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Powergaming in Combat Introduction Right, this is likely a bad time to write and post this given the heated atmosphere surrounding the topic in the latest days, but I and others feel that perhaps now is the opportune time to clear up some things and aim to prevent some arising concerns from coming to mass fruition. Blame Bagley, he told me to do this now. I had planned to give it a week before making another post, but hey ho time to continue on. Seriously, blame him. He smells really bad. Anyhow, on to the topic. In this thread I will not be covering what powergaming is, as I have done that in this thread, I will, however, be covering Powergaming directly in combat, how to avoid powergaming and the best course of action to take if you are confronted with a Powergamer. It was never specified how long this will be, but to avoid super paragraphs I’ll try and be concise and to the point. How to avoid Powergaming I am going to go off the assumption that all reading this are directly aware what Powergaming is. If you do not, however, please refer to the thread linked above in the introduction. As for powergaming in combat, a simple explanation would be “being too powerful or using mechanics too overpowered to forcibly emerge victorious in a roleplay fight, even if it made no sense to do so.” So how do I avoid powergaming? It isn’t easy to spot a power gamer from a simple Minecraft skin, and it often requires you to engage in roleplay to understand the full extent of their powergaming nature. There isn’t anything you can directly do to avoid finding powergamers, however there are some things you can do to avoid being a powergamer. Here is a bullet list, for ease of reading, which can help you discern whether or not you are powergaming: Avoiding of *dodges* every incoming attack. Using emotes which assume the outcome of an attack. When attacking someone, you attempt to attack someone, you cannot assume your attack is successful. Ex. *kills him / *grabs and throws him. / *breaks his nose. | You cannot assume what result your attack will give. Using overly complicated emotes to get out of an inescapable scenario. Ex. Two men have you chained to a wall, you use your slippery skin to get out, overpower the guards and run away. Being unrealistic. One old man will not be able to beat two fully armoured men. Not giving your opponent time to react. If you string together a list of attacks, and an escape before someone can even respond, you’re doing it wrong. Like above, you cannot assume to be able to predict the defense your opponent may have. Doing stupid things like backflipping out of situations. Stalling a situation and waiting for your buddies to pop up and help you, whilst mainly a metagaming issue, is worth a mention here. Character have flaws, no one is perfect and no matter what you do, in real life and roleplay, someone will always be better than you. No one wants to lose, but losing is more beneficial (most of the time) than winning. Losing helps your character develop, gives them more purpose. If you’re better than everyone at everything, what is the point? Character Development is a subject I’ll be touching on soon in another thread, but I think it needs to be partially said here. Having an OP character isn’t fun for you, it isn’t fun for me and it isn’t fun for anyone else either. So follow this bullet list to ensure your character has room to develop, and prevents people getting irritated at any powergaming ways. Give your character an equal amount of weaknesses as you have strengths. Give your character a goal, something to accomplish. Make this goal difficult to reach, but do not make it impossible. Work for this goal, have it impact your character in various ways when you do not immediately achieve it. Shoot for a physical weakness, such as blindness in one eye to lower the depth of your field of view, or a rigid shoulder which locks up during combat. Do not forget your weaknesses in combat. If your character is blind in one eye, play to that. You won’t be an expert in sword combat if you’re unable to discern where your opponent is. Do not be afraid to lose. Now I know, I know this goes against human nature but go against this base instinct. Try to win, for sure, but always stick within the realm of reality and what makes sense for your character. Make sensible moves, be realistic. You cannot just ‘get out’ of a grip, you need to be sure. Be emotive, explain your movies. Do not over complicate everything. Remember you’re roleplaying with someone else, they need to be able to understand what you’re saying. How to deal with Powergaming Those who powergame are often regarded as ‘new players’. People new to the server, people knew to Roleplay in general generally are the most at fault for this. Powergaming is bad, and I’m sure I can speak for everyone when I say that dealing with a Powergamer is no easy task. There is, however, a way that most people have taken to dealing with powergamers, and that is to powergame back. This isn’t okay, this isn’t proper and it simply perpetuates the problem. A powergamer will simply start to believe that powergaming is the norm, and there is nothing wrong with that. Handling a powergamer takes time, and it isn’t always something you want to do. So, if someone is powergaming and you don’t want to handle them or spend the time to teach them what to do, do one of the following: Refer them to this thread. Refer them to google what powergaming is, and ask them to amend this. Refer them to an Application Team member, they are responsible to watch over and assist new players. Report them to a GM. GMs will take the necessary steps after this. If, however, you do have the time and you want to teach whem what to do, do as I have instructed above. For clarification, here is a few steps: Inform the player via PM that what they are doing is known as powergaming, and is against the rules on this server. Refer them to this power, or explain to them what powergaming is. Explain to them how they were in fact powergaming, and what they should have done instead. Explain why it is against the rules, and ask them to either try again or to be more mindful of this in the future. Profit. If, and this will happen, the player refuses to listen or simply continues in his ways, screenshot the conversation and post a BR on the forums. Staff will handle it from there. Under no circumstances should you get angry and yell at them, or simply powergame in return. This is not helpful. Closing Be mindful of others and adhere to the server rules. Remember what was said and try to guide people into being better at what they do. I do acknowledge that it can become a pain to handle, and I do understand how some people simply cannot be bothered to deal with repetitive behaviour. Some people simply do not wish to listen or learn, and we all get that. Instead of getting mad, however, simply submit a modreq saying ‘X was powergaming in <location>, and refuses to listen.” and simply go on your way. Yes, modreqs sometimes go unanswered, and yes it won’t be responded to instantly. But what does that matter? You’ve given the location, for which the GMs can look into and handle outside of your involvement. You can continue on with your day. Even if it isn’t dealt with or looked at, at least you don’t need to handle it. Powergaming isn’t fun for anyone, and with the Defender Default trial, there may be an increase in powergaming. Following what was said above may be able to aid and prevent the growth of the aforementioned. Thank you for reading. -Thomas

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)

My character is looking for small land to set up a cottage and farm, she can pay with a negotiated price and amounts of the crops she farms, along with other services she does like lumber. if you have a land for sale that isn't to big nor pricey then please either pm me or comment on this post!

The Underworld It has lingered in the slums after the disappearance of the criminal hive. The criminals bounded by blood and trust continued to work together after his disappearance growing further with more criminal acts but still mourned for his return. It came to pass after fifteen years when he strode into the meeting of the Gang-Lords in clothes tattered and worn but with a presence that held. The heists, murder of nobles, criminal acts for corrupted nobles, deception which caused a feud between cities in Oren, it is returning to the already chaotic lands the Gang-Lords have been building. The Hive The Hive has no ranks but rather is the man (rarely more) who controls the strings of the criminal underground. Gangs who have attacked or displeased the Hive are discarded; destroyed by the mechanisms set in place for failure and hostility. The Underworld The Underworld is composed of Gang-Leaders who lead their gangs to complete criminal acts or larger goals of their purpose. The 'strings' is simply the collaboration of gangs to complete a criminal act successfully while not removing the Gang's personal aims. Gangs treat another with fair respect or risk problems. There is a basic rank structure from the Underworld to the Hive. It is Member-Gang Lord-Cobra(undisclosed)-Hive. Joining the Underworld -This poster is received by criminals only- "Attach your request to join to this poster with your Name (or nick), purpose for joining, and your skills." ((Message, don't post))

Around five weeks ago, I released a post for players interested in playing my character`s, Mari, or now known as Mariana Ilianos, children. Now that Mari has reached the age of twenty five, and had her children in when she was twenty, both twins have reached the required age of five. Now because of semi-forced action coming from the two (you know who you are...) I have created the basis for each of their character. This specific post will feature her eldest, Grey. Really I just finished his skin first so he goes first... BackgroundGrey Ilianos had lived a steady life from birth- as he never was confronted with real danger at all. However, as he reached the age of three, he noticed how his dear mother was acting differently, but being young, had brushed it off. He then continued his studies little by little, learning more than the average kid his age. By the time he was finally four, had he started his training as his mother worked in the fields. It was one day when he noticed her eyes would go black, and her body would not react to anything at all. Grey finally addressed this state as 'Void Farming.' The boy never questioned, as he yet again would brush this off to look after his sister and the fellow orphans Mariana would take care of from time to time. Although, one day he witnessed as several men kept following his mother throughout the fields, watching how they would stop to chatter about her. Her 'Void Farming' was full on, as she had not noticed any of the men. Grey was almost five at the time, but brave enough to get the family dog Ou, and had politely asked the men to leave. Refusing, he had started to follow his mother along with the dog, cautious of the group. They had finally charged, grabbing Mari`s arm, and laughed at how she did not react at all. The boy screamed, waving his arms around, and Ou simply barked along. That is when Mariana snapped back into reality and managed to chase the men off. This was the start of their little 'Void Call.' In the present times, Grey continues his studies, still watching over his family with a careful eye. He tends to help pay the rent- and clean as well as repair things in the house. Mari insists on taking care of these things, but he knows how his mother is ill- and tells her to go back to bed. He also tends to wonder who is father is and where is he. Additional InformationGrey has the basic knowledge of a fifth grader- reading up to that same level as well as being able to preform simple equations. He still has yet to learn his history. Because of a depressed Mari before he was born, she had drunk a full bottle of wine- this harming both twins. However, he still has yet to show any signs of this mistake. Ever since the family dog Ou died, Grey wanders around the city as everyone is asleep, looking for the best dog in the entire realm. There had been a heated relationship in dealt with one of the orphans Mari took care of- they seem to hate one another. AppearanceGrey has flaming red hair, just as his father had. He closely resembles his mother though, having her angled face and freckles. His skin is fair, not being as pale as his mother`s. (Keep in note that he dresses formally as he attempts to take care of business his mother would of handled when he was younger.) The link to his skin is here... http://www.planetminecraft.com/skin/half-elf-boy/

This post is along side my previous that is for players interested in playing my character`s children. (Please visit my page for the full background to her brother and why I am looking for players.) BackgroundAraceli Ilianos was only born minutes after her older brother, Grey Ilianos when her mother Mariana was only twenty. Alongside her brother, she lived a carefree life. Always with a full stomach, a well kept home, and a safe environment. When she and her brother reached the age of four, they both started their training as their mother worked in the fields. She knew from the very beginning that her mother was not fine, but did as told to, and did not say a word about it. As she watched as her brother came to their mother`s aid whenever she need it. Her 'Void Farming State' was yes terrifying, but it was for the better of things. So, Araceli would stay calm, and played with her pink plush bunny near the water`s bend as the day passed by. Often would she listen to her brother read the books Mariana would buy from the local book store. Everything went from peaceful, to more dangerous as her mother`s state grew worse. By the time the land was covered in darkness, she knew this was the last straw as she overheard her mother talking to a man one night about one subject she never understood. Love. The very next day, Mariana was in bed once more, covered from head to toe in her sheets. Grey had been able to find the house key, allowing her to walk downstairs to where the cooking pot had been. From there, Araceli had tried her best at doing the same recipes her mother preformed. She would watch as Mariana sews all their clothing, picking up a few things in the process. Now in the present day, she has dropped her plush bunny in trade for a training sword, hoping that one day she could be as powerful as the warriors she has often seen in the streets. Additional InformationAraceli would be enraged whenever someone calls Mariana "Sugar Lady" or "Sugar Momma" since she is know for harvesting abundances of sugar cane. Because of a wine accident before she was born, Araceli is expected, just like her brother, to show signs of this incident but still has not. (I`m leaving that to the player.) Araceli often pretends she is tired or sick to get out of her studies. Although being obedient most of the time, Araceli tends to be a little rebellious when no one is watching. Her most common nickname is Ari. AppearanceAraceli loves the many fabrics the city has to offer, so she dresses in the most recent ones for the fun of it. She is mostly seen with flowers in her head, or bows when she finds the perfect ribbons. Unlike her brother, Araceli has short elf ears- However, other than this, she to resembles her only living parent. The link to the skin is here... http://www.planetminecraft.com/skin/half-elf-girl/

Helvians https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2tDbEwTqnQ Over one hundred years ago a society was built on the outskirts of dwarven lands. Barbaric in nature this society was quickly laid to waste for its destructive nature in the lands of Anthos. When the leader Lacedaemon fell the remnants scattered and slowly integrated into normal human society. For the most part the families forgot their ancestral history except for a few and these few continued to practice their ancestral customs. Now these families are coming together again to reform the society. Culture & Tradition Becoming A Helvian

The Siegrad Warehouse Established by Lord Barbanov Led by the Ruthills The cries of the poor commoners could no longer be ignored. Day by day they grew louder and louder, until even the good Lord Barbanov heard them. Being a fair, kind and honorable person he immediately established the Siegrad Warehouse. As the news spread, armies of commoners from all over the North flocked to the Warehouse, looking for a good paying job. And as they received their deposit chest, they knew they had found it! The Siegrad Warehouse is built upon the principal that every man and woman is good at something and is therefore valuable to Society. Keeping this policy in mind, the young Robert Ruthill set out to make the most productive Warehouse in the entire region. He standardized chest names, organized the wares and introduced the 'bond' system of payment. With these new changes and improvements, the Siegrad Warehouse was gathering more resources than ever before and paying more people than was ever thought possible. -How it Works- Find Robert Ruthill, or send him an application requesting work at the Siegrad Warehouse. Upon being hired, you will be given a chest with a number on it. This is your 'deposit' chest. ​ Gather ANYTHING and place it in your deposit chest. ​ On Sunday, your Deposit chest shall be emptied and in it you will find some Mina Bonds. ​ Remove the Mina bond and make your way to the Lord's Fort. As you enter the courtyard, take a right and you will find the banker. Here you may exchange your Mina Bonds for real Minas. ​ (( To sell your Mina Bond you need to enter the number corresponding to your note. If its a 50 Mina Bond its 1. If its a 20 Mina Bond its 2. If its a 10 Mina Bond its 3. If its a 5 Mina Bond its 4. Then, depending on how many of the bonds you wish to cash in, you enter that number with a minus in front of it. In my case I had one 50 Mina Bond. So I would've typed in, after right clicking the slab; 1 and then -1. I would've gotten 50 minas then. Easy! )) ​ -Application- -OOC- MC Name: Time Zone: Skype: -RP- Name: Age: Do you live in Siegrad? This is a requirement in order to be hired!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EyM2jcBTW0 *As you scurry down a local road, fliers are nailed on fences, in front of taverns, and local crowded places. On the flier is written the following "Sir Harrison Sharp needs all lads and lasses who are out of their luck and wish to seek out treasures and tokens. Send a bird to Captain Sharp for labor, and he'll will set up a meeting. Fill out the application below." The application would ask of you to fill out the following: *A list of the crew and required jobs could be found below the flier.* Captain: Aepholis Celadithel First Mate: Adran Frosthand Quartermaster: Virak Doomforge. Navigator: Naru Okorir Cook(s): David, more cooks needed Cabin Boy(s): Henry Musician(s): Briar Ophiuchius, David, more musicians are needed. Able seamen: Bara Doctor(s): Briar Ophiuchius, more doctors/medics are needed. Sailmaker: Alpnorean, Gil. Blacksmith: Shin Snow. Boatswain: Vacant In-Character: Name: Age: Race: Traits: What position would you be wanting to take?: Out-Of-Character: How old are you? ((Feel free to PM this.)): How long have you roleplayed?: Do you have skype? If so, what is it? ((Feel free to PM it)): Do you think you'll provide enjoyable roleplay?: More Out-Of-Character The point of this guild, if I say it short, is to get decent roleplay. I will try to get us events from time to time, whether it's fighting krakens or finding GOLD! Overall, I just want everyone to stay civil and respect each other D:

~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Background ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Endeavour in Anthos (Some Refits May Apply) [[PLEASE READ ALL THE SPOILERS]] *~*~*~*~*~*~* Note from Captain Pandora: The Endeavour is devoted to performing it’s original mission: exploring and adventuring through strange new islands and locations, and keeping the peace of the seas against the Pirate Scum. We’re currently in need of crew members of many different skill sets, however, to operate the ship and assist in our travels… Though it isn’t fully repaired yet ((Aka: MCly rebuilt)), we are well on our way to becoming seaworthy again. At this point, though, I deem that it would be prudent to begin to recruit new members. You DO NOT need to be a full-time crewmember of this fine ship; I understand that the periods between battling pirates, reviewing expidition findings, and performing other Endeavour tasks can be quite dull; rather, you may also be a part-time member. While sailing or on Endeavour business , you are required to wear your uniform. However, while off-duty, you are not held to such restrictions. In the future, we may also get a land outpost to base our more bulky scientific and engineering experiments, as well as provide a place to stretch our legs. Though men and women of all races will be treated equally aboard the Endeavour, we will have a heiarchy that goes as follows: HIERARCHY We also have a list of three simple rules that we follow: --Evil activities will lead to expulsion. --Superiors will be respected and obeyed, so long as their orders are reasonable. --The laws of whatever nation we're docked in are to be respected whilst in that same nation. The application to join the crew of the G.R.S Endeavour lies below. Please send it off to me if you wish to join; if accepted, I shall send you a letter and a uniform. APPLICATION UNIFORMS Pax Gallmoria, and good evening.

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/

Aytos Society A society born in blood and war. They strongly believe in honor, tradition, and glory. Their wars are for honor, glory, power, and slaves. Enemies who they conquer usually become slaves. Social Status Tradition Culture Civilized Government Laws & Crimes Becoming an Aytosian ((BEING BORN AS AN AYTOSES APPLICATION)) *Posters are pinned to become a Perioeci* - Work your way up and prove your worth - ((Perioeci APPLICATION))

OOC: >Have The Will To Lose< This is the most important part when it comes to a RP fight. You MUST have that will to lose. If you do not have a will to lose you would most-likely force yourself into a spot were you will force yourself to Meta-Game and/or Power-Game. If you lose the battle I guarantee you may not like it, but you will get respect from the other player(s). If you win you will feel great, you will get that feeling which tells you, "I actually won a fight legit!" And that is the greatest feeling on LoC. >Never Show Hate Towards The Other Player< Yes we all have to admit, we hate someone on this server. If you encounter someone you hate/dislike in RP and then engage a RP fight, you do not want to go into OOC and scream at them if they make a intelligent/good move towards your character. You have to contain your anger when playing LoC, it will make you a better person and player. Now; if you do yell at someone you dislike in L-OOC he will most-likely walk out of the RP and hate you as much as you hate him, or you will begin to Power-Game/Meta-Game so you can win against him/her and show that you are better than them. Trust me if you finish a RP fight like that you will find a ban report waiting for you on the forums, no one likes those. Now; if you contain your anger and fight fairly and not showing and signs of hate through the L-OOC chat and you lose or win you will probably walk out feeling better, yet, feeling as if the person you hate isn't so bad. >No Power-Gaming and Meta-Gaming< Easy. Do not Meta-Game or Power-Game. If you win a fight through Power-Gaming or Meta-Gaming the other player won't treat you equally like all the other players on LoC. If you lose a fight through Power-Gaming and Meta-Gaming there will be no difference. But if you do not Meta-Game and win a fight I guarantee you will come out of a battle with much respect from the other player. You can even win a battle without Meta-Gaming or Power-Gaming and the respect you get from the other player would be even higher.

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!

Not adding anything else, ready for review if possible. The spark glove is a white gloved modified to be used as flint and steel, the glove is a normal glove accept for the middle finger having crushed flint lased into the threads of the finger, and the thumb has a metal mesh, so when the two slide off each other a large spark is created, 5-7 Inches Range. The glove was an idea from an Alchemists named Vaclav Pascal, he was playing with his flint and steel until he got the full idea to some how to turn this into a quick hand held weapon, now when he first had the idea he intended the glove to be very use full. When he turned to his friend Giovanni, a master engineer of his kind, he had a long talk with him, and after a bit of thinking Giovanni said its possible, He started to tinker and work on this glove... The ability's of the glove: At the snap of the fingers, a Spark is created. Can Ignite anything flammable. ((Oil, Tinder, Dry wood, etc.)) On a roll of 5-20/20 the spark size will varies. Disadvantages of the glove: If the glove gets wet, It will not work. If its raining, the spark will not be created. The glove will only have five uses before the flint needs to be changed. If the roll is under 1-4/20, the spark will not work. May burn self on varied RP times. If the user gets a roll of 3, or 11, The glove will Backfire, in which even the user will be burned, and the pad on the glove will be useless((Deducts 5 uses of either the upgraded or the normal glove)) The glove creation RP((click here)) The Symbol on the back of the glove: Leave comments and constructive criticism, Thank you. List of People with the normal Gloves: -Giovanni the Master Blacksmith ((Zeedusfrostblood)) -Donavin Pascal ((Zeedusfrostblood)) -Arthal Lowedge ((JuicyRhino)) [Recreated the Glove, Iron holdings allow it to have 10 Uses rather than 5] ======================================================== Glove Upgraded, Currently the only upgraded glove are held by Vaclav Pascal, a Flame Alchemist. Some upgrades that have been added: Spark uses are up to 20 Now: With the new flint pads, they are easily sowed on and last longer for they are pads mixed with other materials such as a back metal to keep it in place and some other spark-able non-metals.