Disciplines and Paths

[Matalina]

You will not be able to see results until 2 weeks is up.  Be honest.

 

The results of this poll may or may not make any changes to the current system, but I want to see how these polls come out in two weeks.  So get all your warder friends here and send in their votes.

 

Mat

[Arette]

I chose the reply that 'I have chosen one but I haven't done much with it' or however it went. This is the situation with Sahra as a Trainee and I regret it. I would have really liked to get to know the Paths the way N&A get to know the Ajahs and make a really educated choice. But I don't even know who are on which path as people don't really tout it.

 

As a Tower Guard I intend to do alot with the Path of Knowledge, though. I want to RP Sahra learning what it is all about and interacting with other Path members. I am aware of at least Nerome and Mia are following it.

[Matalina]

All you have to do is ask.  I really don't think even if we had the old disicplines ppl would know where ppl were... Why? because we don't train with it.

 

The reason you had to know before was because it was your only way to train and get a higher WS, thus these things were prominenant.

 

 

 

Mat

[Wayfarer]

The only reason Mia is considered Path of Knowledge is because it is the descendant of the old discipline Me'arearth.  I don't actually write Mia using the path because its just a different name and with a lot less depth and development.

 

The old disciplines were more than training (though it was a contributing factor), they were association and held a strong sense of identity.  That was what made rivalries possible like the Thunder on the Ocean/Ren'shai, because there was that sense of belonging to a particular group due to similar style and philosophy.  Those styles/groups that had something to offer people were the ones that survived, disciplines that could not were eventually absorbed into those that survived.

 

If we took the same approach now, with either old disciplines or current paths, we could discard the majority and simply let those that can stand on their own two feet survive, sweep aside the rest.  Leave path/old discipline choice as optional, if people like a group they can join it and implement their style, but they don't 'have' to.

[Matalina]

We tried to make the paths and disciplines strong with everyone's help but ya know what no one even bothered. So why should we bother now?  I know Lie and myself both asked on several occasions for what you think your discipline skill set etc should be like and no one participated.  The same can be said for the paths.

 

Paths are not required now.  And there is only one training req that even suggests that we use them and it's optional for each level.

 

I'm seriously considering scrapping the disciplines and the paths all together.  Leave each person to their own tools.  There is no reason why we need them anymore other than to add them to peoples sigs and titles etc. 

 

Our Reqs work the way they are.  And we can add the old discipline descriptions, strenths and weaknesses back on to our page as an optional character development path.  We can even log who's in each discipline for reference sake in the database but there really is no point to pushing old or new because I really don't care what you do with your character.  As long as you follow the rules to the division, DM and the psw as a whole then your character is free to mold as you see fit.  That includes using the disciplines the paths, something completely and utterly new.  As long as you aren't going into godder mod, there is no reason to exclude someone from doing something unless it's grossly out of character for a warder.

 

But right now this is not a discussion this is a poll to gauge what the division thinks.  I've heard enough from the "old timers" and since none of the new folks on the new system are speaking up I can't tell you anything more than I'm leaning towards removing all disciplines and all paths and leaving a character to build their own resources and tools.  I will help in those building process if necessary (ie with the reference pages and the logging for reference) but other than that I want character choices not set into a defined path of thinking because my mentor is this I have to be this, or because someone wants to dual weild they ahve to do this path or discipline.  No, rping is suppose to be fun with in the limits, there is no point to these limits.

 

Mat

[Arette]

Ahem, didn't I just speak up? :) And I am new folks raised under the new system.

 

I don't think that it is a good idea to remove the Paths completely because they offer good ideas and examples for people on what the Paths could be like. Building blocks if you like.

 

It definately would be nice if everyone could craft their own paths and philosophies but some kind of guidelines and ideas should be provided by the Division.

 

The Divisions exist here to help new members to RP and concepts to flesh out their characters more are always helpful even when people have the freedom to use them or not.

[Matalina]

I'm not saying I won't keep them up there none of them will be required.

 

I will keep the references there, but they won't be required to advance to TG anymore, that's all I mean by "trashing" them.  We don't use them the database doesn't even track paths at the moment.

 

I'd be more inclined to offer suggestions for "fighting styles" then say you have to choose one of x amount from this area and that area. The only one that I beleive is require is the philosphies because they we do use for training trainees. if they so choose.

 

Mat

 

 

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

I wouldn't recomend dropping them all together, but creating a more unified system as an option for those that are interested. A contact for those in each group (grand master of.. etc) can also contribute to RP's as people who are curious can learn more about each system. We have James as TotO, Me and Ghaul with Ren'Shai, Sihl and Shoar with Daisho...

 

We all remember the old names, (they were cool!), but then you still have Path of Misdirection (Estel) and Path of Water (Lyv) who are also an option. Each unique, but not all as impertive to the RP.

 

Some Characters are defined by thier disciplines, others define what the disciplines are to be. Scrapping it all together you will loose that sense. :(

 

(I'm really tired, so i hope that made some sense)

[Matalina]

You would still be able to use then and I'd be more than willing to provide the contact, but they are not something we need to require?  How are they helping you reach your reqs? they aren't.  They are only character dev... why should I require character dev elements outside of your reqs?

 

I didn't say you couldn't use them.  I even offered to make sure the old were on the page...

 

And btw, Path of Water is an origianl name of an origial discipline... just because it kept it's name doesn't mean it's not the other Lyv goes with.

 

Mat

[Liitha]

Liitha was/is daisho

 

And i did try with the new paths, it just wasnt the same feel so i stoped bothering and caring. I was involved in trying to develop class sugestions and whatnot. And tried to set up a couple RPs, it just.. i dont know didnt feel rigth, wasnt interesting enough to keep my attention, didnt feel conected enough to try and bother promoting or recruiting for it.

 

And i tried and kept to the official ic story, which means i dont want to refer to obviously to daisho or use the name ic, when as i read it its not a name exsisting as such ic...which made it harder to write, and such means i got less of a holding point to tag the char to ic.

 

Ajah's dont help in reqs either other then indirectly, its a mather of taging things into a subgroup you can relate to, that leaves the oppertunity for char development, and extra details in RPs. Most div's have them.

[Arette]

Yup yup, I think that your comparison of Ajahs and what Paths could be is very apt, Ata. Companies and Paths should both be factors that help to create character identity and something bigger than the character which can define them to some extent.

[Wayfarer]

I'm with Ali on this at the moment if I've understood correctly.

 

What she's saying is, we wipe all of them as reqs and we allow both paths and disciplines to exist.  If a group of people keep a particular ideal alive, then it will live with the players, but (for example) say that every Ren'shai left the site then Ren'shai would die with those players.  Essentially, we keep what is being used alive with the players that are using it, and we completely discard the rest which is dead weight.  That means those discipline/paths that create and maintain association as well as offer something to players will thrive, those that do not will wither and die out.  Say for example, we would simply get rid of Path of Sei'tsorovan and we would restore Thunder on the Ocean there because the few path practitioners think of it as Thunder on the Ocean anyway.

 

This way, any old or new discipline/path can be maintained by players that wish to do so, but they're under no obligation to do so.  At the same time, by not maintaining a system of paths or disciplines as a 'set' requirement, they're free to use them or not as they wish without penalty.  The info remains on the Warder site, but its in the player's hands with how or where they want to go.

[Matalina]

EXACTLY!

 

 

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

That generally works for me. As long as it's available as a point to "there are so and so groups" without the obligation, i'm happy.

[Wayfarer]

One question, would we just change the path training req into a personal development req to generalise it or?

[Matalina]

Unless they are needed we will probably remove them or change them to something we do use like Philosphies and how they play an important part of the characters life.  there is only one per level and I'm pretty sure that it's not needed to fulfill requirements.  But if I don't feel the choices are great enough we will add in another.

 

And I think only one uses the disciplines as a req.

 

Mat

[Wayfarer]

Sounds good to me :)

[Matalina]

But none of this will happen until the two weeks are up and the poll ends and shows what is the populations feelings.

 

Mat

[Liitha]

so say for path of dual blade...think its what its called

 

me and shoar has that, if none else has it, or those who do, agree then that path would be replaced by the old description of daisho? and if we wanted to we could choose to only have said path, and sign off the disc list should we choose to, so we only have to relate to daisho as path?

 

just checking if i got it right

[Matalina]

No, all current paths and all old disciplines would live where they are but ppl choose what they want.  We aren't scrapping ideas because they overlap.

 

They are ideas for ppl to think about not required to take so scrapping them is not going to happen.

 

Mat

[Wayfarer]

What if people of a path and discipline wished to simply amalgamate it into one?

[Liitha]

is lost *likely part to beeing partialy sick so not on the top*

 

but yeah atm my head cant wrap itself around what you guys are saying

[Matalina]

That's fine but they two still would remain separate identities.  The paths and the disicplines should be different enough that they can remain separated.  But whatever, I don't plan on ditching any information.

 

Mat

[Wayfarer]

Its just because Sei'Tsorovan and Thunder on the Ocean are pretty much exactly the same except for their titles.  The same info with two names may as well be subsumed into one name.