Every now and again...

[Wired]

I have a little something to say to the people. If you roleplay on this server, you will be rewarded with xp rewards, DM attention, and probably the adoration of your fellow players. The more and the better your RP (good, evil or otherwise) and the more constructive that is in a group storytelling / role play sort-of-way, the more of this you'll tend to accrue. That's pretty much the key to making anything you've set your heart on 'real,' but it's also the reward in itself.

Like the Shaper in John Gardner's retelling of Beowulf, you bend and shape the weave of others' subjective experience through your storytelling; Good RP -- whether you are playing good or evil -- engages others and makes the story seem real to them, despite the fact its a Fantasy.

Those who are able to go out and create something that others players can latch onto and join in on (a faction, a storyline, lore), will find that that 'something' will become more and more 'real' in the gameworld the more accessible it is and the people can latch onto it; Mostly because of their own efforts, but also because the staff are going to play along if you've got something good going. And I see great examples of this all the time, from players old and new. I've been here almost 7 years now ... a fraction of the investment of some of our team members ... and just this past month I've seen hordes of new players bring novel things to the gameworld like like Gypsy Lore, an in-game Newspaper, New Stories, New Factions, New Players, New and original characters... This is what Dasaria is all about and it all gets me very charged up and excited for Dasaria's future.

Note that I say the staff will want to 'play along if you've got something good going,' I think that's important. The DMs and Builders do not 'work' here, they play here, and if you want to achieve something in game you've got to convince others (maybe staff, maybe not staff) to play along, hold up your end of the work to be done, and keep it fun for all involved.

Those who see themselves as partners in this server, are able to contribute (things, ideas, or just positive energy), help others, retain a sense of play while adding to the general success and welfare of Dasaria will find the entire community's behind them. Those who just want things, well that's a tougher road. You're playing in a community. Your OOC actions should benefit the community.

None of this is mandatory, however. If you want to play PvM, that's fine too. There's plenty of room here for everyone, with the possible exception of a tiny minority of short-lived players who might break the server rules, or seek to ruin others' good fun. Being a Builder and DM here, I know that sometimes I just want to play too, and alas, I personally haven't a lot of time for inter-PC intrigue given everything else I have to do in life or Dasaria.

Since I mentioned PvM, I will give a quick side bar to PvP, which is always a possibility if it grows out of a legitimate in-character conflict. However, if you want nothing but PvP or want to hunt/kill other players for sport, please do go play somewhere else that can better accommodate that style of play.