A Mega-Guide for New Players, from a Semi-New Player

[flipside 106]

When I first joined the server,  there's some things I wish I had known. I thought I could share them with prospect/new players. This ended up as a mega-guide and info dump, sorry! It will also be updated with new info as I see fit.  

Most of the subjects in this guide are more relevant to human characters, but I hope that most of it is helpful to everyone. 

 

 

~ Getting Started ~

 

Looking at the LotC site, it’s easy to get cold feet. The application process requires a lot of thought, and that can turn a lot of people away. However, that’s not what I’m here to talk about (if you need help applying, there are some wonderful guides that cover it in the forums). I’m here to tell you what to know before logging on.

 

Know the city your character lives in

 

Most new players have never seen the LotC map before. This can be hard, since some towns should be familiar to your character.  You can compensate by knowing at least a little history about the city your character has supposedly lived in their whole life. You can find this information on the wiki. If you haven't been whitelisted yet, go fly around and get acquainted with the map. 

 

Understand that you may be awkward at first

 

Horror story time: On my first day, I was exploring Johannesburg and got stuck in an alley. I had to message people for help (I didn’t know about /ss yet), and a guy had to come and dig me out through some poor man’s house. Yikes.

While you may not have an experience like this, know that you will embarrass yourself. It’s fine, we’ve all been there. Recognize that you may not know what to do, where to go, how to act, etc. It can be good to just observe the game until you get your bearings. Having a character with a forceful personality can sometimes make this worse, so keep that in mind while creating your character.

~ Roleplaying ~

 

Obvious, right? You’d be surprised how hard it is. Here are some tips to help you get started.

 

Are they talking to me? How to avoid confusion

 

This one really frustrates me. Someone will be chatting away, and suddenly you wonder; “are they talking to me?” You may know the feeling. Someone once called for a “Vanir lad,” and it took me almost five minutes to realize they were referring to me. Using names when talking to people (if your character has been introduced), looking at people you’re speaking to, and trying to be concise when speaking can minimize this issue.

When emoting (more on this later), it’s perfectly fine to use a person’s name for clarity, even if your character may not know what it is in-game.

Example: John and Bob are talking. John does not know Bob’s name in RP, and they are in a crowded tavern. The person playing John could emote:

 

John nods to Bob and asks, “What’s your name, lad?”

 

Bob knows he’s being spoken to, and can respond accordingly.

 

On a side note, the username of a character can be seen by moving your cursor over their name in chat.

 

I need a job!

 

When you first appear in LotC, chances are you will be an unemployed, homeless drifter. You will probably have no affiliation, no friends, and no one to assist you. There are several ways to remedy this (please note that this is mostly from my experience playing as a human. I don’t know how this is handles outside of Oren).

1.      Join a house. This may seem difficult, but chances are you will get an offer or two. Asking around at your local tavern can point you in the right direction if you so choose. Not all houses pay their men (you will still need to earn money), but some offer food and housing.

2.      Kill monsters. All you really need to do this is a sword or axe. You can make decent money from killing various mobs, just mind you don’t die. 

 

How do I get friends? I feel so darn lonely!

 

This is an interesting undertaking, but I’ll offer some basic advice.

1.      Get affiliated. Join a house, join the army, get a job, attach yourself to something. Chances are, people will want to know you because of what you do or who you work for.

2.      Be a friendly, helpful person instead of a jerk for no reason. If it fits with your character, help people out. Remember not to be too trusting, though.

3.      Go to places with lots of people. There doesn't seem to be a current RP hub, but Sutica is a good place to check.

4.      Have an interesting character. I don’t usually recommend being loud, but having a larger than life character (the town drunk, an oblivious maid) can really attract people; or push them away.

 

How do I get people to like me?

 

Another interesting question. These are some tips for when out of (and in) character.

1.      Don’t be pushy. Be respectful of the role players around you. Chances are, they already have a lot going on. Don’t be scared off, but don’t bug them, either.

2.      Use out of character chat sparingly. It breaks immersion.

3.      Be nice to people. This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people are rude without reason and drive people away.

4.      Be constructive. Add something to the conversation.

5.      Make a point to remember people. This can be difficult, but it pays off.

Things to Expect

 

• ·         Don’t expect to fall into a magical adventure your first day - that happens day 2
• ·         The forums are here for a reason. You may need to stop by certain topics/threads to get info for jobs and events. Just keep this in mind.
• ·         Characters may hate you. Don’t take it personally, but don’t take people’s idiocy, either.

 

 

~ Commands and Emotes ~

 

LotC has a good number of plugins. It can be confusing at first, so here is a basic rundown of the commands.

 

Chat Commands – In Character

 

These commands are for when talking in character.

/rp: this command is for when talking in character. It’s your default setting, so unless you change it, you’ll always be talking like this. Anything you say can be heard through walls, and it’s a “normal speaking voice.” I believe the hearing distance is 20 blocks. 

/q: this is a quiet command. Anything you say cannot be heard through walls, and only people within a 9-block radius can hear you. Handy, right?

/w: this is the whisper command. Anything you say can only be heard by people within two blocks of you. Nice for private conversations.

/s: this is the shout command. Picture this: your character is being eaten alive by some sort of monster. You use this command to scream for help. No one helps, but hey, now you know how to shout.

Using these is easy. For example:

Tom wants to say something quietly. He types in:

 

/q Where did you hide the beef?

 

If Tom wants to keep talking in /q and doesn’t want to input the command every time he speaks, he can do this:

 

/q

 

Now Tom is talking in /q until he switches back to his default setting by doing the same thing with /rp.

 

Chat Commands – Out of Character

 

These are for when you are out of character and need to ask/say something

/ooc: a map-wide out of character chat. Once you use this, you will see everything people outside your radius say in this ooc chat. Useful during events, use sparingly.

/looc: Local out of character chat. Can only be seen by people nearby. I believe it has the same radius as /rp, but I’m not entirely sure. Breaks immersion, so try not to spam.

/ws: Wandering souls chat. Usually used by people who haven’t been whitelisted yet. There isn’t much reason to use this, unless you want to help/answer questions from people who aren’t on the server yet.

/help: I think this is a chat as well, I haven’t ever used it though.

/leave [chat name here]: If you’ve joined a chat that you want to leave (help, ws, ooc), you can use this command to make it disappear. You can rejoin at any time. I’m not sure if this works for looc and in character chats, though.

/m [playername] [message]: Sends a PM (private message). These are usually referred to as “birds” in-game (I.E. “I’ll send her a bird if I find them). This is a grey area, some information you get through this could be considered meta-gaming, so play it safe and only use it for ooc reasons, unless you have permission to use the info in-game.

 

 

Emotes

 

Emotes are a way of expressing what your character is doing. It is usually used to fill in gaps with the game mechanics. This is done using an asterisk. The easiest way to explain is with examples.

Let’s say your character is named Bob. Hi Bob. You want Bob to wave to John. Here’s how:

* waves to John

 

This is what would be displayed in the chat:

Bob waves to John.

 

The character name (Bob, in this case) is assumed, so the player only needs to complete “Bob [does blank].” Very nice! But let’s say Bob wants to wave and say hello on the same line. This is how he would do it:

“Hello, John!” Bob said with a wave.

 

Dialogue is put in quotations, and the plugin assumes anything outside of them is an emote. No asterisk is needed for this, and the character name is not assumed in this scenario.

 

** can be used for general emotes. It is less about character, and more about environment. Let's say Bob has cast a spell that summons a pig. He can emote the scenario like this:

** The spell is successful. A large pig appears before the crowd, seeming surprised to be there.

 

This is what would be displayed in chat:

[!] The spell is successful. A large pig appears before the crowd, seeming surprised to be there.

 

Now, Bob wants to emote something along the lines of, "Bob's eyes widen in surprise." This is how the emote would be formatted:

's eyes widen in surprise.

 

This is how it shows in chat:

Bob's eyes widen in surprise.

 

 

 

Other Useful Commands

 

Chat commands aren’t the only one’s you’ll be needing. No sir, there’s a lot. I only know a few, so I’ll list them here. Side note: Use the "tab" key to autocomplete a player's username.

/ss: Soulstone. Acts as a teleporter. It can be bound to different SS pillars (Emerald pillars) using the command....

/ss bind [Slot]: use this command to bind a ss slot to an ss pillar. To use, have your ss in hand, look at the pillar, and run the command. Careful not to overwrite important slots!

/me: Opens the player menu. Access persona options, chat settings, your ender chest, etc.

/status [status type]: Changes your status. Another command I know little about. The only statuses I know of are crusading, sleeping, and affectionate. This prevents friendly-fire in pvp!

/money: Shows how much money you have. Very useful for planning what gear to buy. 

/money pay [playername] [amount]: Pays a player the specified amount.

/bread: Gives you 25 “monk bread.” Has saved my life multiple times. This bread cannot be traded or dropped without disappearing, and it never rots. Beautiful!

/revive [player name]: Used to save a person who has been struck down by a monster. Stand close to their body and use this command; move fast or you may be too late. 

/lock: Used to lock chests, doors, etc. Use the command, then follow the provided instructions. 

/unlock: Unlocks a chest/door!

 

 

 

~ The World of LotC and Game Mechanics ~

 

There is a lot of information new players don’t get until they’re in-game, so I’ll try to spare you some embarrassment and hassle.

 

Useful Terms

 

In LotC, everyone speaks differently. The style of speech is typically medieval, but you can take some creative liberties to fit with your character and their history. Remember, this is fantasy too! Anyhow, here are some good terms to use if you don’t have a grasp on the language choices.

·         Sir: Used to refer to a knight, or someone in a higher rank than you. I usually use this a blanket term for men I respect, but use it however you see fit.

·         Goodman: A more casual term of respect. Used for merchants, bar keepers, etc. A respectable man.

·         Goodwoman/Goodwife: A respectable woman. Used the same way as goodman.

·         M’lord/My Lord: Used to refer to a lord. Not so complicated, hmmm?

·         M’lady/My Lady: Used to refer to a noble lady, or respected lady. Useful for flattery.

·         Ma’am: Older women only. You don’t want to insult people. A good alternative is Miss, for younger women.

·         Lad/Lass: A young man or woman. Don’t call your superiors this unless you want to be demoted.

·         Sire: A king or other authority figure.

·         Exclamations: Forming unique phrases for your character to use is a good idea. I’m fond of “Pigs on a basket,” and “Sheep on a hill.” Anything legit sounding.

·         Insults/quips: Modern insults are fine (used sparingly), but sometimes they just don’t cut it. This is when you whip out these: “The heavenly rain drown you!” “Son of a bitter goat” “Pig-spawn” and “God’s light blind you!” Anything religious (within the lore, of course) or involving animals works.

·        Goodbyes: Sure, a plain old “bye” works, but you want to be fancy, right? A personal favorite is “Godspeed, and may your path be ever bright.” How lovely.

 

 

Houses

 

There are lots of houses in LOTC. The real question is this: what are houses? What do they do? 

• ·         A house isn’t always noble. In fact, there’s a whole hierarchy of them.
• ·         A house typically owns a keep or some land. They may even own a town.
• ·         Houses usually serve the king of the lands they reside in. During wars, they may stay loyal or turn on the throne.
• ·         Houses typically try to expand, and may have recruiters in large cities looking for capable people.
• ·         Houses have a similar succession to the monarchy. Leadership usually stays in the family lines.

 

Getting Items

 

 

Getting items at the beginning of your journey can be rather hard. You’ll have to get enough minas to buy a sword, then you can kill monsters for coin. I’ll admit that my first sword was given to me by a friend, and it was only because of this that I could get minas at all.

Money

 

 

Mina is the currency in LotC. It can be deposited in banks found in towns and cities. If you die, you lose half your coin. To avoid this, deposit your money in banks regularly.

 

 

Food

Food is something that can be difficult to find, especially when you take into account the fact that it will rot. Always check the expiration date- otherwise you'll get some nasty status effects. This can be seen by hovering your cursor over the food item in your inventory. In case you missed it in the command section, do /bread to get some free food once a day!

 

 

Roads and Travel

 

Traveling in LotC can be confusing at first. There aren’t many signs to point you in the right direction. This, combined with dead-ends, can cause a player to retrace their steps multiple times. My advice is to take note of the direction you’re heading, bring plenty of food, and don’t travel at night. Stay in lands friendly to your race if you don’t have a guide. If you must, come well-armed, but don’t carry weapons in hand. This can cause many problems with people that may already fear/despise you. Don’t trespass in areas you don’t belong (unless you’re willing to be beat to death), don’t steal from places you pass through, and stay vigilant.

 

 

Housing

 

Finding a place to stay is a complicated task. There are several ways to go about it.

• Find a person/group that offers housing in exchange for work. Some houses offer this.
•  Some cities have signs with people to contact for housing. This is you best but for finding someone to rent/buy from. 
• Rent or buy from a city. Renting requires a constant source of minas, and buying can be very expensive.
• Ask to live with a friend. If your character knows someone in game (really knows them, this is not something to ask that guy you met two minutes ago.), ask if you can stay with them. Whether this is permanent or temporary is up to the friend, but make sure you have something to offer them, or you may get kicked out.

 

 

Random Information and Tips

 

Here's some random tips/info I wish I'd known when I first joined LotC.

• Houses/Groups in LotC are constantly scouting new players. Be aware of this. 
• We wary of strangers on roads. It doesn't matter how close to town you are, it doesn't matter if they're injured, it doesn't matter if they seem nice. I have lost count of how many times I've been brutally murdered on the road to Johannesburg (28 times before it blew up, over the course of 2 months). 
• On the same note, be aware that some characters are, in fact, God-awful horrors from the abyss. Be vigilant. I've walked up to people and said, "G'day, sir." only for them to reveal that they are, in fact, a grotesque monster and no God can save me now. 

 

~ My Biggest, Most Important Piece of Advice ~

 

How do you become successful at this whole RPing thing? Put effort into it. Be helpful. Ask questions. Emote properly. Engage people. Trust me, people will notice. And because you’re a reliable person, in-game and out, they will be the one’s seeking you out. This is big, and something that is easy to overlook. Go the extra mile. Make a compelling character, put effort into your skin, be motivated, be excited to be here!

 

 

~ Last Thoughts ~

 

Congrats! You’ve done it! You reached the end of my agonizingly long guide. I’m proud of you. Hopefully now you feel prepared to take on LotC and make something of yourself! Godspeed, and may your path be ever bright.

 

If you have any questions, or just want to talk, PM me!

Edited April 25, 2022 by flipside
Updating text colors, adding Food, more formatting, even more formatting, additions to housing and intro, added revive command details and various additions for clarity, added random info/tips, added /lock command, several formatting edits,

[Ambduscias 1027]

I'm a big fan. Well composed and reasonable points for anyone whose looking to get involved with the community!

[TinyBiceps 567]

very good guide! wish it were around when i joined a couple months ago.

 

22 minutes ago, Zoslore said:

How do I get friends?

also realize, that making friends in a new community takes time! you don't usually become instantly acquainted with people, so just get a feel for the kinds of people on the server.

[BrandNewKitten 2788]

Hey, yes! Congratz on a good guide! May I suggest breaking up the monotony of gray and white with a bit of color? Maybe just color in the different headers for each section?

[Vaynth 2965]

This looks familiar.

Good job though. It provides a bit of information mine didn't, such as housing.

[flipside 106]

@Vaynth Yeah, I took a look at your guide when I was first researching LotC. Inspired me to join, actually. 

@SirKAnruske I took your advice, hopefully this breaks up the wall of text a little more, lol. 

@ren! Thanks! Yeah, I suppose it does take time. 

@Ambduscias Thank you! It probably took about two hours to write in Word. *sweats nervously* 

(Evidently tagging people is more complicated than I thought omg)

[_NotChris 201]

Really  good job on the post uyou deserve all that rep.

[Vaynth 2965]

Just now, Zoslore said:

 

@Vaynth Yeah, I took a look at your guide when I was first researching LotC. Inspired me to join, actually. 

 

Just so you know, the next time you make a post that is extremely similar to someone else's, you might want to give them a heads up. I'm really glad I inspired you to join the server. : ) Also to note, this is more of an Oren guide than overall rp when it comes to speech and such. Really good nonetheless.

Oh and to quote someone you can just highlight the text you want to mention and a little quote button pops up. Hope I could help.

[flipside 106]

@Vaynth Absolutely, I wasn't trying to infringe. I was just trying to write the thing I would have needed at the beginning, lol

@ItsOnlyChis Thanks, dude! 

(Is this spamming? I hope not. :o)

[Poor_Fellow 812]

Great guide, Zoslore! I wish I had read this back then when I joined the server 

[WuHanXianShi14 0]

Good job! I look forward to RPing with you someday. There are honestly some older players who can learn from you, maybe myself included

[Bluee 443]

I would suggest adding: Don't get banned

Overall great guide +1 friend!

[flipside 106]

@Talavok Thanks, friend! I'll definitely add the banning idea, thanks for the input. 

@Tahmas Happy to know you enjoyed it! 

@吳憾戰士14 That means a lot! Thank you. 

@Bannerlord Thanks, glad to hear the feedback.

(Again, super worried about the spam? Sorry if I'm bothering any of you!)

[Ethan the epic 115]

Shut up and take my rep ;)

[Lotoke 25]

This is fantastic!

Well done. :D