Newcomer in Alllanak.

[Syl]

I already red most of  the help newbie files, with some of the general ones. At the same time, I got some overall experience of mud, enough to tell you that I came to prefer the Lp codebase, but I've never really played an RP enforced one. I was, and I'm still more about fun, though, with free time at present, I could play on a higher level, all the more as I apreciate the maturity, the originality of RP universes, especially Arma.

And I do apreciate your concern, cheers! 

[Hauwke]

I would like to clarify my readthe docs and jump in comment:

I am embarrassed by how terrible I was at roleplaying when I first started. If anyone remembers me in those days they would probably agree, but at the same time I stuck with it and just sort of adopted the style of others over time without even meaning to. And built upon those I copied and now have my own style of RP.

Tl;dr
I fell flat several times and now I have the hang of it for the most part.

[Barsook]

I'm also embarrassed about my roleplaying in the beginning my of years too, but like Hauwke, I did copy some and made my own style.  I think the hat tipping habit of Durik came from someone doing that in my first year of playing and I copied it and used it with Durik.

[Miradus]

I find that when I start a new character it takes a little while for his roleplay to "click". Like a new pair of shoes. The character has to develop new mannerisms, new phrases, and a new style.

So that first day or two played is going to be different than the 10th day played. I think that's just the way it is.

[Syl]

Yes, I'll try to live more than two days, without bein too embarassed... Thxs for your encouragin replies! 

[Akaramu]

Not true!  Our lovely Akaramu has played Arm for 12+ years and her English has really, really improved!  If you work at it, your's can too!

Sure, mudin must be one of the best ways to learn english, though I don't want wait 12 years for a correct role play, eh.

True story! You can roleplay 'correctly' even if your English is incorrect. You don't have to write flowery long emotes to be a good roleplayer, either. When I got started on Armageddon, my English was so bad that I used canned emotes I copied word by word from Achaea because I couldn't think of better ways to express myself. But people enjoyed playing with me for some reason. 

What's important is that you learn how the world works, and that you play your character realistically in it. Everything else can wait.

[Riev]

What's important is that you learn how the world works, and that you play your character realistically in it. Everything else can wait.

Cannot stress enough. I can forgive poor grammar in game (except from dwarves. I EXPECT MORE, DWARVES!), or canned "nod" and "shake" stock emotes that Diku provides, so long as there is some interesting dialogue and/or realistic gameplay.

Its the new people to the game that think "I am going to be the person who kills Tektolnes" that get disheartened quickly, and tend to be the people you don't want to associate with in game. The street sweepers? The simple grebbers looking to get a leg up in life? The people so incredibly elated to be offered a position with a Noble? They're so fun.

Everything else can wait. Flowery emotes, thinks, feels... they come in time. Just be a 'real person' and not 'a collection of skills'. (Coming from someone who nearly always plays warriors because "someday my skills will be good!")

[Syl]

In that sense, I revised my choice of character for an humble and shy one, wich should explain his aloofness and absence of reaction. And not atract too much of an atention that could easily become dangerous...

[Miradus]

Just have fun.

I'd much rather play with someone who I know is having fun too rather than someone with perfect emotes and speech.

[Syl]

So true, it all comes down to that eventually. 

[WarriorPoet]

Syl, buddy, I have been playing 15 years and I am still an embarrassingly bad roleplayer most of the time. I never use 'feel', rarely use 'think' and am awful about doing outrageous things. But it is still tons of fun.

My advice? Be a gawking farm boy, cave dweller, sheltered tribal, whatever, that is new to the city so that you can learn the code and mechanics of the game without struggling to act like you know what the hell is going on. That will come in time and, from the brief interaction we had in game, seems to be happening already. Also, join the Byn.

Luck.

[Syl]

My advice? Be a gawking farm boy, cave dweller, sheltered tribal, whatever, that is new to the city so that you can learn the code and mechanics of the game without struggling to act like you know what the hell is going on. That will come in time and, from the brief interaction we had in game, seems to be happening already. Also, join the Byn.

Took your advice for char in advance, but...*tries to remember a warriorpoet, scratchin his head with perplexity*.

[WarriorPoet]

Not important. Good luck, mate.

[Barsook]

I find that when I start a new character it takes a little while for his roleplay to "click". Like a new pair of shoes. The character has to develop new mannerisms, new phrases, and a new style.

So that first day or two played is going to be different than the 10th day played. I think that's just the way it is.

I would like to suggest that you spend one or two hours doing some solo roleplaying (I believe this was in the docs somewhere saying this).  Solo roleplaying is your character doing something where there is no other player characters around or even NPC's.  So this means that you spend your time emoting, thinking, feeling without the world, in the terms of player-base, watching you.  This is great when you first start a character so you can get a feel for how they will act.  Later on, it will be used for development of the character, whether it's from an event, thoughts/feelings around another character, or just training your skills.  In fact, for the latter, the staff would prefer this since this is a roleplay enforced game.

I don't know if I already said this, but you can also use bios (a command in game and tool on the main site) to have a record for you on how your character acts (in terms of personalty), feels about other characters or events, and other things.  What it is not is a dairy, keep that in mind.  They are also useful for the staff to get a feel and understating of your character.

I would suggest that when a event or a thought (that you would like to add as a bio along with your roleplay, in game), that you use the "bio" command to title the entry, then on your free time fill it in.  You might have a easier time writing on the site than via the command. 

If you are wondering on how I do them, I can post it.

[a french mans shirt]

I enjoy solo rp, myself. I actually didn't do any lengthy solo rp for about three years, then I discovered its joys. Its really fun to get into when there's no one around and its a time of night where you god damn know no one is going to be around.

Also, I know witches must seem pretty interesting and you'll find out soon enough that you can special app for them, but I would wait. Partly, because staff wants people to be playing for at least a month before apping for their first witch, and partly because its such a difficult and discriminated-against role. Even when there's a number of witches playing that you can talk to, often I would just get bored after a month or two months enough to store them, back when they were all special apps that I could only have three of a year. A ruk or viv touched is probably a good starter witch. I would save the ruk empowerment for second or third.

[Syl]

I briefly tested emotes with an npc durin my first steps, but frankly, haven't found that so fun. Yet it sure sounds like a good advice, and from time to time, I will now role play with npcs, or alone, yes.
Good to knows about that bios also, if events grants me inspiration, and time!, to write somethin, eh.

Also, I know witches must seem pretty interesting and you'll find out soon enough that you can special app for them, but I would wait. Partly, because staff wants people to be playing for at least a month before apping for their first witch, and partly because its such a difficult and discriminated-against role. Even when there's a number of witches playing that you can talk to, often I would just get bored after a month or two months enough to store them, back when they were all special apps that I could only have three of a year. A ruk or viv touched is probably a good starter witch. I would save the ruk empowerment for second or third.

Now, that's intriguing... Do witches have a special status in Arma?

[Barsook]

Only if the are gemmed and working for House Oash in Allanak.  But they are still hated/feared like all 'gickers alike.

[nauta]

It may not seem this way since they can come sit at the bar and chat people up like regular folks, but gemmed (and magickers in general) are feared and distrusted among the general population:

Magick is a mysterious and very rare power on Zalanthas, about which the general public knows very little, and generally fears and hates a great deal. While magickers are tolerated in some places, they are generally feared and distrusted by the vast majority of the population of Zalanthas. In many places, magickers are killed upon discovery, and even the rumor that one is a magicker can lead to one's death.

The reason for this isn't just the 'coded' reality of magickers, but also superstitions: they could give you diseases by looking at you weird, etc.  Check this out (see the Magicker Superstitions section):

http://www.armageddon.org/help/view/Superstitions

[Syl]

Intrestin, and I guess that in game, superstitions are not considered as such, or do they? Does the very word and its conception ever used, at least by the well-read and broad minded ones?

[Barsook]

Arm is in the low-magic genre.

[Lizzie]

Intrestin, and I guess that in game, superstitions are not considered as such, or do they? Does the very word and its conception ever used, at least by the well-read and broad minded ones?

First - to be clear: Armageddon is NOT "low-magic." It is "low-fantasy." There is a difference between the two. The world of Zalanthas has its climate, deserts, cities, some of its creatures, some of its plantlife, as a direct result of magic. And so no - not low-magic at all. Tektolnes is the *sorcerer-king* of Allanak. So the city is run by - a mage. It's not a secret, it's known. And templars in Allanak are able to cast magic spells. This is also not a secret, and is known. The "how and why" of it is not known by commoners or even most nobles.

All of this magick (in Arm, it's spelled with the k at the end) has caused people to distrust, fear, or hate it. Magick is scary, the way people acquire the power to use it is mysterious and unknown. In a world where most people can't read or write, things that are mysterious and unknown are scary and suspicious.

Regarding superstition: No, most people in the world of Zalanthas wouldn't necessarily use that word to describe their thinking. But they ARE still superstitious. They might not ever use the words "myth" or "legend" but there is a mythology in Zalanthas, and there are legends. Commoners might not have a deep understanding of physics, or chemistry, or science, or sociology. But they know what they see, and they have beliefs about what they can't explain.

[Syl]

So one could hear in a tavern 'That's superstitious nonsense!! You balthahead!'?

[Miradus]

From someone who doesn't live in Allanak or Tuluk and who has never personally witnessed magic?

Yeah, I think that's possible. Certainly it would be wise to be careful where you're heard saying it though. The power structure of certain areas is based upon "we have magic and you don't so worship us". It might be like going to the 13th century Europe and telling the king that his divine right to rule is bullcrap.

[a french mans shirt]

Do you have any questions, Syl?

Also, the only clans you generally can't leave are the militia of the cities. If you become an invalid from war, or something like that, they will probably cut you without any repercussions you would have to deal with, but if you were planning to spend a human character exploring the different clans, then I would strongly suggest avoiding starting with the militia.

[Riev]

Do you have any questions, Syl?

Also, the only clans you generally can't leave are the militia of the cities. If you become an invalid from war, or something like that, they will probably cut you without any repercussions you would have to deal with, but if you were planning to spend a human character exploring the different clans, then I would strongly suggest avoiding starting with the militia.

As much as people say to Join the T'zai Byn (tm), keep this in mind. Most clans restrict going "outside" for a very long time because its Dangerous to Go Alone (tm). I might honestly suggest not immediately joining a clan until you have your bearings about you. You can be a great person in the game without joining a clan, though joining one can get you embroiled in things pretty quickly.