New to Roleplaying, please help!!!

[manipura]

Yes, this please. I've seen too many new players or players that have just been acting like "Oh well not all elves steal" or "Each one is different, they aren't all that bad" I kindly work with these poor lost people and explain to them that that is how elves are. ALL of them are thieves in one way or the other and NONE of them are to be trusted. If gently guiding these people IG doesn't work I OOC refer them to the elf documentation and elf RP help files. This is why I highly suggest you read the help files on ALL races so you know exactly what the deal is.

That said, there's many shades of grey.  You can be a merchant character who realizes the profitability of establishing a good relationship with elven tribes, while at the same time thinking about how gross they are.  You can be a warrior who fights alongside an elf, and perhaps even respects him as a fighter, but then casually asks him where he stole his sword.  Not every elven/human interaction has to be >emote glares at ~elf; close pack

Well said Laura
I tried to formulate a reply earlier and didn't like how I was wording it, so I didn't post.
I think I was suffering a lack of coffee and it was causing snarkiness.   Now that I have replenished my coffee supply and read your response, I realize that's exactly the thing I was wanting to say!

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I think most of us think there needs to be blatant hate for elves, in order to portray the hate. I think that's foolish. I think quiet, innate sorts of hate are better for your average commoner. They have had to live, work, eat and sleep beside elves for their whole life. By now, their hate is more of a sterotyping sort of hate, a hate that is simply ingrained and quiet and doesn't really make you aware that it is there. But you always charge elves more, because they have stolen from you when you didn't even notice it. You always make your kids sand-scrub when they come in from playing with the elven children, because elves are filthy things. You make sure elves understand that your daughter is off-limits.

That doesn't mean you still make comments about them when you see one. Your mouth must never shut. You don't plan on killing every single elf on your block - they might outnumber the humans.

You just cast elves in the worst light possible, even if they haven't earned it.

They have, though, because they are elves.

I just don't think that they way we treat elves goes hand in hand with the number of elves there are. Humans outnumber elves by only a very small majority.

[slvrmoontiger]

Yes, this please. I've seen too many new players or players that have just been acting like "Oh well not all elves steal" or "Each one is different, they aren't all that bad" I kindly work with these poor lost people and explain to them that that is how elves are. ALL of them are thieves in one way or the other and NONE of them are to be trusted. If gently guiding these people IG doesn't work I OOC refer them to the elf documentation and elf RP help files. This is why I highly suggest you read the help files on ALL races so you know exactly what the deal is.

That said, there's many shades of grey.  You can be a merchant character who realizes the profitability of establishing a good relationship with elven tribes, while at the same time thinking about how gross they are.  You can be a warrior who fights alongside an elf, and perhaps even respects him as a fighter, but then casually asks him where he stole his sword.  Not every elven/human interaction has to be >emote glares at ~elf; close pack

This is true, but still when speaking privately to other humans you shouldn't be saying things like I mentioned. Around elves its different put in private conversation I still think you should show that you still distrust them.

[Fujikoma]

What Refugee said about the Byn, that's a damned good point. I miss the old Sarge, badly...

Starting in the south is pretty good. The north is scary.

Definitely don't trust elves, at least, not completely. I do agree however, sometimes there is a need for variety in the way hate is expressed. Glare, close pack, ignore gets kind of boring and repetitive after a while, and seems to be more avoiding any kind of meaningful interaction with a character that's pretty damned sure to be interesting, maybe fatally interesting, but it's the same with humans, breeds and dwarves.

The concept of a dwarven focus is a scary thing. I personally think there's not enough IC wariness about dwarves. That focus could be anything, they may be looking to add your hide to a collection they've been building up for the last ten or twenty years.

[slvrmoontiger]

There is nothing scary about starting in the north. Tuluk is just as good if not a lot better and easier to work in than then screwed up economy of Allanak. Sounds like this was written from the point of someone that has never started in Tuluk.

[Fujikoma]

There is nothing scary about starting in the north. Tuluk is just as good if not a lot better and easier to work in than then screwed up economy of Allanak. Sounds like this was written from the point of someone that has never started in Tuluk.

Started there twice, spent a good deal of time there with one of them, had no problems because he couldn't find the tavern. Second one ended up leaving and living in Nak for a good deal of time. Having read the docs and the posts on the GDB, it sounds like it's much scarier than the in-your-face you-know-it's-coming dangerous Nakki stuff, which you might be able to pick out and run from... Tuluk looks more challenging to me as a player, just given how I play.

[slvrmoontiger]

There is nothing scary about starting in the north. Tuluk is just as good if not a lot better and easier to work in than then screwed up economy of Allanak. Sounds like this was written from the point of someone that has never started in Tuluk.

Started there twice, spent a good deal of time there with one of them, had no problems because he couldn't find the tavern. Second one ended up leaving and living in Nak for a good deal of time. Having read the docs and the posts on the GDB, it sounds like it's much scarier than the in-your-face you-know-it's-coming dangerous Nakki stuff, which you might be able to pick out and run from... Tuluk looks more challenging to me as a player, just given how I play.

Well for me as a player. I played in Allanak with one PC because that was during the time that Tuluk was in disarray and there were no PCs starting there unless they were special apps. I hated it. So for me as a player Allanak is much scarier. No decent food, no real life desert, storms... Yikes.

[Fujikoma]

Nak is actually quite easy to get by in once you learn a few things about the surroundings, I'd explain, but it's likely best found out IC. I know I enjoyed finding it out IC. Just need to find another player willing to show you the ropes.

[slvrmoontiger]

Same is true for Tuluk. And you don't have to join the Byn to do it either.

[FreeRangeVestric]

Same is true for Tuluk. And you don't have to join the Byn to do it either.

I learned 'Nak by playing pretty much the opposite of a Bynner, without going into too many details.

[manipura]

I learned 'Nak without ever being in the Byn.  Just like anything in the game, you learn things by experiencing them yourself with different characters. 

I sometimes wish that new players didn't get bombarded with things like "Tuluk is this, Allanak is that",  "play here, don't play there", and "play -this- sort of character in -this- city for the best time" and instead just got told something like "The north and south and everywhere in between are different and great in their own ways.  Make whatever character you want, enjoy learning the differences and try again with something completely new when you inevitably die."

[slvrmoontiger]

I learned 'Nak without ever being in the Byn.  Just like anything in the game, you learn things by experiencing them yourself with different characters. 

I sometimes wish that new players didn't get bombarded with things like "Tuluk is this, Allanak is that",  "play here, don't play there", and "play -this- sort of character in -this- city for the best time" and instead just got told something like "The north and south and everywhere in between are different and great in their own ways.  Make whatever character you want, enjoy learning the differences and try again with something completely new when you inevitably die."

Exactly, it all depends on what people want to play. You need to find out for yourself. I'm sick of hearing people telling people to play in the south or in the Byn. I'm just saying the south and the Byn are not the end all be all. New players read all the documentation and decide for yourself where you'd like to play. Don't take one players word over another. Decide what sounds the most fun to you.

[Patuk]

I learned 'Nak without ever being in the Byn.  Just like anything in the game, you learn things by experiencing them yourself with different characters.  

I sometimes wish that new players didn't get bombarded with things like "Tuluk is this, Allanak is that",  "play here, don't play there", and "play -this- sort of character in -this- city for the best time" and instead just got told something like "The north and south and everywhere in between are different and great in their own ways.  Make whatever character you want, enjoy learning the differences and try again with something completely new when you inevitably die."

But then how would we argue over which city is superior? Start talking sense already, dammit!

EDIT: I should stop only being caustic. Really, the one thing I recommend to anyone new to Arm is picking a clan. Something like the Guild or the Akai might be troublesome, but GMH's, the Byn, even both the cities' respective militias are very good ways to get into the game, in my opinion. There are few ways to learn proper RP by sticking around responsible sponsored roles, I feel.

God knows clans need a little love, anyway.

[Barzalene]

I learned 'Nak without ever being in the Byn.  Just like anything in the game, you learn things by experiencing them yourself with different characters. 

I sometimes wish that new players didn't get bombarded with things like "Tuluk is this, Allanak is that",  "play here, don't play there", and "play -this- sort of character in -this- city for the best time" and instead just got told something like "The north and south and everywhere in between are different and great in their own ways.  Make whatever character you want, enjoy learning the differences and try again with something completely new when you inevitably die."

I agree, but I would say that if you're a social player or if you'll be sad to die quickly you really should pick a city. The Rinth, and Red Storm not great places to be completely new.

[Barzalene]

Though they are both great places to play.

[ShaLeah]

I wanna know how newbie is doing!

[Barsook]

I wanna know how newbie is doing!

[slvrmoontiger]

Yes I would too.