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  1. The Laws of The Grand Duchy of Balian The Grand Duchy of Balian’s Legal Code INTRODUCTION - General Provisions and Definition SECTION I - Criminal Law SECTION II - Court Procedure GENERAL PROVISIONS AND DEFINITIONS Written by the first Magister of The Grand Duchy of Balian, The Grand Duchy of Balian (Balian): The country, the nation of which these laws apply. Constitutes both provinces or colonies. The Grand Duke (or Duchess): The head of state of the Grand Duchy of Balian. The Crown: The sovereign of the Grand Duchy of Balian., which controls the Brotherhood of Balian and the Balian Peerage and rules under the direction and advice of the Ducal Chamber . The Laws of The Grand Duchy of Balian: The lawbook of the Grand Duchy of Balian. Seneschal: The Seneschal is the chief minister of the Grand Duchy and is responsible for the proper maintenance and governance of the realm. He wields penultimate authority and is charged with preserving the coronet by all means possible, including in matters of succession. The Ducal Chamber: The various stately offices of the Grand Duchy of Balian, they are comprised of the Seneschal, the Legate, the Censor, the Magister, the Constable and the Procurator. Their roles are to complete the jobs set out for them in their titles, and to advice the Grand Duke on all matters deemed to be necessary by Their Grace. Balian Peerage: The lettered nobility of the Grand Duchy of Balian. The Magisterium: The Judicial branch of the Balian Government, composed of the Magister, Kritai and Tribonian Quaestors. Excerpt Upon the Rights of Man Humanity, created by God in the image of His Prophets, is bestowed upon through His Divine Power the guaranteed, inalienable rights of Man, held above all law and rule. Through the power of the Imperial Crown, they are enforced and protected immaculate and indefinite, only transgressed by committing a mortal sin. The Rights of Man include; ● THE RIGHT TO LIFE, so no man will ever be taken to the Skies so soon. ● THE RIGHT TO LIBERTY, so no man will ever be bonded by the shackles of slavery. ● THE RIGHT TO TRIAL, so no man will ever be wrongly accused when not charged by a trial of their peers. These rights are the backbone of human liberty and law, preventing the slip of chaos as seen in time immemorial, acting as a shield before the dark arrows of tyranny and selfish ambition. All sons of the First Prophet, no matter of blood, language, or culture, carry upon them these golden laurels of freedom, through right of birth and sapienic kinship. - Emperor Joseph I, 1718 SECTION I - Criminal Law BL.01.01 - On Assault A. When a person decides to violently attack another member of the public, causing no lasting injuries, and does not wield a weapon to inflict such damage. This may be punished with a 50-150 mina fine, depending on issues caused. B. When a person decides to violently attack another member of the public, causing lasting injuries, but not permanent and/or does wield a weapon to inflict damage. This may be punished with a 250-400 mina or the removal of a hand, depending on issues caused. C. When a person decides to violently attack another member of the public, causing permanent injuries,. This may be punished with a 750-1250 mina, 5-10 years of exile or removal of both hands depending on issues caused. BL.01.02 - On Manslaughter A. When a person unintentionally kills another person, be this in anger, by coincidence or otherwise. A lack of intent must be proven indefinitely, as judged by the Kritai. This may be punished with a 600-750 mina fine, decided by the discretion of a Kritai BL.01.03 - On Murder A. When a person intentionally kills another person, without the premediation of it. It would require proof or reasoning that there was no premeditation, which a Kritai would judge. This may be punished with a 1250-1800 mina fine, a 20 year to indefinite exile or removal of a limb. B. When a person intentionally kills another person, with premeditation of it. A Kritai will judge whether they believe it was premeditated or not. This may only be punished with death. BL.01.04 - On Mutilation A. When a person removes a body part short of a limb, organ or eye, or causes other permanent damage, with intention. This will be punished with the equivalent mutilation or a 300-500 mina fine. B. When a person removes a limb, organ or eye, causing permanent damage, with intention. This will be punished with a 1000-1750 mina fee, 10-30 year exile or equivalent mutilation, decided with the Kritai’s discretion. BL.01.05 - On Kidnapping A.When a person without legal reasoning, takes another person and confines them against their will. This will be punished with a 750-1000 mina fine, exile for 5-10 years, decided with the Kritai’s discretion BL.01.06 - On Defamation A. When a person would distribute false information about someone else, without the intent to damage their reputation. This will be punished with a 50-150 mina fine. B. When a person would distribute false information about someone else, with the intent to damage their reputation. This will be punished with a 500-750 mina fine. BL.01.07 - On Impersonation A.When a person assumes the identity of another person, without a reasonable excuse or a prior agreement between the two people. It will be punished with a 100-200 mina fee. B. When a person assumes the identity of a peer, soldier, government or public official, without a reasonable excuse or a prior agreement between the two people. It will be punished with a 400-500 mina fee. BL.01.08 - On Torture A.When a person inflicts injury on another while they have captured them. To do this within legal bounds, one must have the expressed permission of The Magister of The Grand Duchy of Balian. This may also be done when concerning an enemy of the state. This will be punished with a 650-750 mina punishment BL.01.09 - On Malpractice A.When a medical practitioner neglects the care of a person in need of medical care, be this refusal of treatment, failing to adhere to medical procedure or otherwise. This will be punished with temporary or permanent revoking of medical licence and a 300-1000 mina fine, dependant on the severity of the case. BL.01.10 - On Theft A.When a person steals the property of another, of the value of up to 400 mina. This will be punished with the returning of the property and a 200-350 mina fine or, if the return of the property is not possible, a 400-500 mina fine or 2-5 year exile. B. When a person steals the property of another, of the value of over 400 mina. This will be punished with the returning of the property and a 600-750 mina fine or, if the return of the property is not possible, a 800-1100 mina fine or 5-10 year exile. BL.01.11 - On Breaking and entering A.When a person makes their way into another person's property without expressed permission, this includes a search of a property without a search warrant. This will be punished with a 200-350 mina fine and temporary suspension from one's force, should it be necessary. BL.01.12 - On Forgery A.When a person intentionally fakes a legal document that they are aware they are legally not allowed to. This will result in barring from public office for 5-10 years and a 100-200 mina fine. BL.01.13 - On Vandalism A.When a person intentionally damages or defaces property that is not their own and is not a government building.. This will be punished with a 100-200 mina fine. B. When a person intentionally damages or defaces property that is not their own and is a government building.. This will be punished with a 500-600 mina fine and exile for 2-5 years. BL.01.14 - On Arson A.When a person intentionally utilises fire to damage or destroy a property that is not their own and is not a government building. This will be punished with a 400-500 mina fine. B. When a person intentionally utilises fire to damage or destroy a property that is not their own and is a government building.. This will be punished with a 1000-1200 mina fine and exile for 20 years up to indefinite. BL.01.15 - On Trespassing A. When a person refuses to leave a property they have been asked to leave, or goes to one in which they have been barred. This will be punished with a 200-300 mina fine. BL.01.16 - On Debt A.When a person fails to resolve a debt to another person, be it small, moderate or significant. This should be brought to The Magister or a Kritai by the victim, and they will render a verdict depending on the facts of the case. BL.01.17 - On Treason A.When a person intentionally commits acts that are intended to compromise the integrity of the state and its government through insurrectionist movements and attacks. This crime will only ever be punished with execution. BL.01.18 - On Sedition A.When a person intentionally distributes information or media, or speaks in a way that brings contempt against the state and its government, in a means to diminish its influence. This crime will only ever be punished with execution. BL.01.19 - On Contraband A.When a person possesses any illegal substances, materials or literature. This will be punished with the removal of such things and a 100-250 mina fine. B. When a person distributes or sells any illegal substances, materials or literature. This will be punished with the removal of such things and a 400-500 mina fine. C. When a person manufactures any illegal substances, materials or literature. This will be punished with the removal of such things and a 800-1200 mina fine. BL.01.20 - On Obstruction A.When a person obstructs or interferes with the arrest, investigation or prosecution of a criminal. This will be punished with a 200-300 mina fine. BL.01.21 - On Absconding A.When a person refuses to surrender themselves to arresting officers or does not turn up to an appointed court date when told to. Anyone who commits this, will be found guilty of the crime they committed. BL.01.22 - On Bribery A.When a person uses money, land or any form of a material gift to persuade a public official, army member, Kritai, Trobonian Quaestor, government official or anyone considered to have power, to conform to their influence. This will be punished with a 400-500 mina fine and barring from public office for 5 years. B. When a public official, army member, Kritai, Trobonian Quaestor, government official or anyone considered to have power, accepts money, land or any form of a material gift to conform to another person’s influence. This will be punished with immediate dismissal from office, barring from public office for 10 years and 750-1000 mina fine. BL.01.23 - On Extortion A.When a person obtains material goods, money, land, titles or influence, through the use of threat or force. This will be punished with a 400-500 mina fine. BL.01.24 - On Perjury A.When a person deliberately lies or withholds important information from an interrogating Tribonian Quaestor or officer of the Brotherhood of Balian throughout the course of any non-treason related crime. This will be punished with a 100-1000 mina fee, decided based on the crime that the interrogation concerned. B. When a person deliberately lies or withholds important information from an interrogating Tribonian Quaestor throughout the course of a treason related crime. This will be punished with a permanent exile or execution. BL.01.25 - On Embezzlement A.When a government official intentionally uses government money or materials for their own personal gains, outside of their office. This will be punished with dismissal from office, permanent barring for public office and a 1000-3000 mina fine depending on the severity of the crime. BL.01.26 - On Unauthorised Military Organisations A.When an individual is part of a private and unauthorised military organisation. This will be punished with a 400-450 mina fine. B.When an individual leads and/or founded a private and unauthorised military organisation. This will be punished with a 1000-1500 mina fine. BL.01.27 - On Duelling A.A duel may only occur as an honour duel between nobles, where they settle personal disputes in this manner. The Magister or Grand Druke must authorise such before it can take place. If this doesn’t occur it will be treated as any other crime. BL.01.28 - On Blasphemy A.When a person speaks in a sacrilegious manner about God or the teachings of the scriptures. This will be punished with a 400-500 mina fine and/or 1-2 years exile. BL.01.29 - On Heresy A.When a person intentionally teaches others about the teachings of a false deity. This will be punished with a 750-900 mina fine and/or a 5-10 year exile. BL.01.30 - On Devilry A.When a person preaches for, worships or partakes in rituals of devils and demons and other devilish faiths. This will be punished with a 1000-2000 mina fine, 20 years to indefinite exile or death. BL.01.31 - On Witchcraft A. When a person partakes in magery that would be considered evil and/or dark by any sane person. This will be punished with exile for 20 years to indefinite, execution or a 1000-1500 mina fine. BL.01.32 - On Fornication A.When an unmarried person fornicates with someone else. This will be punished with a 400-500 mina fine. BL.01.33 - On Adultery A.When a married person fornicates with someone other than their spouse. This will be punished with a 700-900 mina fine. BL.01.34 - On Consanguinity A.When a person fornicates or fosters a romantic relationship with someone closely related to them, such as parents, siblings, aunts, uncles etc. This will be punished with a 600-750 mina fine and exile for 2-5 years. BL.01.35 - On Miscegenation A.When a person fornicates with someone who is not the same race as themselves, such as a human and elf, or orc and dwarf. This will be punished with a 800-1000 mina fine and exile for 5-10 years. BL.01.36 - On Concealment of Identity A.When a person hides their face to a Brotherhood of Balian soldier or Tribonian Quaestor when they were asked to remove it. This will be punished with a 150-200 mina fine. BL.01.37 - On Vigilantism A.When a person, who is not part of the Brotherhood of Balian nor a Tribonian Quaestor attempts to apprehend a criminal or carry out their own justice. This will be punished with a 300-400 mina fine. BL.01.38 - On Disturbing the Peace A.When a person causes problems and an uproar that affects the common peace of the state. This will be punished with a 200-300 mina fine. BL.01.39 - On Harmed Sovereignty A.When a person commits any level of assault on the Grand Duke or any of their Ducal family. This will be considered treason and punished with only execution. BL.01.40 - On Conspiracy A.When a person works with someone else and plans to commit a crime. This will be punished the same way the crime that was conspired. BL.01.41 - On Incitement A.When a person encourages another or incites them into committing a crime. This will be punished the same way the crime that was incited. BL.01.42 - On Attempt A.When a person attempts, but fails to commit a crime. This will be punished the same way as the crime that was attempted. BL.01.43 - On The Draconic A.When a person is considered to be Azdrazi or in any other way draconic. This will be punished with immediate death, a trial is not required when it is obvious that a person is draconic. BL.01.44 - On Minors A.When a person is under the age of 12, they will not be prosecuted for any crime at all. B. A person under the age of 16 will not be able to consume alcohol, and those that procure them alcohol will receive a 100 mina fine. BL.01.45 - On Discrimination A.When a person uses another’s race as justification for violence, theft or anything else that may be seen as an attack on them. This will be punished with a 100-150 mina fine. B.When a person uses another’s religion as justification for violence, theft or anything else that may be seen as an attack on them. This will be punished with a 100-150 mina fine. C.When a person uses another’s gender as justification for violence, theft or anything else that may be seen as an attack on them. This will be punished with a 100-150 mina fine. D.When a person uses another’s sexuality as justification for violence, theft or anything else that may be seen as an attack on them. This will be punished with a 100-150 mina fine. BL.01.46 - On Religious Rights A.Any person in Balian may practice their own religion, however as stated in BL.01.28, they may not preach it to others. BL.01.47 - On Bee Protection A.When a person kills a bee with intent. This will be punished with a 50 mina fine. BL.01.48 - On Civil Offences A.When a person causes physical damage to another. The punishment for this will be decided in court, but may not exceed the cost of the damage caused. B. When a person causes financial damage to another. The punishment for this will be decided in court, but may not exceed the cost of the damage caused. C. When a person causes social damage to another’s reputation. The punishment for this will be decided in court, but may not exceed the cost of the damage caused. BL.01.49 - On Undead A.When a person is found not to be truly alive and having lived passed death. The punishment for this will be execution by removal of the head. SECTION II - Court Procedure BL.02.01 - On Summoning the Court I.The Tribonian Quaestor on the case, or claimant of a civil case, will send a letter to the Magister or make them aware of the case and their intent to pursue it legally. II. The Magister will review the letter and either approve or deny the case. III. If approved, the Magister will nominate a Kritai to oversee the trial and letters will be sent to all involved with the case at hand in order to summon them to court. BL.02.02 - On Trial upon Arrest I.Should it be deemed necessary, a recently arrested criminal may be immediately taken to court for a trial. II. This should be approved by The Magister or The Supreme Kritai before occurring, but if necessary, can be skipped over. III. Any available Kritai will oversee this case and any Tribonian Quaestor will prosecute, after being given the information. BL.02.02 - On Legal Procedure I.At the start of a trial, all shall rise for the Kritai before they take a seat, officially beginning court. II. The prosecution will make an opening statement summing up their side of the case within a paragraph, followed by the defendant also making an opening statement summing up their side of the case within a paragraph. III. The prosecution will then make 1-3 points, using evidence as a point of proof for their case. They should keep their points concise and to the point less they be cut off by the Kritai, should they believe it necessary. IV. The defence will then make their own 1-3 points, using their own evidence, or rebuttal any points made by the prosecution. They also should keep their points concise, less they be cut off by the Kritai. V. Both sides will then make their closing statements, which should again be paragraph sized, the prosecution first and then the defence. VI. The Judge will finally render a verdict after hearing both closing statements, and then the punishment will be carried out by the Brotherhood of Balian. VII. Objections are not to be allowed under any circumstances, as the Kritai will take into account anything they believe to be untoward. VIII. All trials should be documented for future reference by a scribe. BL.02.03 - On Fines I.A fine may be given out by a NCO of the Brotherhood of Balian or above, or a Kritai on the spot, as long as the crime committed warrants a fine of under 500 mina. II. All fines must be given to The Magister, who will subsequently hand the money over to The Procurator. III. If unable to pay the fine, a person will receive either an exile or physical punishment, as decided by a Kritai. BL.02.04 - On Physical punishment. I.A crime may be punished with a physical punishment e.g. removal of a hand. If this is decided upon, then said punishment will be carried out in a humane manner. II. The body part will be removed with a swift swing of a blade, it will then immediately be cauterised by fire, or any other medical procedure should a doctor be present to administer it. BL.02.05 - On Exiles. I.If a person is punished with exile, they will be given a Saint’s day to remove their belongings from the city before they are placed in exile. II. Following this a sketch should be made of the person. This sketch and their name will be posted in the gatehouse, for any guard to see should the person try to return. III. Should they return before their exile is over, they may be subject to further punishment, should it be a longer exile, fine or physical punishment. IV. Exile may be appealed, if this is the case, the person punished should send a letter to The Magister, who will then review the case and determine the course of action from there. V. A letter shall be sent to the exilee once their period of exile is over, notifying them that they are free to return should they please. BL.02.06 - On Death Sentences. I.Should a person be sentenced to death, their death will be dealt with in a humane manner. II. The punished may call for their last rites, as afforded to them by the canonist church, should they be a canonist. III. When it comes time for the criminal to be killed, their head should be placed on a block, for them to be beheaded. IV. Customarily, it is the Kritai who should swing the sword killing the criminal, however this can be wavered should a Kritai not be present. BL.02.07 - On Prisoners of War. I.Should an enemy be captured in war, their fate may be decided by The Magister, a Kritai or any officer of the Brotherhood of Balian, with a trial being overlooked due to the circumstances. II. Should there be a disagreement about how to handle this situation, the view of The Magister or Kritai will supersede the military officials. BL.02.08 - On Military Criminals. I.If a member of The Brotherhood of Balian commits an offence that is not a higher assault, mutilation, murder or treason, they will be afforded a court martial, which the captain will oversee. II. If a member of The Brotherhood of Balian commits an offence that is not a higher assault, mutilation, murder or treason, they will receive a Magisterium investigation and a subsequent trial. III. If a member of The Brotherhood of Balian is found to have abused their powers to fine lower crimes or pass judgement in war time situations, they will receive a Magisterium investigation and a subsequent trial, potentially resulting in dishonourable discharge or another punishment. BL.02.09 - On Peer Criminals. I.If a Peer commits an offence, once they have been investigated by the Magisterium, they will be trialled by The Magister or Grand Duke only. BL.02.10- On Trials of Treason. I.A trial concerning the act of treason will only ever be trialled by The Magister or Grand Duke. BL.02.11- On Defence. I.A defendant may call for their own lawyer to defend them in court should they want to. II. If the lawyer doesn’t arrive within 30 Saint’s minutes, the court will not allow for the defence to have a lawyer and the defendant must defend themselves. BL.02.11- On Repeated offenders. I.A criminal who has before been found guilty of a crime, will have their punishment increased. E.g a 400 mina fine would become a 600 mina fine. II. Should a criminal who commits low level crimes (Those who which receive punishments under 500 mina) repeat their offences, they will not be fined on the spot and subsequently be sent to trial. Signed, Lord Ledicort of House Vuiller, First Magister of Balian
  2. The Sup-Par Guide to Role Playing By: Sagwort Forward Before I begin I would like to point out that I do not consider myself the best role player, nor an above average one. This guide is simply a product of me browsing the inter-webs using my computer processor. I came across some blogs about writing, namely novels. I have often compared role playing to writing a novel and thought: “Huh, I wonder what this is all about.” So an hour later I have fifteen different tabs open and I haven’t blinked in at least thirty minutes and I’ve been holding in a **** that could feed half of central Africa. Reading further you will find what I have managed to scavenge from the thing they call “The Writing Community” and how I think it applies to role playing. You probably won't have the patience to read through have of it, so pick and choose what you want to learn more about. Character Creation Perhaps the most amusing part of role playing is preparing for it. Creating your fresh new dark elf that you’re going to cyber with over Skype. What terrible disease will they be inflicted with? What color is one eye going to be and the other not? How heavenly attractive should they be? These are the questions that go through some of our heads as we start meandering through DeviantArt for concept pictures of our hunky hot elf sex god. I’ll say this now, this is perhaps the most crucial part of role playing. The character you decide to create will set a tone for the rest of your role playing experience. Read this section with the utmost of sincerity. Character Profile This ‘profile’ that we often create with of our characters (mostly thanks to the application system) is the pitfall for all good characters. Now I’m not saying character profiles are the anti-christ, they are good for outlining concepts for a character. Your character at ‘first glance’, if you will. However, what makes a truly spectacular character is one that you get to know...intimately. Take your character out on a steamy date, meet them in a coffee shop, arrange an accommodation to grab a pint with them on a Friday night. There is a HUGE difference between ‘knowing’ your character and ‘understanding’ your character. 'Knowing' a character is what everyone else sees, what they look like, how old they are, their backstory, their favorite food, etc... ‘Knowing’ a character is the aspect we reach when someone gives you a 100 question long profile for your character. I say, THROW IT OUT, THROW IT OUT NOW. No one cares about your character’s favorite color, no one cares about what they have in their left pocket. What people care about is how your character is going to interact with theirs. This is when ‘Understanding’ your character comes into play. To the tune of ‘Understanding’ and with the aid of a writer’s blog, I have come to the conclusion that there are Seven Pillars to a strong character: Fear, Secret, Flaw, Quirk, Desire, Strength, and Inner Conflict. Now I am sure you have immediately misinterpreted what many of those words mean so allow me to elaborate. The Fear "Fear is multi-dimensional." – Art Markman The Secret “Everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.” – Mark Twain The Flaw “Perfection has one grave defect: it is apt to be dull.” – W. Somerset Maugham Maybe they are kind to the point of smothering. You know, the whole hug a rabbit until it suffocates and dies situation. Now comes the hard part, putting a flaw into effect. Allow your character to make mistakes. Don’t get this confused with ‘don’t god-mod’. Your character could very well be a god, but allow their flaws to trip them up. Make them choose the wrong path, trip over their own ignorance, become engulfed by their own lust for power. This is not only interesting for other people to witness and rp with, but also to rp. Sometimes its even difficult or uncomfortable to rp because you just a manly man. “The bigger the flaw, the sweeter the victory.” – Kristen Lamb How aware is your character of their flaw? Well, it’s easy to say they are, but what if they’re not? There are various reasons as to why one might not be aware of their own shortcomings. Here’s a list from one of those hipster writing blogs: Anchoring – focusing on only one of a number of pertinent pieces of information Bias Blind Spot – not believing they are biased Choice-Supportive Bias – believing past choices were better than they were Confirmation Bias – supporting preconceptions by focusing on information that fits Empathy Gap – not realizing how much something will affect someone Moral Credential Effect – feeling justified in a few wrongs because of a good track record Normalcy Bias – the denial of unusual events, causing a lack of preparation or reaction Omission Bias – seeing harmful acts as worse than equally harmful omissions Restraint Bias – underestimating temptation Semmelweis Reflex – rejecting new evidence because it doesn’t “fit” with what is “known” Final note, as with the secrets and fear: why does your character have this flaw? What caused them to be this way? Maybe it’s just in their racial credentials (greedy dwarf, ignorant elf) but those are usually cliche and uninteresting. Maybe your dwarf is an attention seeker because they were ignored as a child because their parents were always in the mines. Whatever! Get creative. We’ll go more in-depth in the backstory section. The Quirk “A quirk should never exist JUST to make the character memorable or look pretty.” – MJ Bush The Desire “Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.” – Kurt Vonnegut The Strength “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” – Arnold Schwarzeneger The Inner Conflict “There are always two forces warring against each other within us.” – Paramahansa Yogananda Backstory Perhaps the most unnecessary part of character creation. If there was one thing you wanted to skip, skip this section. The ONLY thing that backstory should really be used for is for explaining why one of the above characterization pillars are the way they are. Everything else in a backstory is just fluff. Was your dog killed by Undead? Sure, now how does that define who your character is? Does your character desire power because they lived in squalor and poverty? Physical Description UGGGG. Another pointless part of character creation. The only ‘important’ physical description is the character’s quark, and that is not even always physical. No one cares if your character has rock hard abs (unless you’re cybering) or if they’re left eye is green and their right is blue (not a viable quark). If you do insist on explaining how tall your character is, do it in rp. For instance: You do not need to put, in your description, “Dave is 6’2’’ and has brown hair.” *****, DO YOU THINK I’M BLIND. I SEE HE HAS BROWN HAIR BECAUSE THE HAIR ON YOUR ******* SKIN IS BROWN!!@!! Your skin does a great deal of physical description you don’t have to do. In fact, take advantage of the physical entities on your skin. Describe how your character scratches his stubble, or runs long fingers through dirty blonde hair. Remember, show, don’t tell. Character Consistency The only way the above characteristics will do any good is if you stay consistent with them. Don’t change your character’s fear just because it suits the situation. Don’t make them care (or not care) about things they wouldn’t otherwise care about. This is why ‘understanding’ your character is so important. Get to know them on a personal level. Don’t let role play dictate your character. Your character should be dictating role play. They should be making the decisions, the mistakes, the choices, that will progress role play. And all of these things should be done in accordance to how YOUR CHARACTER would react, not yourself. So often we react to things in role play because that is how we personally want to react. Well, think of you and your character as separate entities. Even if you don’t agree with what your character’s judgements, go on with it. Step outside your comfort zone. One point I would like to address, I know that many people on this server are role playing because it is a subconscious release from their real life (Even if they don’t realize it). I will not go into details as to why people might consider role play a release from their otherwise unappealing lives but don’t let that hold you back. People who view role play as just a second life are role playing not as what their character might do but how they want to be perceived by others. I beg you to avoid this, sure you might be deep with emotions and personal strife, but those are your emotions. You are playing with pixels, they mean nothing. Getting attached to your characters for such hysterical reasons can only lead to poor role playing. Character Development This basically contradicts everything I just said but bare with me. You might have heard that good books and movies have character development. For example: Lord of the Rings (Frodo and Sam), Harry Potter, Star Wars. All of these classics have characters which are almost entirely different people from where they started. Luke Skywalker was an enthusiastic young padawan and turned into a vengeful, angry cyborg. This didn’t come to pass over night. It occurred over time, things happened to his character which changed him (some for the better, others for the worse). He was taken from his family on that desert planet...I don’t even know the name, his mother was killed by those ISIS space men. His anger slowly consumed him and he even killed the woman he loved, and betrayed his master. Now we grow quite attached to our character’s personas when we start, but things change, and change is good. Allow your character to not only react to events but also change with them. By this, I don’t simply mean: “Wife is killed by Undead, he hates Undead now.” No, it should be deep and impassioned. His wife dies due to the Undead and he has lost faith in the Creator. He goes into alcoholism, whatever. Even subtle things like how he might look upon children with great affection because they never had children. The seven Pillars can change. In fact, this is the best way to go about producing character development. Change one of the Pillars as a result of some in-game event and see how it ripples across everything else. Scene Synthesis When I refer to a ‘scene’ I’m talking about a small blip of role play your character participates in. For instance: your character walks into a tavern and starts talking to the bar tender. Now how do we make these scenes more interesting. I’m sure you all like casual conversations about the weather but I tend to nod off as soon as someone comes to me with role play that redundant. A scene needs to have two elements: goal and conflict. A goal can be as simple as ordering a pint from the bartender or complex as slaying an Undead Mage. Conflict is what makes the scene come to life. Conflict can be defined as stakes. What will happen if my character does not achieve this goal? In return, it will make the goal something your character wishes to strive for. What could happen that your character never gets his pint? What would happen if he does not kill the mage? Now you’re probably thinking: “**** off Sagwort, I’m not going to make every single instance of role play an action drama film.” Well, chances are, you are doing it without realizing. You walk into Petrus and overhear a group of men talking about a rebellion. Interested, you join. The goal: learn about the rebellion. The stakes: never hear about the rebellion. It can be as simple as that. But a scene should never be: “Hey...weather is nice...bye.” Unless, of course, your character has a reason for doing so. Maybe they’re woefully awkward and just looking to make friends. Maybe they’re bored. Moral of the story, don’t just do things to do things. Give your character a reason for doing it. That will make role play seem more meaningful, and chances are, it’ll last longer too. Emotes If you read no other section, I BEG you to read this section. Emotes are a thing some people use too much of, and others use too little. A good rule of thumb is: “Will the emote affect the other person in any way?” If not, don’t emote it. Don’t add pointless fluff just to seem like a ‘good role player’. A good role player gets their point across in an efficient way. Similarly, I have seen people use too little emotes such as: No. That is boring, monotone, not interesting to read. When you do emote, and it is being emoted for a reason make it interesting to read. However, don’t go over the top. Don’t give me five emotes of how Paul pours Jim a pint. I got places to be. That is disgusting, a good length, but disgusting. You may think, “Oh that's good RP, did you see all those details?”. Well, it is ‘good’ RP but not fantastic. First, cut out the adverbs. We don’t need them, instead use strong active verbs. Instead of ‘slowly walks’ use a verb like ‘dawdles’ which means the same thing as ‘slowly walks’. Cutting out unnecessary adverbs we now have: Much more interesting to read. In my opinion, a better emote would be something along the lines of: Now I know sometimes adverbs just need to be used to get a point across. All I ask is that you think before you say “Quickly Runs” and instead say “Sprints” or “Races”. Also note that not every noun needs to have an adjective tied to it. Not every sword needs to be sharp, not every cloak needs to be ragged. Granted, if the defining feature of the cloak is that it is ragged, point it out. Otherwise adjectives can make a sentence seem overly choppy. I feel like I’m on a rollercoaster when I read that, up and down, up and down. Think to yourself, what is unnecessary? Can we agree that most ale is pale? And that most mugs are round? Unless there is a defining characteristic to the noun that requires an adjective, such as being a cube, don’t use it. Also, if someone has already described an object with emotes, you don’t need to redescribe it. If the bartender already noted that the mug of ale was a cube, you don’t need to restate that in your emote. On the flip side, we might want to know that Tim’s lips are dry because it shows that he has probably not had anything to drink for a while. It could use some work, but overall, it’s a smoother read. Less ‘hilly’. Finally, show, don’t tell. If your character is sad don't emote: Describe it, how does she look when she’s sad? We can insinuate that Loshanda is sad because of the way she acts. Not just because you said ‘my homegirl looks sad.’ Also note that I switched up the sentence structure. I didn’t just say: Doing emotes like this over and over again becomes choppy, and monotonous. Mix it up ya’ll. Not only did we condense two emotes into one, we also created a slightly smoother and more interesting read. Side note: PLEASE don’t emote what your character is feeling or thinking. Don’t do emotes like: NO, NO, NO. All of these things can be fixed by the show, don’t tell. Other characters cannot read minds, so don’t encourage them to by doing this. SHOW how Lisa concentrates, maybe her eyebrow creases or her palms begin to sweat. SHOW how Laquifa remembers her dead son. Perhaps her eyes go to the sky, a hand over her bosom. Dialogue Phew...emotes were a big thing. Dialogue...not so much. Some major points to hit are that your character should have a voice. They should not talk passively, imagine how your character would talk and apply it to typing. Now I realize this is quite difficult, but emotes can help with that. Also realize that your High Elf is not going to talk the same as your dwarf. Accents are a major part of Lord of the Craft races, utilize them. I see some humans do excellent jobs at this with their medieval slang and what not. Even more specific, a farmer will not talk the same as nobles. Even within accents, all characters should have a voice. This is difficult to develop. Even though Gandalf and Legolas don’t have any noticeable difference in accent they talk VERY differently. Gandalf is very casual, upfront and straightforward. Legolas is more poetic, sophisticated sounding. The rules about emotes do not apply to dialogue. Dialogue belongs to your character and should suit however your character should sound. Would they use words like ‘adore’ or ‘really like’. Would they say ‘Yes sir’ or ‘Of course’. This is something that comes with practice and the more you role play with your character the more you come to find their voice. This is one of the main things I think separates good role players from excellent role players. Their ability to adopt a voice specific to their character, and change at a moments notice. Body Language This sort of goes under Emotes but meh. It’s a major thing. Body language is the best way to convey emotion and personality through emotes. Is your character effeminate and reserved? Perhaps they cross their legs when they sit. Is your character rebellious and dark? Maybe they lean against walls with their head down. Maybe your character is feeling a little nervous so they start fidgeting, rubbing their arm. Blah! I am no psychologist, here is a reference sheet for body language I find very useful. http://writerswrite.co.za/body-language-reference-sheet Finding Role Play Oop, here we go. The biggest problem with role players, not matter how good is that “There is no rp”. Well you should just go kill yourself. You know why you can’t find rp? Because your looking for it! To role play you have to create your own. Remember what I said about conflict and goals? Of course you don’t… Any-hoo, there is no such thing as ‘finding’ role play. There is only creating role play. A sub-par role player looks. A great role player creates. Now I’m not talking about getting on the event team and having a dragon attack the most populated city. It can even be subtle. Engage people. Talk to other people, emote and see if any one reacts. Give your character a goal and conflict and see to it that they carry out those goals. One thing I noticed recently are the fools who walk up to you, shift click, and run away. Well you know what, **** THEM. If they want to know if your character is attractive enough to cyber with, have them work for it. Ask them why they are bowing, engage with them. That is the key word, engage. Don’t be passive and let roleplay just go by. Create it.
  3. 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...
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