#loner groups

[soulsrpg]

With only three packs and a rise in loner groups, would the 'SA consider giving loner groups more privileges? For example, presence on the map, subforums, or allowance of more individual players per group (with the same cap on played characters)? I feel like there are few qualified leader prospects and we might not see a new pack for a while, and more spotlight on loner groups might help fill the void in the meantime - and might be more encouraging for newcomers to see.

This question must’ve slid in right before our April newspost, which brought a higher maximum number of players and map markers for bands (formerly loner groups)!We’re definitely keen to explore ways to fill the gap packs have left while still encouraging the historical (and genre-relevant) “group” aspect of canine-based roleplay. This is new territory for both staff and members, so changes and updates may take some time while we continue to assess what works and doesn’t work. For now, we’re not planning to allow subforums for bands, as there’s an administrative aspect to that goes against the “no leader” component.

[soulsrpg]

Many WRPGs seem to have smaller, more fluid and casual packs - kinda like 'Souls loner groups. Is there a reason 'Souls tends toward very big packs with higher standards for leadership and expectation of longevity? Was it always like this?

‘Souls is a very old game. We’ve been around since 2001 and are the oldest continuously running WRPG.The larger pack structure was very much the norm in the early, mid, and even late 2000’s. As the game grew and aged, higher leadership standards became necessary, and a lot of tradition got tied into what everyone expects of packs. For example, we think it’s difficult now for people to imagine packs without things like highly structured ranks, point games, websites, etc, because they’ve been that way for so long. These things are all a lot of work, and as our playerbase has aged, fewer people are able to dedicate the time to these extra things in addition to providing positive leadership. The administration doesn’t necessarily have the “expectation of longevity” for packs – we think it’s interesting to see packs rise and fall – but we also recognise that it can be extra difficult to let packs go when so much goes into creating and maintaining them.Loner groups are actually a very recent development for 'Souls, as we saw the desire and potential for less structured and more (potentially) temporary groups. Maybe loner groups will become more popular here as time goes on, or maybe packs will see a resurgence somewhere down the line. We can’t say, but we’re definitely curious to see how things play out.

[soulsrpg]

Have Discord servers been set up for either of the current loner groups?

You should ask their contact points.

[soulsrpg]

Hi Sa! Looking for clarification on something about Loner Groups. In the info, it says: "This means if there are 9 played characters, there can only be 6 NPCs (of any type) in the Group." -- Does the any type of NPC refer just to Canines/Canine ghosts, or would this also include animals/creatures (and do played creatures contribute to a loner groups statistics?). Essentially, what type of characters contribute to statistics?!

The NPCs refer to canine / canine ghost NPCs such as cNPCs or yNPCs - creature NPCs are not included in this total (within reason - a loner group probably wouldn’t be able to care for an entire horse herd properly!).

However, played creatures do contribute to the loner group total.  This also means that there can exist a loner group that only consists of creatures.

[soulsrpg]

Can Loner Groups have communal animals? Like some animals the group takes care of. Or do they have to belong to one character?

Loner Groups cannot have pNPCs, so they cannot have communal NPCs of any nature.NPCs must belong to a specific character, though they may be used by the rest of the group with that character’s player’s permission.

[soulsrpg]

I know there are a lot of new pack ideas in the works since the loner groups became a thing. Is it a race to who can make it official first or we bring on multiple packs? How is it decided if two groups send in their stuff at the same time?

As we’ve mentioned previously, the current character:pack ratio is 25:1, so there will be “space” for a new pack when ‘Souls hits 200 characters. 200 characters allows for 8 packs, and no more. Whether there will be multiple new packs created or not depends on how many current packs there are, and how many characters there are.As far as multiple pack applications, we evaluate them first-come first-serve. If Pack A sends their application at 9:34 and Pack B sends theirs at 9:56, we fully evaluate and approve / reject Pack A’s application before even looking at Pack B’s. If Pack A was approved, and there is no more room for a new pack, then Pack B’s application is rejected automatically - however, if Pack A’s second application is ultimately rejected or they don’t form for whatever reason, then Pack B can try to apply again.