Words from a Player's Perspective

[Jaxen Marveet]

You're welcome. *grin.

[Aria]

yes, thanks can go to Jax. He had to talk REAL hard to get me to send an email

[Alric Xavier Rainer]

While my time with the site has been extremely limited and sporadic I love how organic the story and site continues to be. For me it shows that the management actively wants to make sure everyone is included as much as they can.

[Armande]

The breadth of the world is rich with opportunity. Upon joining you select a character class, a step that reminds me of table top, and is an unusual distinction for forum RPG. From this chosen class you have a number of premade organizations that you can join, explore, or build yourself. I quickly fell in love with the Atharim, and based on the preliminary worldbuilding associated with the organization, I knew exactly how I wanted to build upon it. I proposed my ideas to Ascendancy, and out of our discussions my character, Armande, the leader of the Atharim, titled Regus, was born. Me, along with others, have gone into fascinating discussion on the ooc boards about how to develop the organization. There is even a wiki to contribute to the site!! (although I regret I haven't yet added to it. I promise I will!)

My point is that the First Age isn't just a one note wonder. There are avenues splitting off from the main story just waiting to be explored. What's more, you're free to approach Ascendancy with your own ideas and add your own flavor to the world. We've had nice discussions on ooc boards between players, a tribute to how much we value each othe's opinions. My advice to any new players, if you're interested in carving out your own niche, approach Ascendancy with the idea, or if that seems too intimidating, make the suggestion to other player in chat and see what they think. They're quite an amiable group! If you're wanting to simply go for the RPG PC, go for it! and see where the winds take you.

Regus

[Aria]

Is there any one else? I'll get this put together today at lunch if there are not others who wish to share.

[Thalia]

Ok, might have missed the deadline for this... But, as Number 2 said, community here is also one of the best things for me. The facility for plotting and feedback, OOC banter - plus I think it's one if the few places that strives for inclusivity. It's not cliquey. Just because you don't want to, or can't, hang in chat doesn't mean you'll miss out on great plots. Management is open and interactive, whether you want to get involved in wide sweeping storylines or character centric personal ones (as mentioned, they also throw spanners in the works!) The world has enough structure and familiarity to offer a place to get started, but there's great scope for development too. The concept is fab. I'd pick a must read thread but there are a few! And I must love you guys because I'm sneakily writing this at work :p

[Aria]

you are good hun. got another 3.5 hours or so before I start collecting info and throwing it together.

[Thalia]

Oh good. I'll still be at work in three and a half hours anyway!

[Aria]

Final post: Anyone got anything else to add? I'll post this at Dragonmount tomorrow morning.

****

This post is posted with permission from Jason.

The First Age is a forum based play by post RPG, very similar to your's here at Dragonmount. Our Fearless Leader, Ascendancy wrote it best about our setting, so I'll just quote from our website, http://thefirstage.org

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The setting is a near-future, alternate-earth in the year 2045 and onward. Our website is set in the First Age, the age before the Age of Legends---also called the Second Age which was described as a peaceful time where humanity forgot the very definition of war and submitted to the counsel of channelers, long-lived, revered individuals with the ability to wield the Power. Our story begins shortly before World War III erupts, and while the plot has an overall game-master, the events from here on out are author driven. It will be the consequences of our characters which drive events through the First Age - as the Wheel drives the Pattern back into balance.

Our world consistes of reborn gods, channelers just coming into their power, monsters of myth and legend. The world is a wonderful mix of modern and the Wheel of Time.

The plot is generally guided by Ascendancy, but the characters with in help direct the way things go. It is a slightly different way of working than here at Dragonmount. We have no ranks, except those with in the governments, military etc. You start out at a level you and Ascendany deem appropriate to the character and the setting. This is character driven, we have a story, but you get to help drive it. Your character could be a very large part of it, or a small, but each and every character pushes the pattern forward.

We are a small group, but highly active even if the out of character boards make it look differently. We don't bite, we'd love to have ya'll come around and join us.

I'd like to share other's thoughts and opinions about what the First Age is with you. We all joined for various reasons, here are some:

"One of my favorite parts of the RP is the presence of a GM who actively throws in twists at different points in threads that we have to incorporate and react to. It takes some pressure off always having to think of the next thing to happen and keeps you on your toes. For instance, I had a character doing something he shouldn't have been doing, and a GM'd reporter happened to walk by and catch him. It was a lot of fun figuring out how to deal with that." - Jaxen Marveet

----

"I really like that I can play the soul of a beloved character that was from a 3rd Age RP (he was an Asha'man back then) but who has now been born in the 21st century (he ends up a U.S. Marine). I know the essence of who he is so well that its a breeze, and tons of fun, to see what kind of person he is in a modern world." - Jay Carpenter

----

"One of the most enjoyable aspects of the First Age is the freedom to twist and create stories and characters from our own mythology in a way that is both creative and new while staying true to the essence of RJ's world." - Michael Vellas

----

"What most fascinates me is that each character can interpret channeling through their own religious/philosophical lens. Thus, we have characters who believe that they are using powers from their Native Cultures, complete with ceremonies and legends. Some are adherents of Wicca and their use of the power is tied to (or in WOT terms, a block connected with) Wiccan amulets and circles. Another user was a Muslim and believed himself granted the Keramat from Allah, while another American preacher called it the Holy Spirit. And still another character, somewhat enamored of Star Wars, calls it the Force.

All of these are entertaining and interesting in their own right- the ways they channel, the things they do and think they can do, the blocks they have. And when they find out the others have access to this power, the effect it can have on those characters can be explosive" - Connor Kent

----

"What appeals to me most? Hard to say really. The folks I get to write with here, for starters. But really, that's the best part of any Rp forum. It's the people that make it alive and interesting, at the end of the day.

Besides that though...exploring the setting. While it's based on the WoT setting, it's hidden under a thin veil that is the world as we know it. The political and social changes that would have occurred over the past thirty years. Advances in technology. How the laws and customs of regions now under the sway of the CCD (Central Custody of Dominion). The economics of a world where modern world powers (China, the US, the EU) have crumbled under the weight of dark decades of natural disasters.

What monsters and creatures remain from the wars of the last Age, and how they've hidden within (or behind) the facade of modern society, and how the spread of humanity and advances in technology have affected their ability to hide.

There is quite a bit of the setting still to be explored, and it will happen through the writers IC and OOC (and lurkers on the OOC boards)." - Drayson

----

"While my time with the site has been extremely limited and sporadic I love how organic the story and site continues to be. For me it shows that the management actively wants to make sure everyone is included as much as they can." - Alric Xavier Rainer

----

"The breadth of the world is rich with opportunity. Upon joining you select a character class, a step that reminds me of table top, and is an unusual distinction for forum RPG. From this chosen class you have a number of premade organizations that you can join, explore, or build yourself. I quickly fell in love with the Atharim, and based on the preliminary worldbuilding associated with the organization, I knew exactly how I wanted to build upon it. I proposed my ideas to Ascendancy, and out of our discussions my character, Armande, the leader of the Atharim, titled Regus, was born. Me, along with others, have gone into fascinating discussion on the ooc boards about how to develop the organization. There is even a wiki to contribute to the site!! (although I regret I haven't yet added to it. I promise I will!)

My point is that the First Age isn't just a one note wonder. There are avenues splitting off from the main story just waiting to be explored. What's more, you're free to approach Ascendancy with your own ideas and add your own flavor to the world. We've had nice discussions on ooc boards between players, a tribute to how much we value each othe's opinions. My advice to any new players, if you're interested in carving out your own niche, approach Ascendancy with the idea, or if that seems too intimidating, make the suggestion to other player in chat and see what they think. They're quite an amiable group! If you're wanting to simply go for the RPG PC, go for it! and see where the winds take you." - Regus

----

" But, as Number 2 (Drayson) said, community here is also one of the best things for me. The facility for plotting and feedback, OOC banter - plus I think it's one if the few places that strives for inclusivity. It's not cliquey. Just because you don't want to, or can't, hang in chat doesn't mean you'll miss out on great plots. Management is open and interactive, whether you want to get involved in wide sweeping storylines or character centric personal ones (as mentioned, they also throw spanners in the works!) The world has enough structure and familiarity to offer a place to get started, but there's great scope for development too. The concept is fab. I'd pick a must read thread but there are a few! And I must love you guys because I'm sneakily writing this at work :p" - Thalia

----

I don't have much more to add to this. Everyone has some excellent points. It's a wonderful world to play in, the people are great. So even if you don't fancy yourself RPing with us, come take a look at our site, and our forums. We are small yet very active bunch. And we'd love to see ya'll come down. Hop in chat if you feel up to meeting some great people, say hi on the forums. But whatever you do come on down.

Mat (aka Aria at The First Age)

[Jensen James]

The camaraderie is what makes this a special place. I'm happy to have found a place where its fun to write with talented people! These guys come up with some fun plots, and I'm thrilled to be a part of them.