Brand spankin' new to DDO...

[LazarusPossum]

...and already I've had my fill of PUG's. I hate 'em. Always left for dead, or struggling to catch up to "zergers". So I'm trying to see if I can find a good guild matchup that has players with my kind of attitude.

First off, I'm older - I grew up with P&P AD&D. My brothers and I were real D&D geeks, and played with the only other kids available, the next-door neighbors. Unfortunately, this was no fun, because they resembled a pair of dirty little kobolds in their play style, which resulted in many fights, tears, and torn-up player stat sheets. We were really into the backgrounds, characters, and storylines, while they were simply loot-mongers trying to out-uber everyone else. But they could afford to buy the games and books, so they were the DM's, which really sucked. Nothing's worse than a DM with a biased agenda on getting you killed.

I remember some of my favorite dungeons, even if I didn't get to play them, because of the well-developed stories and encounters. Dungeons like the Slaver Series, my favorite being Secret of the Slavers Stockade. It was a hard one, but very creative, and worth dying for. With this series, you could either move on to the Giant series, or the Drow series, which I really loved for Shrine of the Kuo-Toa, and Queen of the Demonweb Pits. I really loved the Ghost Tower of Inverness because it concentrated more on critical thinking and puzzle solving than brute strength, and threw in some two-faced NPC's to really bump up the intrigue. A few that I really wanted to get into, but never had the chance, were Ravenloft, The Expedition to the Barrier Peaks (a dungeon with a little Gamma World thrown in), and the Tomb of Horrors.

As I got older, and video games improved, I really have become a fan of sneaker games or games with rich and compelling storylines, such as Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell or the Silent Hill series. Never thought WoW or City of Heroes to be that great, but did like to play Puzzle Pirates on occasion, but there was too much "grind" in Pirates. The games never changed.

I looked at the guild listings, but there are so many out there, it's hard to decide, so maybe someone will see my post and lead me in the right direction. Here's my pertinent information:

World: Sarlona
Style of Play: Explorer, Experimental, Tactical/Strategic, mucho mucho Role-Playing, with some joking thrown in. I remember when I was on my first trial just before the Marketplace Tent imploded, and the magical barrier was still up. I was playing my rogue, Opossum Lazarus ("Often incapacitated, but never quite dead"), and everyone was waiting for that half-hour that seemed more like a day when I put out a tell that I'd go check around back to see if anyone had possibly left a window open by mistake. Got a few laughs on that one.
Availability: I'm a restaurant server, so my days off are Monday and Tuesday. However, I can also play in the morning on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. All central standard time, US.

I've got my 3rd level elf rogue, Opossum Lazarus, and my 3rd level warforged paladin, Sixtyfive Musclecar. I prefer my rogue, because it allows me the style of gameplay that I had with Splinter Cell, with an emphasis on sneaking and backstabbing. Sixtyfive was just having some fun, but I think I'd like to develop him into a real Warforged supporter, since squishies seem to get more love than WF's. You know, boost the repair skill more than the heals. I really thought Splinter Cell was a blast because of the variety of environments, and the complete storyline. That's what I value the most. I'm a sometime writer, and really have an appreciation for all the hard work that goes into creating a compelling environment and like to stop and admire the developers' handiwork sometimes.

I really dislike the zerging aspect that arises with pick up groups, and I hate getting recruited just so they can get past the trap, and then I get left behind or left for dead. I still can't seem to find anyone who will team with me to finish waterworks without having to play catch up. I've been through a couple times, and it's all gone by so quickly, I can't remember if I was coming or going! I solo'ed up to the Kobold Mage and his Mage-erettes in part one, but had a D'OH moment when I forgot to undo my mouse look and jumped right down in front of the boss mage and got killed. It was such hard work to get there, I just didn't have it in me to try again yet.

I'm looking to team with someone who likes to take it slow, work strategically, and let players work in a way that allows their talents to shine. Just once I'd like to see someone send a tell that says, "hey, why don't you sneak in and scout the room and then we'll plan our attack" or even to have the other players just wait a second to let me disable the trap before diving in headfirst. *sigh* Maybe I'm too old-fashioned, but I really don't enjoy zerging and looting as much as the next guy. Anyone out there who feels the same as me?

[Gunga]

I think The Iron Phalanx is recruiting on the Ghallanda server. Contact Lelo...good luck.

[LazarusPossum]

Thanks, I'll look him/her up.

[Gunga]

Thanks, I'll look him/her up.

I'm sure she'll be happy to hear from ya.

[Moriendi]

Heyo,

Check out the Forsworn if you are going to play Sarlona. I haven't been able to connect with them yet in game (my fault, not theirs) but they seem to be really laid back + they are a RP guild.

Cheers,
Moriendi

ps - If i ever get to log in again (new baby + crazy work schedule + wife aggro = no DDO) I'll be lookin' for you to run the WW. I would love to play this game true to the old PnP days and it is impossible to do that with PUGS.

pps - Almost forgot - check out the Dedicated Teams listing. You are bound to find a team there who will fill your RP/Dungeon crawl needs

[Ghoste]

The Mithril Hand sounds like a guild that thinks a lot like you describe, although we do PUG a lot. We're on the Argonnessen server and are a specialty guild that only accepts warforged casters (wiz, sorc, bard, clerics and druids).

[thalion]

Keep an eye out for our groups or a new team startup under our Guild Banner I think you'll find most of our static groups are to your liking/playstyle!

There is a new team startup (looking for a leader) but the day might be bad for you, currently the only other lower level team I believe is the Saturday RolePlay group..
Follow the signature link to learn more about us, and feel free to contact me with any questions/comments...

[LazarusPossum]

Mithril Hand would be fun, but sounds like a Paladin is too far out of the loop. Dedicated Teams sounds like a good guild too, but everyone is so high in level, I'd feel like you guys would have to hold my hand just to cross the street.

Dedicated Teams, perhaps you have some other low-level newbies who might like to group as a static team on Monday and Tuesday? For those who are brand new to the DDO experience?

In the meantime...waiting for that gaming headset from NewEgg! Until then, I'll see if I can solo past the first part of the prisoner quest in waterworks. I hate that everything resets when you die. Kobold baiting takes a lot of time and patience. One bad move, and you have to start all over again.

[thalion]

Dedicated Teams, perhaps you have some other low-level newbies who might like to group as a static team on Monday and Tuesday? For those who are brand new to the DDO experience?

Examine this thread and feel free to post in it!
http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=142368

I think I may have seen you sneak out of the Rusty Nail last night...

Heyo,
Check out the Forsworn if you are going to play Sarlona.
...
I would love to play this game true to the old PnP days and it is impossible to do that with PUGS.

.... check out the Dedicated Teams listing. You are bound to find a team there who will fill your RP/Dungeon crawl needs

The Forsworn is full of great people I highly recommend them, as a matter of fact we have a number of players in both guilds

One of the reasons I created Dedicated Teams was to help put a little more of that old PnP feel into the game

Thanks for the Dedicated Team plug

[Joalin_the_Theurge]

Having had my own share of guild mishaps lately, I'm going to be creating a new guild on Sarlona specifically for people who want to enjoy this game to it's fullest. The character you will need to contact will be Roese Tyler and she is currently a 2nd level Sorcerer. I'll only be recruiting characters ranging from lower than Roese to up to 2 levels higher than Roese, so either of your 3rd levels would be welcomed. The entire focus of the guild will be enjoying the game, helping others in the guild achieve their goals, and not getting lost in the p***ing contests of "My gear is better than your gear".

[LazarusPossum]

"I think I may have seen you sneak out of the Rusty Nail last night..."

Yeah, I was there -- several times. I know it's hard to do with a rogue that's at par level, but I've been trying harder than ever to solo through the first part of the Lost Seekers in Waterworks. As Opossum Lazarus, my 2/1 Rogue/Sorcerer, I can make it to the chief, but the Mages kick my butt. As Sixtyfive Musclecar, my 3rd level Paladin, I can mow through the mobs, but the traps always get me.

After a while, I got tired of it and tried to see how well I could sneak through Searing Heights. Found about 5 parts of the explorer before a hellhound found ME. Then, I found out exactly how long the cloak of invisibility lasts when I became visible in the middle of a pack of quickfoot fighters. Oopsy!

Opossum's a great sneak, but he's just not strong enough, and Sixtyfive's a workhorse, but he's dumber than a bag of hammers. I wish I could play them together. They'd make a great team, sort of like MasterBlaster.

[LazarusPossum]

Thanks, guys. By the way, how does one attach oneself to a guild? Is there an in-game mechanism or is it just basic record-keeping by the leader?

I can keep a very static schedule if a few absolute newbies allowed me to be a leader. I'm feeling like I'd be in this for at least a year, in order to have an inexpensive hobby while I catch up on some bills & stuff. Every Monday and Tuesday all day long for sure, and 80% positive on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday am's.

Right now, I'm diving into the game, and I'll be looking for Roese and roadkill525.

[Joalin_the_Theurge]

The name of the guild is Torchwood Investigations, and just look for Roese. Send me a message and I'll reply with a guild invite.

[parvo]

If you crave PnP style play look up Mortal Voyage.

www.mortalvoyage.com

Feel free to PM me with any questions or hit our forums over there.

[LazarusPossum]

The name of the guild is Torchwood Investigations, and just look for Roese. Send me a message and I'll reply with a guild invite.

Joalin, it was good play this evening, but what happened? After you disappeared, I went and took out the rest of the roving bands and the barracks. After that, I waited about twenty minutes before moving on, but still couldn't get past the Chief's guards all by myself.

[LazarusPossum]

To further clarify my original post, I'd like to use tonight's play as an example, with props to Joalin the Thurge.

The way I've been playing is using the game's AI to it's utmost advantage as a soloist. When I first started playing Splinter Cell, I foolishly thought I was being clever whenever I found a little crevice to hide in or a gap in the "patrol" groups, but soon realized that these were placed intentionally by the developers. The first Splinter Cell gives you these kinds of challenges, like breaking into CIA headquarters with only five stuns and orders not to kill. I believe the same goes for some DDO dungeons, and so even though some may feel that this is exploitation, or simply too time consuming, I really like to play how it's set before me. If that's how they built it, then I don't think the dev's think it's exploitation either. Somebody had to say to themselves, "you know, if we placed the lamps further apart, it'd give someone room to hide" or "if we offset the timing of their marching, someone could figure out a way to pick them off one by one, and get past a seemingly insurmountable obstacle".

Sure, there are good tacticians in pop culture, especially in cinema, who I emulate when I play. Sure everyone likes Leon, the Professional, or Richard Miller in Sniper. However, I'm really a "wait for it..." kind of guy like Swofford and Troy in Jarhead. I really empathize with the lack of love for the rogues and the lack of opportunity to strut their stuff in PUGs. Just like Troy, I'd be saying to the tanks -- "Come on, I got the shot. Just let me take the shot." I want the pink mist. And in Splinter Cell, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, or even K9, it was all about that perfect head shot. In DDO, it's that perfectly timed backstab that throws up xx+x for the kill. But even then, sometimes I wouldn't worry about the kill if it wasn't prerequisite to open the boss's treasure chest.

For me, I kind of take it from the viewpoint of a real rogue, Cato. You know, Inspector Clouseau's butler in the Pink Panther movies? Sure, I'll wait all danged afternoon for Clouseau to come home just so I can jump out of the cabinet or tear through the canopy of the bed when Clouseau least expects it. I don't mind taking large chunks of time just to wipe out a nest of kobolds to see if I can do it without taking more than 20 hp in damage. I'm about as opposite a zerger as you can get. I even got Opossum through the Cerulean Hills explorer section of the quest without drawing a weapon or raising an eyebrow. That's what I think is fun.

I played alongside Jaolin's character Roese tonight, and he taught me a couple of things, like how it's easy to sneak attack with magic missile and give yourself time to prepare for melee. But I think I was about to show him how I typically deal with a certain mob in a certain room using a ranged attack from up high so as not to take any damage or pose any risk to myself. I just sneak in first. If one stands far back enough from a door, one can drop into sneak again without drawing an ounce of aggro. Then you're through the door and up a ladder. I'm sure that's exactly what the dev's were thinking when they constructed the room. His sorcerer sneaks just as well as my rogue, so I'm surprised that my tactic seemed like something new to him. (Jaolin, if you read this, did you know what I was thinking when I recommended it?) Another thing I did when starting out was to take the Diehard feat, so that dealing with small mobs, if I get smacked down to anywhere between 0 and -9 hp, I automatically stabilize. Sure, it takes a while, but it's kept me from dying countless times, and helped me whittle away at some real tough bosses. I believe that I should play my rogue very roguishly, and less fighter-ly.

Now, if there's anyone out there who thinks like this, then that's who I'd really like to guild with. I read somebody had an all rogues guild, but I think they're all veterans of the game, and I'd rather play with someone who thinks this is all shiny and new like I do. Is there anyone out there like this, or am I just .005% of the population?

[LazarusPossum]

Oops, backed up and reposted by accident, so this is the *blanked* edit.

[GeneralDiomedes]

Now, if there's anyone out there who thinks like this, then that's who I'd really like to guild with. I read somebody had an all rogues guild, but I think they're all veterans of the game, and I'd rather play with someone who thinks this is all shiny and new like I do. Is there anyone out there like this, or am I just .005% of the population?

There are definately people who play splinter style, but very likely they are soloing or duoing (any more than that and you tend to default to faster play). Have you tried considering recruiting a like-minded real life buddy to maybe duo some stuff? And you are spot-on about some of the designers intents .. I'm sure they are top notch gamers themselves.

[LazarusPossum]

There are definately people who play splinter style, but very likely they are soloing or duoing (any more than that and you tend to default to faster play). Have you tried considering recruiting a like-minded real life buddy to maybe duo some stuff? And you are spot-on about some of the designers intents .. I'm sure they are top notch gamers themselves.

Well, yeah, I'd love to just duo or keep at three if there were others who were cool with that. Sadly, my brothers have more of a life than I do, one is a professor who teaches, writes research studies, presents those papers, has a wife, two kids, etc. so I don't see him with much time left over. The other brother has a similar schedule, but DJ's and has a live-in girlfriend to whom he devotes his off time. One good friend who got me into Diablo is now going for the masters degree, and also has the live-in girlfriend. Me -- I just have a cat. That's why I'm posting here, to see if I can find a reliable guild buddy who likes it the way I do. I'd even be willing to go tank with my Pally if it were necessary, but still play old-school.

I don't know if I'm spot on, but I'd think a dev would rather admit they built a game to let even the average player win once in a while, rather than admitting to missing a few glitches...plus, if a game were impossible to win, then you'd lose customers, wouldn't you? Of course, if it were too easy, you'd still lose customers, but at this point, I don't see it being anywhere near easy -- especially when playing a rogue solo on normal or harder. So far, my best weapons at level 2/1 are a +1 rapier and a masterwork quarterstaff, and I don't want to erase the challenge by buying some uber-weapon off the AH that I don't really deserve at my level.

[Joalin_the_Theurge]

Sorry about last night. We had a MAJOR internet outtage with Comcast's service and I am JUST now getting internet signal again. I'll be on later this evening, and am sorry again about disappearing as I did, but kinda had no say in the matter.