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Party using snowball during Winter Wonderland 2017/18
Parties are one of the primary social features of Habitica. Players in a party have their own chat. They can cooperate on quests, send letters, and use unique items on each other. Quests are a primary means to earn unique rewards. Only players aligned in a party may participate in quests together. They can be a fun way of interacting with the game. Quests also help with accountability, and can provide support and encouragement. It is recommended that a party have no less than four members before engaging in all but the most basic quests.
Over time, even large parties or powerful party members may lose interest or experience burnout. Challenges are one of the many ways of motivating your party. This page is about other methods to keep your party engaged or entertained.
Participation of Leader or Officers[]
The party leader or other appointed representatives should make a disciplined effort to engage with their party almost every day. If this is not possible the leader should select a co-leader or substitute (officer) to act in their stead during an absence.
Party participation is often borne from example. Leaders should engage in chat and address concerns via private message if necessary. Policies are in place for absent party leaders.
Announcements of potential challenges from leaders can be very motivating and inspire chat.
Questions[]
Ask general, open-ended questions that everyone can answer. This gives a starting discussion topic and lets party member share ideas. Avoid asking questions that are too personal. Some players do not feel comfortable giving details about their life. Some examples are:
- In what country do you live?
- Do you have any pets?
- What is your favorite food?
- What books are you reading?
- What is your favorite thing about Habitica?
Scavenger Hunt[]
Art by UncommonCriminal
Use a treasure map for the Scavenger Hunt
Organize scavenger hunts to find pictures around the site. You can give clues to help find them.
Party Page on the Keep[]
In the Keep:Armory, each party can design a page where they can give more information about their party. This would be useful for congratulating the winners of any games or challenges the party has finished. Completed quests be listed as can future questing plans and goals. A good example is the page created by the STAG Guild.
Screen Shots & Fashion Shows[]
Take screen shots of your party in different costumes and special gear to celebrate events throughout the year. It might be fun for party members to use the same tiling background so everyone can appear to be part of the same scene.
You could share these on your party page in the Armory or on user blogs.
A great method for fashion shows is to use the Party Progress Info tool to determine a piece of equipment that the entire party owns. Players can set a challenge or friendly competition to dress up with that specific equipment. Messages posted in chat will keep the image of the Avatar at the time of posting, allowing users to submit a variety of costumes or variations on costumes.
Talent Shows and Demonstrations[]
Your party can hold a formal or informal talent show.
If one or several party members express an interest in sharing their talents, hobbies, or interest, party chat may be a useful setting to host a talent demonstration. Celebrating the successes of your party members can be a very motivating experience. Consider using chat for sharing: stories, jokes, recipes, travel plans, or similar ideas.
Using markdown or third-party services could allow you to share works of art, images of pets, home improvement projects, etc.
Third-party streaming services might allow a party to have a drawing party, video game stream, or movie night together.
Remember: It is possible to provide location data from your personal photos in EXIF and GPS data. Use care when sharing any personal images over the internet. Please see this external article from "GPS for Today" for an introduction on the topic.
Challenges[]
While there is an official challenge system associated with parties, less formal "challenges" might offer more interaction. Since your party members may be different ages and different life stages, it is helpful to start with general contests. You may wish to reduce the competitiveness. Or, consider running a formal challenge and a fun contest at the same time. Some easy general contests could be:
- Post a motivational quote in the Chat every day
- Tell a joke in the Chat every day
When appropriate, you could try more game play-related contests that don't use the official Challenge System. Such examples include:
- Rebirth entire party and see who can reach level 100 first
- Go on an adventure quest marathon (e.g. finish all the pet quests currently available) and challenge the party to finish it within a certain time frame
- Split your party into teams for some intra-party competition with aims to see which team can get the highest cumulative levels by a certain date or which team can deal the most cumulative damage to a boss quest
Cards[]
- Main article: Cards
Players can send party members cards by purchasing them from the Market for 10 gold. There is currently a The Greeting Card, The Thank-You Card, The Get Well Card, The Congratulations Card and Happy Birthday Card available year-round. There are special seasonal cards. The acknowledgement and encouragement provided by a card can be enjoyed by everyone and can keep them motivated.
Altering Friends' Avatars[]
- Main article: Transformation Items
During the Grand Galas, there are items available for purchase that you can use to change your party members' avatars (or your own). These can be bought for immediate use or saved for any time of the year. They are a great way to acknowledge your party members and share some enjoyment to motivate them.
To increase productivity in the party you can have fights with the Transformation Items during the Grand Galas. Often you may need to lay some ground rules on when you can throw, (ie only if you not already transformed), whether you can wear Perception Equipment or if Rogues can buff Tools of Trade. (Since most parties do not cron at the same time).
If one of these items is used on you by a party member, a 5 GP antidote will appear in your Rewards that you can use to return your avatar to normal. Otherwise you can do nothing, and your avatar will return to normal at your next Cron, leaving the cheery reminder of your friend's antics for the rest of your day.
Note that if you want your party member to see the effects of your item, you will want to wait until after you know they have logged in for the day. Otherwise, their Cron will process when they log in, and they won't see that you've changed them because it removes the effect immediately.
| Available During | Item | Resulting Avatar | Antidote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Wonderland |  Snowball |
 Snowman |
Salt |
| Spring Fling |  Shiny Seeds |
 Flower |
Petal-Free Potion |
| Summer Splash |  Seafoam |
 Sea Creature |
Sand |
| Fall Festival |  Spooky Sparkles |
 Ghost |
Opaque Potion |
Trivia Game[]
You can ask questions where the players have to search to find the answers. Your party can decide if they should be about Habitica or real-life events. Some examples include:
- Who was the King of England during 1732?
- How much XP do you earn with the Vice Awakens quest?
- What is the highest cost weapon earned by a Rogue?
- In what country is the Pyramid of Giza?
For lists of questions about Habitica with clues and answers provided, see Trivia Questions.
Compliments[]
Paying compliments, giving congratulations, and cheering accomplishments is a good way to keep party members motivated. Everyone enjoys encouragement and recognition, so thanking a helpful party member is always appreciated.
Virtual Prizes[]
On your party description or on the party page in the Armory, you could keep a leaderboard of winners with a screen shot of the party members to post on the page. Another suggestion is monthly superlative awards such as:
- Most Encouraging
- Most Damage to Bosses
- Most Creative
- Most Levels Earned
- Most Pets Found
To be inclusive, try to find superlatives where each party member would be recognized.