I'd like to start off by pointing out that I've played a few other PW's on NWN. The style of my normal play is just hack and slash and powergame until I make a character for the sole purpose of beating other characters on the full pvp server. I've never Role played actively before rather than just doing so mockingly while sitting on someone's corpse and now that I've come across a server (just because I was looking for something different) with such a massive amount of focus on a side of the game I've cared very little about in the past I'm kinda wanting to learn about it. The imaginative side of character creation, finding fun and enjoyment in making complexities that intrigue others around me, is pulling to me like it never has before on this game and I guess I've decided to take my new car for a spin in this world.

My main question is, not having ever read a single dungeons and dragon book in my life besides some drizzt do'urden series, beyond lloth I have no idea what dieties there are or what they represent. I have a crystal clear idea of what I want my character to represent and stand for and against but no clue how I could implement it in the most "beneficial?" way with what this server's ideals for gameplay are. I guess I'm just lost as to how exactly one Roleplays and to what extent? Constantly?...never talking out of character?...or just when you feel like it? Should it be more like...okay logging in, bam, "I am acting like my character and that's that. I see what my character sees, I feel how he would feel in the given situation". I guess my question is two part:

1. What kind of literature could I pick up for me the person to find out how to fit in my character's persona in an innovative fashion alongside what the DM's/Creator/Builders have designed this world to be?....ideally a DM/Creator/Builder would have the best answer to this question.

2. Realistically speaking at any given time with a moderately good roleplayer online in my party how often is the talk in character? out of character? is there any unwritten rule so to speak about what is acceptable and not acceptable to do?...A player such as myself would have the best answer to this question I would think.

Nice meeting everyone and I hope I catch on as quick as possible so I can start to enjoy what looks to be a side of dungeons and dragons I've never favored until now.

Also if there's any questions that you could ask me that would lead me along the right way of thinking it would probably help more than any answer to any question I could begin to think up. I'll be sure to check any and all responses to this long winded thread and yes I have read everything in the server rules/guidelines/new player section. Thanks ahead of time and I'm off to go get my feet wet on the game now.

Howdy.

1. Any fantasy literature can give you an idea of roleplay type conversation actions etc. This server is best summed up in the flavor of H.P. Lovecraft as near as I can tell.

2. You should be in character nearly all the time. In fact, anything you type as TALK is going to be incharacter. TELLS and PARTY chat are always considered out of character (except in very rare situations with PARTY chat where you are in a seperate area from your party buts its realistic for them to hear you ie another room that is in another Area). Most of the time, parties prefer not to engage in any ooc chat, but everyone has their own personal preference. I try to keep 99% ic all the time, unless I just can't avoid making an ooc joke/comment.

You will be talking IC most of the time. When you do wish to say something out of charater be sure to put double slashes // at the beginning of your text to signify it as OOC.

When you are emoting an action, signify that a symbol at the beginning and end of the text. Most people use the asterisk; *nods*, *takes a swig of ale then belches loudly*. (I personally use brackets [] because I'm a horrible typist, and not to mention lazy as it saves me from hitting the Shift key.)

Hi there, and welcome to the server.

Basically, as you put it yourself, you log in and bam - 90% of your wording should be 'in character', if you want to talk to people OOCly in tells, that's fine. Depends on their preference, me, i talk to people in tells frequently, and i have no problem with people chatting with me while playing. Some people do not like it however, but you'll learn pretty fast.

I'd recommend books by "George R.R. Martin", specifically the "Song of Ice and Fire" series for language tips. Start with "A Game of Thrones". It's easily the best book i've ever read.

Welcome!

Yeah, the posts before this have it pretty much nailed, but I just wanted to give a bit of advice.

Start simple. A Half Orc Barbarian with a low int score, for example, will not need to know much about dieties, FR history and the like. These kinds of characters can be great ways to learn how to role play because while you are saying things like "Gum smash with axe" you are also listening/learning how the rest of the server is role playing. Don't get me wrong, its not any easier to be a good role player as a half orc barb, you just don't need to know as much.

The setting helps with this as well. Most of the server are ex-slaves, so its not hard to imagine a character that never had any education at all. So even if you make a witty, charasmatic, intelligent character feel free not to know anything. Just make it part of your back story.

Check out the forums. Take a look at the key info that CheezIt put up about dieties/races/classes. Also read the IC posts, to see how people play their character personalities. If you start to like it, maybe invest in (or download <_<) a players handbook or the forgotten realms campain setting.

It's all very easy and you'll get the hang of it in no time. The dms and players are all nice people, so if you have questions ask them. People like to show off what they know in irc, so ask questions if you need to. I'm currently playing Michael Collier, if you need a hand in game feel free to shoot me a tell.

Avoid FR based literature, as the writing is often unimaginative and terrible, but PDF sourcebooks are good to pore over when you have questions regarding the Forgotten Realms. Not sure if you have visited our chatroom, but people there might be able to provide you with these.

Welcome. Here is a copy of some text that will be made public on the welcoming area, it's designed as a concise introduction to RP to the completely clueless.

Howland's Guide to RP

Escape from the Underdark is a role-playing, story-telling server. Our objective here as players is to mutually co-operate and develop unplanned, flavorful stories for our characters. Players are like actors on a stage, each behaving fully in character as with any theatrical production. The difference is that everything is fully improvised: there is no script (only DMs that guide the story and design the setting), and the actors (characters) are fully encouraged to work with or against each other.

Of course NWN is at its heart a video-game, and all of this story-telling is built around plenty of action, monster slaying, and scripted quests. Although the main thrust of EfU is the character development, character vs. character intrigue and conflict, and so on --- it can be really thrilling to get into the mind of your character as he charges the gates of goblin forts, descends into the mysterious ruins of Dunwarren, or battles against the endless walking dead.

All of this is something that the players and DMs of EfU enjoy, and I'd like to hope that most people who try it will enjoy it also. If this is something that does not interest you, you should find a different server.

We ask that players attempt to stay IC with their characters, and not break the immersive aspect of our server. Anything said in talk-mode should be considered IC, and would be a statement that the character him or herself would make ("Where can I find an inn?" "Do you know of any work for me?" "Could you assist me with this man's problems here?"). Also try to make an effort to use correct spelling and grammar with these IC comments (no "c u later"). A remark made in party chat or through a tell is always OOC, something that you as a player are saying to another player. Remember, in general your character should not benefit from any OOC knowledge you may have (sending a tell asking someone to rescue you is not appropriate, for instance, as neither character are able to communicate that way).

The best way to enjoy EfU is to really work on the depth of your character, taking him beyond two dimensions and really fleshing him out like a character in a novel, movie, or play. Make him memorable not through stats or equipment, but by his personality and objectives. Pursuing goals is really encouraged here, the DM team is motivated to make the server as non-static as possible and help players with what they want to try.

EfU can take some time to get into, but I really honestly think most people will find that it has a lot to offer. If you have questions, feel free to check with the DM channel or ask other players for help in an OOC way. Good luck.

My biggest recomendation is checking out Faith and Pantheons or our Faiths of Faerun forum, learning about the deities was for me the best way to get a sense of the world (they're all actually pretty interesting).

Best of luck. Don't get frustrated, be careful out there, and let us know if you need help or have questions.

First of welcome! I was new to RP'ing about 2 years ago, but its funner then pwning noobs :P

Start simple. A Half Orc Barbarian with a low int score, for example, will not need to know much about dieties, FR history and the like. These kinds of characters can be great ways to learn how to role play because while you are saying things like "Gum smash with axe" you are also listening/learning how the rest of the server is role playing. Don't get me wrong, its not any easier to be a good role player as a half orc barb, you just don't need to know as much.

[suddenly feels stupid] :( lol

Bug is clearly the best half orc RP'd I've ever seen. EVER! Feel better? :D

I'm going to disagree with PanamaLane, I don't actually recommend starting with a low int/cha half-orc at all (especially on this server). Other PCs and NPCs will most likely be very hostile and antagonistic in many ways, a charismatic Tymoran fighter might be a better fit for a new player.

I figured it would just be easier for someone who doesn't know much about the world to play a character that doesn't know much about the world.

However, if I were in your shoes, and had to choose between listening to me and listening to Howland, I'd pick Howland because he can give you ph4t l3wt and I can only give you the clap :wink:

Welcome. I think you're going to enjoy yourself. I couldn't think of a better place to begin your adventures in roleplaying than EFU. It's filled with some of the most imaginative, dedicated roleplayers I've ever come across, as well as a kickass DM team. This is linked elsewhere on the site but I thought I'd point you to it. It helped me a lot when I first encountered the wacky world of online RP.

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Other.Detail&id=501

I play a few characters, but Rilo is the most approachable. Feel free to chat him up in game. He gets along pretty well with just about anyone who isn't overtly evil or ridiculously conceited. Heck, he even gets along with some of those types too. He'll be the dashingly handsome swashbuckler lounging on the cushion pile in the Rock Bottom Tavern. Again, welcome.

[nudges DarkDeityReborn]

"Hey there mate..." [he secretly glances around] I can, uh... Help you get some of them Sourcebooks..." [he pauses to check DarkDeityReborn for any wires] "for nothing at all. Just tell me on IRC (#efu channel) if you want it."

Fun playing with you tonight. Seems like you've got the hang of it already.

Thanks to everyone. I've played for a day now and the DM improvised even was the most fun I've had in any game ever. I'm pretty sure the roleplaying thing is great and I'm gonna stick with it. Thank you to everyone whose been a great help to me the past two days. I'll continue to learn how to develop my character as much as possible. Just so everyone knows my character is a monk worshipping Hoar (thanks to a memorable visit to the temple of Hoar) and his named Trefyt Dalvine. I should probably go read about Hoar now that I've decided to worship him after seeing his dogma in the temple heh. Thanks again.