Quote from: HappybotThe Dispensary should have a system like the crosssroads portals so everyone can join in at any time
Taking inspiration from the above, I think there is merit in, for those who enjoy such things (a good chunk of the playerbase), a new style of the King's Dispensary that brings people together in the clash of bloodshed regardless of where they might be in the Rings.
This could either be implemented by introducing a Consortium version (with all the flavourful thematic differences it would demand) of the King's Dispensary in the Crossroads that gets announced by the Purple Jester, actually held in the Crossroads itself, which might be the easiest to implement. Or it could be a new system that keeps the King's Dispensary in the City but perhaps lets people enter a mystical In-between Ring (think Grand Tourney grounds) which they may enter via certain Rings/locations throughout the City, but that they may not leave until the Dispensary is over/claimed. Upon leaving, they'd similarly to the Crossroads portal return to whence they came.
I don't mind the notion but the method I don't think is suiting. The Crossroads already exists as a game-changing opportunity in so many ways shapes and forms, adding more/similar to it just seems to be a hat on a hat. Part of the trade off of Ring Running is sacrificing those creature comforts in exchange for other rewards beyond the sport of the King.
If we have 90 different magical portals for 90 different amenities that already exist in the Outrings I feel like it just sullies things.
Especially considering the level gaps, supply threshold, and similar between most inring PCs and those who compete in the Dispensary in 99.
If anything to be added in terms of dispensaries outside the commons i think it should be announced within a Ring themselves, and then a Race/Fight so to speak should be carried out along the land route of the RIngs. But I'm not sure how that can be done tastefully without PCs racing for the "Rings Dispensary" and other PCs who want to get into the rings just following in their wake without doing ring challenges.
I don't like this at all. The dispensary at 99 serves a very important purpose to the three hubs of 99 and promotes some competitive fun for new chars and players alike.
Having ringrunners being able to teleport there just because they are bored, before they go back, with no real rationale why they even care beyond getting a heal potion is just awful.
I've already seen too many very notable level 10 ringrunners come back just to crush new characters and take the gifts, before going back to ringrunning and ignoring most/all events relating to 99. Crap like that is what makes people quit their concepts, and I'm glad I got to crush those idiots on Vlad those few times before giving the gifts to the low levels..
No need for that kind of tone.
But no, the Dispensary will always remain subject to those PCs who are readily accessible to Ring 99.
It's good that we have a method for increasing the availability for DM events and the like, but I definitely consider the Ring 99 Dispensary an important perk of being close to the hub.