Discord
Changelog
I am pleasantly surprised, and very happy, at the support for a complete reboot. Thank you everyone for your responses. I echo Karilynn’s sentiment in that it is great to see such a number of replies to this topic and the discussion so far. I do want everyone to know that I am carefully reading through everything here - even if I’m not responding to all comments. I really want to try and get any type of reboot as close to ‘right’ as possible, so I really do appreciate your comments either way (for or against).
For people concerned or worried about ‘losing’ your current PC in a complete server reboot (which could definitely be recreated after a server reboot if you like), I’d like to ask you think for a moment about the purpose of your primary PC(s). I don’t mean that in a very philosophical way; but rather in terms of what is its purpose, what is its most important long-term goal(s), and what drives it?
Now, let’s say you provide that information to the DMs here and we include that into the storyline where your PC finds its purpose, reaches its goal(s) (even if only semi-realistic), and has what could be considered a ‘happy’ ending. How much longer would you want to play it? What do you do with a PC at the pinnacle of its career? Even in regular D&D PnP games when that happens the PC is usually retired as a NPC the DM brings out on occasion, I believe.
What I am proposing is something similar. So with a setting reboot, regardless of exactly how it would be accomplished, one of the very first goals that I have for the journey is to get the goals of our long-term PCs realized. I will use the most well-known example I can think of and spoil the ‘surprise’ for the guy that has remained conspicuously silent: Maurin Greyhand played by Githzerai Monk. For literally (real-time) years, we have all known that Maurin has aspired to replace Aznar Thrul as Zulkir of Evocation. This *will* happen if moving to a future which will end in Thay’s past. But again, what does Gith do once Maurin becomes a zulkir? Obviously there can always be something bigger and better, but where does it end and how much can really be done without a DM focusing on storylines just for that person? Does he aspire to take over Thay? Then the world? Then become a god? Where is the line drawn? Eventually, there comes a point when the person running the campaign (either a DM on a PW or in PnP) says ‘that’s enough, we’re moving on to other things’, or the player says ‘I want to try something new’ and the PC is retired.
That is what I would like to do when I suggest a setting reboot. My very first priority would be to make sure we give at least one of your long-term PCs months of time to play that powerful leader of a guild/faction/whatever, rule a castle or town/city after raising an army and taking it for themselves, sit on the zulkir’s throne, or enjoy realizing whatever other important goal that PC may have. This would be rather than outright retiring them shortly after achieving their destiny. You would get to have your cake and eat it too. The caveat is that it would not last forever (but then, nothing does...) and the campaign would eventually end in...well...I don’t want to ruin that surprise. ;)
Finally, I do not want to you all here in a limbo wondering what is coming. Since I’ve stirred up a little bit of a hornets nest and probably more than a little uncertainty about what the future holds, I would like to make a decision soon regarding whether to go forward with a server reboot. As a note though, the actual reboot would not occur for many months even if it were decided to move forward with one. So my closing request here is that if you have anything to add to this discussion or would like your opinion heard and a chance to influence the decision one way or the other, please post in the next day or two.
For people concerned or worried about ‘losing’ your current PC in a complete server reboot (which could definitely be recreated after a server reboot if you like), I’d like to ask you think for a moment about the purpose of your primary PC(s). I don’t mean that in a very philosophical way; but rather in terms of what is its purpose, what is its most important long-term goal(s), and what drives it?
Now, let’s say you provide that information to the DMs here and we include that into the storyline where your PC finds its purpose, reaches its goal(s) (even if only semi-realistic), and has what could be considered a ‘happy’ ending. How much longer would you want to play it? What do you do with a PC at the pinnacle of its career? Even in regular D&D PnP games when that happens the PC is usually retired as a NPC the DM brings out on occasion, I believe.
What I am proposing is something similar. So with a setting reboot, regardless of exactly how it would be accomplished, one of the very first goals that I have for the journey is to get the goals of our long-term PCs realized. I will use the most well-known example I can think of and spoil the ‘surprise’ for the guy that has remained conspicuously silent: Maurin Greyhand played by Githzerai Monk. For literally (real-time) years, we have all known that Maurin has aspired to replace Aznar Thrul as Zulkir of Evocation. This *will* happen if moving to a future which will end in Thay’s past. But again, what does Gith do once Maurin becomes a zulkir? Obviously there can always be something bigger and better, but where does it end and how much can really be done without a DM focusing on storylines just for that person? Does he aspire to take over Thay? Then the world? Then become a god? Where is the line drawn? Eventually, there comes a point when the person running the campaign (either a DM on a PW or in PnP) says ‘that’s enough, we’re moving on to other things’, or the player says ‘I want to try something new’ and the PC is retired.
That is what I would like to do when I suggest a setting reboot. My very first priority would be to make sure we give at least one of your long-term PCs months of time to play that powerful leader of a guild/faction/whatever, rule a castle or town/city after raising an army and taking it for themselves, sit on the zulkir’s throne, or enjoy realizing whatever other important goal that PC may have. This would be rather than outright retiring them shortly after achieving their destiny. You would get to have your cake and eat it too. The caveat is that it would not last forever (but then, nothing does...) and the campaign would eventually end in...well...I don’t want to ruin that surprise. ;)
Finally, I do not want to you all here in a limbo wondering what is coming. Since I’ve stirred up a little bit of a hornets nest and probably more than a little uncertainty about what the future holds, I would like to make a decision soon regarding whether to go forward with a server reboot. As a note though, the actual reboot would not occur for many months even if it were decided to move forward with one. So my closing request here is that if you have anything to add to this discussion or would like your opinion heard and a chance to influence the decision one way or the other, please post in the next day or two.