Simsmac's Application

Simsmac · February 10, 2012

Out-Of-Character:

Minecraft Account Name:

Simsmac

Did you attend minecon and sign up at the LOTC booth?:

No.

How old are you?:

18

Time-Zone/Country of Residence:

Eastern Time Zone (UTC -5) / USA

Do you have a good grip on the English language/good grammar?:

Yes.

Small 2-3 Sentence Description of yourself:

I am a college student studying biology, contemplating whether or not to pursue a medical degree. I love Minecraft, and gaming in general. I started playing Minecraft a little more than a year ago. I've never done roleplaying before, but I'm quite confident that I'm capable of learning to do so, and very excited about learning more about it.

How much time could you be on the server weekly?:

Around 7-10 hours. Possibly more depending on the week.

What do you know about Roleplaying? Give a definition of what it means to you.:

Roleplaying is the act of assuming the character of someone else (fictitious or otherwise), and behaving as they would. Roleplaying in the sense of gaming generally means acting out a player-created character in a game, and navigating their character through the world of the game, while interacting with other roleplaying characters.

In your own Words, describe what Metagaming and Powergaming are.

Metagaming is the use of knowledge a player's character would have no way of knowing about. That is, using OOC knowledge to further one's status in the game world. An example would be a medieval character that proposes to create a power source using nuclear fission without prior knowledge of modern chemistry; the character used player knowledge that he wouldn't otherwise have had access to.

Powergaming is the act of using overpowered or situationally inappropriate objects or ideas during roleplaying. An example would be a player who insists that his character is a ninja who can overpower all other players, or a character who insists that he instantly engages in a fight with all other players he meets.

What do you expect this server will be like?:

I expect this server to be a refreshing change to the normal Minecraft server dynamics, mostly due to the hardcore RP component. I also expect that the server will have a multitude of interesting lore to learn about, and beautiful Minecraft creations.

What other server(s) have you played on and why did you leave them?:

(Listed in chronological order of join dates, first joined to last joined)

Latskap's Server- Left because I got bored, and because the owner lost interest in server upkeep.

Empire Craft- Left because the server moderators tended to act immaturely and abuse their abilities. I'm fairly certain that this server is dead.

Sublimity Gaming- Left because they abruptly reset the map during a Minecraft update and never offered restitution to the players. As far as I know, I'm still on good terms with the server owners.

Have you read, understood, and agreed to the rules?:

Yes

How did you hear about us?:

TehLulu (I believe her character is a human named Bell Yimoni) from Sublimity Gaming mentioned she joined here back when she left Sublimity's server.

Have you voted for the Lord of the Craft on Minestatus? Which vote number were you?

I just voted, number 1460.

What is your The Lord Of Craft forum account name?:

Account username is Simsmac, forum screen name is Simsmac also.

In-Character:

Character Name:

Vrael, son of Rhomdor

What is your Race?:

Wood elf

Biography(This should include the history of your character and his life as well as age, appearance and personality, etc.):

Vrael is a male wood elf of 125 years. He is attractive, no more or less than any other elf, which is to say that he is stunningly handsome compared to males of the other races. His fiercely green yet deeply understanding eyes are framed by his fair hair, high cheekbones, and angular face. His mouth is usually surrounded by a lightly stubbled beard. Vrael's skin, and that of most of his descendants, is light, much lighter than a usual wood elf's nut-brown skin. Several times along his lineage an ancestor married a common elf, which seems to have resulted in slightly fairer than usual complexion. However, Vrael inherited the short stature of his wood elf ancestors, measuring 5 feet 10 inches, with a slender, yet sturdy body build. Vrael's personality tends to be introverted, he is generally very calm, collected and rational, but when angered he can be quite rash. He is very inquisitive, and greatly enjoys listening to the stories and knowledge of another.

Vrael was born in a small wood elf village tucked away in a forest near to Elandriel. Most of his short life has been spent in that village with his father Rhomdor and mother Lona, living among modest farmers and craftsmen. Vrael's father is an architect of tree homes, a highly skilled one at that, and his mother is a textile merchant and accomplished weaver. As a youth, Vrael worked in the farms that were neighbored the forest, tending to the crops and livestock, and he later became an apprentice of to father.

Aside from his parents, an important and greatly influential figure in Vrael's life was his grandfather, and namesake, whom he was very close to. Sadly, he died shortly before his grandson's 100th birthday, at the ripe age of 1,780. Vrael the Senior was a wood elf that was well known in the village for being a polymath in a wide variety of disciplines, chief among them archery, swordsmanship, engineering, and meditation. He was also deeply intrigued by magic, and worked with a scholar in Elandriel who was researching magical theory. Vrael greatly enjoyed the company of his grandfather, and would spend almost all of his free time visiting him in his tall oak treehouse near the center of his village. He would spend hours on end listening to his grandfather lecture about various feats of engineering, or his latest philosophic realization.

Vrael was mentored in many things by his grandfather; he first shot a bow and held a sword in the garden under the oak tree, where his grandfather would frequently train or spar with him, much to the displeasure of his parents, who thought of combat as unnecessary and unfit for young elf. Vrael also became very dedicated to the meditation and relaxation exercises his grandfather had fit in his daily routine. Vrael the Senior didn't practice religion (it was one of the few things he had no interest in), but he deeply believed in the power and importance of one's individual spirit, and frequently reminded his grandson of the importance of a healthy mind. Vrael's fondest memories of his grandfather are of the journey they took together to Elandriel one spring. His grandfather showed him the beautiful architecture and engineering of the city, and introduced him to several old friends of his who resided in Elandriel. When his grandfather died, Vrael promised to himself he would lead a life that his grandfather could have been proud of. He realized he wanted to learn most about engineering, his interest piqued by the tales of dwarven marvels his grandfather had anecdotally learned about. He longed to travel, and see the lands he had heard only about in stories.

Vrael's relationship with his parents became increasingly distant over the years, especially after the death of his grandfather. This is due mostly because he had become dissatisfied with his quiet life in the forest, and desired more than what his village could offer him. His parents, however, wished for him to stay in their village and become an architect like his father; this idea was not appealing to Vrael. He recently set out on his own, about 25 years after his grandfather's death, with plans to travel first to Elandriel, revisiting the sites he experienced there with his grandfather.

Your characters ambitions:

To travel the land, searching for an adequate way of life and deeper meaning of his existence, as well as to gain a more practical knowledge of engineering, and learn more about the culture of Asulon in general. Vrael aspires for knowledge, as well as wisdom.

Out in the Wilds, your character comes across a small cottage. Outside, there appears to be an elf struggling combat with two bandits. What does your character do?

Vrael's demeanor becomes ferocious when he realizes that one of his own kind is in danger, especially over something as trivial as a couple of Minas. He crouches slowly, and looses an arrow at each of the villains lower torso, hoping he doesn't accidentally harm the elf. Provided the bandits become incapacitated or flee, he approaches the elf and inquires as to his wellbeing.

Your character walks up to a shop in a quiet market. "Hello, my good sir!" says the shop owner. "What may I help you with today?" How does your character answer?

"Greetings. I would like to purchase three Passings worth of light rations. In addition, I wonder whether you could direct me to the nearest inn?"

A screenshot of your skin:

Other Information:

Thanks for considering my application!

James Undercroft · February 10, 2012

Denied

This is a very well written and unique application, but there are a few things which need improvement before I am able to accept you.

This is why you were denied:

First and foremost the definition you have provided for powergaming is in need of improvement, and it not entirely correct. Luckily for you there are plenty of ways to learn the correct definition. First of all you can look on the lord of the craft wiki and then search for "Powergaming", you can join our Team Speak channel (You can get Team Speak from http://teamspeak.com/?page=downloads ), or you can do a google search.

Something which I would not deny you for, but does not make much sense. The height of your character seems a little of, 5 foot is rather tiny for an elf. Perhaps you might want to research into a better suited height for elves on this server? It is just a suggestion though, feel free to set your height as you will.

The RP situation answers are in need of improvement.

In this server there is a rule where you must RP before combat, which means you may not just "shoot the bandits in the torso". Perhaps you could write that if the bandits continue in their actions, you will be forced to intervene? Something along those lines. I would also like you to write a little more in-depth. It does not have to be an entire story, but some further description and a more "story" feel to it would be nice.

Zolgash would bellow in an attempt to scare the bandits. “Get away from that elf or you will taste my steel!” The bandits laugh at the orc and turn towards him, but still keeping an eye on the elf. “Ya don’t scare us, green flith.” The bandits charge at Zolgash, meeting steel on steel. See the difference?

You need to write a lot more for the second one. Everyone (and I mean everyone) just writes that they buy something, and leave. What is that? It shows a lack of effort in my opinion. All you have to do is use your imagination, create something innovative, exciting and fun for the reader. There are endless possibilities, for example you could write that the shop keeper is actually a bandit who is luring victims into his shop and then he gets his thug friends to come in from the rear to block your escape, or perhaps the shop keeper tries to cheat you of an item and you respond by calling the guards and something exciting happens. The possibilities are endless; all you have to do is be creative.

Other than these points this was a brilliant application. You must wait 2 hours before your next one, so feel free to read up on all the topics which I have provided, have a cup of tea/coffee/Soda and relax. Although it is more like that you will see this far after the 2 hours have gone by.

Please do send a PM my way if you are having any trouble understanding the application process or my feedback, I would be glad to help you. :)

Good luck for your next application!

Here is some further reading material that can help you get accepted:

To understand the questions being asked better look here: http://www.lordofthecraft.net/forum/index.php?/topic/34777-in-depth-analysis-of-the-application-form/

The guide of a Game Master to accepted server applications:

http://www.lordofthecraft.net/forum/index.php?/topic/13144-petyrs-guide-to-accepted-server-applications/

Tips to definitely include on your application:

http://www.lordofthecraft.net/forum/index.php?/topic/19145-tips-to-include-on-your-application/

A must-read guide to the world of aegis:

http://www.lordofthecraft.net/forum/index.php?/topic/9868-an-extensive-guide-to-the-world-of-aegis

How to avoid role-playing as a terrible character:

http://www.lordofthecraft.net/forum/index.php?/topic/27643-how-to-avoid-making-a-mary-suegary-stu/