Your Opinions count...

[Miss Scarrlet]

I'm looking to try to boost interest in Hold / Craft RP at North Ranges Weyr. Not that our Hold's not healthy, but looking into building up even more dimensionality into our version of Pern. :-D More players, more plotting, you know!

So.. What would interest people and lure them into more of an interest in Hold or Craft play?

*holds pencil at the ready to take notes*

[HarperBrandyAlexander]

To be compleatly honest (and I know you'd like honesty) I've never been interested in playing holders. I don't read Dragonriders of Pern to read about the holders, generally. It's the people in the Weyrs I like to read about in threads, in the books, and in play. It doesn't mean they all have to be dragonriders, but a persona interacting with the Weyr in some way is much more interesting to me than one who's a holder. So I don't know how to really get people to play holders, other than making the hold itself interseting. Are they a beast hold? Or is it your normal Hold, tied to the tithing of the Weyr? If that's all their good for, then it gets boring real fast. I think just like any good place, it needs plots and strife. If you have a boing Hold, your personas are going to sit there and do a lot of nothing and wish they were in the Weyr. :) Hehe. They don't have the natural excitment of a lot of things we write about in Pern so you gotta work extra hard to make sure there's always something going on. I dunno, a gather, a fire... something. But it seems to be harder work than a Weyr where plots sort of self generate.

[Miss Scarrlet]

I wonder what the English must have thought during feudal times.. boring? :) I don't know. I never thought so; we play during a low tech period of Pernese time anyway (alt. 5th Pass).

The Hold I am responsible for is not a PBEM on its own, but located near and beholden to the Weyr that is the primary RP for our group. I loved to read the little snippets Anne graciously gave us about the politics and survival of the Holds, and I really enjoyed the information she wrote about the Harper Hall and about the Crafthalls, especially those described in Skies. It made Pern seem more rounded to me- and that's what I'm looking for in fleshing out Hold and Craft play for our group. It will also be interesting to develop detail about Hold-Weyr relationships. For example, the small holders in the area feel that the Weyr, because it helped the lord Holder, is trying to be a 'big brother' to them as well, threatening their autonomy. Now they're not tithing. This will affect Weyr RP once the fresh food supply decreases.

[Kath]

As I'm about to wade into RP at said hold, I may as well add my tuppence worth.

Hold politics, from top to bottom. Whether it's marriage proposals for the Lord's offspring :shhh:, or drudges fighting over the best sleeping quarters, anything that gets poeple laughing, crying, fighting or simply being downright devious is ideal.

Major events - make those holders suffer! Bring the odd major plot right to their doorstep - but let's see what impact the Holders feel from events occuring outside the Hold: Famine and floods, death and disease, gathers and gossip.

Cultural exploration - taking an aspect of Pernese hold life and exploring it. Do they have problems with sewerage? Wherries nesting in the ventilation shafts? The wrong male herdbeast getting into the breeding stock and ruining next years calves? An outbreak of nits/tics/fleas among the drudges? A spit-canine going mad and savaging a cook?
Actually, it's these little random events that I like best.

[Anareth]

Gee, marriage proposals, what COULD you be talking about? ;)

I have an Evil Idea (based off one we thought up years ago but shelved) but it's in its infant stages right now.

[Ravien Coromana]

well... you could always set it in a pass with threadfall. That always attracts people.

[Miss Scarrlet]

It is the beginning of the Alternate 5th Pass. :)

[Lady Pendragon]

I like it when Jennifer has evil ideas.....mwah mwah! Its means there are interesting times ahead!

I'm of a completely different mind to HBA....I prefer holders to dragon riders. I feel more inspiration to write for holders. Don't get me wrong, I like all the dragon rider characters I play, but I feel more comfortable writing for the Hold.

[Miss Scarrlet]

Bless you Kath- Though the Hold residents may curse you. See current Hold plot. *snickers*

[Kath]

Bless you Kath- Though the Hold residents may curse you. See current Hold plot. *snickers*


Oh, I've been laughing over it all right!

Clearly Pernese sewers are well below par...

:evil:

[Shalyn]

And we already had an infestation at the Weyr of fleas...

For me, my excuses are about the same as HBA's. I like the dragons. The characters I have that aren't riders I don't play anywhere near often enough.

Though it was fun to have my Lady's maid and the local Harper posting together on the major find of a piano.