About Armageddon, and its setting, Zalanthas
Roleplaying is Required
Armageddon is, first and foremost, a role-playing game. Roleplaying is central to the game environment and is not considered an option by the creators of the world. It is a requirement. If you do not want to roleplay, this is not the game for you. The game has a combat system, magick spells, and thousands of other features for added realism, but you must keep in mind that the only reason everyone is here is to have fun while acting out a role. The most important thing is playing your character according to their own personality in order to help in the creation of a realistic fantasy world.
It's a Harsh World
The world of Armageddon is known as Zalanthas. It is a harsh planet where only the fittest survive, and competition over extremely scarce resources causes constant strife, struggle, and bloodshed. Deserts cover most of its explored surface, and the great red sun can bring daytime temperatures well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Most citizens lead lives of extreme hardship, struggling to survive and get ahead. Sometimes this is accomplished by means of banding together with others, especially powerful clans and Houses, or by forging friendships or alliances with powerful individuals. At other times, people survive by climbing over anyone who gets in their way, by cheating, stealing, killing, swindling, or otherwise taking advantage of others. Many Zalanthan citizens survive just by keeping their heads down and hoping no one considers them either weak enough or threatening enough to target.
Permanent Death
Life is hard. There are no free lunches on Zalanthas. There aren't even free drinks of water. Sometimes people are nasty. There are no rules against being mean to others that you meet, as long as the meanness is in-character (IC). Your character will face hardship often, and will probably even be killed, possibly at the hands of another player. If your character dies, he or she is dead -- permanently. However, you can always make another character; just keep in mind that your new character will have no knowledge of your previous life.
Why so Serious?
What does all of this mean? It does not mean that Armageddon is for people who revel masochistically in abuse. We have created this harsh world with the idea that the heart of narrative lies in conflict and dealing with hardship. We hope that players will find in the harsh, unforgiving reality of Armageddon a great deal of freedom in which to explore the narrative of the world and, even more importantly, the nuances of its characters and the stories played out there.
Next guide:
Creating a Character gives you step-by-step instructions.