DDOcast's Boot Camp! (event)

[Mockduck]

A contest/event! Posting this on the Sarlona forums as I wait for it to make it to the server event forum.

The Story:

FROM THE JOURNAL OF DRIZZITE74:

...What exactly was I doing there? I sat in a large rectangular room, with a raised platform stage at the front and a few rows of beaten-down wooden chairs. I think they may have come from the Wavecrest? Not sure about that. Whatever. It's obvious that I'm not here for the reason I was originally convinced to come. That's the last time I let a buxom elf-sorceress' charms work their magic on me.

Where's the grog?!? That's what I want to know. See, I was sitting in the Anvilfire Inn, doing what I do best, which is drinking pint after pint of the 'Ole Sully's. Best grog in Xendrik. There were about ten of us there tonight. I'd come to Stormreach in search of adventure: platinum, magical items and weapons, a bit of monster-killing, you know, the basic stuff. Granted, I've been doing a lot more "Sullying" than monster-killing, but I figure I'm not going anywhere, and neither are the kobolds. There'll be plenty of time for all of that later. I'd been in town for a few weeks. I did help clean out the Waterworks, which seemed to be one of the first things most people did when they got to town. But, ya know, mostly I'd been watching the crowds at the taverns, which suits me fine.

I quickly realized that I was brought into this room under false pretenses. No grog to be found anywhere...just that empty stage, ten of us sitting in those chairs looking around in a confused fashion....and the now-locked door. With two guards. Two big guards. Weilding what looks suspiciously like frost Khopeshes. And staring at us with an obvious sense of disdain. Is this some kind of Silver Flame recruitment night? I hoped not.

That's when she walked into the room. About six-foot-four, eyes of blue. Wearing a hat covered in blood. Robes covered in blood, too. Someone you didn't want to mess with. Muscular build. Looked like she'd be more than willing to kill us.

"ALL RIGHT, SCUM! LISTEN UP!"

The room grew silent. Obviously.

"I'M HERE FOR ONE REASON....AND THAT'S BECAUSE THE COIN LORDS WANT ME TO BE HERE. THAT'S ALSO THE ONLY REASON YOU WORTHLESS SO-CALLED 'ADVENTURERS' ARE HERE TOO. BECAUSE THE COIN LORDS PERMIT IT!"

"YOU," she pointed to a particularly scrawny-looking halfling rogue, "DO YOU THINK YOU'RE JUST GONNA ARRIVE HERE BY BOAT AND HAVE A NICE VACATION?!?"

"no," came the weak reply.

"DARN RIGHT!!! HERE'S MY WELCOMING GIFT TO YOU!"

A lump of coal. Smack. Right in the face. That's one halfling that will be remembering a certain lady the next time he's sitting by the fireplace.

"Ahem." A new voice. Attached to another tall person. This time a man. Dark hair, dark eyes that bore through the crowd. Black robes that seemed to crackle with negative energy. Or maybe the darkness came from himself?

"Welcome. My name is not important. What is important is that the Coin Lords have decided to crack down a bit on who gets to enjoy the fruits of everyone's labor. Frankly, someone has decided that you don't deserve said fruit. Instead of shipping you back to wherever you came from, it has been decided that your lack of recent activity isn't so much related to your incompetance as it is related to a lack of training. Your training begins now..."

"YOU! YOU WITH THE BANDED MAIL! YOU CALL YOURSELF A FIGHTER AND YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A SHIELD?!?!" The lady again. Another lump of coal flew through the air, hitting a lady fighter's hand. "IF YOU HAD A SHIELD YOUR FINGERS WOULD NOT BE BROKEN NOW, WOULD THEY?"

"YOU! WARFORGED!!! I BET YOU THINK YOU LOOK PRETTY GOOD WITH THOSE PINK DOCENTS!!! ALL PRETTY LIKE. REAL PRETTY FOR A FREAKIN' MECHANICAL FAILURE. UGLY. NO REAL EMOTIONS. WHEN WE'RE DONE WITH YOU, YOU'LL NO LONGER FEEL JOY, BUT THERE'LL BE PLENTY OF PAIN...."

I swear by the Gods, I never thought a Warforged could shed tears. Until today....

###

[Mockduck]

The Basics:


WHEN: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5th

TIME: 9pm Eastern, 8pm Central, 7 pm Mountain, 6pm for you "Hollywood" types in Pacific, all sorts of different times for players from outside of the United States

WHERE: Sarlona server.

WHO: See details about entering below. This contest is open to ten players who are LEVEL 3. Yup, level 3 characters only!

WHAT: A series of five events, each designed to test your skills in a certain aspect of playing the game. Each event is designed to move quickly and be accessible to both new and experienced players. See below for additional details.

WHY: Prizes, of course! Here's the rundown:

1st Place: 15,000 platinum and a 30-day game card. (ADDED 9/24 - +1 paralyzing dagger thanks to the Fight Club guild on Sarlona!)

2nd Place: 10,000 platinum.

3rd Place: 5,000 platinum. Think of it as a consolation prize.

Other participants can expect smaller "thank you" gifts, some meant for humor value, others might be useful. maybe.

HOW: Each section of the event will give players the chance to earn points, and a few events could make you lose a point or two. The person with the most points wins!

HOW TO ENTER: First ten people to sign up get in. If you are interested in signing up, please send an email to ddocast@gmail.com. I will only fill slots from people who post in the comments section of this thread if there are not enough people who send in emails. The emails are time stamped, so the first ten get in! That simple. In your sign-up email, please include "DDOcast's Boot Camp" in the subject line, either the name of the character you will be entering or your forum name if you plan to roll someone up for the event, and a way I can get back in touch with you. Email is preferred, forum name is fine (so I can PM you if you don't give me an email).

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THIS COMPETITION IS OPEN TO LEVEL 3 CHARACTERS ONLY!!! See below for why.

###

[Mockduck]

The Competition:

DDOcast's Boot Camp features five events that are designed to "teach" your characters certain aspects of adventuring in Stormreach. They are:

1. Learn to run and read a freakin' map!

The first event is a race with a twist! The competition will start outside of the Wavecrest Tavern promptly at 9pm Eastern. I will be running the event with my main character Mockduck. I will also have a helper with me who will be introduced at the start of the competition. Basically, what you will need to do is run from the starting line to my assistant, kneel before the assistant, run back to me and kneel before me. The twist is that you won't know where the assistant will be located until the start of the race! This person will appear on your map when the race begins. So, you'll have to run, open up the map, locate the assistant, run to them, /kneel, run back to me and /kneel. This race takes place in the Harbor, so you won't need to enter the Marketplace.

3 points for first place

2 points for second place

1 point for third place

2. Learn to hate each other! (Xoriat tribute event )

The second event is a basic player versus player battle in one of the taverns. All equipment, twinking, etc is allowed, but remember that everyone will be level three who competes. The location of the PvP battle will be announced at the time of the event. Okay, so this one may mean that experienced players have an advantage over new players because of twinking, but frankly, I'm to lazy to figure out what all will impact what and what can be done to prevent so-and-so from equipping item X that gives him or her an unfair advantage. War isn't fair!!!

3 points for being the last person standing

1 point for the first person who dies, if that can be determined by the judges (me and my assistant)

1 point for being the first person to type "OMG!!!!U SUXXORS!" after they die

3. Learn to collect stuff and show it to people! (aka - WoW!!! It's like I'm playing a whole different MMO!)

The third event will start in a location that will be announced at the time of the event. I will announce that players will need to collect a certain object or objects and set everyone loose. It's up to you to figure out where to acquire said object and then /show it to me! Participants will want to make sure they are familiar with the /emote /show as they will need to actually show the proper object to the proper person. Aka - if the object's not in your hand, or you don't show it to me directly, then it doesn't count!

3 points for being the first person to properly complete the event

2 points for being the second

1 point for being third

4. Learn to Zerg!

The fourth event is a speed-run through a lower-level quest on normal. The quest will be announced at the time of the event. This section of the competition will be done individually, aka - one competitor will go in with either me or my assistant at a time. DDOcast's Boot Camp will be run as a raid group for all events except this one. During this event, I will go in with five contestants and my assistant will go in with another group. That way we can have two groups of five, with each person taking their turn running through the quest. I have already determined the quest and given it a run through for time. Doesn't take long, but is challenging enough to not be a cakewalk. If you die, you do not get the chance to go back in. I will be playing a cleric, so I will rez you if you die. I will go in with you and sit in the entrance while you run the quest. I will have a timer. I say "go" and you begin. The timer stops when the adventure is completed. The rest of the players who are waiting for their turn can take a five to ten minute break! When the event is done, we'll all form back up into a raid group.

3 points for completing the quest in the fastest time

2 points for being second fastest

1 point for being third

-1 point if you die in the quest

+2 points if you complete all the optionals and come in first, second or third

5. Learn to read what the quest is about!

This one might be one of the harder challenges.... This is a speed round of five questions and is the final event in the competition. I will be asking questions related to the dialogue and quest information of quests that you can pick up in the Harbor. So, for example, I might say, "This is the bartender who asks you to pick up a cask of 'Ol Sully's Grog" and you will respond appropriately. First person who types the answer into /party chat wins the question.

1 point for each question answered first and correctly

-1 point for answering wrong, whether you are first or not

That's it! Should be a fun time. I'm hoping to run a smooth and enjoyable event. If you have questions, either post them below or send me an email to ddocast@gmail.com.



###

[Mockduck]

FAQ (Actually, it's QTMBFAIPWAMQATEWIWT: Questions That Might Be Frequently Asked If People Were Asking Me Questions About The Event While I Write This)

1. Why only level 3?

I wanted to run an event for lower-level characters. This allows new players to the game to experience the fun of the community, and gives people from other servers the chance to compete if they wish. Doesn't take too long to roll up a character and get that person to level 3. Also, being level 3 helps cut down on some of the insane twinking and makes it a more level playing field.

2. Come on, loser! Cough up more cash!

No. My main is a cleric, so I'm broke.

3. What if I get in the contest and decide at the last minute that I can't make it? What if I get cold feet and back out, or what happens if a meteor hits my house and cuts off my Internet connection just prior to signing in for the night?

That's all right. Stuff happens. I'd prefer it if people would only enter their names into the competition if they know that they can make it that night. But if I get notice early enough, I'll make an effort to fill your slot. If that doesn't happen, then we'll run with however many show up on the night in question. Just don't feel like showing up? Then I will be unhappy and you'll make Stormreach cry. Ever seen the movie Oldboy? It'll be like that but ten times worse.

4. Can I twink? Can I use items during the races?

Yes. It's too much work to try to police these kind of things, so I'm taking a hands off approach.

5. Will I need platinum to enter the competition?

Yes and no. It's probably a good idea to have a few hundred gold pieces on hand, because you may occasionally need to go between the Harbor and the Marketplace, and you will absolutely need a bit of cash to buy the item in event two. However, I'll give you a few hundred gold if you need it.

6. Can I come and watch?

Yeah, this event is open to the public. However, the contest is really designed to be a fun time for a raid group full of people. The awards ceremony will be a fun place to hang out that night, and we'll party then! But, if you'd like to see the events in person, that's totally fine and we'd be happy to see you. Please keep these Event Etiquette guidelines in mind:

- Please please please please do not spam cast buffs and spells in the public areas. It's the number one reason why public events go lag-tastic! Would you bring your boom box to the symphony? Try to find a good place to watch the event and just hang there. Feel free to use the chat channels or whatever, but the less spell-casting and buffing, the better for everyone.

- No inappropriate behavior. There is an event in a PvP pit, so please do not interfere with it. I will try to pick a lesser-used pit, so if we arrive and someone is already in there, we'll pick another one. If the PvP event proves un-do-able for whatever reason, we'll just scrap it and move on.

- I love talking to people who play DDO and listen to the podcast. Thing is, i'll be pretty busy during the event, what with the typing, coordinating, announcing things to the competitors and all. So, if you send me a /tell, whether it be to say hi or to say "PoP elt cleirc now", I may not be able to respond. Let's hang out, chat and have fun at the awards ceremony and celebration afterwards!

7. Open to people from all servers?

Yup. Just make sure that you have a character that is level 3 and level 3 only by the time of the event, or you will not be able to compete.

8. What's a podcast?

Yeah, I get this one a lot. A podcast is sorta like an Internet radio show. Imagine turning on your radio in the morning to find a guy talking for an hour about why George Lucas should NOT direct the next Star Trek movie, even though he's not going to be directing one, because someone sent in a Star Trek-Wars fan fiction which featured Han Solo and Deanna Troi taking on a bunch of robots. It's like that, but they're also lots of fun! You can subscribe to them and have them automatically download when new episodes are posted, or just download them as an mp3 and listen to them either on your portable music player or on your computer. DDOcast is a podcast about Dungeons and Dragons Online and is put together by fans of the game.

This is my first hosted event and I'm looking forward to it. Let's have some fun!

Jerry

[Mockduck]

This is today! The awards ceremony will take place in the Livewood Theatre of House P. Have fun tonight - we will be!

[Mockduck]

Hi everyone....

So, the event happened last night and went well (i think). Good time had by everyone who took part, I believe.

We ended up with seven contestants. Everyone was friendly and open to the event. Since this was my first hosted event, there was a hiccup or two during a couple of the events (PvP-type stuff will get a revamp next time), but overall I think it was a blast!

Here are the results!!!

First Place: Ventilator 10 Points

Ventilator easily bested this event and handily won! Congratulations on a job well done. His prize included 15,000 plat, a +1 paralyzing dagger donated thanks to the Fight Club guild on Sarlona and a 30-day game card! Whoo hoo - you rocked!

Second Place: Borganian 4 Points

Borganian also did really well at the event. He got the fastest time on the zerg run through Garrison's Missing Pack on Normal with a speedy 3:07. Nice job! His prize was 10,000 plat.

Third Place: Rowanshadow 2 Points

Rowanheal (shadow) came in third, largely thanks to her stellar performance in the PvP pit! Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky. Her prize was 5,000 plat.

The rest:

4th Place: Vendyl (1 pt) - he came in second in both the foot race and the collectible-gathering event. Nice job!
5th Place: (Tie) Louzzyer and Constantiny (0 pts) - each got a third place point and lost a point in the trivia competition.
6th Place: Halisstra (-5 pts) - Hallistra did well in the PvP event, but lost a few too many points in the end trivia event. Thing is, after realizing that she wasn't going to win, she had some fun docking points with funny answers in the trivia event, so her score reflects the fun!

Thanks so much everyone for taking part in this. Thanks especially to Standpoint, who helped me organize and run the event. I could not have done this without his help!

I think I'll probably put this sort of thing together in the future as well, since it was fun and worked out pretty darn good! Future Boot Camps will probably be done on other servers so everyone gets a chance - stay tuned....

Jerry

[Epsilom]

Gee that Ventilator looks Virile!

[Rowanheal]

This was a really awesomely fun event...

Thanks for a great time everyone. Can't wait for another one :)

See ya in Stormreach,

-R