maintains the sheets on Google sheets. OR not and I'll just light rp until 1am and check in that then :) since it was close to that when I finally made it into game I think. I get it that the check in man wasn't there, but my mom always said only a noob puts all their eggs in one basket. Then she threw an egg at me.

I didn't want to, but I actually had one more ugly. An NPC needs to know the rules for the skills they are using. I had one scene where we had to have a game stop and had to be told I didn't know the rule, probably because they didn't recognize me and realize I wasn't actually a noob, and they were 100% wrong. And not a little wrong, but completely wrong and it wasn't a new rule, it was a skill that had been in game for as long as I could remember. We worked it out, but that was a massive break in my immersion and the npc should know what they are doing before just doing it.


TL;DR: over all I had a blast. Work on npc training & logistics. See you in June bitches.
-Eli (Full Elvish: Elaith Vonaduran Craulnober)

There once was a man named Eli,
A man who claimed he could not die.
But one thing makes him wail:
That's when there is no ALE!
Thus his tale: with no beer, he will cry.

(The dark haired, green eyed mage child has faded into the past leaving behind one not quite an adult, but clearly no longer a child. The warrior-mage mixture that he has become can only be described as a survivor. )
GM-Mike
GM
Posts: 4491
Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2003 11:14 pm
Contact:

Re: April 2016 feedback

Post by GM-Mike »

Thanks for all that feedback. I almost never post in this forum and never this early, but yes, check-in was a nightmare and in no part was that Nick--I can't even imagine where we would have been without you buddy--thanks so much for showing up. Logistics will be the main focus of our between events time. It will be better next time, I promise.

As for needing skills to do something--we never run plots like that either. This though was a pvp situation and you needed to have better skills than the others to get any info at all. Just thought I'd clarify.

Great to see so many people. That was crazy! I had a blast and hope to see you all in June
User avatar
Nick
Town Member
Town Member
Posts: 370
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:09 pm
Location: Norton Shores, MI

Re: April 2016 feedback

Post by Nick »

To the staff and the players I'd like to apologize for the time it took to go through check-in as well as my general attitude towards the end of it. I can't thank you all enough for your limitless patience. I will do my damndest to address the logistics issues that plagued us during this check-in. I will also be working towards a better, streamlined version of check-in to cut down time immensely.

In particular I know I snapped at Jasmine, and I am sorry for that. I will get with Sanctuary to clarify the issues that arose. No further action needs to be taken on your part. I will personally handle the matter.

Again, apologies and thank you.
"Seek the truth. Behold the truth. Reveal the truth. That is the law and the whole of the law."
-Pious Flea, Legion/Dani
User avatar
Zydana
GM
Posts: 1119
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2005 4:55 pm

Re: April 2016 feedback

Post by Zydana »

I tried to leave feedback, but then read what I wrote and it didn't even make sense to me. I think I'll need more sleep before I can leave feedback.
User avatar
Kaylan Chargeender
Town Member
Town Member
Posts: 691
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2011 6:20 pm

Re: April 2016 feedback

Post by Kaylan Chargeender »

1) having so many players show that you ran out of beds, while cool in many ways, hinders short check in times, and this you could not have helped.

2) first event after an a huge rules rewrite and tag update...is going to be slow at check in. even if there had been three of you, still would have been slow. again, not your fault.

3) Not dressing sexier for OUR enjoyment...ENTIRELY your fault slacker...

we all know you are handicapped because you work with Mike, Jarred, Brad and Merrick...so its cool.
Sir Kaylan Chargeender
Knight of the Order of the Crimson Aegis
User avatar
Khorvalis
Town Member
Town Member
Posts: 86
Joined: Mon Jun 08, 2015 9:29 pm

Re: April 2016 feedback

Post by Khorvalis »

FEEDBACK

Thank you to all the GM’s, staff and players for making our first FH event of the year fun. Albeit there were several hiccups, my friends and I had a great time and I only hope that given the growing pains of dealing with the rule changes and audit from last year, the subsequent events will run more smoothly and efficiently. I know the staff have much work still ahead of them so “thank you” in advance for all your efforts and patience in accommodating us players and making our larp the best it can be!

Firstly, I want to apologize to everyone for the mini-scare when Khorvalis vanished for part of the event. The true concern and having everyone franticly searching for me was truly heartfelt and goes to show how wonderful this group of players really are! Thank you to everyone who scoured the campsite for me.

Additionally, I want to thank CJ and the others who gave up their bunks in the Mansion House for me and my friend. You guys are truly the best! Also, Mike I appreciated the effort to reorganize the sleeping arrangements given our special circumstances and also being able to quickly mobilize the campsite in getting more cabins for the great turnout of players we had at this event. I think this was the largest Final Haven I’ve attended and it was wonderful meeting new players and making some new friends.

Okay, we all know how long the check-in was so I won’t spend too much time on that since the GM’s are actively working to ameliorate the delays for future events.

Plot Exposition: Admittedly, the long check-ins and poor weather did not contribute much to getting the storylines and plots going, but I think there are still ways to get the action going during the event so that players do not feel so much of a lag. Perhaps we could concentrate on ways to promote the dissemination of information. We haven’t had an edition of the Haven Chronicles for quite some time now - maybe that would have helped. Or a more concise recap of what has happened (what to expect) at game-on? Maybe more revealing visions? Letters delivered in game? (These are just what I can pull from the top of my head) --- This would not only benefit new (or returning) players who don’t really know what’s been going on, but everyone would have a greater sense of the overall arc for the weekend. Learning about the world of Haven should still be organic, but a bit more information could help more of us get on the same page. Just sayin’ :)

The Inn: Kudos to Cora and all the workers/NPC’s at the tavern! Not only was the food cheap and good, the characters that decorated the place and role-played inside made it a great place to socialize and really get the RP going. Perhaps the inn-keeper could be a way to help disseminate more plot information? I totally love how the Exile’s rest has grown into the town center. You guys were awesome!

NPC’s: I noticed we had some new players (and some veteran players too) who were able to NPC for parts of the weekend. You guys made the battles and scenes between battles a success, especially with the large amount of players we had over the weekend. Your efforts are greatly appreciated and let’s hope that we accumulate more NPC’s in the future to help out the staff and make the events more lively, entertaining (and dangerous) for the players. Thank you!

New Rules: Yes, we’re all still getting used to the new rules system but I must say that the event did run more smoothly because of it. Less Game-Stops and the Magic System seems more balanced now. (Although I am still getting used to the changes and I’m sure a lot of us still need to tweak our characters because of it – but hey, it’s a learning process and we all expect some speed bumps.) As for the “weight” part in the rules, I do not know how many of us were keeping track of that, especially after receiving loot/treasure after some of the plots, I wonder if any of us exceeded the new carrying capacities as outlined in the new rules. We should all be more conscious of that, I guess.

Coin: I agree with Brian that the turning in of coin every event and divvying it out at the next check-in is not only time consuming but also opens up a can of worms for disputes and discrepancies. Could we reconsider keeping it the way it was or coming up with a more efficient way of keeping track of the coins? Also, some of us weren’t able to collect the gold we earned at the first Sanctuary event. I hope the accounting system will be fixed between the different chapters in the future.

Hmnn… It seems I’ve managed to write another novel here so I’ll leave it at this. I’m looking forward to read more feedback from the rest of the players. But more importantly, I look forward to the next event and seeing everyone back again for another enjoyable weekend!
~Khorvalis~
Druid of the Redwind
Hierophant of the Circle of the Sun
Follower of the Light and Keeper of the Sacred Flame

"Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society. It is a goal and an essential part of my life - a kind of destiny. Whoever is in distress can call on me. I will come running wherever they are."
User avatar
Malachi
Town Member
Town Member
Posts: 287
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:22 am

Re: April 2016 feedback

Post by Malachi »

Better late than never, right?

I'll start with the bad:

Rain - Nothing can be done. I do want to say it was thematically awesome for the fight against Drywydden/Duodenum/Duolingo and the Ga'Vin, so maybe not all bad.

Check in - Lengthy, but I'm patient.

Costuming - This is NOT directed at staff. If you are playing a race with costume requirements, costume those requirements. I vaguely remember the rule being that if you are not properly costuming your race you didn't get the extra LP AND lost access to the racial discipline and essence boon, but I don't see it in the new version of the book. Personally I'd like to see it come back.

Cabin Clean Up - While the cabins were cleaned, we had a deadline to be out of them that was missed. Gotta be on that next time.

The Good:

Pacing - For the number of PCs and Staff available I felt the pacing was great. I was just as busy as I wanted to be.

Roleplay - RP was good across the board. I didn't notice a whole lot of OOG talk, even during game break.

Specific Shout Outs:

D-Guy/Ga'Vin Fight - This was the best 'bad guy' reveal I've been involved in at any game. On top of that, it was a GREAT fight. The rain added an extra level of awesome. The NPCs were tough but beatable. Also, this looks more and more like it leads to a 'wartime' over-arching plot which I find I've enjoyed the most.

The Artificially Aged Friends: Mike and Brad are always a treat to watch, and having to fix a broken wrist (from struggling with bonds) and a stroke was hilarious.

Rubius - I won't spoil it for those that didn't see the reveal, but bravo.

Food - I think the meal service went very well. Note that I didn't help put it together or prepare it at all, so I don't have super inside knowledge, but the fact that Christen didn't threaten anyone with death Saturday night tells me it was at least more positive than negative :)
Malachi Vandire - Deceased
Solomon Feir

Scott Smith
User avatar
Kaylan Chargeender
Town Member
Town Member
Posts: 691
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2011 6:20 pm

Re: April 2016 feedback

Post by Kaylan Chargeender »

I think Cora was on a heavy Ambien dose...
Sir Kaylan Chargeender
Knight of the Order of the Crimson Aegis
User avatar
NPC Christen
Town Member
Town Member
Posts: 60
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2012 3:25 am

Re: April 2016 feedback

Post by NPC Christen »

*chuckle* NO drugs... just a happy Barkeep! Yes, Scotty, a merical has indeed come to pass. I left an event after serving food... HAPPY!

The PC's and staff were f***ing amazing. Seriously. Helpful, patient, generous, and with good attitude. I couldn't ask for a better start to this new offering. I am extremely happy with everyone and even excited to up the ante and do it again!
Post Reply