There have been some really great additions to the game lately. Initially, I was a little turned off by the W/P/S roll-out, but after realizing that it's actually an overall stealth buff made me reconsider. Also, given that I've never actually seen a weighting merchant, the prospect of actually being able to work on my weapon a little at a time (if I want) seems like a win-win all around. Many of us have already been working on our characters for 10+ years, so I guess this isn't completely unreasonable.
Gemstone is at a very good point right now, and there was also a recent post about how revenue from GS has increased by almost 50% in the past year. This is not surprising because Wyrom and team have been putting forth a TON of effort into player satisfaction. They aren't catering to everyone all the time, but almost everyone has gotten something they enjoy. The results are showing.
Given that we're talking heavy long term commitment, I'd like to make a suggestion about a possibility with the future of GS. There's a rumor on the unofficial forums that Dragonrealms is looking pretty bleak, and I truly hope that Simutronics in general will decide to fight for this game like they've been fighting for Gemstone. I also hope that they realize their strategy of making a variety of different games doesn't have a truly winning track record. One way that resources could be invested involves long term character commitments and individualized roleplaying.
What I mean by this is looking at Gemstone as a text-based version of online Dungeons and Dragons - actually have players sign up their characters a few nights a week and play with a Gamemaster who sponsors a little quest. The max number of players would have to be relatively small (say 10 or 12). A small fee could be charged (in simucoins) with a small portion of the proceeds going to the GM (say $8 for each player, and 1/2 the proceeds go to the GM - $40 for 2 hours a work one night a week? Again, it would take some thought, but you get the idea). The goal of which would be to foster role-playing, give the opportunity for RPAs, and even allow some items to be provided (although I would suggest that any items earned this way would be bound to the character).
I'm not talking about a large, gimmicky system - I'm talking "there's a damsel in distress or a demon on the loose and we need some adventurer's to stop it" and then there's a twist. Something that could be created on the fly, something organic and fun. The plots wouldn't have to become "cannon" and shouldn't be at that level, but I think something like this would only enrich the game. A new type of microtransaction designed to give the feeling of going to your local comic book store on a Friday night and paying $10 to play D&D with some of your mates.
You're already doing a great job of making your players happy with your game. This would be a way to make them fall in love with Gemstone (and maybe DR too) again.
