Family Ties

[DoctorHarte]

What is the public's view on one family's character to another? 

For example, judging another character upon their family ties and other character actions? If that character betrayed one of yours on another continent, would you try to get revenge upon someone of that family on another island? With another character of yours?

[^ban^]

In my experience this has depended entirely on the characters in question, the context and situation of the betrayal, and the present context in which the characters involved find themselves.

The Valentine or Lefanis families, for example, are widely distrusted and even hated across continental boundaries. The many experiences I have had with these - and a handful of other - families will taint all future interaction between mine and theirs with a distrust, dislike, or even hatred. We have hunted one another, slain one another, betrayed one another, and even burned each other's homes.

On the flip side of the coin, families such as the Anaris or Vellos *have* enemies and some measure of infamy or fame on the islands they operate on, but I know of no grudges against those families, only certain of their characters.

[songqu88@gmail.com]

As ^ban^ has said, the histories of certain families leaves no doubt, at least iin my mind, that the apples sometimes don't fall far from the tree. And while it's nice to think that there are different characters that every player accomplishes, the sad truth is that sometimes the players really just play a set of the same type with some variation on exactly how they achieve the exact goals they would otherwise.

Then again, that's not exactly uncommon even in real world families.

[Shenron]

People should distrust the Shenron name by now or I'm doing something wrong....

[Sacha]

There's a few families that don't need to count on any sympathy from mine...

[Silverfire]

I usually don't have family ties spread against continental boundaries. However, if a character of your family makes an enemy of me large enough on one continent, all members of that family will be my enemy on that continent.

THe other continents will be different, because the way that I RP my characters is that they are brothers which never got along. So they don't talk much, and often I've had a character get back at his older brother by working with a family that one of them hated.

Not to say a few characters and families haven't reached the "bad" list, and some haven't reached the good list.

[Vellos]

the sad truth is that sometimes the players really just play a set of the same type with some variation on exactly how they achieve the exact goals they would otherwise.

That's not inherently a defficiency on the players' part. Some people just like playing similar characters: and it is plausible to think a family would have similar personalities.

I have no problem with family feuds, so long as they are not player feuds. What does bother me is family position awarding. I know of several realms where new characters are promptly handed positions because people know the player.

Not to bash a specific realm, but Riombara is particularly bad about this. My current character there, Cyrilos, has been offered support for a council position after being there barely a month, based on Hireshmont's record, despite the fact that Cyrilos is a creepy, obnoxious, religious ascetic.

On the one hand, my Medieval instinct is very happy with that: characters are treating families as loyalty blocs. On the other hand, the game player in me is very upset with that: seeing how I am handed posts without my characters demonstrating any competence makes me worry about how new players are treated.

[Indirik]

It is tough to balance, isn't it? The family-centric medieval view that wants inheritance, nepotism, family loyalty, etc. to be a strong influence,  yet the need to keep the game friendly for newer players. It's a very tough balance. As much as I think that game-mechanics-supported inheritance could be interesting, I think it would be a very negative influence on the game. Tying power up into an even smaller group than it is now would not be good for the game.

[Bedwyr]

I have some internal family politics that have been in the background before and are starting to be played out a bit on one of the forum roleplaying topics now.  There are various branches of the house, and within the branch communication is fairly good.  Between branches, not so much.  However, the family does collect names (both good and bad), and there have been a couple of Houses that have had enough names accumulated either way for their to be standing orders to treat them as friends or foes.  The Haerthornes and Kindons, for instance, are to be treated reasonably well in absence of other information, while any Lefanis or Vanimedle is basically on a "shoot on sight" order.

(grins) Of course, the degree that any one of my characters listens to that is dependent on their personality.  Malcolm will make his own judgments, Alistaire is likely to switch them around just to be contrary...

[Calanar]

I don't know if the new McGahee's are the same as the old ones, but they have a large distrust factor to the Calanar family. Ziode and Conan got in a fight and the McGahees turned on all of my characters, which was awkward because Moses of Atamara and Cius never spoke to each other. I don't think I've really dealt with any of the big name players. I sorta made my home on the Far East and kept it there. Himouras are an "approach with caution", and the same goes to the Stormreavers.

How people approach my Calanars though, I can't say If it's not Ziode, I'm guessing that it's deemed safe.

[Gustav Kuriga]

My characters always seem to end up in a realm with a Peristaltico. Sirion and the Morek Empire are two realms I know have one in them, while I think another one is in Darka.

Gustav Kuriga, who is in Morek, has great trust in Bustoarsenzio Peristaltico, and would lay down his life in service for him. From what I have seen, Bustoarsenzio sees Gustav as someone who will always give him an honest answer, even if that answer isn't something he wants to hear.

[Triggster]

It is tough to balance, isn't it? The family-centric medieval view that wants inheritance, nepotism, family loyalty, etc. to be a strong influence,  yet the need to keep the game friendly for newer players. It's a very tough balance. As much as I think that game-mechanics-supported inheritance could be interesting, I think it would be a very negative influence on the game. Tying power up into an even smaller group than it is now would not be good for the game.

As a fairly new player (joined at the end of January 2011) I would say that this game is friendly for newer players. My two initial characters both have Lordships in their respective realms, and one is even a Vice-Marshal. However, I suppose I can only vouch for Morek and Tara on this.

[Zakilevo]

Wow.. You are going up in the BM world really fast lol. It took me literally 8 month to even become a lord. Well I wasn't really active but still I was fighting every where at least

[songqu88@gmail.com]

House Artemesia stands eternally alone. All bonds in the human world are transient anyway.

[Iltaran]

Wow.. You are going up in the BM world really fast lol. It took me literally 8 month to even become a lord. Well I wasn't really active but still I was fighting every where at least

It depends an awful lot on the realm. My character on the East Continent took fifteen months to even become a Lord. My character on Beluaterra was a Lord after about six weeks, General after two months and Ruler before he reached the four month mark.