News, Announcements, Weather, and Events

Hello, everyone (who is still around).

I know Kutho is struggling to a degree in trying to return to full sort of activity. It's limping, really.

Obviously, a few people have stuck around, or been coming and going, but it's been enough for Kutho to be alive, still. And I thank those people.

My hope is that Kutho has done something well that makes people inclined to stay here.

This thread is for everyone who is still here to help us get the site back to having a couple of people on whenever possible. So, if you could all post things like;

- What Kutho does well.
- What Kutho could do better.
- What could help Kutho become more active.
- What other sites do well that could be implemented here to attract newcomers.

Thanks, again, to everyone who RPs here. Kutho wouldn't have made it as far as it has without all of you.

Kutho is fine. It's one of the only Pokemon RPing sites out there with actual depth and it's there for people who simply like writing.

I know it isn't the same because people haven't stuck around and we're missing the people we knew best back in the day but maybe all Kutho needs is a brand new generation of peeps to liven things up.

This post has been edited by Killian on Jun 27 2009, 09:40 AM

I agree with Killian, I think Kutho is fine as it is. Truly a unique RP site if there ever was one. Can't tell you how many times I tried to RP on other Pokémon RP sites using the same freedom I was used to having here and being either looked at funny or plain out reprimanded. I love this place.

Perhaps, as Kill has said, we just need a bunch of new people to start up the flow again. A few active Mods that could be on at least most of the time wouldn't hurt either.

New mods would definitely help. With Negrek having limited 'net access I was the only active mod for a while, but it wasn't too bad because I never had to update for more than one person a week, if that. >>; If there were more members and they were more active then obviously I couldn't keep up with everything myself, so yeah...

...of course, can't have mods without members to get promoted to modship, so I would say our first priority would be gussying the place up and attracting some fresh meat for the Draco Meteors. Everyone who's here would need to be as active as possible, first of all, so that when new people sign up they don't feel the need to ask "wait... is this even active?" as they have been recently. Advertising would draw the new people here, of course, so if we could do that here and there, maybe find a few more active affiliates, that would be awesome.

As Killian and MK said, Kutho really is different from the other Pokémon TRPGs out there, but people may not necessarily be able to see that at a glance--and a glance is usually all we have to get people curious for more. Any advertising should stress that freedom; otherwise there isn't much that sets us apart from Joe Average Linear TRPG.

Getting on track with the expansions we were talking about last year would also be nice. The gyms, for one thing. I know that the fact that we can all still have a great time and RP really interesting stories without having to follow a linear gym path is part of what makes us really ducking awesome, but if that were shored up a little more then it would help attract people who are into that sort of thing. Also, what happened to the zombies or vampires or whatever they were? D: That was silly but it sounded like it would've been amazing. And the plans for the Kuthonian legendaries and trying to work up a subplot or something that went with them... I won't discuss the zombies and the legendaries any further here because they're in the hush-hush section while they're still in the works, but that's more for us to consider working on. *kicks other mods and goes to reread topics*

And if possible, we should think up another event to start now that the Deathgorge Tournament has been canned. Maybe something that could be done relatively early in the journey--not right off the bat, of course, but after people have had a chance to catch a few Pokémon instead of having to trek all the way out to the farthest location in the RP.

Hm, what else... there was Negrek's suggestion about flash characters/RPing (thread is here), which also might be cool to implement; it also doesn't have to hinge on both the mod and the player being active at the same time depending on how it's handled, so it'd be something else to keep people here while they're waiting for a main journey update. Not that we want people to worry about having to wait, but yeah. And it's just another thing we can offer that most places don't.

I doubt that this has much to do with it but I'm running off the top of my head here, so: if people are up for it then finally trying to get that Zetaboards conversion to go through could also help. It's got that whole "newer than IF" allure and there are those that would consider it superior for several reasons, although Kutho still looks nice and is functional as it is (provided the forum markers don't keep disappearing) and there are also people who like IF better... as I said I don't know if it matters either way, but it is a thought.

*whew* Okay, that's everything I've got. Thoughts?

[/shutting up now]

Okay, so what I'm basically thinking then, is... well a number of things. Let me structure this so that it's easy to follow...

1) Kutho is perfectly fine from a structure/rules/style point of view. We don't need to change anything about the way it's played. (With the possible exception of Negrek's 'flash characters' type of thing as an addition, rather than a change.)

2) We need current members to be more active. According to Malice, the main problem is that we are/were a bit lacking in Moderators, but it shouldn't be too much of an issue. Are there any other Mods than you and I now, Malice? (Negrek... But she's away, or something?) Hopefully if we can all put in some effort to post, guests will notice that we're active.

3) The hope is that any new, frequent posting, active members will join based on our activity... Which will help spur on activity and encourage more members. Sounds reasonable.

4) The current areas/events are a bit stagnant? Based on some suggestions and things that the Mods have been talking about for (years?) a while, I'll go ahead and try to add a few more areas and make things up... I suppose I can do it since I set up the board (if I can remember how ).

5) Re: Negrek's idea; it sounds very good to me, but I'm not exactly sure how I'd implement it. I suppose what I'll do is I'll set up a new post in the "Rules" forum, and I'll also set up a couple of changes in the "Sign Up" section so people can indicate that they're doing one of those styles of RPs. I'm assuming I've understood the concept properly .

6) Advertising. I've never been that great at figuring out the affiliations and advertisements and all that. I think it's a problem because I don't even think I'm a member on any other boards. If anyone here posts anywhere else that they think they can help us out, please try to do whatever you can to shout "KUTHO" everywhere.

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Seems like that's all, unless anyone else has anything to add. Since I'm on summer break now, even when I'm "really" busy, I should have an hour or two in the day that I can help work on these things. I'll try to make some additions to the map and locations over this weekend. Maybe some of the changes will impress some of our old members to give it a try... If they even occasionally look at the board these days. I don't suppose anyone who's here is in contact with any of our old and somewhat active posters?

Thanks again, guys.

I'm not "in contact" with anyone per se, but I've seen people drop in from time to time. I would imagine that new stuff to do would entice them to stick around, yeah. I could probably kick Kusarigamaitachi into coming around a little more often, but that's about as far as my ability to contact other potentially interested people goes.

As for Negrek, she's on summer break but has a job to deal with and no internet access at home. She can check in occasionally, presumably from a library computer or something, but won't be on very often until she goes back to school in a few months. Anyway, you might want to double-check with her and make sure you've got the flash RPing thing down; I'm not 100% sure I understand it either.

And yeah, I think that you, Negrek and I are the only active mods at the moment (and Negrek's got spotty access so she doesn't count until August/September). As I said, that isn't much of a problem with the number of active members as low as it is, but when new people start to trickle in I'd keep an eye out for more mods to add to the team as soon as possible.

If you need any suggestions for new things to try adding then just let me know, Jun. I'd go drag up the old discussion topics we had before, but with so few people to see them it seems a little pointless. :/ But whatever you think is best. Oh, and if you need help remembering how to add boards or whatever it was you were talking about, I've fiddled around with IF's admin panel before and could probably help if you needed to ask a question.

Advertising-wise, well, I'm not a member of too many forums that appreciate advertising, or at least they won't appreciate Kutho until it really gets its act back together. There are other forums and websites that exist for the express purpose of advertising RPGs, however, so if you like I can sign up on some of those directory sites and spread the word that way. I've also lurked around a few other RP boards that might make nice affies, so again, with your permission (since most people require the admin to make the affiliate request) I could go ask around those places as well.

Basically, if you need me to do anything to help out, I'm here.

I more than give you permission to do anything relating to advertising and affiliation. If anyone also needs to speak to me as admin for any reason, feel free to send me a PM or even just post in the CBox.

Here's some ideas that just came to me. My suggestions are about encouraging players to take their own path, and it doesn't change the RP so much as it adds onto what we already have.

- Give good-hearted characters as much a reason to play as evil characters. I remember Kusari playing a cop a while back, and we were talking in the cbox about the benefits of being a cop/person who obeys the law. People who joined Team Rocket got to steal items, pokemon, and money. What did the cops get, besides a paycheck and a pat on the back? Nothing. (I think Kusa ditched that cop character later, too.) I suggest we expand the perks of being a cop and maybe even add another nice guy organization to the mix. Here's what I was thinking:

The cops in Kutho have their hands full. If they're not keeping the peace in the cities, they're fighting constantly with Rockets (/Jade's team?) and trying to help rebuild Fleet Town. Even with all this, criminals are still running around everywhere. Why not have some protectors at the grassroots level, where the ordinary citizens of Kutho rise up to protect this region as well? This group would be focused on protecting the community and helping rebuild the region, but there could be a more aggressive section that beats down criminals and leaves them for the cops to get. This way, characters who join this group can choose to be a nurturing type of good (and do stuff like help treat abused pokemon) or to be a badass vigilante/bounty hunter type. The organization could be structured like Team Rocket, with officers and ranks that the player could eventually work up to. It would even have it's own perks: maybe people who serve this group get free supplies from the pokemarts or something.

- Have other special interest organizations. This is more of a random thought than a suggestion. How about various clubs, like a Pokemon Breeder's Association or a Fishing Association? This would encourage players to be whatever they want in Kutho, not just a trainer, and they can be rewarded for it with various perks. For example, a member of the Breeder's Association could get TMs and allotted land for their own breeding projects. A Trainer's Association member could get phone calls about rare pokemon and have a network of NPC trainers to fight against. A Medical Association member could get various potions and such. The more you do for the organization, the more famous you get and the better rewards you receive. Maybe the characters can start an association of their own as well!

- Give new players places to go. Expanding Kutho is nice and all, but how about giving players something interesting in the lands that have already been explored? Not like the player has an exciting choice about where to go after the Rival Battle. (They can either go to the grasslands of Route 1, or the grasslands of Route 3, and if they travel a little, they can get to the grasslands of Route 2!) Maybe we can add mini-locations within these routes like we do for the towns? Like a pinned topic saying something like:

-Plotlines for early trainers. This has been brought up, and I agree with it. The Deathgorge tourney is too big for us right now, and the vampire one is not for the weaker players unless it's tweaked. What else can we think of that would be entertaining for the players?

-Give players more independence. Meaning to use Negrek's flash characters idea so people can play whoever they want to play. If it's written well enough, it could become canon.

EDIT: Jade's Team? Can we do anything with that? Like give them a name or something to do? So far all we know is that Jade's team hates Team Rocket and steals things from Professor Willow.

That's all the ideas I have for now.

Meant to say something sooner, hah.

Sort of like a "Kutho militia", eh? I like it!

I also like this (and it kind of goes along with my suggestion to try finishing up the gyms, as even the regular trainers have very little to do other than catch Pokémon or join TR). As for players starting their own stuff, that sort of reminds me of that bit in the rules about getting jobs or even starting your own businesses... no one ever takes advantage of that. Perhaps that aspect of the game can be spiced up to start, and other businesses/associations/whatnot can open up from there?

Also liking this. Adding a few extra activities in certain places shouldn't be too hard to do if we can just come up with some ideas.

I can't think of any ideas off the top of my head, but yes, there need to be earlier events.

Already mentioned that I agree with this; we'd just need to really take some time to hammer out how it will work.

I've always sort of wondered what the deal with these guys is, and they've been pretty quiet lately... I think the only time I ever saw Jade was when I was reading through Nicolai's story and Jade nailed him in the crotch (or am I making this up? o.O). She and her cronies need to go around [s]kicking more people in the crotch[/i] doing... whatever it is they do. Except they don't have anything to do. Which I suppose is the problem.

Something else that has occurred to me is that a lot of information is out of date. The rules, NPC profiles, etc.... many of them don't mention things that players can do or do mention other stuff that no one ever does, and a lot of stuff has happened/new people have been introduced that isn't reflected in profiles... or in that news forum, for that matter. A woman was katana'd to death outside of Willow's community center and the locations for the starter giveaways have since changed twice, and the news has had nothing to say about it? D'what? I think it would be a good idea to clean up certain sections of the rules, profiles and news so that they match up with the way that Kutho currently is (while still keeping records of what's already gone down, of course); they'll make more sense to new members who browse through them and will generally help make us look a little less dead. I could start on it when I've got a bit more free time if no one else wants to get a jump on it now.

EDIT: Ah, and another idea. My lurkings around those RPG directory boards have recently informed me that a lot of forums archive their old threads. Moving journeys that no one is using any more will clean up the forums, and they'll still be there for people to see if they want to browse the archive; furthermore, if anyone comes back and wants to pick up where they left off, they can just ask a mod/admin to move it back to where it was. Sure, removing dead journey threads will make Kutho look a little emptier, but the tradeoff is that there aren't any old posts from two years ago sitting around as the "most recent" in any given forum; "emptier" could potentially make it look "newer" instead of mostly stagnant. Thoughts?

EDIT2: And fix the semi-broken images, too. I know Negrek normally does that so possibly we'd have to wait for her to get back to school, but it'd really help the board look a little snazzier.