Welcome
Hello, and welcome to the Keepers of the Midnight Blue. This is the first of four training packets that will help you to familiarize yourself with the guild, and its membership.
Following the information in each packet, there will be a series of questions on the material presented. You will need to answer these questions and return them to myself. You will be sent all four packets and we ask that you take the time needed to complete them and return them to us as soon as possible. You do have one month but the sooner you complete them, the sooner you are an official member placed into active, full membership status with the guild. Good luck! Should you have any questions pertaining to these packets, don'tt hesitate to call upon me,
Othello (OthelloCallirr).
Training Packet 1
We shall begin with some of the common terminology used when role-playing in Rhydin. Also, this packet contains guidelines for both character profiles and story lines, as they pertain to the KotMB.
Terminology of Role-Playing in Rhydin
Char - The character that is controlled by the player. This is the "person" through which you live and interact with others in the role-playing "world".
Mun - The Mundane; your real life human self. The person at the keyboard who is controlling the character.
IC - In Character. When you are acting as your character, not as your real-life self.
OOC - Out Of Character. When you talk online as your real self or Mun, not as your character.
IRL - In Real Life. Refers to your real person and events of your Mun life, NOT your character's.
(( )) - Used to designate what the mun is saying or doing.
:: :: - Used to designate a character's actions.
SL - Story Line. An ongoing theme or story, carried out through posts on a message board or in chat rooms.
GP - Guild Points. This is given by the guild to it's members, and denotes the activity levels of the individual char's within the guild.
VP - Victory Points. This is given by the forum to the guilds, and denotes the guild's activity level as a whole within the forum.
Spar - Non-lethal battle where dice are used to determine hits & misses. Usually held for practice or for fun.
AA - Assassination Attempt; a lethal attempt on a character's life using subterfuge and special combat rules.
DM - Death Match; similar to a spar, but this a fight to the death where the loser is forced to delete his/her screen name.
HM - Honor Match; similar to a spar, but this is a potentially lethal fight that is commonly used to settle some type of dispute between char's.
PoW - Prisoner of War. In a declared war between guilds, the loser of a particular battle may be taken as prisoner by the opposition until the war is finished.
Rezz - To raise from the dead, to resurrect. This is only allowed during times of declared war.
SM - Slave Match; a fight where the loser becomes enslaved for a previously determined period of time.
RM - Release Match; a fight for the release of a slave or PoW.
FC - Forced Collaring. This is a particularly vicious form of slavery, similar in tactics to an AA.
Profiles & Story Lines within the KotMB
Character Profiles
Whereas table top RPG characters, ie. those from D&D, White Wolf, Shadowrun, etc... are represented on a "character sheet", or piece of paper with all the character's information listed, the character's online in Rhydin are represented through the Screen Name's (SN) profile. Every member of KotMB must have a role playing profile, and there are a number of items that are required to be in it.
Required Information for KotMB Member Profiles
1) Keepers of the Midnight Blue (or the initials KotMB)
2) The Division you are assigned to (or "Apprentice", until training is complete)
3) Your Rank within the Division
4) Your assigned Dice (2d20 for new members in training)
5) Your total amount of earned Guild Points (GP's)
Story Lines
One of the best things about online roleplaying is the way it allows people to let their creativity run free, without many of the normal predjudices they might run into in face-to-face gaming. It doesn't matter what gender, age, religion, sexual persuasion, etc. your co-writers are, as long as they can come up with well-thought-out personas.
In the KotMB we have many creative story weavers. While there are few limits on where your imagination can take you, there are some guidelines we try to follow as far as how you go about it. On the KotMB message board, as well as many others in the realms, you will find both Open SLs (Story Lines) and Closed SLs.
Closed Story Lines
In a closed story line, only the originating author and those specifically chosen to participate may write, post and contibute to that story line. A mun may choose to keep the story line closed for the duration of the story for any of several reasons, including a desire to write only with a specific person or group that time around; for a firm idea of where the story is going; or the intention to accurately record in story form something already RPed. If the story particularly piques your interest, contact the muns involved and see if there's a way to work in your character & ideas. Do not take it personally if they take a raincheck. If nothing else, it lets others know you'd be interested in writing together in the future. In some cases, a SL will start out closed to establish the parameters of the tale, and then become open to all comers. As a rule, a storyline is considered open unless otherwise noted, though there are still some basic courtesies to keep in mind. (See below for suggestions about Open SLs.)
Open Story Lines
Open story lines are open as long as you observe the flow of the story line and do not drastically change it from its original intent without permission, and you post in a way that is mature, flows, and enhances the story. Your post should be consistent with the events going on at the time, and should make logical and rational sense. Anything that detracts from the story line or causes it to tilt off course should first be discussed with the mun who created the thread, even though it is open. If you get negative feedback on your posts, please withdraw from the story line, or ammend your post at once. (Taken directly from the KotMB Laws, detailed in training packet 2)
The open story lines that seem to be the most fun to read and write tend to be those in which the muns involved keep in contact with each other regarding the general direction of the story, and maintain a level of consideration to each other, the characters and the story itself. If you're interested in joining an open SL, please take the time to contact the key storyweavers and get up to speed. While a certain amount of spontaneity keeps the interest building and creative juices flowing, it's important to respect the characters involved, and to be aware of how your contribution will affect the context and direction of the story.
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Questions for Training Packet 1
1) Define the following:
SL:
GP:
VP:
2) Name three things that every member of the KotMB is required to have in their profile.
a)
b)
c)
3) What are the two types of Story Lines used in the KotMB?
4) Who is allowed to post and contribute to a closed Story Line?
5) What should be done before jumping into an existing Story Line?
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