This post is my attempt to tie together a few big picture themes that have been brought up recently. And by tying them together, present what I see as a potential way to improve the game.
Themes:
Incentivizing roleplay
Major plots and limited staff
Gangs and Syndicates
Topside roleplay
The divide
Loss of knowledge (game mechanics) and theme
I hope that by the time you are done reading this that you will understand my ideas about how I think we can create a more cohesive and inclusive environment for everyone who plays on Sindome.
All of this is based on my fairly new (~5 years) experience in Withmore. I bring this up because like many other people, it took me a considerable amount of time to reconcile what I thought Withmore (and "cyberpunk") in Withmore should be, with what Withmore really is. And I will caveat "really" by reiterating that this is only based on my personal 5 years.
BACKGROUND (personal perspective, you can probably skip this)
The sense that I have gotten is that Sindome started out with the Red Sector. It was a pretty small Red Sector. Characters were more or less on top of each other. All the time. It was a conflict rich environment. It was an environment where conflict involved gangs and syndicates. This type of conflict is at the core of Sindome's DNA. For better or for worse.
Over time Withmore grew. Other sectors were added. Eventually corporations were added. As the game grew, the breadth of "viable" character types grew. But PVP conflict was always at the forefront. At the end of the day, when all was said and done, the ultimate arbitrator of conflict (outside of staff intervention) was driven by who could vat who.
More recently there has been a drive to make Sindome more (choose your adjective ; inclusive, wide ranging, supportive of non-combat archtypes, enabling of 'conflict' like scheming and intrigue that doesn't involve two players smashing stats and skills against each other).
At the same time, the game seems to have a reduced playerbase that is down from its pandemic level highs. The reduced player counts are due to a number of reasons, none of which are relevant here. The important thing is that the "average" player count seems to be in the 35-45 "active" players at any given time. (As I type this, @who says there are 42 players at ~7pm PST on a Friday night.) That's a pretty small group to divide up among 2 sectors and ~10 factions.
OVERARCHING IDEA
(The following is all personal opinion. I offer it constructively. I am not speaking against certain play styles. Or speaking for other play styles. I hope that this generates some constructive dialogue.)
I believe that we need to reimagine Withmore Society. It is too stratified. By that I mean, it is too disconnected. Too many factions are living within their own bubbles (generally speaking). And this is magnified by the reduced size of the playerbase.
By this I mean, there are too many singular (not inter-DEPENDENT) "Us" versus "Them" dynamics.
Gangs vs Gangs (not involving other Mixers, or topside at all)
Syndicates vs Syndicates (with slightly more involvement of Mixers and topside)
Corps vs Corps (more or less exclusively on Gold, with a bit of occasional Mix involvement)
In a nutshell, my suggestion is that the game needs to be structured (ICly and OOCly) around players (and their characters) who can do three things.
1. Demonstrate knowledge of how to use the NPC systems to make money
2. Mentor others in the use, and exploitation of those systems (within the rules and spirit of the game)
3. Demonstrate an aptitude for big picture thinking. Where big picture thinking equals the ability to understand how talent is developed and promoted from bottom to top (Mix to Topside) and "plot chyen" flows from top to bottom (Topside to Mix)
In Short - We need a culture of mentorship.
To keep is simple, consider the Mix the gladiator academy that is the original essence of Sindome. Violent, unrelenting, no holds barred PVP. The gangs and the syndicates are there to nuture and reward that play style. Their leveraging of the NPC economy should be in support of that. As others have said. Fight. Heal. Buy back equipment. Wash, Rinse, Repeat. The basic fundamentals of "the game."
On the other hand, corporate positions should be primarily populated by players who have mastered the basics. To the point where they can distribute chyen downwards (through the syndicates / gangs / and gifted individuals). They distribute chyen with a purpose. They finance orgs and occasional gifted individuals to further their interests. And their "core" interests could / should be control over certain rackets. And without going into specific game details, those rackets are the core NPC economic systems in the Mix. And more recently, the MacGuffins.
To make this proposal work, there needs to be implicit, tacit approval of the fact that...
"EVERYONE" works for the corporations at some point. Or at least, the 80%+ majority do. Gangs are looking for the toughest and most cunning because they know they are going to have syndicates sub-contracting work out to them. Syndicates are looking for the "best" because they know that they are the go-to sub-contractors for the corporations. The corporations "should" be using their chyen and human resources (disguised security teams, auxillary staff (techs, pilots, deckers, etc.) in support of whatever they are paying the syndicates to do to undermine the other corporations.
The fundamental "problem" / challenge that I see with Withmore is that topside (corporate) and the Mix are too separate. The corporations have their systems (MacGuffins, stock market, etc.) and the Mix has their systems. On top of that, there are historical factors at play. The theme of the Divide. The liability of associating with Mixers. The liability of associating with Corpos.
All of this brings me to staff plots. I'm going to offer a bit of context. I have staffed in the past ElseM*. So this is flavored by that. My experience has been that being a staffer is often perceived as being given a free pass to tell "big stories". Stories beyond a single character. Stories with lasting impact. In some cases there is an expectation to tell those big stories. Semi-regularly.
My suggestion is less emphasis on staff plots, and more emphasis on puppet-requests and mentoring of high level characters (corporate and syndicate).
Corporate positions "should" be mostly filled with characters owned by players who have shown the ability to drive RP. (With the exception of 'creative' type characters at NLM, etc. who do an excellent job of creating content and other thematic elements.)
FINAL THOUGHTS - A Path Forward over 18 months
I suggest that staff strongly consider an 18 month program of mentorship for Sindome. I think this could be a great "marketing" opportunity for the game as well. I suggest that for 18 months, staff and players in effect "play Sindome together".
For the first 6 months, 3 (or more) staffers get a "Walker" level gang NPC. One in each gang. They spend 6 months setting the tone for how gang RP can go. A level setting of expectations so to speak. How to RP within the gang. How to RP with other Mixers. How relationships with syndicates work. etc. Maybe at the end of 6 months, the walker fades into the background and the post promising gang character or two get promoted to walker.
For the second 6 months, 3 (or more) staffers do the same with the syndicates. Maybe they even "poach" a character or two from the gangs and put them into entry level syndicate positions. They go over syndicate mechanics. (Whatever those may be. I've never played a gang or syndicate character so this is all conjecture on my part). Requisitions. Rackets / leases. Interactions within the syndicate. Cross syndicate rivalaries. Corporate interactions. etc.
For the last 6 months, 3 (or more) staffers take on mid-level corporate NPCs. More or less their only focus should be on showing corporate characters how to drive RP and push chyen down into the Mix. How to cultivate relationships with organizations and characters who are capable of furthering corporate interests (distributing chyen) in the Mix. Getting back into actual plots on a small scale. Maybe one "project" per month. Firebomb the PRI factory. Release a deadly disease at CGH. Whatever.
Optionally, and this just my opinion, the final phase should culminate in a culling of topside (corporate) characters who, given 18 months worth of notice and opportunity, have not broken out of an insular, topside roleplay environment. (With the exception of a few creative types at NLM who create great content.)
If this were to work out the way I imagine it could, the end result could be a culture where "everyone" the entire playerbase is working with a modified "us" versus "them" mentality. The "us" being the people and the "them" being the corporations. A culture where everyone is leeching off of the corporations and siphoning chyen from the top, to the bottom. A culture where people at the bottom are working their asses off to earn positions further up the food chain where they have access to more chyen. A culture where characters whose actions result in the greatest distribution of chyen are rewarded.
Lastly a culture for everyone. A place where those players and characters who don't want to (or don't have the free time to) drive RP for others, at least get to exist in system where a sizeable number of characters are driving that culture.
By sizeable I mean approximately 5-10 between the Mix (gang and syndicate) and topside (corporate). A group of 5-10 characters who are tied together and reliant upon each other because there are consequences of not working together. Corporates losing their job. Gangers and syndicate types being replaced by others who are hungry for their positions and the access to the chyen that comes with it.
"With great power comes great responsibility."
