Start time
A gentle reminder that we'll be starting game one hour earlier at 9:00pm. The Post Office will still open at 10:00pm. This may change for the February event, but we thought changing the start time, npc times, marshal times, and module times was enough change for one event and to cling to one last vestige of the past just for the sake of preserving our sanity.
Communication
A lot of our communication with the player base tends to happen via Facebook. The upside is that this is where our players are. The downside is that sometimes the boundary between the game, the community, and the outside world can blur a lot. This can create some frustration when it feels like the game is 'always on.'
We want our players to make friends here, but we want those friendships to have substance beyond the game. We also need to have our own boundaries as well.
There's been good progress here but there's still some improvement to do. And frankly, with FB adjusting their algorithms anyway, this is as good a time as any to reflect on the vehicles we use to communicate. More on this post-event.
Pre-Game Spoiler
Last month we ran an atypical storyline. It was nuanced, timely, and definitely a statement about politics (and the gaming industry). That was only possible because we had huge buy-in from you - the players. A pre-game briefing really helped set expectations so you could buy-in, portray NPCs with nuance, and also understand the limitations of a 'win' as a player.
While the level of briefing we had last month won't be necessary every event, we are considering a brief pre-game 'spoiler' about the theme and/or mood for the event. We'll share this month's theme at opening announcements.
Sunday Spoilers will continue to be a thing. Last month's 'what if' spoiler was well received so we'll continue that this month.
Creative Processes
While not visible to the players, we have been doing a lot to improve our processes with creatives / writers. There's still more to be done, and building it means we have not yet had a chance to enjoy the benefits of it, but we're hopeful this will give us more time to spend on content creation.
Hot Zones
Green Hot Zones will continue to have standard mechanics associated with them. We'll be using Blue glow sticks to denote Hot Zones with slightly different mechanics. If you're moving through a Blue Hot Zone, please read the Zone of Mechanics (ZOM) sheet for the specifics.
Scrounge
Scrounge will continue to hold to 'sane hours' with the initial seed going out after coffee time (8:00am). Modules that warrant Scrounge will continue to have it.
Sailing
Sailing will only have additional opportunities provided by way of a Unique Item card (or standard Blueprints). This really only effects two players. (Sorry guys).