What Keeps You From Going Order?

[Dreams]

I have no idea how to make a poll, or I would make one. However, the question I am presenting to the masses is:

What keeps you from creating an Order character?

I can see answers being anywhere from "religious RP just doesn't interest me," to "I want my characters able to marry," to "the GLs are poopyheads and I want nothing to do with them," to "It just doesn't seem to be fun to me." Or, you know, other reasons I haven't thought of.

But, the simple fact is that this game circles around religion, and it is crippled without clergy and inquisitors. So, I open it up for everyone, so we can try to move things forward. We can't fix it if we don't know what's broken.

[Taunya]

Maybe we should try having the king convert and overthrow the church in favor of one of the cults for a bit. The cult of Transcendent Ecstasy would have much more fun cleansings.
Path of Fire would probably be the most compatible though, if we really wanted to try something drastic like that. It's as anti-mage as the Order, and more organized than most of the others.

I don't know why the Order doesn't pull me though. I guess part of it feels a little antagonistic? And not just against mages. It's a difficult role to play, and doesn't feel like there's much reward to it at present.

[CCCedany]

I actually love playing clerical Orderites and am hoping apps re-open so I can jump in with an Inquisitor or Priest! Unfortunately though, RP at the level of Novice/Acolyte is pretty lacking. You can't perform rites or marriages, there's not a codified skill to be training and learning about, and you're at that awkward level where no one wants to hang with you 'cause you're a narc but you aren't big and bad enough to force them too.

[Taunya]

I actually love playing clerical Orderites and am hoping apps re-open so I can jump in with an Inquisitor or Priest! Unfortunately though, RP at the level of Novice/Acolyte is pretty lacking. You can't perform rites or marriages, there's not a codified skill to be training and learning about, and you're at that awkward level where no one wants to hang with you 'cause you're a narc but you aren't big and bad enough to force them too.

It would ultimately be up to the GL, but you don't necessarily have to start as an novice/acolyte even if applications aren't open. But it would be an IC process rather than jumping straight in.

[Dreams]

I actually love playing clerical Orderites and am hoping apps re-open so I can jump in with an Inquisitor or Priest! Unfortunately though, RP at the level of Novice/Acolyte is pretty lacking. You can't perform rites or marriages, there's not a codified skill to be training and learning about, and you're at that awkward level where no one wants to hang with you 'cause you're a narc but you aren't big and bad enough to force them too.

It would ultimately be up to the GL, but you don't necessarily have to start as an novice/acolyte even if applications aren't open. But it would be an IC process rather than jumping straight in.

Agreed.

Also, how much RP/training/etc. that is had is dependent on the GL. Just because there's not coded training doesn't mean there isn't any training whatsoever. And, there is plenty of RP, if people look for it in the right places.

There's also the benefit that RPing with an orderite gives people bonus RPXP, so if they are avoiding you on purpose because your character might be a nark, that's their loss. It's of great benefit for others to RP with a member of the Order.

[mystry]

If you want my honest opinion, I very seriously doubt that I will ever create an Order character. I have a profound dislike of religion of any kind IRL and don't feel comfortable even playing a character representing a fictional one. Particularly since the Order regularly, in my opinion, murders innocents for no crime other than being born with special abilities.

The Order, in my mind, are the bad guys. And I don't like playing the bad guys.

If that offends any Order players...well I'm sorry but it seems like the OP wanted genuine reasons, so there you go.

[Dreams]

If you want my honest opinion, I very seriously doubt that I will ever create an Order character. I have a profound dislike of religion of any kind IRL and don't feel comfortable even playing a character representing a fictional one. Particularly since the Order regularly, in my opinion, murders innocents for no crime other than being born with special abilities.

The Order, in my mind, are the bad guys. And I don't like playing the bad guys.

If that offends any Order players...well I'm sorry but it seems like the OP wanted genuine reasons, so there you go.

No offense taken, and I figured this would be one of the responses. However, that said... what you stated is the theme of the game. We can't change that without changing the entire theme.

[mystry]

I didn't say the theme had to be changed. Although I will admit that I think its a bit strange how the Order still has an IC stranglehold over everything when there are almost no players for it right now. The theme is supposed to be Order vs Magic right? And yet, I feel like there's no actual competition at all, its more like "magic hides from Order" since enemies of the Order are unable to displace or even weaken its influence lore wise or on grid.

Maybe the upcoming turf wars thing will help with that. But getting back to the subject at hand, I don't want to change the theme of the game, I just don't want to play Order since I fundamentally disagree with everything they're about.

Or, hey, I could just be totally wrong about everything since I'm a noob who is still on their first character. Who knows.

[Dreams]

I didn't say the theme had to be changed. Although I will admit that I think its a bit strange how the Order still has an IC stranglehold over everything when there are almost no players for it right now. The theme is supposed to be Order vs Magic right? And yet, I feel like there's no actual competition at all, its more like "magic hides from Order" since enemies of the Order are unable to displace or even weaken its influence lore wise or on grid.

Maybe the upcoming turf wars thing will help with that. But getting back to the subject at hand, I don't want to change the theme of the game, I just don't want to play Order since I fundamentally disagree with everything they're about.

Or, hey, I could just be totally wrong about everything since I'm a noob who is still on their first character. Who knows.

Perfectly fine, glad to hear your opinion. Just... there's not a solution to this one, unfortunately, that I can see. But, it is good information to have.

I will comment on the IC stranglehold without many players - NPCs and vNPCs do exist, just like shops on grid exist that aren't owned and run by players. Just because we don't have a strong player presence in the Order currently doesn't mean the Order isn't viable and present. Player Characters aren't the only members of the Order.

[Kuzco]

The theme is not Order vs Magic. There isn't a war. There was a war. Now it's more like the Order regularly moping up and trimming the number of proto-demons on grid. They won, mages lost and lost hard, spells were forgotten, their institutions broken.

Mages can't break the IC stranglehold of the Order because they aren't a unified, motivated, aggressive bunch. Often they fight for each other like any human does. However, mages can and do subvert the Piety metric, which weakens the Order's resources and response capabilities.

Don't forget that the Order also combats demons and evil mages, gives free education, promotes charity and humility, promotes unity among the classes and races, feeds the poor, and encourages marriages and births.

As for the lack of Order players, yes, the antagonistic angle is a thing. Joining the Order, you inmediately become the enemy of 30-40% of the player base, at least nominally. You often can't marry, often become the target for evil mages, and are the party popper at gatherings. You get some RPXP and QP out of it, sure, but the pbase does not feel very supportive of the Order, with some noble exceptions. From an OOC standpoint, it's understandable when the Knights drag your daily RP partner into Ahalin, then burn them alive and call it a good thing. ICly? If your PC is davite, you should be mournful but ultimately grateful: Mages are sick. The Order is the cure.