[Darren Brimhall]

There's also other matters to consister about Marrach.

For the most part, it's Favor Based. Meaning actions speak louder than words, depending on who you're trying to gain favor with--that's if a.) you are able to speak with them at all, and b.) they think your interesting enough to deal with.

Yes, they do hold 'Open Sessons" for this and that--but its limited largely to Sword Practices, Crafter's Classes, and maybe a few events that occur here and there. However, you need to acheve Honored Guest status to really be able to become involved in the more serious 'plots' (I put that in quotes because because what passes for plots there wouldn't past muster anywhere else) to beable to own a sword and to get into the Inner Bailey. To acheve that, please refer to a. and b. above.

If you cannot acheve either with your character before the end of your free trial, spend your $13 on gasoline--its a better investment. Because 'freezing out' newbies is a common occurance there, largely due to the number of Alt characters you can have (up to five), and each enter the Game in exactly the same way. So don't be taken back if the established there think your actually one of them, as was the case eariler this year when many new arrivals already came knowing 'how' to backstab and do it quite viciously (that bit of knowledge I thank Keir's player for, who not only left Marrach but Skotos all together because he was 'bored' with it--I'll addess that later on in this Post)

Now, if you manage to make a good enough impression by the end of your trial, and believe its worth the $13, then expect after nine months to a year of hard work to make it to Honored Guest--which is average, and leaves your options open as to where you can go. If you get the position in less time, exspect other players, especially those who've been there longer and worked just as hard to sinpe at you. Because certain players whom I've had bad dealings with, and who are 'protected' from harm by Staff, are the biggest offenders of IC/OOC Crossover.

It's one thing to be liked InCharacter, but its entirely different to be liked Out Of Character--because if you catch the eye of those with Staff Favor, you will be promoted up the Chain at a much faster rate over those who've worked harder. All of you know this, and most likely exsperienced it in other games. It's here too.

Marrach is an even worse offender because the players of the Game's standing Nobles (not those characters who earned the title from the Outer Bailey) and Royalty are drawn from the Player Base--as is the Game's Staff. So, if you anger a established player(s), as I did because I refused to play my characters as they wanted them played and complained bitterely about it to their friends on Staff, don't expect any further upward movement throuigh the ranks until those players no longer play those characters--or their friends.

Now, once you've made Honored Guest, you can now enter the Inner Bailey where your character had been be mindful of both their manners and dress, or the first knight, noble or elsewise egotistical resident there will burn your character right on the spot. If you are able to avoid this, you will start to discover that the deeper your character becomes involved in this with in the Inner the more shallow they become.

One of the Game's selling points is Courtly Intrigue. Well, forget it--there isn't any. Adventure is in the hands of those players with pull (which leaves around 70% out the player base out of most of the action), and Romance cannot be found.

Remember in the last paragraph what I said about angering established player(s) and the fact that all standing Nobles and Royalty are drawn from a pool of established players? Well, now you'll see how wrong that is--because the Nobles don't plot against the Royalty as you would expect with Courtly Intrigue. They're played by their friends, and will not hurt their friends. Oh, there's nothing that'll stop them from making Alts, which they can go after each other with--but heaven forbit they hurt their favored characters. This results in a very shallow game with no dimention that has no real oversight to prevent cheating from occuring.

Another effect is Stagnation, with no real desire to hurt or harm their friends, or their characters, those striving to climb the Great Chain hit the Glass Ceiling because of all the longstanding characters in place on its upper regions who've been there for a very long time--who will not move because their players don't want them removed, even if it's in the best interests of the Game. They'll only move if something better is offered, and that means the distruction of the Royal's which isn't going to happen. So after two years, or less, of this the average Gamer is most likely to leave because of boredom with the place, or finding even better fair out there.

Russell Davies has the right ideal with Torchwood; you cannot expect the audiance to have much connection with the characters if they keep surviving every serious encounter. Some of them have to die--perminately--so to give the story a dimention it would not otherwise have. You wont find this occuring in Marrach to any longstanding characters, not at all.

So, if you make it through the first month, I estimate you will stay their maybe two years before becomming bored with the place. Silvarilon made a very good point about the place that I only touched on;

You'll get to see whether the game is worthwhile, and you'll get to see the things Darren is talking about (or not see them)Either way, that first month is the hardest, since many players ignore new arrivals with the expectation that most new players don't stick around. So they wait and see if you stick around and start playing before putting much effort into RPing with you.

In my first years there, I played a Awakener, whose job it was to help all Newlies become adjusted in the Castle. And when I eventually lead the group, I was able to exspand it to its largest size...
When I left that place (and it wasn't because of making Death Threats--because I wouldn't be playing Ironclaw there today), there was barely anyone playing a Awakener so the job was handled by the Office of Royal Orders, where my main character ended up after being forced from Carpentry--just exsisting.

What caused me to finally leave was what a so-called friend told me about various points in the Game (in an OOC driven effort to alter how I played my character) over Yahoo Chat (which didn't result in any punishment against her when it was reported, How my immediate boss at eterena was treated (and she was a mid-level Staffer), player attitutres against my character's desire to return to Carpentry and how terribly a player I was helping with the Game, whose ADHD effected her memory, was treated (and still continues to be treated) made me finally leave that place.


If offered the chance, I'll return--just to set in motion such an upheval that would free up space at the upper end of the Chain, as it should occur from time to time with Courtly Intrigue. There's nothing like a really good scandal to shake things up.


Darren Brimhall
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