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Old 11-07-2002, 03:21 AM   #10
Iluvatar
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Mississippi USA
Posts: 142
Iluvatar is on a distinguished road
Almost all of our Immortals are from our player base and I have to tell you that saves a tremendous amount of explaining about how to build contextual zones and quibbling over rules and policy. The one caveat to that I enforce is they will choose a new name and divorce themselves from any and all baggage their mortal has. They must build on-line and be published before they even get to sniff the mortal interaction or "Player's port." I'm not going to watch over their shoulder that they keep all their old friends in ignorance but 9 out of 10 times they will tell others then beg for another name change because the morts bug their mortals incessantly. Yes, I do believe playing a mort keeps an Imm in tune with how the world is developing and perceived from mortal eyes and a valuable tool.

Punishing an Immortal, hmm, tough thing to punish a volunteer, isn't it? They conform to building policy or they don't get published. They conform to behavioral policy on the mortal interaction port or either they don't get promoted or get demoted if you use that kind of system. Too many strikes, they get axed and only you are to blame if you haven't explained the rules or guided them sufficiently. Volunteers are all we have and it behooves us to console, cajole, pump, prod and promote based on services rendered. If we don't, we cut our own throats with work we have to do all by ourselves, or be relegated to surfing for unknowns out in the mudworld.

Keeping them active and happy... Advancement or potential for it works as power is always enticing, challenges work better though and being someone who is actively sought after to be part of the conceptual team works too. Enabling some sort of interactive role for them with the mortal community has it's good points if there is strict guidance as to just how much allowed to interact. Volunteers with Mu*s are in it for fun, either the fun of writing or the fun of interacting and sometimes both. It's not an easy task for the senior managers to enable this environment but IMHO well worth our effort to promote it.
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