Entertainer Archive

I am about to open aBIG cantina (name and location are secret for now). It will be VERY high end and will offer luxury appointments, a "Champagne Room", gambling, food/beverage service, social events, mission terminals, headline acts, etc.

There will be either a cover charge or membership fee for guests. Only way to get your name on the entry list.

So here's my issue. What should my policy be regarding entertainers. I've already gotten an overwhelming response from players who say they will pay to get in. To give them their money's worth I want to provide the best Entertainers.

To that end I will hire bands, musicians, and dancers and schedule them as headliners. I will also be forming an Entertainer PA. Members will be granted slots as headliners in the club and have 24/7 acces to work the the room.

I want to avoid the glut of inexperienced Entertainers you find in most cantinas. So do I:

1. Only allow Entertainers from the PA to work in the club?
2. Allow any high level or perhaps only Master Entertainers access?
3. Require Entertainers to buy a license or permit to work in the club...expensive enough that newbies can't afford it? Remember that players inside paid a fee to get in...so they are after a good time and will tip for it. In fact if we get complaints that they are freeloading they'll be kicked out.

Questions, comments, smart remarks?

Thanks,

Lick my Bottom
Dancer/Hottie/Entrepreneur

I would say permit only entertainers who have gotten past the basic entertainer profession and into Musician or Dancer. That way they would have at least put enough time into the profession that they understand what it is all about. In the event that they don't know a song or a particular dance, let them be responsible for meeting and greeting visitors to the cantina while the band plays higher level songs.

Also, since this is to be a high-class cantina, I would suggest that the band and dancers have coordinated costumes and have some sort of routine figured out that makes their performance as unique as possible.

Also, I would forbid ANY and ALL unattended AFK macroing on the part of entertainers, putting them on your ignored list and eject them from the cantina. Macros that enhance the performance and keep it varried would be fine, but having nobody behind the keyboard would be inapropriate for a cantina charging admission.

Best of luck with this. It sounds awesome...

In Christ,
G. B. Jackson

I hope you kinda... either

A) Live in a PA town that ALWAYS has people in it .

or B) Dont plan on many people visiting your cantina.

Yea, i had a cantina once.... you make no money from it. Even if you open it just for fun and let people in for free Nobody still comes. So all i can say is goodluck to you.

My 2 cents...

Allow each Master to bring up to 3 apprentices (of any level), and each "titled" dancer (enthraller, choreographer) to bring one. This includes all the way down to "novice entertainer."

Otherwise, restrict it to "Novice Dancer" or highter (same with musician, just change the words).

Why do I say this? Because there will always be way more new players in the game than Masters, and what incentive, really (other than maybe cash, which you can't be sure they will need) would a Master Dancer have to dance in your cantina vs. anywhere else? They don't need the XP. They may not need the tips. And odds are going to your venue will entail a great deal of annoying travel time (shuttle waits, overland travel, dodging red aggro spawns, etc).

Ah, but if the Master has some students and there is the appeal that her students could learn something from watching her dance and on occasion join in (under her supervision only, of course), it might be worth it.

This assumes, now, that the teacher has actually taught the students how to dance and that they as a consequence have coordination ability. Done well, even the basic 1 dance can look good (ever see a bunch of dancers "moon walk" at the same time? It's great!). The key phrase here is done well. Even the exotic dance can be done shabbily (trust me, I have seen it).

If you want good dancers who entertain the crowd (not just heal) then what you need are not titles and skill boxes, but players with actual skill at using the interface and flourishes and various dances in time to the various musical elements, to make a pleasing performance. You can get that from any level of dancer, as long as the player has had some practice -- and I would presume someone who is an actual apprentice to a Master or other titled type, would have had it.

C

Just like real life ... audition. If they don't cut it, they don't cut it. If they look good to you and fit your image of what an entertainer should look like, then hire them.

Please note that a Hostess may require a nice set of clothes and fast typing skills, but needs very few entertainer skills. A great master entertainer may lead a band of lesser musicans. Thus, you judge the act, not the title. Do you want the great band that dresses awful, or the pretty good band that dresses to the nines?

My .02c

Vema

I think this will be a great idea. If you can get your cantina to stay busy it will be great. Also I agree with the audition idea. Its the only way to figure out whos got it and doesn't. Well, good luck.

Auditions, to me, sounds like an excellent idea. Especially if your establishment is going to involve roleplay of any kind - it gives the place a bit more flavor and death to know that the people working there had to earn it, not just from the XP system, but from you personally.

One way to guarantee your cantina business is simple - see that 'Player Events' thread on your server's page? Use it! I use the player cantinas on Kettemoor far more often than I do the standard ones, simply because I've gotten used to it after visiting them for so many parties and mixers put on by their owners.

Death? Depth. Curse me for trying to type coherent sentences before I've even had a soda!