How to Increase Gug's Desirablity

[Illysia]

Hello everybody. I was wondering if you had any suggestions on what would make Gugrontid a more desirable place for RP?

I was considering designating a door in the tavern as leading to rooms and making it more of an Inn. I figured ICly having a place to stay in the city would help, but I'm sure there are more factors that contribute to people not hanging around ICly. Would having areas or buildings marked as different kinds of merchants help? It's unlikely to get any new NPCs in the city. Or, maybe have certain areas made to look like they are meant for a specific activity like the workout area in the arena? Any ideas?

[LigH]

Regular presence ... easier said than done. Knowing to expect someone there rather reliably will be the best attraction.

[Illysia]

True, but at the same you need people to regularly come to the tavern to convince players to hang around and "work" at the tavern. This is one of the reasons I wonder about how to convince players to hang around the city. Part of the reason you get people in Kada's is because it is the tavern in the city where the players have been the whole time.

[bilbous]

Encouraging people to play kran characters might help. Filling up the kran city with other races sort of goes against the kran's somewhat xenophobic stand-offish general nature unless that has been edited out of their description too. Were they not previously defined to be rather more solitary than the other races?

[cdmoreland]

I'm having the same problem with the RCD. Although we have some turnout at scheduled events, just opening has been real iffy for anyone showing up. Add to that that there are very few online most of the time.

[Rigwyn]

Focus on "interesting" and "wonder"

Show through rp that krans are terribly interesting, deep, insightful and intelligent.

Hold a secret, have an spread rumors, hide something, and son't ever reveal it - only tease about revealing it at most.

People will play if they are interested enough.

[Sen]

Above all, it's also up to the players to check the Stonehead and RCD and maybe even stay there for a bit, before they start to ponder what to do ingame.
With that, I foremost address myself.

[Illysia]

Encouraging people to play kran characters might help. Filling up the kran city with other races sort of goes against the kran's somewhat xenophobic stand-offish general nature unless that has been edited out of their description too. Were they not previously defined to be rather more solitary than the other races?

I don't know how I would go about encouraging more kran characters but it's definitely something to look into. Gugrontid is supposed to a bustling merchant city full of other races in the books so from that standpoint I think it works. As for kran, I think they are more friendly than others now, but they remain mysterious to non kran. Enki are the really stand offish ones I think.

I'm having the same problem with the RCD. Although we have some turnout at scheduled events, just opening has been real iffy for anyone showing up. Add to that that there are very few online most of the time.

Yeah, it's always been a problem with the player run areas. Do you make sure to keep announcing in gossip that you are open? Or maybe stick a book or map or something on the outside that says, "we're open."

Focus on "interesting" and "wonder"

Show through rp that krans are terribly interesting, deep, insightful and intelligent.

Hold a secret, have an spread rumors, hide something, and son't ever reveal it - only tease about revealing it at most.

People will play if they are interested enough.

This is probably the most likely thing to work. Thanks Rig. Now the question is how would I do that with an enki character and keep it within settings? Something afoot among the kran in the city would probably work but it would be me making stuff up at that rate. And, how would I keep it up since I am not constantly in game? Not to mention it takes effort to serve people while there. I would really need an assistant on at the same time to really push this one forward.

Above all, it's also up to the players to check the Stonehead and RCD and maybe even stay there for a bit, before they start to ponder what to do ingame.
With that, I foremost address myself.

That's a bit hard outside of some timezones as I think it's only me, Solita, and Zalya actively working there right now. Players like you probably aren't often on when someone is at the Stonehead. However, people are always welcome to hangout by the fire and talk among themselves even if there is no staff. We even have a few more books to read, and as I when I can get it finished, I hope to introduce a new dice game there as well.

[Pierre]

Along the lines of Sen's comment, logging from one of the pubs helps a lot.  I like starting from a pub and going back to the pub when I'm going to leave (I used to do it all the time, now my pub is the pit, but not for long).  It makes it easy to catch RP, just to listen in, which I like, and also to join.

Illysia, I think announcing in gossip is very helpful.  Even if people don't run over there that moment, it keeps it in the mind that the Stonehead is alive and well and a good place to go.

[Illysia]

Hm. I hadn't thought about that but logging near taverns is an interesting thought.

With gossip I try to remember to keep announcing that it is open as not everyone will see it if I only say it is open once. However, I know that there are plenty of people that don't use gossip for various reasons. For people who are against using Gossip, there are two channels, "LFRP" and "RP" that I auto join on Illy to keep an eye out for people who might be looking for RP. I don't usually see anyone in either, but if people wanted to join them instead of gossip I could also make announcements there too.

[Rigwyn]

Hmm.. To me, krans are just huge stone morons with little to say about anything. I've never really been that interested in them and so never really gave the topic much thought. If I were to make an interesting kran, I might start out by thinking about what its like to be a kran. What sort of things might they think about, what unique perspectives might they have on things. How is being kran different from being human or enki? They might do certain things secretly - in the presence of kran only, or have a strange mutual understanding of one another that might creep the non-kran out.

Personally, I would avoid the "big, strong, dumb" stereotype and go with "highly intelligent, different, and mysterious."

Good luck.

[Illysia]

Well, fortunately all of that kinda of stuff is now in the kran books, but the part most likely to even remotely pull others in is kran relationships. That would take more kran to work out. But I suppose I can try to rework my kran mule into a character for such a thing. Maybe... I guess it will give me something to do when I don't quite feel up to serving.

[Aramara Meibi]

we used to announce Den openings with a shout in main and in gossip. That'd usually draw a few people in.

[Volki]

I don't go to Gug because there isn't anything fun to do in Gug. All you can really do is talk to other players, climb on stuff, or fall to your death. I always end up doing the latter. 

[Illysia]

Being in Hydlaa does have its advantages since there will always be at least someone in the city but shouting in main in Gug doesn't help as much. However, the RCD also has flyers about town doesn't it? Maybe I should work up some fliers as well for the Stonehead.

As for falling, climbing will lead to that. But perhaps more interesting things to do at ground level might be of use. It's actually a bit of a shame there aren't more buildings down below the keep.