Discord
Changelog
Unfortunately, this is a less-friendly, more threatening reminder that people actively playing more than 3 PCs need to figure out who are your main PCs and stop playing the rest. I was recently looking into the server vaults for something unrelated to this, but when I checked a number of our long(er)-term player’s vaults and the server logs I saw people who have played 4, 5, or even 6 PCs all within the last 2 days. So despite knowing about the 3-PC-limit, several people are deliberately ignoring it. That is upsetting.
So that brings me to the threat.
It appears I’ll be forced to make this an involuntary restriction, so I will begin the necessary script work to track the three PCs a player has active, at which point any beyond those three will not be able to login to the playable gameworld. I suggest that those of you with 4 or more active PCs begin to figure out which three you are going to keep and tie up the loose ends of your 4+ PCs. I don’t intend for this enforced restriction to go into effect anytime soon, so there is not a big need to rush. But once it occurs, players with more than 3 PCs will not be able to login to the playable gameworld with a 4th PC unless you delete one of the 3 others that are considered active.
Why am I being such a huge dick about this? I'll try to more clearly explain my reasons.
First, without some type of limit, long-term players could possibly have very powerful/notorious PCs that they really don’t play across various factions. Then if someone pisses them off OOCly or ICly, they may go back to one of these old PCs to exact vengeance on an offending player’s characters. In other words, it gives players leverage over situations that they really shouldn’t have if their old PC is no longer one they primarily play or have involved in-game.
Second, it’s difficult enough to keep the IC knowledge of two people (PCs) separate. Trying to maintain and remember 3 personalities, along with who they like or dislike, where they have adventured or not, or who knows where the questgiver is for that special item they want makes it even more difficult. It is my opinion that even the 3 PC limit is too high for a person to really keep all that information straight about their PCs. Although notes and using the journal may help...if someone does actually use them. But metagaming is rampant enough without spreading it over 4+ PCs per player.
Third, I want to encourage people to try new things here wholeheartedly and not with the attitude of "Well, I can go back to X if Y doesn't work out". Once your PC has risen to the highest ranks of a faction, smirks in amusement when someone mentions a Hood of Disguise or Cloak of Invisibly with awe, has walked alongside a god, or met with Szass Tam...what else does he/she really hope to accomplish? At that point it’s maybe time to figure out the ending to the story of your PC’s career. With some help you could use it to get something/someone/someplace added or changed within the gameworld itself. There are a bunch of PCs-turned-NPCs, even some areas, and even smaller tributes like gravestones and items that all came to be because of the players. If you want a lasting monument for a long-term PC before you retire it, work with the DMs to make it happen. Give them something to do by letting them know your plans and see if they can help with events to bring the story of a PC to a close. Then retire/delete the PC so you can create that new character concept.
Again though, I want to state that the enforced 3-PC-Per-Player limit will not be going into effect for some time (at least a couple months). Use that time to figure out which PCs you really want and whittle them down to at least three to be prepared for that day before it happens. Finally, I want to give my apologies to those players who have done a fair/good/excellent job keeping your active PCs to 3, yet may have more than that in your vault. I’m sorry it has come to this.
So that brings me to the threat.
It appears I’ll be forced to make this an involuntary restriction, so I will begin the necessary script work to track the three PCs a player has active, at which point any beyond those three will not be able to login to the playable gameworld. I suggest that those of you with 4 or more active PCs begin to figure out which three you are going to keep and tie up the loose ends of your 4+ PCs. I don’t intend for this enforced restriction to go into effect anytime soon, so there is not a big need to rush. But once it occurs, players with more than 3 PCs will not be able to login to the playable gameworld with a 4th PC unless you delete one of the 3 others that are considered active.
Why am I being such a huge dick about this? I'll try to more clearly explain my reasons.
First, without some type of limit, long-term players could possibly have very powerful/notorious PCs that they really don’t play across various factions. Then if someone pisses them off OOCly or ICly, they may go back to one of these old PCs to exact vengeance on an offending player’s characters. In other words, it gives players leverage over situations that they really shouldn’t have if their old PC is no longer one they primarily play or have involved in-game.
Second, it’s difficult enough to keep the IC knowledge of two people (PCs) separate. Trying to maintain and remember 3 personalities, along with who they like or dislike, where they have adventured or not, or who knows where the questgiver is for that special item they want makes it even more difficult. It is my opinion that even the 3 PC limit is too high for a person to really keep all that information straight about their PCs. Although notes and using the journal may help...if someone does actually use them. But metagaming is rampant enough without spreading it over 4+ PCs per player.
Third, I want to encourage people to try new things here wholeheartedly and not with the attitude of "Well, I can go back to X if Y doesn't work out". Once your PC has risen to the highest ranks of a faction, smirks in amusement when someone mentions a Hood of Disguise or Cloak of Invisibly with awe, has walked alongside a god, or met with Szass Tam...what else does he/she really hope to accomplish? At that point it’s maybe time to figure out the ending to the story of your PC’s career. With some help you could use it to get something/someone/someplace added or changed within the gameworld itself. There are a bunch of PCs-turned-NPCs, even some areas, and even smaller tributes like gravestones and items that all came to be because of the players. If you want a lasting monument for a long-term PC before you retire it, work with the DMs to make it happen. Give them something to do by letting them know your plans and see if they can help with events to bring the story of a PC to a close. Then retire/delete the PC so you can create that new character concept.
Again though, I want to state that the enforced 3-PC-Per-Player limit will not be going into effect for some time (at least a couple months). Use that time to figure out which PCs you really want and whittle them down to at least three to be prepared for that day before it happens. Finally, I want to give my apologies to those players who have done a fair/good/excellent job keeping your active PCs to 3, yet may have more than that in your vault. I’m sorry it has come to this.