Larger groups in dungeons face certain problems, such as too many people clogging up the VoIP channel, being generally confused newbies who don't know what needs to be done, or come underprepared to a boss fight.
Turning into ghosts all the time can be quite detrimental to the fun we are looking to have in Avadon.
In order to be as efficient as possible, a party would need be competent and disciplined. In theory, a strict chain of command would help for obvious reasons, but of course we are not an army, and most people would not enjoy being bossed around or having to follow strict rules. There are other guilds that provide such a structure and The Tavern doesn't need or want a totalitarian approach.
So I brainstormed for a while and came up with some ideas on how to improve our general experience and make us more successful, especially when we need a lot of martial prowess and a large group.
The following "set of rules and procedures" is meant as a first starting point for a discussion.
When many players form a group, the Discord voice channel can easily get clogged, hindering effective communication. There are other channels available though, such as in-game chat (talking, yelling), guild and party chat, as well as the side chat of the voice channel on Discord.
Guild chat messages can me macroed; party cannot.
We can prioritize types of messages and assign them to those channels according to how easy they are to use and how much reach they have throughout the group. The voice chat is the most immediate and convenient option, so it should be reserved for really important messaages, such as Heal or PK "Contact!" call outs. Less important things can go to the slower and less convenient channels.
Least important information, like "I will be logging out in 10 minutes" can go in the text chat, where people might have to Alt-Tab in order to see it. Things posted here should be expected to be seen only after the raid by many party members.
If someone wants to chat, or role play, they can simply talk in-game or use emotes. Things that need to be seen by everyone nearby, but which are not very important, can simply be typed in and "said" by the character.
There's some situations, where quick communication is needed, but it is not important enough to use the voice channel. Yelling can be used with macros, see "chevron commands" further down.
Depending on the number of players, only priority messages are communicated via voice. The captain may have to take full control and assign permission to speak to individuals.
Some "call outs" may be exceptions, where everyone just says them. They're in a defined format, as to be concise and recognized immediately by everyone. Some callouts are:
With really large groups, we can use a hierarchical structure similar to a military group, or how air traffic control is done. For this I suggest a system of ranks, which can also double for role playing purposes.
Typically the player who organizes an event and controls the entire groups while in a battle. The captain might be considered the top of the chain of command and will typically have an eye on everyone, and communicate what needs to be done in the large picture, like where to move next in a dungeon.
The captain controls the voice channel. All players should pay attention and avoid speaking, unless neccessary or addressed by the captain, similar to how amateur radio works. You would wait for a gap in the talking and briefly interject only with your call sign, then wait for the other people who were already talking on the air to adress you. In this sense, the captain would manage the highly valuable "bandwidth" on the voice channel, just like an air traffic controller would.
With really large groups, bandwidth would still be consumed quickly. In such a case, the entire group can split into detachments who respond to their assigned Huntsmen. The huntsman will have priority in talking on the voice channel, but will give priority to the Captain. In turn, they will try to communicate with their detachment via lower priority channels.
The captain and the officers will use macros for "yelling", with their yell color set to bright red. Only a small amount of "chevron commands" will exist:
Players not assigned a role are given the rank of "Raider". Fresh recruits are called "Drifters" for role playing reasons.
Players not assigned a commanding role should aim not to use the voice chat. If voice is already jammed with a lot of talk, they would do it like on ham radio: When there's a brief pause, they would just yell their name and wait until being addressed by the player who manages the channel.
Exceptions are standard callouts, they can be interjected at any time.
Players without an assigned role, could be considerd "foot soldiers" for RP. They use bright blue for their yelling chevrons:
Before a group starts an action, the Captain should follow a procedure that makes sure, everyone is ready and properly prepared. This also gives such actions a bit of structure, a ritual, that helps newcomers to learn what is being done usually. It can also be an opportunity for some soft role play, enhancing the entire experience.
Pre-dungeon/action prep ritual. The Captain and Huntsmen rally their Raiders. If newbies or Drifters are present, some extra attention should go into making sure, they are really ready.
I think, following the same structure for each briefing is a good idea. It makes sure, everyone is on the same page.
Captain and Huntsmen would ask if everyone is ready to go. Look out for << CONFUSED >> or << STALLED >> chevrons.
Finally, when everyone is set, the Huntsmen give the command to move out: "Gather at the entrance of <dungeon>" wait briefly, then say "Let’s move out!"
Post-run procedures: Remind people they can drop their gold in the safe, or to add loot to the party chest. Then, let them to go home and stash their remaining loot. If you expect them to come back for another run, explain that as well.
All these ideas are the result of my initial brainstorming, and will certainly need refinement. We'll see which concepts make sense to everyone and work with the desired play style for The Tavern. If The Protocol is accepted, it will need to be written up properly, short and easy to read.
Please let me know what you think, or if you have suggestions for The Protocol. Thanks for taking the time to read all this,
Erik (Ostard Express)