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Midmonth Mod Post: February
Midmonth Mod Post: February
Hi everyone, and happy slightly-belated Valentine’s Day!
The Heart Meme is still going strong (thanks for posting it, Nico!) so head on over and spread some love if you like!
We have some announcements, some updates, and a couple of polls at the end of this post.
1. The Announcements
- A March TDM
- Applications can be submitted at any time, and they are processed during the last week of the month
- Applications submitted before the final 7 days of any given month will be processed that same month (e.g. apps submitted by 11:59 PM EST on March 24 will be processed in March; apps submitted from March 25 onward will be processed in April’s batch)
- Mods will send out acceptances/responses during the final 7 days of the month.
- There will be an intro log for new characters the first week of the following month.
We’re working on a Test Drive Meme for early March! An exact date hasn’t been decided, but it’s planned for the first week of March and will be announced on Plurk, posted to the calendar, and advertised on the EMP that should be going up at the end of February.
With the larger-than-usual number of infections going on inside the city over the last two months, increased Cwyld activity might be causing some unpleasant dreams for characters… perhaps even showing them a different perspective. Stay tuned!
Applications and Game Cap
Applications are going to remain always open, without reserves. However, we will be implementing a new schedule for processing.
Speaking of apps, we did get a handful of new characters this month! We know things were a bit hectic without an intro log, so we just wanted to let the game know there are fresh faces around. Thanks for giving them a warm welcome!
2. The Updates
- The Aefenglom Wiki
An Aefenglom game wiki is officially in the works! Please join us in thanking the amazing group of player volunteers helping make this a reality: Noa, Prince, Maruah, and Ran!
So far, they have been busily gathering information from the various game pages and FAQ, compiling and organizing it. We will be updating and simplifying the info pages on Dreamwidth and start linking more information that can be found in a more comprehensive and searchable way in the wiki soon, with the goal to start rolling out these changes in the next few weeks. It’s a big task to get all the information sorted first, so thank you for your patience -- and another thanks to the Wiki Bards for their hard work!
Plot and game direction feedback
We’ve gotten some feedback that highlighted some confusion over last month’s post, and we apologize that the message was unclear. We would like to clarify the direction of the game and the definition we were working off of when we said there would be no linear plot.
Rather than a single, long-running plot, events will focus on arcs of discovery and explore different aspects of the world. The long-term goal of these plots remains the same as it has always been: eradication of the Cwyld. But with such a widespread menace, meeting that goal involves exploring new places and finding new problems to solve that may not connect directly to the previous arcs. This was always the main ‘plot’ of the game, and that’s not changing.
The method of exploration is what’s being updated. Certain things characters were investigating individually may come into play as gamewide events -- a way to make sure those investigations still have an impact, and expand their reach. It was clear that the way investigations were being handled was unsustainable in its former iteration, so the goal is to expand on both the world and plot hooks that were meant to be disseminated in individual player investigations. Various plots being investigated will become fully accessible to all of the playerbase through events and quests.
The confusion stemmed from uncertain phrasing on our part, and we realized that we were working with a definition of ‘plot’ in a game setting that was not clearly defined. The point being made was that there is no single, long-running story with parts a, b, and c connecting one after the other in a linear, predetermined fashion.
Things that are still relevant and will continue to impact the setting and characters include the Cwyld, the dreams, the dragons and fae, etc. Since we also got feedback that the plot seemed disjointed and events didn’t always connect, we decided to clarify there is no linear plot and events are not all necessarily directly connected to each other; it doesn’t mean previous plot points are being ignored or trashed.
The premise of the game is “defeat the Cwyld.” The plot of the game is however players end up getting there, which has many avenues.
In the interest of full disclosure, the current mod team doesn’t have access to any notes from the originators of the game regarding their original goals or plots beyond the above-mentioned eradication of the Cwyld. That was always the overarching goal of the game. Anything beyond that was never passed on to the current mods. We apologize for the disappointment longtime players may feel, having expected the mechanics of the game to continue the way they were in the first few months. We understand the game has moved away from that style of events and investigations. Much of the feedback from November asked the mods to define the game as it is now, so that was our goal. We are happy to clarify further if anyone has questions below.
3. The Polls
- Lastly, we received additional feedback about timing of events and OOC plotting posts, as well as CR Memes. In order to make sure we’re serving the desires of the majority of the game as well as possible, we have two quick polls below. Please take a moment to vote for your preferences. Since Dreamwidth doesn't allow polls to be posted by non-paid accounts, we're doing it the oldschool way with comment-style votes.
- I prefer the OOC event post to go up 1-2 days in advance
- I prefer the OOC event post to go up simultaneously with the IC event post
- OOC Event Posts
Do you prefer a pared-down version of the OOC event post to go up 1-2 days in advance? This gives players a little extra time to start brainstorming, but will not contain exact prompts.
Or do you prefer for the OOC event accompaniment to be posted at the same time as the IC event? This gives players a clear picture of what the event prompts are actually like.
In both cases, the OOC event post will include a section to ask event-specific questions and plotting forms for the event itself so players can plan with one another.
Now, time to throw down your votes! Please follow the links to specific top-levels and vote under one of them with your +1. You may leave a comment if you wish, but it's not necessary.
CR Meme Timing
How often should we post a CR meme? This will be a more general CR meme posted around the beginning of the month, separately from OOC Event Plotting posts. If players prefer for the CR Memes to be more spread out, other memes can be posted instead by mods and/or players (more love memes, smutty CR memes, casual IC shenanigans, etc.).
Please comment here and tells us if you'd prefer CR memes to happen every month, every other month, or once every three months!
Phew, that was another long one! Thank you for reading, everyone, and thank you for continuing to leave feedback. We are always open to questions and discussion. We love Aefenglom, and we know you do too. It has been and we want to continue to let it be a collaborative endeavor between us and the players. Your thoughts matter, and the midmonth posts are always an open forum for discussion, feedback and suggestions for the entire game to participate in openly. Our goal is always to facilitate a fun environment for people to play in. Thanks for all your patience and understanding.
Have a great rest of your week!
- Aefenglom Mod Team
+1