Discussion - Helper Night

[Zib]

Bubub and I have been discussing a few ideas for things we can do as groups of Pillagers - the Honourary Shirriff's Patrol is one of them. Another thing we want to get some input on is a helper night.

The general idea is we set aside one time, maybe every other week, maybe every week, where a few people are available to help with "group stuff". This could include anything from quests to obtaining crafting materials.

Both Bubub and I would be available to help and we would ask that some of the other officers and pillagers occasionally sign up too. This way we could rotate through and it would not be too much of a burden for any one person.

If folks like the idea, we'll throw up a poll to find out about how often we want to do this and what time works best.

[Zabrak]

I'll sign up. I love helping out.

[katarnus]

As Recruit officer, I second (third) this motion.

I was wanting to get with you guys after all the officerships were official anyway, but a good bit of our recruits don't even see us outside of the kinline. I'd like to maybe do one night a week where we check up on our 20's-50's or whatever and try to help them finish any group quests that they need to knock out or something. One day they're going to group with us on the higher levels and we may as well train them while they're little!

[alayden]

Think that sounds like a good idea. I know from experience as a lower level new recruit, that one of the difficult things about feeling a part of the whole when first being brought in is the fact that I do not actually see anyone IG.

Very few times have I run across anyone, etc. I hate to ask for help, but it would be nice to have good quality IG experiences with the experienced members, to help build bonds and attachment etc.

I'll keep it short, you guys know what I'm saying.

[Zabrak]

Please ask for help. There have been many times that I've come online and said, "does anyone need help with anything," and no one says a word. I know this isn't possible. Everyone needs help with SOMETHING.

As long as you have some patience (i.e. don't expect everyone to drop what they're doing that minute), you will get help. I'm sure there are times you won't, but you will be told why and given an alternative. Such as, "how about we do that tomorrow night."

So to everyone that is new out there, and there are several, please ask. We will help.

[alayden]

I understand that completely, has asked once before for actual help, not advice, and received more than plenty! Lorenia was great...

I'm just not one to ask. That being said, I guess my point was that an organized type of activity geared towards getting the highers to do something on the lower characters level would be great.

WOuld be something even where I'd prefer it not to be my stuff but someone else who's lower etc. Anyways, good ideas IMO.

[Verewen of Rohan]

You know you can count on me. *nod*

[katarnus]

Dec 11, 2008 9:06:37 GMT -5 alayden said:

Think that sounds like a good idea. I know from experience as a lower level new recruit, that one of the difficult things about feeling a part of the whole when first being brought in is the fact that I do not actually see anyone IG.

Very few times have I run across anyone, etc. I hate to ask for help, but it would be nice to have good quality IG experiences with the experienced members, to help build bonds and attachment etc.

I'll keep it short, you guys know what I'm saying.

I know exactly what you're saying. The last kin I was in, I never really felt like part of the whole. It wasn't necessarily any fault of theirs, but I was low level, and slow leveling. Most everyone else was 50 and they would help me if asked, but for on-level companionship I was screwed. When I joined pillagers, I was in the low 40's and a lot of the guys and gals practically dragged me along. It was great and I felt a big part. I want to make sure the same happens to you new guys. I mean even if some of us just follow you around some, I know it will go a long way.

[Delaney]

I'd certainly help as well. I think it's a great idea - we'd help now if asked of course, but having it more visible and 'official' should be a benefit.

I will point out to any lower-levels who worry about "paying it back" that there are always plenty of things to help with in one way or another, sooner or later. Also, it's not always just under-50's asking for help. There was some mid-50 level burglar on last night asking for epic quest help!

(Thanks again Missa and Rayf! )

[alayden]

I hate to propose too much, seeing as I'm not a full member yet, but something along these lines I've been thinking about.

I had mentioned have a long play history in SWG. Obviously with the lore, this type of thing is perfect, but feel it could be adaptable:

I was in a guild that was a Jedi and Jedi support guild: either one or the other obviously. If you were a Jedi character, then in order to join, you had to be taken in by a Master, and a Master/Apprentice relationship was formed. This is a fairly common idea.

However, there were some things done with it that were truly great. My master was awesome, we would RP and it was really fun. As a part of joining, he would put me through trials which he would design on his own. For example, there would be a quest line, he'd find out if I hadn't done it yet, and he'd set up along with the story of the quest line and send me out. So one quest you had to have an item that allowed you to enter into the second line of the quests. He sent me to find this item. I had to find out that this item was tied to a quest and this lead me down the line to completing a string of quests, which at the end had one that was too difficult.

So he tied in a lesson of having to know when to ask for help etc, at which point I turned to the master and we conquered together, etc.

This was so much fun, both in the creating of the trials, RP'n them, then figuring things out and workign together to accomplish it.

Anyways, may have rambled a bit, but similar type of things could be done here.

In my case for example, Delaney kind of recruited me in. She could have "sponsored" me and maybe had some tasks for me. Maybe, by knowing what level I was, sent me to find the rare loot item that would be needed to make my next bow, which would be turned in to an inguild crafter in a "crafting"ceremony or something.

Or further sent me to Find a certain individual, which could have been the Leader in Aughaire who sends you on the path to the Clucath, etc. Then helped when I needed and checked in on progress along the way.

Anyways, this is long, I'll wrap up and hope I conveyed the idea I intended to.

[Zib]

The poll is up top. Please pick your top three times. If there is not a clear winner, then we can rotate the scheduling.

If you pick either Saturday or Sunday, please post your preference for afternoon or evening.

The poll will be available through December 22 to give folks a chance to vote.

[OnyxBlade]

Great idea! This could open the door to let folks know that unless we're knee deep into something, a "could someone help me with x" usually goes answered.

A lot of the hesitation is that most folks don't usually have an alt that's going to fit into what you're doing. And having a level 50 around can make a challenging instance a bit of a bore for some folks.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a call for help for a long instance such as fornost, great barrows, etc will usually receive better results when posted to the boards. Unless I've made arrangements, I usually need an AFK every 30 minutes or so.

[Bubub]

Since I play so late compared to most, I will be available just about every night I am on. As the late night/west coast group grows, this may change, but for now just ask, I have no problem helping with whatever.

[Delaney]

Weekday nights are better, I think. Friday and Saturday nights are best for longer instances and the like. I'm generally online around 8:00 CST and will rarely be able to log in much earlier.

Also, I'd really prefer to see the day change, even if it's just a rotation. That's just an odd personal preference though, so I can live if it doesn't. It's just that knowing on EVERY Tuesday, I have to do X makes it seem like work. (Yes, I do hate being tied too closely to a schedule, and a Blackberry wouldn't live long in my hands.)

[Zabrak]

Rotating weekday nights sound really appealing. Just choose one weekday night each week to be "helper night" and announce it. That would mean that someone that does something every Tuesday (for example) won't miss it every week.

[Lorenia]

Good discussion. It's funny you brought up SWG Alayden, I had actually almost forgotten that I had a similar experience there. I think because the game lacked content we all had to ramp up the RP to make it fun On my alt char (over there my alt was Lorenia), i had a similar experience with learning TK where I had a "master" so to speak and we would RP it like martial arts lessons. I think LOTRO is so good as a game I tend to find that I RP things less (does that make sense?)

Ony kinda pointed to one of my opinions too. Sometimes having a big kid run you through an instance or a quest is good, but its also good to try things on level or relatively close so you really learn and understand your class. I think it helps me be a better player when its time to run the level 60 stuff, plus it can be a bit boring (this is coming from a person who was basically PL'ed from level 16 - 40ish in an effort to catch up). The chance of dying does add a different perspective and makes it a bit more challenging.

Anywhoo... I think I"m rambling (cold meds will do that to ya). Don't be afraid to ask me for help, I'm glad to do it when I can and I certainly want to be able to pay back for all the help I've received from this awesome kin.

[Lorenia]

Good discussion. It's funny you brought up SWG Alayden, I had actually almost forgotten that I had a similar experience there. I think because the game lacked content we all had to ramp up the RP to make it fun On my alt char (over there my alt was Lorenia), i had a similar experience with learning TK where I had a "master" so to speak and we would RP it like martial arts lessons. I think LOTRO is so good as a game I tend to find that I RP things less (does that make sense?)

Ony kinda pointed to one of my opinions too. Sometimes having a big kid run you through an instance or a quest is good, but its also good to try things on level or relatively close so you really learn and understand your class. I think it helps me be a better player when its time to run the level 60 stuff, plus it can be a bit boring (this is coming from a person who was basically PL'ed from level 16 - 40ish in an effort to catch up). The chance of dying does add a different perspective and makes it a bit more challenging.

Anywhoo... I think I"m rambling (cold meds will do that to ya). Don't be afraid to ask me for help, I'm glad to do it when I can and I certainly want to be able to pay back for all the help I've received from this awesome kin.

[Zib]

The idea of rotating nights is a good one. We can rotate Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. I can't play Tuesday nights, so I'll have to ask for volunteers those nights. But I will make a post each weekend announcing the helper nights, then folks can either volunteer to help or request help. You can also request help.

Even though we are setting up this program, you can still set up other times to work on group quests or instance runs. Instance runs especially, you will probably have better success setting them up separately on a Friday or weekend, since they often take a bit of time to complete.