The Clan Lord Sentinel

Xel wrote:I guess maybe we could ask for an NPC in the Bard Guild that notifies / sends an email to the bard masters automagically?

That sounds like a really great idea. Let's see if we can get that one implemented. As for promoting more folks to bard master, I think that can be discussed. All options are on the table, IMO.

As others have noted, CL is smaller in number, bards are equally smaller in number. Maybe what we should do is have a massive (relatively speaking) "Bard Jamboree" someday and try to get all remaining bards to come out and play sometime in a 2-3 hour period. That might encourage more in-game attendance. At the least it would give us a CL diversion for a few hours.

Life changes, demands change, and sometimes we have to put things on the back burner that we really love to do. I do love this game, and being a bard. I miss the hours of uninterrupted playing time that I used to have. I hope CL is around when I have some of that time back in about 15 years. Hell, it's been around this long, and I can dream.

I agree that the Council would benefit from some new staff. This would, of course, not entail knocking anyone else off of master status, I hope there isn't really is a rule of maximum 3 masters, is there? (Though Coriakin did gain mastership, and Tonle mysteriously either lost or stepped down from mastership hmm...) I just figure that the greater the number of council members, the greater the chance that someone will be around for Exile X to inquire about their bard audition, or will happen to see Exile X's numerous posts on the Sentinel/mailing list about their audition.

There has definitely been a decline in the number of people playing the game, but there are still those handfuls of new, active players that pop every month or two, and in one of those handfuls of players there just might be someone interested in writing and playing music. (Sometimes I even nab an Agratis's interest with a song in town heh!) I know that being a bard has definitely had an impact on me, I was probably in middle school when I started doodling around in Tune Helper and listening to other bards, and having that interaction in CL has subsequently changed the way I think about music. If getting hold of a master to get an audition scheduled has been an issue for people lately, I don't want that to be the reason that someone ends up losing interest in being a bard. That being said, I guess more council members to draw from would be a good thing, especially active ones (I have been playing a lot as of late, hint hint ).

From my understanding, the Council's job has only been to take care of audition planning, instructing questers and hopefuls in syntax before their auditions, and other "dirty work," and the scheduling of events/contests has been generally done by exiles and clans (i.e. WoD's Newbielympics opening/closing which was great fun, DM's drinking song contest, or Garr's all-you-can-make instrument part extravaganza). However, this doesn't have to be the case. I imagine the Council could get in on it as well, through the occasional planned event, maybe even a scheduled bard jam like Perki suggested.

Oh, and Super Chicken can be designated Official Bard Jam Party Piñata! yeah!

Bump.

Yes, we could use fresh bard master blood. Yes, that discussion has occured on the council email list. Yes, it will likely happen, just not sure when. Yes, it would be fantastic if there were an NPC in the bard field that could be bumped to send a direct email message to all of the bard masters at once. Cool idea, one that's been brought up before, and not just for bards but for all kinds of things.

Supply and demand is also an issue. The population is smaller, thus the population of bards is smaller. And that means the population of regularly clanning bards with the longevity and maturity it takes to take up the role of a bard master is also shrinking.

I do appreciate the votes of confidence (in that there is no call for demotions). We know that it's a quandary that needs to be fixed ASAP.