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Someone asked me about LBU directly for the first time a week ago and asked if she could post a poll, but couldn't figure out how (open a new post, then at the bottom, go to poll creation btw). So I thought I'd provide the answers I had and let everyone comment, etc.

The reason I'm pro LBU at the moment is not because I don't like inspiration, but because:

- I really want people to have something to do in-game when RP is not available to reduce login/logout spam when people log in and don't see a favored RP partner. This is not about filling the wholist (as was commented upon), but about opening up opportunities for people to encounter others that they might not normally do so because of time zone restrictions, etc.

To clarify, it is perfectly acceptable to ICly sew together, spar, etc, so I do not see LBU as being mutually exclusive to RP.

- I really want to fix the LBU system so that it works because it's a most encompassing reason for people to stay online. Also, I like the fact that it means people who are one way actually practice what they preach instead of being the battlemaster that never touched a blade and so on.

What I don't like about LBU:

- Honestly, it does mean grind. Grind should be exciting like meditate, not un-exciting like spamming the same three commands over and over.

Can someone help me make a system that encompasses all needs?

I am in favor of both being used. Some things just make more IC sense with inspiration. Like I could rp my character brawls outside the city each day using inspiration. Combat just doesn't really lend itself to LBU. Crafting on the other hand does.

Like you've already stated, LBU is something to do when no rp is available.

The flip side is you don't want people grinding LBU when they could be rping, so that's where inspiration is beneficial.

The meditate thing makes me think of something. What if these mini games could replace inspiration? Let's take some examples.

Research could be broadened (or made separate) to research most skills in a library room. It's frustrating and the gains are little, LIKE RL! But offers you something if you're alone.

Musical instruments could have a meditate-like game that involves like, plucking the viol to some sheet music or something. 'practice' could be the syntax. 'practice viol' goes through threads that'll say 'The next note says pluck the E string.' and your return should be practice E, or whatever. That way you ahve to participate and can't go IAW to spam away.

Something like that? Thoughts?

One thing percolating in the back of my mind that someone mentioned to me today was that inspiration is such an easier system for player advancemant than LBU that, if you put the two of them together in a game, then inspiration will become what people use by default to avoid the harder work of LBU. I think there's some truth to that, which encourages me not to try to mix the two unless inspiration were severely limited, and then it's only playing lipservice.

I really like the idea of minigames for LBU. I'm happy to be rid of LBU if there are substantial things people can do online whilst not in RP to keep them around long enough for RP opportunities to occur (eg, the game has enough going on that it's an opt-out-of-RP-if-you-don't-want-to system instead of a you-must-opt-in-if-you-want-to-find-RP system). I'd absolutely love to hear more ideas around this aspect/topic of the issue.

Thanks!

I'm fine with inspiration as a concept, and I actually liked it a lot, but the pool on the other game filled up too quickly and easily. I think reducing how many times you can use it per day and the rate of pooling it would be a good idea should you decide to bring it back.

I wouldn't lose LBU at all. Just match it with something to take the gap inspiration's removal left.

Can you describe that gap a bit more so I can understand what it is that's now missing? Is it just effectiveness of learning or something more intangible? Thanks!

I posted this on the phome thread, but thought it would be more suitable here.

I think having 'inspire' only pool WHILE you're in RP might be nice. ie you need the rpxp to inspire, but it also won't pool if you're not in RP. So people can't just be RP inactive while whittling away at a huge pool of saved rpxp. Also, could possibly make inspire cost more xp than LBU.

Kinaed wrote:Can you describe that gap a bit more so I can understand what it is that's now missing? Is it just effectiveness of learning or something more intangible? Thanks!

IMHO inspiration was always something that lended well to the concept of going to the library and reading about whatever it is you're trying to learn. Not just a serious of AH HA! moments on the toilet when out of RP.

Some stuff doesn't lend well to LBU. Combat does. Crafting does.

What about the first 5 ranks of language or so? Teaching from another player, yes, but otherwise not so much. haggle is an automatic skill so you can't actively work on it unless you're standing around buying mass quantities from an npc merchant. instruments - IRL people play at home alone all the time, but you can't RP alone. City Lore - would you pool that just by looking around? I dunno. LBU has some shortfalls, and inspiration would pick that up. I agree it was pretty easy and inspiration became #1 for learning instead of LBU, and LBU IS the best way to learn IRL, so LBU should be #1, but we just need an alternative. And I see the idea board with some of those options, like research <skill stuff> instead of being exclusively mage. I think the right idea to help replace inspiration is being worked on.

So, I had a dash of inspiration (hah!) about another way to handle this.

It involves doing away with inspiration in the current form entirely, with the stored pools that can be dumped into skills at leisure. Replacing it, I would like to see the following.

If you're in a roleplay scene, wherein you think it would be reasonable to be learning a skill, you can simply type 'inspire skillname' and it just slowly trickles points in the skill into your pool. For example, you're a troubadour practising in RP. You type 'inspire flute' and it adds a little to your pool whenever you gain rpxp. So, it enhances LBU a little, and also encourages people to rp about and around their increasing skills.

I imagine that it would be slower than learning from someone using 'teach', but still something.

Thoughts?