The Players Corner Archive

My next post will be some of the things I USED to do when I was a GM somewhere else. Much of it is similar to what is done in GemStoneIII, though probably with completely different methods. No, I'm not a GM in GSIII, never was, though I did apply a few times. And no, I'm not a GM in Inferno anymore, I got "outted" by a couple of players, which is a "bad thing" [tm] according to Inferno policy. No complaints - just the facts.

So without further adieu...

reg

Logon. Read the assist list. Delete any you know were already taken care of but were left up by mistake. Check the WHO list to see who's around, and run an AFK check on anyone who's been sitting in the game idle for more than 10 minutes. Run an additional AFK check on any random player who's hunting with a script. (note: scripting IS allowed in Inferno, as long as you're watching the screen and respond to data other than the usual hunting script stuff).

That takes around an hour, all that.

Jump to the player home I'm working on (players get custom-created homes if they want/their characters can afford it) and get to work, or sit there at the blank player home room frustrated because the inspiration just ain't there yet.

Drink another cup of coffee.

Re-check the assist list, and compare it with the who list, and answer any of the assists made by players who are currently logged on, assuming I have an answer for them. Send the others a [page] (like a send) asking if they've been taken care of yet. Delete assist as appropriate.

That can take between 5 minutes and 2 hours, depending on time of day, who's around, and whether I have an answer for the player.

Start giving some thought about the event I'm gonna run that night. If I pull a total blank, grin like an idjit because I have a back-up NPC I can use just to have some fun with the players for an hour (I had this adorable little girl NPC named Sylene who used to try to teach these oh-so-serious twilighters how to play hopscotch and make them tell me a story).

Continue working on or staring at the player home I've been assigned.

Ask admin how to do a few things. Doesn't matter if I need to ever do those things, but it keeps them on their toes. Communication with admin is a very important thing to do. See if they need anything while I'm staring at this stupid player home I can't deal with at the moment.

Give up on that 4 room player home, and jump to the 1-room player home. Create the entire home in 20 minutes, since all they wanted was "some filthy hole in the wall with a trainer". Result:

John's Shack.
Soot covers the once-white walls of the small dwelling in gritty gray patches behind the dingy fireplace against the back wall. Crumpled paper and flecks of dried blood scatter over the cracked stone floor. A broken chair, its wooden back torn off and laying on the ground beside it, rests in the corner by a splintered palsin door leading out.

Ahhhh satisfaction of a job well done. Time for a break, I think I'll play for an hour.

NEWBIE ALERT! Jump up to the OOC area, grumbling to myself. Greet the newcomer and offer to take him on a tour of the "upstairs." Spend the next 20 minutes waiting for him to figure out how to download ZMud. Wave to everyone else who logs in, which seems to be everyone, all at that particular moment. Answer a dozen questions from each player while waiting for the newbie to log back in again with his new ZMud configuration.

Spend the next hour trying to convince the newbie that no, it is not physically possible for an umbriani to breed with a bardeki, and even if it were, no 4-foot slender small-boned waif of an umbriani would have any desire whatsoever of being attracted to an 11-foot winged stone gargoyle. Probably not even as a cherished pet.

SECOND NEWBIE ALERT! Run out, grab the other newbie, and bring them in with the first newbie. Talk with them both for another 2 hours because neither of them have read the manual and I now have to tell them as politely as possible that ain't no way they're gonna be able to roll up a character if they don't even know anything about the skills available to them.

Bring the second newbie on the tour, while sending the other one through the arch to create his character.

Go back to the first player home I was looking for and create some really hideous dungeon rooms, now that I'm finally inspired.

Run my event, using Sylene for personal comic relief.

Total active GM time that day: 6 hours. Total playing time that day: 10 minutes, not including Sylene.

reg

Most stuff is apparent -- events (quests, storylines, weddings, merchants, festivals, contests), referrals, reports... I'll see what else I can add without stepping into no-no land.

--A. reg

quote:

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Originally posted by GMAndraste:
I'm just compiling a list... and crossing off what might be NDAed

Most stuff is apparent -- events (quests, storylines, weddings, merchants, festivals, contests), referrals, reports... I'll see what else I can add without stepping into no-no land.

--A.

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Blow things up, or blow hosts up <stare>

Hiya folks just wanted to pop in and say hello as well ..
reg

quote:

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Originally posted by Karec:

Blow things up, or blow hosts up <stare>

Hiya folks just wanted to pop in and say hello as well ..

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Yes, thanks for reminding me, Karec You can add kill or "sheep" the Hosts, as well.

For those who are curious about what a GM might do while here (and not every GM has the same list), I have created a short list of things (in generic enough terms so as not to violate my NDA) that I might be multitasking at any one time. These are in no particular order with no particular amount of set time required, save referral shifts:

• Reading inter-staff mail
• Reading player mail
• Updating the wedding database
• Sending out wedding email
• QCing wedding items
• QCing other items
• Planning upcoming events
• Building shops, items, and area for upcoming events
• Painting assigned areas
• Planning, creating stuff for, and running Platinum, Prime, and Premium events
• Assisting other staff with their events
• Posting and/or proofing in-game news items
• Posting and/or proofing calendar events
• Sending out in-game announcements
• Watching RP and handing out RP awards
• Helping Hosts with assists
• Helping other GMs with their referral questions
• Doing referrals during my twice-weekly shifts
• Responding to reports (which can include replying, responding, and keeping an eye out)
• Monitoring the game for various system and policy abuses
• Monitoring the game for scripters
• Creating scripts for my merchants
• Fixing scripts
• Fixing my assigned typos and bugs
• Updating the internal staff schedules
• Working on my long-term storylines
• Creating some medium-term storylines
• Following up on investigating a scam or hacking
• Issuing warnings
• Requesting lockouts
• Training wedding staff to operate the in-game wedding system
• Running the Gladiator Games
• Taking a few moments out to chat with players

...and probably a bunch of other stuff I can't recall right now.

--A. reg