Tuesday, April 15, 2014

'Light' yet enjoyable interactions between EvE members

I commented on Tradgadmastare's post about the decline of interactions between 'EvE' members (simply reflecting the steady decline of activity on 'EvE' itself: 463 posts for the 8 months of 2007, 358 in 2008, 322 in 2009... 31 in 2013) and its possible causes - including 'external' and general ones: that this 'disinterest' follows the ongoing 'Crisis' since 2008 is probably not coincidental. 
Thus it may be due for a part to the 'activity' required from the participants when 'The Real World™' imposes its own, harsh, requirements. 

Yet some forms of friendly interactions are not very time-consuming. Outside shared or proxied military campaigns or battles the exchange of ambassadors and medals, for instance, or the 'gift' of characters (with or without their miniature, as for the EvE 'Stuart new Rising'), or the Grand Tour of Eveurope by the Reich Duke of Beerstein.
The 'lightest', yes potentially gratifying for all those involved, is when a character or place created by an 'EvE' member is mentioned by another Imagi-Nation ruler, specially if part of a 'story telling' approach. The visits of Cardinal von Roskilde to Monte-Cristo (part of his own Grand Tour, entirely reported on 'Eve', and conclusion of it since the storyteller 'Herzog Ignaz' ceased to post a little later, so afaik the good Cardinal is still enjoying our hospitality).
 (Actually the Presipality of Monte-Cristo was created for such visits: in the earliest days of 'Emperor vs Elector' it was proposed to the rulers of the contributing Imagi-Nations to engage in a play-by-email game of secret diplomacy and spying. Having just re-watched old James Bond movies mostly set in the Bahamas I created that monstrosity, a peaceful, officially demilitarized wargaming Imagi-Nation: a kind of Monte-Carlo (with some aspects -tax haven, specially- of Switzerland or at least Liechtenstein). A small emphatically neutral countries providing major powers with a convenient 'neutral ground' for secret diplomacy -and,of course a seething nest of spies- under the pleasant climate of the Côte d'Azur. With a spa and a casino as excuses to come and pleasant services to encourage to stay; its independence and neutrality also guaranteed by the fact that in all countries of importance (and most of others) people of influence and power have secret numbered accounts in the State bank.) 

An example of fruitful interaction: Claire Baizanville


Such 'light', not time-consuming interactions (requiring only to toy with ideas and then posting them at leisure) can be fruitful to host and guest, specially if a part of RPG campaign (independent or ± parallel to a 'serious' military one); for instance by stimulating the development of the 'fluff' relative to the visited country. The visit of a Catalan representative to Monte-Cristo (& newer posts labelled 'Marquis of Vilana') led to the creation of a rich Monte-Cristan character, Claire Baizanville: she was invented by 'Soldadets' but her part in the 'RPG side' of the Defiant Principality campaign prompted me to develop her character and past -in comments on Soldadets' blog and on my own (in several posts actually)- which I greatly enjoyed.

6 comments:

abdul666 said...

'Loans' of characters (or locations) is all the more so propitious to 'not time-consuming' friendly interactions between 'EvE' members as its context of choice is story telling. Which can be done at leisure, in spare time, not -at the limit- requiring playing or miniatures at all. Just having to toy with idea, to invent fiction and then to write it down.

Unfortunately most of 'EvE' members inclined to such approach either changed of interest or are silent for years now.

John Chisholm's Abbey of Kempten, David's Freistadt Tippelbruder and Peter Simplissimus, OIIIIIIIO's Direktorat aus Herrschaden, Herzog Ignaz' Hunsrucker Allgemeine Zeitung... have not be updated for years. A J no longer posts his Hetzenberg Chronicles (or at least not for free on the web?).
Tradgardmastare himself deleted his 'story telling' blog (Banat of Togaras) long ago and is no longer interested neither in the deed of the Duchess of Saschen-Vindow (a woman very propitious to interactions in the 'EvE' world) nor to the fate of Alisona, the Grand Duke's own daughter.

Actually storytelling in the 'EvE' world seemed to feature more heroines than heroes, and the only *great* surviving representative (because of the RPG component of the campaign), 'Defiant Principality', is no exception with great characters such as Lady -now Princess - Elisenda, Mireia Perelló, Foix de Rovellats and Maria Sauret.

Der Alte Fritz said...

Milady de Winter still lurks in the background, but that is on purpose. It would do her no good to announce all of her misdeeds, murder and mayhem to the world.

Fitz-Badger said...

Hey, good to see you around, citizen of Monte Cristo!

I've not had much energy for gaming for a while. "real life" and work take its toll. Most of the time and energy I do have for such things has been steered towards the occasional boardgame (often easier to set up and play, or at least requiring less deep thought). Or to my early and ongoing interest in fantasy gaming and figures.
That doesn't mean I don't think of the as yet unresolved war between Batrachia and the Soweiter League. Thoughts cross my mind when I have time to think (but not to act). I have a pretty good idea of how things turn out eventually, in a general sense, and in what happens in those realms in later years as well (possible civil wars and/or rebellions, for example; as well as more peaceable events and developments).

tradgardmastare said...

I'd love to see more of the Soweiter League!!!!
Anyone who wishes an Ambassadorial visit in the form of a figure from The Duchy of Tradgardland do let me know...

abdul666 said...

Herzog Ignaz posted his story-telling not on his own blog but on 'Emperor vs Elector': Cardinal Maximilian von Roskilde's journey and fateful navigation ending in Monte-Cristo and Waldeck agent agent Herr Stechung visit to the Presipality.

While it's not a topic explicitly mentioned among those relevant to our 'collective blog', such presence of a character 'played' by an 'EvE' member in another country of Eveurope represent a form of interaction between 'Emperor vs Elector' posters and thus, I think, is not out of place here. Specially given the current lack of activity on our dazibao.

Though -for easier and sure exhaustive information retrieval- I suggest that such posts would be duplicated on the 'acting player' own blog.
Similarly don't forget to *label* your posts: Herzog Ignaz neglected labels, and one has to use several 'searches' on the blog to get links to his relevant posts -yet a few 'escape' the search while less relevant ones (secondary mentions) appear... Soldadets for instance does a great, reader-friendly labeling (on his blog as wall as here).

A J said...

I hear you. As things stand I've not abandoned the world of ImagiNations. However, real life does get in the way. As a professional writer I have to get work out there to support myself and my family, so that takes priority. Mary Amadeus and Ursula Reitzell et al will return.