ATV

I feel sorry for you if you haven't figured out their purpose.

The reason you feel they "add little to the rest of the game" is because staff have literally abandoned them and offer nothing in the way of support.

Playing under Shalooonsh was the greatest. Tribes MEANT something and most assuredly had a purpose.

I loved tribal RP. It had a lot of potential, and when it clicked, it really clicked. Having delf tribes running around out there are vital to the soul of the game. It would've been nice to have gith as well. A good tribe should by their very existence, make their whole territory come alive. Whether it's the grasslands, the pah, or wherever.

But playing in ye olde neglected tribe with hardly any staff attention and no direction, was often such an exercise in futility.

I think he was hoping for a more broad, generalized take on such things. And fuck mumble. Make it a post so other people can see it.

Okay then, my take on desert elves and their place in ArmageddonMUD:

The setting takes place in a post-apocalyptic, harsh desert environment, with water being a scarce commodity/resource people often fight and kill over (at least, that's how it should play out in my mind).

The desert is where the game truly shines and where desert elves can really make their mark, ala the Blackwing elves of yore.

Unfortunately, staff saw fit to put an easy mode into the game with massive cities and multiple taverns that sell unlimited quantities of this supposedly scarce resource (water).

Now that I've gotten my bit of rambling out of the way, I'll share with you some examples of how desert elves have been used in a way that brought the game to life in the past. I won't bother focusing on specific characters such as Lusts, Kija, Masha, the old SR Malifaxis ran or my own; rather, I'll touch on how looonsh maximized their potential and actually gave them purpose in the game, much like a GMH hunter/crafter/Kuraci Fist/city soldier has "purpose":

On an old Soh of mine, I had met with an escaped Braxat slave named Bil. looonsh was playing the character as a plot driver at the time, and we came to know each other a little through wary correspondence and minimal trade (I gave him food not to squash me I think, hoping I could make a play on his less than stellar intellectual capacity to my benefit. Nothing much came of it IIRC, and we went about our separate ways. Later on, one random day I'm running about along through the wastes since the tribe was practically dead with only me, manonfire, Rhyden and perhaps Roguegunslinger at that time (he may have come a wee bit later, my memory is failing me right now). In any case, looonsh proceeded to use Bil as a means of essentially starting some massive shit in the Pah: at that time, the Dragonsthrall had taken over SR's spire in the shattered wastelands, ran them out and proceeded to use it as their own land, replete with Dune Stalker elves as spies and Braxat as slaves/guardians. To make a long story short, Bil went all Spartacus on the Dragonsthrall, smashed open the gates with a massive boulder and freed his brethren in what seemed at the time a very sudden, rushed RPT (it happened sometime in the afternoon around 5 or 6). I helped what little I could and had manonfire there with me. We did our whooping and ululations, though very little in the way of fighting as I think we saw looonsh was -- as I said earlier -- starting shit. So, we went on our merry way and thought this would be the start of a cool, lengthy RPT.

Later that very same night, perhaps around 9 or 10 in the evening central, I'm relaxing on the mats in the most southern room of Soh camp, puffing on a spliff I believe. I'm tired, had a long day and just idling a little while I watch some TV when all of a sudden, I get an echo of a fucking wall of arrows raining down on the camp. Now, to put things in perspective, the Soh only number somewhere in the vicinity of 150-200, maybe a WEE bit more now after some IC events under my watch and later Lust's, if I'm not mistaken, but whatever -- we lost dozens in that fight, and WAVES upon WAVES of Dune Stalkers continuously flooded the entrance to our camp. I called out to Dances with Jakhals (Rhyden) and fought with Black Adder (mof) as well under our Sama alongside Bleeding Sky(ies?). Looonsh was amazing, because not only was he throwing out echoes, but he had animated the Ranna of the Bleeding Skies and was actively fighting alongside us, shouting and REALLY getting us into the action. I know he had to have had help, because too much was going on. The Kah, a venerable, nigh-terminally ill warrior, was staggering about laying waste to shit while I alternated between one-shotting Stalkers outside the entrance and engaging in close quarters combat with my spear. It was hellish and insanely fast, and the battle lasted at least 2 RL hours. Non-stop. Non. Stop.

After "winning", we piled up at least 50 or so corpses and burned them. We then set out on a sweep to check for any stragglers. Mistake.

The one thing about looon was he would give you a LONG leash, and he'd let you fail and give you opportunities to redeem yourself. If you tested the limits of that leash however and opted to roll the dice, eventually you were going to be dealt a shit hand. Well, I rolled the dice and lost, and he blasted Rhyden's elf with a volley of arrows. Harsh, yes, but it was my fault and my character had to live with the memory of failing his kin for the rest of his days. My character nearly died in that after having survived a hellish battle, as did Adder. And I was HOOKED.

This one night kick-started a months long RPT that seemed to never end. For the better part of a year and a half, every DAY I was doing something. Looonsh kept me busy, because my character just wouldn't die and was the only active Soh around during that time.

1) He nudged me to complete Kija's stable plot. It was't easy though and took months of roleplay and countless logs. The Sun Runners were heavily involved as well in helping collect actual logs, and we ventured into the Xytrix Za to gather lumber on a weekly basis. I also ventured with the Sama into Tuluk to collect other things we needed, such as rope, linens, etc. Every time I emailed looon with an update, if ANYTHING was missing he'd give me an abrupt "not enough, xyz left, sorry", and I'd venture out once more, toiling and busting my ass to get the shit made. Eventually, it was made, and looon wrote the description and opened it in Blackwing. This led to the Soh growing a wee bit due to the economic trickle opened, and definitely strengthened ties with the SR for a time.

2) Looon allowed my character to propose a trade that would see the Soh receive babies in exchange for who-the-fuck-knows, some outlandish request. This helped further bolster the tribe's numbers.

3) Looon allowed me to write up the Soh spear and he later introduced the famed Soh arrows. Not long after, he put out a call for player tats. Everything you see came from him and the players. That's special, and he did that.

4) Looon allowed me to create my own Sama, one I believe exists to this day. He pushed me and others to DO more. To PUSH ourselves. To CREATE. To murder, if necessary. To inspire. Cajole. Steal. Lie. Manipulate. Barter. Love. Hate. Write. Laugh. Play. Cry. But most importantly, he allowed us and actively encouraged us to enjoy the game.

5) I proposed to destroy Ankha's tower in the Pah. Looon let me do it, but it wasn't easy. For MONTHS, I had to submit log upon log of me digging under the tower. After 3 or so RL months, it eventually collapsed under its own weight.

6) Following the night attack by the Dune Stalkers, he allowed us to move the camp. We investigated, scouted, and did it.

7) He continued to sponsor Dune Stalkers. Those who were smart lived, while those who weren't died. I'll admit I was petty and harsh during that time, but if you're not welcome in my area it might be best to just run in Vrun Driath instead of the Pah. He noted another kin of mine's penchant for killing but acknowledged we were always IC and fair, albeit extremely harsh. He was fair.

8) He reopened the Red Fangs and gave us another enemy. We fought and hunted each other for months. They were exiled from the Pah for a time. Came back. We fought more.

These are just a few examples. I'm rambling and could go on for thousands of words more if I felt inclined to, but I think you'll be able to get the point.

Shalooonsh, for all his faults, was the greatest immortal to have staffed over desert tribes, be them human or elven. He was incredible, because he realized that they are the true lifeblood of the game. He pushed each tribe and tried to write them all into his plots so they'd have a purpose, no matter how small or large.

He was not perfect. Sometimes he'd play favorites, and sometimes his plots were a bit silly and fantasy-ish. See: White Rantarri, Akai Sjirr.

That said, I wouldn't have traded him for any other staff member in the game. He was the best thing the mud had going for it, and sadly now Calavera is left alone to try and breathe some life into that fucking shell of a game. She's the last great staff member that gives a fuck I think, perhaps Italis as well if he's still around.

When Shalooonsh knew he had dedicated players, he'd work with them to change the game. I wasn't a perfect player. I fucked up a lot. Perhaps I even made more mistakes than did good, who knows. The one thing I did have going for me, though, was I was dedicated and truly cared about the game, about breathing life into a character.

I can still feel the burning heat on my skin, smell the arid wastelands and see them in my mind if I close my eyes tight. That's because of Shalooonsh. He brought the world alive for me and countless others, and his work is living testament to what ArmageddonMUD was capable of achieving if players and staff focused on collaborating to create stories and fun.

Class dismissed.

FYI, Calavera is a Legend now.

White Rantarri was Bhagharva, IIRC.