Mentor Project - Discussion

Given that I've wanted to get involved in a server activity that was more direct in impact and required less of my time and attention, I think this fits the bill perfectly.

With Going Rogue coming in next year, I expect we'll see an influx of new or returning players so positioning this project ahead of time and working out the kinks is only beneficial.

So here are some ideas I'd like critiqued concerning a new player mentoring project, and hopefully this can turn into some sort of brainstorming session.

• No official committee or leadership roles would be needed (I think). I will act as coordinator / promotor only.
• Mentoring promoted as possible option to counter veteran player apathy.
• Other incentives to become mentor?
• Propose mentoring contracts between more experienced player and less experienced player that are:
  1. Limited in duration, unless mentor decides otherwise.
  2. Not enforced, but open - Either party can opt to leave at any time if it doesn't work out for whatever reasons. Mentors will have 100% control over how they can assist the newbie in their care.
  3. The mentor has no duty towards the newbie except to act as guide. As such, he/she could answer questions, help the newbie find a supergroup or start one, team up if schedules permit, etc. The (initiate / proselyte / newbie?) will be made to understand that the mentor is not responsible for his/her enjoyment of the game.
  4. The newbie will not expect undue assistance from the mentor. He/She will be expected to make a "best effort" when teaming with the mentor (no leeching) and not to expect gifts from the mentor (which would be at mentor's discretion)
  5. Neither mentor nor newbie will expect that the other be available at all times and will respect the other's need for personal time and other commitments.
• Set up a GuildPortal website to keep track of happenings, offer newbies a prolonged method of assistance after / in conjunction with mentoring, plan events, share ideas, discuss issues, etc.?
• Stay in close contact with our server's P.E.R.C. and PVPEC reps, if only to let them know how things are working out in their areas of interest. This is the type of thing they're here for. Keeping them in the loop is just common sense.

That is a very cool idea Stale.

How do you plan to make newbies aware of the service?

Read my stories!

In the words of the immortal Monty Python, "spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, and spam."

I found the fastest and most effective way to get a message out to the highest number of players was to use the Broadcast and Request channels during peak times and announce it.

Multiple announcements in various city zones, at different times, perhaps even from multiple volunteers, and we get maximum coverage.

..in theory.

That, and keep suggesting the Protector Vigilance to new players as a way to keep abreast of what's happening on the server.

Of course, the boards will always have the info first. Here in Protector section as well as Player Events.

^bump^


...since the weekend is over.

Definitely post it in Player Events, and for something this...hmmm...unprecedented, maybe see if you can get it on the updater as well?

I'll also volunteer KJSR.net to advertise it and if I were you I'd contact other City of internet radio stations, as I'm sure they'd love to be involved!

I really like this idea. Its gives us veterans a "project" to work with and pass some knowledge. Do you think you would do this in an SG setting?

Ok, I get the basic idea of what your proposing here, but let me ask this.

Obviously this will take time from the mentors, so aside from a sense of good will, what other incentives might there be for Mentors? I'm not suggesting folks are greedy, but I am implying it. (myself included).

How do Newbies get a mentor? Can they choose from a list? Is the next mentor in line paired up with the next newbie to sign up?

A good way to do it would be to have some kind of gathering where newbies and mentors could mingle, and then when two players have come to an agreement, they could let Stale know. I wouldn't want to be assigned someone at random that I might or might not actually get along with, and I'm sure others feel the same.

My major concern of the NPWN and now of this are of predatory sgs and vgs snatching up new players only to earn prestige. I see this phenom often on virtue where a large coalition snatches up new players and then forgets them as long as the work in the salt mines of prestige earning. So I put this forward to you, what of creating a new player vg/sg that is led by your mentor volunteers. As the group matures, the leadership would be handed down to them. Coalitions could be created with larger groups to allow for base access until the group could stand on its own and to enlarge the mentor pool. I have a base that is rarely used redside that could be coalied with them or maybe even just give it to them. The best times I have had were learning the game with people in the same boat as me. Advice was welcome but demands were not. Giving them their own group could be a solution.

An excellent point, and one that I've sent out feelers re: coalitions already.

I think the idea of the new players being enabled to go out and build / manage their own SGs (as a group or even individualy) could draw in even more people. More on this soon.


One of the things we "old timers" do on a daily basis is share our CoH experience with others in the different chat channels we frequent - from the large global ones to team chat. We do it freely, most times without realizing we're doing it.

This project is an extension of this naturally occuring social interaction. It's simply a way to let the new players know how / where to reach us. Protector's players are, IMHO, the most helpful I've encountered. The Mentor Project is a way to facilitate this while publicly recognizing that characteristic.

And honestly, the people I've mentored on Protector have very rarely been an intrusion in my own gaming time and have consistently upped my enjoyment factor. I assist when I can, politely decline when I can't, and point them to other sources when available (more knowledgeable player, websites like Paragon Wiki, player guides, etc.).


Thanks for the feedback so far.

Well, Let's face it, every person is different. What might encourage one person to take part in something, could discourage, or just be a non-factor, for another. We are individuals so each person has thier own motivations. A few suggestions for what may help a vet sign up to be a mentor.

1) Influ/Infamy
2) Hard to get recipie/enhancement
3) Help on earning a badge ( Master ofs, PvP, Accolade badges)

There a few others, that would require a bit more than just a little game time, like if someone whose good with the arts, would be willing to do a sketch or something for someone who offered thier time, or maybe a cameo in a fan-fic from one of the more prominent writers.

And I'm sure some people would be willing to pitch in, just to pitch in, but each person will be motivated by different factors, so having a few options, lined up would be in your best intrests.

My experience in the past is that people are more than willing to assist and/or mentor new players WITHOUT an incentive gain.

While I could see someone going "Okay, I'll do this... but can you guys help me do so and so?" I could see that happening. But requiring some payment/incentive to help?

Speaking ONLY FOR MYSELF (meaning, it's my OPINION) I'm not sure I'd want anyone mentoring that I had to pay to do it. Somewhere in my brain, that's like paying someone to join "Big Brothers, Big Sisters".

I thought he was looking for VOLUNTEERS?

*shrugs*

Edit: And, I think, even bringing paid mentors to light makes us all look bad. Makes us all look greedy. But again, that's just my opinion.

I'ma hush now.

I wish these boards had a voting feature sometimes...

Anyhow, as for rewarding the mentors, I see some issues above and beyond those already outlined by Wolfie here above, mostly to the tune of "who pays up?"

I could also offer my services to vets for signature graphics, banners, logos, comic book covers, etc. But let's face it, I won't have the time for it. It's even worse that I was the one who asked the question initially.

Also, even if Rasta graciously offered, it's going to eventually turn into a situation where those who are usually generous keep giving to... those who could be labelled less so? How are the donors recognized as benefactors then?

I'm all for organizing special "mentor-only" informal events for badges, TFs and the like. But I worry that proposing inf or any other ingame tangibles could probably set some precedents we'd rather not have to deal with later on.

And to conclude... if mentors are getting some reward or other, will we not then expect a certain amount of performance or efficiency on their part? Perhaps even stifling the idea of this being an open, unenforced and unsupervised role.


Excellent topic to bring up now in the planning stages.

As for finding out who you are compatible with, I find that it takes very little time in-game to realize if you are going to connect with someone, or not. Usually a couple of missions.

I personally need no compensation for helping someone find their way in the game and answering their questions. I consider my Globals to be my 'Support Group'.

I'm willing to offer the Teamsters as a coalition to any new group that might arise out of this, as well as volunteer my services as a mentor, and I will bring this to the attention of the other Teamsters as well. Anything that increases player involvement in the community has my vote, as always.

I would like to see us do some kind of get-together to figure this out-maybe get a bunch of people (mentors and newbies) on lowbie toons and then draw lots for sewer runs, 4 vets and 4 newbies on each. Vets and their newbies can pair off that way, and leave and go about their business once they've paired off. If everyone's not paired off by the end of a sewer run, then have smaller groups combine and run radios in KR.

I would also like to suggest that, at least at first, the newbie enter the mentor's super group, for the sake of making other contacts within the game who can help them and for assets such as coalitions, telepads, storage, etc. This can also allow newbies who would be interested space to practice base editing in. newbies would be free to leave at any time, of course.

Maybe at some point, some of the newbies will feel confident enough to take on their own newbies, and become mentors. I won't say it will happen 100% of the time, but I know that it can happen.

I do think that we need to have some kind of neutral party in case any kind of weird problem arises between a newbie and their mentor, in which the newbie does not feel comfortable expressing their discomfort to the mentor for any reason. This would give the newbie someone to express their concerns to, and the neutral party would be able to advise them on how to proceed (if it's considered normal behavior, if they need to petition it, find a new mentor, etc.) and if necessary let the mentor know in a non-combative way that there was a concern.

Just a few ideas, they may or may not make much sense. My brain is still scrambled from errands.

I believe this is why the new players need their own group from the beginning with mentors in the upper leadership roles. The overlord of the new group could be the neutral party and actually be seen as the champion of the new players rather than the mentors. That player would act as more of a director of the project than a direct mentor themselves. Problems among mentors and mentees could be escalated to that player who would have to then be willing to make decisions.

What willli1 said sounds great, but whoever takes the SL position should be someone that everyone else votes into it (or something).

Actually I was picturing the esteemed leader of this project

Stale's got other stuff on his plate, though, like NPWN and I think PERC. Wouldn't want to overload him and burn him out-I've been there and done that and it is not fun.