Green Cloaks ((A suggestion))

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After attending my second GC meeting I find myself wondering why it is I put myself out to turn up.

In answer to my question, its because I want to be involved in the community and belive that the RP brings another interesting aspect to the gaming world of AO. I though that by attending the GC meetings I would get a better insight as to how the RP side of the game is developing.


But

I'm sorry to say that the GC meetings don't seem to be very newcomer RP friendly. First topics seem to head straight into a storyline that has been developed over the course of the AO RP history, and so therefore, would be complete jibberish to said newcomer.

Might I make a suggestion tho those that promote the GC meeting, that it may start off in a more welcoming introduction; topics that newcomers may be interested in, then later on progress on to the deeper storylines. This way I feel that the RP community would entice more newcomers and get them more involved in the meetings; even bring in fresh ideas that would help improve the current RP status. For example: new stories / events etc.

I hope this is not taken badly in anyway, but as I sat there, I felt completely and utterly out of depth, and had no input whatsoever, thus making me wonder why I should bother turning up for the next.

This is not a bash... just an outlook from an RP newcomer who would like to be more involved.

I'm not the only one out there


Regards

SceneGG

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((Hoping that I'm still sorta making sense tonight. I've been a good French citizen and did my best to end up positively tipsy tonight. Drowned sorrows and all that.

Couldn't be at the meeting, but Ive just read the log. Seems to me there wasn't any spêcific agenda this time, so maybe this can partly explain the feeling you got, since there was no 'generic' topic to raise? I was kinda lost as well when I came back after a two years absence and attended one a few weeks ago. Also, there's been quite an amount of RP meetings/conferences in the past years in AO, since 2001 or 02, and those 'newcomers-friendly' topics have probably been discussed at length in the past, I believe, and people don't necessarily think of bringing them up again. And genuine RP newcomers are perhaps a not-so-common breed these days. I think.

Anyway. Agenda. That was to be point. Maybe for the next meeting, you can bring that matter to the agenda (the long GC thread) a few days before the meeting occurs? And anything else that comes to mind, of course, as you mentioned stories/events ideas. After all,,Because one player suggests a topic doesnt mean that the others attendants arent allowed to discuss it as well. Much could stem from that. Guys please tell me that much can stem from that,.

Also, if not already done, don't hesitate to join the Channel42 in game to get to meet other RPers out of any GC meeting and whatever. After a while, it'll be easier for you to understand what's going on, who's who, etc. :)

Okay stopping my rambling now. Will edit tomorrow if it's too horrible to read.))

Hi SceneGG,

You feedback is appreciated. Making newcomers feel unwelcome is the very last things I want to do. However I suspect you may be giving these Greencoat meetings credit for being a lot better planned and organised affairs that what they are in reality.

The Greencoat meetings pretty much run on their own momentum. There is virtually no planning involved; heck I did not even expect I’d be chairing it today. It started many moons ago when Keanne thought it would be a good idea to have an ooc meeting among the server’s roleplayers. In the course of that meeting we collectively decided to have this meeting on the first Sunday of everyone month. Since then all that Keanne and occasionally myself have done is bump the Greencoat thread on the Buzz to remind people when the next meeting is due and just help moderate it. It’s a facilitating role, not a leadership role if you see what I mean.

The agenda for the meeting comes from the community itself, either people make suggestions for topics on The Buzz or, as today, it comes from people attending the meeting. No one sat down in advance and tried to structure things so that there would be a mix of topics suitable for new and older players, it just developed organically.

If there is something you wish to discuss - possibly of specifc interest to newer players, post it on the GreenCoat thread in The Buzz like Demenzia suggested and there is every chance it will be discussed in next month's meeting. And if in the course of a meeting people mention something that you are not familiar with, just ask away. But realistically I don’t see the organisers of these meeting taking on further responsibilities for the content of what is discussed. We are all equal partners when it comes to that.

i agree, and somehow got some things to point out about RPing in AO at general... we (the long time RPers now) can just rp fine from day to day, talk about whatever topic comes on, no prob...

but those that start RPing, often find themselves so clueless about what actually happens in the RP world of AO, that they dunno where to start... reading stories & history doesn't help, cause there are so many threads/pages they either get confused, or give up on it. (a good example is elsar/pharroh, he has been rping for about a month or more, read the stories & history, and still doesn't get half what we talk about)

so maybe someone, or some of us (those of u that can whip up good stories unlike me :p) should make some special page with basic stuff to show to the newcomers, that would significantly ease their way in RPing, like explaining what we got today: dust brigade: who are they?, why does clan fight with omni-tek? ...

just my 2 rambling creds though ;p

((Whew, I still managed to make sense yesterday evening, I see.

PBF -- I think something like this had already been discussed, but it sure takes time. myself, I haven't had any opportunity to work on anything related, between finals, work and wanting to have a life outside of chorse. :p But maybe I'll be able to give hand, once summer's here. Maybe we could start with a "recap forum post", or something, pointing at Editor News most important articles (those relating events, I mean, rather than hypotheses etc.), one or two RP-guides, etc. This could be whipped up quickly, while waiting for something more complete.

In any case, I myself don't see the GC meetings being very formal and precisely organized, which is perhaps a good thing, in fact: it makes it easier to bring matters on a whim and on the spot, instead of having to follow to the letter a very defined agenda. At least, that's the way I perceive it.))