Advice for new players

[Morrolan]

Rule of thumb: unless your character's fucked up, don't get fucked up.

Corollary: When your character gets fucked up, at least consider it...

[Fujikoma]

Had some hilariously badass plotpoints happen when my character was drunk, I got drunk enough to match it... Lots of laughs were had. Good times. Even when my character wasn't drunk, getting wasted made everything fun, especially the next day when I was trying to piece together what had happened IC, and things got real funny really quickly.

EDIT: Sparring isn't about winning, nor is the game about winning it seems... As far as I can tell, it seems to be about losing spectacularly. This I have a natural knack for. Sorry to make everyone jealous, but when it comes to losing I stand a good chance at winning.

[AmandaGreathouse]

Rule of thumb: unless your character's fucked up, don't get fucked up.

I have to say, I don't really agree with this with regards to smoking pot. With regards to drinking though... absolutely.

Perhaps it's only anecdotal, but I've gotten kudos for every pc I've played after I started smoking pot and playing, after having gone almost 2 years without a kudos before that.

Although, I do stress: Drink an arm? Die. I did that twice. Died both times. Highly don't recommend it if you're not someone who drinks often enough to function while drunk.

[Fujikoma]

EDIT: ?

[Morrolan]

Hello, I'm Shitbag, nice to meet you. Things factor out a bit oddly when you consider me. I may be a barbarian at heart, but that is just to keep you from mistaking my kindness for weakness. I'm the darkest and most sinister fucker you'll ever meet, never forget that. If you have questions, I can answer them with the swipe of a blade. I could also answer them in a long and complicated fashion, but that's only if you choose to follow me. And even then, you wouldn't understand.

Which tells us that FK definitely GDBs drunk...

[Harmless]

Don't pretend you know the code if you don't.

Don't pretend some coded action or possibility exists ICly if you're not sure. If you think it does and have some reason or experience, then go for it, but roleplay accordingly if you end up being dead wrong.

Don't pretend your PC is skilled at anything they do until you have irrefutable evidence of it. (master) alone isn't enough, you need to be able to know HOW to use those skills as well and it isn't always what you think.

Be humble. Listen to others, and don't be upset if they aren't teaching you fast enough. Try to get into the role and relax to learn the environment and what makes people tick before you strive for greatness.

[Kevo]

Assume that 100% of the time you are being watched. Even if you're not, it will make you a better roleplayer.

Be careful with mudsex. If you've cried when a char dies, imagine the emotional attachments others have to their characters, too.

(this one might just be me) I'd rather see a unique quote cleverly crafted in arm, then a contrived instance to fit in a movie or book quote.

Don't play other people's characters, from any source of media, if you really, really wanna have fun. Tropes and archetypes are nice to begin with, but characters develop. Samuel L. Jackson just IS.

Use the helper chat, for goodness sakes. It has amazing, untapped potential.

Don't be afraid to tank (weaken, hamper, whatever) your characters. If you were perfect at everything, you'd be an NPC or something.

Never, ever, ever stop playing.

Vote.

[Delirium]

Read the documentation.

Make use of the helpers.

Take the GDB with a few heaping teaspoons of salt.

[Fujikoma]

Oh god, I mudsexxed once, I never do that shit, but it seemed like something he would do. I'd rather he hadn't but It led to some interesting consequences... Also, it was hillarious when he got asked about it.

EDIT: Shit, losing a character who was in love felt so bad it brought me back, after that one I came back to play another one, but it hasn't happened to my character again.

[DustMight]

I have one bit of advice, real advice.

Let your character fall in love. 

Everything will change. 
The game will grow immense and deep. 
It will break your heart and will make it something so much more than "a mud."

[Fujikoma]

Shit, did he ever fall in love... [redacted], but I had a good time playing him. I felt so bad when he died.

[Kaineus]

When riding, always look ahead and to your sides--we all know that. Also read room descriptions of the room you are currently in. Depending on the time of day and location, the last few lines of a room desc will usually tell you relevant information about roads and nearby pitfalls. Room descriptions aren't just there for fluff.

But, my dear newbies, do you know about looking ahead for weather?

Typing <weather n> or <weather direction> of any sort will tell you the weather in the next room.

Let's say you see a pitfall to your east. You check the weather north, it's clear, you check the weather south, it describes a storm. You should probably ride north where it's clear, because that storm to the south might accidentally make you fall into that pit to the east.

[little chicken woman]

Shit, did he ever fall in love... [redacted], but I had a good time playing him. I felt so bad when he died.

Don't feel bad! Make your death, if inevitable, fun, and stuff, and remember its just a game and your next pc will be pretty badass too.

Death is cheap. So is the fun you can trade for it! I think it would be inevitable to avoid feeling bad for killing a pc on whom others depended in some way, I've been there before, but often opportunities come along to enrich the world and I think its usually worth it.

For anyone new enough to need this bit of advice, I'd recommend staying away from criminals for a while. Like rinthis, they're difficult to keep alive when you play them to the hilt. Pc law enforcement generally has nothing to do but train and watch, and usually track down or try to get information on even thieves who have stolen from foreigners with great energy. I suppose if you were interested in learning to hide decently before committing crimes, that would be a good trade-off, and easier than learning to how evade soldiers as you run away, which is possible under certain conditions, but certainly not for someone who can't spam run out of there.

[Potaje]

I'd be careful trying to give to much advice in the way I am seeing some do. Best advice I would think is to seek a mentor in game, Icly. If your new don't try to set your concept to impossibly difficult by presenting them as this well rounded know it all. Instead offer your self a chance to learn from others by playing a half way smart, but un trained character, looking to learn the ways of things in what ever interest you have for your character to develop. If you aim to build a reputation you will never have it out of the box, it takes keeping a pc alive, active and interacting for ic years.

On the flip side, if you play the pc as dumb, bumbling, and difficult to get alone with for everyone including the one you wish to mentor to, you'll have a hard time finding someone to keep interest in you. Temper your demeanor so that you as the player can learn from others as well as have fun.

[Doublepalli]

Don't get 'medicated' and play Arm. This only applies to Californian residents and uhh...Dutch folk.

This applies to all smokers! Don't smoke out a lung, gas-mask hooked up to a bubbler, king volcano bong, brownies made with a half-ounce each and green dragon, and then attempt to play Arm. You will not be able to cope with the roleplay. Or get so into it, you'll mind fuck -everyone-

[slvrmoontiger]

Ok I'll take the fun route for advice.

Emotes still work when sleeping or unconscious. Use them as such:
emote rolls around tossing and turning in his sleep.

If you are mortally wounded and it hasn't officially logged you out instead of just staring blankly at the screen umm act something out (again emotes still work)
emote groans in great pain

Get drunk to the point of plastered at least once with friends. RP this with slurring speach, when someone says something funny you laugh so hard you lose your balance and fall off your barstool onto the floor. This is so fun and if done properly everyone gets a good laugh about it.

Definitely fall in love, it often leads to a lot of interesting plots. At least in my experience it has.

Oh learning to ride a mount I once saw the funniest thing with one person he pretended he fell on his well you know what and was rolling around groaning and putting all out. It was great. Of course you don't have to fall on your manhood but act it out. Its more fun when you do rather than just sitting there with it.

I think that's all I got for now. Main thing is have fun and others will as well.

[little chicken woman]

Restrained only by playing realistically, HAVE AS MUCH FUN AS YOU WANT, WHERE YOU WANT, HOW YOU WANT. FOREVER.

[Jeax]

#1 Rule I think to making the most out of your character: BE PATIENT

I'm an impatient person, and I get a character concept in my head of this guy dressed in awesome solid black Salarr gear with a sweet dujat tooth knife that can take on anybody....

This does not happen soon at all.

Be patient with your character, let them grow in a natural way and treat them more like a person than a set of skills. Don't twink or do anything else ridiculous. Play naturally, as the game and your character's interactions take them...and as you become a long-lived character, you will end up with the build, skills and gear you wanted in the beginning.

This is a big thing for me. I STILL want to just get awesome as soon as I log in. I don't twink, I just then get disappointed when my character can't walk out of the gate a total badass that I see him as.