Medals what whatnot

[DoctorHarte]

I'm curious to what part medals play in the game other than an indication of a player's trust, fun, and role-play abilities with other players. Also, how many medals are in circulation at one time?

I just noticed I received my 5th medal! I need some more blue ones, damn it. But Ibladesh is rather lame for roleplays.

[Revan]

Anyone else had that awkward moment when they're scrolling up and down messages and they accidentally middle click, say, a roleplaying medal for a player they've never seen speak? Wasted a couple of medals that way.

Sometimes I don't use medals exactly as directed. I might see/experience a blinding bit of RP and go to award a medal, only finding trust medals available to me. I'll award the trust medal anyway feeling the effort nevertheless deserves some form of recognition. Perhaps that distorts the medal system somewhat?

Either way, a medal or two means that you are, indisputably, a good egg. It's always reassuring to see.

[Vellos]

Medals are an indication that you, as a player, have been trustworthy with the spirit of the game, are a good roleplayer, and/or are just a generally positive and fun person to have around. It is not supposed to be a measure of characters. Also, lack of medals is not supposed to be a black mark against someone.

[Sacha]

Quite true. I've seen people with over a dozen medals who don't deserve any of them in my book, and others who should have over a dozen but don't seem to get them.

[Zakilevo]

should do something to encourage people to award those who deserve them. (like me  )

[Bael]

Anyone else had that awkward moment when they're scrolling up and down messages and they accidentally middle click, say, a roleplaying medal for a player they've never seen speak? Wasted a couple of medals that way.

Perhaps it would be useful to have an "Are you sure?" check?

[Revan]

Here's another thought about medals. Are they as important in the long term? Do they really tell you anything about a player? I wouldn't, for example, say anyone should take my stack of medals at face value. The vast majority of my medals, I earned in the first few years of playing BattleMaster. In the last couple of years, I've earned one or two. No more than that.

I know the community is smaller now than it once was, but it seems if I was playing in the same manner today as I did some years ago, that I would have more medals. Okay, my current medals might show I have past form, but I don't RP as much now. There are lengthy periods in my play where I'm not really engaging with anyone.

Should medals represent the absolute potential of players for fun/trustworthiness/roleplay or should they be more a record of consistently good play in the fullness of time? Maybe medals should expire after a year or two in order to better reward continous efforts at being a good player?

It is not supposed to be a measure of characters. Also, lack of medals is not supposed to be a black mark against someone.

True, but having medals is much more reassuring medals than not having them. If I encounter a player who has been kicking out about as long as I have and they don't have any medals, it's hard to imagine that they engage with the game in a way that enriches other players experiences. I think you can make broad generalisations from the presence/absence of medals and sometimes it does affect your opinion.

Perhaps it would be useful to have an "Are you sure?" check?

If I recall correct, Tom's never been a big fan of offering such notifications. Though that would definitely be helpful.

[Vellos]

Here's another thought about medals. Are they as important in the long term? Do they really tell you anything about a player?

Their simple absence does not. But if it's, as you noted, a long-term player who has played in several different realms, I think they do.

[songqu88@gmail.com]

It'd probably do more good to check family history of what a player's character has done in the past if you want to gauge his "trustworthiness" or whatever.

Even now with character limits being partly determined by medals, I have some misgivings about it. So far no one has outright gone "Plz give me medals, want more chars!" or something of that nature, that I know of. Still, it does leave that door open.

[Bael]

Even now with character limits being partly determined by medals, I have some misgivings about it. So far no one has outright gone "Plz give me medals, want more chars!" or something of that nature, that I know of. Still, it does leave that door open.

Indeed. I suspect that in the population of any other game it would have already been "gamed" and exploited...
That it hasn't (to our knowledge) is as a result of the combination of game nature, atmosphere and player base I wager.

[Chenier]

I give medals to people I enjoy having around and would like to see stick to the game. I find there's a sort of ambiguity over "fun" and "trust", though. I rarely every hand out roleplaying medals, as I never really see anything exceptional in the realms I play in.

Seems like the ones with the medals to give and the ones who deserve to be given them are not often enough in the same realms... Without wanting to be presumptious, I feel like I did much more roleplay than most other guys I see with many times the number of roleplaying medals I have. But since it's generally more difficult to give medals to people of your own realm and that my RPs tend to not reach the whole continent, it's rather understandable.

[Vellos]

it's generally more difficult to give medals to people of your own realm

Huh? What do you mean? I've never had any problem giving medals to realm-mates.

[Anaris]

Huh? What do you mean? I've never had any problem giving medals to realm-mates.

You need more medals-to-give to be able to give them to realm-mates than you do to be able to give them to people of other realms.

[Chenier]

You need more medals-to-give to be able to give them to realm-mates than you do to be able to give them to people of other realms.

I haven't had that problem in a while, but precisely as Timothy said. You need more medals to be able to give some to peers than you need to give some to foreigners.

[Geronus]

I haven't had that problem in a while, but precisely as Timothy said. You need more medals to be able to give some to peers than you need to give some to foreigners.

...Why is that? Aren't your realm mates the people you know best? I just can't understand the logic behind that.

As for the incoming medals tapering off, I personally do not bother to give medals to people who already have tons. What's the point? I would rather give them to under-recognized players (as determined by the medal system) whom I have found to be trustworthy, fun, or good RPers. In my opinion everyone should be able to give out medals, maybe once a month or something and at most one per other player (ever), with a minimum time in game before they can give out any. Some limits are good, but I don't care for the fact that you have to essentially be nominated by other players before being able to give out medals yourself. It makes it a closed system.