Thornlin Militia

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Redblade
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Thornlin Militia

Post by Redblade » 12 Aug 2020 12:53

Hello everyone!

I would love to here ideas and suggestions on improvement of a small guild. Please let's focus on suggesting ideas here!
Before you read, let me remind you that Thornlin Militia exists!https://www.genesismud.org/laymanGuilds.php

Let me name the problems I see, please let me know if you figure something out. :)

Attractivenes
Thornlin Militia is a small Layman guild. Most of the times, I am the only member awake! So basically the guild would then have around 1 person average activity? I hope people log in when I sleep, but... I do doubt it It gives two combat abilities of which you can choose one at a time and one does not even work if you're not using a polearm. Taken all in all, it is a guild for polearm users that doesn't offer overly much (perhaps in comparison with other Layman guilds).

Roleplay/guild flavour
We're supposed to be a Militia, town protectors. Most of my Militia companions that I've met in the past were SoHM. It is because TM does suit them well - they use a wand or a staff (which counts as polearm) and it provides some added defense should they need it. However, SoHM hardly ever protect villages of Middle Earth. So what the guild is based on - protecting a small town and nearby villages - falls appart very fast.

Useless Occupational
The Militia currently has the option to be an Occupational guild, should you choose so. It gives no bonus compared to Layman level. Perhaps there could indeed be an Occupational branch that gets something extra? Make it worth it, make the existing theme (see above) worth the abilities? Suggestion would be make a cavalry Occupational branch? Thornlin Cavalry, a bit more organized horseback. (Sidenote: this might suit more the Riders of Rohan? creating such guild, stationed in Edoras would perhaps make more sense).

Thanks to everyone for hearing me out and posting new suggestiond and ideas. ;)
Thanks for staying on the topic of Militia, not other guilds :)
Auta i lómë, Aurë entuluva!
The Night is passing, Day shall come again!

TaranGoatWalker
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Re: Thornlin Militia

Post by TaranGoatWalker » 12 Aug 2020 17:51

Maybe titles could be gained by defending the village from orcs etc?
And tie skills and special damage to titles?
SO to get the full effectiveness you must defend Thornlin.
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Redblade
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Re: Thornlin Militia

Post by Redblade » 12 Aug 2020 18:03

Interesting idea! Not sure if this would not kill the guild even more though - we'd take the specials and make them only for hard work.

Edit: to add, currently the titles only scale to guild experience.
Auta i lómë, Aurë entuluva!
The Night is passing, Day shall come again!

TaranGoatWalker
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Re: Thornlin Militia

Post by TaranGoatWalker » 12 Aug 2020 18:48

Just got my alt to join militia, it seems like quite a nice guild I must say.
I think specials rather than skills should come from titles.
Otherwise it would be a nightmare gaining the *relatively* low skills
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sylphan
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Re: Thornlin Militia

Post by sylphan » 13 Aug 2020 20:57

Redblade wrote:
12 Aug 2020 12:53
Roleplay/guild flavour
We're supposed to be a Militia, town protectors. Most of my Militia companions that I've met in the past were SoHM. It is because TM does suit them well - they use a wand or a staff (which counts as polearm) and it provides some added defense should they need it. However, SoHM hardly ever protect villages of Middle Earth. So what the guild is based on - protecting a small town and nearby villages - falls appart very fast.
Sure. And Elven Archers should, according to guild lore and RP, defend the Qualinesti against invaders. That is unlikely to happen given the strengths and weaknesses of the archers vs. that of the people who come and raid the place regularly (and the fact that ranged weapons don't work across rooms, or from inaccessible locations like treetops). I don't mean to shift the topic, but it seems like more of a global problem than a local one. No one hunts Thornlin because there's nothing there worth raiding. No one lays siege to Minas Tirith because it's a death trap. What might motivate more of the RP you have in mind is a faction-based alignment system, but that is very far down the road, if it happens at all.

Meanwhile, the militia serves a very important role in terms of skills. Its lack of "flavor" actually suits the spartan character of the poor soldiers who live there. And for the niche it occupies, it is actually an excellent little guild, in my view.

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Redblade
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Re: Thornlin Militia

Post by Redblade » 13 Aug 2020 23:18

I am not saying Militia is a bad guild, not at all! After all, despite all the possibilities some of us are still in the Militia ;)

As mentioned, the problems I see are Attractiveness, Guild flavor and Useless Occ, not lack of skill or bad specials.
The missing or not-working guild flavour might indeed be a more global problem, perhaps even deserving it's own thread. However here I would want to focus on improvements of the said problems within Thornlin Militia - I am not saying it's better to change locally than globally but I also don't want the problems of my guild to continue :)
Auta i lómë, Aurë entuluva!
The Night is passing, Day shall come again!

TaranGoatWalker
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Re: Thornlin Militia

Post by TaranGoatWalker » 14 Aug 2020 00:01

Completely agree, redblade. Archers may have issues but that doesn't mean we shouldn't reslolve the issues other guilds have.
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Syviis
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Re: Thornlin Militia

Post by Syviis » 14 Aug 2020 09:38

TM is a great guild and I loved being part of it until my character's new milestone and had fun playing the part too. I do agree that there should be more to the occupational branch and what I see is a similar system with the Krynn war -- conquering and such although Thornlin is a very small area to protect which might be a problem.

Sadly, layman guilds aren't given as much attention as occupational guilds for characters to play the part especially with guilds soldiers to their own domain like Knights and Calians and enlisting in it already states that the character is there "part-time".

A Thornlin race/occ with abilities higher than the layman branch would be great, it's just hard to assure it'll be an active one that can stay open.

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Skythus
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Re: Thornlin Militia

Post by Skythus » 14 Aug 2020 14:15

Syviis wrote:
14 Aug 2020 09:38
Sadly, layman guilds aren't given as much attention as occupational guilds for characters to play the part especially with guilds soldiers to their own domain like Knights and Calians and enlisting in it already states that the character is there "part-time".
An example of a layman being played as an Occ would be the Heralds. They went from being a convenient way to farm herbs to having an entry ritual and enforced hierarchy. Some reasons it could be more populated while TM isn't; (formerly) description hiding white robes, synergy with Rangers, having divine blessings(haste, herb garden, etc), and being "more important" RP wise.

The main problem is no one wants to patrol Thornlin. It has enough people, it's a relatively popular guild. But very few people join to protect the Town, or even Middle-Earth. Nothing there is worth grinding which is in the end what people look for. I'd say to most, it's just a place you just go to grind better and never visit again, except to loot racks.

If it were, say, the Soldiers of Minas Tirith or People's Army of the West, it would feel like you're helping a greater cause but defeats the purpose of TM. It doesn't help when the description on the website markets itself as not the optimal choice for powerplayers. If you want people to RP, you'll need incentives.

TaranGoatWalker
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Re: Thornlin Militia

Post by TaranGoatWalker » 14 Aug 2020 18:27

qxp for defending thornlin? militia only quests?
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