WHAT ARE WE DOING???

[Frostdrop1 1843]

The Empire is in an early state. However, I'm not sure a new map will fix it. The issues I tend to find are primarily that it's just the worst of human roleplay distilled down into one, concentrated spot that then proceeds to influence the ENTIRE map leaving you nowhere to go with the 'just rp somewhere else' argument. Or, alternatively, that the quality is just poor which I'm not sure a new spot would fix. The Empire just doesn't have a cool culture to build from to act as a base for improving roleplay it's just everything generically human - though this part is at least fixable.

 

We basically swapped out the main human map influence which promoted independence and had decades of unique cultural build-up and complex political ties for The LOTC Human Corporation (tm) which wants you to do what it says right now and fit the perfect mold and has utterly simplistic political contributions.

 

I havent really seen or felt a single positive contribution of the empire (setting aside individal players who can indeed be great with what they have). In fact, anecdotally it really just leaves a sour taste with me because its routinely using the forums to create witchunts which isnt really fun, nor does it actually generate good roleplay outcomes.

 

Only time will show if this is even remotely fixable to get the server back to where it was or not. Even if this empire is 'better' than the last it's still a far stretch from being anything resembling good quality and overall it's felt like a massive step backwards imo and continues to display how it's a bad influence on the server at large.

[Samson Option 9652]

 

Thank you for the entertaining read.

[frankdh 2418]

wow haha running an empire is really hard amiright guys?

[Morigung-oog 5697]

I'll be completely honest. Alba is a problem in that it doesn't feel as much a human empire settlement than it does Sutica 93848.0 - just need some stricter cultural enforcement is all.

 

I support Werew0lf and Tide in creating a more centralized rp hub and reviving what was back in 2019 a really fun playerbase to be a part of. 

 

I'm looking forward to hopefully sticking around more, though I will admit it's been difficult at times to really get into.

[BonesOfTheEarth 2252]

idk man i just hope im excluded from the crap villain-of-humanity tierlist this time around and that those I've done villainy towards have found it fun

 

On my non villain persona most times I'm in I do see like the same 3 people just being openly attacked in the city for being openly a monster that has walked in and started trouble, I'd pvp situations like that any day

[Nectorist 12869]

On 7/25/2025 at 10:18 AM, Frostdrop1 said:

We basically swapped out the main human map influence which promoted independence and had decades of unique cultural build-up and complex political ties for The LOTC Human Corporation (tm) which wants you to do what it says right now and fit the perfect mold and has utterly simplistic political contributions.

I won't get into bashing the previous world order that much because the topic's been exhausted, but it absolutely did not promote independence or have complex political ties. I get having rose-tinted glasses for the time when you and your boys were on top, I do it all the time, but let's be a little real here.

 

The problems with this Empire in regards to low RP quality are the problems inherent to any of the largest RP hubs that have ever existed. Oren, Haense, Sutica, the Dominion, whoever, has always drawn newer players and players with 'poorer' reputations regarding their RP because that's what the largest hub just does. I can't count the number of times I've heard ST groan when a rally of Imperials/Haeseni/wood elves/voidal mages roll up to an ST event or CRP encounter or what have you, because it's just a statistical fact that these larger nations had a bunch of shitter RPers, and that's pretty normal. The power of centralized RP comes from the quality of the macro-narratives: the giant rallies for the end of map events, the margrave's war, the interplay between Burgundy and Numendil as they forge a new Canondom, the current movement against the Pontiff that's uniting Imperial loyalists and Sigismundites. That's where the meat of the roleplay is, not street-level stuff.

 

(I know people might chime in and say "well I've had great encounters in Alba/Valdev/Numendil City/Celianor/Caurost/Wherever". I'm sure you have, I have too, but these are more the exception than the rule)

 

I've done my time as a villainous striga and necro and naz and all of that, and I'm going to be real, I thought it was just sort of common knowledge that you don't really do your villain RP in the middle of a square, especially a big human one, unless you and your people want some cool, big battle. If you're an aspiring antag RPer, you are WAY better off going to some of the smaller vassals, where they have more control over RP quality, or arranging things a bit with whoever leads the military or knights. I was a part of a huge CRP encounter against a bunch of people from Haense, and everyone enjoyed it because it was pre-arranged, with the people hand-picked ahead of time to control for RP quality. It was great, it was awesome, and the development for multiple characters on both sides was amazing. 

 

TL;DR wtf are you doing trying to create engaging, spontaneous villainy narratives in the middle of big rp hubs, especially human ones. You're looking in the wrong place. That has basically never been the spot to go

[greisn 366]

im waiting for the new map 🙂

[tasty_cheesecake 2298]

this is why i killed haense. so people would fight flame wars on the forums.

[MailC3p 2403]

8 hours ago, Nectorist said:

I won't get into bashing the previous world order that much because the topic's been exhausted, but it absolutely did not promote independence or have complex political ties. I get having rose-tinted glasses for the time when you and your boys were on top, I do it all the time, but let's be a little real here.

 

The problems with this Empire in regards to low RP quality are the problems inherent to any of the largest RP hubs that have ever existed. Oren, Haense, Sutica, the Dominion, whoever, has always drawn newer players and players with 'poorer' reputations regarding their RP because that's what the largest hub just does. I can't count the number of times I've heard ST groan when a rally of Imperials/Haeseni/wood elves/voidal mages roll up to an ST event or CRP encounter of what have you, because it's just a statistical fact that these larger nations had a bunch of shitter RPers, and that's pretty normal. The power of centralized RP comes from the quality of the macro-narratives: the giant rallies for the end of map events, the margrave's war, the interplay between Burgundy and Numendil as they forge a new Canondom, the current movement against the Pontiff that's uniting Imperial loyalists and Sigismundites. That's where the meat of the roleplay is, not street-level stuff.

 

(I know people might chime in and say "well I've had great encounters in Alba/Valdev/Numendil City/Celianor/Caurost/Wherever". I'm sure you have, I have too, but these are more the exception than the rule)

 

I've done my time as a villainous striga and necro and naz and all of that, and I'm going to be real, I thought it was just sort of common knowledge that you don't really do your villain RP in the middle of a square, especially a big human one, unless you and your people want some cool, big battle. If you're an aspiring antag RPer, you are WAY better off going to some of the smaller vassals, where they have more control over RP quality, or arranging things a bit with whoever leads the military or knights. I was a part of a huge CRP encounter against a bunch of people from Haense, and everyone enjoyed it because it was pre-arranged, with the people hand-picked ahead of time to control for RP quality. It was great, it was awesome, and the development for multiple characters on both sides was amazing. 

 

TL;DR wtf are you doing trying to create engaging, spontaneous villainy narratives in the middle of big rp hubs, especially human ones. You're looking in the wrong place. That has basically never been the spot to go

I understand this is an extremely, extremely beated topic, and truth be told I am only looking at the forums at the moment because it is 1 AM, and I am waiting for my RP partner to respond. However, I must have some pretty rose tinted glasses, I understand the largest hub brings the most new players, and most of the time new players are lesser in quality in terms of RP, however when Oren was still a thing, and there would be a dozen people in the square near every hour of every day, I do not remember quality being so poor, however again, it has been 3ish years since Oren fell, so perhaps those rose tinted glasses are extremely Rosey, or I've simply became a better RPer, if truly the quality on this server has always remained the same

[Nectorist 12869]

38 minutes ago, MailC3p said:

I understand this is an extremely, extremely beated topic, and truth be told I am only looking at the forums at the moment because it is 1 AM, and I am waiting for my RP partner to respond. However, I must have some pretty rose tinted glasses, I understand the largest hub brings the most new players, and most of the time new players are lesser in quality in terms of RP, however when Oren was still a thing, and there would be a dozen people in the square near every hour of every day, I do not remember quality being so poor, however again, it has been 3ish years since Oren fell, so perhaps those rose tinted glasses are extremely Rosey, or I've simply became a better RPer, if truly the quality on this server has always remained the same

Your bare-bones, middle of the street RP was always bad tbh. I was subjected to a number of necro tirades about ISA Recruit #4’s powergaming or people in the tavern ignoring threats and just not responding. Petrine-era Oren had some great RP, but it came at the direction of good leaders in the ISA, courts, political parties, clubs, etc. There’s less of that happening in this Empire (tbh less of it happening everywhere), so the good RP (which there is a lot of) just isn’t as immediately visible.

[MailC3p 2403]

2 hours ago, Nectorist said:

Your bare-bones, middle of the street RP was always bad tbh

Okay, ******* /ouch/, I could handle being told I was bad at RP but that descriptor straight up hurts, lmao

 

2 hours ago, Nectorist said:

I was subjected to a number of necro tirades about ISA Recruit #4’s powergaming or people in the tavern ignoring threats and just not responding

Okay, but too be fair, I wasn't really a member of the ISA when you where Emperor, I had my little barony in the corner of the Empire. :)

[Nectorist 12869]

21 minutes ago, MailC3p said:

Okay, ******* /ouch/, I could handle being told I was bad at RP but that descriptor straight up hurts, lmao

 

Okay, but too be fair, I wasn't really a member of the ISA when you where Emperor, I had my little barony in the corner of the Empire. :)

dw I'm not talking about you specifically, I hold you in high esteem and you were a good part of Oren. When I'm saying 'you' here, I mean in a general sense- the average RP on the street that you would see, the average noob army soldier that powergames, etc. Stuff that's always been a part of the server. Sorry, realized I probably didn't make that clear

[Mister_Gavin 567]

I love the hustle and bustle of Alba!

[Xtessisold222 484]

Alba is still better then the alternative..... Abla