Mages Vs Mundanes.

Truer words, friend. Truer words. This is exactly the type of thing that is rapidly apparent when you have access to see what people play the most, what they tried once or twice, how they most often do or don't die, who and how much and how often they pk and more.

For instance. I could say the I know for a fact magickers are much higher % than you remember. Per my personal experience but that is of course flawed. I want to see the cold hard data on the subject.

*shrug* Say what you want. Believe what you want. Just like how burglar's are supposed to be more combat capable than assassins when their skills actually cap 20 pts lower than assassins do.

Even if the % thing was implemented and it showed I was right (which it would, if the numbers are the same as they were while I was on staff), most of the people who bitch about mages would still bitch about them because it wasn't less when it's already a case of more than 1/2 the guilds in the game combined making up less than 15% of pcs combined (and that includes magickers, psions, and old school sorcs put together).

People want to knock 'autistic' around as a derogatory terminology on here, but I lay a claim on it, and have no problem telling you: If Armageddon wasn't the main interest I had for YEARS, I would not be here over a year after playing. Why do I bring that up, delerak? Because the human brain in general might be looked at that way, but the brain of someone with Asperger's, when it comes to one of their interests? Well, let me tell you exactly what Psychology Today describes it as: "As adults, we will often be drawn by that special interest into our careers. Many scientists, computer programmers, and academics are believed to have Asperger’s. We typically have prodigious memories, which allow us to catalog and store large amounts of information, and a laser focus to acquire all possible information on a subject.

...

Our extreme ability to focus, combined with our intense special interests can make us extremely effective in our field, whatever that may be. We typically have very good, sometimes encyclopedic memories, and have IQs in average to well above average range. Many “geniuses” such as Mozart, and Albert Einstein have been thought to have Asperger’s or high functioning autism." (Link: www.psychologytoday.com/blog/aspergers-diary/200804/what-does-it-mean-have-asperger-syndrome )

As I said before, it may seem higher than that, but I would like to put it to question for you: When is the last time outside an RPT that you have seen more than 5 mage pcs together and online at one time, anywhere?

That includes 2 guilds that are not elementalists, as well as templars in the 15% estimate. At 50 players, even 5 gemmed is just 10% not 15%. And that supposes that there is always a rogue on somewhere, doing... something. which can't really be vouched for now, with the implementation of the changes to city states and their magick crap.

1 in 10 is an extreme minority, especially when it covers 6 or 7 subgroups. That breaks down to more like 1 in 50 pcs is a water mage, one in fifty is a ruk mage, etc. How do you get lower than that without totally cutting them from the game, delerak?

And yes. My dwarf corporal (actually made Sergeant RIGHT before retiring!) in the Legions would relentlessly patrol all known mage hot spots. I killed several and chased many more off. Dargan's focus in his later years was generally "To serve the city of Tuluk, both from within and without" or something along those lines. Sometimes I would change it to a specific, achievable thing that fell within that general focus and once that goal was attained, change it back to the general goal. At one point his goal was "To kill the defiler Kiven". Which of course was ridiculous. Dargan wouldn't have lasted more than about 3 seconds against any high powered sorcerer, if I ever could have even spotted them (warrior/hunter, no scan). Didn't stop me from spending nearly every moment logged in patrolling for Kiven, knowing full well I'd be dead within seconds if I DID actually happen to come across him.

I kind of think if someone has an excuse to act as such...it's being a dwarven corporal in the Tuluki Legions after having been through some SERIOUS shit in his life up to that point. Mostly I agree that folks tend to role play in a very unrealistic manner when encountering mages. It can be difficult when players at the very least have a general idea of what any given mage class can do, if not know exactly what it is capable of, while their character doesn't know a damn thing.

I think the whole magick hate thing in Tuluk is a little over done. Sure the huddled uneducted and ignorant masses should be afraid of magick but should the educated leaders of Tuluk? Magick is a powerful technology. It should be respected but it's only a tool, in Zalanthas "evil" is just a pespecrive. Magick didn't destroy Tuluk, Isar being a Dragon's Thrall did. It's foolish for Tuluki leaders to let that ignorance cripple themselves.

Volcano.