Alt. Dragons-Inn FAQ
storytlr
being reprinted with her permission.]
Subject: FAQ: Are you new here?
Last updated: August 1, 2010
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1. IS THIS A NEWSGROUP FOR AD&D TYPE ROLEPLAYING?
Not really, no. As it is described in the FAQ, role-playing in
ad-i
can be described as "collaborative storytelling." We don't use
character
stats or roll dice; the events that happen in the stories are
determined
by the players. The role-playing here is not competition, it's
cooperation, and there are some basic rules governing how role-play
should
be conducted in this newsgroup.
2. SO WHAT ARE THOSE BASIC RULES?
a. NO FIGHTING IN THE RED DRAGON'S INN: The Dragon's Inn exists
as a
place for new characters and old to meet and interact. The Dragon's
Inn
and Montfort itself are considered "public areas," and anyone can
write
their characters or stories in those locations. In order to avoid the
bar-fight scene that some people are fond of (hey, I've done some of
them
myself), the proprietors of the Inn have established strong magical
wardings to prevent fighting in the Inn itself. You can't attack
anyone
in the Inn, and if you do, you'll find yourself wrapped in a magical
bubble.
PLEASE NOTE: This is an ABSOLUTE rule. It is not optional.
It
cannot be altered. It doesn't matter whether your character otherwise
has
the power to warp the very fabric of the universe. It doesn't matter
if
you think it would be dramatically more effective for a fight to break
out. If you want a barroom brawl, take it down the street. (Fighting
in
other public areas of Montfort _is_ permitted.)
For more details about the Inn's wardings, read the
Beginner's FAQ
and explore the Web page.
b. DON'T DO ANYTHING TO ANYONE ELSE'S CHARACTER WITHOUT THE
OTHER
PLAYER'S PERMISSION.
This principle is the heart of ad-i. It doesn't matter if your
character
is the most powerful deity ever to exist and mine is a lowly ditch-
digger --
your deity can't hurt (or brainwash, or capture, or rob) my ditch-
digger
without my permission. Likewise, you can't invade a city or country
created by
someone else, or co-opt their NPCs, or anything similar without
clearing it
with the other person first. On this note, keep in mind that other
places
outside Montfort, such as Jord or Claremont, or places inside
Montfort, such as
the Royal College of Mages, "belong" to their creators and cannot be
used
without their permission (though some writers may, for their own
reasons, make
their in-Montfort or beyond-Montfort creations available for public
use).
In short, contact the other person via email and ask if
they'll
agree to your idea. If they decline, then you will have to find
something
else to do.
3. BUT I REALLY WANT TO WRITE SOMEONE ELSE'S DIALOGUE/ACTIONS/
THOUGHTS
... THAT'S HOW WE DO IT AT ALT.ROLEPLAYSTUFF, AND IF IT'S ALLOWED
THERE,
THEN, BY GAWD, IT SHOULD BE ALLOWED IN AD-I.
Other roleplaying venues have different rules. Here, the
default
rule is that each individual player decides what his/her character
says,
thinks, feels, does. Note I said default -- you can interfere if the
other player gives his/her consent.
Now, *if* you want to admin a thread where you as admin -- or
even
the other players -- have the leeway to write things for other
people's
characters, AND EVERYONE AGREES TO THAT APPROACH, then you are
perfectly
free to run a thread that way. But please realize that this method is
*not* the norm in ad-i and you should *not* assume that it is
acceptable. As
always -- *ask* the other players. And please be gracious enough to
respect their decision *not* to adopt that method.
For greater elaboration, see the Beginner's FAQ.
4. BUT THIS IS AN UNMODERATED NEWSGROUP AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME!!
You're right. We can't. If you decide that you want to
ignore
all the "rules" and post whatever you want, co-opting whatever
characters
or storylines you want, you _can_ do so. No one is reviewing posts
before
they go out. No one is sending out cancel messages. Only the social
pressure of the group "enforces" the rules. You'll either start a
firestorm of protest (the only reason I can imagine for such conduct
in
this newsgroup) or be pointedly ignored. But if you want to
participate
in the community, you should observe the community's long-established
standards of conduct.
5. WHAT SHOULD I DO FIRST TO GET INVOLVED?
The first thing you need to do is read the FAQ, which will
give you the basic information about how the newsgroup works. The FAQ
is
available for reading and down-loading on the Web page.
The Web page address is: http://www.dragons-inn.org/ The folks
responsible for putting it together have done a terrific job (huzzahs
and all
that to Dave Womack and Johny Enright, and to various other folk.
You'll also
find tons of information there, including listings of characters, and
ASCII and
GIF maps.
Next, you should lurk for a bit to get a feel for how things
work,
and to see what possible storylines might be opening up for you to
participate in.
6. WHAT DO THOSE WORDS IN BRACKETS IN THE SUBJECT HEADERS MEAN?
There are a number of storylines going on in ad-i at any given
time. In
order to indicate which storyline a post to the newsgroup belongs to,
the players put a title in the subject headers of the posts. Some of
the
on-going storylines in ad-i at this time include [Selkies], [Tower
Guard],
[Dominos], and many others. Each storyline is called a "thread", and
all
posts concerning any storyline would include the thread's name in
brackets
in the subject header. Some of the threads are connected to one
another,
and a post might concern characters involved in more than one thread;
thus, you might see a subject header with [Bards/Festival], indicating
that both threads are involved in that post. This makes it possible
for
players and readers alike to follow the storylines.
7. WHAT TYPES OF PLOT-LINES EXIST IN AD-I?
Risking over-simplification, I would say that ad-i divides into
two
basic types of storylines.
First are the more traditional "quest" stories. These generally
are
started by someone who has a goal they want to achieve -- overthrow an
evil king in a distant country; explore a mountain for treasure; seek
a
cure to save the comatose beautiful princess; find a magic chalice.
The
"lead" character comes to the Dragon's Inn to recruit adventurers to
help
in the quest. Everyone gathers, then leaves Montfort on the quest,
making
up whatever geography is necessary to get them from Point A (the
Dragon's
Inn) to Point B (wherever the target place is).
Second are the more complicated storylines where a number of
threads
are inter-related. The events in each thread are, to a certain
extent,
tied to the events in other threads. Stories based in Montfort which
intersect with one another are [Coliseum], [Tower Guard], [Trial], and
many others. These stories involve literally dozens of players, most
of
whom play multiple characters. Characters can appear in more than one
thread, and events in one thread affect what happens in another
thread.
Because of this, these stories require a lot of behind the scenes
coordination.
To further sub-categorize, threads can be multi-player or
single-player. The former is the dominant style here in ad-i, with
two or
more writers involved.
8. NOW I KNOW ALL THIS, HOW DO I GET INVOLVED?
First, if you don't already have one, you need to create a
character.
The Beginner's FAQ has some pointers on how to go about this task.
(If
your background is in AD&D or White Wolf games, the most important
thing
to remember here is that stats don't matter in ad-i.) Now you need to
get
that character (or characters, if they come in a matched set) involved
in
a storyline. The "traditional" way to do that, and the method used by
most
newcomers to the newsgroup, is to introduce the character in the
Dragon's
Inn itself. Write a post under the subject header of something like
"[Inn] New Character," in which your character shows up at the Inn
looking
for adventure.
If you have an idea for your own storyline, have your character
make
an announcement of some sort for people to join him or her or it on
his or
her or its quest. Keep your eyes open for other people posting in the
Inn
itself; if another person's character asks for companions for an
adventure, have your character approach them. (It's probably best to
send
your response via email, also, since some news servers can be
incredibly
slow). Keep in mind that _usually_ posts with "[Inn]" in the subject
line
involve players looking for other people to write with even if the
subject
line doesn't say "looking for writers" or "new character."
Most importantly, don't give up. It can take a while to get a
character or new quest launched. People will disappear after a few
posts
when they find that ad-i doesn't hold their interest, or they don't
have
time to stay current with it. You may have to make several attempts
to
find a storyline that actually makes it out of Montfort and on its way
to
fulfilling its quest. The thread might peter out for lack of
participation
after it is launched.
Another way to get involved is to find an existing thread that
interests you and ask if you can join in. Yes, you have to ask --
don't
just jump in without warning, because you might very well be
disrupting
pre-planned scenes. Send an email to someone in the thread with a
proposal
of how your character can get involved. It helps to have an idea of
what
your character could add to the storyline. The participants in
particular
threads may or may not be accepting applications, but it doesn't hurt
to
ask. (And don't be offended if they turn you down; it's possible that
there has been a lot of behind-the-scenes planning that won't
accommodate
throwing a new ingredient into the pot.)
9. I REALLY WANT MY CHARACTER TO BE AN INCARNATION OF RAISTLIN/VANYEL/
RAND
AL'THOR.
Um, well ... You should realize that the characters and worlds
created by Margaret Weis/Tracy Hickman, Mercedes Lackey, Robert
Jordan,
and many other popular fantasy writers are copyrighted. And such
writers
are -- and must be -- vigilant about protecting their material from
unauthorized use by others. And, in fact, we have occasionally
received
posts to the newsgroup from published authors requesting that their
copyright be respected.
So, what does this mean? Think of Weis/Hickman, Lackey and
Jordan as
fellow players in ad-i, and apply the same rules that must be observed
regarding other ad-i writers' characters -- DON'T DO ANYTHING TO
ANYONE'S
ELSE'S CHARACTERS, STORYLINES, OR CREATIONS. It is simply a matter of
respecting the integrity of a character or concept created by someone
else.
Besides, it's much more creative for the writer, and much more
interesting for the reader, to come up with an original character.
10. WHAT ARE THE MECHANICS OF WRITING A THREAD?
There are two ways to actually go about writing a storyline.
First is
the free-for-all "post-directly-to-the-newsgroup" method. When you
want to
make an addition to a story you're in, you reply directly to the
newsgroup, and maybe send an email cc to others in the thread.
Smaller
bits and pieces of the story appear more frequently on the newsgroup
as a
result.
The other method is the "draft via email" method. This works by
having
all the players in a thread circulate among themselves a continuing
draft; when
it reaches a suitable length, an entire installment is posted to the
newsgroup,
and everyone starts working on another draft. This allows greater
coordination,
eliminates inconsistencies, and makes it possible for readers to see a
sizable
portion all at once -- i.e., they get to read a scene as a whole
rather than in
snippets across several days. Or even weeks. (Of course, they have to
wait
longer between installments.)
So, which is better? Neither, really -- all that matters is
that the
people in the storyline decide which one *they* prefer.
11. IF I WANT TO SET A STORYLINE IN MONTFORT, DO I HAVE TO GET
ANYONE'S
PERMISSION TO DO THAT? WHAT ABOUT THIS [COUNCIL] THREAD?
Montfort is a "public" role-play area, as is the Dragon's Inn.
There
are a number of long-standing storylines set in Montfort. If you want
to
set your thread in Montfort, you are free to do so without asking
anyone's
permission -- as long as you follow the basic rules, set out above,
about
not trying to affect or change another person's storyline without
clearing
it with them first.
For example, if you want to run a criminal character -- a
thieves'
guild or a serial killer -- you can ... but don't say that your
criminal
was such a genius that he managed to elude the "Tower Guard," because
then
you would be using someone else's characters/storyline without prior
clearance. Similarly, keep in mind that there are lots of characters,
sites, and other "things" in Montfort that are not available for
public
use. You can go into the Dragon's Inn and have a chat with Hugh
Rogers at
any time. You cannot go into Blaze Street or Batista Dyer's fabric
shop
without first contacting Cathy Mosley. The Golden Griffon is public.
The
Royal College of Mages is not.
There is a lot of "detritus" in Montfort, from old storylines
that
are now defunct, or long-standing storylines that are currently
dormant.
Don't assume that just because something is listed on the map, or has
been
inactive for a while, that it is "public" the way the Dragon's Inn is
"public."
So what is the [Council] thread? [Council] is a little-used
thread heading
referring to the civilian government in Montfort. A number of players
who run
storylines in and around Montfort are involved. There is one
important thing
to keep in mind, though: The players in [Council] DO NOT CONTROL
MONTFORT.
Though the writers welcome input from, and interaction with, the
characters of
other players who aren't already involved in Montfort, they do not
have (and
frankly, don't want to have) any power to veto what you want to do in
your
storylines, except to the extent that you can't do something to
interfere with
*our* storylines. (Likewise, [Council] can't do anything to impose on
*your*
storyline.)
If you want to set your thread in a Montfort where the
Council
does not exist, that's perfectly fine. If you want to set a thread in
Montfort where the Council *does* exist, that's fine, too. You can
recognize or ignore the actions of the Council as you wish within the
constraints of the general rules of ad-i. In fact, there may very well
be
times where the players in [Council] will have to ignore events in one
another's threads -- in the end, [Council] doesn't even have veto
power
over the members' other storylines.
So if anyone tells you, "You can't do that!", make sure you have
them
explain why. The answer can't be "because the Council said you can't."
The
only valid reason is because it violates one of the basic rules of the
newsgroup -- don't interfere with someone else's characters or plot
development (and don't fight in the Dragon's Inn).
12. I WANT TO BLOW UP MONTFORT...
Okay. Be forewarned, though, that Montfort has been levelled
at
least three times since *I* joined ad-i (and probably several times
before
I joined ad-i). Montfort is a public roleplay area, so you can blow
it up
if you want. You cannot, however, blow up other players' places, such
as
Jord or the College, or the Guard Towers.
Another thing to keep in mind -- in blowing up Montfort, you
*cannot* say that you blew up the Dragon's Inn. Furthermore, you
cannot
touch (or even refer to, without permission) other players' Montfort-
area
establishments -- such as, Brion's Ranch, Smith's house, or again -
the
College.
Nor can you insist that any other player writing in Montfort take even
the
slightest notice of your explosive plot twist. For you, Montfort --
or even
all of Ifreann -- might now be nothing but a pile of dust. For the
rest of us,
in an alternate reality, it's business as usual.
13. CAN I POST ADS TO THIS NEWSGROUP?
Well, yes, I suppose you can. After all, it's not possible
for
anyone to stop you from hitting that "send" command and spamming the
newsgroup with off-topic garbage. The newsgroup administrators do try
to
catch advertisements and delete them before they propagate, but it
isn't
always possible to catch the trash before it makes it through the
mailing
list or hits a few news-servers.
In short, off-topic material is not welcome. If it isn't role-
play,
or "admin" about the newsgroup, then it doesn't belong here. If it's
something you feel the need to cross-post to other newsgroups it
probably
doesn't belong here, either.
14. I HAVE A DISAGREEMENT WITH SOMEBODY AND I WANT TO ARGUE ABOUT IT
IN
PUBLIC AND TAKE A VOTE AND HAVE EVERYBODY DECIDE THAT I'M RIGHT RIGHT
RIGHT AND THE OTHER PERSON IS WRONG WRONG WRONG.
The long-term participants in this newsgroup pride themselves on
creating and maintaining an environment for entertaining roleplay --
an
environment where insults and shouting, if they occur at all, take
place
only in private email. There is no need to advertise private disputes
among the players on the newsgroup. The other writers don't want to be
an
eavesdroppers on anyone else's debates.
Please take disagreements to email. People can become defensive
when
attacked in a public newsgroup, and a dispute can quickly escalate.
Unless
the disagreement involves an issue common to the newsgroup as a whole,
then the argument should be kept private.
15. I REALLY DON'T THINK I'M A GOOD WRITER ...
It can be kind of scary to put your writing out on a public
forum
where it is open to criticism (both valid and invalid). The point of
ad-i, however, is not to produce publishable material (though there
are
some folks on here who can come pretty close to publishable quality).
On
ad-i, the goal should be (in my opinion, anyway) to have some fun
writing
with other people, to develop characters, and to concoct plots to
entertain one another.
Yes, you may very well be criticized by some people who don't
think
your writing or characterization is up to snuff. Don't let that scare
you
off -- the more you do it, the better you'll get. And though there
will
always be those who will feel the need to throw their two cents worth
in,
remember that it isn't your job to entertain those folks -- if they
don't
like the job you're doing, they should (1) simply not read what you
write;
and (2) do their own writing and impress us all with their superior
skills.
16. I DON'T THINK THAT OTHER PERSON IS A GOOD WRITER ...
This newsgroup isn't a writing tutorial. Unless someone
specifically asks for public commentary on their plot development,
characterization, or scintillating dialogue, keep your criticisms
(however
constructive you intend them to be) to email. We have some damned
good
writers here (even those who plot to blow up the planet), but there's
no
qualifying test and no requirement that someone pass your standards
for
Fantasy Writing 101. Most people are here to have some entertainment,
not
to be lectured about their shortcomings.
17. I WANT TO WRITE HOT FANTASY PORN/I'M OFFENDED BY HOT FANTASY PORN
The newsgroup has, from time to time, debated whether there
should
be a "rule" against explicit sexual or violent content should be
accepted
in the newsgroup. No consensus has ever been reached on what the
community position should be -- we're all a bunch of hard-headed
individuals, after all, and it isn't an issue that lends itself to
easy
answers. Explicit violent content seems to be considerably more
common
and accepted than explicit sexual content. Some people preface posts
of
either nature with a "warning" at the beginning for even violent
scenes.
Keep this is a public forum, now mainly accessed through Google
groups, and
various newsreaders can take complaints if material is too explicit
for
underage readers, and could end up getting the group blocked or set as
"above
18 only."
18. MY NEWS SERVER IS UNRELIABLE ...
Unfortunately, the ad-i mailing list (once available via the
majo...@Orb.Nashua.NH.US address) has been kaput since sometime in
the
spring of 1999. You have to rely upon your ISP's news server, or a
Web-based news server such as newsguy.com. Apparently Google.com's
implementation of USEnet newsgroups is bearable.
19. I WANT TO USE PART OF THIS FAQ ...
a. I'M INVOLVED IN A SIMILAR ON-LINE RPG, AND WOULD LIKE
TO USE SOME OF THE IDEAS AVAILABLE IN THIS QUASI-FAQ
AND/OR IN THE NEWSGROUP...
It has happened in the past that someone has essentially
lifted
portions of this Quasi-FAQ for use as a FAQ for another on-line
venture.
Please note that I have no objections, but I would have appreciated a
head's up notice beforehand. (The actual administrator for the other
venture was unaware that this had been done until she visited ad-i
herself. A credit has since been added to the relevant Web-site).
Please
just ask -- it's the classy thing to do.
As for using other characters, concepts, etc., created by me or
other
people for their storylines in ad-i: Ask. If permission is not
granted
-- don't.
b. WHAT ABOUT REPOSTING THIS FAQ ON WEB PAGES DEALING
WITH AD-I, OR ON AD-I ITSELF?
Same thing applies. All I'm asking is for simple courtesy
here. I
don't claim any commercial value in this FAQ, nor am I about to
threaten
"legal action!" Lawsuits! Copyright violations!! I'm a lawyer; I'm
well
aware of the debates about common law vs. statutory copyrights and the
ambiguities created by trying to apply such laws to a medium that has
advanced more quickly than the law, especially where international
publication is at issue. I'm not interested in re-igniting such a
debate
in this forum.
However, that said, I did put a lot of work into this thing;
I've
agreed to let it be posted on other Web sites, with appropriate credit
given. I also have no problem with anyone sending or posting a copy
of
this FAQ whenever a newcomer makes an inquiry in the newsgroup. And
feel
free to add your own email address as a potential source for
assistance.
But, please, be polite enough to attribute the material to
me. I'm
not talking about legalities, but simple courtesy. I won't repost
your in-character material and claim it as my own; please extend the
same
consideration to my out-of-character material.
20. I HAVE SOME MORE QUESTIONS...
Send me an email to Cathy hand-holder and tutor extraordinaire,
at
stor...@maniac.deathstar.org. We may not know the answer, but I
probably
can point you in the right direction to find it. And the folks on ad-
i
itself always stand ready to help out newcomers, so don't hesitate to
post
your question to the newsgroup itself.
[Created by Becca]