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Building a society of mole people
Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 7:36 am
by Lumin
(I
thought the title would get your attention.)
With all the hackles being raised about repair/deterioration/bold white these last couple of days, I figured we should revive the SBS discussion and do something halfway entertaining with it. (SBS=Silent Building Syndrome, for those of you who aren't hip and with it like me and kinvoya.

),
Here's the deal. Your character is the leader of a town. For the sake of this scenario, we'll assume the town is advanced enough to have access to iron and whatever other resources you need (within reason). We'll also assume most of your citizens are actually awake enough to get things done, about half of them are decent RPers, and that you've got just enough armed, loyal guards to keep things orderly.
And of course, you have several buildings. So, the question is, how would you go about making indoors just as interesting as outdoors? Put only good RPers in charge of businesses? Make plenty of locks and don't be afraid to use them? Develop fun cultural things to entice people inside?
Use your imagination, and I wanna hear specifics.

Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 7:51 am
by The Industriallist
Secretly fund hit-and-run bandits to drive anyone not heavily equipped into shelter.
My people skills are a bit limited, you see...
Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 8:17 am
by Agar
Gambling?
Currently my only entertainment for my jailed character. Taking bets on which of the other prisioners will drop from hunger first. After that, I dunno, maybe gender of the next person to enter.
Outside, there are things to help spark RP. Animals, travellers, things happen. Inside, the only things that happen are by the people inside. If they're not forth coming, nothing happens. Characters who don't just reply, but initiate RP are the most valuable workers inside.
Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 1:11 pm
by Lumin
Rather than go into exhaustive details for my fictional society, I've instead written a fictional newsletter by a fictional character that should get the important points across.
Incidentally, I should point out that I agree with what someone (I forget who and am too lazy to check) mentioned in the other thread; that regular newspapers or written materials in general are important. It keeps people inside up to date, and their reading gives them something to discuss.
The Safe Haven Spinner - Issue #27
Hello citizens, your old friend Pup Ett here with the biannual report. It's been an eventful ten days here in our beloved Safe Haven, and I'm happy to say that despite some temporary setbacks with the harvesting detail, overall production is up 4% since the last issue.
Production - Highs and Lows
Special commendations should go out to Smelting Crew 2, as under Slai V. Driver's supervision they managed to not only achieve the highest production rate of any crew this period, but also break Smelting Crew 1's four year winning streak. Mr. Driver will be upgraded to a copper bracelet, and the members of his crew will all receive free copies of 'Patriotic Poetry', the newest note written by Chief Recreational Officer Brian Washer.
On the other end of the spectrum, Tailoring Crew 1's production has been at an all-time low due to two of its members being struck by the sleeping sickness. Luckily, the illness wasn't severe enough to require hospitalization, though Tailoring Crew 1 will be skipping their recreation shifts until Safe Haven's supply of leather gloves has been raised to an acceptable level. The Chief Medical Officer has asked me to remind all citizens that even one worker with sleeping sickness is disruptive to everyone, not just the crew they're in, and that a regular schedule and lively conversation combined with minimal exposure to sunlight is the best way to avoid the ravages of the disease.
Deaths - Harvesting Disaster
It is our sad duty to report that in a shocking turn of events, yet another bandit attack has resulted in the brutal killings of two citizens on potato duty with Harvesting Team 4. Luckily, three of our best guards, Woundwort, Campion, and Groundsel, managed to kill most of the attackers and drive the rest away. For their heroic actions all three will be awarded silver rings, and Woundwort will be promoted to the rank of General. The Adminstrator of Trading and Foreign Affairs has also donated a year's supply of carrots.
While we are all devastated by the loss of citizens Mutin Ear and Reble Skum, the Chief Agricultural Officer would like us to mention that there are now five available harvesting openings for loyal Havenites to fill. These frequent bandit and wild animal attacks take a toll on us all, but serve as a grim reminder of the risks these brave men and women face outside every day in order to provide us all with food.
The three remaining members of Harvesting Team 4, understandably shaken by the attacks, have been pulled off active duty and placed in seperate quarantine rooms in the hospital until deemed mentally fit to rejoin the general population.
New Arrivals
Please join me in welcoming our newest guest, Poir Sap. Poir chose not to leave before the three day unemployent period ended, and has now been enrolled in our citizen training program. Admittedly, he had a bit of a rough start, but after a couple of days spent in the hospital's Therapy Room he's adjusting nicely.
Health - On Alert
While there have been no reports of sleeping sickness except for the mild cases suffered by Tailoring Crew 1, recently there have been two reports of a far more disturbing disease. We had two newpawns this period. As mentioned above, the first is now training to become a full citizen, but the second unfortunately displayed all the classic signs of the raving sickness and had to be driven away by the guards. The Chief Medical Officer has determined that this was due to a complication in the spawning process triggered by spinage fumes, and has asked us to remind all citizens that gloves and facewraps must be worn when going Outside for any reason. This is not a request; as you all know, protective gear is mandatory. Improperly attired harvesters or even guards will only be warned once. Failure to comply will result in a week spent in the hospital's observational room for your own safety.
Yet another carrier of the raving sickness had to be quarantined soon after, though in this case it was a traveller whose madness was believed to have been caused by overexposer to a hazordous combination of sunlight and road dust. Harvesting Team 2 will please disregard all statements the sick man made in their presence, and please refrain from repeating the rantings to your fellow citizens in your Communal Quarters.
Though the two cases appear unrelated, for your peace of mind the Council has ordered a tightening of security across the board. Until they're sure the risk of an outbreak has passed the number of guards protecting all harvesting crews has been doubled.
On a related note, the Chief Medical Officer would like you to be on the lookout for excessive whispering among your crew or in your Quarters. Whispering is sometimes a symptom of one of the deadlier varieties the disease, and it's important that a guard is made aware of it as soon as possible. Furthermore, if any of your friends or acquaintances begin telling you things that seem alarming or dangerous, report it immediately so that they can be taken away for treatment before the sickness spreads.
In Conclusion
And that's all the notable news there is to report for this period, loyal citizens of Safe Haven. Until next issue, this is Recreational Officer Pup Ett, signing off.
Yes, I
was really bored this morning, why do you ask?

Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 1:27 pm
by Nixit

I liked it. It was very clever.
Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 3:27 pm
by creepyguyinblack
Clever, like any one of those sci fi dictator societies. Eg: THX1138 and so on. That helps solve some of the morale problems when you lock away large portions of your population, for some reason people dislike having their freedom taken away.

Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 5:00 pm
by Revanael
The problem is that it's difficult to develop an entirely new society ANYWHERE...
Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 5:51 pm
by SekoETC
The funny thing is with Siom Steel Inc. when asked who wants to go use the harvester or go on a resource run, usually no one is willing to unless there's a lot of whining or they get to use a bike. So indoors mini communities can work with the right people, the problem is room capacities are always limited so people have to be divided into separate sub rooms and it can never reach the activity level of an outdoors town with lets say twenty, thirty people.
Castle Mac Gregor used to be an active place too, some days there might have been more life than outside on the yard, I think probably because of the lions and wolves, you couldn't really spend long times outside without an iron shield and there wasn't much sense risking your health when there was always enough food anyway without need for farming. But when projects could only be started by people in the clan and only a couple of them had access to the storage, many times people had nothing to work on because the ones meant to organize them were sleeping. So I think it's essential for managers and keyholders to be active people.
Plus sides of indoors communities:
+ Protection from animals
+ Lockability (protection from bandits and thieves)
+ Privacy (at least with sub rooms, if you need a private conversation or other activity, there won't be a need for whispering)
+ Many machines can only be built inside
(+ RP-wise but not programmed in: protection from the elements, wind, cold, sun, rain, snowing...)
Downsides of indoors communities:
- Can't go travelling if the door is locked and you don't have access to key
- Weight restrictions cut down the amount of people inside
- Can't bury corpses, they need to be dragged outside
- Can't harvest resources
- Can't see what's going on outside
Got any more?
Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 1:14 am
by Schme
That was godamn nicely done, Lumin.
Very nice.
Does a society like that actually exist?
And was the thing about publication in the "What would you like to see happening" thread?
I think I remember that too.
Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 3:59 am
by Blackdeath
this would only work with good Rpers to keep the excitement. you could start like a fight club or something to that effect. but like I said, you need really good RPers to do it, as you can only hit once a day.
Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 2:01 am
by TatteredShoeLace
I have a char who owns a company and Lumin's fantasy seemed very similar to my character's dream of what his company could be.
Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 11:47 am
by boomhaeur
It'd be great if you could set "traps" in the game (ie doors that are only locked one way)
"Hey Newspawn, come inside and help me with this iron project I'll give you half of it."
You could collect your own slave population

Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 1:26 pm
by TatteredShoeLace
Or if I shackeled them all together and the only way to leave would be if all were awake at once....but then they'd have the guard elephant being ridden by a bear with a scorpion catapult.

Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 1:30 pm
by Missy
I would really like to see people go inside more. One thing I thought of is having sermons(sp) in a church. (Why is it that we have chruches etc, along with religions, but noone ever preaching or teaching the religion?) In certain towns I think people could get away with forcing the law of religion on it's citizens. Church every once a year on such and such date. If you don't show up you're a sinner or whatever and bannished from town.

Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 1:33 pm
by TatteredShoeLace
I really thought Blojt was going to begin to hold regular sermons but the Father began building ovens and whatnot inside the sacred chapel....kinda sad.