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Lethal Shadow Lethal Shadow is an assassin who has recently become known in the Frostbeard clan after killing the Chief of Military, Throri "Warmheart" Frostbeard's eldest son, Kaizo Frostbeard. He is known as the Lethal Shadow because that is what he wrote on the death note that he placed on the dead body. Nobody knows who he really is or what he looks like but he has a bounty out on himself. Supposedly a person saw a person with red hair flee from the crime scene's direction. Only red hair was seen because the assassin had a black hood and grey half mask to hide his identity. He also wore black clothes. He is currently wanted with the bounty of 130 Minas which is signed by the Warden Edel Frostbeard who was the younger brother of the Lethal Shadow's victim. (This post is an in roleplay one so you the reader can have your character know this. It is as a poster in the roleplay at all sorts of various locations.)

Event Planners, MC Names: Th3_11th, Old_Man_Darklore Event Type: Mystical creature hunt Your Timezone: EST Affected Groups: Curdingham, Allies Event Location: Summation: Lord Tosali looked over the view from Curdingham, when three of his soldiers came running screaming and terrified. He ordered his men to open the gates, get them inside. Marian'a quickly helped their wounds, and hand them some food and water. Baldrick walked over and pulled up a chair, he coughed as he asked what happened. They shook as they spoke of the creature, "Dragon." That's all they spoke. Baldrick knew this could cause trouble, so he stood up and grabbed a map and a quill. He handed it to the men, and told them to circle the location. As they did so, he sent a raven to his old friend Hareven. Soon he arrived, and a hunt began. Concept Images/Screenshots What help do you require from the ET Actors or Builders? I need an ET Actor to play the beast, and to lead the event. I might also require ET Builders, if there is any damage done to terrain.

-= The Daelish =- The Daelish people are a subculture of the Highlander race, they are much more brutish and “less developed” than the majority of Highlanders. Preferring town life to that of city life like others. They are distinguishable by their unique and stark clothing compared to others. The Daelish males don a kilt representing their clans tartan while the females wear their clans tartan as other accessories such as a shawl, hat or leggings. Clan Life Clan life is an important part of the Daelish culture, Daelish are either born into a clan or adopted by a clan at a later stage in their life. Clans enforce a competitive atmosphere within the Daelish. Each clan striving to be better than the next, many activities are done within your clan and clan brawls are a common occurrence to occur to show a clan's strength over the other. Each clan teaches its members to do certain things in specific, something which the clan focuses on. This could be mining, woodcutting or anything really. This way if clans are unified in a society then they can be self sufficient without having to rely on others and outsiders to source them materials, work or help. The current known Daelish clans which are unified under the Cyning Callan Gromach: Clan Gromach - The current leading clan, lead by Callan Gromach who unified the Daelish clans all under him. The clan rarely adopt anyone into their ranks, only furthering their clan by births. Their side-focus is on mining, with of course their main role being to lead and continue to unify and improve the Daelish and their standing in Tahn. Clan Ferguson - Ferguson is a clan that is responsible for feeding and keeping a constant flow of minas into the society. It is a fairly old clan filled with competent traders and farmers. Clan Guthrie - Clan Guthrie is a relatively new clan compared to the rest, being recently birthed by a strong daelishman. Their focus is on a variety of things: Tinkering, Fishing and Woodcutting. They are some of the more intelligent Daelish and have recently been tasked with creating the mechanisms scattered across their towns to slow attacks from raiders. Clan Drummond - Clan Drummond is one of the oldest existing clans and its primary focus is on mining and smithing, providing ores and equipment to the Daelish. However, one thing different about this clan is they have a duo leadership which is maintained by a sister and brother of the clan. Music The well-known bagpipe music is a core part of Daelish culture. It's famous for it's extraordinary sounds that many hate or love. Aside from their bagpipes, the Daelish aren't great fans of other forms of music, never really learning any other music or partaking in other forms of music other than their traditional bagpipe music. Religion The Daelish are open to any religion, with some being of the usual canonist faith, however a good majority have formed under the Cantyrist faith as Cathal of the Daeland has created the faith and preached it to their society, converting many. The Cantyrist Faith believes that The Creator is a enigmatic craftsman of life, going under many aliases and titles troughout culture, Cantyrism believes that The Creator does not directly intervene but instead grant mortals the ability to manipulate and change the world around them. The Cantyrist church thrives off conflict and competition. It believes that the mortal races are at their best when they are in competition of one and another. The Clergy of the Cantyrist Church are known as warrior priests, they are expected to wear armor, and fight in wars like the soldiers they represent. It holds a religious importance for the concept of War, battle, and honor. Teaching that men and women need to fight to keep what is theirs and that actions speak louder than words. Voidal magic is allowed by the church, with the exception being Illusion, which is frowned upon. The Clergy are structured like a military instead of a religious order, with rank determined by merit and ability on the battlefield as well as religious piety. Instead of venerating and strictly following the Holy Scrolls of Canonism, the Cantyrist Church has their own sacred book simply titled "The Book of Trials". Which details the eight Tenets of Cantyrism and their importance, as well as the accomplishments of mortals. The book venerates mortal willpower and their ability to change history around them, with every member of the Clergy given a copy of the book, in order to add more legends and heroes to the growing chapters of the Book of Trials. Government The government of the Daelish is kept rather simple, with only a handful of ranks within the government being on offer. These are: Cyning - The Cyning is the leader of the Daelish, they have the most authority out of everyone in the Daelish and the cyning is the one to make the most important decisions and is the one to appoint other members of the government. Ealdormen - The Ealdormen is a council that doesn't have a fixed number, it can range anywhere between 2 to 5 people. They are advisors who the Cyning confides in and gets their opinion. Some cynings have been known to use a voting system with their Ealdormen to pass certain decisions. Gesith - A Gesith is a personal assistant of a Cyning or Ealdormen, whether their assistance being in advisory, guarding or cooking. They tend to be very good at their role in assisting the person in question. Earl - An Earl is a landholder within the Daelish lands, they normally hold a large portion of land and/or have Thegns underneath him. Thegn - A Thegn is a landholder within the Daelish lands, they normally have a small portion of land. The current holdings within the Daeland are as followed: -Ponce Ponce is a small town located west of Metz, it is currently owned by the Flays after their campaign against Lorraine years ago. Where they managed to succeed and claim all lands owned by Lorraine that are west of their capital, Metz. The town has been expanded greatly under Daelish leadership to suit for all its populace, it has become a good attraction to many as they seem intrigued by the Daelish and their different personality.

[!] You and your companion entered an old smelly tavern. Seems there is no one but a few drunkards and a scrawny stranger. He wears dusty clothes, he is sitting by the bar. Here is an old dagger stuck in bar desk, it covered in something that may be a rust or even a blood. He follows your movement and he spotted that you have a blade also, something seems familiar in both of you. He sighed and stoop up. "Oi, i heard ya folks like to make your life better with other chav’s belongings? If ya wish to continue live along with bandit lifestyle, then ya should follow such rules" He cleared his throat and went on: "First and Most important rule, no matter if ya Raidin' or just being a bandit on roads, don’t stay at the same place for too long, you’re not an idle lazy bestard or a trainin’ dummy, don’t ya? Well, your enemies don’t think so, no matters if you let them go, or they just ran away, they will come back with sum' friends. Be mobile, ya got me?" He scratched his head. "Second... I dunnae if that really matters for ya, but if ya wanna keep your identity unknown, then don’t show your damn face. Just use some rags to cover your bugger face, ya know. Don’t forget to change clothes when ya go raidin’, 'cause the disguise and decent actor skills could make your life much easier. This can save your life as well, and might keep you from being recognised in your civill casual days, mate." [!] You look at him with interest, not knowing why does he tells you such things. "Third: Don’t be greedy, ya don’t need to take damn everythin’ from your victims, they are living persons, ya know. Nah, i’m joking, just in case that ya don’t have bottomless pockets. If ya wanna stay alive, be mobile. To be mobile ya shouldn’t carry a whole granny tea service on ya." He snorts pulling dagger our from desk. "Be Mercy, if your victims are surrounded, without any fight thoughts, then don’t even think to hurt them, ya got me? It’s not like i’m telling ya to be a good guy, just a friendly hint: Don’t wanna cover your hands in blood and ruin yours and someone else’s life, then Do Not Harm. That is fourth." "By tha way. If your victims attempt to run, or they already did, don’t even try to chase them. Trust me - The Hunter may become a Prey. Don’t forget, no matter how focused you’re looking at people ya rob, they may send bird to their friends, when you don’t expect that. Don’t let them fool ya. That is Fifth... Ey, information costs moneh, ya'know?" He helded out his hand, holding a dagger in other...

Tiva Line Guidelines : How to Spriggan 101 Alright boys and girls, let’s get down to basics. This right here is grand ol’ “How ta Sprigga” and I’m gonna teach you a thing or two. You better believe it that we are some mean, lean spook fightin’ machines, but we’ve also got this rad cool thing where we can grow petal lines. That’s right, a “Do It Yourself” daisy chain (along with other nature’y things, of course). First of all, this is Trinn’s post and it is the best “How To Basic, Spriggan Style” you will find. Look at this shniz. Secondly, as it is a universal language for all Spriggans, various flowers and such will be documented here in order to help keep some order. If you have a spriggan and you need a flower with a certain meaning that isn’t present here in this doc, just send me pm and it will be added in! Easy peasy! Thirdly, there are a select few druids that can read Tiva lines, so y’all will have to ask them (at the moment I’m writing this, I know only Tevi, Artimec and Arahaelth that can read ‘em). But! Have no fear. As a Spriggan, you can talk to druids in their heads like the messed up tree huggin’ hippies that they are and tell them what flower means what! It’s elementary, my dear! So without further ado, here is your bonafide list of all kinds of flowers and nature shtuffs. Enjoy! -LadyRebecca P.S. I may have had too many glasses of wine writing this so I beggin’ yer pardon <3 The Basics (As found in Trinn’s bootiful post, this is just a little summary. But if you haven’t looked at the link above, do so! And rep that poor woman! We can’t all be like the SaltWarrior14!) Angrec: A symbol for druids/dedicants. Gladiolus: A symbol for combattants. Chrysanthemum: An individual who crafts and creates (i.e. blacksmith, artist, tinkerer, basically someone that makes stuff). Mayflower: Mostly seen on younger individuals, a sign they haven’t found a calling yet (i.e. are not being a productive member to society, boo). Freesia: An individual under the age of 20. Alcea: An individual between the ages of 20 and 50. Azalea: An individual (probably a dwarf of elf at this point) between the ages of 50 and 500. Aster: An individual over 500 (if this individual isn’t a dwarf or elf or some other immortal being, contact your local pocket LM immediately). Names Wooptido we can spell out phonetics with vines! How exciting! Well, here’s the sad part, phonetics are widespread and really are just a pain in the butt. So! As someone who can actually read Tiva (I do nothing with my life, leave me be) it’s literally as simple as emoting that various sprout emerge and curl from the main vine. Seriously. That’s all you have to do. And like I said, either the druid can have previous knowledge on how to read Tiva or, you can simply tell them what it reads. You can even go the extra mile and take some time to rp with the druid and teach them how to read each sprout (it doesn’t need to be detailed, we play a mine man game, for Pete’s sake). Additions Here comes the fun part, we are going to “unique-ify” the individual's petal line! How wonderful! This is where the comments of any ideas for a flower befitting of a trait, characteristic or anything else you think a petal line should show (i.e. let’s expose their darkest deepest secrets who the person is). Obviously, you don’t need to put every dang flower that describes the person on their petal chain. This is just an idea of what you could put on there. Daffodils (White): A teacher or guide, probably one of those edgy druids again. Dahlia: Humble Carnation: Affectionate Heather :A leader Anthurium: A mother Gardenia :A father Calla :Outspoken Orchid (cymbidium) :Charismatic Peony :Balanced Iris :Hard working Delphinium :Studious, knowledgeable Poinsettia :Wise Stephanotis :Callous Waxflower :Aloof Pear Blossom :Quiet As stated previously, if you have any more ideas or suggestions, just shoot me a pm!

Name: Alvina Rothgard Age: 21 A woman of 5'6 with striking blue eyes and long brown hair and would have appeared very pretty. She would almost always have been seen with a smile on her face. Most of the time she'd walk with a good posture and be well mannered. She would appear friendly, despite being known to become violent and speak her mind when someone annoys or insults her. However, she would be very fierce when protecting her friends, family and people in need of help. She will strike up a conversation with anyone, regardless of who they and would often talk about her love for animals, reading, writing and archery. She died at 21 years old, outside Adelburg after two men attacked her and tried to murder her. She managed to kill on of them but was unable to avoid the other. She is buried inside Adelburg, her life now only in the memories of those who knew her.

This is all that is known for right now, for as she is only 8 years old. Will be adding to it later on *Basic Information: Full Name: Esme Crimson-Coraline Richards Age/Date of Birth: 8, 13th of The Amber Cold Nickname: Es, or Ese (pronounced Ezi) *Physical Appearance: Gender: Female Race: Humaan Height: 4'11" (For Now) Weight: 76lbs Eye Color: Dark, deep blue Type of Hair: Quite long, wavy, usually accompanied with a bow Voice: Her voice is sweet, innocent, playful. Most stand out feature? Her eyes, the very bright, and deep blue eyes sparkle, you cant help to notice them. Usual Attire: A dress with a cloak or coat. Favorite Outfit A white and yellow dress and gray coat Personality: Good Personality Traits: Spontaneous, Brave, Loving, Caring, Selfless, Smart, Well-Mannered, Quirky, Different, Confident, Playful. Bad Personality Traits: Stubborn, Feisty (Good at times), Strong Willed, Adventurous (Sometimes good) Mood at Most times: Playful or Happy Sense of Humor: Esme is very humorous. You cant help but laugh at her comments and quirks. She brings much joy to the people who understand her humor, but may also find herself getting into trouble if she is not careful with it. Hobbies: Reading, riding horses, playing with animals, cooking/baking, playing pretend Dreams as of right now: Esme is quite determined, she has many plans of what she'd like to do when she grows up. Believe it or not this innocent little girl wants to be a guard! She's watched the Imperial Legion everyday as she wandered the streets of oren. Although she is fascinated by the guard she does not yet fully understand the full responsibility. She has a great love for animals and says she is to be a breeder when she grows older, along with the greatest chef in oren! She is quite a dreamer. Favorites/Habits: Favorites: Color: Yellow Food: Tea and Scones Music: Classical Literature: Fiction (Fairytales) Habits: Play a Musical Instrument? Yes, she plays the flute. How would she spend a rainy day? Outside! She loves the rain, she'll be skipping around, jumping in puddles, and getting soaked! Nervous Tics: Twiddling her fingers, messing with her hair Skilled at: Read/Writing (for her age) Playing the flute. Story: Esme's mother was only a teen when she was with child, she was not ready to handle the responsibility of a child. With that being said on the 13th of The Amber Cold, Esme was born. That very night she wrapped Esme in a blanket, placed her in a woven basket, and left her on the streets of Oren. The city of oren has been taking care of her since, supplying her with food, clothing, education. She's been taken care of pretty nicely. She is coming to an age where they would think she can somewhat handle herself. Since Esme is loved dearly by the ones who have been taking care of her all this time, instead of dumping her to fend for herself, they posted up posters of adoption.

The Order of Noctis "If you must take your sword from its sheath, return it bloody." "Seeking your Destiny is like looking into a mirror. You see an image, however blurred, in whatever light exists at the time. But if the light ever changes, so will the image itself. And if the light ever vanishes, the mirror will be empty. That is why the truest mirror is the one that needs no light at all." -The Order of Noctis motto’s Welcome to The Order of the Noctis. This is a guild based on working together, building, trading, and training to be a soldier in a time of need. The Story We were formed to fight for the Courland rebellion, but when they were destroyed we were exiled out of the kingdom. Now we have been reformed in the dreadlands. The Transcript of the Order You shall never attack, injure, or kill another Order member or an ally of the guild. You shall never steal from the Order. You shall never disobey the orders of your superior in the Order. If there is an issue with another member of The Order of Noctis you will bring it up with your supervisor or if it is a large issue you will come to the overseer. If there is a need to fight you must come to the aid of the guild. Your loyalties lie with the Overseer first, then to your brothers and sisters in the Order, then to your home country. Positions Ranger Rangers are the archers and tactical minds of The Order of Noctis military. They will hide in the shadows until the time is right then burst out and let rain a fly of accurate, deadly arrows. There can also only be 50 active rangers at once ( non-gold leafs) Trainee - You are new and are being trained by a higher ranking Ranger (usually one on one). Bronze Leaf - You are a fully-fledged Ranger and you now don't have to be accompanied by an older Ranger when on missions. Silver Leaf - You are an older Ranger and you can now take on apprentices and will be part of the inner circle of rangers making decisions with the leader. Gold Leaf - You are a retired Ranger who helps documenting and other non-field assignments ( If there is a serious requirement you can be requested to do a field assignment). Leader - you are in charge of the Rangers and you give out missions either for the Overseer or from peasants (other players) requesting help. Assassin Assassins are the unsung heroes behind every win. As they sneak by and take down the enemy before they even know what is happening, and they let the others do what they do. Initiate - You are new and haven't proven yourself as a good agent. Proven - You have proven you are a loyal and well deserving agent. Accepted - You can now lead missions that were given by your Up-incoming. Up-incoming - you lead a group of accepted and give them tasks from the leader. You may be next in line to be a leader. Leader - you give Assassins missions from the Overseer. Or if there are no missions you can send them on scouting missions to enemy territory. Warrior Warriors are the backbone of the The Order of Noctis's military. They are the foot soldiers and the people who charge head first into battle seeking glory and honor. Recruit - You are new and still need training to become a soldier. Soldier - You are no longer a recruit and are now a part of the Order of the Warrior’s Blade’s military. Sergeant - you lead a group of soldiers into battle and you also train the recruits in your party. Lieutenant - you lead the Sergeant's and give them orders for them to carry out to their groups. Leader - You command everybody and by giving orders to your Lieutenants you get your men to carry out these orders. Non-Battle Positions These are positions for things we need that aren't part of the military (you can have both) (an asterisk* will be by those you cannot have a war position with). Resource Collectors - (We need lots of them) They are the ones that go out and collect resources for us (miners, farmers, and woodcutters). Treasury Manager* - You take care of the funds and manage the Bankers (you will not get this job strait of the bat you need to be trusted, on LOTC a lot, and very well known). Banker* - You are similar to the Treasury Manager you will manage some of the funds or paychecks, etc. Blacksmiths - To make armor, swords, etc. and to make thing to sell to make money for the guild. Woodworkers - To make bows, arrows, etc. and to make thing to sell to make money for the guild. Cook - To make food for us and to sell for the guild. Healer - You heal the injured of the guild (through magic, potions, etc.) on and off the battlefield. Alchemist* - To make us potions for us to use when we need (in war, to help collect resources, etc.) Wizards* - To use spells in battle or to help the guild in times of peace (Fi'hiiran'tanya is espcialy useful) (If you are applying for a wizard please put your specialty down too [alteration, illusion, etc.] Applications (Do not lie we will find out and you will be kicked from the guild.) OOC: Minecraft Name: Age: Why you want to join: Skype (optional): In Game: Name: Age: Race: Gender: Job(s) you are applying for: Why you (the character) wants to join:

So, you want to roleplay an insane character, but you want to do it right. None of this "I'm the Joker if his parents were Dennis Rodman and Dexter". You're not an edgy. If you're called edgy, you might as well be a digital leper, because ain't nobody gonna roleplay with your mask-wearing axe-murderer. Well, if you'll accept my help, I've made a guide to help your purposes! Joy and rapture! Nevermore will you be called an edgy! Okay, sorry. That's a lie. Rule #1: Embrace the Edge You could make your mental roleplay entirely respectful, accurate, and subtle, but someone is still going to call you and edgelord, and if you came into this thread to learn how to not be called an edgy, you might as well go to a reddit subforum and ask how you can wear a beard and not be called a hipster. You're at a disadvantage coming out of the gate, and approaching by that angle will not help you or your fellow roleplayers. So, if you're committed to roleplaying a mental dysfunction, you're going to have to accept the "edge". You're a special snowflake by definition, and letting yourself be held back by trying to balance your roleplay on a standard that doesn't universally exist is just going to cause you pain. This isn't to say "Go ahead! Make Willy Wonka's serial killer clone!", but you'll be much happier accepting the title and going on with your life and not bashing your head on the conception. Rule #2: These are Real Problems that happen to Real People A "crazy person" isn't a monster or the butt of a joke. Approach the role with some respect and empathy: there are actual people that have or have had these issues your character is going through, and some of them play on this server are or are their loved ones. I'm not telling you to not "trigger" them, but there are a lot of misconceptions about mental illness, and crude archetype caricatures predicate these misconceptions. They have a brain, a history, a personality. They have interests, likes, and dislikes. They aren't defined by their disorders, and so would be the case with your character. Even if the disorder is debilitating, they are individuals. The disorder impacts them and the people around them, but they will often try to not let it rule them, even if they may fail. Rule #3: Know the Disorder This isn't to say that you have to have the disorder in real life, be a well-read expert with a degree in Abnormal Psychology, or have a fully-mapped artist's rendering of what your character's brain would look like under an MRI. But, for goodness sake, read up a little on the thing you're roleplaying! So often I see people roleplay something that they absolutely don't understand. They mess up the observable behaviors, or they mix up the names, or they magically get the disorder for no reason, or become completely cured because friendship is magic or therapeutic FTB or something else dumb. Do some light research at least. Google the name of the thing you want to do. Read the Wikipedia articles concerning it. Maybe read a few case studies. A really great resource I'd suggest to you more scholarly types: Watch Crash Course Psychology. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8dPuuaLjXtOPRKzVLY0jJY-uHOH9KVU6 It's well-written and produced, covers a great deal of psychology, learning, treatments, history, and even goes into detail on specific disorders, what causes them, and how they work. Consulting the production team is Dr. Ranjit Bhagwat, Ph.D., who is an actual licensed clinical psychologist in New York. So, not only could you improve your roleplay by watching these, but it could help you study for an upcoming Psych quiz. Rule #4: Your Character has Coping Mechanisms When confronted with their issue, your character isn't going to necessarily go ballistic or completely shut down from the situation. If they are a fully-adult elf that gets really bad cabin fever, they aren't going to run up and down the halls like a toddler on a tantrum. They've learned better. But they're going to sweat, they're going to *****, and they might snap with more stress and scream at someone for the heinous crime of turning the fork the wrong way. If you're afraid of groups, you'll remove yourself from them, but you'll start with the most innocuous method of doing so before you just hyperventilate yourself into a faint or scream bloody murder. If you tend to jump in real life when you jump in your dreams, you might sleep in a sleeping bag instead of a bed. If you have face blindness, you will try to learn people by their clothes, hair, or voice. And sometimes the coping is what's disrupting their lives and not the initial problem. If they are paranoid, they may attempt to hermit themselves from their loved ones or their duties. Not as dramatic as screaming "treason", but a court would notice a paranoid king's disappearance quite quickly. Rule #5: It Isn't Always Bad, and It Can Get Better As your character progresses, they might be thrown further down the rabbit hole, or they may stabilize themselves in ways you didn't predict. The problems they once had may even be entirely conquered (or perhaps just thought to be conquered and have not arisen for decades). And they aren't always on "Crazy Mode". Sometimes they're fine. Sometimes they're in a balanced or reasonable mood. Even in this crazy medieval world of war and dark magic, there are therapists, mental abilities, medications, and people your character can reach to for support. You might find a defining mental problem to your character in remission or even turned entirely around. Sometimes it's a long, slow process. Sometimes all it took was a revelation. Sometimes it's a combination of things. Let your character grow as the roleplay wills. You might be pleasantly surprised, even if you lose a trait you enjoyed playing before. Rule #6: This Roleplay is Difficult If I haven't rammed that into your head already by talking about motivations, coping, and research, roleplaying insanity is not a walk in a park. There's a reason we're impressed by actors who can get inside the head of someone with a debilitating mental issue. And it’s the same reason that, in tabletop games, some storytellers for Vampire: The Masquerade don’t allow Malkavian players, and some Dungeon Masters don’t allow anyone aligned Chaotic Neutral. It takes a lot of thinking and turning things off, and you have to come to realize that your character's mental processes might be entirely different than anything you've ever experienced. So many people seem to think "acting crazy" is "throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of Wal-Mart when I was six", because we call it the same thing colloquially, but it's not the same thing. A psychotic episode, epileptic seizure, or anxiety attack isn't a temper tantrum. There's more nuance, more fear, and control is fluid or volatile. It can be difficult--and even scary--getting that far disconnected from a normal thought process. But, despite all that, the experience can still make for a very rewarding gameplay. If you feel this guide helped you, awesome and I'm glad I could be of service. If not, soz, but at least you have a link to a good, quick, online psych course for future reference if you ever need it.

Bonus Conduct - Out-of-Character Manipulation Introduction Welcome back again, okay okay. Forgive the shortage of these, with the War Claim and a host of other things I figured a brief break would be nice. Anyhow, this one is going to be a little short given the singular topic. There isn’t a great deal of stuff to cover, but I’ll do my best to be as concise and explain as much as I possibly can. Once again, I shall bold all the important parts so anyone reading who doesn’t want to read every last word can skim over the necessary parts. What is Manipulation? So, here we go again. Oh man. To manipulate, in this definition, is to “control or influence (a person or situation) cleverly or unscrupulously”. Manipulation is considered a negative thing to do, for good reason. To control someone or a scenario is generally seen as possessive, though it entirely depends. Manipulation can be used for good, and when it comes to roleplay, being manipulative is almost a necessity in politics. However, this can only be said for things that occur in character. Manipulating someone in character for their land, their money or their resources is entirely possible and oftentimes encouraged to provide and entertaining experience. Out-of-Character Manipulation Now let’s get to the point of the post. In-Character manipulation? That’s allowed. Manipulation Out-of-Character? That is not allowed. Manipulating a real life person for anything, not just for your own aspirations in character, is disallowed, against the rules and downright wrong. Anything in roleplay should and must stay specifically in character, and anything out of character should and must stay specifically out of character. If someone does something against you out of character, you are expected to take the necessary measures to ensure that person is punished for what they have done. By this, I mean reporting them to the appropriate member of authority. (AKA Server Staff, or in severe cases the police). It should not, however, leak into your character decisions. How about some examples: The Scenario Player A and Player B are having are not exactly the closest of friends. Player A and B are in a skype chat, and Player A isn’t particularly being the nicest of individuals. Player B calls A out on it, explaining their behaviour will not be tolerated and essentially sasses Player A out. Player A is upset with this, and because of that A starts to speak poorly about Player B in all kinds of chats. The scenario escalates so much so that Player A and Player B begin to rival one another Out-of-Character. Because of this, Player A decides that he wants to spite and attack Player B because of the scenarios occurring OOC. Player A then targets each of Player B’s characters, either wanting them killed or exiled, sent away to a location which will essentially make the character unplayable for Player B. The Problem This one is as simply as the others. Player A, despite the arguments and disputes with Player B, should not resort to leaking Out-of-Character into the In-Character world. This is not allowed, and essentially makes the entire situation and atmosphere unpleasant for everyone. Especially if Player A is of an influential position, and can cause sufficient damage to Player B. not only can this make Player B feel disinterested in playing their characters, it may also make them reluctant to create a character of the same type or even another character in general, out of fear of being targeted. This isn’t fair, for anyone involved. The Solution The solution here is simple. Do not leak anything Out-of-Character into In-Character. It is not allowed, and it isn’t fair for any parties involved. Simply put, the solution is to not let the two worlds cross. It causes problems, and not only can it lead to meta and powergaming, it causes disinterest and loss in motivation for anyone in the damage radius. If you are having problems with someone Out-of-Character, leave it out of character. If it reaches a point of problem, then report it to the appropriate people and allow them to handle it. Under no circumstances should people be afraid of role playing or creating new character out of fear of being targeted. Summary In brief? Don’t do it. It’s easy to want to punish someone or hurt someone because of Out-of-Character stuff, and no one will blame you for wanting to do that; however, it cannot actually happen. It’s not tolerated, in any means. As I have mentioned several times so far, it’s demotivating and inappropriate to target someone just for out of character means or measures. Never do this, never. You wouldn’t like it if it is done to you, so why should you do it to others? Limiting the Roleplay experience for someone simply because they’ve ticked you off Out-of-Character not only makes no sense In-Character, but it causes mass detriment to the server and roleplaying scene as a whole. But yep, all done. Cool stuff. Once again, questions, corrections. It’ll help us all. -Tahmas (Thomas) (Don’t be a nerd. Don’t be uninformed. Ask the questions. Do it.)

Roleplay Conduct - Powergaming v Camaraderie Introduction Oh boy, okay okay. Third installment. Do you know how long these take to write? Long, and I’m in the middle of watching Macbeth, the 2015 version with Michael Fassbender. It is sweeeet. ANYHOW. Time to move on and actually get to the purpose of this post. Like the first, and second post, this will cover two different topics. It will explain the specifics of each, citing examples and doing a whole lot of talking. Once agaaain, I shall bold all the important parts and summarise in the final paragraph or two. I’ll do my best to cover the topics in as much detail while trying to retain as much of your attention as possible. As I have mentioned in previous topics, once again, many people tend to perceive Roleplay Conduct and Etiquette in a decisively opinionated and varied view from what is generally expected. Because of this, I am continuing to make these to hopefully inform the masses. As an aside, I’m going to break these into two different posts tonight cause there is a lot to cover. So, what is Powergaming? Here we go again. Time to break down the meaning of Powergaming to it’s core. So what does Powergaming literally mean? Well, “Powergaming is a style of interacting with games or game-like systems, particularly video games, boardgames, and role-playing games, with the aim of maximising progress towards a specific goal, to the exclusion of other considerations such as storytelling, atmosphere and camaraderie.” To me, that’s a pretty clear and solid explanation of what Powergaming is. In case you don't understand, I'll try and expand. What this means, is that Powergaming is an action where you take every possible action to reach a certain goal. This could be winning a fight, for instance. While this seems pretty standard and okay, it’s more-so often referred to as “being too powerful and strong so it’s unfair on others”. Powergaming is often used synonymously with God-Roleplay. So what can this include? Well, for one, buffing up your character so they’re increasingly intelligent or strong, so much so that any combatant they come across can hardly lay a finger on them. Having a skilled character is fun, and of course it makes sense for some characters to be more skilled and some things than others; however, when used to extreme levels, it can cause some characters to become not only dis-interested in roleplaying with you, but unmotivated in general to roleplay given the serious overpowered nature of some characters. As one can assume, this has a very negative effect on the server, and on everyone involved. Powergaming in Combat? To start, let’s get this clear. Combat does not actually work as it does in the movies. It doesn’t, as much as it sucks to hear it. For sword fighting, take a look at these two videos, here and here, and unarmed combat here. While in movies, combat is drawn out over the span of a couple of minutes, with each opponent getting closer and closer to victory. This really isn’t how it worked. Combat is quick, and is over in a matter of seconds. Even in hand to hand combat, the fight begins and seconds later it’s over. Let’s get some examples up in here: The scenario: Player A and Player B are squaring off to fight. Player A is somewhat capable with a blade, having served in a local militaristic order and having a form of martial upbringing. Player B is more or less the same, perhaps being a member of the same belligerent order. Player A engages Player B, and a fight commences. A decides to strike with a very offensive tactic, pushing Player B back with each blow. Although it would appear Player B is being bested, B pushes back A and deflects every incoming attack, choosing to take no hits for his character during the battle and eventually he uses a systematic and complicated maneuver to best Player A and win the duel. The problem: While Player A may have gone on the offensive and exhausted efforts, Player B effortlessly deflected every incoming attack. This isn’t exactly realistic. Why? Well, as stated above, combat doesn’t work that way. I’m not going to give a long lecture about how combat actually works, but what I will say is that deflecting every incoming attack and winning a duel that easily against someone the same skill level of you is incredibly unlikely. Plus, it isn’t entirely fun now is it? No one wants a character to be too overpowered, you limit your fun and everyone around you. That, and it limits character development. The solution: I like these example formats, they’re cuuute. Once again, apologies for getting sidetracked. So we’ve identified a problem here, so what’s the solution? Firstly, the best thing to do for everyone is to look at your character. Are they flawed? If so, good. IF not, why? Where is the fun in having no flaws? Secondly, take into consideration the fun you’re having, and the fun the other people are having. Imagine yourself in their shoes, would you enjoy this? No one likes to win all the time, and you need to lose to get better. Lastly, maybe do some research? I know reading and watching videos about combat isn't’ the most entertaining of things, but it’s all that can be done I suppose. Powergaming in Politics? Ahah. Okay, I can’t believe I’m writing this but yes. Powergaming in Politics is possible. Having a character that can outsmart the entire political system of an organisation alone isn’t proper, nor is it very fun. If you want to dismantle an organisation or an entire political system, go for it. If that’s what your character would do, of course. Although, look for help. Don’t do it alone. It makes no logical sense that a single person, without help, managed to cripple an entire organisation. What is Camaraderie? I seriously this isn’t actually a question anyone is actually asking, but I’ll take it’s rhetoric and answer it anyway. So, Camaraderie, by definition, is “mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together.” Do we all spend a lot of time together? I’d say so. If you’re here reading this post, no doubt you’re actually commonly versed with the realms of minecraft and because of that, likely occupy your time with it quite often. Due to this, it’s no doubt you spend a fair amount of time with each and everyone on of us in one way or another. Simply put, we play this together and we enjoy it together, whether we all interact with one another or not. We’re all here to have fun, and it’s oftentimes, as mentioned in a previous post, that we all come here to have fun. Why is Camaraderie important to the Server, and each of us? For whatever reason we come to play, we’re all here for one underlying reason. Fun. And because of that, it’s sort of the duty of each of us to ensure that others are having fun. Would you like it if someone did something to compromise your fun on here? I’d wager that as a no, and I’m fairly certain that would be the answer of all of us. Because of this, we should take pre-emptive measures to ensure we don’t hurt other people's gameplay in the same way we’d hate it done to us. Extensive powergaming can do this, and it isn’t nice. If we’re not having fun, people leave the server. If people leave the server, the server loses player retention. If the server loses retention, it loses new traffic. If it loses traffic, it cannot draw in new players. Thus no more donations, thus no more people coming to enjoy themselves. It’s a vicious slope which would end in the Server being unable to sustain itself, and eventually needing to close down. So if you ever think that being mean to someone for no reason won’t ever come back to bite your backside, then you’re wrong. But hey, at the end of the day the choice is yours. People are banned and punished for the reason of protecting the players and keeping the server moving. Camaraderie just prevents that, and offers a more fun and enticing environment for not only new players, but yourself too. Summary Hi, what’s up, hello. Yes I wanted to keep this post ‘short’, there wasn’t much to cover and I’m going to assume that most people will understand what I’ve said. I have a lot to write up tonight so I tried to be as brief but informative as possible. If you have any questions, please please ask them, I can help and provide extra insight on things I’ve missed.. and no doubt I’ve missed things. Love you bye. -Tahmas (Thomas) (really, really. Ask questions, it’ll help you and I both, trust me, I’m a lawyerman. )

Roleplay Conduct - MetaGaming v Convenience Introduction Greetings again,. I figured I’d pump these out consecutively to ensure no interest is lost when reading through them. Hopefully this one will retain the same kind of loose and lighthearted as the first post, so I’ll get right ahead to it. For this post, I’ll be covering the specifications regarding MetaGaming and it’s difference to Roleplay Convenience. I’ll go over the definitions and provide some examples. This post will be fairly extensive, so I’ll try to add a TL;DR at the bottom of each section I type up and I’ll bold some things as I go along to ensure that nothing is missed, and those with short attention spans receive the information necessary to understand the purpose of this post. As mentioned in the previous topic, many different people tend to hold differing opinions on Roleplay Conduct and Etiquette, and those differing opinions are what I hope to solve/unite. So what exactly is MetaGaming? Much alike my breakdown of conduct, I will now explain the fundamentals of MetaGaming. As per its definition, Roleplay is “a strategy, action or method used in a game which transcends a prescribed ruleset, uses external factors to affect the game, or goes beyond the supposed limits or environment set by the game. Another definition refers to the game universe outside of the game itself.” So what exactly does this mean? This means that your character is bound by a certain set of rules in regards to information and actions that that character currently knows. This can include information found Out-of-Character, certain skills which your character could not feasibly be aware of, or simply having information In-Character about something your character couldn’t possibly know. After communication with Server Staff and a host of players, it has been determined that whilst MetaGaming is technically a break in character, there can be some allowed exceptions to this rule. This will come under the convenience section. Instead, we defined MetaGaming as taking something which you couldn’t possibly know in an In-Character scenario which provides a negative impact on the scene. Examples of this are: The scenario: Player A tends to his family farm, having known no other life than the wheat he picks from the fields. A is about 15 years old, and works for his father. His Father wasn’t too interesting, he worked the farm like his father before him, and his father before him. They never really left the farm unless they needed to travel to the local village for supplies, never visiting any major city or interacting with anyone higher than that of a simple farmhand. Player B wanders along and asks Player A what the know a war which occurred 50 years ago. Because Player A, as a real life person, was present during this war that was played out, his character suddenly replies to Player B with intricate details in regards to the storyline of the war. The problem: Do you see a problem here? I hope so, because I do too. Player A’s 15 year old character has somehow accumulated knowledge on a war half a century past due to some strange symbiotic connection they have with the person playing the character. In reality, Player A’s character would shake his head and move on, as it is entirely likely that he wouldn’t even know who was fighting who in a war so distant in which his family played no part. The correction: Player A would feasibly know next to nothing of this conflict. “But what do I say, wouldn’t that limit conversational roleplay?” I hear you ask. Well, the answer is a mixture of both. Yes, it may limit the conversation to some extent. Okay, you know nothing of the war so you are unable to inform the person you’re speaking to about the things you may know Out-of-Character; however, as an opposition to this, you can continue and return the question to the person asking. Chances are, if they are asking about it, they know a thing or two about the scenario, and to continue the conversation and propel roleplay forward, you switch the focus of instigation to yourself. Have them tell you all about it. “And what if they don’t know either?” Then revel in that fact. You both know nothing of the war, so find something new to talk about. Or talk about how your character feels about being stuck on a farm, and being unable to learn all this information. How about another example? The scenario: Player A is raiding City 1 with a group of his friends, A.1, A.2 and A.3. They reach the settlement and find a large city, with many houses and many public buildings. They are looking forward to finding people to beat down and ravage for minas or valuables which they can later sell. Player B is in his house with his wife, B.1 and his son, B.2. This house is tucked away and near no public buildings. Player A’s sees the name tags of the three and walks straight up to that house. The A’s kick down the door and loot the house, beating the family and stealing their precious items. They then leave. The problem: City 1, as stated, was rather large with many houses and public buildings. Player A, even after seeing Player B and his family’s name tags, should not have walked straight towards that house. Player A’s character cannot see through walls, and name tags are not to be taken In-Character. “But Raiders could check every house and eventually find them!” I hear you cry; and you’re right. But not in the way you think. Player B, as stated, walked straight up to the house and kicked down the door, even though his character couldn’t have realistically known anyone inside. The correction: The correction to this is simple. Don’t think that because you can see their name tag, that you can take that In-Character. What should have occurred, was Player B and his group moving through the city to the public buildings and searching them for people. Upon realising no one was nearby, they would start on the houses. They’d start on those closest to the public buildings and work their way through the city, kicking down doors until they found someone. If at this point, after searching other houses and more likely buildings, they stumble across Player A and family, that’s completely fine and correct conduct. There is nothing wrong with this, as they searched each house for people and eventually found them. However, in contrast, it is very likely that Player A and family would hear the commotion outside and could use this as a chance to escape. In contradiction to that, the A group could only vacate when the raiders are close enough to the house that the sound of bursting doors would be heard, and not the moment they see names. Alright great, you just explained MetaGaming. So what about Convenience? This is where is gets somewhat tricky. It can often be said that Roleplay Convenience can be taken as partial Metagaming. It isn’t entirely different, and it isn’t too difficult to understand, however it must be noted there is a difference. While using information you have acquired Out-of-Character for negative purposes, such as spotting where someone is hiding, is called MetaGaming, using information you have acquired Out-of-Character for positive purposes and to better the entire roleplaying scenario is seen as Convenience and is often permitted to an extent. The tricky part of this is being able to determine whether using a piece of information you have garnered Out-of-Character will affect everyone in a neutral or positive way, and unfortunately no amount of writing will be able to teach you how to do that; however, what I can add, is that a general rule of thumb to adhere to is “If this was done towards me, how would I feel?” or “Does this interrupt the Roleplay experience in any way?” or lastly, “Is there any feasible way this could actually make sense In-Character?”. Once you have determined the answer to these three questions, you’re ready to start. Examples of how ‘MetaGaming’ can be used to enhance Roleplay are as follows: The scenario: Player A is roleplaying in City 1. Player A is lonely and is looking for people to roleplay with, so A contacts his Out-of-Character friend, Player B, in Private Message, or on any platform outside of roleplay, and asks them to come to City 1 to roleplay. Player B is in City 2, and technically has no reason at all to go to City 1 other than the Out-of-Character reasoning to entertain Player A. Player B ends up wandering over to City 1 to entertain Player A. The explanation: “Isn’t this technically MetaGaming?” You’re probably asking, and you’d be correct. Yes, it’s true, Player B had no reason whatsoever to go over to City 1 and entertain Player A other than Out-of-Character motives. But what was produced from this? Roleplay. The two likely had some fun and engaging conversational roleplay, which possibly escalated into some really interesting Character Development. The bottom line here is that Roleplay was provided. Good roleplay, roleplay that didn’t resort in anything necessarily negative coming from this. Player B didn’t gain an advantage from going to City 1, he didn’t manage to assert him/herself over Player A, he/her simply managed to provide enjoyment to both parties by doing so. How would the situation need to go for it to be MetaGaming?: Say for instance, Player A and his group, A.1, A.2 and A.3 are all beating down Player B in the middle of nowhere. Player B then messages Player C Out-of-Character and asks for help. Or maybe Player B hops onto Skype or Teamspeak and asks for assistance from his friends, D, E, F and G. They suddenly and miraculously appear out of nowhere and beat Player A and his group. While similar to the scenario above, this action is interpreted as MetaGaming as it is seen as a negative impact on one or all parties involved. In-Character reasoning: Alright, alright. I get the difference. MetaGaming provides a negative response, Convenience provides a positive one. So what could I use In-Character to explain this ‘convenience’? Simply put, it’s pretty much down to you. Carrier Pigeons are a thing, as are messengers. These can be used as an explanation, or you can simply make something up. As long as it makes sense, of course. You cannot say “I telepathically figured out you were here, friendo.”. So what’s your overarching point here? I aim for everyone to understand the difference between MetaGaming and Convenience Roleplay. The difference between conveniently appearing in a certain area which you wouldn’t normally be to provide a positive response, and ‘conveniently’ appearing to jump to someone's aid and provide a negative reaction for one or all parties involved like some kind of troubled minecraft social justice warrior. Not everyone understands this difference, and I’m hoping that this post will have cleared up a few contentions (there’s that word again. Eeee.) and helps those who are currently out of the loop understand what is expected of them. Roleplay is supposed to be fun for us all, and instigating and providing roleplay as an antagonist or protagonist in certain scenarios is fun, as long as you don’t overdo it. Be wary and cautious of all involved and take that into account before deciding whether to do anything listed above. Oh! Thomas, you forgot something. What about MetaGamed skills, can they be used in Convenience too? Hrrmm, urrr. No. They can’t, unfortunately. As much as it may provide a positive outcome for you to suddenly know first-aid or get over your squeamishness in a situation simply because your friend is dying out on the ground, it provides a negative outcome to the person who inflicted that on someone, and you simply cannot come up with an In-Character reason for it. New skills aren’t acquired, they are cultivated. A young sales merchant will likely not possess the required knowledge to stop the bleeding of a crossbow bolt to the shoulder blade, let alone holding the information needed to know to cut of the arrowhead and pull the shaft out first. Logic dictates all. Can your character logically or possibly know/do this? If the answer is yes, it’s probably convenience. If no, then it’s MetaGaming. Summary? Why do I make these things so ruddy long. Anyway, that should be all of it. As a closing summary: Information or Skills acquired Out-of-Character cannot transcend into In-Character unless they have any form of logical explanation for doing so. There is a difference between Convenience and MetaGaming, one is positive, one is negative. While it’s ‘technically’ MetaGaming, it’s permitted and often encouraged. Roleplay is what keeps the server moving and without it, the server would grind and jarr until it started moving again. Providing and instigating roleplay is great, and it keeps everyone interested and engaged. To do this, sometimes some things need to be used to enhance the experience, as long as it’s used in a positive way and all parties involved agree to it. That’s the most important part. Though this has gone on too long and I am super hungry for dinner, so woop woop. I hope you had fun reading, expect the next one tomorrow or on Friday 12th, I’m not too sure how busy I’ll be tomorrow. Love you bye. -Tahmas (Thomas) (once again feel free to ask questions on the thread about the up and coming discussions, or about the topic at hand. Or anything really. Go wild, go nuts..)

Roleplay Conduct: Introduction Introduction Lord of the Craft is based on Roleplay. It breathes Roleplay: it bleeds Roleplay. Roleplay pushes this server forward and is the core component to every single thing on the server. It’s prided itself in this, as it should, and the pride it’s taken has proven to be a large benefit to the Player-base. The Whitelist feature of the server helps weed out those just wishing to troll, and those who currently do not fit the criteria for the Roleplaying standard of the server. Due to this, massive contentions arise across the Roleplaying scene. These mostly culminate in a series of forms that not everyone seems to adhere to. Some tend to hold a different ideal on how Roleplay should work, which is all well and good, but there are a few guidelines which everyone must follow to ensure everyone enjoys themselves. After a few less than savoury scenarios which prompted me to do some research and communication with the Server Staff in regards to the view of the now discussed, I decided to make a small mini series of topics on the RP conduct nature and delve into the specifics in regards to RP customs and regulations which are generally put in place to ensure all are enjoying the Server’s Roleplay universe. This mini series will cover and hopefully clear up any contention between some common misunderstandings. I will cite references and sources, and have ensured that everything I have said has been approved by those who manage the Server to ensure complete transparency with what I say. So let’s get right into it. What is Roleplay Conduct? This is going to get mundane, and I’m going to apologise for that now. To understand and delve into problems around, you need to break it down to its fundamental core and build up from there. So, conduct by definition is “the manner in which a person behaves, especially in a particular place or situation”. So what is Roleplay Conduct? If it wasn’t fairly obvious, and I hope I don’t beat a dead horse or prompt anyone to feel belittled by this clarification, Roleplay Conduct is how one presents themselves and how they behave when Roleplaying. This can occur anywhere, on any server and even in real life. (Not particularly Mommy and Daddy, Doctor's dress up type roleplaying you did as kids) Why is positive Roleplay Conduct important? Positivity is vital in many scenarios, most importantly when handling other people. Many people are cynical and like being negative, and that’s completely fine. If that fits you as a person, wonderful. You do you, but much like offering a lactose-intolerant person cheese, you really shouldn’t shove it in their face. The Internet is vast and filled with all kinds of people, some are here to make the Internet a lighter place, some are here to make it darker. Then there are those who use the Internet, and in many many cases, Roleplay, as an escape from Real Life. This isn’t always as depressing as you’d think it may be, but people use Roleplay as a way to express themselves in a way they never thought possible in their day to day runnings of the real world. Someone may wish to be an adventurer in real life, so as a substitute they create a character who lives to explore and delve into new endeavours as a way to satiate the thirst in their real life. If someone is having a particularly troubling time outside of the Internet, they usually resort to coming online in search of escape or just a treatment to what they are feeling. Because of this, it’s a general rule of thumb to act like a good ol’ bloke with everyone you come across. Who knows what they’re going through in the real world. Because of this, positivity is a very important thing. “You’ve sidetracked”, I assume you’re thinking, and you’re right. I do that; I rant. Back on topic, however: as we just established, positivity is important. “But what positivity in Roleplay?” “What if I want my character to be rude and negative?”. Good questions, and no one is asking for your character to be a good guy. If you want your character to be abrasive, mendacious and cynical and then by all means go for it. Give it your all, be negative! What I’m referring to here; however, is the focus of being positive in regards to the guidelines of Roleplay, and how to act when Out-of-Character. This, of course, is in regards to the infamous ‘Metagaming’, and ‘Powergaming’. Both of these topics I will cover in following posts. Having a positive Roleplay Conduct is important because it helps everyone feel welcome, prevents people from feeling targeted. The last thing anyone wants is to feel targeted In-Character because of something that occurred Out-of-Character, or for their concerns to not be heard. So what are you getting at here? I’m really bad at staying on point, so I’ll try and re-rail myself. Roleplay is fun for us all, it’s something we come to do and if you don’t enjoy roleplay; I’m not sure why you’re on Lord of the Craft. Following a decent set of guidelines is vital to ensuring everyone receives the maximum enjoyment any one individual can, and allows everyone to understand what is expected from them as people. There are many who do not take this into account, and just do as they please. We get it, it’s the internet, and you want to mess around. But there are people here who are trying to enjoy themselves, and for their leisure to be interrupted because someone wishes to break or provide negative conduct, is not something which should be taken lightly. In the followings topics posted by myself over the coming week, I will try and highlight certain areas of negative conduct and expand on them, detailing specifically what they are and how an individual can take a step in the right direction. I’ll cite examples of negative and positive scenarios, and provide as much additional content as I can. Summary? Be a good human being? I’m not pandering to everyone here, and of course there will be some people who will just be bullheaded and ignore me, which I suppose is all fine. I’ll be making a bunch of posts in the coming days in regards to the appropriate RP Conduct all should follow, to certify that everyone is on the same wavelength on how they should act. Hopefully this will prevent Conduct violations, and resolve any future misunderstandings or longstanding contentions between different Roleplaying communities. Yay for bridges? I don’t know. They’re good I suppose. That’s pretty much all for this post. It’s about 1am, and I’ve spent the entire night on Teamspeak and Skype chatting with a host of fun and interesting people. I wanted to whip this up and post it as quick as possible to notify any who care of what is to come, to stay tuned within the coming days. I probably should have bulked out (or thinned down) the content in this post, but I wanted to make it as lighthearted as possible so I don’t seem like some sheriff shouting laws to the locals about how some of them should behave. But I am tired, so I’m going to go to bed. Love you bye. -Tahmas (Thomas) (also feel free to ask questions on the thread about the up and coming discussions, or about anything in general. I’d love to clear up any contentions. I love that word, can you tell?) (double also, if this is in the wrong section, feel free to move it <3)

TAVERNKEEP NEEDED Tavernkeep needed at the City of Peremont - active, engaged and competent. The tavern is nestled in the middle of the burgeoning city, often visited by the men of the Brotherhood of the Golden Crozier that inhabit the region and the other inhabitants. Surrounded by verdant wildlife and rolling plains, the city attracts more and more business with every passing day. For any prospective buyers, the tavern is priced at 600 minas, and any who desire to purchase it should speak to Denis de Bar (stigwig). To those who are simply interested in working as a tavernkeep; a wage can be arranged with the Count.

Electric Evocation Basic Understandings: Though evocation is one of the more basic and simple forms of magic a caster can learn, electric evocation is arguably one of the more dangerous and difficult of them all. Electric evocation is as the name implies; the summoning of electrical energy into the mortal realm from the void. As all other arcane evocations, this unnatural process is fueled by mana. Due to the fact that this is simply one evoking electrical energy, it in no way gives the caster the power to control any sort of electric energy outside of the ones that they have summoned from the void. Though this is the case, electric energy summoned from the void still acts as it would in the real world- IE: if someone were to cast electric energy near metal, it would redirect itself to said metal no matter where its intended location was. There are many reasons why electric evocation is a difficult magic to study and even more difficult to actually utilize. One must first understand their element, just as all other evocations. This could be done through multiple means, as long as in some form it helps the caster gain knowledge on said element, in this case one could perhaps watch a thunderstorm and see the way the lightning strikes the soil, have an electric evocation user give them a small jolt to see how it truly feels, or even study an electrical current provided by an electric evocationist. As expected however, the study of electric energy could easily take a turn for the worst. One could possibly get zapped in the process of closely studying the element, or in the worse cases, permanent damage or even death. Roleplaying Guidelines: As stated previously, electric evocation is a difficult magic to study and even more challenging to use compared to other subtypes of magic evocation. The reason for the difficulty in studying the element is listed above, however the difficulty in actually casting the magic is much greater. Due to the fact that electric evocation is quite literally somebody summoning forth electrical energy from the void, they have to be completely focused on their task at hand and shouldn’t toy around with this element. There are multiple forms that electric energy can be presented in, however one of the most common and one of the most powerful forms would be bolts. Bolts of electricity have the potential to be powerful, quick and accurate, however the nature of electricity is wild and unstable. The caster could easily end up shocking themselves, being one of the reasons why a novice caster would run into multiple problems at the beginning of their casting. Though this is the case, one would be able to gain better control over their element the higher they climb in skill level. The more they practice, the easier it becomes and the more they are able to do. A safe route to take when learning electric evocation is first learning about your element alongside learning how to connect to the void; which will likely take up most of the caster’s basic training. The caster will eventually get to the point where they’re able to summon small sparks, quite ineffective in combat. Once they progress forward and gain further knowledge on how their element is created within the void, the caster would eventually have the capability of summoning forth bolts of electrical energy and electrical streams- though at an incredibly vast cost of mana. The process would gradually become easier and less taxing as the caster continues his practice; yet still taxing nonetheless due to the fact that electric evocation is one of the more difficult evocations to use. Eventually, the magic user may reach the level of mastery, where they are capable of summoning something known as a call down: a spell in which lightning is summoned from what appears to be the sky and strikes downward at incredible speeds, hopefully crashing down on its targeted location. Here we will look at an example on how a beginner level electric evocationist would go about creating simple sparks: Toby’s wrists roll in a circular motion, his arms giving a quick yet noticeable twitch as his hands shift around, his palm now facing the ceiling. He inhales and exhales sharply, his eyes narrowing on his palms as he lets out a grunt of frustration. His expression turns into one of strain, his brow furrowing. A small bead of sweat races down his forehead as his hands give a small twitch, a crackling sound being heard which is followed by the sight of sparks twitching in and out of existence for only a moment. A loud wincing sound slips out from between Toby’s parted lips. Toby suddenly lets out a breath as if he’s been waiting to breathe, one arm dropping to his side as his other sluggishly rises into the air in triumph. Here we can see how taxing even just a mere spark is to beginner level electric evocationists. Now we will look at an example of an adept/proficient skilled evocationist who chooses to summon a quick bolt of lightning: Ayche’s arms whip outward, aiming directly toward the dummy completely made of hay, his hands giving a small twitch which is then followed by the soft sound of crackles. A buzzing sound becomes more apparent as small sparks begin to form inches away from his finger tips, his brow furrowing in concentration as his forehead appears to take on a glistening appearance. Ayche inhales and exhales sharply, his gaze remaining locked on the dummy as his hands suddenly seem to make a slight move forward, his teeth gritting together for only a moment as the crackles suddenly cease. As the crackling sound ceases, a bolt of electrical energy dashes through the air at incredible speeds, an obnoxiously loud buzz now being heard as it soars through the air. The loud buzzing sound is then replaced with a sound of impact, the energy meeting the hay dummy as it suddenly bursts into flames; half of it even crumbling to the ground. Ayche simply remains standing, letting out a loud huff as his arms fold in front of his chest, staring intently at the blazing dummy as his breathing heightens a great deal. Displayed here is the power of a moderate lightning bolt, but also the fatigue that even someone proficient in the art of electric evocation will have to deal with after using such a spell. Red Lines: Just as all other evocations you are not allowed to control elements outside of the ones that have been summoned from the void by your character. If there is any metal near the area of the casted evocation, you must RP the redirection of the electric energy flowing toward that metal. If not, this is considering powergaming.

DEAD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJoGVrfvKnU Ego is a form of energy that is everywhere in Athera, and around everyone. Only those whom are enlightened, and at peace mentally can feel the very gentle stir of the essence around them. This energy emits from the elements, other forms of life, and even influence (such as plants, wildlife, fire, water, evil and good). Very few can sense this energy, and even fewer can channel it into their body and manipulate it. Those whom can manipulate positive Ego find themselves much more at peace with themselves in the future versus those who choose to manipulate negative, dark Ego, whom tend to allow it to overcome them, and drive them mad. Ego comes in various forms, and colors, although they're invisible until manipulated from their being. Each color/form of Ego has its own unique feel, such as green Ego, which is emitted from life, tends to feel more warm, inviting, and relaxing, while dark Ego, which is emitted from evil beings, tends to feel very unwelcoming, cold, and claustrophobic. Every form of Ego can be manipulated, and each type of Ego has its own benefits, and some, even disadvantages. Those who can feel the slight presence of Ego choose whether to allow it within them or not, although some Ego is stronger than others, and may enter the body uninvited. Each different type affects the body differently, and prolonged exposure to a certain type can differ drastically than others. Only so much of a certain Ego can be stored, and channeled within the body at once, waiting to be used. Ego can be used in many different ways. It can be used passively, and overtime such as giving the user a very peaceful, and long-lasting relaxed feeling. It can also be triggered, and be used in a certain situation (this is when you are able to see the Ego's color). Keep in mind, each Ego has its own use, and some types might not be able to have the same affects as others. A deep, forest green. This Ego comes from nature, life, and various wildlife. The most common of Ego, this form can be found nearly anywhere within the vast land of Athera. Those whom come in contact with Green Ego begin to feel a very slight peaceful feeling. The more quiet the area the person is in, the more this feeling seems to intensify. Also, the more this Ego is absorbed, the more the peace and tranquility becomes apparent, and real. When channeled, the user may lay their hands on another being (animal or person), in which, they too will start to become overwhelmed by the calming nature, and presence of the Ego. A bright, embery red that bellows violently with life. This ego comes from anger, fire, and the deep rocky depths of Athera. Red Ego contains the essence of power and strength, and those who come in contact with it slowly begin to feel an energetic presence. The more the user absorbs Red Ego, the more the energetic feeling starts to overcome them. When channeled, the user receives a very short burst of previously shackled strength and energy, allowing them to endure rough challenges longer. A vibrant, frosty blue color that quietly bustles with intellect and knowledge. This Ego comes from distilled nature, calm waters, and the quiet, soothing sound of a trickling brook. Those whom come within the slightest contact of Blue Ego begin to feel slightly relaxed, and at peace with their thoughts. The more this Ego is absorbed, the more the sounds of the outside world become nonexistent as you reluctantly begin to soar within your own thoughts. When channeled, the user briefly succumbs to their mind, and are able to think and imagine crystal clearly without distortion or any disturbance from the outside world. Perfect for mages wishing to cast a spell from the Void to the real world. A dark, menacing purple color that appears as if it would sap the life out of anything it comes in contact with. This Ego comes from Evil forces, abominations, negative other-worldly beings, and even death itself. The most dangerous Ego, for excessive prolonged exposure can corrupt ones psyche and leave them emotionless, distraught, lost, or even insane. Certain beings that have come in contact with, or that have been blessed by evil "gods" and/or "goddesses" can endure a much larger exposure to Dark Ego, allowing them to be able to absorb, and even channel large quantities. Normal people, and the regular races of Athera can absorb Dark Ego, but too much can lead to pain, paranoia, nausea, and hearing/seeing things. Too much Dark Ego absorbed into ones being can sap the person of their strength, either paralyzing them or ultimately killing them. A user of Ego can forcefully channel this energy into another one's being, which would heed the same exact side effects as stated before. Dark Ego can also be channeled into not only the races of Athera, but into Ather itself, corrupting lands, plants, and such (Although it takes massive, vast quantities of Dark Ego to fully corrupt a medium sized area). If an area becomes corrupted, that too will become a pool/vent of Dark Ego, and it will stretch further across the lands. A radiant, bright Ego that appears as if it would illuminate even the darkest of rooms entirely. This Ego comes from certain acts of humanism, good-will, and even certain Deities. When somebody who can feel the presence of Ego comes in contact with Light Ego, they instantly start to feel safe, and guarded and well-protected. Light Ego, oddly enough, is the hardest Ego to absorb. Your body can reject, and even be harmed by Light Ego if you are blessed by any dark Deity (although the harm is very little). Only short quantities of Light Ego can be absorbed at a time, and would probably take the entire short quantity to even correctly channel this Ego. Light Ego can be channeled on another living being (animal or person). Once the Light Ego begins to enter their body, any aches, or very slight pain will gingerly heal overtime. It will not heal the wound, only subside some of the pain. ~~~ Character Requirements: • An intellectual, mentally-at-peace character • Must find out IC'ly about Ego, whether through experience, other people, or reading Tiers: • There are no tiers to this "magic". Instead, overtime, as your character progressively becomes more knowledgeable and more experienced of using Ego, they become stronger in feeling the presence of Ego, and channeling it. Red Flags: • Character must find out about Ego IC'ly • Usually only very wise Characters will actually be able to feel the subtle presence of Ego. • No healing, only the relief of pain • This "magic" isn't made for power, but instead to delve into a more fun Roleplay experience with a very interact-able form of magic. • Will add more later OOC Notes: PLEASE! Suggestions and feedback are wanted and needed! Q/A: Many people are against the use of Void Magic, while Ego would be a natural alternative. No, I would probably have this entirely distinct from Void Magic. Although, the two would add for a great combination, and I'm still planning on adding more differences to Ego. Didn't know what else to classify it as to be brutally honest.

Brotherhood of the Holy Palatinate I Shall Not Falter A steel song rings from the souls of all the faithful, my friends, but only those chosen as the Bulwark of the Faith shall find their ears ringing with it's brilliant, bursting crescendo. By the brilliance of the Creator and all of his children, and by the authority of High Pontiff Daniel I, and to be outlined in the First Bull of Cyriaum, the Brotherhood of the Holy Palatinate shall be accepting preliminary applications prior to it’s formal formation under the command of Ser Godwin Myre, Commandant of the Holy See. The Brotherhood's garrison is located in Cyriaum, just east of Petrus. The Palatine Code I. STATIONS i. It is we who stand as guardians of the High Pontiff. ii. It is we who shall protect the Creator's faithful from evil, whenever possible. iii. It is we who hunt all worshippers of evil and practitioners of darkness. iv. It is we who keep watch in the lands of the Holy See, and uphold peace and order. v. It is we who shall be the Vanguard of any Holy Crusades. vi. It is we who shall carry out the sentences of those convicted of crimes against the Faith and the Holy See. vii. It is we who shall train the Cyriaum citizen militia in times of need. II. TENETS i. It is we who share, with tolerance and understanding, the word of the Lord. ii. It is we who maintain a powerful and unwavering faith in the Creator and His word. iii. It is we who shall seek to embody Horen's Virtue and Owyn's Spirit. iv. It is we who strive to deliver upon the faithful the embodiments of Godfrey's Gospel and Siegmund's Auspices. v. It is we who obey, without question, the hierarchy of the Brotherhood, and ultimately word of the High Pontiff. vi. It is we who shall embrace our fellow Palatines as Brothers, and treat them as such. vii. It is we who know to violate the Palatine Code is to be stripped of his rank and to be exiled in disgrace. The Hierarchy SENIOR COMMAND --Commandant-- The Commandant is the absolute commander of the Brotherhood, whose direct authority is superseded only by the High Pontiff himself. The Commandant advises the High Pontiff and the entire Holy See largely on military matters; primarily defensive. The High Pontiff selects and removes the Commandant at will. --Chaplain-- The Chaplain is the Commandant’s eyes and ears, as well as his voice. The Overseer is an extremely loyal, competent, virtuous, and respected member of the Brotherhood. The Chaplain has all the powers of command within the Brotherhood that the Commandant has, but can be overridden by the Commandant at any time. The Commandant may add or remove Chaplains at will. HIGH COMMAND --First Palatine-- The First Palatine is a proven, experienced and competent Brother. He is entrusted with drilling the enlisted, leading and organizing patrols and watches, and is the first rank permitted to carry the Standard of the Holy See into battle. First Palatines oftentimes are given specific tasks along with their rank, depending on their individual skills, such as Quartermaster or Disciplinarian. ENLISTED --Palatine-- The Palatine is a veteran guardsman who has proven his virtuosity, loyalty, and efficiency. The Palatine is the first rank permitted to wear the Lorraine upon his tabard. He is the primary backbone of the Brotherhood, and makes up the majority of the patrols and lines. The Palatine may select a newly promoted Gardist as their direct apprentice. The Palatine who disobeys a single order immediately suffers severe punishment, including, at the least, demotion. --Gardist-- The Gardist is one finally fully recognized and initiated as a member of the Brotherhood. He has proven himself capable of more extensive training, and receives it from the High Command during scheduled drills, or from an Ensign who selects them as their apprentice. The Gardist’s status as a newly initiated Guard gives him a small amount of slack in disciplinary situations, and High Command may be more lenient with them depending on their time as a Gardist and the offense. The Gardist is the first rank permitted to wear the colors of the Holy See upon his tabard. --Initiate-- The Initiate is one who dwells in the Pool of Consideration, and has not been selected from the Pool or been directly Chosen to bypass the Pool. He is not yet a member of the Palatine Guard, and therefore his actions do not reflect the Guard. The Initiate is considered under a trial phase, and he undergoes basic training to consider his worth. The Selection To serve in the Palatine Guard, one must be of at least sixteen years, a male, of the Human race and a faithful member of the Church of the Canon. I. To Be Considered Any faithful man above the age of sixteen may actively apply to the Consideration Pool. If their application is accepted, they shall be given room and board and the title “Initiate.” During their time in the Consideration Pool, no man is considered a member of the Palatine Guard. They shall, however, be expected to attend to whatever duties are assigned to them by any Officer of the Brotherhood, as well as attending regular drills, competitions, and sermons. Through these means, the Commandant and his officers shall evaluate each and every initiate and decide upon the fate of that initiate. Below is the public application to the Consideration Pool.

So as a new player I was looking for Orc history or timeline, but found nothing but a few unspecific events. In order to advance roleplay and make applying easier I suggest adding something like this.

~TheBlackRose~ }~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{ *Pinned to a tree is a piece of yellowing parchment held to the trunk with gruesome black nails in the 4 corners of the parchment. Upon closer inspection the words "TheBlackRose" can be read across the top with a rose unlike any other seeming to of been burned into the parchment. Beneath this there seems to be more writing though it is not in the same black ink but in blood...* }~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{ Remember these words upon this paper for they may just be the last you will ever read. If you are willing to take the steps necessary to fulfill the duty of TheBlackRose; I ask of you to take one of the ravens that sits below and tie a note to its leg with a petal from the rose that rests above crested within the parchment. You must write in blood upon this note the following; Name, Age, and Race. Release the raven at day break upon the sealing of the blood note. Sincerely yours, TheBlackRose }~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{ *Beneath the tree’s trunk lies a cage made of Ferrum, it is rusted and the hinges creak with every movement. Within the cage sits ravens each screeching horribly loud at the approach of any who come near. Their appears to be signs of blood dripped upon the ground around and on the bars of the rusted cage* ((Just a extra note, within the note you leave here on the forum please list what I already said including; Skype, and Ingame Username so I can message you with a bird responding to the application ingame.)) Background Lore: TheBlackRose was formed from a need to create a better and brighter future by assassinating the evils of the land through means of payment and other sacrifice. The location of where exactly TheBlackRose plan and coordinate assassinations from is unknown except to the few who associate with them. A assassination by TheBlackRose can always be recognized by the black rose placed upon the body in any piece of the clothing. Initiation involves burning a rose imbued with black ink taken from dark resin right above the heart upon the chest.

Greetings Fellow Roleplayers! Today I shall be giving you my top 5 ways of improving your roleplay so that both you, and those around you get to enjoy and fun role playing experience. So let's begin! Tip 5: Lower the use of LOOC as much as possible. When role playing, you don't want yours, nor other peoples chat spammed with Local Out Of Character arguing about who stabbed who in what place and "Oh he's power gaming" etc. Make your role playing decent enough so that there won't need to be any LOOC arguing. Tip 4: Be unique. Toe be unique, one does not need to become a fire Mage from a distant land who can breathe fire like a dragon. One must be completely unique in their own little way. Of course everybody is unique in real life, and it would be annoying if you copied an elf called Steve, and you followed his every move, using all of Steve's traits as your own. The slightest things, such as having an obsession with mushrooms, or fluent in elvish when being a human are all things that make your character stand out that little bit more. Make your character different to everybody else's, but not dramatically. Tip 3: Variety. Variety in roleplay is very important, because if your character does exactly the same thing, at exactly the same time in the same place every single day, then it will just get boring and people won't roleplay with you. Travel, maybe try something that thou has never done. For example if your character is a good boy and doesn't drink, try letting him try going into a tavern and ordering a pint of Emberhard's finest. Or even something as simple as, speaking with different races. If you mostly roleplay with elves or humans, try role playing with some orcs, or halflings! (Halflings are small and usual neglected so do try and roleplay with us some more, thank you ;) ) Tip 2: Develop your character. This is also a very important part of your RP experience. People develop over time in real life, so why shouldn't they in Anthos? Your character should change over a period of time, maybe becoming stronger physically, or mentally. Things that may be inflicted on your character may change how they view things. Just anything, especially the small things. A character that stays exactly the same from the moment they are born, to the moment when they die, is not as interesting as a character that develops and becomes perhaps weaker or more friendly towards high elves or whatever. Tip1: Be prepared to lose. I have seen this personally, there are two types of players on LoTC. There is Type 1, who are the people who are in it for the roleplay experience, and don't care about what they lose or gain, they just let it develop their character. Then there is Type 2, who will do anything to avoid losing their precious items, and even power game/meta game to avoid it. Realistically, everybody loses possessions, and losing is part of life. When you lose, it provides the necessary thought to try and win next time, and losing helps to develop your character and your level of skill in role playing. If you are fighting, let the roleplay run it's course, and if you lose, so what? You have improved your level of role playing skill by being able to lose. Don't get competitive OOC for something that is IC. So that's my top 5 tips for improving your LoTC Roleplay experience. I hope you use these in game, so as to better yourselves. Feedback is welcome and have anything that you feel is more important? Let me know below! I may not use it in my list, but I look forward to seeing your ideas and responses! Thank you for reading! -Hammy

A LotC (Learning outside the Classroom) Guide General Roleplay Guid I wrote this guide in the hope that it would be informative and helpful to the reader. As Roleplay can be complicated to new players, and may be improven by more veteran. So let us start! General roleplay: From the moment you start, you will be involved and affected by the Roleplay around you. From travelling strangers to old friends, the world of LotC is full of suprises around every corner. Imagene that you are walking down the road, minding your own business. Randomly a man on the horizon, runs towards you. As he stands still, he asks you "Could you help me? I am quite lost.." As the above happens alot, especially to new players. This is one of the primary gold mines for roleplay, and future friends. I have met my now best pal Vladamire through merely asking for directions. If you use these oppertunities though. If you ask the standard question "Depends on what city you want to go to" , there might be some roleplay, and it ends. But if you are bored, wander or for example walk towards Malinor, you could ask him if he wants to come with you? Along the way you talk, you learn from eachothers characters, and many times you have one more soul who likes you after that walk. Afcourse, while you are walking you need topics to talk about! That, has an obvious solution people often tend to miss. Your surroundings. You are located in a magical world! Talk about the wheat fields covering the horizon, the undead roaming the woods or about that windmill you saw burning. There is alot to talk about, be creative and smart! Sometimes, your Roleplay could become compromised by OOC situations. When you enter for example a tavern, you would expect this: Though, you find out that your epic expectations of a medieval tavern... Was for nothing, and you find this: Aye, no ale without bartender. So how do you make the best out of such disappointment? The blessed command of /setname can! It is fairly easy to switch your name within a conversation. I had this today! But I managed to start brawls, conflict and the singing of a dwarven anthem by simply playing the bartender with emotes too. If you have the people who would coorperate, the possibilities are endless! Just as you talk, use /setname The bartender, The apprentice, The blacksmith, whatever person is missing and essential to your roleplay. You emote as them while your roleplaying partner is writing. For example: Derek: "So yah cum' here often? *The Bartender places a cup of wine in the counter, nodding as he continues doing the dishes Miriam "Nay, I just arrived here" Derek "So, what would your name be my lady?" *The Bartender chuckles as he hears the joke of the dwarves nearby Miriam "Miriam Ravenshire, yours?" The above is a great example how to put NPC emotes within your roleplay session, so there is no void nor restriction in the situation you are in. With this, you can do far more then you would imagene. Afcourse there are much better versions to be found or roleplayed, but this is an example of how to make your surroundings alive, even when you are only with two. Now next topic. the forum posting. Many take the brave steps to post their guild, FRP or just a roleplay topics on this forum. Afcourse, you do want to stand out! There is one thing you must understand when using the forums, it is seen by everybody. Some people, with their pretty stamps and signatures, may use this against you in Roleplay. Not that it is bad, but don't be suprised when you find this "The council of a superior race sends out arrest too.." "This organization is to be banished from Malinor because.." "Thou shall be executed because of Herecy" "Thou has been banished from the divine soils of oren" Now the above are prior examples of what people could post, and it would not be rule breaking when they do it, as much as you like or not. Though, you can do such too! The roleplay and guild sections are open to everything in the name of yourself and/or your organization. Make a fancy stamp and call them heretics! #Badass Either way, the forums are open for fancy powerplays, announcements and roleplay! Sometimes, roleplaying a certain situation or person can greatly be enhanced by background music. As this could change the atmosphere, it can be sometimes very importnant Though, what background music to choose? Well.. if I'm going to battle, this song pumps up the insanity of my characters! Though, there are many breathtaking ambiants, freely to be played from youtube! Check the waterfalls and trees with this song playing! Either way, composers like Adrian von Ziegler, and Beethoven. Or simply Jeremy Soule guild wars tracks, can create a certain feeling of immersion. It is definetly worth a try! Did I miss a part, or should i remove a certain part? Please give me feedback in the comments!

Hey-oh. It's Ford here! After coming back to LotC from a several month break, I've noticed the amount of RP has rose! However, it's quality has gone down significantly! So, I've decided to make this guide just because why not. To begin, know this is completely based on my opinion of how role-play should be...So, le's do dis. 1. Never. EVER. Emote your thoughts. This is the one thing that I've noticed happening more often. There's no point in emoting your thoughts, because no one else can even hear you. The point of emotes are to express your characters actions, whether they be simple or complex. Emoting your thoughts doesn't move role-play forward whatsoever. Not only that, but it clutters the chat and creates gaps between actual physical emotes, which makes it slightly more irritating. Refrain from emoting your thoughts, as said above. 2. Don't be afraid to die. I've seen a few new players who get into fights that either they did or didn't start and they never want to die even though the current situation that there in practically states they should be dead by now. Do NOT be afraid to die during a battle. You will be teleported back to the monks and healed, however you will lose only 30 minutes of your memory, which isn't that bad. If you value your new character so much to the point where you can't possibly let them take a stab, then you need to rethink some things.Also, when fighting, you don't always have to be a fighting master. Sometimes being inexperienced in close-combat fights makes for better role-play. Don't be afraid to lose. 3. You CAN be detailed when making your emotes. Many times I've seen newbies who rush their emotes to try and be one step ahead of their opponent or fellow role-players, but their action is somewhat vague and can create confusion. Detailed emotes really do add feeling to role-play, and trust me: Short emotes can be detailed. Take your time. And when someone rushes you, simply continue typing until you're finished. 4. Fighting isn't the only fun thing in Anthos. Though fighting is fun, there's absolutely no need to make that the only "fun" thing to do on LotC when there's still so much that you can do to have fun. If you only consider fighting fun, then that's just your character and I understand, but just realize that there are other ways of having fun. 5. Relax. That's a big one. There are people that get angry over games, and they're usually immature, but it's definitely much more immature to get angry over some Minecraft fantasy role-play with pixel characters. There's no need to get upset over a little role-play that doesn't go your way. However, if you realize that this is unfair and you feel that it's ruining your experience, tell someone. Call for a staff member, take screenshots, show how you were wronged, but ALWAYS try to smooth out the situation with whoever wronged you first. Never get frustrated over a role-playing server. Stemming onto this, if you do develop real-life frustration over some role-play, try as hard as you can to not bring it back into the game world. It has happened before, and it ends up in chaos. If you're really that upset, just turn your computer off and step away. 6. Don't use OOC for silly things like saying "Hehe, I like pie too!" Tells and messages to other players can be used for that. It becomes annoying when used near a scene where real role-play is happening. OOC also, once again, clutters the chat and adds unneeded gaps between emotes and dialogue. Just remember that instead of using OOC, you can do /msg and then /r and type in your message to someone. An inordinate amount of times have I seen back-to-back dialogue over pointless things between two people in OOC that ruin role-play nearby. Just take it to /msg's. One more thing is that the best time to use OOC is when you want to explain a certain emote or action to many around you who may not understand what you just did. OOC can also be used to correct spelling errors or grammatical errors. Use OOC wisely and rarely 7. Quoted by AlpineAl himself, a veteran player, comes another great tip. "Don't try to get out of things with OOC. Voiding RP is a last resort." 8. Try showing fear where it's needed. I can understand if you want to be a total bad-ass, but when everyone else is running away and cowering in fear, you don't ALWAYS have to be the hero that stands up to the big baddie without a single hint of fear. Showing fear and surprise is a good thing, and likewise being traumatized by little itsy-bitsy events shouldn't be role-played too much either. I'll add more. Depends on how popular this gets. Probably not too popular, though...

So! Before you even get started, I must let you know this is a guide that was not written by me; it was written by a guy known as "grant," and I adapted it to LotC, and added a few things of my own mix. However, I find this guide extremely useful and necessary, mainly in this time and date, also known as complaints about the lack of role-play and some people moaning that Aegis was better - WHICH IS A WRONG STATEMENT. Why do I say this? Simple: Because people don't seem to know the difference between Aegis and Lord of the Craft during Aegis. Aegis was nothing but a map and, as we have seen twice, a map doesn't magically change things and make them better. It was the player base, the ideals, and the principles that were present during the time we role-played in a map known as Aegis, that made the difference. What happened? People forgot those things, and now we are going downhill in role-play quality, and decide to complain all over the place, as well as annoy the living hell out of the staff, and other players. So, why did I share and edit this article? So everyone reads it and learns that, if taken into account and used properly as a guide, it will help improving the quality of our role-play and make things better, hopefully bringing more players, who read this guide too, and improving things around. It is a guide meant for pen and paper RPGs. I adapted it to our situation. I highly recommend reading this guide whenever you´re feeling lost, bored, tired, or troubled by role-play. It really helps. - Jack O'Connell, aka. Minnan1. Small Warning: Contains mildly strong language to some extent; some words censored by the forums are used to mark the statements of this article. But it's nothing you've not heard before, c'mon... ======================================================================= ONE. Do stuff. Job One for you as a player is to do stuff; you should be thinking, at all times – “What are my goals? And what can I do to achieve them?” You are the stars of a very personal universe, and you are not going to get anywhere by sitting on your arse and waiting for adventure to come and knock on your door. Investigate stuff. Ask questions. Follow leads. No-one needs you to point out that this is an obvious plot thread while you do it. Mix up scenes, talk to people, get up in their grill. If you’re not playing the sort of character that would do such a thing, find something you can affect, and affect it. If you keep finding yourself pushed to the back of scenes and twiddling your thumbs – why is such a boring character hanging around with the sort of people that Get S**t Done? Be active, not passive. If you learn nothing else from this article, bloody learn this. TWO. Realize that your character does not exist outside of the things you have said. You can write as many pages of backstory as you like, mate, but they don’t factor in one bit to the game unless you show them happening. Are you a shrewd businessman? Cool. Do some business, shrewdly, in front of everyone else. Are you a hot jazz saxophonist? Play the saxophone. Are you a wild elf struggling through social interactions with civilized people? Struggle through those interactions! Don’t go off and sit under a tree, you prick! This ties back into the first point, really; you only exist through your actions. It is not the responsibility of other players to read your backstory, and their characters cannot read minds. Well. Some of them can, but you know what I mean. They shouldn’t have to. So display your talents, your traits, your weaknesses, your connections. Take every opportunity to show, and not tell, the other people in the server what your character is about. THREE. Don’t try to stop things. Negating another player’s actions is fairly useless play; it takes two possible story-changing elements and whacks them against each other so hard that neither of them works. For example, your fighter wants to punch some jerk, but your monk’s against it, so he grabs the fighter’s hand. In game terms, nothing’s happened. All you’ve done is waste time, and we don’t have infinite supplies of that. Instead, go with the flow. Build. If the fighter wants to break someone’s nose, what happens after that? Does your monk rush to help the jerk up? To admonish the fighter? To apologize to the jerk’s friends, before shite really kicks off? To save the fighter in the big brawl that ensues, even though he was going against your will? Or to throw the biggest guy in the tavern right at him, to really teach him a lesson? Those are all examples of interesting stories. Stopping him from doing anything whatsoever isn’t. Don’t negate, extrapolate. (See, that rhymes, so it’s easier to remember) FOUR. Take full control of your character. “My character wouldn’t do that” is a boring excuse, a massive NO to the game’s story on a fundamental level. It’s a point-blank refusal to participate. Instead of being bound by pre-conceived notions of what your character would and would not do, embrace complications and do it, but try to work out why. Why is your Rogue doing this mission for the church? Does he have ulterior motives? Is it out of a sense of companionship with the rest of the party? Characters in uncomfortable situations are the meat and drink of drama. (Do you remember that great story about that hobbit who told Gandalf to f*** off, and sat at home picking his hairy toes all day before his entire village was swallowed up by the armies of darkness? No. No you bloody don’t. So put on your backpack and get out there, Frodo) If you keep finding yourself having to explain your actions, or not wanting to go along with group decisions because of your character’s motives… well, sweetheart, maybe your character’s motives are wrong. They’re not written in stone. The group’s the thing, not your snowflake character, and if they’re not working, drop them off at the next village and maybe try playing someone more open to new ideas. Maybe work with the group to build a character that fits in. Your character is part of the story; this is not your character’s story. FIVE. Don’t harm other players too much, it gets annoying. Oh ho, here’s a jolly thief that nicks stuff from the other people! And their Sleight of Hand roll is so high that no-one will ever notice! Gosh, what a jape. F**** that guy. No-one likes that guy. (That guy generally plays Kender, and I am fully of the opinion that Kender should be promptly genocided out of all RPGs. I don’t think genocide is a crime if we’re talking about Kender.) If you steal from other players, you are exerting power over them in a really messy, underhanded sort of way. If they find out, what are they going to do? Are you going to force them to escalate? Is it fair if they kill you for it? Is that fun for them? Similarly, attacking other players is awful, too. I’m okay with this where systems fully support and encourage this, of course – something like Paranoia or Dogs in the Vineyard – but, Christ guys, give it a rest. I am hard-pressed to think of a way where such a thing improves the game; if the players involved are fine with it, discuss it beforehand. But keep me out of it. There are a whole load of things out there to steal from and beat up and kill that won’t get offended when you do it to them, so go bother them first. SIX. Know the system, don’t be a prick about it. (System being the server and how everything works.) If you know a system, you are easier to GM for, because you know your character’s limitations. You can calculate the rough odds of a particular action succeeding or failing, just like in real life. You can make prompt assessments of situations and act accordingly, because you understand the rules of the world. (New players, of course, get a free pass on this one. But do make an effort to learn the rules, obviously, if you’re keen on sticking around in the hobby.) But for the love of God, don’t rules-lawyer. Do not do that. It is not hard to work out, because here is a simple guide – if you are arguing over a rule for more than twenty seconds, you are a rules lawyer. You are the Health and Safety Inspector of role-playing games, and you need to stop talking, because you are sucking the fun out of the game. There are times when the rules are wrong, and that’s fine, but I’m hard-pressed to think of that time the guy remembered the rule and we all laughed and had a great time because he made the GM change it. Oh, and I almost forget: For the love of god, if you are being a rules-lawyer, do it in a PM, do not l-ooc the hell out of anyone. IT GETS ANNOYING. SEVEN. Give the game your attention. If you can’t give your full attention, step away from the computer. "Hey! What’s that you’re playing, on your phone there? Oh, is it Candy Crush Saga? That’s funny, all these dice and character sheets gave me the impression that we were playing Dungeons and F*cking Dragons, I must be terribly mistaken." - grant. It is hard to think of a way to be more dismissive of someone’s game than playing a different game during it. If you find yourself getting so bored by what’s going on you’re resorting to playing a game on your phone, or reading a book, or checking Facebook, then step away from Minecraft. You are draining the other players with your very presence. I would rather have an empty player slot than someone who wasn’t paying attention, because I don’t have to entertain an empty player slot. And of course, it’s up to everyone to offer an entertaining game. This is not one-sided. But going back to point one, act whenever you can. Give them something to work with. Unless you’re paying them money to do this, they are under no obligation to dance like a monkey for you just because they’re behind the screen. EIGHT. If you make someone uncomfortable, apologize and talk to them about it. (Warning: Mildly strong language. Contained within spoilers.) And that’s the point; in situations like the ones we find ourselves in on a weekly basis, it’s easy to make people feel uncomfortable. Maybe it’s as blatant as discussing dead babies or sexual interactions with animals; maybe it’s something much more benign, like being rude or chatting them up in-character. If you think you might have upset someone, then ask ‘em, quietly. And if you have, apologize, and stop talking about that particular thing. It’s not rocket science; that’s how existing as a functioning social human being works, and somehow because we’re pretending to be a halfling for a bit, we often forget how to do it. So, you know, be nice. Be extra nice. No-one’s going to think any less of you for it. NINE. Embrace failure. Failure can be embarrassing. I know that I get pretty het up when the odds don’t favor me – when I’ve spent ages waiting to have my turn in a large game, say, or when I’m using some special power, or when I’ve been talking a big talk for a while or described some fancy action – and I use some pretty bad language, too. And not “fun” bad language, like we all do when we’re gaming. Like threatening “is this guy okay” bad. And that’s not cool. I need to learn to treat failure as a story branch, not a block. Why did I miss? Why didn’t my intimidation role-play work? Why didn’t I pick the lock? Why was I seen? Who worked out that I’m the traitor? What other options can I explore? Some systems build this in by default and they give you the ability to somehow affect the world whenever you roll the dice, not just fail to affect someone’s Hit Points. That’s great! We need to get ourselves into that mindset by default. We need to view failures as setbacks and explain why our character didn’t achieve their goal, and we need to understand that failure is not the end of the world. TEN. Play the game. This is a game. This is not a challenge that exists solely in the head of other players, of the Event Team, of the GMs, of the Admins. This is not your character’s personal story arc. This is not your blog. This is not an excuse to chat up one of the other players. This is not a desk to sit at in silence. This is a game. We have signed up to play a game together. We are all telling a story with each other, to each other, and the story comes first. Step back from the heat of combat; step back from your character’s difficult relationship with their half-dark elf mother; step back from the way that the Paladin’s player keeps stealing your victories. This is a game. Respect the other players. Respect the story, and act in service of it. Respect that you will not always get your way, and that not getting your way can be interesting. Do what is best for the game. Do what is best for the story. Be active! Be positive! Be interesting! Change things! If you can’t walk away at the end of the night with a good memory, with something that you could talk about in the pub in years to come, then everyone in that role-play session has failed. ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://lookrobot.co.uk/2013/06/20/11-ways-to-be-a-better-roleplayer/

What?! RP Battles with 10+ people?! Impossibru! Not quite. Yes, large battles that are conducted using roleplay combat as opposed to PvP can be difficult and confusing, I will not pretend that they are not. But this chaos can be managed if one is willing to focus and be patient... and perhaps practice these techniques. Before we delve into the guide itself, I'd like to note that this is not a debate on whether PvP or RP combat should be the default, nor should said topic and other relation topics be debated here. This is strictly a guide for those who are willing to try and participate in larger battles using RP combat. So, moving on... Why would I want to bother with focus and patience??? Well, there are plenty of reasons... most of which tend to be more selfless than selfish. 1: Roleplay combat makes room for more creativity and versatility than PvP does. Emotes can be detailed and many players prefer this more immersive style of combat. 2: Some players, such as magic users, have difficulty conducting combat in PvP due to the lack of a magic plugin. Many feel that replacing their powers with swords and bows, enchanted or otherwise, undermines both the work put into gaining the privilege to use magic as well as the actual act using magic. 3: Many players have low FPS (frames per second) rates due to their computers, suffer from poor internet connection, or otherwise are put at a disadvantage in PvP for reasons outside of their control. They feel that RP combat helps to minimize these unfair disadvantages. Now, if one isn't willing to cooperate and compromise with other players, then most of this is void. However, it should be noted that people tend to be happy and tend to want to cooperate when you avoid conflict and are nice to them... so. If you're looking to build good relationships with players, perhaps give these techniques a try some time, and see how it goes. Even attempting to compromise will earn you respect from most people. When is this applicable? When would RP fights of this caliber be conducted? Obviously, there are some situations where RP fighting in general is just not practical. Whenever there are mobs, there is an amount of players so massive (say, 30 or 40+), or most players on both sides want to PvP, it is impractical and unreasonable to do a battle using RP combat. However, in battles of say, 10-25, these strategies can be employed. Battles like this might occur during wars between small armies, events, antagonist attacks, or large scale raids. Enough lecturing... what are the actual techniques?! Why, I'm glad you asked! The techniques are simple in writing, but can be difficult in practice. They are as follows: 1: Don't try and follow every single emote. OOC, it's just... very overwhelming. IC, it wouldn't make sense for your character to know every single thing going on in a battle of that caliber. Instead, focus only on... 2: ... your character, and his actions. Make sure you know what your character is actually doing. 3: ... your target. Make sure you know how your target responds to your attacks. 4: ... your attacker(s). This may be the same person as your target, or it may be someone else. It may be more than one person. Make sure you are aware of what is happening to your own character. 5: If you see a player, but do not know the player's character, simply do /seen _______. This only takes up one line of text, and will allow to know how your target responds to your attacks, and vice versa. In order to do the above, it is best to simply scan emotes quickly for either your character's name, the name of your target, and any emotes that appear to possibly affect the entire battle. Other than that, simply dismiss the other lines of text. Below is an example of a chaotic RP battle. Using these techniques, see if you can identify which lines are relevant to your own situation and which lines are not. Below will be a spoiler with the lines highlighted, though I strongly recommend trying the challenge out for yourself before checking the spoiler. Since an in game text box holds 20 lines of text, you will be asked to review twenty lines here. Your character's name, in this segment, is Vashklov the Impregnator, and your target is Bojangles the Clown. The Dark Lord lowers his shield and swings his sword diagonally from high to low and his own right to left at The E-Trade Baby. Little Bunny Foofoo shouts to his comrades as he desperately presses his sword to that of The Edgy One. "Help! Help!!" Bojangles the Clown stumbles and falls to his side as he is rammed by Sir Trolls-A-Lot. The E-Trade Baby lets out a terrifying, loud, high-pitched scream as he is slashed across the torso, falling onto his backside. Gluk-Gluk turns to flee, fearing for his life more than anyone else's. Yolo Swaggins closes his eyes and concentrates as his hands begin to glow a dim blue, trying to block out the noise around him. The Based God shouts, pointing to the tunnel in which reinforcements are streaming from. "Archers, fire!" Squire Billy cries out as Bojangles the Clown's throwing knife impales itself into his back, falling to his knees. George Clooney ducks under Whiney the Poo's backswing with his axe, then swiftly stands, draws his knife, and slashes across Poo's chest on the draw, attempting to immediately bring it back down afterwards and impale the knife in Poo's neck. Vashklov the Impregnator hacks downward at Bojangles the Clown with his broadsword, hoping to take advantage of Sir Trolls-A-Lot's help. Baelif Stonesmasher raises his warhammer from Snooty Elf's mush of a head, letting out a cry of victory. Ser Lord Bastard Justifier Joseph of Tyrannia the Fifth lets releases the string of his bow, watching as the barbed tip of the arrow hurtles towards Vashklov the Impregnator. Below is the same example, with "important" emotes highlighted and noted. Green text shows actions being done to or by your target, yellow text shows actions being done to you, and red text shows actions that might possibly effect large parts or all of the battle, including you. As you can see, there is still quite a bit to keep track of. However, we effectively eliminated half of the distracting emotes from our radar. When more people are added to the fight, even less will be happening to you and your target relative to the flood of emotes, and you will need to focus on even less of what's happening. I hope this could be of some service to people. If anyone has any questions or (constructive) criticism about this method of managing large scale RP battles, feel free to send me a PM on the forums or ask below. Enjoy!