Geas

If the Druids are to remain a guild worth playing, I understand that the code will need some serious reworking/updating. I also understand and that there is a push to transform the guild into a clergy. I have a strong bias of the Druids being less connected to a clergy system and even a God/Godess and much more connected to Twydomer. Regardless, I am one player, I am curious to know what you all think and I am more that willing to put in some time to help with a rewrite if that is an option.

having the opportunity to look into the reason why the druids were left to the side code wise... i would like to see the druids become a guild. but i think it would be best to start from scratch. i understand there are a lot of great ideas, but the code is so jumbled and confusing that to go in and sort it out would much more arduous of a task than to just create a new guild "the new druids" and delete the old "buggy druids"

my vote? keep the druids, re work them... but delete the old code.

Incorporate them into the Rangers, and form a new guild from that.

They can be like fluffy Crusaders, in tights.

I agree that I'd like to see something separate from a clergy, though I can see that they would likely have close ties to Evren. Is it necessary to maintain the pacifistic approach? I'm not sure of the exact philosophy behind that. I had always wanted to play a druid that was a fierce defender of nature.

Blizt wrote:Incorporate them into the Rangers, and form a new guild from that.

They can be like fluffy Crusaders, in tights.

hah. i'd seriously change muds.

I'd think the best way would be a ground up reworking, making the druids the active clergy of Evren in the process. Personally I think the pacifism fits Evren very well, being the goddess of life, it sort of makes sense that she wouldn't want to see her followers using death as a weapon. Though perhaps rather than full blown pacifism, there might be nothing wrong with knocking someone senseless, nature is also rather brutal after all.

I'd see them having very funky healing miracles, perhaps things like mass cure disease, stuff that sets them ahead of the Taniels in terms of healing without needing to nerf the Taniels.

Blessing would need to be looked at, if they use water like the Taniels they'd need to have the ability to summon springs either changed so it can't be used for blessing (or made very impractical) or withdrawn in favour of a different drinking type miracle. They could alternatively use blood like the Sathonites do, being that the method of sacrifice is the blood bowl. They could either cut their wrists for blessing or perhaps the bowl could dispense sacred blood.

I don't agree with the total or even majorly passive idea. Crusaders follow Taniel and Evren and both strongly.

People seem to have it in their heads that they tend to swing towards Taniel but that couldn't be further from the truth, many strong Crusaders follow Evren and care about her teachings just as much as they do Taniel.

Having said all that, Crusaders are the furthest thing from passive and Evren is the goddess of life yes, but that does not prevent her from invoking her wrath on those that intend to soil (haha soil, goddess of creation/earth) her gifts.

I know this message is not recent, but I absolutely stopped playing because of the druid situation. My character was a total pacifist and into communing with nature and all that -- but there was not any way for her to actually become a druid. I was told repeatedly that there was only one person with the authority to make anyone else a druid, but when Loni finally met her, she was told that the druid group was going to be completely ending soon and so they would not accept any new members. That was pretty much it for me, and I stopped playing altogether shortly after that.

In short, here's what I'm trying to say: either have the druids or don't. But having them there as an option that's not actually an option is really, really disheartening. Based on this post, it seems that the druids are still in limbo. I think that's probably dragged on way too long already. They need some resolution in either direction.

Why not instead of saying the guild is closing, keep it open and just make whoever joins members of whatever comes of the guild in the end?

That way... everyone wins?

I'm still fine with the original plan (create Evren Clergy as new Evren representative, keep Druids as an RP guild after some adjustments).

That being said, if there has to be only one or the other, as much as I do like the Druids and find them unique, I'd lean towards the Evren Clergy. Codewise it'd be far easier for wizards to work from the ground up than to sort through thousands of lines of code trying to find things that need to be fixed, and lorewise, it'd give them a chance to more easily tie Evren's influence into the game as desired by admins.

Wizard busyness considerations aside...

I personally always really liked the idea of the Druids. I think it really is a fantastic opportunity for a completely different kind of RP and interaction. One that my char (and as a player, of course) would really really enjoy.

That being said, I have no idea about anything to do with the playability or the non playability of the guild code wise. It does suck that it seems impossible to join for potential members. But I'd prefer to see it kept in the game if possible.

I have to agree with Alurana on this one though. If there has to be one or the other, I guess I'd have to say that the axe could go to the Druids. As I've seen more interest lately in an Evren or Gwen guild than the Druids. But that's probably more due to the current situation with the Druids, I guess, than any lack of interest. But I guess I don't know.

Cuetlachtli wrote:I have to agree with Alurana on this one though. If there has to be one or the other, I guess I'd have to say that the axe could go to the Druids. As I've seen more interest lately in an Evren or Gwen guild than the Druids. But that's probably more due to the current situation with the Druids, I guess, than any lack of interest. But I guess I don't know.

I can vaguely remember six or seven who have wanted to join the druids in my playtime. When there was IC talk of a Gwen clergy... Suffice to say it would be more similar to the druids than the Tanielites, Sathonites or Asralites (in those five-six characters' old minds), at least in purpose and manner of acting.

If the Evren clergy is to be similar to the current PC clergies, ie. warwarwar preachpreachpreach, then I would think it a sad exchange - I have much enjoyed the little RP with druids I have had, and would very much think making them playable a worthy project. If the issue is that it is easier to make a new guild than to sift through all the old code - can not the various coded/intended functions and powers of the druids be recorded, and a new druid guild be made to mimick those?

It depends on how the wizards want Evren represented in the game, too. Though I won't put words in their mouths, the impression I got from talking with admins/wizards like Abharsair, Chara, Drake, etc. is that they weren't overly keen on the idea of pacifist gods and guilds.

Allurana wrote:It depends on how the wizards want Evren represented in the game, too. Though I won't put words in their mouths, the impression I got from talking with admins/wizards like Abharsair, Chara, Drake, etc. is that they weren't overly keen on the idea of pacifist gods and guilds.

Pacifism is funky - you can just roll over these people and see whether they ever respond. We just need some sadism involved - and there are no sadistic characters at current. ^^

I think the Druids would be a good choice for Evren clergy with a few tweaks. OK so they're pacifists, but surely variety is the spice of life? Why add another clergy that is basically the Taniels with a different boss? That would seem terribly bland.