Entertainer Archive

http://swg.stratics.com/content/gameplay/guides/guides.php?Cat=63&uid=155

I can think of no better guide for the new entertainer than a certain article written by LadyTygress on SWG Stratics. It was one of the first real treatments of our professions, written on June 19th, 2003. It is also, in my opinion, the best. I have yet to see a more thorough, practical, and informative treatment on what we do than this simple game guide posted on a fan board.

LadyTygress was one of the first articles I have read when I picked up my skill set and tried to figure out what I was supposed to be doing in the cantina. I followed her dictates, expanded upon them through my own play, and discovered quite quickly that this author knew what she was talking about far better than pretty much anyone else. I would highly recommend that you re-read this article. Even if you don’t agree with everything that is being said, it is the closest thing I have found to be the true “canon” of these professions.

Because if you read the official SWG rulebook for these professions, you soon discover that it gives no real advice on how to actually succeed as an entertainer. It tells you the raw mechanics of what we do, but it doesn’t tell you how to do it.

But notice how much text LadyTygress devotes to the mechanics of /startdance, /flourish, BF healing, and such. Very little. Its because these things are already mentioned in the rulebook sufficiently enough. But notice how much time and care is devoted to things that have nothing to do with the game mechanics. Things like venue choice, image, attire choice, cantina etiquette, patron psychology, and group dynamics.

Why did she do this? I imagine because LadyTygress knew that these were not meaningless considerations. Nothing can be further from the case. These things are at the very heart of the professions that need just as much consideration--if not more so--then the bare mechanics of what we do.

Now to be fair, this essay has flaws. LadyTygress may have never had the opportunity to witness the current buffing rules, the effect of the hologrind, and the prevalence of buffbots. These things make the game different only insofar as the underpinnings of these professions have come undone. The essay was written in a much simpler time.

Yet still, LadyTygress still gives the new player all the information they need to understand the underlying effects of play choices—be they the wardrobe, the venue, or the patron’s motivations. What I like most about this essay is the emphasis made on active choices. She places success and failure in these professions squarely in the hands of the player who plays it, and not in the fickle and unpredictable whims of fortune.

LadyTygress makes it quite clear in this essay that one of the things an entertainer must do is to be self-critical. If the other entertainers in the group are being standoffish, there are things an entertainer can do to correct it. If patrons are not tipping, there may be a way for an entertainer to enhance their game play. Understanding full well the limitations of this class, LadyTygress takes nothing an entertainer player does for granted as a factor.

She tells the truth, even when it hurts. But never for the reasons of saying one is hopeless. Do males and mon-cals get tipped less? I think it’s a sad reality. However, LadyTygress only stresses even more importantly that non-traditional entertaining avatars can still do these professions if they take great care in their choices. And it is about choices one makes.

Have you ever thought about your fleshwrap? LadyTygress makes you think about it. She gives you the underlying psychology such attire invokes. She doesn’t deny it has an effect, but she also gives you food for thought as to what the effects may be. While the effect on the Bothan master marksman is rather simple to discern, the effect on the other members of the group is also a consideration.

Have you ever thought about your venue? Do you know the relationships and connections within your venue? Do you realize that the things you say and everything you do in a cantina is worthy of consideration? LadyTygress claims they can be, and leaves it up to the player who plays the entertainer to decide for him or herself how they are to portray themselves.

We don’t just play the role of mechanics dispensers. We are playing a psychological and social game of active choice. And those that understand these principles will be much better prepared to make the most out of their game play.

And with unattended play becoming mitigated, our choices will have more meaning than ever. Which is why I recommend everyone should re-read this essay. You don’t have to agree with everything that is being said, but I don’t think you can deny after reading this treatment that player choices truly make the difference.

These professions are designed to be played. There are many ways to play them. Understand the dynamics of what you are dealing with, and choose a plan accordingly. Refine your performance. Rely on your strengths. Consider carefully your options and act. Take the game in your hands, rather than let the game play you. But understand what the game is about, and what its not. We work on the level of the player, and not on the level of the system or the mechanics. This is what “The Entertainer” is all about.