Entertainer Archive

Here's a link to the last charm forum:

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=entertainer&message.id=8163

Hello Dears:

Next time you log into the game, look at a character. See all the wealth of information that is available to you just by looking at them. Notice their name, their PA tags, their title, their species, their equippment, their weapon. A wealth of information is available at just a glance, and it is the entertainer who must make use of this information more than any other class.

I am quite impressed with the ability of a good entertainer to perform in PvP, because they simply are not fooled as easily by the usual tricks. Even with a 60-100SP disadvantage, the observant entertainer checks their radar, checks their opponents equippment, and has a thourough knowledge of the abilities and vulnerabilities of the different classes, mainly because they talk to a diverse range of characters in their cantina work.

And it is observation that will be your greatest tool in amusing your patrons, and will give you the kind of credibility that will make you useful and respected.

We have seen in the last chapter how attentiveness often requires that the entertainer engage in conversation with the patrons in order to keep their mind off the BF meter. What observation does is to give you ideas about things that the player will LIKE to talk about.

If you see a scatter pistol equipped, ask the patron what level Bounty Hunter he or she is. Ask them about their last mission. Was the mark a tough one, or relatively easy? If the patron comes in with a T-21, ask him or her about their strategy when doing missions. Do they use muon gold? Do they use a "tanking" pet? If they do, refer them to the smugglers and bio-engineers you have met. Do they come in with a ranger tag? Ask them what the good resource is on the world. This information can be useful to other patrons you meet, like the bothan novice scout looking to level and earn money at the same time. You can say, "Hey Falnikk! I just got a good bit of inside information on the wooly hide armoursmiths can't get enough of!" You see, players want to share the things about themselves. Its human nature (and Wookiee nature, Trandoshan nature, etc.). They want to be useful and respected. Sharing helps them to do this. Soon, they'll be BEGGING to share with you, only because they know they can get a sympathetic ear while watching the pretty girl dance by their tableside, or thegentleman who plays great music and is a real card.

Because I don't know a player who belongs to a PA that doesn't like to talk about it, if only to brag about its exploits (in a purely figurative sense, for sure:smileywink, or say what great people are there. This is useful information for you too, since it gives you a better idea of the locals. Indeed, you can talk about other people you have encountered in that PA, and about the things they are doing as well. You can say to the Rodian in Guild XYZ, "Geez, Goobuus! I just ran in to that Trandoshan of yours, LoBossk the other day. He said he was going to Dathomir." This helps enmesh you in the greater game world, and reaffirms that we are all a part of an interconnected system, where nobody truly is alone for very long.

And the fact that you ARE observant, and that you DO talk about what you observe, gives players all the incentive in the world to treat you well. You see, AFK players and many ATK players often times give off the impression that they are lost in their own little world, where the locals simply come in, leave, and are oblivious to the greater world outside the cantina walls. Thus, there is no real reason for patrons to be nice to them or treat them well, since their greater experience is of no real consequence one way or another. But I'll tell you what theguild leadersfrom EVERY PA on Intrepid tell their new recruits when they see Madame Sirii: "Tip the hostess." Why? This is where it gets fun.....

Because if guild XYZ do not "tip the hostess" after I work so hard to please them, then they know that I seldom forget such acts. And they know often times the new players or even hardened veterans have a special relationship with the entertainer that makes them feel good about themselves. And they know that I talk to ALL KINDS of players, like those that are looking to switch PAs, or new players looking for people they can trust. And they know that often times my word, whether for good or for ill, will often be the first impression a new player will have with a PA. So when the new player asks me, "What PA should I join, Sirii?" I'll simply tell them what comes naturally: "Join with XYZ dear. They are all real gentlemen." Now you see why being observant is so useful, and conversley, why the players want to tip the observant ones?

Because I tell you, I have about five Master Bounty Hunters who give me a little "something" for information on who may be carrying lightsabres. Conversly, I have about five Jedi that treat Madame Ajaan VERY well to conveniently "forget" I saw them atthe cantina. And indeed, I keep my promises to those thatshow Madame respect....but you'd better hopeMadame isin a good mood when you come into Madame's cantina and not appreciate her good work, because she works for tips, has a SHARP EYE, and many, MANY contacts. I'll simply "forget" I saw the jedi who are nice, and refer the names of my bad patrons to the Bounty Hunters.

Same thing with overts. I haven't seen an overt around in the cantina who doesn't leave at least a little something to the alert ones, no matter what their faction. Because they know that the alert onessee they are overt, check their stats, check their equippment, check PA tags, check the radar, and have contacts on BOTH SIDES of the GCW. They know this too, that even though I'm a "loyalist," thata Rebel willbe safe in Madame's cantina, that is, if you "tip the hostess." Even the Imperials know that although I am Imperial, that loyalty doesn't pay the maitenance pool, and so they make sure to tell their new recruits to be good to Auntie Sirii. Because after all, an entertainer with a sharp eye is rare, useful, and makes the cantina a fun place to be.....and a not so fun place to be if they get on his or her bad side.

However, the ONLY way you can get this kind of respect is to BE OBSERVANT, and to display your observation skills in a non-threatening and attentive manner, because they'll just hate you if you are an out and out blackmailer. Yet, the fact that you DO observe the slightest detais about your surroundings and patrons cannot help but lead to respect from your clients, who see that you take your job seriously enough to remember the details about characters, PAs, and the world outside the cantina walls. It is a respect that has the potential to give the patrons a great time, as well as an incentive to be great tippers in turn.

Madame Sirii Ajaan
August 2003-September 15, 2005
"There is a difference between being /watched and being WATCHED."

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Kora Jubali
Proprietor: Red Lekku Canteen
Located at 5670 5890 NabooClear Water Plains