©2001 Sadistic@OGR. You may copy and redistribute this document provided that it remains complete, with credits intact, and is used only for non-profit purposes.*
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Welcome to the How to Interview & Hire Staff discussion! I'm your presenter, Sadistic, and in theory by the end of this thing we'll all have a renewed sense of what it takes to effectively lure in competent staff.

I'd like to start this discussion with a few notes. Number 1: This is a discussion, not a lecture. While I'll be offering my perspective and views as a person who has been gaming and staffing since 1995, I'm considering myself more of a moderator for a theory table. In essence, if you have something to say, say it! We can learn more from each other than just any one person. However, be polite to your neighbor, even if you do not agree with what they are saying; everyone will have a chance to be heard and their ideas assimilated into the collective.

Number 2: I'll be throwing out already generated emits as fodder for discussion with pauses or any thoughts from the quorum. While I'm a fan of chaos, destruction, and havoc as much as the next guy, I'd greatly appreciate it if "Discussion Time" occurred /after/ my pre-generated emits have run their course. Don't worry, though. In most cases, there will be only 1-3 of my emits and then a pause for thoughts to run wild. And for your further convenience, those pauses will be noted at the end of the string of emits. As far as order goes, I considered having you page me and going in that order, but the SPAM beast has never treated me well. Instead, I'm going to leave it up to us to try to keep this as orderly as possible, and to address each point as it arises. In the case of conflict, I'll delegate with topic we discuss first.

Number 3: I like sarcasm, silly analogies, and general wackiness. Because of such, don't be surprised if you see some in my presentation, and I like it from others. Fair warning for those who tend to dwell on the opposite end of the humour scale. ;) That all said, is there any questions at this point?

rodregis: "i ran a gw mud all the staff had shell and kept deleting my code... I hate that"

Taline: "Nope, not here. :)"

rodregis: "will this help me if i plan to start up another one?"

Satyr has no questions. :)

Sadistic: "I hope so, rodregis. At least it might give you some tips on how to get staff that won't cause problems. :)"

Aleriel: "Don't give all staff shell access, then :)"

With the preamble out of the way, let's begin. As with building most things, it is essential to start at the basic, primary level and work your way up. Considering that, let's first run down the basic premise of what "Staff" is and what types of staff there are.

First, what is MU* Staff? While most of us already have a good idea of what it entails, for definition purposes, it is the group of people who see to the construction, maintenance, and player concerns of a MU*. Staff is often broken up into three levels: High level staff, mid-level staff, and low-level staff. While different games can grant various staff positions whatever amount of power they feel fit, generally the layout is as follows:

Taline thinks only the Head WIZ and Head Coder should have it. *shrug*

rodregis woos as he crashed two gw muds. darn! got banned from one.

Wizards and Royalty make up high-level staff; Area Leaders and Senior Staff make up mid-level staff; RP, Theme, Building, Code staff and greeters low-level staff. These positions are usually defined in the following manner:

God/Goddess: Usually the person who first had the idea to develop the game and/or the person(s) who are delegated to have access to the host machine.

Wizards: This is the collective of folks who will make most of the major decisions on a game, insert most of the code, do most of the building, and essentially build and maintain the game for player enjoyment. They have access to different commands than normal staff and players, and thus wise are better equipped for their positions.

Royalty: Though termed differently on various games, and sometimes not even used, the royalty flag grants powers just below a Wizard. Royalty can be utilized by trusted staff as to more effectively be able to complete their tasks. Because they are granted powers above normal staff, though, Royalty hold a positions closer to Wizards than normal staff.

Area Leaders: This position is filled by a person willing to oversee an area, zone, or sphere on a game. They are authorized to make decisions for their area that lower-level staff could not, and hold sway in the decisions made for their areas by Wizards. Because of this responsibility, Area Leaders usually hold more authority than lower-level staff.

Senior Staff: These people are usually staff that have been on a game for a long amount of time, and have a great knowledge of how the game runs and how to remedy the various problems that creep up. While Senior Staff may or may not be granted powers above that of normal staff, the prestige of their title and their vast knowledge of the game they work on grants them an authority over that of lower-level staff.

RP, Theme, Building, and Code Staff: These positions are the nuts and bolts of a MU*. They often handle the day-to-day problems that arise, perform tedious maintenance tasks, deal closely with the players themselves, and act as liaisons between the players and the high-level Staff, such as Wizards and/or Royalty. In more detail:

RP-Staff deals with issues that arise out of RP matters, such as squabbles or TP coordination and implantation.

Theme Staff deals with issues that arise out of the thematic content of a game. Blue dragons vs. Red Dragons, do vampire elves exist, One Power wielding Children of the Light; Theme staff are versed in these types of issues (It should be noted that RP-Staff and Theme Staff are often grouped into the same posistion).

Code staff often help the Wizards in building and implementing softcode and hardcode into the game's database. Commands such as +who or +staff, comm-systems, bulletin boards, mail systems, and much more can be traced back to the work of code staff.

Building staff construct the very worlds we play in. Castles, high-rises, city streets, taverns, dank sewers; Builders construct and desc. them all.

Last but not least, Greeters. Depending on the Wizards, Greeters may or may not be an "official" staff posistion. However, the Greeters serve a function of welcoming and helping new players assimilate into a new game. They're often the first people a new player will hear from, and because of such, Greeters serve and important purpose in claiming new players for a game. Discussion?

rodregis: "this is too spammy. is it being logged"

Sadistic nods. "Yes. Tell me if I'm going to fast." :)

Aleriel disagrees with this division a bit.

rodregis: "if you could email me the log or post it on the web that would be nice - my screen reader can't handle the info"

Sadistic nods. "I believe the log will be available to read. What's your take on the divisions, Aleriel?"

Aleriel says "For one, imho, code/building/etc. should normally be done by wizards. I can't see myself hiring a special 'coder' to do a +who, for example. :) I think the divisions go like this: first you have a #1 (god or goddess), who isn't necessarily a person who started the MU*, but who is the head honcho - overseeing work, making final decisions, etc. Then there are wizards - main builder, coder, RP/Theme, TP, etc., followed by royals who help wizards in their areas. And the low-lever staff would be greeters and player-helpers."

Aleriel: "And #1, ideally, should be able to substitute for any wizard"

Sadistic nods. "I've definitely seen that divided in that manner before. I should note that I'm sorting my divisions by the way I've seen it done the most often. I'd be the first to say, however, that there are probably better and easier ways to do it. I figure, though, that if people start off with a basic configuration, as they get better at running their game, they'll modify to their needs?"

Muse thinks MU* originators tailor their staff structure to the needs of their particular game, "Or, rather, that's what I tried to do."

Aleriel nods, "Definitely. I think it's better for a game to start off with small staff (say, #1 and wizards), and then expand as necessary."

Sadistic: "Same here. For whatever reason, the games I've played/staffed on often times come out into the configuration listed above, for better or worse. Not always, though. Any other comments?"

Taline: "If you have lower level staff (below ROY) is there an easy way to give them access or does it have to be coded for each one/type? (Like when I make someone a ROY that's in the code) I'm very new at this, btw."

Taline nods "Thanks."

Aleriel: "Depends on the codebase.. like, Rhost has multiple layers of wizards, for example. On TinyMUSH/MUX, you can set someone 'staff' and write softcode to allow the permissions. And/or use @power, as Muse said. :)"

Muse combines powers for low-level staff (greeters, local admin), but has flags written in for higher types.

Sadistic nods. "help powers" will give you a run down on the various powers that can be assigned to staff. Any other questions?"

Taline nods "Thanks. I'm learning a lot today. :)"

Muse nods to Aleriel, "Yes, Rhost's staff structure is very versatile."

Sadistic: Now that we've gone over the basic, technical premise of what staff is, it's time to go into the theory of Staff, and why we all are here, how to get 'em. What exactly are we looking for when we shop around for staff? While different staff positions require different types of people, for most part we want someone who is dependable, intelligent, tactful, hard working, knows how to have fun, and is easy to work and get along with. We want someone who will continue to RP, and remember that the best way to know "What the Role Players Want" is to be a role player themselves. We want someone who will stick around during the best of times and the worst of times, and we want people who are not going to give us a turnover rate of 4 staffers per week. Discussion before we move on?

Muse points to above definition, and grins, "Next to impossible, guys. But wonderful when you find someone who is all that. A real blessing."

Aleriel thinks it varies between types of staffers. For example, a coder doesn't necessarily have to RP or deal with players.

Sadistic grins a bit. "Indeed, trying to find someone with everyone of those qualities is hard. But that's what is important to shoot for, I believe. People are going to be stronger in certain areas than others. Coders who don't want to deal with people won't necessarily need to be always tactful. However, it's also important that staffers stay tactful enough with each other as to basically just get along."

Aleriel: "Which brings up an interesting point.. should all staffers be friends?"

Sadistic nods again. "I agree. But I would hope that they would spend some time RPing, and not just coding. Doesn't always happen, but that's just the theory. Friends? In my opinion, I don't think they all have to be buddy-buddy, but at least pleasant when dealing with each other."

Sadistic: "Indeed, it's impossible to make everyone like everyone. Any further comments?"

Muse nods, "People need to be civil with each other, at least. After all, you're meant to be working as a team.

Taline: "This may be a little off topic, but what happens when Admin conflicts enter the player arena and start to affect the game?"

Muse: "Then you have to address the problem at its source...speak to the people who are causing the problem and explain the detrimental effect it is having on the game. It's not an easy thing to do, but it's part of your job when you're head honcho. Doing all the nasty things. :/"

Taline nods "what if they don't think there's a problem and/or refuse to deal with it? Any suggestions?"

Aleriel: "Then you fire them, or ban them, depending on if it's a staffer or a player. That's a radical solution, I admit, but it usually works."

Sadistic: "That's dangerous territory, most definitely. I've seen it happen more than once, and in many cases, heralded the spiraling doom of the game. *nods* Muse has it right on. There are so many facets; what if the person won't let up? You got to ask them to leave. But they're your friend, and the person they're arguing isn't near as close to you. But, your friend is in the wrong, and the other is correct on this matter. It's tough, folks, but to preserve the game nasty stuff has to be done."

Taline nods "I'd hate for it to get to that point, but sometimes it does." :/ I'm on a game right now (as a player) headed in that direction. :("

Aleriel: "You just have to do what's best for the game."

Muse nods at Taline, "It's happened to me before, too. It's a bad situation, but you...what Aleriel said. :)

Taline nods

Sadistic: "That's all we can do. Any further comments?"

Aleriel: "Of course, if the person causing problems /is/ the head honcho, you might just have to leave the game."

Avacus: "I've seen way too many times the staff and their alts live by one set of rules and player have to live by another. In time the players get fed up and walk."

Muse nods, "It's a very difficult situation, being a staffer but having an PC too. You constantly have to put yourself in perspective and remember the rules. And make sure there's more than one person that the players can complain to."

Sadistic nods. "It's a diplomatic situation. And it's about compromise. You have to give some slack to get some slack. The mentality that you will get everything your way just won't cut it in the MU* world. That is, unless you want to play on a game all by yourself."

Taline nods "That's one of the things that bothers me too. Especially when the staff says in the NEWS files that they follow the same rules as the players." :/

Sadistic: "Any further comments?"

Taline chuckles and nods "You're right Sadistic. Everyone needs to be willing to see another perspective sometimes."

Aleriel: "There was an article on favoritism some time back at http://www.electricsoup.net. It gave a rather interesting perspective."

Taline hrms "Thanks Alery. I'll go read it."

Sadistic continues. "So, we know we want these various qualities in our Staff. Now the problem at hand: How to get them? Once you have a dedicated staffer, unless you screw up to the point of unforgivness, you are probably going to keep them. Where are these staffers, though? With no Magical Land of Staffers readily available, it is up to us to actively go out and search for those we would have help maintain our games. Fortunately, we have a few options open to us to pursue."

Existing Resources: I think it would be safe to assume that, before having the epiphany to build our own games, we were all playing on MU* scattered all over the cyberverse. And right there lies your first option. Recruit friends. Recruit acquiantances. Recruit existing staff. Now, that does not mean you should go and page every person on a game and ask them if they want to help build a "New and Exciting MUSH set in the land of MookaMooka and it's native Ramboians." In the MU* world, people are often content enough to find a few games and settle into them, and then do not explore much once in their groove. So, as recruiters, you cannot be forceful. Instead, you have to be subtle and persuasive. During conversations, drop hints.

Player 1: "LOL! Oh, that's good. Yeah, I couldn't believe she'd try to get that Dragon/Terrier crossbreed pet of hers into the boat. Good stuff." Player 2(The recruiter):"Makes me almost wish for simpler times. Speaking of simpler times, I'm starting this new MUSH, and I was wondering if you'd be interested in helping me build it? Or if you know someone who would be? I'm thinking the theme should be based on White & Yellow pages series of books..."

Smooth, no? Anyway, however cheesy that example may have been, it presents a good tactic: Recruit people you know, if you can. Pitch them your theme, let them roll it around for a bit, talk to others about it, and see what comes out of it. Don't prod, don't pester, and be patient. Your game is not going to be built in a day, and getting staff probably isn't the hardest thing you will come up against. Discussion?

Aleriel: "I agree that building the game with people you know works best."

Taline: "I've recruited a few people for a MU I'm building, but what happens when people aren't fulfilling their commitments? I know RL should come first, but what about the staffer that doesn't want to work and talks a good game. How can we inspire our staffers?"

Muse agrees that picking from friends and such is always a good idea, "The only downsides are that it can be hard to be strict with them, and you may get accused of favoritism."

Aleriel: "Once the game's open, or is closer to opening, you can introduce new people to the existing group.. as for inspiration.. I think example works best. If #1 doesn't do his job, none of the other staff will."

Aleriel:"Favoritism is a delicate subject.. on one hand, you've to treat everyone fairly, but on the other, why wouldn't you choose people you know are reliable for some role over people you've never dealt with before?"

Taline nods "What if it gets to the point where ONLY #1 is working? I know that's extreme, but I'm curious."

Aleriel: "That's when you fire the rest and get new staff. :)"

Muse: "No, no, that's not extreme at all. It happens a lot, and that's why so many new games go down the pan."

Sadistic: "Good question. In my experience, inspiring staffers comes down to a few basic principles: Remain optimistic. When the leader starts getting down, he or she will drag down all the others. *repeats what Aleriel says* :) Also, let them know that you appreciate all their work. Try to set a time-frame that you want things done by."

Aleriel: "Maybe suggest people take a vacation or something. Get back their interest/inspiration/enthusiasm. And yes, making sure they know their work is appreciated is important."

Taline nods "I've done that, but there is one in particular who talks a good game, but doesn't do the work on time. She's had extenuating circumstances, but it makes things difficult."

Sadistic: "Most importantly, though, and tell me if you think I'm wrong, but motivation mostly comes from the staffers themselves. If they really, really want it, they will stick around and get it. The MU* world, in a lot of ways, culls its own chaff from the wheat."

Muse nods at Sadistic, "#1 has to keep working...he/she is the one with the vision and the one with all the answers, so when #1 stops working, everything else kinda-of grinds to a halt. Unless, of course, the MU* has enough momentum, other staff and a large enough player base to keep itself afloat.

Aleriel: "Taline: maybe hire someone to help that person? Divide the duties, make sure things get done?"

Taline nods "Vacations can be useful. :) Well, some of the duties are/have been divided. That person only had a few things to do, but couldn't get them done. I ended up doing them for her very late at night. :/"

Aleriel: "Or talk to her and find out why she doesn't do her work, maybe change her duties to something she'd be more interested in doing?"

Avacus: "hiring someone to help #1 is IMHO unworkable. #1 is the driving force - also #1 is best off letting others do as much work and #1 responsibility os to keep everything moving and peoples spirits up."

Taline: "Well in this particular case she was having connection issues and RL snuck up on her. We got some/most of it figured out, but I'm hoping for ideas to prevent it in the future with others.""

Aleriel: "Taline: communication is key, I'd say. Talk to your staff, find out the problems they might be having and work out solutions. Just keep in touch with people at all times."

Sadistic nods. "Set some smaller goals for her, perhaps. When she reaches those, that'll boost her confidence, and then she can take on the bigger projects."

Sadistic will continue, if there are no further comments?

Taline nods "I'm a big believer in communication too. I set some small goals for her and she missed them (connection issues). I'll keep trying that." Taline is finished.. for now. ;)

Sadistic: The second resource available revolves around the theory of bbposts and advertisements. If you've snagged a few buddies from some of the MU*s you play on, but you're still far from getting the amount of help you need, it's time to go PR. Put up bbposts on the games you play, and even on some games you don't. Most MU*s have an ElseMu* bulletin board section. If you're willing to do advertisement exchanges, then do it. After bulletin board options are exhausted, it's time to go to ad sites. Online Gaming Resources, for example. Now, OGR is definitely a MU* resource for all types of online gaming questions. However, it also a great place to set up an embassy and start reeling in potential staffers. There are also websites and webrings for games with various themes. Original themed games, for instance, have http://realms.mux.net (provided by Astra) to garner interest and players. Similar sites exist for Wheel of Time, World of Darkness, and other assorted themes. Discussion?

Muse: "You have to be very active in your efforts at PR, not just sit around waiting for people. That may be obvious to you guys...but to some people I've spoken to, it wasn't. :p"

Muse: "Astra's one of the best examples, for me, of an active PR person. People seem to know about what's going on on Aether because she makes the effort to tell us. :)"

Aleriel: "There's a number of sites you can post to (TMC, ElectricSoup, MUD Journal), now there's a published magazine (The MUD Companion) where you could negotiate advertising.. then there's usenet and other MU*s. Though you have to be careful with making bbposts, since some MU*s discourage elsemu* advertising. Best way is to talk to the staff before posting anything."

Sadistic nods to all of that. "For those of you new to this, not all of that carefully. It's powerful advice on how to get the people you are looking for."

Sadistic: The third option available for obtaining staff, and often times more effective than we might give it credit for, is word-of-mouth. When starting a game and looking for people to fill up your staff posistions, don't underestimate the power of rumour. Tell everyone you can (without being a SPAMMER, abusive, or annoying) that you're starting a game and need people to help you build it. Make your pitch interesting. When players start to get twinges of wanting to be staff, show them why it would be beneficial to be one on /your/ game, and have them spread the word around. Most importantly, keep your head up and keep on looking, even when it seems no one is interested in helping. Do not delude yourself that everyone is going to come flocking to help, and that your game will be done in record time. It will only leave you disappointed. The people you are looking for, though, are out there, waiting to be found. Time is all you're going to have, initially. Discussion?

Aleriel: "And tell the truth, and nothing but the truth. Don't exaggerate or invent anything in your advertisements." Aleriel adds live journal to list of places you can post to. They're mu_rpers and roleplayers communities at http://www.livejournal.com where you could advertise.

Sadistic: "Right. You want to sell your game, but not at the expense of integrity or lying. Make it interesting, but make it real."

Sadistic: All right. You've started this awesome new game. You have people interested in helping you build and design it. So, how do you know if you want them and where should you put them? Initially, I'm going to stress what I believe is very important: When starting a new game, try to establish the Wizard base around with friends you know and trust, or the friends of friends that can be vouched for. Giving someone a Wizbit is a big deal. They have access to many facets of your system and database that, if you hire someone less-than-reliable and give them the bit, it could prove disastrous. If that is not possible, then give people you do not know trial periods before making them Wizards. Get to know them, see you mesh, and if so, Wizbit them. That all said, let's assume that you're the God(ess) of your game, you have a few Wizards you trust to help at this point, and now you have a person interested in helping. How should you hire them? There are different schools of thought on this, and we'll go over <

Avacus: "I have to go:( will this be posted?"

Aleriel: "Let your players contribute, but don't be eager to give out staff/roy/wiz bits. Cause then you risk being left with a lot of staff and no players."

Sadistic nods. "I believe so, Avacus. If not, I can send out logs to those who want them."

Taline nods "Good point Aleriel. All staff and no players can make for a boring game."

Avacus waves "thank you ! this was very interesting!"

Muse waves bye :)

Aleriel ohs. "But by all means recognize the players' help. Give out awards, or put them in credits or something."

Sadistic nods. "I agree, Aleriel. Myself, I'm picky to whom I hand out wizbits too. Initially, though, I think it's necessary to give the help the necessary powers to move around to do what they have to do. To have to @chown something over to a person just so they can desc it, especially in the beginning stages, can get tedious. That is where the trust factor comes in."

Sadistic: "Any further comments?"

Taline: "None here."

Aleriel hmms. "This brings up another point, though.. where do you hire staff from? Some people prefer hiring only from the player base, but that might not work well for small games."

Sadistic: "After a game has been started up? In that case, there probably isn't much choice but to go out and actively search other games and resources for further help. Any other ideas?"

Aleriel: "None here."

How to Hire:

Formal Application: Popular in many circles. It is a write-up of various questions which a potential staffer fills out and then email or @mails back to the Wizards for review. Popular questions in a Staff Applications include: Experience on other games, staff experience on other games, games played on, Staff Position most qualified for, hours available to staff (there is often a minimum amount of hours for a person to be on the game set to be staff), etc. etc. With the Staff Apps, it's probably best not to try to get too personal, but don't be vague. Let the potential staffer know you're looking for specific qualities in your various positions, and let them decide how to best use their skills. Don't put a coder as a theme staff, for example, if all they want to do is code. Or vice-versa. Also, be concise. Nothing is aggravating as a long-winded Applications where half the questions are already answered in the other half. Make a point, move on. Discussion?

Muse: "Nope. Er...that was to the previous one. :p"

Sadistic noddles. "That's what I thought." :)

Muse grins

Aleriel thinks this is sort of like RP applications. Not many people would consider it worth their time to write up 10 pages for a game they barely know (or know intimately, whatever the case may be)

Sadistic nods. "Exactly! When filling out an app. for a new game, the last thing I want to do is divulge my life's history."

Formal Interview: Also popular in many circles, and often used in conjunction with the Formal Application. If used with an App., after looking it over with your fellow Wizards, have a small discussion with the staff-to-be. Ask them about their concerns or reservation. Take their questions and answer them. Make them feel at home, and be inviting, not intimidating. Introduce them to the existing staff, and most of all, make sure they are comfortable in their new environment. If you have the interview without the app, include the questions you would put in the application during the interview. Find out what they want to do, and let them do it. It is important that Staff be able to use their skills in the direction they feel is best for them. To not let them do that is to give an aura of distrust and make them uncomfortable. Discussion?

Informal App/Interview: I've bunched these two together because they are not seen as much as the previous two forms of hiring, but they do exist. If you do not want to make someone trudge through a formal application, or if you're just a light-hearted person who believes informality brings out more honest answers than formality, this might be for you. Ask players what they like to do, give a few pointers, and send them on their way. There are drawbacks and benefits to this tactic, of course. A few drawbacks include that you might not get all the information you need to completely utilize a person, or with such an informal atmosphere, you may have just hired an unreliable person. Benefits include a faster hiring speed, a more home-like feel for the new Staffer, and more time for you to do the thing you need to do instead of perusing applications. Weigh the cons and the positives carefully.

Winding down, here a few more pointers: Give trial periods for new staff. Two weeks if often a popular amount of time. See how long they are on each week, see what they can do, and see if they get along with your other staffers. If so, after their probation, give them more responsibility and the various bits if needed, and add to your tally. If not, ask them politely but firmly to leave, and be honest as to why. It will be a learning experience for both employer and employee. Don't smother your help. Offer guidance, help, reminders, but let them work to the best of /their/ ability, with small prods as needed. For all intents and purposes, you want to keep your staff, not drive them away. Discussion?

Aleriel would try to find a balance between the two techniques. "The general idea is that talking to the person before officially hiring them is important. It shows the person behind the more impersonal application (if an app must be submitted at all), and it can help make sure that the new person will get along with the rest of the staff. For that matter.. having a vote of some sort after the interview might be helpful.

Aleriel: "There's a risk you'll have to take when giving out trial periods.. someone might be very eager during that time in hopes to get more power once it's over, but when the trial period ends, their activity goes down."

Sadistic nods. "Definitely. There are general themes people follow when recruiting staff, but it soon becomes unique to the game. Experiment a bit, and see what works best for you and yours personalities when hiring."

Sadistic nods again. "Very true. It's a trial and error system, in many cases. I've yet to stumble across the perfect way of hiring staff. When someone does, I hope they tell me." :)

Aleriel grins. "In addition to that, I think that altering the process on the fly is also possible. If you see that the person you're hiring is more comfortable with informal conversation, do that. Some people, on the contrary, prefer formality. You have to be flexible with that."

Sadistic: "Any further comments?"

Aleriel shakes her head

Sadistic: Well, that's it for this boy. Thank you all for attending and listening to this little ramble on snagging staffers. Hopefully this will help your attempts at staffing your games. It should be noted that there are facets of staffing above and beyond what is presented here, and much more then I could present on in a few hour's time. Those facets, though, are often unique to each game and are left to be discovered by you. Take it from a staffing veteran: More important than code, the number of rooms you have, your chargen system, your combat system, anything, is who you have to staff your games. If you have a dedicated staff who will help you develop and maintain your game, its possibilities of thriving increase 10x fold. With that, I'll open up the floor to any further questions, comments, critiques, concerns, compliments, or ideas you may have.

Muse: "Thank you, Sadistic. :)"

Taline: "Thank you so much for your time. :) This has been really useful information."

Sadistic: "You're all very welcome. Hope it helped out some!"

Aleriel: "I suppose the bottom line is that you have to maintain an active group of staffers, not being afraid to fire someone, hire new folk, etc. But this really could go on for hours, so I stop. Thanks, Sadistic. :)"

Sadistic grins at Aleriel. "It could, couldn't it? There's so many possibilities that can arise, problems, and benefits. Much more than we could hash over for a week, probably."

Aleriel grins. "Indeed.. it's one of 'those' topics."

Taline nods and grins "Definitely"