Shattered Kingdoms

Yeah. And change deep-elf to dark-elf too. "deep-elf" is lame.

I would then suggest removing deep-elves, dwarves and gnomes as selectable races. Or change their background so that they are not mainly Deep Realm dwellers.

The above is a terrible idea.

As opposed to incomplete and choppy possibilities with the discussed races? Hrm... well then. I feel that it is the unwillingness to expand the mud for new players that eventually prevents them from coming. Until the mud undergoes some serious changes, it is going to maintain it's 15th-ish rank on TMS and have the same bulges in active players. It's about to start going back down like it did last year. I would at least push for there to be at least ONE starting point in the Deep Realm for people to start. I really think it would show an increase in activity.

I disagree. I don't think starting points have anything to do with activity. It's classes that have the most to do with it.

I am TOTALLY for the one newbie zone idea. Let's put it on an island, and add ships. I'm serious. I think it'd be awesome to have some sort of Hogwarts-style "houses" for each nation.

And allow for a language to be learned, then a kingdom to go to. The two shouldn't have to correspond. It would make it easier, but shouldn't be necessary. Someone speaks empire, runaway slave to exile. Someone speaks deep, starts anywhere, come fresh from the deep to learn.

Okay, so he went totally off-track at the end, but this much of what fluffball said, I agree with.

Alright, so he totally went off-track right before his comma, but I agree with Jardek after the comma.

HOUSES BEFORE MINOTAURS MONKS, PLZTHX!!!

EDIT: Seriously, it'd be awesome to have housemasters. I, for one, would RP it like crazy.

I don't see the one newbie zone as possible ICly. Can you imagine Taslamar sending its most vulnerable heroes to a place controlled in part by the Council of Necromancers?

What I could see is consolidating the newbie zones down to three. One for Taslamar and Ayamao, with illusionary creatures to practice against. One for Zhenshi and Uxmal, essentially the zakami butcher's ground. And one for the Empire and Northern Wasters, some hellion-led training ground that combines the best of Kytar and Krychire's apprentices.

This would provide more chance to interact, without people being driven to kill each other by roleplay. And frankly, even the best of the newbie grounds could use a little tuning. The only areas a new player might ever see could afford to be more eye-popping.