Below is a short summary of the latest Community Meeting, followed by its chat logs – which have been gently edited for formatting, to put questions and answers in bold for easy skimming, and to omit greetings and farewells and other such asides. Meetings are hosted by Estate owner NeoBokrug Elytis at 2:00 pm on the first Saturday of every month at The Potato Farm in The Wastelands, and the discussion is typically divided into three main topics: Estate, Game, and Roleplay & Events. Everyone is welcome to attend!
ESTATE:
➳ The Wastelands turn seventeen years old on January 17th!
➳ Occupancy has gone down slightly, which is not uncommon for this time of year.
➳ The goal to complete Northgate by December 20th went unmet due to many unexpected issues in SL and RL, but efforts continue.
➳ Caledon will be participating in Relay For Life, as they often have before. If any Wastelanders want to volunteer time or efforts toward their team, let Neo know!
➳ The Caledonians also liked the new-to-them tradition of the TREE.
GAME:
➳ There were fewer Giftmas Collectibles to hunt for this year – but if you missed something, try to trade other players for what you lack!
➳ Neo may change how the Giftmas spawn works in future years, to help ensure everyone can get everything, even if they have limited time.
➳ Suggestions for different Giftmas spawn dynamics are invited – along with ideas of special Giftmas rares!
➳ One idea might be for Wastelanders to create miniature versions of their homes, similar to the realworld collectible villages.
➳ Neo has been mulling over ideas for an opt-in theft system in the game, allowing for banditry and corpse-looting without powergaming.
➳ The Miasmata still need to be tweaked to prevent getting returned, before their code can be applied to potential new mobs.
➳ Neo still wants new Potion Quest locations! If you’re a landowner and you’d like your location to be part of the task, see the relevant page of the Wiki for more details!
ROLEPLAY & EVENTS:
➳ WL17B, The Wastelands’ 17th Birthday celebration, will take place January 19 – 21, 2024! Its full schedule can be found on this Google doc.
➳ Neo will also be rezzing out gallery walls by the main telehub where people can post textures and slideshows from their time in The Wastelands.
➳ Fight Night now has a fixed recurring time again: the first Saturday of every month, after the Community Meeting.
➳ Rumor says that bandits have been shaking people down as they scavenge.
➳ A strange syndicate of Manimals, led by a Bogkin known only as The Bogfather, has been making moves, as well.
➳ Reminder: The roleplay character template has been added to the Wiki – add yours today! Or review it to see who’s who and get some ideas for interactions.
Weekly Event Summary:
(All Times SLT)
Sundays:
– Storytime with Wasteland Drifter – 2pm
– Gomi’s Garbo Cinematic Expulsion – 5pm
First Sunday: [RP] Readings by the Oracle – Noon
Mondays:
– Mutant Drum Circle – 6pm
Tuesdays:
– Film Night with Wasteland Drifter – 5pm
Wednesdays:
– HOSTILE BROADCAST – 7pm
Thursdays:
– Unstructured Playtime w/ Dia – 5pm
– Booze & Blather [RP Event] – 6pm
Saturdays:
– Sandling’s Evening Madness – 1pm
– Apo’s Audio Atrocities – 5pm
First Saturday: Community Meeting – 2pm; Fight Night – 3pm
Second Saturday: Barrelhead Bazaar [RP Event] – 11am
Third Saturday: Wasted Raiders’ Raid – Noon
Occasional Saturdays at Neo’s Discretion: Saturday Morning Cartoons / Saturday Morning Sci-Fi – 8am, Enjoying Other People’s Suffering – 3pm.
Want to host an event? Let Neo know the event details by Wednesday night and he’ll add it to the weekly group announcements, Discord announcement, and Plurk feed!
If you want to keep in touch with other Wastelanders when you can
I. THE ESTATE
NeoBokrug Elytis: As per the usual, we’ll try to discuss the three main aspects of the estate; Land, Game, RP & Events — with time for questions in between.
NeoBokrug Elytis: Occupancy is down a bit, and folks are moving around. I’ll chalk it up to the holidays.
Mutsy Kaligawa nods
Rob Niosaki: hehe
Rob Niosaki: ich komm ja schon 😄
NeoBokrug Elytis: There’s been a good amount of visitors it seems though. I’ve spent a lot of time on the estate this past month.
NeoBokrug Elytis: And moreso than the tiny folks visiting today.
The Mutant Witch of the Wastes (Ccindy Pfeffer): it was just a short visit
The Mutant Witch of the Wastes (Ccindy Pfeffer): they spend some time tho
Mutsy Kaligawa: I like fresh meat 🙂
NeoBokrug Elytis: My goals for Northgate went unmet, I had a lot of December being rough — both in SL and RL.
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): I just wanna put a toothpick in all of them.
NeoBokrug Elytis: But I did make small amounts of progress on the HUD aspects of it.
NeoBokrug Elytis: Not the game HUD but orientation HUD.
NeoBokrug Elytis: I guess everything else that happened this past month fits in to game/events; Any questions about estate stuff so far?
Mutsy Kaligawa: np 🙂
Terrenn: nope
Gomi Mfume: nope!
Mutsy Kaligawa: all good 🙂
NeoBokrug Elytis: This next bit doesn’t really fit anywhere; so I’ll try to speak to it.
NeoBokrug Elytis: Relay For Life. A long time ago The Wastelands used to participate.
Mutsy Kaligawa: 😮
NeoBokrug Elytis: I have a couple old kiosks still.
NeoBokrug Elytis: Caledon has been in RFL under at least a couple “teams”, they mostly contribute to the ACTS team — which is a collection of steamlands teams. I am planning to organize a sub-team for Caledon, to bring awareness about RFL to Caledon in general. I’d like for the Wastelands to help out Caledon and back them up if we can.
NeoBokrug Elytis: So, if you want to volunteer your time, or efforts, please let me know.
Mutsy Kaligawa: sure :)
NeoBokrug Elytis: I am still forming a general plan for participation there.
NeoBokrug Elytis: I will send out a few more announcements about it as time goes on, and plans congeal.
Terrenn: … I will be watching ;-)
Mutsy Kaligawa: as a Cancer survivor, you have my willingness :)
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): yah, what mutsy said
Mutsy Kaligawa: :o
NeoBokrug Elytis: RE: The Giftmas TREE – It was nice to have the crossover of Caledon and The Wastelands occupying each others trees.
NeoBokrug Elytis: And Caledon really seemed to like the tradition we brought over there.
Verity Goodnight: I enjoyed that
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Hooray!
NeoBokrug Elytis: Gifts is gifts!
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): Yeah that was fun. :)
NeoBokrug Elytis: Moving on to game stuff
II. THE GAME
NeoBokrug Elytis: Less to grind for this year, and I hope folks got the things they wanted. I know that most folks are open to trading extras for things they don’t have. So please reach out among each other to complete your sets.
NeoBokrug Elytis: As for the bonus gift for residents; this one was a bit special — and I gave Caledon residents the same thing.
NeoBokrug Elytis: Setting up the Giftmas spawn again this year made me sort of, want to reconsider how its done. I want folks to get everything, even if they on;y have one day available during the 2 week period.
Beasil (beasil.roundfield): Yummo
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Being most peoples’ busiest time of year, that’d probably be welcome.
NeoBokrug Elytis: So, over the course of this year I am going to design a simple system, where one could in theory play for several hours, and get everything.
Terrenn: o.O
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): I like the hunt.
The Mutant Witch of the Wastes (ccindy.pfeffer): it be like pokemon
The Mutant Witch of the Wastes (ccindy.pfeffer): you gona catch m all
Aposiopesis Fullstop: But, really, just making everything Commons would go a long way.
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Reinventing the wheel isn’t necessary, just don’t make one of ’em Uncommon or Rare.
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): Because murder for them.
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Chat lag out the wazoo.
Beasil (beasil.roundfield): This is some excellent other-realm lounge music
NeoBokrug Elytis: What other ideas do folks have, or would like to see with Giftmas rares?
Mayo von Schrott (myotis.draconia): giftmas rares
Mayo von Schrott (myotis.draconia): hmmmm
Mayo von Schrott (myotis.draconia): Bleedy
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): haha!
Mutsy Kaligawa: :O
NeoBokrug Elytis: I hope you all read the comic about bleedy; it is a gem.
Mayo von Schrott (myotis.draconia): but a fully decorated Bleedy
Aposiopesis Fullstop: It might be good if it didn’t need, like, a *dedicated* couple hours straight, like Halloween quests often do. It can be hard to block out time for that.
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): Bleedy isn’t really a WL: Thing so idk about a Rare thing
Mutsy Kaligawa: But, he’s a WL: tradition… no?
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): welp, though, bleedy is a WL “character” if that makes sense. i’d love to have a small version to put on my mantel
NeoBokrug Elytis: Yeah, I don’t want it to be consecutive hours either.
NeoBokrug Elytis: Perhaps if you ask Irk real nice.
Mutsy Kaligawa: what Tora said
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): his name gets mentioned every single giftmas in official communiques
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): I won’t stand in the way :-)
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): *:-.,_,.-:*’“’*yaaaaaaaay*:-.,_,.-:*’“’*
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): haha FOR IRK!!!
Aposiopesis Fullstop: We don’t want to open the doors to “So-and-so got HIS item put in the game, what about mine,” also.
Mayo von Schrott (myotis.draconia): or a miniature The N
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): yeah I don’t want to jump guns. This is not my world, I just live here.
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): YAH, i’d love a miniature N! i could make a weird wastelandish creche out of it!
NeoBokrug Elytis: You recieve: SAM: Bleedy The Dirtman
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): :-)
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Oh man, I just had the dumbest idea with that, though.
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): i think we can agree that bleedy is really a part of the lore. so is the N
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): L O L O L what??
NeoBokrug Elytis: Just a couple handfulls of poo and blood.
Terrenn: lol
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): *loves apo’s dumb ideas. love love love!! X-D*
Aposiopesis Fullstop: It’s a mini Dirtman – so it needs mini figures. Instead of searching for crates, you sift through a pan of sand, prospector-style, for weird tiny bits of metal and plastic to put on it. Hahaha
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): haha!
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): ohmyGAWD, you now, that’s actually VERY COOL!
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): like, we still have to find all the pieces and p ut it together
NeoBokrug Elytis: Perhaps next year, we could organize an event for folks to make tiny versions of their homes, and share them with each other.
NeoBokrug Elytis: Like those collectable city street things?
Mutsy Kaligawa: O.o
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): wow!! thinks hard…
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): Ooo neato
Mayo von Schrott (myotis.draconia): also why was it so hard to find a 4/4 this time
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): tiny version of the trailer park?
Aposiopesis Fullstop: 4/4 was Uncommon or Rare (or both) I think.
NeoBokrug Elytis: Uncommon.
Beasil (beasil.roundfield): Aaaah I missesd the train
Aposiopesis Fullstop: I had no luck, either. But have duplicates of the others, if anyone wanted to trade? (That’s another issue with different ones being more common than others – trading gets hard; folks might not even want a 1 2 and 3 in trade for a 4.)
Mayo von Schrott (myotis.draconia): I have a million 1/4 lol
NeoBokrug Elytis: Give ’em old past year stuff.
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Haha, those hid from me for AGES! It was days before I got a 1!
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Not an option if it’s someone’s first year.
NeoBokrug Elytis: I still have a backlog of all the other same stuff I wanted to do last month on the to-do list. As I had mentioned, December was mean.
Aposiopesis Fullstop: It was.
NeoBokrug Elytis: Any other Giftmas spawn questions?
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): Make them theft-able, so like if I have a 4 and you catch me you can loot it.
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): That would spice up salvaging.
NeoBokrug Elytis: Heh, folks want that in the game, and others don’t.
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Were there chocolate coins again this year?
NeoBokrug Elytis: Apo: Yes.
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Or scrit?
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Ahh.
Mayo von Schrott (myotis.draconia): I didnt find chocolate scrits
Sandling Honey: Thx :D
Mutsy Kaligawa: yw!
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Were any looted is another question, I guess. Haha
NeoBokrug Elytis: I think so, I am not sure.
Aposiopesis Fullstop: I’ve had ideas for how a theft system could work, mind you… :V
The Mutant Witch of the Wastes (ccindy.pfeffer): dont give him ideas
NeoBokrug Elytis: I know some folks got them through Giftmas Scrit redemptions
Aposiopesis Fullstop: I’m sure you’re safe. Haha
NeoBokrug Elytis: Oh, I have thought about the system for that quite a bit.
The Mutant Witch of the Wastes (ccindy.pfeffer): im poor, nothing to get from me
Mayo von Schrott (myotis.draconia): yes we need loot dead Wastelanders
Aposiopesis Fullstop: We don’t stay in place to loot.
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): would there be a way to opt out of theft, for those of us with weak constitutions whose heads would blow up if we had to worry about getting robbed? askin’ for a friend
Terrenn: anymore lol
Aposiopesis Fullstop waves a tiny Deathaports Are Meh sign again and puts it back.
Terrenn: used to pose with the dead
Rax Stooge: yay
Terrenn: sinful …..
NeoBokrug Elytis: Considering it is not an active system — I can’t answer that for you Tora
Terrenn: ;-)
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): hahaha ok, that’s fair.
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): i’ll just leave that thought out there :-P
NeoBokrug Elytis: It is always something I consider.
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): In time…
Aposiopesis Fullstop: My idea was for a wearable pack someone could load lootable items into. You want to steal, steal rom the person wearing the swag bag. (But then that opens the can of worms of all the different bodies and rigging.)
Sandling Honey: Thanks for the tip Terrenn :D
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): Oh that’s a good system
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): ooh, that’s another brilliant idea, apo!
Mutsy Kaligawa: wouldn’t have to be visable, maybe?
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): Then you opt
Aposiopesis Fullstop: That way, you opt in to being stealfrommable at all, and you only lose what you opt to risk.
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): in
Mutsy Kaligawa: just something asaying, they are wearing the pack, a hud message of sorts.
III. THE ROLEPLAY & EVENTS
NeoBokrug Elytis: We should probably have an open floor for Events and RP discussion. Right afterI remind everyone that L17B is just around the corner!
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): i’d be willing to do that.
Mutsy Kaligawa: it is!
Aposiopesis Fullstop: That it is! The schedule is still congealing, but it’s getting there – and there may be a few places left in which to cram people!
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): this is freakin brilliant, sandling!!!
Mutsy Kaligawa: :D
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Here’s how it’s shaking out so far: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QPSHekx2Hs2dD_GrZPA7e7GOt6rgJRgi_owaOaxVrOs/edit#gid=0
Mayo von Schrott (myotis.draconia): You successfully stole WL: Bits of fur from …
The Mutant Witch of the Wastes (ccindy.pfeffer): if only opting in and loading the bag enables you to steal it is opt in .. else its an invitation to rip off those who like to wear bags
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Definitely not finished, though.
Beasil (beasil.roundfield): What realm will I enter now
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): 17! Wow
Beasil (beasil.roundfield): Aaaah
Mutsy Kaligawa: nice line-up so far!
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): still, that’s quite a fine schedule!
Sandling Honey: \o/
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Still have a few people to shake down, shakishakishaki….
Mutsy Kaligawa opens a bottle of beer and it goes everywhere!
Aposiopesis Fullstop: And there should indeed be another all-day movie marathon at Burnt Oak! :D
Mutsy Kaligawa: woooo! \o/
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): Imagine the train wreck that will be WL:21B
Mutsy Kaligawa: O_o
Mutsy Kaligawa makes notes
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Great googly moogly, we might not even survive 20!
Mutsy Kaligawa: ikr
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): Loverly train wreck, don’t get me wrong.
Aposiopesis Fullstop: TWO DECADES, for dang’s sake.
The Mutant Witch of the Wastes (ccindy.pfeffer): phh .. in germany wl would be able to drink and buy cigarettes for almost an entire year already
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Ooooh!
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): hahah
Mutsy Kaligawa: :>
Aposiopesis Fullstop: So will WL18B be barely legal? >_<
The Mutant Witch of the Wastes (ccindy.pfeffer): in a few days it could potentialy drive a car under parental eyes
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Oooh!
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): WL:18B The Age Of Consent
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Hahahaha
Mutsy Kaligawa: >o<
NeoBokrug Elytis: Haha
Beasil (beasil.roundfield): Hahaha
Beasil (beasil.roundfield): Well we are kind of in the age of consent arent we
Rax Stooge: lol
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): X-D
Mutsy Kaligawa: :V
The Mutant Witch of the Wastes (ccindy.pfeffer): WL18: you can no longer order me around, im grown up now!
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Hahaha
Beasil (beasil.roundfield): The era of bodily autonomy
Beasil (beasil.roundfield): Hopefully
Aposiopesis Fullstop: WL18B: We’re Totally Adults.
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): HAHA sounds like my daughter when she was that age. “I’m a GROWNUP now!”
Irk (shannonwilsonbell): haha
The Mutant Witch of the Wastes (ccindy.pfeffer): wl18:i could vote, but i won’t
Beasil (beasil.roundfield): Jokes from folks about how their avatar can vote
Mutsy Kaligawa: https://genius.com/Alice-cooper-im-eighteen-lyrics
Beasil (beasil.roundfield): No wait we’re talking about wastelands birthday huh
Beasil (beasil.roundfield): Second Life is like…23?
Aposiopesis Fullstop: OH. RP-wise – Apo hasn’t encountered him yet, but rumor says there is BANDITRY AFOOT!
Mutsy Kaligawa gasps!
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): *GASP* NO!! in the wastelands?!?
The Mutant Witch of the Wastes (ccindy.pfeffer): is it mestumbo?
Aposiopesis Fullstop: A grubby looking feller with some metal bits hiither and yon, calling himself Rustbane. So, keep your weapons and wits about you as you salvage!
Terrenn: ya he took nuts and bolts fer my life the other day
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): i miss stumbo! he gives the best presents!
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Don’t give Stumbo any ideas, Ccindy.
Beasil (beasil.roundfield): Oooh time for violence?
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): *:-.,_,.-:*’“’*Yayyyyyyy!!!!*:-.,_,.-:*’“’*
Tora the Explorer (toraonna.thane): VIOLENCE!!!!
Terrenn: was an easy out I suppose lol
Aposiopesis Fullstop: Sure it’s violent! But that’s the way we love it! Violent! Violent! Violent!
NeoBokrug Elytis: Indeed, time for violence.