It has been a bit of a rough start this week, but here we are! Thank you all for the support you have shown us and the ideas you’ve shared. I’m here to tell you what is going to happen this week.
With the new update from Beamdog, our server has started to behave in a strange manner (many of you may have noticed the dead bodies of your henchmen, for example). Gades is gradually checking the code, but it will take time to fix everything. If you encounter any specific strange behavior, please remember to submit a !BUGREPORT and describe it as thoroughly as possible so we can figure out what’s going wrong. Because of this, I’m sad to say that fixing the new RDGs and the Expedition system has been delayed. Hopefully, this week we’ll see the Expedition system implemented for at least Amn and Cormyr, but that will depend on how severe the situation with the server update turns out to be.
Mechanical Updates: On the mechanical side of things, since I’m currently on hold for RDGs until this server-side issue is resolved, I’ll focus on making improvements to feats (like Skill Focus) and revisiting fighting styles. Additionally, I’ll work on developing the next faction for the server until I can return to the random generator again.
Addressing Low Population: As some of you may know, I’ve tried to address the issue of low population. Based on polls and conversations with players, it seems our issue is not a lack of players per se (among all players, we have around 15-19 active on the server). The problem is that we’re scattered across different time zones, making it challenging to organize events and ensure everyone can fairly access the main campaign events. Here are the solutions we’ll be implementing to improve things:
1. Player-Side Event Rewards
Any player-side event organizer and their assistants will receive rewards for their efforts. If they host roleplay events (balls, fairs, singing contests—whatever they’re inspired to create), the organizer will receive a Potion of Luck, which boosts their loot chances from monster bodies and treasure chests for one hour. This potion can also be sold if the character is not an adventurer or doesn’t enjoy adventuring. Up to four assistants involved in the organization will receive a lesser version of the potion.
Here are the rules for qualifying for these rewards:
o The event must be a roleplaying event (dungeon or boss hunts don’t count).
o The event must have at least five participants (excluding the organizer and assistants).
o The event must take place in roleplay-approved areas (for now, the two inns and the festhall in Castle Ward).
These rules are in place to prevent abuse of the reward system. If they’re too strict, we may consider lowering the standards in the future. For now, this is a test initiative to encourage creativity.
2. New Creators Rank
Two players have shown interest in the DM system over the past few months. Given their progress and creativity, we’ve decided to promote them to Creators rank sooner than expected. These players are in the USA time zone (unreachable for me and Gades) and have learned some basics about the main plot. They’ll be able to manage their own events without our supervision. While they likely won’t host events this week, they may post their first events in the Discord section soon.
3. Improving Visibility
Thanks to Noob, we’ve found a few ways to improve our visibility online. This week, we’ll explore these opportunities, which will hopefully spread awareness of our server worldwide.
On a personal note,consider it an unofficial 4 point, I encourage everyone to stay online even if there isn’t much activity at times. I understand that having fewer people to interact with can make the server feel like a grind-focused action server—I’ve felt the same when I’ve been alone at the inn managing server tasks. However, we can turn this around by staying active. People are more likely to join a roleplay server if they see others online and engaging.
Don’t hesitate to reach out on Discord to ask if someone is available for roleplay. I’m often busy, but I’m always up for it whenever possible. If we can achieve this, I’m confident our server will grow to be one of the most populated, given the excellent feedback we’ve received from the roleplaying community so far.
Thank you all for attention and whatever you do, have fun!
