Original Submissions by Cutthroat of type 'Documentation'

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  Roleplaying a Nomad
  Added on Jun 19, 2011

  Tips on roleplaying a character with the 'nomad' subguild, and being from a virtual tribe.

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  Roleplaying a Nomad
  
  These are some handy suggestions for people who wish to play a character with a nomadic background. There is never one right way to roleplay something, but these are my observations, after watching players who I thought did it well.
  
  This is done in a similar style to the subguild guides on the main site, and hopefully there will be others. The three original ones are:
  http://www.armageddon.org/rp/subguilds/hunter.html
  http://www.armageddon.org/rp/subguilds/linguist.html
  http://www.armageddon.org/rp/subguilds/physician.html
  
  Enjoy.
  
  What is a nomad?
  Nomads, usually originating in the tablelands around Luir's Outpost, speak their own native tongue, Bendune, and are adept at shrewd bartering in the desert markets. If you are playing a character with a nomadic background, you must pick this subclass.
  
  We see a few main points from this description of your average nomad. We see:
  
  - their usual origin (around Luir's)
  - they speak bendune
  - they have some skill with trading
  
  Other than the origin of the nomad, that's not much. Luckily, this allows us to get quite creative when we design a nomad for play.
  
  Designing a nomad concept
  
  All of the coded tribes have their own unique traits. Take a look at any tribe documentation available on the site and you will see traditions, a general like/dislike for certain things, superstitions, tribal tattoos, and many other things. To list some publicly available examples, the Jul Tavan documents dictate an intolerance for magickers, while Benjari documentation describes the importance of keeping a dagger handy.
  
  As a subguild_nomad, you will likely be playing a representative of a virtual tribe. Designing virtual tribe documentation for your own character is a good way to define where your character is coming from, and where characters related to you might be, if only for yourself or for a biography entry. Here are some aspects you can try to include into your "virtual tribe documentation":
  
  Basics
     What is the name of your tribe?
     What is the race of your tribe?
     Where is camp? Does it move around, and if so, where?
     How large is the tribe?
     How old is the tribe?
     What are the tribe's main sources of income?
  
  Physical appearances
     Hair/eye/skin colors
        Is there a usual set of colors for your tribe?
        Do certain colors imply unseen characteristics (cowardice, leadership, etc.)?
     Body features
        Shapes of ears, noses, lips, etc.
     Tattoos
     Scarification
     Height/weight
  
  Weapons, Armor, and Clothing
     Weapons - Are certain types used? Certain weapon styles?
     Armor - What materials are used in your tribe's armor, how is it worn, and who wears it?
     Clothing - What materials are used in your tribe's clothing, how is it worn, and who wears it?
     Jewelry - Do tribe members wear certain types of jewelry, or of certain materials? How about piercings? Do they differ amongst various members of the tribe?
     Trading - Would your tribe trade these weapons/armor/clothing/jewelry away, or is it for the tribe only? Are certain items reserved for the tribe and not others?
  
  Traditions
     Organization - How does the tribe break down with regards to responsibilities?
     Age - when is a member of the tribe an adult, and what do they do to get to that status, if anything?
     Gatherings - are there gatherings in the tribe that happen on a regular basis? Why?
     Families - If there was only one family in the tribe, everyone would be inbred. How many families are there, how are they distinct?
     Elders - How are elders viewed and what are their responsibilities? How are they chosen?
     Mating - Are there permanent mated relationships? Is there an elaborate process through which mating 'rights' are secured?
     Spirituality - Does your tribe worship anything? Do they have an enduring set of myths or gods? Do they believe in spirits?
     Burials - How does your tribe handle the last rites of its dead and how are the bodies disposed of?
  
  Philosophy
     Object related - do certain objects, or certain types of objects, hold any importance?
     Magickers - Is magick tolerated? Which elements, if so? How about sorcery?
     Water - Water is extremely important in Zalanthas, and especially to tribes. What does your tribe do specially with it?
     Spice - Is spice good or bad? Which types are preferred?
     Views of Outsiders
        City-slickers - How does the tribe view city folk?
        Sand talkers - How does the tribe view other tribes?
     Sayings - Are there special words or phrases to describe things?
     Half-elves - If your tribe is human or elven, what does it think of half-elves in the tribe?
     Punishment - How would your tribal culture handle punishment for misdeeds?
     Xenophobia - How open is your tribe's camp? Would they allow outsiders to enter for trade or cut them down on the spot?
  
  Example of a defined tribe
  
  The Araseik-Betvan (don't use this name; it is a horrible portmanteau) are a tribe of humans hailing from the center of the salt flats.
  
  Most A-Bs are rugged looking, with dark hair, eyes, and skin. Their lifestyle lends a powerful frame to most Betvans and physically handicapped Betvans are often used as bait for hunting. Those born with lighter features are often considered softer and thus less able to deal with life on the flats, and while they are held to the same standards as everyone else, they will often receive less help.
  
  A-B hunters hunt the salt worms and scrabs they come across, using the hides and shells they get for armor, while using the salt worm teeth to create sharp weapons for hunting. They wear necklaces made out of salt worm teeth, and string one salt worm tooth onto the necklace every time they age. A-B gatherers gather salt from the ground, and bring it to Allanak to trade it to House Jal for water, which the gatherers bring back to the tribe. Gatherers are marked with a tattoo of a lump of purple salt on the back of their primary hand, and often wear light sandcloth gear to aid in their work. At the beginning of every year, the hunters gather together for the Great Mekillot Hunt. A tribe member uses something made of mekillot hide or bone often earns that right by leading hunts.
  
  A-B tribals are split into two main families - the Araseik family and the Betvan. There are other smaller families which support one family or the other. Most hunters come from the Araseik and their supporters while the gatherers come from the Betvan and their supporters. Each family has a matriarch and a patriarch, and the biggest family's elders reside over the entirety of the tribe. A-B always carry a piece of glittering salt with them, as an identifier for other tribes in the area. Water is rationed by the Betvan fairly to each tribe member, and sharing of water isn't allowed. Spice is allowed for hunters, but not for gatherers - while the spices help hunters, the gatherers might take it into Allanak accidentally while bringing their salt in to trade for water.
  
  A-B maintains a professional trade relationship with Allanak, but to mingle with Allanakis or other city people in any other way (friendly, sexual) is unthinkable. The result of the union between an A-B and a city person is always killed at birth. New blood is always needed for the tribe however, and A-B are often encouraged to seek out the members of nearby tribes for mating purposes. Magickers are partially tolerated - Vivaduans and Drovians bring much needed relief to the gatherers, and their existence in the tribe is allowed. Other elements are not tolerated, and members found to be learning sorcery are always killed.
  
  Bendune and tribal speech
  
  The helpfile on bendune has this to say about the nomadic tongue:
  
  "The language of the nomadic tribes of the Known World is called Bendune. It bears some resemblance to the elven speech, and even more to the language known as Cavilish. The real history of linguistic development is most likely that the tribal tongues became united at Gol Krathu, several Ages before the arrival of the Dragon, into a more primitive form of Bendune. It was not until many years later that the elven and Cavilish tongues were certain to have existed.
  
  While most contemporary desert tribes are composed of refugees from the city-states or of elven nomads, the Allundean and Sirihish languages are far more common in the wilderness than they once were. On the fringes of the Known World, however, most still speak Bendune, particularly the Tan Muark, who claim it their own invention."
  
  Keeping this in mind, we can derive a few interesting facts about how bendune might be used among virtual tribes, such as your own if you create a subguild_nomad character. If your tribe is further away from the cities, heavy use of bendune (and an unpracticed sirihish) are more likely, while if your tribe is closer, your sirihish would be better. Also keep in mind how your tribe would use sirihish or bendune. If sirihish was mainly being used as a trade language, to speak with city-folk about your tribe's goods and pricing, it is probably not likely that you will be able to understand complex poetry being recited in sirihish. Figure out what makes sense for your character and run with it.
  
  In the real world, speaking a broken language is not equivalent to leaving off syllables of words. Oftentimes when broken language is spoken in real life there are a few key ways that it is broken:
  - Verb confusion. In English we say "let's have a party" if we want to have a party. However, some foreign speakers understand the verb "to have" solely as possessing something, so "having" a party in that regard doesn't make much sense. Instead they might say "do a party" or "make a party", which isn't entirely correct in English and its complexity. Feel free to confuse verbs like have/make or other similar verbs in-game.
  - Looking for the right word. Even native speakers of a language will pause to think of a proper word to describe something complex. This difficulty is compounded on foreign speakers with a smaller vocabulary of the language. Pause to think of a word that's complex to your PC... maybe the native sirihish speaker you're talking to will think of it for you.
  - Unique nouns. Maybe your tribe calls goudra "brown-furs". Maybe your tribe does this and knows what city people call them, or maybe it doesn't... either way, it can provide another challenge in the language barrier that should be there.

  Roleplaying a Nomad
  
  These

  are some handy suggestions for people who wish to play a character with

  a nomadic background. There is never one right way to roleplay

  something, but these are my observations, after watching players who I

  thought did it well.
  
  This is done in a similar style to...
  Continue Reading...

• 

  The Challenges Leaders Face
  Added on Jun 29, 2009

  A handy guide for players of leaders and aspiring leaders. Read it if you've had problems with leadership.

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  Credits:
  Special thanks goes to Taven for doing articles like this and for inspiring me to take a crack at it myself, and Helix and Fathi for contributing to that particular part which I am loosely basing this article on. Synthesis, Lizzie, and Reiloth made suggestions that helped me make this article.
  
  The Challenges Leaders Face
  A Handy Guide for Players of Leaders and Aspiring Leaders
  
  Cutthroat, why are you writing this?
  
  I didn't play as long as many people around here have, but I've been around long enough to see all kinds of leaders in game, the good and bad ones, and have experienced leading myself a few times. I'd like to think that I have seen what makes a leader good or bad in an OOC manner for a while now and have seen what leaders have to deal or struggle with.
  
  There also isn't an article like this yet, and I think it's important to have something that consolidates all of the thoughts scattered over the GDB into one thread.
  
  Lastly, I think the ideas of special articles are cool and beneficial because of the ideas they have and discussions they spark afterward.
  
  Introduction
  
  This article is based loosely off of Taven's article, "How to get Involved in Plots", particularly the "Invovling Yourself in Your Clan" part, and the "Leaders" section. However, this article will go more in-depth, exploring what playing a leader in ArmageddonMUD is like, not just when dealing with plots, but all the time in clans.
  
  This article goes more into the challenges created by the OOC expectations of what playing a leader is about - that is, enhancing RP in your clan and area, running plots, etc. - not the IC expectations of a leader, which can be very different, and varies between each character. You can play a totally inept leader ICly, who makes mistakes and errors in judgment, as long as it brings something to the game. Bringing something to the game is that OOC expectation.
  
  It is the best played leaders that everyone remembers, even if they were not perfect characters. I could be a nostalgic sap and begin listing folks, but you probably have a good idea of who YOUR favorite leaders are if you've been playing a few months and in different places. Just look around.
  
  Now, for some problems the players of leaders face.
  
  I have no idea what I'm doing here.
  
  Sometimes leaders are thrown into the place they currently are. Maybe his Sergeant died on the last contract and he was the veteran Trooper who tried to save her life. The totally unexpected turn of events can put a character (and sometimes its player) in a bad spot.
   
  Trying out leadership can be a good experience, if you're willing to make it so. Even if you have no idea what you're doing at first, it's easy to develop a love and a skill for leading. It certainly helps to lead in game if you've ever led something in life. Naturally, some people will be better leaders than others, or more willing to take charge than others.
  
  You can have no idea what you're doing and just give up on trying, or you can do your best and see what comes of it. What do you think will be most fun for you? For others?
  
  I don't have any (or enough) minions.
  
  A difficult part of leadership is recruiting. However, it is also something of a snowball effect. Once you recruit a few cool people, others will want to join. Getting those first people can be tough. Most leaders will recruit ICly by posting on their city's board, then remain contactable. This requires some logging in and sometimes even tavern-sitting. For clans that don't recruit ICly (like tribes) bumping a post on the Player Announcements forum is a good way to go. Remember that OOC recruitment on the GDB for clans that do recruiting ICly is just a quick way to Moderation.
  
  Underrecruiting is bad because, obviously, you won't get your team of minions. Also, the few minions you have will likely be bored a lot of the time. A medium-sized group of minions ensures that people will get to interact with each other in different ways.
  
  Stop recruiting when you have a crack team of minions to do your bidding. Overrecruitment is as bad as underrecruitment, because if you overrecruit for your clan you will be strangling other clans to death. Another effect of overrecruiting is that they will all keep you busy unless you have an underling boss to take care of them. A good mix of clanned folks in an area is a lot better than one clan dominating that area (well, except for Luir's Outpost). Think about if you really need a person, or if they would be a waste of resources.
  
  Encourage the minions you recruit to spend time in taverns together and take part in the recruitment process if they're competent enough. When an independent guy looking for employment sees 8 PCs at the Gaj, and 6 are from the T'zai Byn, while the other two are AoD, when there are 10 people in both clans, the T'zai Byn is going to look a lot more full and active than the AoD, especially if this distribution in the Gaj is consistent. Players of unemployed characters are generally attracted to active clans because it ensures a good place to play.
  
  And make sure your recruiting makes sense! There are clans who accept any person with 300 coins, and there are the noble houses that are generally a lot more selective. Your character may have a specific philosophy on picking out some people. Generally, stick to what makes sense.
   
  Lastly, hiring on independent mercenary-types is a good way to get loyal people to work for you as well as keep them free for others to use. Your minions don't necessarily have to be clanned. A good example of this is a Tuluki patronage, but hiring able people to complete tasks is possible anywhere and everywhere.
  
  I have trouble finding things for my minions to do.
  
  Every clan has a specific set of activities everyone can do. Sparring, hunting, guarding, patrolling, etc. Do them, and do them often. Keep everyone involved in work. Spam 'contact' on everyone you're clanned with and get them together so everyone can have fun. Set up schedules that will bring your minions to a certain place at a certain time and reveal themselves. Then plan out RPTs once in a while to do something really special. The idea is to keep everyone involved in some long-term, solid activities, so that there is something to fall back on when things aren't particularly interesting one day.
   
  A very easy activity if your clan allows for it is a ride outside of the city or camp. It can be a patrol, a hunting party, or whatever else makes sense for your clan, and it's easy to organize on a whim.
  
  Another interesting concept is doing a normal clan activity with a similar, allied clan. The leaders of two clans can work together, letting their minions train with each other and such. It works out for everyone, and helps build interesting relationships.
  
  There are some things your leader will simply not touch, perhaps to protect their reputation, or because they cannot do it, or whatever. A "Quest" for the purpose of this article is some mission or request for your minion to do something. Most quests involve collecting something, and bringing it back, whether it is a flower or a head. However, it's a waste of time if that thing doesn't go to good use. That is why the quest should tie into a larger plot. The quest will be boring for the minion if it isn't challenging, or if it seems like a suicide mission. Therefore, it should be set to a difficulty level appropriate to the minion's level of skill.
  
  An awesome example of a quest where I was the minion, from over a year ago:
  
  Leader tells minion to go sneak around (the difficult part)...
  ...and pull a lock of hair from a couple of people (the collection)...
  ...so that the hair might be used to curse the people (the larger plot).
  
  Here's why it was awesome: it was difficult because I had to prepare a lot for it - not just getting better at sneak and hide, but preparing a proper ninja outfit, a safehouse to store said ninja outfit, an exit strategy after I grabbed the goods, and a way to change out of my ninja outfit into my normal gear without anyone being the wiser. The larger plot around it made the minion feel useful and good.
  
  Also, everything fell together. Without any of those parts, the rest of the quest would have been boring and/or meaningless. You can even withhold the information about the larger plot until the minion has completed the collection.
  
  Allowing your upper-level minions to take part in leading the lower-level minions and doing some of your tasks means more ideas will be thrown around about what can be done, and it means you can do more important things.
  
  Lastly, leaders and minions can find it very enjoyable to surpass or stay on top of other leaders, while protecting their minions from dangerous forces. Resolving a conflict comes in many forms: bribery, politicking, and sometimes, a murder (or a murderous rampage). Make enemies, and friends to assist in destroying or subjugating your enemies.
  
  I have minions, but the players seem bored when I give their characters things to do.
  
  First of all, are you sure they are bored? Randomly logging out often can be a sure sign of boredom, but sometimes there's just no time to play. Feel free to ask on the clan boards for their honest opinion on if players of minions are satisfied with what they get to do.
  
  A forced approach to clan activity is not supposed to be applied 100% of the time. For maximum fun, give your minions some leeway to do things they like to do, or things that could be fun that is not along the grain of what the clan usually does for work.
  
  You know how some familes get together on a Friday night to play Scrabble or something (at least on TV )?
  
  Replace families with clans. Friday with Detal. And Scrabble with Kruth.
  
  Or anything, really. It just has to be fun (ideas: drinking, brawling, or just sitting around and chatting about something). And preferably, not anything having to do with what you normally do as a clan already (like sparring, patrolling, etc). This develops relationships between you and your minions, and between minions and other minions. It also helps minions to build a set of hobbies, so they are not just Soldier #6969 or Mercenary #420, but "the guy who won the last Kruth game", and "th' lass who ended up spendin' th' 'ole pot from tha' game on thongs".
  
  Look at the games that Zalathans play that are listed on the main site, or make something up if you are feeling creative. Do competitions to see who is the best boxer/Kruth player/hunter and so on and so forth.
  
  Also, you will be doing the players of your minions a big disservice and possibly bore them if you can never be found. While it certainly helps to have a lot of time to play, not everyone does. Playing regularly is far more important than playing often. Make sure you can be found at the days and times you post on a roll call thread in your clan forum. Even if you only play two hours a day, if you play during the same two hours each day, you're doing great.
  
  Sometimes you can be online and uncontactable. Barrier is an obvious one. What I am really talking about is doing things that will make you extremely hard for your minions to find you, either accidentally or on purpose. That said, don't worry excessively about pleasing your clan. Obviously, every person needs their private time (for sleep, mudsex, drinking, mudsex, cuddling, mudsex, smoking, etc) but don't let your private time take up all your playing time. Spend some time in public or within sight or reach of your minions so you can do leadery things.
  
  I have minions, but I'm bored when they are not logged in.
  
  Be a character first. Then a (noble/sergeant/templar/agent/sorcerer-king) second.
  
  "Well, duh," you say. "How does this help with my boredom?!"
  
  If you are good at making personal goals for your character you are doing great. Now, as a leader, you have to make sure to not forget those while you are doing leadership things. It will help a lot in ensuring your role stays fresh even when ther are no minions logged in. Have something to focus on when things are slow in your clan. Some ideas:
  
  A lover.
  A(n) <item type> collection.
  A hobby of some sort.
  A focus.
  A personal goal.
  A secret desire (training to become the best warrior ever, eat babies, etc.)
  Anything else a person would want!
  
  It is these and your character traits that will keep your minions interested in you for more than your leadership, and it will (hopefully!) keep you interested as well when they are not around.
  
  And not just the minions will be interested in your character, if you can provide a good standard of RP for everyone to follow. If you're that Allanaki templar striking fear into the hearts of your Highlord's people, or the Tuluki noble who is the patron of bards and hirer of assassins, or the Kuraci agent making sure the people of the Labyrinth get their spice fix... you're bound to draw players to you, which means fun opportunities to roleplay for yourself and for others.
  
  Being a leader is hard work and/or stressful, or it's generally boring.
  
  Ah, but it doesn't have to be.
  
  It takes a special (crazy? maybe) person to 'like' to lead a group of people, each with their own problems and needs. On top of that, you have to report in to staff about what you intend to do on a regular basis. It's just like a career in life - you can do something you enjoy doing, or you can do something you hate, yet feel obligated to do.
  
  "But which one do I choose?"
  
  Keep in mind that this is a game. If you hate doing something, guess what - you don't have to do it! You take a short break to do something else and see if that helps, or you coordinate with your staff and other characters and store. But it is also a good idea to give leadership a fair shake if you think you don't like it, because you just may end up liking it after a while. All too often I see people who complain about leaders and leading something themselves, either on the GDB or just in life, and I chuckle a little inside because most of the time, you are not forced to lead at all, ever. It is, however, possible to become better at leading and make leadership more enjoyable, if you desire.
  
  If it's because of IG things or other players, then you can work to correct that IG. If it's because of staff, then you should prboably cue them in to more things you are planning, so they can help you out.

  Credits:
  Special thanks goes to Taven for doing articles like

  this and for inspiring me to take a crack at it myself, and Helix and

  Fathi for contributing to that particular part which I am loosely

  basing this article on. Synthesis, Lizzie, and Reiloth made suggestions

  that helped me make...
  Continue Reading...