I really like the idea of having an open-air amphitheater (in the style of the Greeks', only significantly smaller) in Hydlaa.
To throw in my two tria and clarify some of the ideas in this thread, I'll describe what I think a good implementation of such an amphitheater would be, and why I think it's a good use of resources (grab some popcorn, it's a little lengthy):
In order to address
jaycol's valid concerns about chat interference, we would have the ampitheater in its own, small map that's adjacent to Hydlaa—similar to the Arena, but with an atrium instead of a corridor—like
jaycol himself suggested. The entrance to the amphitheater map would be in the city wall at the 'dead end' of the lower area of Hydlaa East; right next to where Uri Djho-Maat stands. When entering the atrium, one walks up a few steps and faces a wall, and can turn left or right to walk down one of the two aisles of the amphitheater. The amphitheater itself wouldn't itself be a super-structure since it would only have six or so descending rows of concrete slabs as seats (tri-sected by two aisles), and a stone platform for a stage. However, it would still have the imposing, enclosed feel of a super-structure because the city walls would encircle it. (If you go down and look at the city wall that Uri Djho-Maat stands next to, you can get a better idea of what I'm trying to convey.)
Why would this be worth working on?
- For one, like jayco mentioned, it would be great to have an urban area to roleplay performances (or other functions) that has some kind of auditory buffering from the hustle and bustle of the Hydlaa streets. True, someone could run in and start shouting incoherent garbage, but we'd be able to escort them out of the amphitheater rather than telling them to leave Hydlaa altogether, which would be absurd.
- Additionally, adding an amphitheater to Hydlaa East would add some life and striking physical features to that dead-end, and would really help flesh out the character that the quarter has of being an area of high-brow culture, learning, and government.
- Plus, adding a physical amphitheater would allow us to add all sorts of NPCs to Hydlaa in ways that make sense, such as a guard that too often neglects his post atop the city walls [encircling the amphitheater] to watch performances from above, or a quirky merchant standing next to the amphitheater's entrance who sells rotting produce (and buys the inedible waste products of players' cooking/'kitchen crafting'?).
If it's done right, there's little reason that the mechanics of RPing a performance, and the setting of the game, can't both benefit greatly from putting in an amphitheater. Like
Gavvie Strand said, just because we can RP a building doesn't mean there's no reason to build one. (Plus, nothing about having an amphitheater would keep anyone from setting up their own makeshift theaters outside of the city anyway.)
