Review Submitted By: Bud
Author Status: Player
Started on Firan: 2002
Submission Date: Aug 13, 2004
TMC Listing: Firan
The following review is the opinion of the review's author [Bud]
and in no way represents the opinions of this website or its staff.
I actually concur with the prev2ious synopsis of this game. I found
Firan at the beginning to be a rather refreshing roleplaying
experience, and its Greco-Roman atmosphere was something that I
enjoyed.
However, over the years I began to notice the flavor of the game to
degrade in the sake of pleasing favored characters and adjusting plots
to suit the staffs’ fancies. I too also became concerned with the
growing staff base which rose from the pool of players, which I
believe simply stifles roleplay, not to mention is a sign of
inefficiency and unfairness (In fact, there is a joke that I made
amongst my friends that it took Jesus Christ a resurrection and an
ascension to sit at the right hand of the Father; however, on Firan
you just need to talk to the right person).
The game boasts with pride that most vigilant of roleplaying axioms,
“In Character Actions Equate In Character Consequences,” but many
actions are involved through out-of-character whims, most specifically
the latest decision to toll members of the common and middle castes
when entering the city center proper. Not only has this decision
caused many commoners hardship in not being able to go to the market
to trade their goods, but it blocks roleplay in the Forum, which
specifically if I have read the newsfiles correctly that an excuse to
go to the Forum was to promote roleplay.
Monitoring as well as conducting tallies on sexual activity, not to
mention Chief Wizard and Wizardess’ ‘living room’ philosophy after a
few years was a bit draconian in my tastes. Certainly one does not
need to fall in love with the creators in order to fall in love with
the theme. The view in this case is that this is their game, so
therefore the plot and outline within the history of the Firan Peoples
must go according to this plan. In other words, players are merely
characters in the Admin's ballet, so when the Admin says
pirouette...you'd better pirouette.
Political figures or commoners not fitting this 'dream' can find
themselves locked up in the Republic Jail, exiled, stocked, or even
executed by simply a few keystrokes to set out a TP.
In closing, I find that the game has swallowed the last of the summer
wine-a once fine sports car which has been abused and banged to
blandness.
