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- What area of the game are you reviewing?
Southern Weyr - the only open weyr. I'm not sure whether characters at any other areas (such as a crafthall) are possible, but Southern is the only area that has players.
- How long has it been since you've played there? Or are you a current player?
Current player.
- Review:
Q: Who's in charge?
A: Not Winter. The wizards are Melusine and Mortimer, and the weyr staff are Naltia, Z'vin, Juniper, and Fia.
Q: Are they sane?
A: While I have not interacted with every member of staff, those I have interacted with have presented convincing evidence that they are sane, normal, and pleasant to deal with. I have not encountered any evidence of insanity on the part of other staff members who I haven't had cause to interact with.
Q: What about the players? Are they sane?
A: See the graph below, which shows data collected over two months of observation to measure the relative proportions of "Nice" and "Sane" people, those who log on but are very "Idly," those who are so "Bland" they might actually be some kind of Pern-themed Eliza program, and "?!?!?" aka those who exhibit an affirmative lack of sanity. There is some overlap in the "Nice" and "Sane" categories as well as the "Nice" and "Idly" categories.
Q: How easy is it to find RP?
A: It's not that hard if you are willing to ask on the knot or in a page. There are usually enough people online that someone is willing and able to RP. During the recent search cycle, some players developed a problematic habit of waiting until other people started a scene, then rushing to join. This meant that your two-person scene would quickly expand to a four or even six-person scene over the course of the next 30 to 45 minutes. Sometimes this was fine, but if you had allotted 90 minutes for your scene and planned to go clean your house/do your homework/walk your dog/make out with your SO after that, it could be an issue. Now that search is over with and there aren't as many people sitting around eager to impress the SearchCo with their willingness to RP, this problem has gone the way of the dodo, and two or three-person scenes are much more common.
Q: Is it good RP?
A: It varies widely, but as the graph above shows, the proportion of "Bland" and "?!?!?" players is very small in comparison to those who are "Nice" and "Sane." Some of the "Nice" and "Sane" players are more interesting than others, but nearly all of them are willing to go along with interesting and fun RP hooks that are tossed their way.
Q: Do people interact with new players, or just stick to their friends? Are people friendly?
A: I have seen no evidence of cliques or resistance to including new players in RP. Compared to some areas and games, Soucon is remarkably open and welcoming, at least once you've gotten your character set up and are ready to RP. Several players who were either new or returning from very long absences recently joined the game and impressed dragons at the December hatching. The OOC channel is chatty and friendly, but not too spammy.
Q: Are there interesting plots?
A: There has been at least one interesting plot in the past few weeks that involved the weyrwoman sending a spy to a hold that was shorting the weyr on tithes, to find out whether the hold was actually able to afford the tithes. This led to significant RP opportunites for four people and peripheral RP opportunities for at least one additional person.
Q: What kind of RP do people do on Soucon? Is it all klah-sipping or personal/relationship RP?
A: Soucon has a variety of RP. Most tends to fall into either the personal/relationship category or the professional category (that is, related to the character's craft or job). One thing that players on Soucon do well is thinking out how these two aspects of their characters' lives intersect. For example, the spy plot mentioned above had the peripheral effect of straining the relationship between two weyrmates.
RP on Soucon tends to be directed toward characters' social or professional goals, and thus is much more interesting than "klah-sipping" RP. The potential for complexity and intermixing between the two spheres means that it is possible to engage in personal/relationship RP without that becoming the sole focus for your character or for the area.
Q: How can I get a dragonrider?
A: Either by impressing one on camera or applying for an instarider.
Q: How can I get a crafter?
A: Just go through the chargen process and set up a background and everything. You'll probably want to be posted to Southern Weyr, since nobody seems to play anywhere else.
Q: Are the news and help files useful?
A: Meh. There's been at least one policy change (allowing instariders) that is documented on the bulletin boards, but not in news or help. A number of files on the website seem to be out of date. Additionally, some of the policy and administrative setup is geared toward multiple areas, even though there is only one area on the game. In all, it's confusing and difficult to figure out whether a given news/help file or website section still applies or not.
Q: Is Soucon good for brand new players to Pern?
A: I suspect so, though they might need to take initiative and reach out to staff for assistance.
Q: Is Soucon good for experienced players who don't want to be bored or annoyed?
A: Yes, though it does require you to be flexible and willing to take initiative to ask for the kind of RP you want, and coordinate with other players to set it up. In this, it's not very different from other games or areas: you get out of it what you put in.
Q: What are your final thoughts, O Venerable Reviewer of Games?
A: I'm glad you asked! I think that right now, Soucon is at a crossroads. It has a small but dedicated core of players. Where it goes from here is anyone's guess. Experienced players who have some time to put into a new alt and who would like to see the small number of quality, active Pern games expanded should consider spending some time on Soucon. Because the playerbase is small, new players who join have an opportunity to exert a strong influence the atmosphere of the game and the kind of RP that it offers, if they choose. In short, Soucon may not be exactly what you and your friends have always wanted in a game, right now -- but if you and your friends join, there's no reason that it couldn't become that.
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