This one won't be difficult (so no long winded speeches from you Mike! Heh heh heh To join, all you need to do are. A) Announce your name for your character. This doesn't need to be the same as your user name. For example, in this story, I intend to be Silent Hawk, but my user name is Blackmane. B) Announce your class. This is a D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) term. Basically, this means whether you're a wizard, warrior, thief, and so forth. For example, it would mean that I announce I am a Monk. C) Find a simple and easy way to slot yourself into the story. For example, for the next few posts I intend to be at a bar. It's all too easy for a new player to either walk in, or already be in the bar in the first place. Later, when we adventure, certain events could also take place. If we were in a forest for example, we could come across your camp site. Or you could help us out in a surprise fight with a bear. D) Remember to segregate CHARACTER information from OUT OF CHARACTER information. For example, I've just told you that I'm "Silent Hawk, Monk of the Twelve Waters." However, I HAVEN'T told you, for example, that I hold a gemstone the size of your fist in my pocket. This would mean that a person intending to steal said gemstone cannot simply post *quietly sneaks up behind him and attempts to pilfer the gem* because they would not have known about it. Remember, when in doubt, ASK first. For regular veterans, most know what is too far and what is not, but for the newer players, we'll learn as we go, so feel free to ask these sorts of questions. E) Do NOT move other people's characters unless they allow you to (i.e. you have emailed/icq'ed/msn'ed etc them and they have replied with an affirmative) because this is very rude. Instead, simply post what your own character would do in whatever situation we were in. For example, if we were in a fight, you might say "Silent Hawk quietly gathered up his ki, and focusing it in one moment reached out and hit the bear full in the head, shattering it's skull." However, you could not say, "Silent Hawk quietly gathered up his ki, and focusing it in one moment reached out and hit the bear full in the head, shattering it's skull, and watch as Jarle Blunderbuss gets brutally mauled under the onsluahgt of the rest of the skeltons." because that would mean you are dictating what is happening to another character(Unless of course Jarle had really posted that information in the first place!) This was it. This was the bar that he had been told about. Closing his eyes for but a moment, Silent Hawk gathered his inner self and pushed open the door. The smell from the room assailed him, ale and food and other, more darker smells. A tavern. Entering, he paused to allow himself to adjust to the light after the darkness without, before moving to the bar. "I need a bath and a hot meal." he said. The bartender nodded, and turned to get his meal....
However, if I had told loudly to the person next to me, in a drunken slur "Yoush knowsh... I ish gotsh the besht gemstonesh inz zish wurld inna pocket..." the thief would have full lee way to say it.
I belive that's about it, so to start the ball rolling...