"Good Game"

[Wired]

Looking back, tell me about a time when you had "good game."

A time when you felt you were really in the flow of a story/RP and were hitting on all cylinders.

I'll share some of mine, but you first.

[Peregrinus]

Three major instances come to mind for me.

The first was the original DM Shade Wednesday Knights, one of the first weekly groups and all the RP and storylines that entailed. That laid a strong RP foundation for Phelan and created friendship he still considers central to himself. This led directly into...

The leadup to and the events surrounding the saving the Prince when he was laid low by Zumen's Spear. There was all sorts of RP, various factions involved and lots of regular DM events. This is when Phelan really came into his own as a character and when a lot of interesting politicking and RP went down. There was some aftermath fallout that eventually hurt, and then some trolls came around who should have been banned early but weren't that burned me out on Dasaria for nigh on two years, but the times before then were probably the best time on Dasaria for me. Lots of character development for Phelan, its when he met his wife as his apprentice, when he began developing his actual vision for the future and when his character was tried.

The last period I felt really engaged was the Mistress plotline up to the introduction of the Talon Commander. It was a point where I could play Phelan as a mature character, as a leader in his own right rather than as a second to someone, where he was an expert on matters. This was when I felt that Phelan as a character had reached a bit of a peak in role and responsibility. This period ended when a troll returned who should have been banned in beta, and when Phelan's role as leader was supplanted by an NPC, which pretty much undercut all the RP for the character and began a slow decline of interest for me. It should also be noted that this is a period of regular engagement with the DMs, regular events that drove the story home, and give and take between various PC factions and stroke/counterstroke between the PCs and the Mistress.

Pretty much all my memorable periods of engagement involve regular scheduled DM interaction, working with multiple people and groups towards a common goal, and dynamic interaction with the campaign where players could make some progress towards their goals rather than have to go along with a rote script.

[Cypher]

My most memorable Good Game moments are the large battles outside Morell, the Grove, the Temple of Culnul, and the Dakhen Plague.

The Battle of Morell shaped Ward as a character and earned him his only friend. It was also my first experience with PvP in NWN2. The Canites were really a force to be reckoned with back then, with Marrent, Bart, and co.

The Battle of the Grove happened only slightly after Aedrick had joined the Canites and was a real adrenaline-pumping, action-fueled, brain-busting fight with massive spells, lots of factions, plotting, and evil chanting. I felt like I had a vested interest in seeing my faction win because the outcome of the battle would have lasting in-game consequences.

It was at the sacking of Temple of Culnul that Aedrick acquired his more grand motives, and his relationships with others took hold. Apart from that one inadvertent Storm of Vengeance that ultimately crashed the server, seeing so many players join forces against one Canite priest and dozens of monsters was epic. Regardless of the outcome of the battle and the loss of the in-city temple, that's one of my favorite moments.

And lastly, my greatest individual accomplishment on the server was the weeks-long event of the Dakhen Plague and the RP leading up to, and after, it. I think Wired's custom-made disease that spread on a character's proximity to others was the greatest thing I've encountered in Dasaria. It was also a pleasant change of pace to RP to just converse with players of opposing factions, rather than PvP confrontations or hostile negotiations.

[Wired]

The Dakhen Plague really stands out for Aedrick for me.

Consequently it's one of my faves too.

I think you drove a lot of that and maybe I riffed of of you more than anything else.

[Wired]

I think Phelan really shined during the whole Argentum-Daybreak schism. On the one hand, you played him to type; on the other you really broke him through from I-thought-of-him-this-way to others-think-of-him-this-way and took him to a new level.

Interesting that the taking of the Dracolich Eorodraca doesn't pop though, that was one of my faves with you and Falcon and Atharin as the original AV. Maybe I was overconfident...was sure you'd all die a miserable death and I'd be done with you bastards forever... but there was a bunch of fireworks and five minutes of lag and then my poor Dracolich was gone!

=======

I don't mean to comment on every post... I might/might-not (even) if I was part of it. I do want to hear from everybody on THEIR moment and what it meant to THEM.

[Iduna]

Even though I haven't been here a year yet, I do have a few things that stand out for me. First, and most importantly, the overall feeling of community is what really appealed to me. Because of the smaller player base, I could actually get to know and talk to my fellow players and feel like I was a part of something special. The friendships that have begun here, are friendships that I hope to carry with me for many years to come.

Secondly, the meeting of Darion and Weslea, then their subsequent romance. The depth of these two characters blew me away from the first day that they met, and I've been addicted ever since. I initially had a vision for Weslea in my mind, when I made her, but the roleplay with Darion/Crimson took it to levels I did not think was possible. Never have I seen two characters merge together so completely and it is absolutely beautiful.

Then there is Klementina and Milan. Oh gods are they so much fun to play. They are so devious and evil, and some might even suspect it, but the true depths of their darkness is largely unknown; IC'ly, that is. I want to thank Kell for her part in creating this super-evil couple. The level of psychosis she brings to the table for Milan is truly epic, and is amazing to play off of. I really look forward to we, as a community, can moving past these difficulties so Kell and I can see how far we can take these two characters and what chaos we can sow.

Finally, Quinn. There is not one defining moment for her, but is more of a journey that has taken her to where she is today. She started off as a shy, innocent, and naive ex-slave, and is now a strong and confident woman who is making a place for herself in this crazy world. It started with Seth's simple creation of a nobleman looking for a bard to entertain his guests at a party, and grew to her becoming said nobleman's skald. Through Reina's constant support, Celestia's amazing friendship, her past with Zeo, and her future with Ardaion, I'm very proud of where she is. My favorite moments with her include Seth's nobleman plot, Odin's plot with Pyka, and her going up against the Magnus Order (I'm still scared for her with that one). While she has had her ups and downs, she has grown so much in the ten months she's been in existence and I look forward to seeing how far she can go.

[Domina]

Humm. I think my favorite moments were really varied when it came to DM vs Player driven stories.
I have three that I will go over in short.

1) One of my fave experiences is working with a DM to put on a show that helps others become immersed in their own task at the time. One of these is when Gozer took several people into a dream world and I was used as a means to draw out different aspects of each character which they had to confront. A dramatic and dynamic immersion that several spoke of for days after.

2) Another in general is having to do role play with certain restrictions. This varies on several occasions which differ from how a relic works, how playing a character's more "odd" restricted features, knowing when certain things activate, and so forth.
I like things that make me work within a restriction 70% of the time because it helps me as a player focus on where I need to.

"Restraint is the quality of holding yourself back and implementing something which solves the problem in the simplest way possible. Oftentimes artists want to show off, imprint their own identity on a piece of work or simply get carried away, producing work that is good but losing simplicity and elegance in the process."

To me knowing what I can and cant do with something helps me focus on these aspects and more on creating an identity with my characters that players and DMs alike could fall in love with. I can create work that has a certain elegance and is recognizable.

3) And finally one of the things I love is having just the random as hell RPs. DM or non DM involvement. I like being surprised! I like feeling as if I need to be on caution in a WORLD FILLED WITH WAR AND ENEMIES. Cel throws parties, has 1 on 1 time with people, encourages people to fight the good fight, solves personal issues no matter what size because i have had the chance to build that identity with direct RP with you all! Then sometimes DMs show up with Canites (Wired ) and the fight is on! Or a mystery in the plot is opened or just...Roggins throwing out a drunk guest in the Misty.

So all in short (TL;DR)
I love all the stories i'm in, but I favor Restrictions, like the unexpected, and enjoy any attention wither its DM or Player chars.

Push the boundaries!
Dare to suck! (Writing abilities and such will improve in time, I promise! I learned!)
Dare the DMs!
Challenge others!
Challenge yourself! (I enjoy kicking cel's arse personally)
And finally...HAVE BLOODY FUN!

[Peregrinus]

Interesting that the taking of the Dracolich Eorodraca doesn't pop though, that was one of my faves with you and Falcon and Atharin as the original AV. Maybe I was overconfident...was sure you'd all die a miserable death and I'd be done with you bastards forever... but there was a bunch of fireworks and five minutes of lag and then my poor Dracolich was gone!

The leadup to and the events surrounding the saving the Prince when he was laid low by Zumen's Spear.

The taking of Eurodraca was a part of the events surrounding saving the Prince. That entire plotline was something like six months long, and is in my top three Dasaria moments. Also, Kadmiel missed the fight with Eurodraca. Those who took his head were Raeflyn, Phelan, Edana, Amelia, and I think Shroud and Hyel. Amelia and Edana pinned down Eurodraca while Raeflyn destroyed its philactary, once that was destroyed Phelan and Hyel burned it down. That and then the ritual to save the Prince with all the interpersonal drama and the start of the AV/Daybreak schism were the climaxes of that storyline. For me at least.

[Kell]

I had good game evertime I could look back with other players and conclude that we all had fun. Be that with or without DMs. I had good game, when I found myself completely wrapped up in a storyline, encouraged by other players who gave me the opportunity to play with them, because I consider it quite an honor when someone allows me to play my character fully, the way they are intended to be.

Every single story I write is proof of good game, because writing means that I am inspired by what happens ingame. It's the interpersonal relationships and the psychology that draws me to roleplaying; I am thoroughly intrigued by what makes others tick and how their minds work and I love it when others allow me to bounce my toons off of theirs. I may make my own toons, but it is their responses that shape them. I'm very grateful when people allow me to do that together with them, because it requires a certain acceptance, trust and friendship to be able to do that. And then, when we can play through it all and explore those depths together, man.. that's amazing..

There have been a few events like that, but I mostly simply remember the players (DM or not). I think you know who you are. I love you guys. I've learned so much from just being around you.

That's my sort of good game.

Unfortunately, I don't think that's anything any DM can work with. These sort of relationships are built by interaction. Sorry.

[rohenna]

Wow, so many amazing moments for me.

The biggest one I think has been the day the regiments were created. Weeks of RP rolled off that one. Also the Grove - both the destruction and resurrection, formed a huge part of Shayde's path. The changes in the Ravenwood were exciting. The Drakhen plague was BRILLIANT. In fact, I'd say that is probably top of my list. (Who would have thought RPing illness could be THAT awesome?)

Once Wired turned Shayde into stone and kindly allowed a pigeon to poop on her while frozen in that state. Loved it

The times when we would all meet at Knightshome to discuss some great strategy, and characters would clash, argue, debate and cooperate, all in the name of character/story development. Anytime something server wide happened, how factions would come together and there would be tension and breakthroughs.

The romance of Kadmiel and Shayde gave me/Shayde the opportunity to learn a lot of the history and lore of the server in a way that would otherwise have taken me MANY months, and the RP between them and Maeve was generally very enjoyable, related to the bigger campaign, and exciting. Shayde's ideals were cemented in talks with Kadmiel in particular. Shayde's potential drinking problems were cemented in all night binges with Maeve in the Daris Forest.

I adored the Shayde and Sam romance from the moment they met on the beach at Sheppard's Landing within a few weeks of me starting here, and the undercurrents and longings and tensions and RP battle of wills between them that ensued. It was a beautiful, poignant, sad and romantic love story that was impossible to walk away from. Our characters were often transformed within the space of an hour, and there were few limits on RP, allowing us complete creative freedom. I took to calling it "RP Alchemy" as you never knew what was going to happen within our sessions, regardless of whether there were two or twelve of us RPing. Breakfast at Reina's was always either laughter inducing or a tear jerker. It wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but I loved it, and COME BACK ALTHALUS!

RP with RW was always a joy. Once Shayde and Karis spent an hour RPing about manicures. Sounds frivolous but it was really witty, subtle and sensational.

The time Cel and Shayde had that reeeeeally awkward chat about Darion. The time Darion went dark and evil and Sam, Shayde, Zo and Karis went after him. Powerful stuff.

Storylines with Cel, Reina, Zo'art, Click - RP friendships and bonds formed, developed, and all transformational RP that helped create Shayde as she stands now.

The clash between Thayne Rhaz and Shayde was fantastic. It drew everyone in and had me and Karma sitting OOC going "OMG...this is amazing...i have no idea whats going to happen next!" It gave a lot of people their own storylines and parts in our clash, and it was all the more fun because I adore Karma IRL.

Sahji et al were always wonderful to deal with, inclusive and creative. I really loved the Masked Ball RP in the forums as well, and would gladly participate in something like that again.

This server gave me back my imagination, my creative writing bug, a bit of hope in a fairly dark time in my life. I love this place, and try as I might, I can't settle in anywhere else and always end up back here.

Thanks Wired, the DM team, all the players. More please.

(I think I just took over this thread lol, but really, there are more "good game" moments than I can count here without you all throwing your hands in the air and yelling "shut up Roh!")

[Outbreak1992]

I imagine there are a people here who aren't fond on my style of RP as I always try to strive for realism and enjoy the grim dark side of Dasaria life however I have some epic times in the past... The good... The Bad... And the ugly.

Xarion has always been my main character and even though he has done so pretty horrible things, he has been pleasant and I have surprisingly enjoy playing him as a bit of a good guy... Anti hero if you like. So my first memorable good game has to be when Xarion got thrown into the **** storm that was known as Pyka, with Xarion battling himself throughout, knowing what he should do and what he was actually going to do. That storyline I reckon had quite an impact on Xarion as a person, as he has always been a bit of a lone gun (Let's say sword) and has never been one for teamwork however in that environment he had to quickly adapt and work out his enemies and allies, alot of information thrown at him from various players... I felt bit like Eddard Stark in Kings Landing... Dangerous times. This time put Xarion in some strange situations which he never thought he would be in and surprisingly even made some friends... Strange world.

So believe it or not... That was the good... Now he is the bad... This has to be one of my most enjoyable times in my time here and that was when the Canites were going strong, we just built the church and fort Phazzen and we held a tournament for Lord Aers, Xarion eventually coming out top (His reputation saved as Deathspeaker ) before moving onto our guest... Darion who then got tortured, wererat bites... Lose of a finger I think... (You get the idea) Then them pesky kids which you call Relites came in and saved him... Then Xarion got in **** because Darion had escaped.

Now for the ugly... Whilst this story never saw an end I did have a lot of fun to begin with before Xarion became a constable, I regard to his brief time as the masked man, a time when Xarion was looking to build a criminal empire and had already started to kidnap and torture characters, to achieve his goals of suprememe crime lord I have to thank Skunky there for the unfortunate torture sessions of Lena Dawn.

[Arkalezth]

I had good game evertime I could look back with other players and conclude that we all had fun. Be that with or without DMs.

This. You don't need a DM and a huge party in an overcomplicated, high fantasy, world-changing megaevent in order to have a great time. For that reason (and because I'm sure I'd forget about others, even though I haven't been here for as long as some players), I wasn't going to give any examples, but I'll mention just a few from the top of my head in case it helps others get ideas:

- Player-driven events in the style of "The Adventurers' Guild" or "The Circle" factions. Those are simple and enjoyable, not requiring anything else than a handful of players, and often have a "classic DnD" feeling to them. If a DM is on and can add some sauce to it (like Seth did a couple of weeks ago with an orc-hunt event), great, but it's not a necessity.

- Sigrid's spiritual sessions. It's been a while and I'd like to play more of those. For the most part, they were run between Sigrid and another PC (it was done for several players, but no DMs except once), and they made me feel like I was really RPing my class. I mention those "events" because it may apply to other classes (i.e. wizards can experiment, fighters can train, clerics can... pray, or give sermons or something). In other words, RP your job. Another good and recent example of this is when Sigrid healed Tina (no the only thing that happened that day, though), where I had the opportunity of being medically creative (like using orcish beer mixed with Teshalian incense as an anesthetic) instead of just casting a healing spell and be done with it.

Of course, Sigrid's trial was also great and epic, but it required DM help (thanks, Odin) and it was a very personal event where other PCs played a supporting role.

- The lectures in the Bard's Academy were also original and interesting, and a good way to learn more of the lore.

- The most important event for my characters (and which I enjoyed throughfully; thanks Sabre) was probably the one where Tharwulf searched for Sigrid when she was enslaved. I didn't have that background in mind when I created Tharwulf; it was all made up and improvised during a conversation with another character (so count that as "good game" too). I liked the events that came out of that because they featured a variety of situations: some days the focus was investigation, others it was fighting, there were some unlikely alliances, disguising, etc (not to mention pirates and explosions!), all while being completely unrelated to the main plot with Canas and co for a change. And even if my character was technically the protagonist, I tried to include a number of other players, and I think I managed to involve most of them with a role in the plot, rather than just tagging along with the main character.

I could put a lot more examples, but I've already written way more than I had planned. All in all, I guess I'm mostly an "adventuring RPer", to put it in some way. A bit of tavern talk and chit chat is fine here and there, but I can't go at it for hours. I have nothing against those who can, so take this as the joke it is and not as a critic or anything like that, but in my case, it's like Homer Simpson told Mel Gibson about his film: "All you did was yak, yak, yak. You didn't even shoot anybody."

[triangles]

Click/Naq's early brattish days. She was always surrounded by Wogs willing to let things slide. Loki also let me trade a bunch of wolf pelts for a wagon wheel.

[Karma]

I really like this thread.

Dasaria has a special place to a Karma. I had a lot of drama and fallout from old rivalries and misunderstandings from old servers and I stayed away from Nwn after being addicted to it for years. Rohenna convinced me to return, and tentatively, I did. I came to Dasaria. This world she had raved about at me for about 8 months before I took heed.

I am egotistical, confrontational, and a bit bold in my writing, I know. But Thayne finally came to being. A archetype I had been trying at for years. I always tried too hard to be a bad guy and it came off so cheesy Micheal Bay wouldn't even make a movie with me. But I came to Das, and everything clicked.

Day One Thayne and Shayde had this poignant rivalry established. Like all rp with people like Roh, it came together effortlessly. And then more and more people came into the picture for me. Babys Tahl was the Morticia to my Gomez, a romance that unfolded and showed me more depth to the characters then I imagined could exist. The way he and Phelan have always danced around each other, boding resentment yet respect. Seeking advantage and a hand over one another... For me one of the best moments on Das was when I started hearing from people how much they liked the Character. I was finally being successful as a villain. People enjoyed the Rp. That in itself was extremely rewarding and unlike what I've seen on other servers. and all in all Thaynes times on Das will always hold a special place in my heart. From the Conflict within the Temple of Lochwar while simultaneously trying to make it successful, to the kidnapping plots and the time Thayne wrecked a man for disrespecting his woman, or people treating women badly in most regards... Its been a hell of a ride.

Another moment I look on fondly is the way Marrs story unfolded. All the support from the other players and their characters, and playing up the Thayne/Marr troubles and trying to get the same characters to play against both of my characters. It was a curious challenge. The way with Marr I could just be me, and how easily he made friends, though people were apprehensive of his oddness. He spent a lot of time with Lilliana and she saved him entirely, I must give her credit, because the story of them is another powerful story of understanding, compassion and forgiveness.

I made Calian on a whim of playing a Caster finally and he feels to me like one of my most successful characters. I pointedly play him with little quirks that people tend to overlook but the first time he met Phelan, and shook his had with the left instead of right. I will always remember how he reacted, and how the whole scene played out. I enjoyed the moments when Calian would do something unexpected and surprise people. I had always hoped he would feel like a wildcard people couldn't predict.

Some other moments that stand out were the Meeting in Ravenswatch to discuss dealing with "Bishop" Minuvas. The way Thayne worked so hard to do what he felt was right, and how well it was received. It took me a long time to figure out to play a villain, the character must feel like he is justified and doing what he is for the "Right reasons" or it just doesn't work and seems like evil for the sake of evil (which, honestly seems like lazy writing)

I adore you guys and gals, and the stories we have shared. Someday my kids will be regaled with those stories

[Atharin]

Das2 in my mind will always be, largely, about the Aucklorn Mill RP, with a bunch of players who are unfortunately no longer around. SORRY Y'ALL

I also fondly remember the Daybreak assault on a Ji-Lyn-occupied Ravenswatch and camping out in the Ravenswood Forest of Daris.


Edit: And Marrent's funeral!