New to EQ? Bored with EQ? Something different...Follow

*Note: This post has been submitted to some other EQ-related forum sites as well.

Hello. I've lurked here off and on for some time now, and thought some of you might be interested in trying something different...

I've grown bored with the xp grind on my moderately twinked alts, just trying to get them up to a level equivalent to that of their Bazaar-purchased gear where I can begin the fun part - questing and adventuring for items that are actual upgrades. I've tried starting fresh on a new server, but it's tough going if you don't have others to play with who are of the same mindset or in the same boat.

That said, I plan to start a "no twink" style guild with all new characters, preferrably on a server that is new to as many of the charter members as possible. The core concept of this guild would be the idea of being self-sufficient, doing for yourself and for your guildmates, while avoiding the pitfalls of outside shortcuts and other practices that tend to detract from the game in the long run. I know, I know, people have different ideas of what constitutes twinking, so that would be up for discussion, but some of the few core rules might include:

- No purchasing of weapons or armor
- No extravagant gifting of weapons, armor or items
- No farming beyond supporting your own tradeskills, faction or questing
- No inappropriate-level buffs

Wouldn't it be nice for many more of the mobs you kill to have the chance to drop actual gear upgrades for you rather than what you now consider vendor trash? This would be a great opportunity for like-minded people to get together and maybe once again experience the satisfaction of obtaining that Shiny Brass Shield or Forest Loop. So much of the game would once again be opened up and enticing to you. It would also be a fantastic environment for new players, providing them a more even playing field, while at the same time giving them the benefit of the experiences of veteran players. It would give us an opportunity to get out of the rut and re-visit some old world content that some of us may never have even seen the first time(s) around.

Naturally, it would be expected that most people would continue playing their mains on other servers, so this would be considered an "alt" endeavor, at least initially.

Obviously this won't appeal at all to some people, so it'd be cool if we could just forego any criticisms in favor of positive dialog.

If you're interested, please drop me an email at Rumbledor@Hotmail.com. Once we get enough people, I'll arrange some sort of informal meeting to discuss some of the finer points.

Points here.

As a person who as done just this, I can safely say it's very challenging, however, the rewards feel very earned.

Haven't really played that character in a while though, been concentrating on my mains, and I haven't been getting on much lately to begin with.

Edited to make link not look as dumb.

Edited, Thu Jul 21 13:25:55 2005 by Thoryndar

It's a very noble goal but you have to remember that this is how EQ started how. Its economy has since grown and flourished into something a little more, shall we say, "earthly." The changes and reactions haven't really done much more than morph the game into a reflection of our real world lives.

If a service is desired then you will go out and solicit it. If you wish to upgrade your status and you have played the economy so that you can afford it (either through farming [like work] or being a bazaar lurker [like playing the market]) then nobody will think ill of you for doing so instead of learning the necessary skills to create the component or device yourself. People may think it's pretty cool that you know how to make laundry detergent, but somebody out there made it for you already and you can simply go get it yourself. People will tend to shun you though if you shun the social norm. It's why we shower daily.

I totally appreciate that you want to enjoy the finer points of the game and go back to the roots but the same ideals go for real life too. There was a simpler time when you grew your own food but now you can just buy it. Lending yourself back to the simpler life doesn't really afford much more than a pat on the back and a warm fuzzy feeling. Most people would rather just take the easy way. Nobody in real life wants to become a luddite suddenly. It's just not practical in the grand scope of things.

All I'm saying is that it's going to be hard to really enjoy everything when you're rejecting the standards of society and being rejected because of it.

*** To reiterate my standpoint even further so their is no confusion: I've done the old world thing eight-hundred-gajillion times back when it was what you had to do. Now, it's all about levels, baby. But then again, I find joy in levels and progression through any means. More power to you on enjoying your path.

Edited, Mon Aug 8 12:57:15 2005 by Brudish