Newcomer in Alllanak.

[Syl]

Yes yes yes all the more intrestin...

[Barsook]

Reading the docs can give you a insight of the game world.  Perhaps they can give you ideas for PC's that works within the world. 

That sounded dumb.

[Dunetrade55]

With the guild/subguild changes, you COULD be that magical ranger, good luck learning to read though, take a lot of character development along the way with the constant threat of death unless you are a family member in a major house. It's not outside the realm of possibility, but is a very advanced concept, one you'd likely have to earn CGP (character generation points), through roleplay of seemingly more boring roles. Let me tell you though, there are few boring roles in this game available, particularly among mundanes, save the isolationist roles like, rogue magicker who knows how to read. If you like solo roleplay and can settle into the game-world easily enough, it may be for you, but best to just give the normal stuff a spin, test the water with your toes, before making any grand aspirations.

[solera]

A lot of the 'Nakki PC s have been AWOL at an out of town thing. You might see them about the Gaj more, especially in the in-game evenings.

[Syl]

No grand aspirations, unwordly at least, just the expression of surprise and disapointement also. I always prefered classless and skill-based development of char, especially for RP games. And my char is a son of a witch, no blames please , so I thought that it would be natural to be atracted and delve into some arcanes...

[Riev]

No grand aspirations, unwordly at least, just the expression of surprise and disapointement also. I always prefered classless and skill-based development of char, especially for RP games. And my char is a son of a witch, no blames please , so I thought that it would be natural to be atracted and delve into some arcanes...

As much as many of us find a skill-based game more intriguing, especially from an RP point of view, the game is also a perma-death game with some people who find value more in "winning" by killing. They aren't necessarily wrong, nor right, but they would surely find the "best skills" and train only those and be unstoppable. The best way to put it, is an old quote from Blaze, I think:

The difference between guild_warrior and "I want to learn how to fight" is the difference between Mario and Joe the Plumber. One was born, bred, and its what they DO. The other... I mean they do it, but its not who they are.

[evilcabbage]

alright, let the cabbage help you out a little bit.

there is nothing wrong with being interested/attracted to magick. there is a problem with being OPEN about it.

so have it be some part of your character you're unsure about, that you keep to yourself, because of the stigma surrounding it.

also, classless systems allow people to have way too many skills, it's too much for EVERYONE to have that kind of ability.

in this game, your character has a set of abilities (offset by a subguild) that they are good at. so you have to base your character decisions a bit on that. but skills are not a requirement - it is possible, however difficult, to play the game without using your skills.

[Lizzie]

You can absolutely RP your character as being attracted to the arcane. Here's some things to know about said attraction:

1) there are magick subguilds - if you want to actually be capable of casting spells, you have to pick one of them. Magick is coded, in Armageddon.

2) Magicks, in Armageddon, are considered to be scary things. Most people in the world called Zalanthas are NOT magickers, and fear magicks. Some hate them. Some barely tolerate them. In the city of Allanak, the casting of magicks is illegal, and magickers themselves are tolerated ONLY if they wear a gem around their neck. If they don't, and they're caught, they are executed.

2a) Most have some kind of negative response to magicks and magickers. This means, that when they encounter someone who has a positive response to magicks, they will in turn respond accordingly.  Simple physics: For every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction. You should expect that opposite reaction from pretty much everyone your character encounters, with very few exceptions. As long as this is your expectation, you'll be fine. It isn't necessarily what will happen, but you - and your character - should know that this is the "expected" result.

[Syl]

As much as many of us find a skill-based game more intriguing, especially from an RP point of view, the game is also a perma-death game with some people who find value more in "winning" by killing. They aren't necessarily wrong, nor right, but they would surely find the "best skills" and train only those and be unstoppable.

Haven't seen that from many leagues away... Is there no way to balance that?  With time spent and skills scalin restrictions, where one could learn whatever it please him/her, but the more talents you learn the less proficient they will be?

[Riev]

As much as many of us find a skill-based game more intriguing, especially from an RP point of view, the game is also a perma-death game with some people who find value more in "winning" by killing. They aren't necessarily wrong, nor right, but they would surely find the "best skills" and train only those and be unstoppable.

Haven't seen that from many leagues away... Is there no way to balance that?  With time spent and skills scalin restrictions, where one could learn whatever it please him/her, but the more talents you learn the less proficient they will be?

That would require a balance that does not, and some might argue should not, exist in the game.

An assassin is someone who, from birth, has the skills, perception and genetics to BE an assassin. Whether they actually kill anyone is up to their personality.

A ranger is someone who, from birth, has the skills, perception, and genetics to be more capable of surviving the wilderness and Wastes. Whether they -do- that, or stick to the city and become 'just a whore' is up to their personality.

A krathi is someone who, from birth, has the skills, perception, and genetics to BLOW EVERYTHING THE FUCK UP. Their magicks are foreign, scary, untrusted and dangerous. They WILL Manifest at some point, the magick will always find you, but it is up to their personality whether they use those magicks for the city, for themselves, or not at all.


If we had a class-less system, I'd outright learn the defensive techniques, and every MASSIVE DELAYED FIREBALL skill in the game. Outright. Because I would assume so would everyone else (This isn't necessarily true). The way we have things now... maybe they do have fireballs, maybe they don't. As a PC, you don't know if the other person is a magicker or not, unless they have The Gem or start throwing magick in your face. It takes some getting used to, but not everyone has the hand stability for skinning, or the hand-eye coordination for master-level fighting. Some people "get" how to pick a lock, other people think you're talking gibberish.

[Lizzie]

As much as many of us find a skill-based game more intriguing, especially from an RP point of view, the game is also a perma-death game with some people who find value more in "winning" by killing. They aren't necessarily wrong, nor right, but they would surely find the "best skills" and train only those and be unstoppable.

Haven't seen that from many leagues away... Is there no way to balance that?  With time spent and skills scalin restrictions, where one could learn whatever it please him/her, but the more talents you learn the less proficient they will be?

No, this isn't that kind of game. Armageddon has been around, active, "live" since the late 1990's. It's gone through just a couple of significant code changes, but remains at its core a modified DIKU. In addition, the theme of this game requires that it NOT be balanced. What would be the fun of that, if everyone was able to have the winner trophy? In Armageddon, there are winners, there are survivors, and there are losers. Losers lose, because they're dead. Winners win, because they have *succeeded* with something - not because they managed to live. People who manage to live are nothing more than survivors.

If you want your character to have a lot of skills but not be proficient with them, pick a ranger with a crafter subguild. Or pick a merchant with a combat-based subguild. And then, just don't bother USING those skills very often. You will then live a long time, accomplish little, and be "not as proficient" as someone who uses their skills often.

[Syl]

Well, t'was just a suggestion for the sake of realism, and fun also... Cause wichever our birth inheritance, it seems to me that one is free to learn it all.. Then learnin bonus and malus could be effective, accordin to our background. And that doesn't mean that one will automatically have 'the winner trophy', learnin it all, cause that wouldn't be possible anyway. It's just a question of aspirations and thoughtful balance in the choices of our char development.

[Riev]

Well, t'was just a suggestion for the sake of realism, and fun also... Cause wichever our birth inheritance, it seems to me that one is free to learn it all.. Then learnin bonus and malus could be effective, accordin to our background. And that doesn't mean that one will automatically have 'the winner trophy', learnin it all, cause that wouldn't be possible anyway. It's just a question of aspirations and thoughtful balance in the choices of our char development.

Realistically (which doesn't fit in a fantasy world of magick and psionics anyway), not everyone can be a basketball star. Rudy can't play professional football. I will never be a rock and roll star, because I don't have the aptitude nor the hands to play guitar properly.

Some people are just born with aptitudes. In this game we all play, that is covered by the Guild system. If you want to do something, make it your guild, or subguild. Don't expect to be a Master Swordsman, who can master-craft epic swords, and pick locks, while being a shadow in the daytime, and casting fireballs. Its Low Fantasy!

But in all seriousness, you do seem to get it, so welcome! Please make me some drawings in game!

[Syl]

  A fantasy world wich is harshly realistic though, eh. And that's the point, the aptitude. If you won't be a rock star, you could still learn the guitar to play, or roleplay, as an amateur. Could be fun also to find out our different abilities, and discover talents.

But it was just my first feelings and I'm glad of your replies. I'll explore carefully, as a pure ranger then, that dreaded Zalanthas... Cheers!

[Lizzie]

It is not even almost realistic. Realistically, there is only one sentient species that is able to work in an office, answer the phone, dress themselves, wipe their ass and flush a toilet, do algebra on paper or with a computer, and sell specific types of shoes to their customers. And that is - the human species.

Elves are not human, nor are Zalanthan dwarves, or half-giants, or gith.

Realistically, you can't raise your arms, chant a nonsensical phrase, and have a fireball explode from your fingertips and burn 20 people in the next room.

Realistically, gurth, gith, greth, and all the other G-critters - don't exist. Realistically, there exists flush toilets, refrigeration, air conditioning, computers, cell phones, television, and metal automobiles.

As for aptitude, aptitude defines your character's coded structure. Aptitude means -the capacity at which one is capable of learning something-. Notice it isn't the capacity at which one might TRY to learn something. It's the capacity at which someone is capable of succeeding at learning something.

Some people just flat out can't play guitar. They can pick it up, hold it, put their fingers on the strings, and really never have the coordination to do anything other than strum random noises. That isn't being an amateur. It's being - someone who lacks the aptitude for guitar playing. In the fantasy game Armageddon, it means - they don't have Guitar_playing skill in their Performance skillset.

Same with picking a lock. If you don't have the skill, you're welcome to try. But you will just end up standing there - trying - until you stop trying. That is all that will result from it, because you lack the capacity to learn how to do that.

Some people just don't know how to do certain stuff, and don't "have what it takes" to learn how to do certain stuff. But in Armageddon, everyone has the capacity to be good at SOMETHING. You have the choice to decide which somethings your character will be capable of getting good at.

[Syl]

Notice it isn't the capacity at which one might TRY to learn something. It's the capacity at which someone is capable of succeeding at learning something.

Ok, the TRY's important, and to me that's what's lackin. One don't really know about his limits and till wich level he could succeed. How come an exceptionaly agile char won't be able to strum some chords on a guitar??

[Jihelu]

Notice it isn't the capacity at which one might TRY to learn something. It's the capacity at which someone is capable of succeeding at learning something.

Ok, the TRY's important, and to me that's what's lackin. One don't really know about his limits and till wich level he could succeed. How come an exceptionaly agile char won't be able to strum some chords on a guitar??

Music is something you can roleplay.



Making instruments is a coded skill, however.

[LauraMars]

You can certainly pursue the purchase of a guitar in game and roleplay strumming it!

p.s. You're my favorite newb right now, welcome to Armageddon!!

[Syl]

*Flush* My thanks Laura. 

But guitar was just an re-used exemple of the skill possiblities, meanin that stats should primarily decide of what you're able, and not.

[Dunetrade55]

I have RPed a PC who couldn't play a lute, but desperately desired to. He saw a certain Byn Sarge playing some simple, jaunty tunes, and said, ok, well, I'll never be a circle bard, but if I TRY hard enough, I may be able to manage that. I spent a RL month RPing horrible failures before he finally picked up a slight knack, but his songs were never prized for their artfulness of melody, they were prized for their lyrics. So it was like, Bob Dylan vs. Beethoven. My PC was never a certified badass with a lute, but he carried one everywhere he went, because he never knew when inspiration would strike, and even people who hated music enjoyed his weird-ass, awkward tunes.

You are free to RP however you like. I have walked several merchants into combat roles, but that's because I have a slight understanding of offense/defense, you'll never beat a badass fighter, or even a pickpocket, on the same level of skill, you can beat them, but you have to work five times harder to do so, possibly more than that. As far as picking a lock, if you don't have the skill, or even the tools, you're never going to be able to do it. You can RP all you want and use wish sparingly, but keep in mind that could blow up in your face.

The guild system is what it is. Feel free to take issue with it, but as Reiv said there are those that play to win anything, ever, last thing that's wanted is to empower them by giving them the ability to do so without seeking others to RP with, otherwise, you'd have a bunch of people RPing their measly commoners, and  a few long-lived PCs who've mastered everything preying on the others. Some of us come from hack and slash muds, some from PvP muds, the killer/achiever mindset is something you'll become familiar with IG time and again, and you will be glad they're not a ranger who is also a warrior who moonlights as a magical fireball-hurling burglar. It may seem constricting, but it keeps things somewhat in check.

[Syl]

not a ranger who is also a warrior who moonlights as a magical fireball-hurling burglar. It may seem constricting, but it keeps things somewhat in check.

Got your point, but you gotta understand that the ranger I was speakin of would be as efficient as that burglar only, and only if he had spent most of his time practicin his fireball to the detriment of his others skills. He couldn't be then a powerful warrior, or thief, though, with a good agility, wisdom and teacher, he could have learn also some rudiments of lockpickin... Chars can't be so dumb as to not understandin some basics gestures or movements, given the right context and capacities.

After, that's alll a question of balacin the skills development, between stats and background, that last givin eases to learn or limits to reach for instance.

[evilcabbage]

alright, stats don't affect your maximum skill capability, your guild/subguild do.

and you can roleplay being as bad or good at guitar/singing/instruments as you like. that is not a skill-based thing. roleplay to your hearts content my friend.

[Syl]

Lemme find a flute, or should/could I rp its possession? 

[Lizzie]

There are coded musical instruments in the game, that you can *hold* or even *wield*. So when people walk into the room after you've already started playing, they can "look" at you and see that you are, in fact, in possession of a flute.

[Syl]

Then I cannot imagine havin already one? Would be good when startin to play, we got some items related to our background, nops?