Newbie Shop

[Rabek]

There are a few issues, in my opinion, with the current system for newbie equipment.

The biggest, in my opinion, is that it basically requires that you ignore the rule that items must be restrung to be the same material as their base item. You end up with wax balls getting restrung as silver bracelets or whatever, simply because the starting materials are incredibly limited.

Another issue is the rule that you can't start with any item that can be bought on grid. This is most important when dealing with things like tattoos for the few characters who would have them, or to a lesser extent characters who are ex-military but can't start with a weapon other than a dagger. While you can buy these things on-grid, they're obscenely expensive for a newbie, and in the case of tattoos can cause continuity errors if you can't afford it or find the shop before you get caught in RP.

My suggestion: put a newbie shop (probably more than one, honestly) in the character creation area where all items cost 1 silver. It should have full outfits in several different material types, background items like tattoos and probably weaponry, and maybe a shop for Prestige items for characters to whom they would apply. Maybe pets, too, for pets brought with the character from wherever.

Obviously, this needs restrictions to prevent abuse. I would avoid selling any rare/luxury items outside of silk/velvet. We need PC crafters to still make money. So probably only the lowest tier of weapons and armor, for example. No cosmetics, limited jewelry. That sort of thing.

To keep people from buying a dozen outfits and reselling them, I think this could be an easy solution. Make everything in the shop cost 1 silver, and only give new characters silver-on-hand based on their class. Maybe silver = wear slots (I don't know the exact number) for freeman, 1.5x for Gentry, 2x for nobility. Something like that. The rest goes into the bank as per what we do now. That way there's a set number of items that can be purchased in creation for the purposes of fleshing out your background. Maybe even mprog guards at the entrance to each shop to ensure only the proper class can get in (so that freeman can't buy silk), though I wouldn't mind the potential for sumptuary breaking out of chargen, it's probably a dangerous trap for newbies.

I'm pretty sure the only code change required of this would be giving some on-hand silver to new characters to use the shop. The rest should be a building project only, I believe.

[Rabek]

Forgot to note: I believe I read that the new Assets system will be phasing out purchase wealth, silver, or both. A system like this newbie shop becomes even more important in such a case, since you can't purchase silver to cover items required for your concept anymore. I believe it to be an important change regardless, just moreso if we can't buy silver to make up for the current limited system.

[Starstarfish]

I'd second this idea. One consideration might be how to ensure that folks bought the minimum amount of code needed clothes so that noobers don't get themselves in trouble accidentally because they don't realize not wearing a hat is a big deal. (A code check to not let anyone leave short of being fully dressed, maybe?)

[Rabek]

I thought of the same thing, but some people like skirting that sort of thing. Especially Tubori and the like. I wouldn't really want to force people to buy things they don't want to have or use. Simply giving the shop rooms descriptions that explain IC fashion (and refer to the help files) might help there, much like the other newbie school rooms do. Maybe in red capital letters for the indecent warning.

Thanks for bothering to comment! The forums are super dead these days.

[Taunya]

It could be a good idea, would definitely help with a lot of character ideas.

Maybe provide a limited number of character-specific tokens to purchase the items instead of silver, or it could be abused by cyans returning to chargen. Should also have some sort of limit on how many of a type of item they can get that way.