Arelith Discord!

[This is not for you.]

People keep not knowing about this resource

http:/discord.gg/ddbCpRX
Here's a fancy (fresh) permanent invite link to the Arelith Discord (3.0)
We have most of the community here, including a Builds and Mechanics section if you need help or advice on your build, and an AMA for our mentor staff if you're a new player and need some help getting around or a old player who just does not understand what to do to get their keys ready for EE's release.

Please remember that while DMs are present in the chat, your reports of incidents In Game should ideally be made via PM on the forums.

I'll add links to the other public discord off shoots (Arcane Tower/Settlement Discords etc) on request.

[triaddraykin]

Got the tower Discord in my signature. It's good to have a thread like this in one place though, I think.

[Aelryn Bloodmoon]

https://discord.gg/PCHVxKz

This is the guard discord. Subject to all the normal Arelith rules + one extra rule.

You do not have to be a member of the guard to join, but the player-work-schedules room is restricted to guards only for helping organize faction times.

[MalKalz]

Reports should always be made over the forums to the Active DM team and not through Discord. The only time something should be done there is to get a DMs attention to something that requires immediate attention and intervention.

[MajorArcana]

https://discord.gg/NdEUgcE

This is the Zhentarim Discord. We're opening up in hopes of more easily collecting new Banites/those of allied faiths and allowing opposing factions to set up some loosely planned conflict RP to further personal/faction/server stories.

There's only one rule; use common sense when posting.

[Anatida]

Hops on the bandwagon
Andunor: Melee Magthere (members only)
https://discord.gg/RXvxh5a

[SockYeti]

Someone should sticky this, I didn't know until a couple days ago that the Arelith Discord was even a thing.

[Seven Sons of Sin]

What's the point of -factions messages if everyone just defaults to making a Discord group for everything?

[SockYeti]

What's the point of -factions messages if everyone just defaults to making a Discord group for everything?

Convenience, fun place to post memes or funny videos and other things you can't in - factions, a meeting place if any friends you have made IG and you all want to play something non NWN, no need to be IG to chat OOC with people. That is just to name a few.

Having a discord for your -faction is entirely optional of course and -faction messages does have its place. Discord just gives where -faction lacks.

This is all IMO

[susitsu]

I didn't know until a couple days ago that the Arelith Discord was even a thing.

This was probably for the better. Ive refused to join the Arelith discord and there's been an extremely consistent response to this which can be summarized as "Good idea."

What's the point of -factions messages if everyone just defaults to making a Discord group for everything?

Because some people literally won't join discord groups. The one time I ran a faction and tried to get people in the discord, it was sort of awkward how many people were completely averse to the thought. But I'm also someone who's barely joined any chats ever for any factions myself, and generally refuse to, so I also completely understand.

In general, getting to know people OOCly can be terribly disillusioning and take away from your roleplay experience. Ignorance is bliss.

[Xerah]

I think it would be helpful to discuss the merits of the Discord in another thread and leave this one for links and such.

[Baron Saturday]

Faction messaging was created to facilitate OOC communication and coordination. It's sorta clunky and not terribly effective for its intended purpose, however, so it doesn't surprise me at all that people are using a much more efficient service instead.

[Ebonstar]

i was told i wasnt welcome in discord a long time ago, so i never went back

[R0GUE]

Thanks, I joined.

[Hunter548]

What's the point of -factions messages if everyone just defaults to making a Discord group for everything?

Faction messaging was created to facilitate OOC communication and coordination. It's sorta clunky and not terribly effective for its intended purpose, however, so it doesn't surprise me at all that people are using a much more efficient service instead.

This. The -factions menu is clunky, not terribly convenient, and all around kind of "meh". Discord's a lot better on these fronts.

[Seven Sons of Sin]

My question was rhetorical. A "soft enforcement" of using discord as an alternative form of faction communication gives me the heebee jeebees. There's something about unregulated OOC conversation, focused primarily around in-game factions, that seems unsettling to an outsider.

It's different than general conversation with people you RP with. It's the structure of enforcement. It's different than Will, Jane and Sally, who are all Cordorian Guards, who chat on Discord about Arelith and stuff. It's Will, Jane, and Sally who are all Cordorian Guards, talking on a Cordorian Guard discord group, about the Cordorian Guard and other things. I may mountains out of molehills, but I feel like that minor difference is what makes the whole notion uncomfortable. At least for me.

[Cortex]

My question was rhetorical. A "soft enforcement" of using discord as an alternative form of faction communication gives me the heebee jeebees. There's something about unregulated OOC conversation, focused primarily around in-game factions, that seems unsettling to an outsider.

It's different than general conversation with people you RP with. It's the structure of enforcement. It's different than Will, Jane and Sally, who are all Cordorian Guards, who chat on Discord about Arelith and stuff. It's Will, Jane, and Sally who are all Cordorian Guards, talking on a Cordorian Guard discord group, about the Cordorian Guard and other things. I may mountains out of molehills, but I feel like that minor difference is what makes the whole notion uncomfortable. At least for me.

You're completely justified. It's a fact people decide what happens with a faction in discord chats, the degree of it varies, to small insignificant things to flat out metagaming, it also further generates and empower existing cliques. There isn't a possibility of regulation, selfish and ill meaning players have done the exact same thing but with Skype before.

It's also not all bad, discord is far better to keep track of events and players (if they want to be tracked), such as letting people know when they'll be on, if they're sick, or hitting someone up if they want to go do something together(when they're otherwise offline in Arelith). It all depends on how ethical the players are willing to be. Only players can prevent discord fires.

[Tathkar Eisgrim]

Hmm. 'Arelith Discord' as the title -- Sort of gives the impression its official and approved? -- Is it official and approved?

[Gods_Kill_People]

For note, DMs DO try and observe and if anything meta and such is being proven to be done, they can and will act on it.

[strong yeet]

Hmm. 'Arelith Discord' as the title -- Sort of gives the impression its official and approved?

or it gives the impression that it's founded by arelith players to talk about arelith?

I'm not in there, it's not to my taste, but to say that is frankly a silly statement.

[Marsi]

My question was rhetorical. A "soft enforcement" of using discord as an alternative form of faction communication gives me the heebee jeebees. There's something about unregulated OOC conversation, focused primarily around in-game factions, that seems unsettling to an outsider.

It's different than general conversation with people you RP with. It's the structure of enforcement. It's different than Will, Jane and Sally, who are all Cordorian Guards, who chat on Discord about Arelith and stuff. It's Will, Jane, and Sally who are all Cordorian Guards, talking on a Cordorian Guard discord group, about the Cordorian Guard and other things. I may mountains out of molehills, but I feel like that minor difference is what makes the whole notion uncomfortable. At least for me.

As someone who was traditionally very opposed to OOC organisation, I'm not too fussed with Discord. Many of these faction discords maintain public spaces for anyone to join, and go out of their way to invite a DM presence.

However, I think faction discords should be a hurried means to an end for the purpose of coordinating meetups and nothing more. Some of these groups grow beyond "private space for members, public space for everyone" and actually start to tailor server powers and other features to the player's character's IC role. Which just feels... wrong.

I've made this point before somewhere on the forums, but I believe that when a faction discord begins to grow in the complexity of its architecture, culture and member hierarchies, it starts to become an affront to the ephemeral and dynamic nature of a persistent world. It's essentially sending the message that the faction believes it's there to stay. Which no individual or group should feel entitled to.

And what's more, conflict between (externally or internally) these factions with complicated discords is now no longer just another episode in collaborative storytelling, because all this extraneous architecture is now threatened, adding an OOC disincentive to conflict and changes in the status quo. There is an extra material cost to actions performed in game. Would the Coven of Blah Blah take IC destruction lying down if it meant their overwrought discord server now had to be dismantled? Would you be open to creating an internal conflict if you knew you had to betray the interests of your discord "buddies" -- or play a spy character if it meant you essentially had to deceive these guys every day? See what I'm getting at? I've seen all three of these dilemmas realised in some way, they aren't just theoretical.

Discord has worked wonders for a player like me who cannot afford to co-ordinate IC due to time and time-zone constraints, it totally levels the playing field between US and non-US players (although this is essentially admitting that there is a disadvantage to opting out). However, the impact it has on communities is a discussion much larger than just Arelith, with consequences still unknown. And the program/company itself is shady and intrusive, having come under a lot of fire lately.

[Cortex]

However, the impact it has on communities is a discussion much larger than just Arelith, with consequences still unknown. And the program/company itself is shady and intrusive, having come under a lot of fire lately.

Is this about the furry discord staff leaking repulican stuff, or is there more to it? I'm genuinely curious.

[Marsi]

However, the impact it has on communities is a discussion much larger than just Arelith, with consequences still unknown. And the program/company itself is shady and intrusive, having come under a lot of fire lately.

Is this about the furry discord staff leaking repulican stuff, or is there more to it? I'm genuinely curious.

I'm not the most informed on it, but of course, Discord logs and retains every message and records all voice communication, storing it indefinitely. They've shown they have no qualms accessing and retrieving user info/logs even when not pressured by the government. That's not unusual, but in the year 2018, anyone remotely switched on about data privacy should be fed up with that.

Their previous creation, OpenFeint, was sold to a foreign company along with all the data of its users.

[Borin Drakkmurl]

As someone who has quit the general Arelith discord a handful of times I must say that it has gotten a whole lot better.

The levels of shitposting, trolling, useless meme talk and just overall douchebaggery have decreased by a whole lot.

These days it seems like a well structured place to have decent conversations with your fellow Arelithians most of the time.

As for the private group chats and all..as much as I too would like to avoid ooc talk influencing ig events, metagaming was already a thing before discord. I guess we just need to deposit some trust in our players...and kick out those who break that trust.

[Leshpar]

This is probably quite controversial so I won't post an invite link here, but I want to make people aware of it. There is a furry discord for those of us who play arelith. If you're interested send me a forum pm with your discord name and possibly links to your profile on major furry sites. Thank you.

Ps: if this isn't for you don't troll it.