Do you feel your character can make a difference?

[Vonjan]

I believe that yes its possible to change things. just as its easy to change the course of a river but despite all the change its the big picture that one needs to understand. even rivers end up in oceans. same goes with people its just a matter of influence.

[crizzan]

Difference? Low level characters?

Hey, look, I know some of you are going to say: There's the newbie just sounding off. You will immediately forget my post if you manage to read it. So be it. If that's the way you think, stop reading now.

For the rest of you: Yes, I usually play one PC (can't now, he's broken. I'll ask a DM to fix him in another thread.) I have been playing days and hours without rising a level. Part of that is my chaoice of characters (Vrok, Half-Orc thief, go figure) and part of that is my level (Read 3).

My point is this (knew I'd get around to it): I don't like asking for DM help, so I've wandered around (read:stumbling in the dark) and encountered some folks I could kill (bandits), some I couldn't (Goblins), some folks I could RP with, some I couldn't (Guess some elves have real problems with Orcs)...

When I ran into trouble, the DMs were there. When I couldn't get a quest to work, the DMs were there. When they could see I needed advice, the Dms gave me advice even though it was unsolicited. When they found out that I was level 3 and could not find other characters my level, one of them dusted off an old character my level and both RP'd and adventured with me for a while. (Although I did not learn until later he was a DM.)

As a level 3, I don't think I could have (or should have been able to) change the world. But I helped the DMs become aware of a broken quest. I hope I helped them fix it. They have a lot on their plates, though, so I hope I did not tie up their time. I am sensitive to that.

I generally do not ask the DMs for help. It is our place as players to make our way through the world. If something goes obviously wrong, I will call for help AFTER I've tried everything I can think of. (You know the WASD buttons can get you unstuck most of the time.) Then, I call only if it's a mechanical problem or something is obviously broken. If I turned down the wrong path and ended up on the Fugue Plane, guess whose fault that was? (You get three tries, if you need them.)

If you expect to call a DM to give you something to do, If you want the DM to take you by the hand and lead your character, If you want the DM to make all the decisions in the world, just give the DM your character and let him (or her) play that character while you watch. You cannot make any difference by just going with the flow.

Frankly, I see some things in this world I want to change. I think the government is oppressive, there are far too few opportunities for thieves to be thieves, and most of the guilds are just playing along with one another.

The things I can change will be changed by how my character developes in the world. (This is OOC information. Don't use it in play.) I think it would be a fine thing to have an effective and active Thieves Guild here that effectively recruits new memebers... Say, some thieves and Fighter/Ranger/Barbarian types that will do their jobs as long as they get paid. Who knows? There miht already be some organization that could develope that way or is keeping a low profile, as they should...

As far as the oppressive government and the other factions go, those things could change over time. Has anyone else noticed that some government officials seem more interested in their own comfort than anything else? Has anyone else noticed that some thieves seem to be working in important government posts? Does anyone in the factions really care, or are they in those factions just to go with the flow? It's fine if they just want to go with the flow. That works good for Vrok.

[Artemis]

Yes, if the situation calls for it.