Noob Feedback, Making the system easier for the outsider |
Noob Feedback, Making the system easier for the outsider |
Mar 6 2011, 03:37 PM
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#1
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Group: Posts: 0 Joined: -- Member No.: 0 |
Hi guys,
I know you're quite keen to hear from newbies about how you can make it easier for us to get into Labyrinthe, so I thought I'd offer a couple of suggestions on the publications. Obviously, they need to be written in a reasonable amount of jargon, and a stubborn mite like me will be quite happy to persevere with this. I think quite a lot of people might have been put off by this though, and I do think that a beginners' guide would really benefit the club. Without meaning to sound rude, there are several bits that are ambiguous due to dodgy grammar* and this could be quite easily resolved and make the information more easily digestible. I've also found several instances where skills have been described as having the same effect as another, from a different skill set. For example, I was reading through my Druid handbook last night, and one skill was claimed to be an EP-user version of a Wizard spell. There was no explanation of what this actually meant, so in order to fully understand the Druid handbook, one must cross-reference with the Wizards' handbook. To an experienced player this might be fine, but as someone struggling to get to grips with the system in its most basic form this is a real nuisance. It would be fab if you could look at putting descriptions in full, rather than requiring the reader to cross reference. Furthermore, the idea of cross-referencing skills between handbooks is only possible if you actually have all of the handbooks. If we need to constantly hop between publications to make sense of what is meant by the one we wish to play, can I advise that you look in to some way of making it easier to complete the set? I know you said that to publish the entire catalogue in one document was not feasible, and I can certainly see why, but why not consider selling a copy of each class's handbook in a bumper pack for a slightly lower price? I've decided to pick and choose as I can only play non-combat characters, but had a complete set been available I would certainly have favoured that. I like complete sets, me. Finally, something that would be really useful would be something along the lines of a concordance, which need only be the contents lists from each publication in one volume, which would allow the new user to find all of the information much more easily. For example, I was wondering about whether it would be possible to play a Ranger if I could use long-distance weapons, so bought the Druid handbook to find out. Of course, Rangers are covered in the Warrior's handbook but I had no way of knowing this until I had already purchased the Druid handbook, by which point I figured that I probably couldn't, and gave up trying. I still don't know whether I actually can. None of this is meant to be miserable and grumpy; it is all meant to be constructive feedback from someone struggling to get my head around the system and hope that it will be taken as such. Sally xx *Sorry, grammar is what I do. I'm always happy to help proof-reading and translating almost to Crystal Mark standard. I know I'm not there today, but my brain is frozen and I got very little sleep last night. Long story. |
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Mar 6 2011, 09:43 PM
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#2
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Group: Posts: 0 Joined: -- Member No.: 0 |
Which kind of goes along with Sally's point that it can be difficult for people to find information in the system when they don't know all the books inside and out.
The books really do feel like they need a lot of insider knowledge to get to grips with, which is partly to do with the cross referencing, partly the fact that each book has slightly different information in the indices, and partly that there isn't a clear central collection of the information that spans the whole of the system, since the handbook is mixed up with stuff for brand new players. |
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Mar 7 2011, 12:55 PM
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#3
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Deity Group: Members Posts: 12,523 Joined: 10-November 07 Member No.: 25 |
Which kind of goes along with Sally's point that it can be difficult for people to find information in the system when they don't know all the books inside and out. The books really do feel like they need a lot of insider knowledge to get to grips with, which is partly to do with the cross referencing, partly the fact that each book has slightly different information in the indices, and partly that there isn't a clear central collection of the information that spans the whole of the system, since the handbook is mixed up with stuff for brand new players. Back in my day they didn't have indices. I spent an awful long time adding the indices with handy cross referencing for cost and Table Whilst the publications have increased since the original 8? pages of A4 Post 8th abilities they have actually got easier to navigate of late (no really they have!) BBB -------------------- Grey's Law: Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice...
PS, Yes, I know my PM Box is full. Email me instead... (Which you can do through the forums email) |
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Mar 7 2011, 12:59 PM
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#4
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Group: Posts: 0 Joined: -- Member No.: 0 |
Back in my day they didn't have indices. I spent an awful long time adding the indices with handy cross referencing for cost and Table Full points for you, sir! Whilst the publications have increased since the original 8? pages of A4 Post 8th abilities they have actually got easier to navigate of late (no really they have!) Excellent, then there's momentum for continued improvement |
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Mar 7 2011, 01:30 PM
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#5
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Deity Group: Members Posts: 12,523 Joined: 10-November 07 Member No.: 25 |
Full points for you, sir! Yeah, I got fed up of having to track down abilities I knew what they did but just wanted to get signed on my card and get the cost correct whilst the Referee looked at me disappointingly in the carpark of J10 as the brief was getting underway and I was completely inexplicably running late... BBB -------------------- Grey's Law: Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice...
PS, Yes, I know my PM Box is full. Email me instead... (Which you can do through the forums email) |
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