I would like to say that my group has everything to offer, but we dont. No one can realistically, entice and keep every player happy.
And as sad as i am that players leave, i don't feel abandoned, i recognize that they are advancing to a new team that will better suit their needs, interests and or strategy. This makes me happy for them and their renewed interest in the game!!!
I want that for every player, even my best! The way a player leaves speaks volumes. A polite goodbye is enough to know that you were friends and we all want our friends to be happy, no matter where that may be. You don't hold your friends back
I think part of the problem is, we can't rely on the game forums to recruit, because we don't have the entire player base up here, only a small representative of certain player types and experiences, and that's not good enough. How do you reach other players who don't want to join a forum, who may want to be the best at their city, and just need some help previously not available in their current fellowship? Why would anyone say that others don't deserve that experience, they belong only to one group until they lose interest and disappear? That's not fair! Players are not being given the entire picture of Elvenar in the first 5 chapters, info that is not available on the wiki or from players in game who may never play various strategies or offer different experiences. How can you blame someone for leaving if they are given only 5-95% of a jigsaw puzzle, sooner or later you give up or move on if you don't get the full picture or suddenly realize there is more to the picture you have.
I do recognize the hard work and endless personal time spent by all Archmages. There is nothing harder than finding 25 like minded players across multiple platforms and countries, through the internet, in a game with no chat features, and its devasting to keep needing to recruit but we all grow up, we all move on and whether that's up, down or sideways in this game, nothing is forever.
Love this ... so true. The only part I would change is the word "all" to "most" in: "I do recognize the hard work and endless personal time spent by all Archmages."
Most archmages are always seeking ways to make the fellowship fun and vibrant. They plan fun events. They're the team's best cheerleader. They do their best to match the top players in their group in tourney and spire (not that they can't have better players, but they have to put in the effort to come close). They try to take every fair trade possible from their members, whether they need the items or not, if the players need them (and not just rebalance). They contact players who are not playing and, if they don't respond with a good excuse, expel them and then work their butts off to find a new replacement, for the health of the group and to keep up scores. They don't leave dead weight in their fellowship just so they can appear full and stay lazy. And importantly, they have an overall idea of what kinds of players they should be attracting, given their fellowship, and then fill it with the kinds of players that will be an asset, not a detriment, to the overall direction of the group. They have to HAVE a direction for the group, if they want to be anything more than a casual fellowship (and if they want that, then they sure have no right to complain when their players want more and leave ... no matter who recruits them. A player should always feel good about the people they left, not uncomfortable for leaving and being made to feel like a heel.)
I've met archmages who do not do this hard work. They get lucky and get a few good players to join, and then think they should always stay. They expect these good players to carry the scores on tourney, spire, etc. They don't take fair trades they don't need, even when a player is desperate. They aren't keeping their players happy; they're just coming in a couple times a day, playing their game like they would if they weren't an AM, and expecting things to stay the same. They center the fellowship on what is convenient for them, not on what is best for the players.
I will never recruit from a fellowship where I see the AM is obviously trying, even if they are struggling and having a hard time gaining their footing. You can tell if they are trying by how long they leave their fellowship one-quarter full with live players and three-quarters full with people who haven't played in months. I don't normally simply go in and recruit from a fellowship that's in trouble. I put it on my radar and then go back a month later to see if things have improved. If they have, then that shows that the AM (or someone) is working to build that fellowship. I take them off my list and move on.
Importantly, I check out fellowships even when my group is full, just so that when I lose a player, I have my list ready and I can go in and recruit. If it is clear to me that nothing has improved since the last time I checked, then I invite their best player. I'm not doing anything wrong ... I am simply going in and doing the job that the AM has decided to abdicate ... I am supporting their player in a way that they do not.
I find it strange (or maybe not so strange) that the excellent AMs almost never complain about players leaving their group. It's not that players don't leave; it's just that AMs know that this is part of the job and that being an AM means you are SERVING your players ... not the other way around. By the time a player is seriously thinking about leaving a group ... it's time for them to do it. Any AM who convinces or pleads with a player to stay is not thinking of that player. No one should have to be convinced to stay in a fellowship that they've been in for months. If that's the case, they truly do not belong there. I WANT to open that slot so that I can get someone in who will love the group and bring energy and enthusiasm to the other players.
It's the AM who don't do "the hard work and endless personal time" who are always the ones complaining about players leaving. And sadly, they are always the ones who make their players feel terrible about leaving .... and once they finally do, they never look back. I thank the stars that I had such a wonderful AM. I left for 8 months, with her full blessing and encouragement, and came back when I realized how much I missed her and the group. If she had begged me to stay, I would have left by now, and I would never have returned, ever.