Custom Etching

[Zahrah]

So, I've noticed that on some items you can get customized in a shop, you can choose for them to be "etched" (for example, you can get an etched iron flintlock in Haiban). I think it would be neat if, when you got something "etched", you could actually specify what was etched on it.

So, for example, if you chose etched, you'd then get a, "What is it etched with?" (or something) and you could then type out, "the name 'Zahrah'" or "a picture of a skull" and then when someone looked at the flintlock (or whatever else) it would say:

"You see nothing unusual about an etched iron flintlock.

Etched on the flintlock: the name 'Zahrah'."


I think it'd just be a neat way to further customize things. Sure, you can just RP out what it's actually etched with, but it'd be nice if someone could just look and see for themselves. And you could put a character limit on it so that people wouldn't be trying to etch a rendition of a Monet on their cuirass or something.

[jilliana]

Usually that sort of thing is done when an NPC comes around. A blacksmith NPC, for instance. I think you can also get that sort of thing done through a donation to CLOK.

I think it's a great idea personally, but I can see where it's also cool to just keep it an event thing.

[Lun]

This is usually done when a blacksmith NPC comes around, so you can get a 100% custom weapon, similar to the seamstress event you saw recently. These merchants tend to come every few months and you can get one or a few items done at a time.

I think being able to do some custom etching similar to the new POSE command would be nice, but at the same time, think it can be potential for unfiltered, unruly sorts of things like someone getting an etching of their privates on their weapon, for example. Overall, I like it and it seems like a good idea but also think it would require a lot of moderation.

[Zahrah]

I would like to trust that most people would be mature enough to not abuse such a thing, though I also know that there will always be at least that one person who might abuse it. I understand that customization/modification can and does occur when GMs come around to control NPCs, which is super cool! But this is definitely the first MUD I've ever played on where such customization was wholly dependent on GM involvement. If CLOK were to get much bigger, I imagine that this could get overwhelming pretty quickly.

But maybe that's just me.

Another idea would be to give PC blacksmiths (both artisan and non) the ability to custom etch things that are made of metal, even if such a thing was store bought. This way, not just anyone could get get something etched willy-nilly and it would help the GMs better keep track of who was doing what just in case someone decided to abuse it. So long as OOC guidelines were set down so that said blacksmiths would know what was allowed in an etching and what was not, I think this could be an excellent way to open up new avenues for customization and RP.

(Disclaimer: Just throwing out ideas.)

[jilliana]

The artison-only etchings are a cool way to get things customized. There are purchase orders that are done in-game, but those are rarely looked at if at all by PC artisons.