One thing I dont like about the 50 osp's for new players is that its only available to those who pre book. Pretty sure a lot of people out there know new players who's first event was on a whim being egged on by friends. The old, c'mon were going tomorow we got spare kit room in the tent why not just come a long.

New players should get there 50 osp's irrespective of how they turned up.

I agree with you LeeB. The point of the OSP's is to get new players through the door and they should get them regardless of pre-book or not. Even if they are added to the players account after the event to save the LT hassle at the event. We know how busy they can get already.

Your argument makes no sense. Anyone who joins now starts reading "See Spot Run" without even being taught the alphabet. Then, when they die they come back and stare blankly at the cover.

Every new player is being handed 50 sweetie shaped OSPs, as well as paying half price for their first event. Pre-book all four events as a new player with five friends vouching for you and there's 150 yummy yummy smarties just waiting to be scoffed, 50 of which can be spent straight away.

Yes, the OSPs are there to "Enhance your roleamaplay experience", but they are also an extremely important part of the socioeconomic side of the system as well. They define a character, they allow a character to actually make money within a damn expensive world, they aid with research, politics and relations. They are pretty much essential if you want to ever be able to give a damage call in a game where far too many PvE mooks are immune to Normal.

Currently, if I were to die at the Gathering, I'd once again be a brand new player for all intents and purposes. The character was the only thing in the game. I should now be on equal standing with any new character. But I'm not. I join as a new character and I'm being bartering for my first crafted item to be made at the Spring Moot by not only a character for whom it's their first ever time to a Gathering of Nations, but a new player for whom it's their first ever event. I'm having to OC train the character wearing full plate who's trying to stop me IC bleeding out how to use Revive because they're still baffled by the rules. The next guy I meet was sensible and actually read up on what his skills could do. It's his first day at his first ever event and he's just countered four Mage Bolts from a Wandering Monster on his way to contributing to his second ritual of the day.

My solution would be: Treat players as players and characters as characters. Give the incentives to the players to come and join the game, but not at the detriment of people's time spent IC. When a character dies or is retired, the OSP pot is emptied. If you want to keep the new player incentive then instead of being wiped clean, the pot is emptied then filled with 50 OSP. Every new character has 50 OSP to spend, not every new player. What should really give incentive to new players is the real world money reductions and the fact that it is a fair system to all players, not just those who are joining for the first time. The way it is now, it is not a fair system. We're seeing the backlash from that now with people moving away from LT when their characters die.

Yes, roleplay is important and blah blah blah, but not everyone has the same outspoken opinion as you do. OSPs are essential in the way the system is laid out at present. Character Advancement is not just for linear table-top systems. There are areas of the game you will never know exist and roleplay experiences you will never have if you don't have the OSPs. If you want to roleplay a generic citizen then fine, and do that for years then you'll have no need of OSPs; but the moment you want to actually do something in Erdreja worth mention, you better hope you have a few OSP going spare. OSPs are used as a mark of respect, as an ego comparison tool, as a show of your honour and prestige. No amount of roleplay will ever give you the same effect as 50 OSP, yet they are given away freely to people who don't even know what the acronym stands for.

Just throwing something into the mix..

What about if the OSP element were removed, and then each character can buy 3 skills a year, 4 if they pre book.

MP