X-Men: Retribution's March Newsletter - March 12th, 2006

This newsletter is posted via xmr-mush@yahoogroups.com. To join, send a
blank email to xmr-mush-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/xmr-mush/.

Alternatively, it is also posted at our forum, located at:
http://www.btvs.ca/xmr and our LJ group: xmr.

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Paradigm Shift - a word from the head-wiz
New Characters This Month
Plot Info
Site of the Month
State of the Plot
Code Updates
In the Margins - bits and bobs
Feedback Loop - your letters
Classifieds

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Paradigm Shift

Sorry this month's newsletter is so late. This month has been a crazy
one, and it seems that being busy this month isn't just affecting staff.
Our numbers have fallen a bit, but we would like to remind everyone that
RP is still out there. The important thing is to be persistent. We see a
lot of people just logging on and right back off again when they see an
empty game, only to have someone else log on and off a few minutes later.
If you're interested in RPing, try sticking around for a bit. If there's
still no RP forthcoming, why not consider running a PRP or @mail staff for
suggestions.

Games of this size tend to go through cycles. Right now we're at a bit of
a lull and staff is aware, not to worry. We'll be doing what we can to
help get our numbers back up, but there are a few things you can do to
help keep the game active in the meantime:

1) Stick around and stay active. This one probably seems obviously, but
I've witnessed a lot of people who move to greener pastures as soon as the
going gets tough, only returning once things have picked up again.
Perfectly understandable, but if you stay on the game, keep chatting, keep
seeking out RP, you can help end the dry spell that much earlier.

2) Keep sending in those logs. An active logs list is indicative of an
active game. Let's show guests and potential players what awesome RPers
we have!

3) Talk to staff. If you're feeling completely stuck and just can't find
RP, you should try @mailing *STAFF. We can provide you with tips, run
NPCs, or even kick off little scenes to help you get your character
involved in things.

4) Spread the word. Word of mouth is one of our most effective ways to
net new players. Tell your friends, put up an ad elsemu (and feel free to
post a reciprocal ad on our OtherMU* board).

5) Give us feedback. Got an idea that might help perk things up? Know of
an untapped resource where we can advertise? Let us know! Staff are
always open to feedback from players. If there's something you'd like to
explore about your character in a TP or PRP, you can send in an
application and we'll see what we can do (applications are available in
the newsfiles).

6) Be patient. We are working on it; these things just take time. If
you're not able to find RP, don't take it personally or assume it has
anything to do with you or your character. Try using @mail to set up
scenes with your friends, or take advantage of our forums to post your
schedule so that other people know when they can catch you online.

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New Characters This Month

Since I missed this section last month, these are all the characters who
have joined us since our January newsletter:

Constantin
Adam
Zoe
Rika
Jean
Hank
Kitty
Marrow
Will
Lorna
Baxter
Alex
Raghallaigh
Piotr
Warren
Scott
Mercedes

Hope I didn't miss anyone!

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Plot Info

When a Scene Becomes a PRP or TP

By and large, plots and RP are primarily player-driven on MU*s for several
reasons, one of those reasons being the fact that a MU* is open 24/7 and
staff are not. Considering most games don’t have a 1:1 or even a 1:2 staff
to player ratio, staff are usually outnumbered on the WHO list by players.
If they are online, they cannot sit and run scenes for every single person
online, as much as they might like to do so. And then there is the
timezone issue lumped into RL obligations such as work, school, family,
sleep, etc., and it’s easy to see why staff are not going to be available
at all times to run scenes and keep the playerbase amused.

As such, players are pretty much left to their own devices most days to
find ways of amusing themselves and those they roleplay (RP) with within
the scope of the theme and rules. The problem is that ‘drinking in a
tavern, watching the wizards and dwarves (or in our case, mutants) walk
by’ gets dull and boring rather quickly. Players are left with an
increasingly difficult job of making things ‘interesting’.

Now, nine times out of ten, they can just come up with an interesting
scenario for themselves and a few others, causing relatively localized
mischief and this will be enough. These are more like personal scenes and
usually involve some kind of interplay between characters, building on
their relationships or on tasks given to them by other characters or even
staff. These are probably the most common type of scene on most MU* games.

However, XMR has things set up so that players may take a more active
storytelling role, if they wish it. Player Run Plots (PRPs) and TinyPlots
(TPs) are set up in such a way that players may apply to staff to run
larger scale events than just running into friends at the local mall.

The PRP is essentially “a small, localized plot or event run by any
volunteering player”, according to ‘news policy prp’. Examples given in
the news file include “parties hosted by a character, a movie premiere, a
rally or parade, concert in the park, speechifying in a public
place…etc.”. These are not meant to be large, arching plots, but perhaps
one-night scenes or two-night scenes, essentially. The guidelines and
application procedures for PRPs can be found in the news file ‘news policy
prp’. These are not major, IC world-changing events. For that, we’ll look
at TPs.

The news files state that “TPs are events that happen on the game that
change the scope of our IC world. A TP can be something as small as a few
characters getting together for a pre-arranged confrontation or as large
as an arcing and on-going story that touches nearly every player on the
grid.” It goes on to state that these are primarily run by staff but that
players are welcome to run them, understanding that staff will keep a
close eye on things. These are larger arching than PRPs and have a larger
effect on the IC world around the characters.

With those two explanations in mind, we’re going to consider the question
“when does a scene become a PRP or TP?”

This is a tough call, in truth, so only guidelines or suggestions can be
given for this case. But if you find yourself needing powerful NPCs such
as police, EMS staff, angry mobs, etc., that’s probably the first sign
that your scene is no longer a scene but a PRP or TP of some sort. If
you’re just RPing dancing at a dance club, it’s not likely to be ‘plot
material’, unless it’s a personal plot, which is not what we’re talking
about. If you’re trying to rob the Federal Reserve Bank, however, this
might fall into the PRP or TP category.

As there really is a fine line in figuring this out, but if you start to
feel that your scene has become ‘something big’, you should probably page
staff or pause and @mail *PLOT and wait for our feedback on what direction
the RP is going. Please remember to review ‘news policy prp’, ‘news policy
tp’ and ‘news policy npc’ (recently updated, in fact, to include about
police, EMS, mobs, etc.) and keep these in the back of your head. If
you’re unsure where your RP is leading and whether or not it falls into a
PRP or TP zone, just drop us a line, and definitely pause and call in
staff if you find you’re needing more interactive NPCs than just
‘background fillers’.

Hope this helps!
Alice – Plot Wiz

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Site of the Month

This month's site was suggested by Alice.

Cerebro Guide to the X-Men:
http://www.cerebrosxmen.com/cgx/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=3

Here you can find summaries on many of the characters, blueprints for the
X-Men, sketches, a large gallery of X-images, TV show episode listings, a
forum, actor listings for the movies, e-Cards, fan art and fan fics,
downloadable avatars for forums, and more.

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State of the Plot

~ Currently Playing ~

Over the last month, we have had the following plots spring up on the grid:

“Bringing in the Ox”

Synopsis:

The Chinese new year (year of the Ox) was celebrated in Chinatown and all
over the world this month. Unfortunately, New York City’s celebrations
were marred with accidents, riots and protests, and threats of violence.
Mutant activity in the middle of Chinatown has some of the public nervous,
scared and even angry. This lead to angry protesters breaking up the
Lantern Festival prematurely to wave anti-mutant signs, throw rocks and
parade their own puppets through the streets: mannequins on sticks with
“Mutie” written on signs around their necks and nooses around their necks.
Tensions are riding high, lending urgency to efforts to push the MRA
through. There are still anti-MRA campaigners, however, who are working to
hold off the coming of what they call “a huge socio-political mistake”.

Side-Note:

This introduced new areas on the grid in Chinatown: House of Xiao and
Lee’s Dim Sum Restaurant.

How To Get Involved:

If you wish to follow-up on anything specific from this plot, please feel
free to @mail *PLOT (in caps, not lowercase) for more information. Do you
wish to go down and help fix some of the property damage? Volunteer in one
of the establishments? Go down there and try to talk to people in a
neighborhood meeting about how mutants are good or need to be locked away?
Go down and cause more trouble? Let us know.

Things to Remember in RP:

Tensions are rising between mutant-supporters and anti-mutant groups.
Tensions are rising on the streets. And currently, Chinatown seems to be a
hotbed of anger right now. Keep in mind that if you are RPing in Chinatown
as a mutant and publicly show off your powers, Bad Things (tm) may happen.
If this is the case, please contact plot staff for aid in your scene
either to run NPCs or to decide ramifications / after-effects.


~ On The Horizon ~

“Rising Tensions”

Synopsis:

With the recent riot and protest in Chinatown, public tensions are rising
regarding the “mutant issue”, as many in the public are convinced of the
danger of mutants, giving credence to the Mutant Registration Act. Ever
does the threat of the MRA hang over the heads of all mutants. There is
some hope for mutants, however, as some people fight for mutants on
several fronts, including legal, political, economic and social levels.
Some provide havens for mutants. Others use political clout to fight the
MRA being passed. And still others merely offer kindness where kindness
may be rare.

Where will you fall in all of this? Whose side are you on? Are mutants
dangerous and in need of being in some kind of database or registry? Or
are they merely people who have been born with different capabilities who
can be good people just as any human and who must make choices whether
they will use their powers for justice or with criminal intent (like any
non-mutant who decides whether to buy a gun to rob a store or use a gun in
the military).

How To Get Involved:

Are you anti-mutant? Do you wish to support the MRA? If so, then how are
you going to contribute to getting it passed? Or are you going to work on
a smaller scale, trying to bully mutants out of your neighborhoods?
Perhaps you are a mutant or mutant-supporter. Are you offering a haven for
mutants? Are you a politician who thinks that setting up this Mutant
Registration Act will only lead to human injustices against those who
happened to be born differently and will fight it? Will you help prove the
worth of mutants? Or will you sabotage anti-mutant efforts?

Whatever your stance, put it into play on the grid. If things are a larger
scale or might be illegal in nature or might need NPCs, police, media,
etc., drop *PLOT a @mail and let us know what you intend to do or how we
might help you out, even if it’s just running some NPCs to witness what
your character does.

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Code Updates

A little toy Cupid was added for a little Valentine's Day flavour. He's
still kicking around, so take a look at the Code bboard if you want to
have a bit of out-of-season fun with your MU* friends. I will be taking
him down soon, so make use of him while you can!

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In the Margins

Adam and Jean are currently tied for top +salutes with 25 salutes each.
Congrats to both of you! Keep up the good work.
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No one has changed the +thought in over a month!
To set your own +thought, see '+help thought'
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+roster stats as of March 12th
- Xavier's: 10 members
- Brotherhood: 5 members
- X-Men: 2 members
- Independent: 7 member
We have 33 approved characters.
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+birthdays for March:
Kitty: March 1, 1993
Rahne: March 22, 1995
Brianna: March 31, 1988

+birthdays for April:
No birthdays set!

See '+help birthday' to set your IC birthday.
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We've had 24 logs submitted to the list for February.
Keep sending 'em in and let's see how many we can get for March!
You can view our logs here: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/xmr-logs/
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We've given out a total of 150 +tokens so far. You can earn +tokens by
sending in logs and participating in RP! We'll also be offering periodic
challenges to earn more tokens.

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Feedback Loop

In the future, this will be a space for you to have your say. You can ask
questions or give opinions and they will be addressed here also by staff.
We will strive to include every question and opinion, but may need to
withhold or edit some for content or to reduce repetition. If your
question is not addressed here, you may always contact staff for a private
answer.

To submit a question, @mail or email (paradigm@...) Paradigm,
with the words 'Feedback Loop' in the subject line.
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We haven't yet received any feedback on our newsletter. Please feel free
to write in and let us know what you think. Is there anything that should
be included that isn't? Do you find it useful or no? Any changes you
propose in light of the reopening?

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Classifieds

In the future, this will be a space for players to post classifieds. You
can submit birthday wishes or other such greetings for specific players,
put out ads for characters/concepts you'd like to see played, bring
attention to sites or other games, or any other myriad messages.

To submit a classified ad, @mail or email (paradigm@...)
Paradigm, with the words 'Newsletter Classifieds' in the subject line.
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No classifieds submitted yet.