Stepping down

[Royko Sothenic]

Hey guys, as most of you know ive stepped down from Wessex with regret, its been a really fun 4-5 months but i feel i cant take the clan any further, thanks alot for the good time and its been a pleasure playing with you all.

Im not going to make rubbish excuses like everyone else who leaves Wessex, I am leaving purely on the fact that i hate you all... joking aside im leaving because like i said i cant take you any further, i am bored and i am tired of being a leader, i really hope Tars an Falesh can re-make wessex into what it was before, ive not spoken to them in detail so i dont know what there plans are but either way good luck and i hope to see you all in game again.

[Sarek Bane]

:( What are your plans? Still staying with us?

[Jake Dane]

We alrdy spoke ingame so won't say much here. I'll cya around man! :)

[Sarek Bane]

Somebody talk to me!

[Ether Rael]

Bummer Roy :(

Sorry it's not worked out.

FWIW I will be looking to join Lux, just feels like the right move now to continue having fun.

[Alexander TheDutch]

already spoke to roy on mumble so wont say much here. thanks for all the work you did. you did a great job for the clan. whas nice playing with you.
im considering joining shining in japan. its small scale pvp.

[Sayton Reinhardt]

:( Damn.

What are you going to do now?

[Royko Sothenic]

I am going on holiday in 10 days and will be away for 10 days, so i will not be doing anything untill after that, I might roll solo, i may join Lux or i may look at starting a 10 man stress free, no rules pvp clan (like raged) for the up-coming expac.
who knows i have 20 days to think about it though.

I see people are already talking about leaving wessex, maybe you should all hear tars out and see what his views are first before deciding to leave... but ofc if you are bored then maybe its time for you to move on.

[Elagost Thego]

Sorry to see you go mate. There's not many people online that I consider a good friend... and you are no exception (Joking of course ^_^) I had a feeling you weren't enjoying it anymore. Who knows, maybe some Wessex guys might want to join you with making this new guild if that comes to fruition. I hope you will stay with us in other games. It would suck to lose you from the community as a whole.

[Falesh Helithian]

For me I am going to support Tars if he wants to try to keep the guild alive, I won't be able to do much though with regards to leading apart from offering moral support. :p

I would like to say thanks to Roy as the amount of work keeping a big guild running is immense, far larger then is often realized. You helped give Wessex in Darkfall the best opportunity it could have had to survive and prosper. Cheers!

[Sarek Bane]

Not going anywhere either, certainly not until I have heard from Tars

[Tarek Bane]

I shall remain a man of Wessex,

Really sorry to see you step down Roy, your a good leader, and I for one will miss you in game. But if its getting to much then i guess now is the time. Enjoy your hols and hope to see you back in Wessex soon. (you can always join the church you know.... it can be stress free) :)

[Tarscanian Sothenic]

Well here we are.

What can I say?
I will start with a massive thank you to Roy for all his effort and massive contributions to making Wessex so fun for the last few months.
I`am just glad that what ever happens that I will not lose touch with you for good.

Now let me lay on the line my plans, which may help others decide there next path or not :)
The last month for me as been hectic for sure, now majority of the time I have been unable to get on due to work and the fact that im also a husband and father (I know you all thought I was to young but it is true).

It is hard to juggle RL and darkfall when you are in a postion of responsibility. I would also not lie to you in saying that I have lost alot of interest in DF myself of late. This is nothing new, as time and time again through my DF journey I have found myself here at this cross roads.

Alas never with the weight of others depending upon your presence. I have stated time and time again I will not leave DF and I will not change my mind now. For those that seek enjoyment from different avenues within the game itself I wish you the best of luck. In my experience these changes are short lived and do not seem to fulfil the void with is obviously apparent. Now I believe this is because we look and maybe blame the things that are more apparent or should I say easier to change, i.e guilds, style of play, friends.
I truly feel it is the game which as something amiss, nothing more nothing less.

It will get better I have faith, and over the last 2 years it has got better, just not enough yet. I will remain in Wessex and will do what I can to create what we saw in the ideal that is Wessex. DF with the expansion will hopefully take that step closer to being the game that we all so desperately long for. Until that time I feel like we must tread water and ride the storm as such. I personally am trying other games to bide the time, I would urge us all to try and continue to game together to regain or maintain our team spirit as such.

I know the next few days will see big change to a guild that is a husk of its former self. I make you no promise bar one. If by the time it happens (the true beginning of DF) that I`am the only member I will build again and again if needs be a guild that I have envisaged for many moons.

People have come and gone, I/we have lost good friends along the way, people whom we depended on and count on for continued growth, will I hold grudges and feel bitter......NO, that is just life. Life is here to test us after all. I will miss many people and the guild will be sadder for their absence but Wessex must go on. I will not now or in the future quit, see I`am a stubborn bastard and will finish what I started.

We started this journey with just a idea, that idea as been diluted to the point of not just vagueness but of alienation. Here I will state that every Guild changing decision was made with the clans best interests. At this point within our idea we should have established a self supporting entity that would not buckle with a piece missing, unfortunately this is not the case............yet :)

Where from here then? I have no idea tbh. For all of you left with us or those that have parted with us I would say here what a honour and pleasure it as been to game with you all (mostly :) ).

For those that have thrown in there bags to far with us to leave then I will say thank you and I would be honoured to take our next trepid step on the continuing story of Wessex. Thank you all for your loyalty and support.

I will arrange a meeting ASAP for those that wish to continue so expectation and realisation can be achieved and we all know where we stand.

Once again farewell Roy, I wish you all the best in your future endeavours and believe me if i didnt know you in real life this would have been a post that would have sounded alot different, the effect you have had on me and others in DF is astounding and I`am sure that I will not be the only one here missing you already.

With regret and insatiable hope

Sir Tarscanian Sothenic

[Sarek Bane]

I am in

[Sarek Bane]

Yeah come back Roy, back seat and enjoy the ride

[Tarscanian Sothenic]

Thank you guys whom have proclaimed there devotion to Wessex.

"Tis upon hours such as these that we need the oaks to burden the winter we find affronting our doors"

Sir Tarscanian Sothenic

[Manus Dei]

Very well said, Sir Tarscanian. It's good that you mentioned how common an occurrence it is for people to be dissatisfied with a gaming experience, and in seeking to identify just what it is, change guilds, situations, playstyles, etc when the real culprit is the game itself. Not having been invested in Darkfall at all recently and looking at it from an outsider's perspective, I also can see that the problem is plainly the game itself. It does not match with the best vision of what everyone has always dreamed for Wessex. After a brilliant and even Herculanean endeavor at taking back land and clanstones, wheeling, dealing, and torchbearing to unite the server, how can we expect those like Roy to contribute the same zeal and interest when despite the best efforts of the server population and overwhelming numbers, there is still stalemate and no improvement because of poor game design?

When the argument that players just haven't done enough is exhausted and proven false by an example of extraordinary player effort, as we have recently seen- then the burden falls on the game itself to deliver and provide the environment for the fulfillment we're seeking. It can't - so things fall apart, the fires die down, and our enterprise is thwarted.

Yet I say this to those like Roy who find themselves dispirited and seeking greener pastures - someday, a game will come that will support what we dreamed. And, like the glory days of early UO that people still hearken back to, where so much was doable and so much creative adventure was possible, a community will form that will make even better memories. It is there that Wessex will finally find its element, and shall finally have its day. You must come back to us for that.

[Sayton Reinhardt]

I'm still around. Just a bit inactive in DF.

[Sarek Bane]

The most fearsome warrior is that which is committed and thinks not of himself, has no fear of loss and stays focused on the goal regardless of circumstance.

I am one, who will join me? For the King and Wessex until my last breath!!!

[Falesh Helithian]

I think M&B cRPG came at a good time for us. With many people going through a lull in interest for Darkfall we can go and play M&B cRPG as a guild to keep our Wessex alive. When the time comes we can move back together, rather then in ones or twos who will have nothing to do, and give Darkfall another go. M&B cRPG is similar enough to Darkfall that it will also let us train teamwork, communication, quick responding to orders and so on. It will also be a great way to get everyone to bond. My game will always be Darkfall, however I think I will be playing M&B cRPG after we move back to Darkfall as that is good fun too.

[Royko Sothenic]

I was not prepared to sit around waiting for the expansion, this is 4-6 months away.
I play Darkfall for what it is now, and not for what it should or could be, many times wessex has gone inactive and then we re-built, but this time it was different, our core went inactive, leaving me to be the only vet in game, i log into vent and no one around, this got very tedius and frustrating, especially as all my time was going into this sun war, and then no one would log in to take part on destroying sun, therefor i was wasting my time preparing these things for you guys.

I beleive we had the wrong playerbase within our ranks, we had veterans who always leave the game and come back months later, we had new players who came and were never to be seen again and we had old returning players who though showed good commitment to wessex but didnt have the leadership quallitys or darkfall experience, i honestly beleive wessex lacked 5-8 CORE players like myself, and i dont mean that in a big headed way at all, what i mean is we lacked a player who loved darkfall for what it is, a player who had alot of time to put into a clan and most importantly we lacked leaders, someone to give myself or tarscanian a break, because that did not happen for 5 months straight which is why im in this situation now, i called for help, I remember speaking with 8 different people who i thought could really help push this clan forward and they let me down.

You cant run a clan built up of new players, you need a core veteran playerbase, Tarscanian, Falesh, Kellshar, Cenris, Sayton, Erwin, Tarek, Elagost, Denioz, Max (injury) and Sarek (internet probs) This is our core playerbase and you all have been inactive the last 2-4 weeks due to whatever reasons, now im not saying its any of your faults, im saying that i couldnt run wessex on my own and this created me to burn out.

Now if Wessex was active then droping leadership and staying in clan would have been an option, but its not active so thats my i made the decision to move on.

Now i know from pms that theres 5+ of you that want to join Lux, purely on the fact that Wessex is inactive,
So what is your plan Tars? are you looking to keep playing Darkfall now or continue to wait for the expac, i think we owe it to Lux to tell them whats going on and wether wessex is going inactive.

Like i said before ive really enjoyed wessex, and will defo not be leaving the community, as i really hope in the future when they do release bigger and better games we can take wessex there and rule once again.

[Royko Sothenic]

I think M&B cRPG came at a good time for us. With many people going through a lull in interest for Darkfall we can go and play M&B cRPG as a guild to keep our Wessex alive. When the time comes we can move back together, rather then in ones or twos who will have nothing to do, and give Darkfall another go. M&B cRPG is similar enough to Darkfall that it will also let us train teamwork, communication, quick responding to orders and so on. It will also be a great way to get everyone to bond. My game will always be Darkfall, however I think I will be playing M&B cRPG after we move back to Darkfall as that is good fun too.

Problem is Falesh not everyone wants to play mount and blade, you still have 5-8 players in darkfall who want to play darkfall.

[Royko Sothenic]

I was kinda hoping me leaving would bolster you guys into a "YEAH LETS GET BACK IN GAME AND RE-BUILD AGAIN" :)

Not: Yeah lets play mount and blade, a game that is very good indeed, but also proven it can only keep you interested for afew weeks at best.

I have one idea for you though, merge everyone from Wessex (whos still interested in DF) into Lux with the hope they come back when wessex does.

[Falesh Helithian]

Problem is Falesh not everyone wants to play mount and blade, you still have 5-8 players in darkfall who want to play darkfall.

I agree, I've got my energy back after my week and a half rest but I don't want to play much in this current situation. If the other people who left Darfall due to lack of interest and Tars wanted to make a push for it then I would join right away. There is a danger though of going back at this time as it seems there are a lot of people who are not really interested at the moment. If we push them back into the game they may play a bit and then go inactive again creating a second dangerous time for Wessex.

However as you say there are still some playing and some not interested in M&B cRPG. They are in a difficult position, should they hold out for Wessex if/when it returns or should they move on to other guilds. This is their own choice and I support whatever they do as they have stayed in the guild long enough to prove their loyalty and deserve the right to join an active guild.

My view is that if we have a large number of people who currently don't want to play DF then we should try to get everyone playing M&B cRPG with the view that when people start wanting to play Darkfall again we will be able to go back as a strong force. On the other hand if we have a large number of people who actually want to play Darkfall again but aren't due to the current state of the guild then we should all go back to Darkfall together and fix the guild so it is fun again.

It all comes down to people's current interest in my opinion.

[Elagost Thego]

Well it seems like everyone is going their separate ways in Darkfall. I for one do not wish to merge with Lux. They're good guys, but something doesn't feel right going to them.

I am considering joining Brandon for the time being in Liandri along with the guys from TBH like KoKane, Forgotten and Neilk. Obviously I will still be a part of this community with regards to cRPG etc. and who knows, when the expansion comes out and people want to start Wessex again I may come back in Darkfall.

[Tarscanian Sothenic]

let us meet up and talk this through to long winded on forums.
what time/day can we all make?

[Falesh Helithian]

Any day from 1pm to 11pm UK time.

[Elagost Thego]

Yeah same here. Got a week off still.

[Sarek Bane]

Anytime this weekend but working week it will need to be 8pm - 11pm for me.

[Alexander TheDutch]

i can be on everyday. just let me know what time and ill be there

[Nangar Rockhelm]

Just need some for warning of a time and date is all. Evenings is preferable

[Ether Rael]

I have one idea for you though, merge everyone from Wessex (whos still interested in DF) into Lux with the hope they come back when wessex does.

We have an open invitation from Maejohl to join with Lux if Wessex enters a dormant phase in DF, while everyone waits for the Golden Patch.

[Cyndane Drake]

Hey guys,

First of all let me thank you Roy. I know I havent been around much since you rejoined Wessex months ago, but the time I wás around was alot of fun and I want to thank you for stepping up and taking charge.

I've been a member of Wessex for more then 2 years now and I've seen this happen more then once. The guild rebuilds under rule of a core group, usually it's Kaylem who took charge, and then gains a bunch of new members around a regular size but then eventually more and more people go inactive. I blame myself as well, I have had a very busy couple of months but I couldve probably been there more often. Anyway, I don't jump to conclusions, but this game in general tends to make people quit after awhile, in the state it's in today. I enjoyed playing back when we got Long March just because it was always busy. I go on vacation, we come back and have Aradoth, but when I log in only a few guys are there, or sometimes none. Therefor I log out again. It is a downwards spiral that only a change in gameplay or a dramatic overhaul of the guild's state could change.

Also the fact that Darkfall is a game that doesnt fit our governmental system adds up to the weight. It's simply true that this game is more appealing to the more pvp-focused clans. Then again it doesnt really matter. About a year ago, when we were in a fase like this, I said Wessex is a game within a game. It is. You join, but although you might eventually not play games together, you stay a member. You check the forums once in awhile and hey, suddenly there's a group of WSXians playing that game you just bought. Thats what kept me checking in on Wessex all that time.

Darkfall was the game we started with, Rune not counting, and it's the game we've probably not seen the end of by a long shot. It just might take awhile before it truely fits what we want our guild to be, if ever. Even so it's not necessary to jump on any bandwagon. Call forth a meeting, discuss the future and try not to jump ship, because that might seem a good decision on short-term, but my experience can tell it doesnt compare to the rewards long-term.

Saluté ;)