Another Podcast!

[LordLeopold]

Alright, we recorded another podcast. I think this one is a lot better than the last one for several reasons. First, it's shorter (and therefore also a shorter download) and less rambling. Second, we talk about more interesting things and are more interested in what we're talking about. Third, we allude to something we've been promising for quite a while.

Anyway, here it is. (http://www.box.net/public/static/ovgkuuc46l.mp3) If you get a message that the file is being moved between servers, just give it a few minutes and then check back later.

What I've been thinking we should do is have shorter, more focused podcasts on specific topics, so we're not too boring.

[Cyrus the virus]

Nice. I'm downloading it now, but will only listen later, when my woman leaves. I'll get back to you on it later, and I'm glad you guys decided to make things a bit shorter and more concise ;)

[Meow]

Meow I don't think it likes me. Keep getting that error, and I've been trying a couple hours ago too.

Well finally got it. That was a good one, probably one of the best ones yet. Though were you guys sitting right next to the espresso machine, I could hear the steaming of milk really clearly.

I have to agree the violence deal is a little odd on Althanas as there really arn't any consequences for killing or being killed. It does make things a little odd. Maybe the way death is handled is like the Vlad Taltos series by Steven Brust. In that series there is plenty of healers that can bring the dead back to life much like the minks of the citadel though there are limitation. Like if the spine is severed or the body completely burned away then there isn’t any hope to bring them back and there also special weapons that eat souls that do the trick as well and take away any hope for an afterlife. Maybe something like that or a special reason to why the citadel is a place the dead can be easily brought back to life like it being a place of power where great magics can be used. Also that could be a good reason for it to be different, the citadel itself is a shape changer and can change it’s form much like the battlefields.

Though I do agree that the creative writer’s part of Althanas is too big. For the most part it puts too much pressure and really isn’t all that helpful to improve writing. The Rubric is just too much of making it a game and not helpful enough for improving of writing. All too often a judge just doesn’t have the time to be thorough enough to really put a player on the right path to improving.

[Tuxlie]

As I listen to this and you guys talk about clashing perceptions of locations and such, a pretty prominent area that comes to mind is the Peaceful Promenade. I'm currently part of a "quest" there, and I'm sure my perception of the Promenade (musty, dirty, run-down) is different than others. Someone else might see it as a very large room of commons, with many doors branching off and such. Just a thought and an add-on :)

I really enjoyed it, and I can't wait till the next one! Thumbs up.

[Empyrean]

I never thought that the consequences of killing went quite so ignored, but then again I haven't read as much as other people have. It does get annoying sometimes to see a character killing off guards, peasants, the type of background characters that have become plot fodder and go unpunished, but that's really the extent to which I've seen this.

It's not as though every murder goes unpunished, though - and sorry to pull out the shameless plugs, but if you look at I'm The Law Around Here, Boy!, you can see that the focus of the thread is to punish those who have comitted murders, and they're the murders of small-town folk.

And then you'll see in threads that take place in a large city of public place, a lot of ,urders go unnoticed and unpunished. I think it really just depends on the setting, but most of the time, violence has its consequences. it just depends on where you look.

This was a good podcast, and was even more entertaining just because you were all in a cafe, and I could hear cheesy music in the background. :D

[Chiroptera]

You guys rock! I can just imagine sitting in a cafe and hearing a bunch of guys having that discussion at the table next to me. The question is whether I would join the conversation . . .:eek:

[Walter]

I always enjoy listening to the podcasts, and this time was no exception. Now that I've had some time to integrate myself in Althanas, I felt that the podcasts connected with me more. Maintaining the focus of the podcast on one or two things was very effective; my attention didn't get bounced around like it did during the half-hour of the first or second podcast.

[Cyrus the virus]

Kickass, my name was dropped. Fuckin' right.

I, too, never considered murder or the like to go unpunished. It just so happens that when Luc or Izvilvin kills someone, there are either no nearby witnesses or the one killed is so hated that the authorities do nothing about it.

But I realize that the subject doesn't revolve around me :D One thing that each region lacks (as far as I know) is an authority. I mean, Corone has guards, as I'm sure many of the regions do, but I never get the impression that guards roam the streets of Radasanth, and maybe that's an issue with me not including them in the ambience. I can understand how no consequences for killing and things like that can be bothersome, or at least thought-provoking, but honestly, I don't see a problem with it until major NPC's are getting killed. If someone in a quest wants to have the guards investigate a murder they've commited, that's fine, but I don't think it should be forced upon them to deal with the authorities. Neglecting any kind of consequence should be something reflected somewhere in the rubric, I guess.

As with the Citadel, I've always seen the place as an establishment, where combatants go to train against a random person to improve their ability to adapt to different opponents. Murder there shouldn't be viewed as murder elsewhere, and I think you guys mentioned that...

So yeah, that's my crappy response... Heh.

[Darkhawk76]

First off, I have just caught up listening to the last three, and I have to say that I really like them. Now I'm an utter information hog and when you all go into the history of the tap and stuff I listen like a giddy school-girl listens to a cute boy.

I for one am all for a wiki. I definitely think it can help to define certain things. While their needs to be a lot of openness to Althanas, there still needs to be some structure. The Citadel, for instance, should be somewhat more structured. This would allow for people to more easily connect with the idea of this being a communal world rather than each character inside a different dimension of Althanas.

While each person does somewhat live in their own dimension of Althanas, certain things do need to be hammered out. While each person is telling their own story, they are still telling it in a world with others.

I would also like the wiki because, like I said, I'm an information hog, and I can tell you I really want to know the history you've put together.

[Ther]

Good work guys, as good as ever. I'm procrastinating from writing an Old English paper, but what the hell? A few thoughts:

The Citadel: The Citadel, when it was first invented, operated under the healing storyline that you guys are describing. A little while after that it was decided that this didn't make a whole lot of sense, especially when you asked yourself how the monks made the battle arenas - if the arenas were literal, then that was godlike power that this collection of monks wielded. What was decided was that the entire Citadel battles are illusionary - areans, wounds, and all. This is really the only way that you can have a Citadel that makes both in-character sense and out-of-character sense. If you know anything about pop culture, or saw X-Men this summer, it's pretty easy to figure out where the inspiration came from that Citadel design.

Does this need to be pointed out more explicitly? Yeah, I guess it does. Will such an interpretation ever be forced upon players who don't want to use it? It never will - it's only a template meant to provide some players with a guideline if they want, and that's been both a blessing and a curse.

The Citadel is really a microcosm for the way Althanas content has been run on this site - decentered, free-form, and ongoing, and I for one am glad that's the way things currently are. What we do have, though, needs to be a little bit better organized, and in the future we'll need to provide content in the form of new regions that have a well-established, immutable framework to give players a choice between a FFRP and a ISRP.

[Horizon's End]

You knows, it's not that hard to start a wiki, and, really, with the interest of the peoples it'll write itself.

Example (http://althanassample2.wetpaint.com/page/Home)

That took less than 10 minutes between checking out different hosts, obviously there is a large variety of hosts and possibilities but go forth and wiki. Don't just say how it'd be useful.

[Ther]

You knows, it's not that hard to start a wiki, and, really, with the interest of the peoples it'll write itself.

Example (http://althanassample2.wetpaint.com/page/Home)

That took less than 10 minutes between checking out different hosts, obviously there is a large variety of hosts and possibilities but go forth and wiki. Don't just say how it'd be useful.

It makes little sense, though, to have an official Wiki before we even have our own home site completely developed. A Wiki is something we'd certainly like to pursue, but it is a lot of work if we want any moderation on it, and this site needs to be finished and the content organized before a Wiki gets started.

That said, I could see getting one before the end of next month.

[Ozmodious]

I'm writing this as I'm listening to it:


No consquences: I've had some difficulties with trying to establish a character that is in law enforcement because you have to create this system yourself and all of this is on YOU. I think if we're arguing about the magic system, our justice system should be looked into as well. Just a thought.

Currency: A common currency should be looked into to avoid confusion about how payment is made. I didn't really hear a lot about this. O_o

Monks: Should people who aren't even in this storyline worry about it? I mean seriously, I have a handful of ideas on how to get Madij back should he die, EVER.

Wikipedia: Sounds a little too egotistical, even for me. But go for it if you guys think its worth it.

Maps: I think Santhalas has this covered for the most part, but it'd be nice to actually know where I am writing a story. Ettermire is confusing.

Citadel: Perspectives are always different, but I think putting a general idea of what it actually looks like would give people a heads up.

Quest Master: I've fought with Lorenor over this until I couldn't see straight. If I'm going to do something, and I mean if I'm going to do something in a quest, chances are I will do it, come Hell or high water. Maybe it'd be more constructive if we level the playing field instead of having a quest master. Anyone?



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Good podcast, looking forward to the next one.

[Cyrus the virus]

Oh yeah, I forgot about the currency part. I'm really not skilled at keeping several points in my head at once when listening to something like this.

I've always just gone with the 'gold' approach, where each gold is represented by a gold piece. Then I use platinum, which represents 100 gold pieces so Luc doesn't literally have over a thousand pieces of metal in his little pouch. Please don't lecture me on how platinum isn't really worth 100 times more than gold =/

Ozmodious, why does a Wiki sound egotistical to you?

[Meow]

y'know I allways thought of gold pieces as coins that represent so much money in a treasury. sorta like paper money but more solid. like there'd be a coin that's worth 1 piece, one that's worth 10 and one worth 100 and so on.

[Cyrus the virus]

That works just as well, if not better :p I just like the idea of throwing 50 gold pieces at someone.

[Damion Shargath]

What's the point, it just makes things more complicated...

[Cyrus the virus]

If you're talking about gold, Damion, I don't agree with you at all. I mean, you barely need to acknowledge it. It's not something that we're going to enforce or anything, but I see it as a detail thing that people can include if they want. I don't like the idea of somehow having a 1,350 pieces of gold on my person, so this solves that. But that's only because I want to be nitpicky with myself, you know?

It's not like you'll ever be punished for not acknowledging these 10 or 20 piece coins. *Putting 400 gold on the counter* is the same either way.

[Ozmodious]

Ozmodious, why does a Wiki sound egotistical to you?

Haha, well, Cyrus I just think its a little too much, even for a narcassist like me. =P

[Damion Shargath]

true true...I just meant I wouldn't do it :p. If people want to though it's their beer.

[Cyrus the virus]

I just don't see what's egotistical about it, that's all. I mean, it's not much different than having content on the site, it's just easier to let normal members edit in their own info and such.

[Sighter Tnailog]

Hahaha, with regards to gold, I've taken to just making fun of the idea of buying large purchases in coin as I buy them.

*Findelfin takes eight treasure chests from his pocket and pours a mound of gold on the floor. "That looks like 6000 gold pieces, don't you think?" he said with a grin."

[Calael]

Hm... I don't know how much actual mod work a wiki needs initially, I can definitely see users who are anxious enough populating it pretty quickly. I can picture a requests page, a characters page, a page for cities, for accomplishments, for events that changed a region, history, NPCs, etc. In fact a wiki could help organize the main site by providing immediate feedback and by allowing players to mold the world. Mod work could rely on oversighting and editing "core" pages such as the main page, the main regions page (with other details in subsections of these being player modifiable), etc. There's simply so many stories I think could be used a lot more easily (Tap, Forgotten Ones, recent developments in the Regions, player created locations...) that I support the make wiki ASAP claim; taking longer to do it really won't really change the nature of it, I'm sure one mod could oversee it pretty easily at the initial stages i.e. now.

[Ther]

Hey, some of us are apparently already on the Wiki path:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizo_Laka_Anahandra