Roleplay in Tuluk

[staggerlee]

I would actually think that things like fashion would become more important in Tuluk. And by fashion I do not mean everyone dressing in silks, or even refer exclusively to clothing.

For example if someone digs clay for a living, then they might dress in clean, nice clothing to go out to the bar and speak as properly as they're able.  However, it would be rather gauche for them to wear silks and try to speak like and act like a noble. 

Being polite and careful socially isn't necessarily the same as always being nice or sneaky.  It's also about knowing your place, and acting appropriately to your social role.  You can still sit around and laugh with the boys and slap each other on the back telling rude jokes, but do it in the appropriate social setting. Likewise, wearing silks from head to toe when you're a forager might seem like it's tacky and in poor taste.

But maybe somebody that knows Tuluk better than I am can tell me if I'm off base here.

[Gimfalisette]

I would actually think that things like fashion would become more important in Tuluk. And by fashion I do not mean everyone dressing in silks, or even refer exclusively to clothing.

Fashion is important in Tuluk, but it's not supposed to be the same aggressive arms-race type thing as Allanak does. Colors are slower to change, the styles themselves are traditional, and the garb is comfortable.

Silk costs only 25% of what it costs in Allanak, due to the fact that all the silk in the Known World -comes- from Tuluk. So silk should be a more common type of material; commoners can wear silk but probably shouldn't wear it head-to-toe, and they should wear simpler styles. Higher-ranking commoners and nobles should wear more fancy styles with lots more floaty layers, more elaborate embroidery, more elaborate lace. The distinction is made in the quality and artfulness of the garment versus simply its material.

For example if someone digs clay for a living, then they might dress in clean, nice clothing to go out to the bar and speak as properly as they're able.  However, it would be rather gauche for them to wear silks and try to speak like and act like a noble.

I agree with that, but I don't think the important point is to speak "properly." I think the important things to do are: 1. Speak respectfully of authority and your betters, and 2. Avoid taboo topics, such as magick, or leering at an upper-caste individual. Other than that, swear away, drop your Ns, tell dirty jokes, talk about sex, get drunk, etc. Be as gritty as you want if you're doing the first two points.

The Sanctuary really IS a "sanctuary"; AFAIK it was built to be a gathering place for everyone in Tuluki society during the Rebellion or...after the destruction of Tuluk or something. It's not Trader's Inn North. It's got a stripper, after all.

And the Tooth--that's where you go if you want to watch non-human stripping

Speaking of sex in Tuluk, you all have looked at the statue that's in the intersection near the Sanc, right? I love that statue so much.

Being polite and careful socially isn't necessarily the same as always being nice or sneaky.  It's also about knowing your place, and acting appropriately to your social role.  You can still sit around and laugh with the boys and slap each other on the back telling rude jokes, but do it in the appropriate social setting.

I pretty much feel like any setting in Tuluk is OK for that kind of thing. If you're telling a joke about Nakki sexual habits, maybe the Chosen wants to hear it too; why not? Maybe if you're in the Sanc, rather than the Tooth, you want what you're saying to be a little more artful or subtle, because the Sanc is really a stage for that kind of thing. But if your character isn't the particularly subtle type, then that's fine too.

Not everyone has to be subtle all the time, or even capable of being so. EXCEPT, for the most part, I really feel like nobles, templars, and bards need to be on the subtle game, as I've said before, because they are the role models for the PC population.

[helix]

My experience has been that Tuluk has been a more open and welcoming society than Allanak. In Allanaki, racism and prejudice is everywhere, it is overt, and it smacks you straight in the face or knives you in the guts. Rinthers, breeds, elves, dwarves, northerners, Kuraci, gypsies, and even human tribals get ostracized everywhere. Most of the noble houses won't hire any of them, the few that do are usually special exceptions. Tuluk isn't completely free of racism or prejudice, but I noticed a lot less of it when I played there.

Its welcoming in that there's less prejudice, as I think Tuluk is more of a melting pot than Allanak (more sentient beings within arm's reach). It is isolationist in that - while the beings themselves can be welcomed, they are not trusted. Outsiders - anyone not 'from' Tuluk and the general surrounding area - are extremely distrusted. This distrust - like everything else in Tuluk is implicit in interactions, rather than explicit.

Strongly disagree. Being faithful and trusting of Tektolnes is entirely possible and common in Allanak. I also think it's just as common and acceptable to play a Tuluki and be terrified of Muk Utep, believing him a tyrant sorcerer king, and be terrified of Tuluki Faithful, too. In both cities, believing that the nobility are better than you is a given.

I think this is one that I'd rather get a historical note on before I said anything - I don't think many people recognise or consider him as a sorcerer king. And... I've yet to see him portrayed as anything but benevolent to his populace - what he does to his enemies is another matter entirely. But I'd like to know how this has been in the past, and if anyone has any differing experiences on this.

[Kiri]

I have found on occasion that it's rather fun to be un-subtle in response to someone else's subtlty.

Not everyone can get away with that. Nor can you get away with it with everyone, as it could be viewed as insulting in return.

There are a lot of complex levels in Tuluki society. It's like one of those flip books that let you choose the top, middle and bottom. Each picture has a set that matches perfectly, but by mixing them around you get interesting (and sometimes hilarious) results.

[ale six]

The docs in several places are pretty clear in their usage of the term sorcerer kings to describe Utep and Tektolnes. Also, in the past (pre-occupation, maybe even pre-destruction of Old Tuluk), Utep's templars used magick. As far as how he's portrayed, that's entirely up to his templarate, but if you live in Tuluk and see the Faithful disappearing people and not telling you why, or live under the 'subtle oppression' they put down, I think you'd have plenty of reason to be afraid.

[Gimfalisette]

I think this is one that I'd rather get a historical note on before I said anything - I don't think many people recognise or consider him as a sorcerer king. And... I've yet to see him portrayed as anything but benevolent to his populace - what he does to his enemies is another matter entirely. But I'd like to know how this has been in the past, and if anyone has any differing experiences on this.

I don't think it's black-and-white in either Allanak or Tuluk. I think that fear in Allanak (with an undertone of worship) should be the most common attitude, and faith/love in Tuluk (with an undertone of fear) should be the most common attitude there. I would say that these attitudes are supported/reinforced by recent in-game events which the VNPC populace probably would have heard about at least to some extent.

But I also think it's OK to be anywhere on the fear-faith spectrum in either city-state, as long as your character's got a reason. Above is what I think the current norms are.

[Gimfalisette]

if you live in Tuluk and see the Faithful disappearing people and not telling you why, or live under the 'subtle oppression' they put down, I think you'd have plenty of reason to be afraid.

I think really all Tulukis should fear the templarate and Muk to some extent. But it's more like fearing your dad; you know he loves you and wants the best for you, but he's not going to hold back on whipping you when you need it. Yes, Muk is benevolent, but only to a point.

[a strange shadow]

if you live in Tuluk and see the Faithful disappearing people and not telling you why, or live under the 'subtle oppression' they put down, I think you'd have plenty of reason to be afraid.

I think really all Tulukis should fear the templarate and Muk to some extent. But it's more like fearing your dad; you know he loves you and wants the best for you, but he's not going to hold back on whipping you when you need it. Yes, Muk is benevolent, but only to a point.

Absolutely perfect example.

This whole thread is good; thought-provoking. Most of what I would say has been said, though.

[garbanzo]

It seems to me that some people learn by reading the docs and other people learn by playing and immersing themselves and then referencing the docs to clarify things.  I'm this sort of player.  I've also really only played in Allanak.  I'm new-ish to the game and I'm still figuring Allanak out but I've begun to feel comfortable in the culture there.  For this reason, the idea of playing in Tuluk is really intimidating to me.  I learn best by playing and observing, but it seems like Tuluk is a place where I need to learn and memorize a good deal of information before successfully jumping into it.

So - a question to the Tuluk experts.  What is a good first role for someone who has never played in Tuluk before?  What role/background would allow them to be from Tuluk but yet not simply a "bad player" when they make mistakes about Tuluki culture?

[Gimfalisette]

So - a question to the Tuluk experts.  What is a good first role for someone who has never played in Tuluk before?  What role/background would allow them to be from Tuluk but yet not simply a "bad player" when they make mistakes about Tuluki culture?

Amos from the Warrens, who's spent all his time helping his mom make small wood carvings, but of course he's never ventured outside the city himself, there's halflings and other scary stuff out there. But finally Amos decides he really wants to learn something of the world, so he goes to get a job as a hunter with a GMH. Ranger/woodworker. Then spend free time hanging out at the Sanc and the Tooth and learning stuff. Maybe trade with a bard of the Circle to get etiquette lessons in return for something you might be able to provide with your skills. Voila...you'll be Tuluk-knowledgeable within a couple RL months.

Or...warrior/something and join the Legions, after leaving the Warrens.

[Gimfalisette]

P.S. Everyone makes mistakes in Tuluk at first. EVERYONE. It is OK.

My noob mistakes in Tuluk included:

-- Fainting from use of the Way in front of two separate PC templars on the same RL day.
-- Insulting a Kadian agent (higher social status than my PC) by making him wait for a meeting.
-- Taking the wrong patron in a time of war and making my PC look like she was disloyal to Tuluk.
-- Unintentional, well-meaning abuse of the rumor board.

And more I can't even think of right now.

Then later my character died to an NPC mob while I was hunting. See? All those mistakes, and most characters in Tuluk still die to dumbass hunting accidents

[Lizzie]

I wouldn't worry too much about it garbanzo. You don't need to memorize a lot of stuff. It helps I guess, but it isn't necessary. It's pretty common to start playing in Tuluk as someone from the Warrens. The Warrens is the section of the city containing mostly poor people, "working-class" commoners, and similar. Some may be families who have one or more members serving a noble house (the gardener's mate and their kids, the cleaning lady's son and his mate, etc), some of them have grown up there and live there and rarely ever leave, and make their earnings scrapping (or grebbing as it's called in Arm) for their meager living. And everything inbetween.

The warrens is south of the "main" part of the city, as shown on help map tuluk in game, or in the help files. Your character would have a general idea of what's outside the warrens, and would definitely be familiar with the Tembo's Tooth, which is a Kurac-run bar at the northernmost edge.

There's some "what your character would know" on the main website, the search engine built in to the main page will give you a lot of links to things about Tuluk. The only things I would really REALLY urge...is for you to learn about the caste tattooes - make sure you add yours while you're in the Hall of Kings, in their appropriate body locations...

and keep your browser open so you can tab to the help files instead of having to deal with in-game help files scrolling your screen while a templar is waiting for you to explain why you are standing in his way

[FuSoYa]

This thread makes me want to give Tuluk a good solid chance with a long lived PC.

Brandon

[Barzalene]

Those of you thinking about giving Tuluk a real try, I have a little warning. This is what I found, your mileage may vary. Coming up from playing Nakis and Kuracis, I found I hated Tuluk at first. My first couple of weeks I rolled my eyes and sniffed indignantly and vowed that everything I read on the boards was true.
My point isn't that Tuluk's charm is elusive and you need to be super smart and dedicated to find it. I'm saying that can be elusive, and you don't want to give up on it too quick, if you don't get sucked in immediately.
It's also very likely you will be sucked in immediately.

[NoteworthyFellow]

Those of you thinking about giving Tuluk a real try, I have a little warning. This is what I found, your mileage may vary. Coming up from playing Nakis and Kuracis, I found I hated Tuluk at first. My first couple of weeks I rolled my eyes and sniffed indignantly and vowed that everything I read on the boards was true.
My point isn't that Tuluk's charm is elusive and you need to be super smart and dedicated to find it. I'm saying that can be elusive, and you don't want to give up on it too quick, if you don't get sucked in immediately.
It's also very likely you will be sucked in immediately.

It might simply be an acquired taste.

I'll liken it to dark.  I hated the stuff for a long time, only tasting the bitterness of it, so I stuck to milk chocolate for the instant gratification.  And damn, do I still love milk chocolate: it has a smoothness of texture that dark chocolate just can't match.  But, I also learned to love dark chocolate after giving it just one last try.  What changed?  I learned to appreciate the more subtle aspects of its flavor, and now I can't get enough of it.

Well, I can't get enough of any chocolate, but you get the idea and that probably makes the comparison even more apt, given the appellation "Crackageddon."

[Dan]

For what it is worth, I am enjoying myself in Tuluk right now and I just switched to a timezone seven hours off my usual. People are still around and stuff is still happening, player run events are cropping up all over recently and I love it.

[Gimfalisette]

It might simply be an acquired taste.

I was a pretty die-hard Tuluk-only rah-rah after I made my first character there and really got into things. It took me a few characters after that to really give Allanak a try...but then guess what...now I love Allanak too.

I wish everyone would give both places a solid, open-minded try.

I think what really works for me when I've got a new place I want to try is to identify a PC within that environment who looks like they'd be fun to play alongside, then create a character concept angled toward interacting with that particular PC. My theory about getting sucked into plots and fun is still that it's PC relationships that really count; and if you've identified a PC who seems to be involved and you can tag along for the ride, you'll get a lot of fun out of it too.

[NoteworthyFellow]

It might simply be an acquired taste.

I was a pretty die-hard Tuluk-only rah-rah after I made my first character there and really got into things. It took me a few characters after that to really give Allanak a try...but then guess what...now I love Allanak too.

I wish everyone would give both places a solid, open-minded try.

I think what really works for me when I've got a new place I want to try is to identify a PC within that environment who looks like they'd be fun to play alongside, then create a character concept angled toward interacting with that particular PC. My theory about getting sucked into plots and fun is still that it's PC relationships that really count; and if you've identified a PC who seems to be involved and you can tag along for the ride, you'll get a lot of fun out of it too.

I've yet to give Tuluk a really fair shake myself, but I've made a vow that my next character will be Tuluki.

[Rairen]

Some of my favorite Tuluk-playing moments have involved innocuous insults followed by some random chick at the bar waying you to observe, "I can't believe you just said that to him."  Makes me feel like a million bucks when I get it right.

Mostly, it's incredible to have a society in which there are norms, rules, and traditions to play from, which really can create inter-societal Allanak/Tuluk mishaps.  It's so worryingly fun, and I appreciate helix's attempt to have people look at Tuluk's long history rather than stopping with the start of the Occupation.

Could I pull out helix's comment about the semi-permability of the castes?  When I started digging into Tuluk's cultural docs, I had three things that jumped out as keys to Tuluki culture:

1.  The faith in Muk (and Muk's "style" of leadership)
2.  The cordiality between the noble/common castes.
3.  The focus on strict castes

One of the things that has helped me define Tuluk is the dicotomy between a happy relation between castes and the impermability* of their boundaries.  Sweethearts that they are, they'll give you a way to jump caste (a la, the Hlum), but provided you follow the rules.  The procedures.  Heck, there's even ways to kill people, provided you license for it.  It's one of my favorite parts of Tuluk - that cold, bureaucratic control, with one example including the strict adherence to caste.


* I may have just made up that word.

[Gimfalisette]

Just an add-on thought to what Rairen posted about Hlum nobility...

I like that the existence of Hlum nobility highlights the point that in Tuluk, the worth/hard work of a person really does matter. This is a huge contrast with Allanak; in Allanak, nobles are nobles and they're better simply because they're nobles, Tekdamnit. In Tuluk, nobles were and still are literally "Chosen" by Muk because they are better, based on merit.

I'm not saying either system is better; I think they're both good and flavorful and right. I just love that they're different.

[donlinde]

I'm a new player and I've tried Nak, I liked it there as well, but recently I decided to give Tuluk a shot, at first I missed 'Nak alot because it was all I knew from when I began playing here but I'm beginning to warm up to Tuluk and have found people to be quite helpful and keep you from wandering aimlessly depending on the situation you find yourself in. One thing I have found myself loving is the noble/commoner interaction.

So I have to say from a newbie standpoint and having tried Allanak and now Tuluk out at an early stage that I like them both for their different kind of roleplay and interactions.

[Kiri]

I'd never played in Tuluk, ever, when my PC got shanghaid there.

I've come to deeply appreciate the place and the RP.

[Gimfalisette]

I'd never played in Tuluk, ever, when my PC got shanghaid there.

Getting shanghaid is another valid way to get your PC to Tuluk and have plenty of IC reason for being completely clueless about the culture.

For newbies, how that usually happens is that you get hired on as a hunter or crafter or merchant in Allanak by Salarr or Kadius, then they transfer the PC to Tuluk. You could potentially even request a transfer, if your PC has wanderlust and wants to "see the world."

[Malken]

For them who wants t' give Tuluk a good try, I'd say this be th' perfect time t' do so! Don't wait till we be havin' nay Chosens again an' that th' city be empty t' do 't, give 't a fair chance while everythin' (almost!) t' make Tuluk what be supposed t' be available.

(subtle arrr)

[spicemustflow]

What's with the pirate talk?