Roleplaying a commoner

[Anonymous]

I wanted to bring up something that has been a stumbling point for me in making a character. I don't know the world at all and I find it hard to "make up" a life for a commoner.

My problems are as follows:
If someone asks where I am from at best I can only say a city name. I don't know districts, neighborhoods, or anything a commoner might know. If I make it up, "I'm the son of a sh**- shoveler from the east side.", I run the risk that the east side is an affluent side or if I get lucky and its a poor area of town I might not know that sh** shoveling is a highly restricted union job with unliscensed shovelers being killed off or walk into a bitter rivalry in the trade. I'm exaggerating a bit but trying to make the point that I feel odd spinning things from whole cloth that do not exist in game versus stumbling over things that do exist in game, have for a long time, and my creative ideas being at odds with it: "Sh**-shoveling eh? Who's yer block rep?...You don't know?" */looks mighty suspicious/*

Anyhoo...I'd sure like to be able to have access to ideas for commoners, where craftsmen might be, how they live, the form their businesses might take, family structure, areas of the city they are found (assuming different tradesmen/craftmen are in a caste or at least affiliated with a certain part of the city), etc. Most information I find on society is from the standpoint of playing a noble. Even an article titled "Tuluki Roleplay: Playing a commoner or noble in the North." is more about being a noble and how not to behave with commoners than how to be a commoner.

Now perhaps I have a skewed view of how life on Armageddon is and there is much more interest in playing a noble than a commoner. If so then just let me know and I'll try something different. I wanted to post in case other people new to Armageddon were having similar problems.

[sacac]

Ok, the commoner's quarter in Allanak is where a commoner could grow up, or in the 'rinth but that is for the poorest of the poor. If you wanted a history with a merchant you could the Friel's rest in Tuluk, or the bazaar in allanak.
then there are the many Virtual farms and ranches around allanak that you could of grown up on and would explain your not knowing much about the city:)
Just what i think,

[Gilvar]

Typically low-middle commoners wouldn't live in the Far Southside, or the far eastside (in Allanak) the further south you go the closer to Tek's Tower, the Templar's Quarter, and many noble guard estates you go, while similarly the further east you go the closer you get to the Noble's Quarter. Only merchants would tend to live in the merchant's quarter (which encompasses everything northeast of Meleth's Circle. You may have lived in slums outside the Rinth, possibly in a shack on the Road of Slaves, or the warrior's road near to the merchant's quarter.

Smack-dab in the middle of the commons is where the more well-to-do lowclass commoners would be, around the Bard's Barrel and many of the swankier shops. While far to the west is where the poorer would live. In the slummier section before the western wall.

Hope that helps.

[Carnage]

What You Know - Allanak

What You Know - Tuluk

[Candi]

You've already gotten great advice, and I'm also new to Armageddon, but I just thought I'd comment on your creativity in expressing yourself.  It looks like you will be a witty and interesting asset to the game.

[Irulan]

Hey, first off Welcome to Armageddon!!! I hope you have fun playing. Secondly, don't get discouraged...there are alot of things to learn while you are playing, just remember that there are helpers around and they are there for you! Feel free to PM/Email one and they are usually more than happy to help you along with your questions. Thirdly, just fump in there are start talking to people, you will catch on pretty quickly to where the different areas in the game are, and if not I'm sure that someone will tell you when you are not supposed to be someplace. Have fun and enjoy!

-Irulan
who has been giving the helpers lot of advertising today...

[Quo]

Welcome, and I hope you'll get as soundly addicted as I did :-)

I can remember that problem pretty well from my own application. I was completely uncertain how much of the wealth of documentation available from the web pages I could carry into the char. Even more so since I was quite sure that there'd be obvious gaps in my knowledge, which probably would fit badly with overly detailled documentation knowledge. Also I had no idea of how 'developed' the skills of my char would be, or how much training I could assume.

I eventually went with a story that would assume neither knowledge or skills, and went well with that. A 'rural' background for example can mean just that - having spent a childhood as a stable guy or herder boy, and then hiring on a (virtual) trader going to the next city, looking after his mounts in exchange for the trip. It's sufficient to explain why the entire city is new to the char, and why he probably goofs on a few occasions. Chances are he was so remote there that news weren't told to the youngling, and everything beyond his farm is new to him. Add a few days of walking in the sun and dehydration, and he doesn't even know if they were walking west or eastwards.
Another pitfall I didn't escape - there's no need to have 'dead' parents to explain why you're not just going back. There's enough of conflict between parents and their growing up offspring to explain a desire to leave, and you can work out the details on that while you're discovering the nature of your char while playing along. Of course, there's nothing wrong with a quiet char who does not explain his entire life to everyone on first meeting.

So... welcome and good luck to your first char!

[Tamarin]

First, I try and think of a cool physical trait, on which I focus my description.  Next, my entire background is spent explaining that trait, and it usually ends up being some kind of hardship or enigma.  Something my character will constantly have to deal with on a day to day basis.  That, to me, if more important than saying "i grew up here, my parents were so and so, I do this for a living."  That kind of background doesn't give a window into your character's psyche, whereas focusing on a particular event does.

[My 2 sids]

One other idea I've done in a new city, is ask others about -their- background. There is nothing like watching a good role-player in action with their character.  If you find a great player/character ask them about their own background, thoughts, dreams, etc.  It may give you some good ideas.