I tend to agree with that sentiment but then again we understand Battlemaster; it is a slowly paced, long-term, social, character-driven game.
New players not used to this concept might not quite get it however much they might appreciate it if they gave it a chance.
I think we need to be a little more precise and targeted in how we promote BM on the JOIN page (and elsewhere on the WWW) to increase the chance of getting (and keeping) the sort of player we want by being clear what their expectations should be.. something like..
BattleMaster Is..
Lightweight: You can spend as little as 15 minutes a day and still play well.
Relaxed: The game's pace is measured in half-days, rather than seconds, minutes or hours.
Persistent: The results of the actions you take, the relationships you forge and the decisions you make can last for years.
Long-term: The game is most fulfilling when played over months or years. Some of our players have been with us for over a decade.
Immersive: The game is as much about developing interesting characters and worlds as achieving goals.
Depthful: There is always something new to learn in a richly imagined world backed by a sophisticated game system.
Social: Interaction between players is fundamental to the game and brings it's own rewards; it is the players who create the world.
Fair: We do not tolerate cheating, abuse, bullying or other anti-social actions in the game.
Evolving: We are constantly adding improvements, depth and subtlety to the game.
I don't think the learning curve and feature creep is a bad thing. Even after six years it keeps me interested as there is always something new to learn. The most compelling games take a minute to learn and a lifetime to master and BM fits that bill (and that's just the game system, you could spend two lifetimes gaining complete knowledge of every character, every realm, every religion). That is what keeps many people playing.
The key is to do what we can to make the curve as shallow as possible in the first week or so to fire the desire to learn and provide the reward of being able to learn.
In terms of encouraging interaction with new players.. how about every message to a player less than a week old has a "this message was useful" button. Clicking it counts towards a "Your support of new nobles has been recognised by your peers.. you gain x honour and y prestige" bonus for the sending noble. (With hints to this in the new player arrival messages to a realm). Alternately a limited supply of 'helpful' medals that new players can give other players who help them.
Incidentally.. I just realised that BM is only a lightweight game at certain timescales..
15 minutes a day is not much compared to most games. However.. 15 minutes x 365 days x 6 years = 497.75 hours*
How many games do people spend 500 hours playing in a 6 year period?
* the extra .25 hours assumes one leap-year in the six year period because someone would surely mention if I missed that ;-)
That is a very, very good idea, and I'm going to be bringing it to Tom's attention.
