Review Submitted By: Christopher N
Author Status: Player
Started on The Burning Post II: 24/01/2012
Submission Date: Jan 28, 2012
TMC Listing: The Burning Post II
The following review is the opinion of the review's author [Christopher N]
and in no way represents the opinions of this website or its staff.
1.Newbie Integration. –85/100
Newbie Integration in The Burning Post II is something I have
some things to say on. The game offers a channel known as
“Visnet” that any new player can use to ask questions relating to
game code and theme, as well as any other questions one would
require for maximum integration, and the ability to allow you to
delve in and lose yourself in the game world. There is an ability
to switch the channel off, but the game boasts active staff, as
well as a category of players known as “Citizens”
The mud does offer advice on the first character and after
spending minimal time there I have noticed that new players
should listen to the advice of the Staff there and begin as a
Lithmorran Davite, initially I believed this just to be like most
RPI where it’s advised but it really has no impact on IC game
play. This world however is kept to by the playerbase and
starting as anything else can if you are not familiar with the
theme and code be to your detriment. Racism is very real in the
IC world and it is entirely possible for a newbie beginning as
a Vavardi to find themselves in a position of death quickly.
As far as the IC world goes, newbie’s are not given exceptional
special treatment, which I find preserves the theme from
corruption, there is however the occasion where one might be
referred to a help file which informs them that their actions are
leading them down a negative path, this in itself can serve as a
good guideline, as well as being a reasonable trade off for the
circumstances in which the game is set.
2.Chargen –70/100
Chargen is another ball game all together, and whilst this is part
of newbie integration I have chosen to make this a separate
category due to the fact Perma-Death is very real in this RPI and
there really is not any case for reincarnation of a character, and
therefore it affects both new players and old.
To begin one of the major points which registers as good is the
RPI quietly guides you through the theme and background of the
IC world, as well as basic politics in which your character would
need to know. This is only true however if you have the patience
to go through the help files and then further study through the
references in each. Really without this information you are not
going to get very far in context due to the mistake of insulting a
noble or inquisitor for example. It is also required for simple
actions such as penitence and knowledge of the cult/mages.
Chargen does offer guidance on the character concepts which
may be safest for new and old players a like, as well as guidance
on how to flesh a character concept out before you leave the area.
For example there is a help scroll which it refers you to that
speak on what kind of things to consider in your character
profile, things such as “Undoubtedly he or she has a family, or at
least a few close friends, living elsewhere.” And also guidance
on what is and what is not allowed, for example to enter saying
you have a brother PC without contacting staff first to see if it
fits.
The next point of Chargen here is that you soon find yourself in a
skill appointment area, where you are given rpxp as a starting
point to give your character any skills they may need to boost
you to your character concept (Within reason, you won’t be a
grandmaster in anything without a Application approval to staff,
which in turn cost QP to do.) There are a number of pros and
cons to this system however which I will outline. Some of the
positives here is that it allows for you to develop what you want
in a base character, do you want a doctor, or perhaps a warrior?
Why not try a scholar in the languages? All of this is achievable
through this system.
The downside to this system is that it places extreme trust in the
player base not to abuse it, which on its own shows the
responsibility and maturity of those who play there, but it also
opens the door for people who want to cheat the system, and
whilst the player base is at the level it currently is it is
manageable, but if the player base was to increase significantly it
may become difficult to keep on top of, and may in all reality
require a slave staff member to keep on top of it all and work on
that solely so the coders can focus on more pressing issues.
3.Roleplaying –85/100
RP in The Burning Post II, is by far one of its best features,
which serves to its benefit as an RPI, Players stick from what I
have seen to the theme almost 100% with a few exceptions, there
is a reasonable amount of Conflict RP as well as room for
romance RP and just general character development RP, this
includes the ability to just sit and learn a language from another
player, through to role-playing scenes of singing and dancing,
and general Inquisition period banter in the alehouse. Ultimately
any form of RP is acceptable as long as it is within theme and the
game rules.
Which brings me to my next point, threats against your character
are very real here, due to the staff and players wishing to keep
the integrity of the IC world, your character can be forced into
unwanted positions or discriminated against by other characters
if they have IC reasons to do so and are backed up by stats and
skills, an example of the reason is a Lithmorran throwing mud
and backing a Vavardi or Charali into corner simply because
they are a different race. Or an inquisitor suspecting you of cult
activity and deciding to lock you up and torture you into
speaking.
However there are some areas that RP is curbed and disallowed,
an example of this is Mudsex, whilst your characters can indeed
sleep with each other it is to be done via a Fade to black, due to
the ability of other character classes being able to listen in, and
the last thing they want to hear is, “Oh yes, put it there, that’s
the spot”. I mark this up as it protects any youths that may be
behind an alias. Another example is any RP that revolves around
extremely sensitive sexual abuse; the reason for this is obvious
and is disallowed in almost all RPI.
Another feature that exists is the ability to fade any RP someone
is uncomfortable with, for example if an inquisitor is describing
in detail scenes of torture and the victim feels uncomfortable
receiving it, they may using an OSAY ask for it to be stopped
and faded due to its nature, and by policy it must be stopped
there and then. This does not mean however the scene never took
place at all, it is simply skipped and both players are to respect
their stats and continue with the scene that comes after it.
Now for the RP style promoted here, thankfully it does not
promote the traditional laborious method of block emotes and
turn taking, where each individual takes turns to emote
responding to all the other characters at once. I find this style
to be grotesque and would downgrade any RPI for using it. Instead
this mud offers any style an individual wishes to use, be that
block turn taking, or short emotes that are straight to the point.
4.Back-story and Theme –90/100
This game has an in-depth past including the war and
consolidation of King Dav, and the founding of the Order and its
sub chapters. It includes racial backgrounds and personality
traits, as well as the physical appearance. The history of the
world such as the Vavardi opposition to King Dav and the
help/opposition of the various races gives a good launch pad for
the in game racism and events.
In short King Dav formed the Order and declared the Lithmorran
the superior beings, Mages were outlawed as were the Cultists of
Vavard origin. It is suspected had King Dav not done this the
Vavard region would be vastly Cultist. The order teaches that the
god that the cultists worship is in fact a demon that promotes
sinful desires and action. As a result most have been swayed and
subdued into the orders faithful, and any action against the order
is punishable as heresy and will result in subsequent burning on
the fire.
The RPI is set in a small island and town “New Yarsith” For this
reason from what I can tell the game world is relatively small
compared to some of the other RPI’s out there, however this does
not detract from the actual world. The staff and players work
diligently to form an atmosphere that gives the feel of a large
world, for example posts on the stories board include actions
from the Queen and her emissaries, also subsequently the Royal
family of Dav and the Order dominate most of the known world,
with incredibly rare exceptions of criminal activity but even then
they are still recognized as the ruling governance.
Without spoiling it, I will not comment on the theme any further
other than to say that the politics are in depth, and any action in
game has sufficient consequences, want to know more? Try it out.
6.Final Verdict –80/100
Pro’s –
1–Fantastic theme and back-story.
2–Optimal character development, with very little in ways of
restriction.
3 –Roleplay can fit to anyone’s style, there are no strict rules
on OOC methods of play.
4–Integration for newbies is well planned and fantastically
presented.
5–No excessive waits for Application process.
6–Extreme trust in the player base and maturity from them
7–QP System to ensure integrity of game world.
8–Systems in place to ensure the maximized enjoyment for the
player, without OOC disturbances.
Con’s–
1-Chargen can be confusing for New players.
3-Item restring may appear confusing, as well as some of the
code.
4–World is small, to reflect the player base.
5–New Players may suffer with bad choices in character
creation.
