Packs, Lone Wolves, and Wolf Blooded

[Aaron]

I have recently come to a decision based on the varying level of effort put forth by the player base. Some are willing to dedicate time for their schedule towards the game in the capacities I have been expecting, 1 LARP game and 1 Sit-Down Game a month, and some are not able to or unwilling to do this, but still desire to have involvement.

Since the nature of the game requires teamwork and cohesion, those who want to be Players of Lodge of the Roc, are expected to play their characters for one LARP, and one Sit-Down, missing the odd one once in a while is alright, but they are to be relied upon. I rely on my players as sources of information for other players... playing on your weaknesses and strengths. I can hardly put forth a "Test of Might" against a group with a Wizard and a Sorcerer just looking at me stupidly (D&D reference) it just isn't fun for anyone when plans go to pot.

So I have designed three additional "trees" that people can participate in, beyond the original two I set out (Which were Cubs and Established)

Pack: These are the player characters that have a strong desire to take an active role in the game. They are expected to have a minimum of activity to keep up their role. This requirement includes being in the LARP and the Sit Down Sessions. Board play is optional but recommended.

Lone Wolves: These are the player characters who want to play, but have a limited scope of involvement. They are given the ability to actively participate in the boards, and have their own downtime sessions, but cannot be relied upon by a group of people as their schedule does not permit.

Representatives: These are individuals who present themselves as the "representative" for a pack that will not formally go to an event, it could be the whole pack is made up of Representatives, or a few of them are NPC's. They are given minor roles by the Storyteller to introduce plot devices, and able to contribute a lot without being relied upon heavily by any set group of people.

I personally would love to hear your comments on this, as this is a problem I want to get on top of.

Cheers,

Aaron

[Phalanx of the Child]

I think it is a great idea except the lone wolves and reps are gonna be prime targets for packs who want extra members or pure who want to chew on a forsaken or two.

[Aaron]

In the history of LARPing there is always an IC response to OOC actions... missing games could mean you saved yourself from getting kill in a plot that took 3 months to do... lucky you... This happens all over the place... and people who get a different response for not having the commitment level... will just have to deal with the IC consequences.

However, doing things to an Ambassador is a whole lot different then a Lone Wolf... as it has IC repercussions from me too... as I have NPC packs out there...

Hope this illuminates stuff for ya,

Cheers,

Aaron

[Phalanx of the Child]

Very good point Aaron. I guess if you choose to be a Lone wolf you know the odds are stacked against you too.

[emperor]

I'm down with that.

[Cerberus]

Here I have a few questions and comment to add.

The lone wolfs are still either forsaken or pure right? Its not like they are neither. So how will the packs interact with them? I mean I know this is a werewolf game and killing must happen but I personally am not found of killing characters. For instance, (I know its not the same game at all...) in 3 years of playing vampire, I only killed a single character and I was defending myself. Because you see, I personally prefer ridiculizing a character and wounding him badly and sending him home for further interactions, weither good or bad, with the player. This game cannot be all about war and killing our foes or else, the luckiest and strongest will persist and the new characters will always start with the usual ammount of xp and never reach what the survivor pack will have accumulated and thus, only 1 powerful pack will stand strong and the weaker ones will share the left overs from the table.

It looks like I am straying from the subject but this is all about the survival of theese loners. How and why would they survive? Its not like they are members of the ONU or something like that. They are not peacekeepers and even if they were, why would we care? In a pack, a player will have greater chances of surviving then by himself and I also heard that forsakens and pures do not ally themselves so its not like a forsaken lone wolf could join, for the game, the forsaken pack. He would have to be on his own or else the concept of lone wolf and ambassador makes no sense. It would just be another name, an excuse, used for a player that cannot always show up to game to still be part of a pack.

And lets admit it, it's never fun to lose a character. DEAL WITH IT when it happens, weither it was stupid or not but they must have a chance to survive or else they won't see a point into coming to game. Plus they cannot be recruted (asked or forced) by the pack cause they are loners. So what would be the excuse that a pack would understand? Why would we want to attack them or to have dealings with them?

I am sorry for the terrible ammount of question. I admit I am very new to this game and concept but I'm just trying to make sense here and I'm probably not the only newby player here. I'm just debating to better understand and help other players not voicing their questions to understand as well.

[Aaron]

As unfortunately true as your posts are....

They exists simply because I allowed them to for the purpose of people able to play a role, even if they don't have a commitment level that a Pack Requires..

How would you like to wait for your pack action based on your "Warrior" and your "Shaman" working night shifts for the next 2 months... I wouldn't put you in a pack with people who are not willing to put the effort needed to play in a Pack... it just is not fair to you....

So Lone Wolves, simply exist... they contribute to the storyline however they can.... as Players you help decide their destiny... if your pack tolerates a Mongrel here or there assisting them for whatever essence you can spare them... or whatever else...

I simply do it out of Genre, to make the game system work... I may revert it again later... but for now... I want to see how it pans out.

Cheers,

Aaron

[Cerberus]

I guess it's perfectly understandable. Then it falls into our hands as players to try to be fair and not jump on them and kill them.

I guess for role playing purposes that the packs should consider them as no threat until proven so and as unworthy of joinning the pack. They should be considered in the neutral zone until proven otherwise. It's dangerous for them but at the same time, if every players do a little effort, we can make them have a good time playing the game and staying alive. Think of it as a visitor. You don't know him and you can't feel threatenned cause hes alone and you got a pack. But talking to the guy can't really hurt unless you are forsaken and he's pure and he keeps bringing up things he shoulnd. All common sense of course. Lets just try not coming down so hard on them.

[Keaira Drake]

Another thought would be that the lone wolf (or mutt just has not shown that he or she is worthy of being in a pack. What pack wants to take in someone unproven and possibly too weak to be an asset, or with too little control as to be unstable? A book series I'm reading as a similar set up. There is the pack, they are all strong contributing members, and there are mutts that can't or don't control themselves or their powers well. The truly dangerous ones (ones that endanger the pack by not hiding their nature from humans) are hunted down and killed. As long as they don't endanger the pack, and don't try to take territory, the pack leaves them be. So a mutt is nomadic, and alone, sometimes unstable, sometimes homicidal, and sometimes really smart and gentlemanly but still not suitable for a pack.

walk in light and love,
Kimberly

[Maxwell Johnson]

Why do I have a feeling that I have become the prototype lone wolf(mutt) for the game.

I think that beside of all of this we have to remember that while packs are improtand everyone is still "human". By that I mean that they have personal lives outside of the pack. Unless you have choices to cut your self off from the outside world you can be busy still with that.

But I approve of this different level of commitment to the game. And really it comes down to a player choices I can see people at different times of the year switching from "pack" to "lone wolf" depending on the comitments of the job/school/life.

[Cerberus]

There ya go everything makes sense now ;D

except for the fact that lone wolfs are unworthy of being in a pack, seeing that we hunted the poor cub on the first game cause we needed more ''soldiers''. Was he that worthy or were we not all power hungry? The answer is us being power hungry. But they theory brought by keaira is great.