Evolutionites,
One of the things I have enjoyed about UO for a long time is the player run vendor shops. Player run shops earn a reputation over time based on their pricing, how well they keep the vendors on location stocked, and the service they provide to their patrons. When I first came to this shard, I got incredibly frustrated with the Shard run vendor mall strips because a quarter of them were never stocked. I know that many of you do as well because you have told me so. When I went to Luna, I didn't see any player run shops and it baffled me. Now I am beginning to see why.
It's tough to recruit new vendors to a player run location when the shard continues to add more convenient vendor space with a gate on location to boot. Don't get me wrong here. I completely get it. The convenience of it is great even if the quality is less than desirable, but what is it that we sacrifice for that convenience?
I know that at Soronume's Five & Dime in the Southeast Corner of Luna, it's not a rare ordeal to see the player's who own the vendors there on site. Many of us hang out there instead of Brit Bank when we're just socializing. We greet you as you come in, are available to help you find what it is that you're looking for, and almost always ask you to let us know if there is anything that we can keep in stock for you. I know I personally keep some things stocked just because the players have told me that they have trouble finding it elsewhere. I recruit vendors that are willing to fill those gaps for the community. Player run shop locations are community builders.
But this is the suggestions forum, so here is my suggestion. Lets take this economy and this shard into our own hands. Lets build it into something that we as a community own instead of something that is provided by the management of the shard.
The shard management has spoken many times on wanting to build the player driven economy. That is easy enough to do. At one time, we may have needed their help, but we don't anymore. There are plenty of experienced player crafters, questers, and farmers to provide for the needs of the entire community, but they are getting choked out by the shard management on this front. It's not that we don't appreciate everything that they have done. We do appreciate them, but we can take things from here. Kindly get out of our way.
We will build our own shops.
Stop choking out the crafters. Why would a crafter waste his time to make a 100 use pet leash when that same identical pet leash is so easily sold by "the shard" for 500 gp at the gold vendor stone at Brit Bank. In the very least allow the crafter to surpass the quality of the cheap vendor stone. Better yet, take it off of there altogether. Hell, I knew vendors that stocked bandages on other shards. Why would they stock bandages when they can be purchased off the vendor stone at a cheaper price than the cloth it takes to make them? The best part about these two items is that new players can even make money off of making and selling them to the wealthier, more experienced players.
Pet shrink potions are the same way. Greater heal potions—we have plenty of alchemists on this shard that can supply these. In fact, I know that we have some people on this shard that are very passionate about their alchemy. I have read their posts on this very forum. For that matter, we can take everything off of the gold vendor stone at Brit Bank.
The gold vendor stone at Minoc sells forges, anvils, and shovels. Do we not have any carpenters and tinkers on the shard that can fill that gap? Of course we do. Let them begin providing those items on their own vendors. Allow them to begin building wealth and adding to a truly player run economy that allows them to profit off of the part of the game that they enjoy most. It builds the community, that people factor that is the all sustaining life blood of any Ultima Online Shard.
All of the convenience is filled with good intentions, it really is. This shard is Dante's baby (along with all the players in it) and he remembers very well when all of you could just barely crawl, still having to change your diaper for you, provide you with all the nourishment required to survive. Well, Dante, your baby is growing up on you. It's walking now, hell sprinting, evolving.
Let it.
Let us.
You have my word as a Southern Gentleman that the result will be something altogether inspiring.
Your Fellow Evolutionite,
Lord Soronume
Seriously, we could always use good crafters to help build a solid crafter economy. They really are the backbone of any shard.