Getting Started
From Soulfire MUSH
Welcome to Soulfire MUSH! I want to welcome you to our game. Below are some tips to help you get the best possible experience out of our game.
Contents |
Goals
First, you should know a bit about my personal philosophy of MUSHing. Or rather, a bit about my goals for you. They are:
- I want you to have fun, whether you are a highly active player or a casual player who can only make it once a week.
- I want to provide interesting experiences, but not overload you with so much "interesting life" that your characters start to go insane.
- I want to foster and encourage player run plots and one shots as well as providing a great mix of staff run plots and one shots.
- I want you to feel like you can be involved whether you're playing a powerful wizard or a plain mortal, though I need you to understand that characters with glass jaws, while welcome, are not going to get pulled off to go fight monsters usually.
- I want you to always feel like you are dealing with a responsive staff team who cares about your needs, and I want to reassure you that we hold ourselves to the exact same rules that we ask you to follow.
So! With that in mind, let's get started.
Why You Should Read News
First, please go read News. Yes, I know it's a drag, but it saves us all time. Here's why:
- It keeps you from asking questions we've clearly answered.
- It helps you think about character concepts that have a better chance of fitting in here on the game than if you refuse to read the document.
- It helps you understand "how things work around here."
If you have additional questions after reading news then feel free to page a friendly staffer to get those answered for you.
Why the +BB System is VITAL
Do you want to find plots and one night stands to participate in? The BBs are the places we announce such things.
Do you want to find other people to RP with? The BBs are where people offer new RP hooks and opportunities to help you.
Do you want to find out what player run plots are most appropriate to the overarching story arc? BBs!
Do you want to know what the latest new house rule is? Yeah--the bbs again. :)
Some people refuse to read the BBs. This is silly. +bbread should be one of the first commands you type every time you log in, even before you read your mail. +bbread Board#/Message# will show you the message you need to see. If you want to get involved don't yell about it on the channels. READ THE BBS!!! We intend to have a lot going on, but you will not know about it if you don't take the time to use this vital tool.
Why you should check your @mail
Would you believe some people don't pay attention to their @mail? The @mail is where GMs tend to send vital clues they don't have time to deal with on-screen. The @mail is where the questions you @mailed us get answered. The @mail is where you tend to get personal invitations for...even more RP!
Factions and You
A lot of RP comes out of the factions. You're encouraged to check out the existing factions as well as seek to forge new factions if you don't find any with the type of RP you're looking for. Factions form a framework for missions, friendships, rivalries, and RP hooks. It is possible to be part of a faction without any idea of who actually controls the faction. You certainly do not have to be affiliated but you're welcome to check out what's out there.
Investigation RP
If you saw a rumor or heard about one ICly and want to check it out, then you should page or @mail the appropriate GM. Most posts will say who is in charge of any given series of events. That is how you get involved: talking to NPCs, investigating clues, following up on rumors. If you want a social experience that's fine--plenty of room for that here--but understand RP here is a self-serve buffet table, not a waiter-to-the table experience. The food is all there but you have to stand up and go get some. ;) Even a public event announced to the grid at large requires you to get out of your room and go.
Finding Friends
Page people for RP! We're all here for RP. The News files offer several easy RP hooks you can use to start scenes with just about anybody. Because anybody on the game is welcome to emit certain things (look at the News again to find out what you can even use to start with a little action and adventure to forge a bond). If you're really and truly lost page Rane, a Race Admin, or an RP Gen and ask them to help you out by RPing with you or running a small situation for you.
Here's what does not work:
- Sitting in a private room all by yourself.
- Sitting in the OOC area all by yourself.
- Jumping on to the public channel and announcing, "I'm bored!"
Designing Characters
My MUSH blog at http://muresources.wordpress.com/ has a couple of posts on character design, but I'll share a few things here too. Characters work best if you can do several things for them.
- First, design them around a few "central problems." This does not mean angst, but all good fictional characters have something they don't have, that they do want, and that they'll go to great lengths to obtain. Or they have something they do have, that they don't want, that they'll go to great lengths to get rid of or avoid. The single biggest question you can ask yourself is: "What does my character want?" "What does my character need?" What will drive that character to seek friends and allies, get involved in adventures (if at all), join factions, or get into trouble? Watch out for characters with every conceivable advantage. If you're already rich, powerful and beautiful what's left?
- Make a person with a reason to talk to people or to jump into the action. Do not make a person who is stationary. Waitresses, shopkeepers, and other characters who are tied to a single location make terrible characters unless you are truly dynamic. So do loners who sit in dark corners sipping tea.
- Design flaws. Flaws help make a character GO. In fact, in the old school "GURPS" game designing flaws and quirks was one of the most fun factors of the game. Flaws are what make your character interesting. Don't fall into the trap of feeling you have to be perfect to be respected and loved.
- Design characters with 1-3 very generic adventure "ins" in mind. What might drive your character or force your character to get involved?
- Design your characters with 1-3 "scene openers" or "scene generators" in mind. Write them down.
- Your character is not your powers, your skill set, or your race. Neither is your character your job. Those things can provide RP but they will not provide most of your RP.
- Try to find people to share backgrounds with.
- Create a couple of interesting NPCs that surround your character's life. They can help you flesh out the character.
Please ask me if you have any questions. I am absolutely dedicated to making sure you have a wonderful experience here on Soulfire MUSH.
-Rane
