{"id":1831,"date":"2024-03-19T13:45:16","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T13:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=1831"},"modified":"2024-03-19T13:45:16","modified_gmt":"2024-03-19T13:45:16","slug":"cry-of-despair-65","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/cry-of-despair-65\/","title":{"rendered":"Cry of Despair #65"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Surviving the Shattering and Arena Player-Kill<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n  Cry of Despair                                   Issue 65, 11\/02\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n                                 |\n     .JNNNN` .JNNNNNL   NNNNNN.  |  In this month's issue:\n    JNNNNN) JNNNNNNNNL (NNNNNNN. |    * A special feature from\n   JNN`    JNN`    NNN (NN.  (NN)|      the Realms 101 series-\n  (NN`    (NN`     NNF (NN`  (NN`|      'Surviving the Shattering'\n  (NN.    (NN.    JNN` NNF  JNN) |    * All you ever needed to\n  (NNNNNN (NNNNNNNNN' (NNNNNNNF  |      know to aid you in Arena\n   4NNNN`  \"NNNNNN`   NNNNNNF    |      Player-Kill.\n                                 |    * All the news from Guilds\n        The Cry of Despair!      |      and Orders around the\n        ===================      |      Realms.\n   *       *                 *   |    * Fun-filled Quests!\n                      *          |    * And much, much more!\n        *        *         *     |\n             *                   |\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n  Editor: Alysira                     Immortal Sponsor: Elisabet\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n  Staff: Ganemanoimu, Ilsensine, Juliana, Kellandra, Khaimran,\n  Shadia, Shadrack, Simone, Vaile.\n\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n  Contents                                           CoD, Issue 65\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n\n  Desk of the Editor\n  News from around the Realms\n  Realms 101 - Surviving the Shattering\n  A Beginner's Guide to Arena PK\n  The Basics of Roleplaying\n  Honesty\n  Funnybones\n  Advertisements\n\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n  Desk of the Editor - by Alysira                           Editor\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n\n  It is with a heavy heart that I bid farewell to Myra as Editor,\n  but I am proud to be taking over as the new Editor of this\n  marvellous magazine. So much hard work goes into it, from\n  both our staff members, and our contributing readers.\n    I've always loved reading this magazine, I remember the first\n  article I read was a parody of 'Bootylicious' by our oh so\n  bootylicious Imms. After that, I was hooked.\n    I've only been working on the Cry for a short while, but I\n  do love it, and hope I can manage this as well as Myra has. We\n  wish her the best of luck on her return to Immhood!\n    Myra wasn't our only member to move on, we farewelled Amoria\n  and Diblin this month. But you know that saying, when a door\n  closes, a window opens. We welcomed to the staff three new\n  members, Ganemanoimu, Simone and Vaile, and I know they will\n  all bring us some great articles.\n    Well, without further ado, I am proud to present to you, the\n  65th Issue of the Cry of Despair!\n\n  -Alysira\n\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n  Guild and Order News - by Kellandra                         News\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n\n  Order of Baali -\n  The Order of Baali is now accepting membership applications.\n  Details can be found via help baali_apps\n\n  Order of Ringbearers -\n  Helicus ordertalks 'i'm in a room alone with thartos... how\n  good will that look in the tabloids'\n\n  Guild of Clerics -\n  The GoC had a fun month of exploring, runs, trivias, and a very\n  special hide and seek game  (Thanks Conran!).\n\n  Don't forget, if you'd like to join in the fun with dirty\n  carrots, come read the noteboard nw,w,w,n,n,e,u of dh[] or talk\n  to a guildie with CoC in their title for more info :)\n\n  Guild of Fathomers -\n  Inductions are open.  For information, see one of the founding\n  members (with RC in the title). The founding members include;\n  Ceirana- Leader, Uilisia- First, Lavette- Second,\n  Happlo- RC Head\/TS Rep, Metao, Gonnil- IGQC rep, and Barthanan.\n  Our new members are Pirut, Harrah, Asbras, Alakar, Hoicen,\n  Austi, Tethys.\n\n  Guild of Rangers -\n  Greetings from the Guild of Rangers.\n  Edhelaina, Illiomin, and Vercelli became the newest members of\n  the guild. Welcome to the Guild, and we hope you find your new\n  home comfortable.\n  Rialian passed her Pledge Reviews, we congratulate her on a job\n  well done, and welcome her to full membership and all its\n  privileges.\n  Recruiting Council is once again up and active. We are sorry\n  for any delay caused by the Shattering, but we had many areas\n  and items to check out before we set you young Rangers off to\n  explore. After all, we want you to learn and enjoy the\n  expierence, not get killed needlessly.\n\n  Good Hunting\n  Racin Atal\n  GM GoR\n\n  Guild of Vampires -\n  Greetings from the Guild of Vampires.\n  The GoV extends a clawed hand of welcome to its latest full\n  members: Erland and Fuil.\n\n  We would like to thank all those who participated in the IGQ\n  hosted by the Vampires On September 28th.\n\n  The GoV would also like to remind fledgling Vampires of any\n  level that we accept applications for Guild membership at\n  level 20. We would like to encourage all Vampires interested\n  in becoming a part of our eternal family to read the note board\n  in the Secluded Parlor 4s, 3w, 4n, w from Darkhaven Square.\n\n  Sincerely,\n  Wiglaff Stormcrow, Guildmaster\n  Zya A. Fyremusik, Guild First\n  Aleir Ravenyze, Guild Second\n\n  Guild of Warriors -\n  GoW is getting ready for this years IGPK to start up.\n  Also this month is the warriors turn to write the IGQ this month\n  and they are preparing to host that as well.\n\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n  Surviving the Shattering - Juliana                    Realms 101\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n\n  Many things have changed in the New Realms of Despair - this is\n  an inescapable fact of mudlife.  Whether the changes are for\n  the better, or for the worse, depends only on your perspective.\n\n  Another fact is that things are going to stay this way for a\n  long time, so if you want to keep playing RoD, you're going to\n  have to be as flexible as a reed in the wind and adapt. New\n  strategies must be found to survive successfully.\n\n  This article is based on common sense, and may seem very\n  obvious to old-timers. Great, you guys don't need more help\n  anyway. :) I'm targeting these tips for the newer players with\n  low-leveled characters, to whom these things may not be so\n  obvious.\n\n  What Has Changed In The Shattering?\n\n  + Skills And Spells Have Been Rearranged.\n  Be Familiar With Your 'Slist'.\n  Classes have changed. Skills once relied on may no longer exist\n  or have become less useful. New skills have sprung up in their\n  place. It would be sensible to become familiar with the skills\n  your character has, so you know what options you have in your\n  arsenal.\n\n  Also, remember to find a trainer and practice the new skills and\n  spells before you go walking out into new territory. That way\n  you don't discover the hard way that your best (and only) attack\n  is the new skill you haven't practiced yet. :)\n\n  + The New World Awaits You. And All Its Traps As Well.\n  12 geos. New areas. Uncountable numbers of rooms. Tread\n  carefully, for unknown dangers are plentiful. The Trade Routes\n  are safer than wandering aimlessly through wilderness. The\n  Caravan, the Meridia, and Tagetarle's ghost will get you to\n  certain places safely as well. But sooner or later, you will\n  probably want to step off the beaten path and start exploring.\n\n  Expect that you're going to die a few times in places you don't\n  know. That's just a new mindset to take. Exploring always\n  carries a risk simply because you don't know what to expect\n  around the next corner. Eventually, if you explore carefully and\n  walk repeatedly around the areas, you will become familiar with\n  them and can avoid the dangers without a second thought.\n\n  If you are wearing too much to lose, consider making another\n  character which you can explore with. It doesn't have to be\n  exceedingly high level if you just want to be familiar with the\n  basic walking paths. Hiding and invisibility will keep many mobs\n  from pounding on you. If you do encounter an aggressive mob that\n  kills you, shrug your shoulders and give thanks that you didn't\n  find it with your more valuable character. Move on and continue\n  exploring.\n\n  Bear in mind, there is more than one way to do things,\n  especially after The Shattering. Many routes will get you to the\n  same area. Different mob killing strategies may be equally\n  useful. And so on.\n\n  + Spells To Have On You\n  Always fly. You can get a fly spell cast on you, or carry some\n  object like a magical flying carpet or potions\/scrolls. Not only\n  does this make you walk faster and use less mvs (invaluable for\n  hiking around the new Realms), it keeps you from dropping into\n  bad places when you encounter any rooms with no floor. And there\n  are a number of these 'pitfalls' to be found. :P\n\n  Carry heals. Any type of healing item works in a pinch. This is\n  really common sense. They can keep you alive a little longer\n  should you get into a fight or get hurt by something.\n\n  Carry recalls with you. If you do not have the 'word of recall'\n  spell, recalls should always be part of your arsenal. There are\n  many many places in the new Realms that you can only escape\n  from by using recalls, and plenty other places where using a\n  recall will be more convenient than retracing your route back.\n\n  Even if you're dead, buy a few recalls at Poshir before you go\n  finding your corpse, just in case you walk into an awkward\n  place accidentally and can't get out again. As many spells now\n  have a limit on their reach, it may not be so\n  easy to get a recall transed to you, regardless of how much you\n  beg for one.\n\n  Scry is your friend. This has been the case in the old Realms,\n  and still holds for the new. If you're a thief or a drow, you\n  have absolutely no excuse where this is concerned. Always look\n  in a direction before walking into it. And don't walk into it\n  if it looks scary or dubious or says something like 'Death\n  awaits you, foolish one.' If you don't have scry normally,\n  again, find someone to cast it on you or find scrolls\/potions\n  that have the spell.\n\n  + Miscellaneous Tips\n  Pay attention to where you are. This is where the 'geo' and\n  'where' commands come in handy. Keep the geo in your prompt if\n  you don't mind a longer prompt. This is invaluable should you\n  die to something nasty and need a CR. Not many people can\n  pinpoint your corpse from the single room name they see when\n  they locate it, but if you can give them the area and geo,\n  they have a narrowed down region to search. Telling them what\n  killed you also helps a lot.\n\n  Portal reach is limited. Unless you died nearby, don't expect\n  to stand in Darkhaven and get a magic portal to wherever you\n  died. You may have to walk out of Darkhaven to the neighboring\n  geos to get close enough. Or jump from portal to portal.\n  Follow the instructions of the mage CRing you if there is one.\n\n  In cases of desperation, when no one will help you even when\n  you've asked for CR politely many times, and you can't\n  supplicate corpse for whatever reason, and you've not that many\n  ticks left on your corpse either: consider getting an Imm CR.\n\n  Don't bother the imms if it isn't urgent, though. And certainly\n  attempt to get your corpse yourself first. The more you manage\n  on your own, the tougher you get in the long run.\n\n  Be ready to FLEE when necessary. Sometimes running away and\n  losing a bit of XP is better than dying. If you're an Av, then\n  you're even more free to flee. (Please make sure there are no\n  DTs in the vicinity before fleeing, however.)\n\n  If you're hideously curious and not sure if something is\n  dangerous and want to find out, use a character that is naked\n  or is only wearing equipment that you can afford to lose. That\n  way if he DTs or dies in a location that you can't get your\n  corpse back from, you don't lose anything.\n\n  + On Deities\n  They are handy things. Supplicate corpse is always a good thing.\n  So is supplicate recall. At the same time, be aware of what\n  you're getting into. Once devoted, deities cannot be changed.\n  If your deity doesn't like you for some reason, you may spend\n  hours trying to gain favor, or worse, end up damned.\n\n  The path to the deities' naos (temples) can be dangerous\n  depending on how far they are from Darkhaven. If you're a low\n  level character, and keep dying along the way, it might be a\n  good idea to put devoting off until you can survive the rigors\n  of the journey.\n\n  + On Directions\n  It's been a couple months after the Shattering, and there are\n  a number of good websites with fairly accurate directions: such\n  as Nelkum's and the Druidic Cartographers. On the other hand,\n  you use the directions at your own risk. They may cross\n  dangerous paths with aggro mobs, and you won't know until you\n  run into them... By then, it may be too late.\n\n  The directions may also be inaccurate. People are human, they\n  make mistakes, and the Realms may also change on them without\n  warning. If following the directions doesn't get you where you\n  want to go, well, they are wrong, and you have to live with it\n  and find other directions or explore yourself.\n\n  + On Asking Questions on Channels\n  People are usually glad to help if you ask politely and specify\n  what kind of help you need. (CR requests are almost never\n  turned down, directions are often supplied, quest items now and\n  then. Forget about asking for money or someone to level you,\n  that's sheer laziness and won't help you in the long run\n  either.)\n\n  On the other hand, the people on the channels may be wrong!\n  Take their advice with a pinch of salt. If there's one thing\n  the Shattering did, it's leveled the playing field considerably\n  as far as mud knowledge goes. Older players are familiar with\n  the older parts of the realms, but less likely to be familiar\n  with the new parts.\n\n  + If It's Too Much, Team Up\n  The amount of knowledge to be gathered from the New Realms is\n  staggeringly huge. It will be many months and possibly even\n  years before all the new things are found, if ever. To do it\n  all alone would involve an enormous expenditure of time and\n  effort into the attempt, and would only be worth it for a few\n  fanatics.\n\n  So find friends. And explore together. A team succeeds where\n  lone players fail. Even when your friends aren't around though,\n  nothing stops you from exploring by yourself and sharing what\n  you've discovered later.\n\n  In the end, while you can get a lot of help from other players,\n  the only person you can rely on keeping yourself out of trouble\n  is yourself. Keep notes. Keep mapping. Keep trying new things.\n  Keep exploring. Keep having fun.\n\n  This will be my last RoD 101 article. I hope you've found at\n  least one of the column's tips useful. :) That will make all\n  this struggling with words worthwhile.\n\n  After The Shattering, it no longer feels appropriate to supply\n  advice from a podium. New knowledge is now out there to be\n  collected by a new generation of\n  explorers. All we have to do is go out and find it. I wish all\n  of us good luck, and happy hunting.\n\n  \"We shall never cease from exploration\n   And the end of all our exploring\n   Will be to arrive where we started\n   And know the place for the first time.\"\n\n  - T. S. Eliot\n\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n  A Beginner's Guide to Arena PK - Ganemanoimu                  PK\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n\n  Somewhere between mob killing and player-killing (PK) is the\n  slightly out of place, convoluted world of Arena PK. It\u2019s\n  certainly not mob-killing, for your opponents have intelligence\n  (or at least, are supposed to). They are gullible, but at the\n  same time, they can always outwit you. And it also is not real\n  deadly PK, because there is no tangible prize and you can always\n  retreat when you\u2019re in trouble if you\u2019re fighting in the Forested\n  Arena.\n\n  Your range of actions are usually much more constrained as well,\n  and the fighting tends to be a battle of attrition. It is more\n  about burning up the opponents heals faster then he can force\n  you to burn up yours. As well, there is less pursuit and teams,\n  as there are no clans, and because of the nature of the\n  Arena. There are a few people I\u2019d like to thank for thrashing\n  me thoroughly enough in the arena that I managed to pick up a\n  few pointers along the way. These include, but are not limited\n  to; Gul, Mac, Marv, Rob, Tod, Justin, Jake, Colin, Ben, Jordan,\n  Jen, Glen, Cmike, 2.Mike.\n\n  Right, so the main strategy in any formal Arena PK (i.e. You\n  can\u2019t leave to restock), is to conserve heals. If you can\n  consistently do more damage to your opponent than he can do to\n  you and you both start on equal footing, logic demands that he's\n  going to run out of heals before you do. And when that happens,\n  you're in a position to force the win. That is of course,\n  barring any severe mess-ups or technical problems. (Like a\n  sticky enter keys. Yes, I know you guys think that's\n  still funny). Arena PKs are sometimes run as quests by\n  immortals though glory is no longer awarded to winners as there\n  is no inherent risk to it. You can still get cash prizes and\/or\n  other such prizes in these PKs. These may also affect your\n  teams standings (and thusly affect glory prizes) in Inter Order\n  Quests or Inter Guild Quests.\n\n  Anyway, I'm going to spell out the basics for you but I'm\n  choosing to pass over a few things that I feel are relatively\n  minor and Id also like to keep a few secrets to myself. So\n  while this might be a good jumping-off point for some of the\n  newer people, the best way to learn is to go out and do it\n  yourself.\n\n  Alignment\n  In terms of alignment, the ideal is neutral for most\n  PKs. Evils suffer horribly by anyone who has protection, and\n  devouts avoid zapping but have difficulty getting decent enough\n  equipment to be competitive. Plus, everyone tends to go neutral\n  anyway so all your killing blows will leave your align\n  relatively unaffected.\n\n  Equipment\n  For equipment, any neutral classes should be wearing Seth-area\n  equipment. Neutral warriors will be wielding Hammers of\n  Curdardh. Devout warriors will usually be wearing justices, and\n  Danbala equipment. To be competitive, you should aim to have\n  about 1500+ hp and 110+ dr. Depending on the event, the range\n  of equipment can vary but always watch out for those really old\n  people decked in Clan who like to make an appearance once in a\n  blue moon.\n\n  Classes\n  All the different classes have their unique attributes in PK,\n  but they can be grouped into two main groups; single and dual\n  wielders. Because they have two weapons, dual-wielders can do\n  twice as many attacks, and these classes are usually gifted with\n  high percentage extra attacks. The main PK classes are thieves\n  and vampires. They both have 25 Dex. and can avoid a lot of\n  damage whilst dishing out a lot. Thieves hit well with circle\n  and vampire\u2019s melee is quite good. Warriors and other 20 or 22\n  Dex. classes have tons of melee attacks and can carry more\n  heals, but they also take a huge amount of damage and with their\n  lower Dex., they are more vulnerable to gouge and bash. As much\n  as you love your mage or cleric, single-wielders can never go\n  head-to-head with dual-wielders without some kind of significant\n  advantage and expect to win. They can deal damage out, but with\n  low Dex., and virtually no defensive skills like dodge or parry,\n  it makes it impossible for them to tank and do damage at the\n  same time.\n\n  Skills\/Spells\n  Surprisingly enough, the skill\/spell world is pretty simplistic\n  when placed in a PK context. Firstly, sanctuary, protection and\n  fly are all very important. Maxed stats are important and it is\n  nice to have demonskin\/dragonskin to protect against the common\n  weapons. As well, player vs. player damage is unaffected by\n  resists past 20% so it isn't necessary to go overboard.\n  You should carry important spells as potions. It isn't uncommon\n  to go through 4-5 sanctuary potions during a fight.\n  Carrying springs is a good habit to get into, both as potions\n  and as scrolls. Potions are useless if your stomach is full,\n  and scrolls lag you, so know when to use each. As well,\n  elemental shields do negligible damage and are just spammy, so\n  avoid them if possible.\n  Secondary attacks like leap are okay ways to start fights, but\n  their damage is puny and shouldn't be used as regular attacks.\n  Sneak is a really important skill to have if you can. You'll be\n  able to sneak up on people and it will make it a great deal\n  more difficult for them to pursue you.\n  Gouge and bash cause blindness and lag a player respectively\n  and are nice to mix things up a bit, but they rarely hit and so\n  shouldn't be depended upon all the time.\n\n  Backstab is awesome and does huge damage, but it\u2019s hard to get\n  in so don't try to focus on it, just get it off if you have an\n  opportunity.\n  Circle does a lot of damage as well, but you have to make sure\n  that you\u2019re able to circle (i.e. You attacked first), and also\n  be careful when fighting multiple opponents. Two rounds is\n  plenty to get whacked when stuck in circle lag.\n\n  Grasp is okay but its dependence on blood-points means you also\n  have to feed so you fill your stomach very quickly.\n  Single-wielders should just use their strongest attacks like\n  necromantic touch, virtue, quantum spike, etc.\n  In terms of styles, when tanking, style down as low as possible.\n  When attacking, style up as high as possible. You should be\n  aware of the limitations of the higher styles. Single-wielders\n  should generally always remain in evasive. Simple, no?\n\n  Strategies\n  For basics, set a moderate wimpy so you can automatically flee\n  out when your get low on hit-points, but not so high that you\n  flee out before you can get your attacks in. Somewhere in the\n  range of 200-600 is good. Disable your triggers and be\n  Config +brief.\n  In terms of macros\/aliases, I personally use 4 macros;\n  quaff heal, drink, style evasive, style aggressive. I also use\n  two aliases, one for circle, and one for murder. I switch to\n  standard style manually. As stated earlier, the key idea is to\n  survive. You may get the most KBs, but if you\u2019re dead halfway\n  through, you still haven't won anything. Always keep your hp\n  above a certain level so you absorb a big 400-500 hp circle and\n  be alive. As well, don't heal yourself up to full, as you leave\n  yourself open to a backstab and that wastes heals. When you flee\n  from a battle, make sure you \u2018drink spring\u2019 before you flee, or\n  else you'll be running around on a full stomach and your\n  opponents may be watching the springs. Nothing is more\n  frustrating than dying because of a full stomach when you still\n  have 200 heals left in your container.\n\n  Right after you flee, get sneak back on and then keep moving\n  on to different rooms. Anyone can chase you if you move one\n  room away.\n  There are also a few other options you can follow when you flee\n  out. If you\u2019re fairly high on HP, you can always go right back\n  into the room and re-attack your opponent, or you can spam\n  \u2018murder \u2019 a few times and see whether your opponent\n  will walk into it.\n  When attacking, if your opponent flees, chase him and move\n  quickly, keep looking for him. If he doesn't flee, you may find\n  it useful to flee out and re-attack him, as this will often\n  give you extra melee attack bonus.\n  Your overall strategy will also depend on the type of arena PK\n  you are involved in. In a 2-team versus PK, the general idea is\n  to focus on the weakest person and then move on up from there\n  while maintaining numerical superiority. Keep in mind that\n  while you're trying to do this, your opponent is trying to do\n  the same to you.\n  In free for all, avoid fighting at all in the beginning and try\n  to follow the pack and team on whoever the main group is teaming\n  on. You should also plan for endgame and form alliances so you\n  can end up on the top. For example, those 3 Deadlies may carry\n  you to the end 4, but who do you think they're going to team up\n  on when everyone else is dead?\n\n  Anyway, those are the basics and a lot of it is really common\n  sense when you think it over. Once you get the basics down, it\n  really is a lot of fun. The main thing is practice, practice,\n  practice.\n\n  Ganemanoimu\n\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n  The Basics of RolePlay - Gawen                         Role-Play\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n\n  \"Roleplaying, what's that?\" You say. Well, it's simple.\n  According to Dictionary.com, to roleplay is \"To assume or\n  represent in a drama\".\n\n  There are many forms of roleplaying. What we shall cover here\n  is what goes on in the Realms, and how people go about it. Just\n  as a disclaimer, I'd like to state that nothing written here is\n  written as a rule on how people should roleplay their\n  characters. Consider it more like a suggestion, or a small guide\n  to getting started in the roleplay world.\n\n  First things first. How do I get started?\n  Well, that's simple. There are many ways you can get started as\n  a roleplayer in the Realms. One of the simplest is to merely\n  start emoting actions and speaking like the actual character\n  that you play everyday. Although, that's really no fun if\n  there's no one to interact with.\n  There are really three main groups of roleplayers in the Realms,\n  and joining one of those three groups is really the way to get started.\n  The three groups I speak of are:\n  Group A - The 14 Nations.\n  Group B - The Order of Rol Na Feinne.\n  Group C - The independent roleplay groups.\n\n  Personally, I think getting involved with a nation is the\n  easiest way to get started as an active roleplayer here in the\n  realms. I myself was first introduced to the Elven Nation, and\n  roleplaying itself shortly after meeting some of the Elven\n  Nation roleplayers. My very first scene had me literally\n  emoting that my character was leaning on a tree, while the\n  others in the scene began discussing Nations politics.\n  Immediately I was hooked by the mere mention of the great nations\n  and how they interacted. Of course, some of that was merely new\n  player shine and sparkle, as I was not aware of how things went on.\n  Each nation is different and will offer you different aspects\n  of roleplay. But be warned, if you are out to join a nation, some\n  nations are very active, and some are very inactive. Just because\n  you belong to a race, you should not expect that race's nation to\n  be active among the roleplaying community.\n\n  On to group B, the Order of Rol Na Feinne. Now, I speak here\n  as a person who's never belonged to RnF. I prefer to roleplay\n  among the nations, as it allows me to be a member of a\n  Non-roleplaying organization, such as a guild or an order.\n  That's just my personal preference, but many people that I do\n  roleplay with are active members of RnF, and they love every\n  minute of it.\n\n  RnF is an order based purely on roleplaying. Unlike other\n  orders they do not concentrate on running. RnF is unique to\n  the realms in that it is the sole roleplay Order.\n  If you wish to join, read HELP RNF.\n\n  Now, our last group, is group C, the independent roleplayers.\n  Here is where there is some groaning and complaining about\n  \"cliques\". The independent roleplayers tend to be very private\n  about their plots, and only roleplay with certain others.\n  The independent roleplayers are usually a small group of friends\n  who already know each other, and know each other's style of\n  play.  Most independent groups are experienced roleplayers\n  who perform plots based on no out of character direction.\n  My experience with independent groups of roleplayers is that\n  the roleplay tends to be very freeform, and while there is\n  direction to it, the plot is very versatile.\n  However, this has just been my experience, and the independent\n  roleplayers will vary from group to group.\n\n  Well, now that you know all about the different ways you can\n  enter the roleplaying world of the Realms of Despair, perhaps\n  you should read about some roleplaying \"lingo.\"\n\n  Firstly, roleplayers are not always playing their character.\n  In order to distinguish between the times when one is\n  roleplaying, and when one is not, roleplayers use the\n  abbreviations \"IC\" and \"OOC\". If you haven't figured this out,\n  \"IC\" means \"In Character\", while \"OOC\" means \"Out of Character.\"\n\n  Next, a \"plot\" is simply a storyline, and what is going on in\n  the story with the characters involved. There are usually many\n  plots happening at the same time among different groups of\n  characters.\n\n  We'll move onto \"emote\".  An \"emote\" is an in-game command that\n  allows you to send a customized message to the mud.  For\n  example, I type this -\n   emote smiles brightly and greets Samantha with a quiet hello.\n  Everyone else will see this -\n   Gawen smiles brightly and greets Samantha with a quiet hello.\n\n  The emote command is one of the paramount abilities of a\n  roleplayer. Emote is what makes Realms roleplay so very\n  challenging. While we can do any sort of action that we please\n  with an emote, we must do it in a fashion where our name\n  precedes every single emote. Currently there are no commands\n  that are similar to a room echo, where the name of our character\n  will not be prefixed to the command.\n\n  Along with emoting, there is the ever sensible \"say\" command.\n  Using say is simple, everyone does it at one point or another,\n  because it's one of the most simple forms of communication on\n  this mud. A good mixture of emotes and says is a very key thing\n  in roleplaying, and getting the right balance comes with time\n  and practice. Of course, it also depends on the pace of the\n  scene. One would not use all says if they were fighting an evil\n  dragon. Words are powerful, but you're not going to take out a\n  dragon by saying \"shoo.\"\n\n  Now that we've covered the basics, get out there and roleplay!\n  The roleplaying community is always looking for newcomers.\n  Don't be intimidated, just get out there and roleplay!\n  Remember that it's all in good fun, and while at times it may\n  be frustrating, it's just for your entertainment.  Don't take\n  it too seriously or you'll find yourself not wanting to\n  roleplay at all!\n\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n  Honesty - Ilsensine                                      Honesty\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n  \/*|*\\\/*|*\\\/*|*\\\/*|*\\\/*|*\\ Honesty \/*|*\\\/*|*\\\/*|*\\\/*|*\\\/*|*\\\/*|*\\\n  \\_|_\/\\_|_\/\\_|_\/\\_|_\/\\_|_\/_________\\_|_\/\\_|_\/\\_|_\/\\_|_\/\\_|_\/\\_|_\/\n\n  Honesty plays a strange part in our realms. Perhaps you've never\n  really thought about it often in the past, but I would ask you\n  all to think about it, even for just a moment. I'm sure you'll\n  say to yourselves that you know already, but do at least\n  consider the role of honesty in your gaming.\n\n  We play a fantasy game. Most of us know nothing of the real\n  lives of our fellow mudders. Sure, we know things about some of\n  our friends here, we may even have met some in the flesh and\n  developed a concrete friendship or two outwith as well as within\n  the realms. Think for a second about those players you think of\n  as friends here but haven't met, or haven't spoken to face to\n  face. Have you shared important moments with them? Maybe a\n  secret or two? I can't speak for others, but I know I have, and\n  it shows something important that we can do that - it shows we\n  have trust, and faith in the honesty and reality of another.\n\n  Do we have to be honest? Of course we don't. That's what makes\n  a trusted friend in the realms so important. We place that\n  trust with faith and without direct evidence that the friend\n  is really being who they are.\n\n  It can be quite a freedom not to be honest. It is tempting to be\n  something you are not. However, you should be honest regardless.\n  This game is not an end in itself. Your Seth set is nothing but\n  a few lines of code. Your ability to kill a mob will achieve\n  almost nothing outwith the act itself. That is not to say that\n  out time here in the Realms is pointless. Far from it. The\n  engine of the game is not a slot machine on which to roll up\n  numbers. It is an interface for people.\n\n  If you think upon nothing else that I have said, think of this.\n  Each time you type quit, you leave the game behind. Your\n  Darkfire Blaster has left the clutch of your hand. Divine\n  Retribution is merely a metaphor. But something follows with\n  you as you leave : the people. So try to remember that the\n  people are all real, and it is their honesty that makes them so.\n  Those who choose to be false or dishonest do so with a\n  consequence they perhaps hadn't thought of...\n\n            ...When they quit, they take with them nothing at all.\n\n  Ilsensine.\n\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n  Funnybones - Collected by the CoD                     Funnybones\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n\n  For some reason, Qaulorn was silly enough to have a helpfile\n  named after him.  This has since been removed, however.\n\n  help qaulornisasillyhead\n\n  QAULORNISASILLYHEAD\n  It is officially stated that Qaulorn, and his accompanying head,\n  are silly.\n\n\n  And the rest of the community express their sillyness in titles!\n\n  Eihpem, retteb si sdrawkcab semitemos.\n  Ugaxipi wielding (Red Aura) Cheesebane.\n  Andora, dial 0800-HYSTERIC-CLERIC to place an ad here.\n  Deodato is half-shark, half-alligator, half-druid.\n  Futhark: Save a tree, eat a beaver....\n  Absynthe makth it hard to remember.\n\n  And what have those Mages been stirring up this month?\n\n  Lucenti.      xxxxx               xx       xx. \n  Fithlanthas xxxxxxxxx             xxx     xxx. \n  Zeze.      xx      xxx   xxxxxx   xxx     xxx. \n  Romani.    xx           xxxxxxxx  xxxx   xxxx. \n  Leonidas.  xx    xxxx   xxx  xxx  xxxx   xxxx. \n  Bergeil.   xx     xxxx  xxx  xxx  xxxx   xxxx. \n  Mortis.    xx       xx  xxx  xxx  xx xxxxx xx. \n  Sharil.    xx       xx  xxx  xxx  xx xxxxx xx. \n  Reatha.     xxx   xxx   xxxxxxxx  xx  xxx  xx. \n  Alavius.      xxxxx      xxxxxx   xx  xxx  xx. \n  Treva is Ozzy Osbourne and thinks his guild has lost it. \n\n\n  For ages we have searched for answers, and for truth. With\n  patience, this can be accomplished. Today I take the first step\n  in finding the truth behind a very pressing matter...\n  \"Why did the chicken cross the road?\"\n  Here is what some close consultation revealed:\n\n  Shadack - Euhrm.. Why not go find the chicken and ask it instead\n            of me?\n  Ingwe - To get away from the Avs spam-killing him in hopes he'd\n          pop an egg?\n  Treva - Because I threatened to bite his head off.\n  Darshanin - Dunno :(\n  Norbert - Blimey ok, how about the chicken crossed the road cause\n            the area tax man was the side it crossing from.\n            How's that, secret is out, now you know.\n  Tseng - Because the evil corporate chicken rancher told it to.\n  Mogki - To get a packet of PK. get it? Neither did he the shop\n          was closed :P\n  Aurale - Because those funky reunion people were trying to make\n             him dance with Vir.\n\n  This is a timeless classic question that has riddled life for many\n  an age. However, with the assistance of these learned beings as\n  well as my own notes and scripts I think I've solved it.\n\n  You see we must first delve deep into the murks of the plains of\n  the new world. Where the chicken domain was at its height. From\n  what I've gathered, the chicken was definitely frightened. But of\n  what or whom, in this age chickens had a fearless rule over their\n  area of plain. After some thought, a reliable reference scripture\n  and the key input from Norbert and Ingwe, I've realized this\n  chicken was running for his life.\n\n  Then it hit me, it was sometime through the course of chicken\n  history that a rage of avatars attempted to capture the plains.\n  In this day eggs were of mighty value, and the avatars jumped at\n  the opportunity for a fresh item to trade with the known world.\n\n  So you see, this chicken was a hero to its people. It was the\n  famous chicken who yelled \"The avatars are coming! The avatars\n  are coming!\", to alert its people, and begin preparations for\n  what we all know to be the great Avatar whoopings of the old\n  times.\n\n  So that is why the chicken crossed the road. Finally explained.\n  Finally, except for one minor detail. I've yet to figure out\n  how Vir sorts into this mess. But I shall get back to you all.\n\n  Simone\n\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n  Advertisements                                               Ads\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------\n\n  From the Staff of the CoD: Thank you for reading!!!\n\n  Feedback? Comments? Fan\/hate mail? Submissions? All are\n  welcome at the CoD public boards, located: e,s,2u,s,w,s\n  from Darkhaven Square or south of quills and parchments\n  on Market Street.\n\n  ----------------------------------------------------------------<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Surviving the Shattering and Arena Player-Kill —————————————————————- Cry of Despair Issue 65, 11\/02 —————————————————————- | .JNNNN` .JNNNNNL NNNNNN. | In this month’s issue: JNNNNN) JNNNNNNNNL (NNNNNNN. | * A special feature from JNN` JNN` NNN (NN. (NN)| the Realms 101 series- (NN` (NN` NNF (NN` (NN`| ‘Surviving the Shattering’ (NN. (NN. JNN` NNF JNN) |…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/full-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"class_list":["post-1831","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1831"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1831\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1861,"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1831\/revisions\/1861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}