The Uber Blog

I've had this thing on my mind since that last RTQ with Libe that got me thinking a lot. And what's better than blogs to post rambling thought in the faint hope someone will read and find interesting? Let's try to get a discussion rolling.

So there was little Libe, that evilly cute girl who was leading a bunch of players to Lerilin. And there was a bored GM - who we shall name "C." not to give them away - who decided to log on Svek and cross the players path. Instantly of course, the players kindly offered him to take the walk with them, which he politely declined and walked away.
I wonder what the players thought at this time... Were they like "Oh well, not sure what happened here", or like "Damn, I feel like we missed something", or simply "Hey, was good to see him again!"... At that moment we kind of all wondered what was Svek doing.

Then C logged off Svek and simply told us "He was walking around, he met the players. Nothing more. QChars have a life too, outside of RTQs" (that wasn't an exact quote but accurate enough to get his point going). That made me think, a lot. Qchars have lives outside RTQs. Well of course... Or... Do they?

I can only remember one QChar for whom this statement was true, and that was Zexe. He was the only one I'd log on for no other purpose than "hanging out" in Mirith chatting with the players. Always IC, obviously, and while it always ended up with us talking about Mirith, its protection, its threats, and the current IC trend, players after a while (I think...) stopped assimilating Zexe with RTQ. Surely he was around when Mirith needed help, but his appearance wouldn't mean there was or would be a RTQ going on anymore. Was it the reason he was so universally loved? I never managed to get that feeling with any other QChar. He was my daily fix. Or something.

There was a time when seeing a QChar pop on your screen would instantly trigger the RTQ red light. Players warning each others on iChat or by other means, and after a few minutes an eager crowd waiting for the fight to begin. "I am therefor I RTQ", and not the other way around. I cannot exist if I don't RTQ. Sorry Tigg, sorry Anderson, you won't get a break.

Lately I've seen some trying to come back to the old Zexe thing. I've seen QChars popping around for no other mean than talking with the players. Marali officers, senators, Ciddia Tigg taking reports and discussing about the future with players, then walking away. Each time I couldn't help but thinking the players were waiting for a RTQ to happen. "GMs are online, Qchars are online, something's going to happen!". A few times I've actually seen a crowd staying for a few minutes after said QChar left, then eventually leaving with a "well, looks like nothing is going to happen anymore, I'm off".

I'm thinking down the road now. I'd love to have another Zexe hanging around Mirith which players wouldn't always follow around - I do remember those times I'd simply walk by the bank, go like "*waves*", and players would greet Zexe and let him walk away. Would that happen again now?
I've been receiving great help and seen GMs willing to show players QChars live a life, that they are here, available, not only for RTQs. Not everyone is a King Galandir living secluded in their castle room. But then again, don't we like to have those red RTQ lights? How many times did we "log on a QChar and show up, see how many players connect, and see if can get that RTQ rolling"? What would happen if that stopped (I reckon players would still log on when QChars are around, but obviously much less), would we have to launch the RTQ anyway, and tune it down because only 4 players showed up? *shrugs*

Food for thoughts, as we say.