Join the Team

Orleron recently gave an overview of what the team looks for in applicants. Below are the guidelines to follow when considering how you can support the Avlis team.

General information

As with any other CoPaP world, the Avlis Team is always looking for more people. Anything less than 100 people are hard-pressed to run this place comfortably, and well, as you can guess, we've never had 100 people. At the time of this writing, there are about 50 on the team, and perhaps 30 of them are active in one capacity or another.

Most CoPaP worlds do not need 50, but because our world is so large and complicated, we need more than that. But also because we have so many to choose from, we can be more selective in whom we take. So here it is, the breakdown of how the team works and what you need to know to get onto it..

The first thing you need to do is figure out whether you want to be a DM or a builder. If you decide to be a builder, determine whether you want to be a Subcontractor or a full team member. Subcontractors have a bit more freedom and can be hired/fired/laid off continuously with no problems. They sorta breeze in and out and that's what they're made to do. It keeps things very fluid. You can sub for one project and then be done, or you can stay on and get more projects.

A full team builder is more like a management position. First decide whether you are a toolset worker, a coder, or both. We have use for all types. The difference between a full team builder and a sub who builds is that the full team member can manage sub contractors underneath himself/herself, and hire/fire them as needed. Subs do not report to me or the team. They report only to the person who hired them. It's like a private deal a team member makes with you for a specific task.

The DM track is a little different. You'll come in either as an Apprentice or a Minor DM. Those with lots of pnp DM'ing experience (half a decade or more) are usually given Minor DM positions, though not always. Those with less pnp experience are given Apprenticeships, but can usually get promoted to Minor pretty fast.

As you earn credibility and trust as a DM, you are given more and more control. Senior/Major DM's are people that are trusted to carry on the storylines of Avlis without messing it up. They are known to understand the world, and are given that trust by me. Major DM's are basically Senior DM's that can also script and build quests for their plots if needed.

So how do we pick new Team Members?

Rule #1: Personality and team chemistry account for over 60% of our selection decision. When you apply, we look through your posts on the boards. Inflammatory posts or those that are just plain "off" will work against you, but above all, your personal interactions with the Team are what counts. If team members can give personal accounts of good relations with you, your chances are much improved. Simply put, we will not hire you if we do not like you. The team works very well with itself because all of us are compatible in personality.

For DMs

The next most important factor is pnp experience. The more you have, the better. You need to prove that you can think on your feet in situations when the players pull out things you didn't expect. We feel pnp DM'ing trains this fairly well. Being a DM on a NWN PW will also be a heavy plus.

The next most important factor is age. We aim for maturity, and generally look for those over 20 years of age, though there are sometimes exceptions. There is no maximum age, else we'd have to fire NH4 because he's like a hundred.

The next most important factor is attitude. We look at your philosophy on gaming and roleplaying and make sure that it's close to what we enforce here on Avlis. We welcome disagreement on the team, as it makes us less likely to enact stupid ideas, but outright 180 degree opposition is generally not supported.

Knowledge is the next most important thing. Particularly, this means Avlis knowledge. It's generally a good idea to play here for at least 6 months before trying to put in a DM app, regardless of your pnp experience. This way you get to know the gods and politics in game.

Time is also an important factor. You can be a great DM, but only able to devote a couple hours a week to DM'ing. We'd like more than that... at least 5 to 10 hours per week minimum.

Next to time, devotion is important. Let's say you want to DM, but you have 2 PC's that you are attached to. That's ok, but your chances of being a DM on the Team increase GREATLY if you're willing to make your DM'ing the first priority, coming before your characters. Having a DM who's just there to pump up his or her PC's, or someone who DM's as a side thing while playing their main PC all the time does not help us as much.

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Something else to think about when applying as a DM

CoPaP and Avlis DM Rules

For Builders

Rule #1 applies here as well.

The next most important thing is your experience with either the toolset, scripting or both. Those who have built modules before for other PW's or for NWVault are given high preference. Those who code for a living in RL are also very highly coveted. If you have either one of these things or both, you are welcome to apply to the Creation Control Centre.

Time is a very very important factor too. When we take on a builder, we'd like to know that they won't disappear the next day, though many do. We would like assurance that you intend to finish at least one big project between you and the subs that you hire for yourself.

For both Builders and DMs

Once getting onto the Team, you get access to most private discussions we have. The good part of that is you get to influence these discussions and even change them. The bad part of that is you know what the discussions are, and this can spoil a lot of the plots that your PC is involved in.

As a DM, part of your job is to mediate player disputes and enforce laws. This is NOT a fun part of the job. Telling stories and giving cookies is fun. Penalizing people sucks, but it is something you may be called upon to do here. It goes with the territory.

If this sounds like what you are looking for, send a private message to the "Staff" group on the Avlis forums, to request an application.