Bookstore and Other Settings

[PrlUnicorn]

I love the idea of a bookstore/magical library and believe it would make a great addition to the settings offered. I think Alexia's idea of a bookstore combined with Tass' Athenaeum would offer the opportunity to sit and chill with a good book and a drink, have a conversation with other characters or interact with the magic of the library. There could be several draws to the room, be they laid out in the description or alluded to, that would allow players to go in any number of directions should they so choose. Sounds like a great idea to me and I hope to see it become a reality soon!

I double checked the Old Temple map info as I was fairly certain the Momus Athenaeum has a bookstore component. It does.
Momus Athenaeum
Library, bookstore, anything and everything for everyone.

[Josette Wheeler]

While we're on the subject, I'd *really* love to see more specific city sectors as options in lieu of the streets. Like Seaside and Dockside are both unique enough areas, they could warrant their own channels (would give the grit of Dockside and the beach of Seaside). A combined Old Market & Dragon's Gate or just a generalized Marketplace channel to encompass those. Old Temple or Southgate or something to catch the south side sans Dockside. Battlefield Park could either be combined with the Wilds or instead of it (I prefer combining since Battlefield Park doesn't seem to have a defined northern edge), and then a New Haven district for a posh vibe.

With that we cover a beach, a gritty docks area, a market, a foresty outdoor area, a posh fancypants space, and a more generalized city space. And all of them are able to be fleshed out enough to give people stuff to play off of while still providing flexibility of a general space.

Just my 2 bits

Just wanted to chime in again and add that I love this idea as well. I think these soecific settings opens up more possibilities for play for people that want to change it up a bit from the bar/inn settings.

I saw a lot of wonderful writing going on in Seaside this past season. It brought a lot of players together which was really nice to see. A posh New Haven district would be so much fun for the city’s fashionistas and a I think a gritty Dockside type setting would also be a really huge draw for a lot of people. Lots of delicious potential for stories there. Great idea, Claire!

[Michelle Montoya]

Hey everyone!

We are so excited to see this thread developing and all the different ideas and contributions. Thank you, Alexia, for starting this conversation. The Roleplay Staff have been discussing your suggestions and considering how we might best implement your recommendations. To that end, we have a couple of questions for the community!

First, in developing a setting it’s always good for us to have a central idea: a focal point. We would like to get some feedback/input on a Bookstore or Library Setting.

1. Would you prefer to see a bookstore or a library?

2. What would the central features of this place be? Note, we find it most helpful to focus on one-three features at the most when developing our settings and descriptions. From the thread, we’ve pulled out a few themes, please highlight the ones you are most drawn to:

• Internet cafe
• Pastry/coffee shop
• Large and numerous shelves
• Ancient tomes
• No staff (magically takes care of itself) or Staff NPCs?
• Lots of rooms or one central room?
• Other features we haven’t talked about?

3. Do you have any name suggestions for this bookstore/library?

You can add your feedback/thoughts to this thread, send a Private Message to any of our RP Staff (Michelle Montoya, Mallory Maeda, Ebon Ilnaren), or send us a Direct Message on Discord (Anne Ellis#0253, Miskatonic09
#8031, ThomSolo#3257).

Second, we want to acknowledge the other requests for additional specific settings such as a Dockside Setting, New Haven Setting, or bringing back Seaside Beach. This has led the RP staff into a broader discussion about how many settings is appropriate for a community of our size and how ‘active’ is active enough for us to keep a channel. This discussion is ongoing and we will be seeking community feedback in a separate thread later this month. So stay tuned for more details!

Last, but not least, we have a planned launch for our seasonal Orktoberfest setting this weekend. Launching Orktoberfest does not mean we are ignoring your requests, but rather moving forward with a much loved annual setting that received positive participation in years prior. The Solarium will also continue as a seasonal setting this month.

In the meantime, we look forward to receiving your continuing input and feedback regarding a Bookstore / Library setting!

- Michelle, Mallory, and Ebon

[Alexia Longbow]

I would just like to say thank you to everyone who has offered their input and support, or even just read along on this topic and discussion. Thank you also to the staff for taking notice and giving the matter consideration.

In answer to your questions, speaking only for myself, I would prefer a bookstore setting. I’m not opposed to a library, but if given the choice, I definitely lean more toward a bookstore.

As far as the central features, while I have no preference over how it is run (no staff or NPC staff) I would like to see more of an open concept rather than separate rooms. A large central room with comfortable couches and chairs, much like the hearth at the inn, surrounded by rows of all manner of books. From modern travel, fiction, nonfiction, etc, to ancient tomes and the like. And I think a pastry/coffee/tea shop would really round out the setting nicely.

I don’t really have a name in mind, but am open to suggestions. Something simple. Some have suggested The Keep, I don’t know if it was a tongue in cheek suggestion, but I rather liked one I caught in the lobby. I believe it was Books and Brews.

As far as the other settings, I look forward to the discussions to come. I too would like to see the beach come back as a more permanent fixture, a dock area and general marketplace, and definitely a forest setting.

Thanks again to staff and members alike for all the support and participation. I look forward to more conversations like this one and I especially look forward to any possible changes that might come about.

[Bailey Raptis]

I don’t really have a name in mind, but am open to suggestions. Something simple. Some have suggested The Keep, I don’t know if it was a tongue in cheek suggestion, but I rather liked one I caught in the lobby. I believe it was Books and Brews.

That was me! It was half-tongue-in-cheek, but half also a nod to Teas'N'Tomes from Dragonsmark/RDI, which was named by Sianna Fraiser's player. If people want to use Books and Brews as a name, I have no issue whatsoever with that. Or, if they want to call it something else, I'm perfectly fine with that too.

[Jake]

There was an awesome 4 story bookstore we visited once in Denver called the Tattered Cover. Open spaces. Nooks for reading. etc.

[Claire Gallows]

There was an awesome 4 story bookstore we visited once in Denver called the Tattered Cover. Open spaces. Nooks for reading. etc.

They moved locations and are no longer in that spot, while the new place is pretty cool too, it doesn't quite compare. They closed the fourth story restaurant and bar too But all of Tattered Cover's locations in general do a good job embodying a lot of the traits I think of when pondering my ideal bookstore. Seconding the reading nooks, cozy out of the way places to explore the books before buying, open spaces for browsing, maybe a snack cart or a little counter for drinks. A dusty tomes section with obscure things people don't often buy. I dunno, stuff like that.

My vote is bookstore over library.

These are the sort of vibes I see in my head;

[Josette Wheeler]

I really like the bookstore idea with maybe several levels? Plenty of cozy nooks, a separate dusty tomes section and a counter with a helpful NPC that can maybe serve coffee, tea and pastries. The possibility that it magically takes care of itself is also a really fun idea!

I absolutely adore libraries, but I also love the idea of people being able to purchase their own books in case any future budding RhyDin authors want to see of their books can make it to the top of the RhyDin Times Bestseller list!

[Canaan]

1. The bookstore definitely has my vote. The studious silence of a library just doesn’t evoke the kind of vibe I think most of us are looking for. We want a quieter setting, yes, but one that is still designed to encourage congregation and interaction.

2. While I do prefer actual staff over the bookstore magically taking care of itself, I like the idea of leaving their description vague. There are some aspects of a setting that are birthed through play, and I think it would be fun to see what comes from a few months of the lot of us working together to really flesh the place out. A small coffee bar or pâtisserie located near the entrance would encourage book browsers to linger, as would areas with comfy seating where patrons could burrow in. If we implement multiple levels, we could hold space for everything from ancient tomes to futuristic discs/chips. My final suggestion is to include a music section. In my head I’m specifically envisioning a wall of vinyl records, but they could offer selections in every kind of medium. I think books and music go well together. Maybe there's space for a small stage--poetry readings or live music nights. Maybe not so much karaoke...but I know there are writers whose characters enjoy playing instruments. Those might be fun smaller events to have.

Wanted to add a few pictures that might spark some inspiration:



3. Behold, my list of bookstore name suggestions:

Verbatim
Crossroads Book & Music
One More Page
Twice Read
Pleasure Bound
Black Bird Bookstore
Tattered Cover
Wit and Whimsy


I’d also like to take a moment to thank our Staff for actually caring about what the community wants. It’s no secret our previous administration did not show us the same consideration you all do, and I am so very grateful for and appreciative of the time and effort you all expend making this site an enjoyable space.

[Pharlen]

I'm more library than shop, but I think I'm in the minority for that, so bookshop it is!

I would definitely like for there to be a comfy communal space, perhaps around an open firepit thing, with either a wall of vending machines or a little tea and coffee and sweets counter.

And downstairs in the basement there should be a dungeon of books that keep causing trouble upstairs. So, bad and naughty and scandalous and dark books, like the Necronomicon, The Lesser Key of Soloman, the Voynich Manuscript, Twilight, and 50 Shades of Gray.

[PrlUnicorn]

I like the idea of a combined library and bookstore. Why settle for one or the other? There's a little place in State College, PA called Webster's. They're primarily a bookstore, selling various new and used media, that allows patrons to sit and read as long as they like. They effectively serve as both bookstore store and library. They also have an in-house cafe that serves soups, other light fare, and beverages.

Multi-levels, great idea! That would allow those that want the quiet library like environment to have it.

As for live staffing, maybe someone would be willing to host a shift or two.

[Koyan]

I wrote a very long reply to this topic but let me just cut to the chase: I agree that this server needs more channels that are not dueling related. While too many channels aren't a good thing either, the handful we do have just don't cover it.

Suggestions:

Bring Seaside back.

How about a channel like 'Dark Tidings' that deals with action scenes? Like the organized demon attack I ran a couple months ago. If characters go in there, you know something action-y is about to go down. That way, if your character doesn't like that sort of thing, they don't have to be there.

Choices are good. We should have more.

[Bailey Raptis]

How about a channel like 'Dark Tidings' that deals with action scenes? Like the organized demon attack I ran a couple months ago. If characters go in there, you know something action-y is about to go down. That way, if your character doesn't like that sort of thing, they don't have to be there.

That's a very interesting idea, and I don't have anything else to add except to say I think it's worth exploring and discussing more.

[Michelle Montoya]

Thank you everyone for your continued contributions! We will be drafting up a summary and our next-steps for the Bookstore/Library by the end of the week. Please continue to add your ideas/suggestions until then.

We are also taking note of your additional ideas (such as more settings, which settings you'd like, bringing back SSB, and the Dark Tidings suggestion). We're going to put our energy into delivering a Bookstore/Library by mid-November (if not sooner) and then we will circle back to the other community recommendations.

[Rhys Germain]

Just want to chime in real quick to say that I really love the idea of an action-oriented channel, like what Koyan's talking about above. I think a lot of us are hungry for baddies to squash outside of the dueling arena. Those kinds of events always draw a crowd. Pharlen's dino-run, Koyan's fissures, the Cadentia chimera, Michelle's Cthulhu story, and others have been big successes.

I also like Alexia's ideas of utilizing a marketplace setting and maybe something like a cemetery setting. There's always something hinky going down in Rhydin, after all.

As for the bookstore/library idea, I like the idea of multiple levels, but I feel like the main focus should probably remain upon the ground/main floor, just for ease of use and to encourage interaction. It gets crazy confusing if people don't remember to put their whereabouts in their status if they're upstairs or on the porch or what have you.

I'm not crazy about the idea of adding a stage to this space since the RDI, which is arguably our "main" (or at least most recognizable) setting in the server, has a stage already and people perform there when they're in the mood (which is, admittedly, not often, as we've seen with karaoke nights, etc.). Not to mention that a dedicated performance space sort of takes away the expectation of a "quieter" setting, which is pretty much the whole point of this entire discussion.

I really like the idea of there being NPC staff, and also a section that's dedicated to internet/computer use. I think that will serve characters of all income and tech-savviness levels, say if someone's character is homeless or comes from a past time period. If there's a food section, I recommend something a little different from the cafe/pastry shop we already have in the Solarium. Maybe if it was named and had a set menu, like the Wolves Den Bistro or Black Magic Burger, it would take on its own life and be a little more fun for people to engage with.