Fade Rift Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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faderiftooc2017-09-08 12:12 am
faderifting) wrote in faderiftooc2017-09-08 12:12 am
Entry tags:
MOD POST ↠ September Announcements
MOD ANNOUNCEMENTS: SEPTEMBER
ORGANIZATIONAL/OOC UPDATES
Welcome back from summer vacation! This weekend we'll be putting up an open event post with a number of plot options. It'll encompass both the arrival of our new Rifters, an Inquisition missions, and some downtime in an exotic locale, so we hope there will be something for everyone. We've posted more specifics about this plot here, and we strongly encourage everyone to take a look and use the post to plot with other players.
We're doing a lot of catching up with plot requests and administrative tasks, so please bear with us. We're also making a few changes:
Future Plot Adjustments
In the past, we've tried delivering mod plot a lot of different ways, with varying levels of success, but the most successful plots have always been player plots. Given the smaller and more intimate nature of the game as of late, plus our own time constraints, we're going to take advantage of that—we want to streamline how we deliver plot as mods and empower you guys to do more as players.
Mod Plots: Going back to something that's worked for us in the past, future mod plots will take the form of open, make-your-own-adventure open logs like the one we'll be posting later this week. They'll each have themes and objectives that relate to the missions of some of our projects, they'll usually involve traveling to a new place in Thedas, and they will often contain plot elements or mysteries that project leaders/members can follow up on afterwards if they choose.
Divisions and Projects: Divisions and Projects are remaining in place, and we strongly encourage players to collaborate within those areas to come up with things for characters to pursue, whether as player plots or as more day-to-day background work. You don't need our permission as mods to send your characters outside of Kirkwall for routine scouting, patrolling, nobility schmoozing, etc. Division and project leaders are also welcome (but not required) to come up with IC assignments for their teams.
Player Plots: Player plots have always been Fade Rift's bread and butter, so keep doing what you're doing, because it's great. Three notes, however:
- Corypheus: In the past we've kept a pretty tight rein on the elements of the plot that deal directly with Corypheus and his plans, but we think it's past time to loosen that up. From now on, we'll be allowing (and welcoming!) player plots related directly to battling Corypheus and making major forward strides in the war effort, which has previously been reserved for mod plots. If you have an idea for a plot that would advance the war effort, whether it's as small as a few people spying on Corypheus or as large as a battle that would involve most of the game population, you don't need to worry about overstepping—submit it. Just keep in mind that we will continue to work to make defeating him a complex group effort. No one is allowed to go assassinate him alone tomorrow.
- Canon Deviation: We are well off the beaten path by now, and we encourage everyone to continue to think outside the canon timeline, explore countries we never visit in canon, etc. Please don't feel like you have to have a canon basis for your plot requests. You should also feel free to submit requests even for areas of the map that are visited in canon but haven't been covered by the Inquisition yet in-game (i.e. the time to explore the Emerald Graves is finally here). And while we encourage canon deviation, adapting canon operations to fit the game is definitely still an option.
- Plot Request Form: We've revised the Plot Request form on the page to streamline the information required and focus on the key pieces of info we most need from you, including some length guidelines. We know it often takes us a while to reply, and we'll be able to process player plot requests a lot faster if they're a bit shorter. We have faith that you'll all continue doing an awesome job planning out player plots; we just don't need you to show us all your work beforehand anymore. Please make sure to use the new form for all plot requests going forward.
Application Caps
In addition to streamlining plot, we're also simplifying our app rules. We know over time we've built up a lot of different caps, so we'll be easing some of those. Most of our per-player character caps will remain in place, but we're lifting some gamewide restrictions. The new rules are as follows:
- Dragon Age companions or advisor characters
- Rifters
- Elves
- Mages
- Characters who are from or substantially connected to Tevinter
- Grey Wardens
- Dalish elves (i.e. you can have two elves total, but only one can be Dalish)
- Apostates (i.e. you can have two mages total, but one has to've done most of their training in a Circle)
While we're loosening the gamewide app caps, we're still going to be keeping an eye on the general makeup of the native PC population. If we have twenty Dalish spirit healer Grey Wardens, it won't be fun for anyone, including the people playing Dalish spirit healers Grey Wardens. And as always, whatever kind of character you're applying for, please continue to think carefully about your character's place in the world, the opinions they would realistically hold, and--if those don't conform to the typical viewpoints for their station in life--how and why your character is different. This is especially important for players applying for characters that should be rare (e.g. Tevinter citizens, Dalish) or characters with some degree of IC power (e.g. nobles, high-ranking Templars). Debates between opposing points of view on major world issues and clashes between wildly different experiences of the world are something that make RPing about Thedas so much fun, and we'll be taking a much harder look at a Qunari from Par Vollen who loves all people and is open-minded about religion and magic than one who struggles realistically with their upbringing and beliefs.
With great power comes great responsibility, don't make us turn this car around, etc.
AC Requirements
We're also going to be streamlining and simplifying AC. Canon characters, including both Dragon Age companions and advisors and non-DA canon characters, will require one AC proof (five log tags, ten network tags, or an open post). Original characters who hold mod-appointed positions of power, such as those in project or division leadership roles, will also require one full AC proof. Original characters who do not have an IC position of power will only require a one-tag check-in.
That said, we may issue warnings and impose extra requirements on an individual basis if the spirit of AC is abused—posting open posts but not responding to the tags, consistently posting open posts on the last day of the AC period as your only proof, or taking a canon character or IC position of power but consistently only RPing with the same few other people, etc.
K2 Is A Goddess
Kate/K2 has been helping us with list mod stuff for SOME TIME NOW, and we forgot to ever formally announced it beyond putting her on the mod contact page, so everyone please give her 200,000 rounds of applause for thanklessly (so far) keeping things running smoothly.
IC UPDATES
New Leaders
We're pleased to welcome a new crop of IC leaders! We thank them for stepping up and are excited to let them get started. Effective immediately, the following appointments will be made and announced IC effective immediately:
As a reminder, projects are always open for new members! We also have a number of project leader slots still available--anyone interested in signing their character up should submit an application on the Leadership page by the end of this month. The next round of appointments will be made in October.
QUESTIONS
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