Fyni - Loremaster

[Fyni]

Ckey / Discord Username: Fyni / Fyni

Have you read the Lore Team Rules and Regulations wiki page? Yes

Past Experiences and Knowledge

I’m a long-time creator of worlds and games master outside of Aurora. Ever since I was a child, I’d create and imagine things for the games with friends, weaving the narrative around it. Obviously as I grew older, this expanded, became more refined.

In the modern day, this translates to several settings for ttrpgs created wholesale, or “mini settings” within pre-existing ones. The position of Loremaster is somewhat halfway between these.

Finally, relevant to Aurora, I have worked with many members of the lore team in the past. Both in creating my one arc so far, but also aiding with their own projects. Proof reading, giving feedback, co-ordinating devs and artists to bring their vision to life and making suggestions which often shine in the final product. My fingerprint in this regard is everywhere, from my first bit of ingame spriting for the Golden Deep a few years ago to recent aid with Caria.

Examples of Past Work, if any

My work on A Dream for Tomorrow includes working with Naut on the Lemurian Sea page, alongside updates to the Light’s Edge and a new Outer Eyes page which are yet to release.

 

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1) Describe your thoughts about the Anabasis project as a whole, whether they be negative or positive.

Massively positive. Coming from a non-lore perspective, everything Anabasis is offering, primarily with the contracts game mode and persistence is exactly what we need going forward. Away missions prove eternally popular, and persistence gives a reason to play even in low pop, knowing you are making a difference to the overall health of the ship. The lore changes been fundamental to setting these up is as much an opportunity as a task too.

 

2) What is your plan regarding Anabasis as a Lore Master? What sort of focus would you bring to the table?

The lore needs to support the gameplay, and this seems to be doubly so the case for Anabasis. A focus must be put on the “actors” of the lore – the things which directly impact the ship and its crew – over the “background” of the lore – the things which determine a character’s backstory but lack day to day importance.

Been able to determine what the actors are – be it freelance companies, pirate fleets, trade networks – and to expand on it as a focus to enable the gameplay desired in Anabasis. While the background is extremely important, a focus should be on these actors and I’d hope I could get each lore team to put at least one on the table – maybe more and hopefully linked ones.

 

3) What do you think the current setting lacks? What are its biggest flaws?

I think our main lack is “small lore”. This can be anything from tiny news stories to chat over IC, to smaller powers who ply their way through the Spur. This is a stance I’ve long held, and I thing with the coming of Anabasis this is more important then ever. We need something greater than the independent spacer, but smaller than state backed fleets and militaries. The largely uncontested control by states over their territory leaves very little wiggle room at the moment for decisions contrary to them, doubly so right now with the SCC hovering over everything. The sinta pirate fleets are a great example of what could be made, and I’d love to see more in that vein.

Our biggest flaws are perhaps meta issues. First, it’s the absolute cliff wall a new player may face. We need more tools to enable new players to get immersed in the lore, while also enabling new players who are maybe seeking a HRP environment without an urgent need to learn lore. This is something best resolved through a wiki rework and repolicy, combined with better in game representation of said lore right from the start. And I’d like to make one thing clear on this: it is not my intent to reduce the lore, but rather to provide a better pathway for new (and returning) players.

 

4) Do you lean towards a space opera writing style regarding the events and the setting, or towards a hard-scifi style? Why?

I personally prefer a harder sci fi background, however this is something which is difficult to represent in the context of the game, most of all in ship combat and overmap traversal. Fundamentally, there will always be a gameplay to hard sci fi logic disconnect, but by that same logic we cannot follow the flexible logic of a space opera within the context of the server. I believe having the hard sci fi background grounds things and makes decisions and knowledge IC much more important and impactful – and is something which will fit the Anabasis mission goals excellently. A base line of narrative rules could link style deeper into Anabasis, and would be best implemented early on.

 

 

5) What are your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to being in a management position?

My main strength I’ve found is my ability to engage team members and direct them towards a mutually desired outcome. In the context of Aurora lore, this would be enabling wide lore team participation in Dream, but also the reignition of various team’s desire to run events and arcs within the game itself. I believe I can drop enough breadcrumbs to inspire people to work, and in a direction I desire.

My weakness is often personal deadlines – which can extend to larger projects, though this is something I am seeking to improve via keeping accountable via the help of third parties.