When I'm on night shift, I stay up on my nights off - that is most of my gaming period - though it's a huge chunk and I normally even still log on to LOTN and just explore or try out some dungeons for nostalgia purposes.

So it's hard for me to schedule when I'll be on, but I've been on quite a bit lately, so I'm sure if you all start getting together you'll bump into me eventually... maybe even often

It'd be great if people started showing up, I'll hunt you down and say "Oh, hello... I didn't expect to see anyone else on this road." Heheh...

Hello my old old friends! Where has the time gone.... I suppose it's been a decade... or more. I am now going on 31 years old, have a 3rd child on the way, and still playing games - but I never forgot my old home here on the internet. Oh, and I joined back up with the Air Force... so I'm about halfway to retirement now too.

Anyway, I thought I just stumbled on this old favorite on a dusty old CD sitting in a box from my move, and couldn't resist logging on and sending a message out. I just reinstalled NWN and am about to play through the campaigns for the first time... I know I know, I spent probably over a year of game time on the server and never made it past chapter 1 in the actual game... ah well, better late then never.

Besides all that, anyone here that wants to keep in touch or catch up, hit me up on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/#!/Bralius (Rick Sanderson)

If  you're not already friends with me, you'll have to send me a message first, just put "LOTN" in the message cuz otherwise you'll get your request denied (unless I recognize you, of course). Also, I am on battle.net a lot playing Starcraft 2, so a real ID request would require my bralius_366@yahoo.com e-mail.

Sooooo, is the server still around by chance? Oh, I suppose I could just stop typing right now and go check... in fact, I'm going to go look for the IP right now and see if I can log on. I'm going to freak out if my characters are still there! Thank you all for invading my memories again, and I hope someone here remembers me (fondly would be preferred )

*Hands ToliL a bunch of high level equipment*

There ya go... watch out for DMs  :shock:

I've been away for a bit... many life changes have kept me from most of my games, including finding out that I'm going to be a father sometime in the next 8 months or less (we haven't found out how far along she is yet).

With that, things have calmed down considerably at work, and I've gotten back to a workable schedule that allows me to fit in some gaming time during my personal time. I am at an amateur level in scripting, and have not DMed since before I came to The Magic Bubble so many years ago. However, if needed, I am willing to offer my support to the staff.

This server is home to me. I've tried other servers, some for decent periods of time - but I always return here. Always there's a warm welcome from new and old players alike. The least I can do is offer to help wherever it is needed most. I can only do things on scheduled time though, which tends to hinder character development on my characters, as well as keeping up with the latest news and whatnot.

Anyway... if you need me, let me know. If not... I'll try to pop in playerside from time to time and see you all. No matter what though, thanks everyone for your friendship, creativity, and hard work.

False alarm, I guess. I forgot they're having the Democratic National Convention in Denver... so work is going to keep me pretty busy until that's over.

Sleep, Eat, and Work is pretty much all I have time for... but hopefully soon I can get my LOTN fix again.

Cherry picking in NWN is touchy... there's a fine line between taking other classes to make up for which parts of your character you're missing, and just blatantly exploiting the system with feats that function in a way that doesn't make sense. The usual argument I've seen is having evasion but wearing platemail.

It's difficult to figure out the intentions of a player, especially when they're exploiting the system - then becoming creative to justify it in RP. I don't think that's acceptable... I know we have some very creative and intelligent players that can come up with believable stories that support leveling decisions - but it doesn't make it any more right. What that boils down to is whether it was intentionally or unintentionally done though, which can't be determined since nobody here is a mind reader (that I know of O.o). So scripting and rules are the only ways to stop it from happening, and even that has always proven difficult, because then judgement calls need to be made on whether it's exploitation, or simply a good decision in your build.

As for the power curve, and how it effects who makes a difference. I voted a while back, I'm sure it was the 3rd option... but then I got to thinking. If you analyze the level system a bit, RP is done at every level... but at higher levels, you have the experience, skills, and knowledge TO make a difference easier. It should be damn near impossible for a level 2 to make any sort of difference, IMO. You can bring up new ideas, but what I find is people "overplay" their level in a way. Nobody wants to be the easily killed, low social skilled buffoon that you -should- be based on the system... but everyone -has- to start off that way. If you start the game as a level 2 cleric of Helm, and you just happen to know EVERYTHING there is to know about Helm already... where are you developing your character?? Obviously additional cleric levels wouldn't be needed, because you've already been around the block as far as Helm is concerned.

I'll start with social skills and knowledge. Those with extensive knowledge on a class from the beginning likely will flaunt that extensive knowledge through their character right from the beginning. You could ask them about how level 9 spells work, and they already know... but for some reason they just don't have the skill to write the thing down in their book. You're not a trained monkey at level 2 by any means, especially if you're playing an older character that really has -been around the block- in life, but you can't go being an expert at the class you're not an expert in yet. You have to rely on your characters personal experiences that -wouldn't- advance them in a class, since they obviously hadn't advanced yet. Level 2 veteran former-soldiers that have fought their entire lives is rather far-fetched to me... I admit I've done it before, especially over server resets - but part of my own growing in this game is realizing what I can do personally to improve my own RP and work with the system forced on us (via rules, limitations, and game mechanics) to come up with something believable enough, while still having a good time.

If you've invested all your skill points into Lore and Persuade, and there's a level 25 that hasn't done crap with social/knowledge skills, then I believe you should have an easy time in that sort of contest... unfortunately though, it normally turns into a contest between the players behind the characters - and who has more information readily available as well as the wit themselves to outwit another player. If you have a low score somewhere, such as INT - but you (the player) are actually a very smart person... you are taking on a challenge, because you should (imo) be trying to limit your character, no matter what level you are.

As for combat... well, the levels balance out your combat ability for you, so I don't see why that would need to be discussed really. When you're level 25, and you're crazy powerful - you know you're crazy powerful, and you may have the type of character that likes to pick fights. When you're a level 2 fighter, you know you just started, so you should know to avoid fights. It's quite simple when it comes down to it... lower levels are going to face embarrassment and have to have a degree of humility to play the lower levels, higher levels need to evaluate motivations behind picking on lower levels and determine whether it's "in-character" or if you as the player just want to show off or feel powerful.

These are just my thoughts... so I think that you should be able to make changes as a lower level, but that it should be EXTREMELY difficult to do so. And I think people should generally evaluate what their characters limitations would be at their level based on how much experience they've had, rather than going all out from the beginning and making as if the character has nothing to learn in their level advancement. Low level vs high level... high level does, and rightfully should, always have the edge.

Power comes in many forms... and your level has a HUGE impact on that. The player's cleverness shouldn't be such a determining factor in your ability to change things, it should be the players cleverness within the limitation of their character - and that's where the challenge comes in for RPing, I believe. You have to water down your own skills that may exceed your characters, so you can properly play and allow a certain "fairness" to those that may not have those skills, but their character is supposed to have them.

Hope that all makes sense to someone. I'm into psychology, and after years of playing this game I've come to analyze a lot of different aspects of character interactions and how I believe things were "meant to be." No matter what, cooperation is paramount, even in PvP. If you can't work with others, and "give them credit" for what -they've- worked hard on... you can't expect someone will do the same for you. Throw your powerbuild out the window at that point, because everyone's just going to ignore you or avoid the issue. You basically shoot yourself in the foot because you've given people the impression that you're going to take take take, without giving a little back.

If you can post an estimated time, I'd like to bring Gildor around... since he's technically a relative. My work schedule is chaotic though, so I may or may not be able to.

I have Vent... no idea where to connect to though