Hey all, I'm Moth, they/them. I'm currently trying to figure out whats going on and what I want to do. I was looking at healer/crafter, but they don't seem to offer any ways to advance like fighting, the guild that doesn't exist, magic, and alchemy do. I was also floating the idea of being in the bazzar but I dont see a way that the arts that I do fitting into the bazzar (I do a lot of fiber arts, spinning, weaving, sewing, naalbinding, etc) and I'm at a loss as to what to do. I dont want to just go around and be a heal bot but I don't see any engaging options like the other options seem to have. Looking for advise from someone whos 10 years in boffer fighting!
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Excellent question @Abby Wilson, To add to what Dan's excellent post, learning skills in the bazaar is not about 'getting skill mechanics' - it's for engaging in the roleplay of learning and study, sharing a passion for the subject matter and community development. So what does 'progression' or 'learning skills' mean? Learning skills are designed to improve the roleplay experience and do not primarily focus on mechanics because ultimately DrachenFest is a scenic experience, and is narrative driven. The numbers and crunchy mechanics give us a frame of reference for our roleplay in a competitive space, for us to have expectations of how long and how much effort it takes to do something. Referees will ensure fair and safe roleplay practice in the competitive space, where the general rule of thumb is amazing roleplay will win the day. What's in it for me? At DrachenFest, veteran characters who have engaged in self development, skill training roleplay and have experienced progression, attain an IRL arsenal of scenic roleplay options and knowledge. A veteran is someone who has learned to organize other players and tie them collectively into a powerful and intense scenes with excellent prop use, turning what would be considered a 'heal bot' into the kind of roleplay where, given multiple healer options - players would choose to go that healer to experience that roleplay, because it's awesome. We have wonderfully experienced guild leads and enterprise leads, many of which come from DrachenFest Germany, or are themselves experienced narrative driven roleplayers who are excited at sharing their arsenal of roleplay options. True masters of these crafts at DrachenFest are ones who come to understand that game mechanics are merely kickstarters or frameworks of reference for ultimate scenic roleplay to provide the 'oh my god that was so awesome' experience for other players. They also realize that like in real life, there is always more to learn, to strive for, to experience and to share. Similarly for crafting, this isn't so much about making items with better game mechanics points, but communities finding each other with a shared passion for a real historic craft. 'Blacksmiths' for example, won't just go and be able to pay a couple of copper, read a quick book, and then 'be able to make better lockboxes', but will have the opportunity to practice real life blacksmithing at a forge, share and improve their collective knowledge about techniques in practice, and translate them into the game setting. Am I stuck with what I pick? Finally, 'what you pick is forever' is only true in that 'rulebook archetypes' are baseline concepts for characters to specialize in a form of roleplay that are in high demand. You absolutely can change your archetype from year to year if you don't enjoy that form of roleplay. What does this mean practically? Where can I learn healing or crafting? Say you want to progress in healing. Start by asking around town to find the healers enterprise, and talk to them about what they do. Most enterprises have business models (ie quests/mechanics) for camp players to be hired to experience their roleplay. Talk to them about learning through practice - and they will happily engage in that roleplay with you, and have options to share more game mechanics through excellent roleplay. By doing this, you not only have the opportunity to develop the skills yourself, but also add to the community and to the Enterprise's own progression! Bazaar enterprises all have potential 'pathways' to guildhood themselves, as the town isn't a static set of NPCs, but a player driven faction with their own heterogenous goals. TLDR: Skill progression is primarily community driven scenic roleplay acting progression and not mechanics, though you can learn secret game mechanics. Enterprises can develop into guilds, and these are not 'NPCs giving out skills' but themselves players experiencing the same sandbox DrachenFest that you are. Bazaar coordinator