Dear Soulbound Studios,
Before anything else, I need to thank you all for Elyria. I can go on about how wonderful the mechanics are at giving players a real stake in the world or how the asymmetrical design allows for an incredibly dynamic experience, but what has really impressed me is the community.
My last year has been spent carving out a place in the world through discussion, negotiation and all manner of projects. Between sifting through forum posts and keeping up with Discord channels, soaking in every bit of information and doing what I can to secure my place by launch has become a second job that consumes every moment of my free time. And I've loved every minute of it.
What originally drew me into Elyria however wasn't the people or mechanics, but what I would be able to build on top of that foundation. Before speaking a word to anyone from any group or domain, I created my "Mage's Cipher" Fan Media thread (which I was beyond ecstatic to see in this week's Community Spotlight!). Over this last year, it has continued to be an exercise in character development and a personal inquiry into what it means to be a part of a family with nontraditional values. In trying to keep the narrative from stepping on much of Elyria's unknown lore (to which I've done with occasionally questionable success), I want to say I've had at least some growth as a writer of prose and character-driven pieces, but even that is just secondary to my real reasoning behind the thread.
I made a deal with myself, saying if I could spend a year working on these posts, missing not even a single week, I would write an open letter to Soulbound about what this game means to me. I suppose that's where we've come to.
I have a best friend who means the world to me. Someone as irreplaceable as family. They're compassionate and incredibly intelligent, but you'll never meet anyone with less self confidence. It really hurts me to watch how easily they give up on the people and things in their life, but it's not without cause either. The world hasn't been kind in return and I worry over that constant compounded stress and anxiety.
The only times I actually get to see them put away all of that tension is when we game together. As a lover of RPGs, MMOs and tabletop games, Elyria seemed like their perfect fit.
I wish I could say things went smoothly to this point. After backing during the Kickstarter, I cannot recount how many times I tried convincing my friend that they would be able to make something of themselves in Elyria. That they wouldn't be wasting time trying to involve themselves with a community where everyone and everything was already set in stone.
After about seven months with no success, I was ready to call it a lost cause. But one day, without warning, they told me they had purchased into the original Count-tier. Honestly, I was more than a little surprised. Suffice to say, it was good to have a little hope again.
So I come to the purpose of my open letter:
My friend always defaults to the mage in everything we do. A real aficionado of the archetype and the only thing I can real see them passionate about. For that reason, I've been painting our house as a "Mage Family" and exploring in my thread what that means in the context of Elyria (though I've come to believe magic is not hereditary). While I've portrayed my character as a magic user, none of that lore has ever mattered. With how rare magic talents are, I've always been prepared to alter my story. Likely killing off the character rather than a hard retcon.
But please, if anyone deserves magic, please consider my friend's soul.
I want to give them the best experience possible, but more than that, I want them to see that taking a chance and dedicating themselves can amount to something for the effort. That's why I took the chance in backing this game and now, a year later, why I'm taking the chance to write this letter. Please, help me make that a reality.
Kind regards,
En.
Well written. Pure Intentions. Great Contributions to the community. Semi-Selfless goal.
Unlikely to be realized due to previously stated implementation of magic. Not rarity, Not the OP nature, not even the mechanics of talents. The barring factor is probably it not being implemented at launch.
Still, I'm no Dev. If they can be swayed, this is a good attempt.
Best of luck.
Firstly I would like to thank you for this well written post but I am going to be cold here and say that he/she shouldn't get a talent because of this; he should have the same chance as everyone else so if it is relevant for the story then he can get a talent.
As it is a huge part of the story and it sets the precedent that the devs can freely give out talents.
But that is just my opinion of course.
TLDR: A well written thread begging for magic. Nothing to see here.
Chronicles of Elyria Kickstarter backer #2!
Posted By KalTheo at 6:48 PM - Thu Jun 01 2017
TLDR: A well written thread begging for magic. Nothing to see here.
That is true, but concise way of saying it.
I personally am not completely against Magic being given to those who would appreciate it the most. I am not coming to Elyria for magic, and if I got it I wouldn't really do a whole lot with it I don't think, but I know there are people out there who would love nothing more than to have magic.
However, I don't think I speak for everyone, not even close. Such a thing would be pretty objectively unfair to alot of people.
So I have a thing now! 📣Also this is my signature until Sieraen gives me one. 🤷1 Like 👍 = 1 Prayer 🙏
Posted By KalTheo at 12:48 PM - Thu Jun 01 2017
TLDR: A well written thread begging for magic. Nothing to see here.
I understand where you are coming from,
Regardless, +1. I would not be upset if this were to happen. Ill play my game (magic or not) and Ill be happy, if some one else gets to play theirs as well, great. What are we if not a community?
This post reminds me of all the FB scams claiming some kid has cancer and begging for donations.
No.
Good post, not demanding and I wouldnt quite say begging. Great supportive message to the studio, while not a completely selfless message there are very few in the world who can be completely selfless. It never hurts to ask.
I am happy to see another positive message to the studio. I hope your friend ends up getting a talent one way or another. Though the odds are not in their favor, you never know really. Regardless, I hope that talent or no talent your friend ends up enjoying the game and having fun with their community because at the end of the day that is what gaming is all about.
"Pledged to the betterment of the Studio and CoE through realistic, open, honest communication about what players can and will do with the mechanics you give them."
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As Maulvorn I will be cold here as well so sorry in advance:
If you playing as a mage in every/most mmo and want to play mage in CoE, forget about it, the game is not for you if you cannot enjoy it without magic.
I play as mage in most mmos/rpgs as well, but I like the idea of talents in CoE and am perfectly fine with the fact that I may never get any talent.
Furthermore, talents are not bound to soul, they are bound to character, you either ask devs to make your friend to be permanent magic user, or he will drop the game in a year after his character dies because his child has no magic. Not to mention magic talents is not necessary casting fireballs, summoning lighting and waving your fingers so sparkles come out of it, will your friend be happy if he ends up with something less fancy?
Ouch, I wasn't expecting as many down votes and hateful comments. Thank you to those with a more positive tone, even if your message was realistic to the fact that talent users are rare.
I'm well aware that this is more likely to not pan out, but given the kinds of advice and encouragement I'm constantly bombarding my friend with, I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't at least try.
Magic seems to be a hot topic on the forums. I understand your concern about your friend not being able to play the way he may want.
Still, I see no reason why you can't continue the Roleplay you have setup. Sometimes the Journey matters more than the goal and hunting down every piece of arcane lore in the search of magic might be every bit as fun for you and your friend.
After all, while talents are rare and you may never get one, no one has said that talents will be the sole manifestation of magic in Elyria. Who knows what arcane secrets or dark arts you may discover in your journey.
~Lp
Posted By En at 7:14 PM - Thu Jun 01 2017
Ouch, I wasn't expecting as many down votes and hateful comments. Thank you to those with a more positive tone, even if your message was realistic to the fact that talent users are rare.
I'm well aware that this is more likely to not pan out, but given the kinds of advice and encouragement I'm constantly bombarding my friend with, I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't at least try.
I take issue to the hateful comment implications; No-ones being hateful, some might of been a bit crass but hateful? no.
perhaps have their character/heirs roleplay a family of mages who have lost their skills and are trying to find them again?
the devs have said that the more a character gets involved in the storyline, the greater their chance of getting a talent
note that getting a talent doesn't mean that the talent is 'magic'
also note that getting a talent doesn't mean you will even know you received one in your lifetime - you have to 'discover' that you have it
i wish the both of you much fun in CoE
Magic is a topic that is very often a discussion topic.
Often with the undertone 'why can't we be mages', 'why is this talent rare', 'why can't I be the evil Lich Sorcerer from day one ?'. People get tired of this and so the topic of magic is a bit biased by some people.
I'm not one of them and I really give you a thumb up for the idea even if I see that there is only a slim chance of success.
So yes good luck with that.
All I wanna say is heed the hinted advice, as in, be involved in the world of Elyria, think outside AND inside the box, what would a person usually be doing who suddenly finds the talent to use magic? Even in stories where the world is full of mages you do not see newborn babies wielding powerfull magic everyday, that is an exception in their story. And when you take a world almost void of magic abilities, being able to get that talent through dedication and effort is pretty generous.
In the end, if your friend really is passionate about magic, he or she will surely find a way to achieve it if dedicated enough. But be aware, great gifts come with great risks in CoE and unless you achieved immortality, they are all but a fleeting dream.
Shroud to The Covenant of the Veil
