New in town

[Arakil]

Hello, there.

So, I'm intrigued by this forum. I like a lot of the concepts we've got going on here. Original, new lore is always intriguing, and it looks like you guys have put a lot of time into this thing.

But, if I can be blunt, I've had some pretty bad experiences with other RP forums, so before I join this one for real, I was wondering if anyone would be so kind as to describe the environment of the forum itself. If I post something stupid (e.g, I make a relatively harmless comment like, "looks cool" on a thread that I'm not supposed to) does it just get instantly deleted and then I get a mod warning saying, "beep boop you have violated section 9,451,248 of our forum rules, you have been placed on a watch list beep boop," ? Because that's happened before and it kinda sucks when the mods are so aggressively anti rule-breaking, which I admit you kinda have to be but not at the expense of turning off loyal RPers. So really, my point is, are the mods, and the people here, friendly? It'd be cool if you were.

Also, can you give me some general rules about the forum in general? And is there anything I should know about character creation?

Thanks for indulging me.

[Colt]

Hey there, Arakil! Welcome to Mizahar!

In general, the mods and the people here expect you to have read the rules before you do anything in-character, since that just makes it easier on everyone. If you look in you private messages, you should have received a welcome PM that gives you links to the rules and starting guide. I'd suggest familiarizing yourself with both; they do a pretty good job at laying out what goes where and how to do this or that.

Of course, the guides don't explain everything, and there's probably going to be lots of questions still in the air. In that case, ask! The playerbase here is very friendly, and always willing to help out. In general, though, because there are formalized areas for different things, it's best to know exactly where your post is supposed to go, before you post it. Out-of-character posts, for example, should be kept away from the in-character areas. This keeps everything streamlined and makes it easier for the moderators to keep track of the stories that are going on. If you're not sure where something goes, just ask. If you look at the very, very top of your web page, you'll see a bar with a bunch of buttons: Home, Roleplay, Lore, Chat, Blogs, Galleries and Help Us. I would highly suggest logging onto the Chat; there are almost always people online, and you can ask questions and have people respond immediately.

Basically, don't push yourself into rushing; there's a lot of information here, and it can be a little overwhelming. Take as much time as you need, and ask for as much help as you need. We're always happy to see new players!

In the meantime, if you have any more questions or don't want to log onto Chat, feel free to shoot me a PM and I'd be happy to help!

[Gossamer]

People don't take kindly to people popping into IC threads and making OOC comments either. It's considered very rude.

[Arakil]

People don't take kindly to people popping into IC threads and making OOC comments either. It's considered very rude.

I can understand why hopping onto a roleplay thread and being all, "Wow, you guys are lame," would be a bad thing, but it's not that big of a deal. But even an ooc post? And why is it considered so rude? I mean, I'm taking, "Very rude," to mean it's the equivalent, "I just insulted your great ancestors and kicked your dog," but you may not mean it at that level.

But thanks, both of you. I already submitted my character sheet, if y'all wanna take a look or anything. *shrug*

[Colt]

It's considered rude because threads are still going on. Especially in closed threads, it's a story that's just between the people playing; they're writing something with their characters, and so they will usually have it thought out beforehand.

Imagine it like this. You're writing a book. Not just ideas, not just thoughts, but the actual book. As in, you're writing the final draft, and you're writing it by hand, in a notebook. This is a book you've been working on for awhile, you've been with these characters of yours for months, even years, and you really, really want to see them come out alright. Maybe they're in the climax right now. Maybe you're writing that exciting part where they're fighting a dragon. Maybe you've just gotten to the part where the lead realizes that they've fallen in love with their best friend. It's an important moment, it's a juicy moment, you've been writing and writing and writing, all of these wonderful moments, and it's the final draft before you turn it in.

And then, right as you're writing, someone yanks the book out of your hands, takes a sharpie and scribbles down "Hey, this is cool!" straight into your notebook, all over what you've just written.

That's sort of what it's like when someone puts an OOC comment in someone else's IC thread. They may have meant well, but the fact is that they've put themselves in your space, taken something you didn't say they could touch, and now the entire story has to screech to a halt so you can erase what they did before you can start writing again.

We're not saying you shouldn't complement people. We love complements! But if someone is writing a book and you like the story, you don't complement them by writing inside that book, especially if they're still writing it. If you're moved by someone's thread, great! Send them a private message. Poke them on Chat. Tell other people, "Hey, I saw this great thread over here, give it a read!" But don't post in the thread itself. That's someone's storytelling. They spent time on making that a good story, with good writing, and they expect their thread partners to do the same for them. If a random person pops in without permission, it totally disrupts the entire thread.

[Colt]

Also, I would suggest taking some more time to familiarize yourself with the area you're roleplaying in. Are you starting in Syliras? How much do you know about the city? Have you read about the Knights yet? Have you looked at the linkmap? Do you know what it's like to live there? Do you know exactly how stinky it is, and do you know why? Do you know what the Mithryn Outpost is, because that's a very important part of Syliras. Do you know what job your character is going to have? Because it's actually illegal to be unemployed in Syliras. If you don't have a job, the Knights will march you down to the employment office and forcefully put you in a job wherever labor is needed. Do you know how to get a job? Do you know how to keep a job? Do you know how money works here?

[Arakil]

Okay, thanks for that. I hadn't really thought of it that way.

If you wouldn't mind, how do I subscribe to threads? The layout of the website is a bit confusing since this is my first time and I'd rather not completely miss an important message just because I wasn't notified of it, especially at the point where my character hasn't even been officially approved yet.

Thanks!

I was planning on starting in Syliras mainly as a starting point and then leaving. I've mainly done as much reading up as was required to build my character, but I can do some more.

[Colt]

At the very, very bottom of the page, in the left corner, you'll see some options. Click on the "Subscribe thread" button.

[Arakil]

Oh, there it is, thank you very much.

[Colt]

No problem.

If there's one piece of advice I'd like to give, it is this: take your time. It's early winter. You're not on a schedule. There is a huge amount of lore here. On Syliras alone, there is a lot to learn; you've got the patron gods with their own lore pages, the deep rivalry with Ravok in the north, the fact that the whole thing is basically a dictatorship, critically dependent on its farming, the bitter distrust of the Drykas in the south, the importance of the Kabrin road, sea trade. It's a lot. Trust me. Half an hour of reading won't make you ready. Take as much time as you need.