Shattered Kingdoms

Hello, there! I have a few questions which I'm hoping will give me a better grasp on how Shattered Kingdoms functions, both as a roleplay experience, and a gameplay experience.

I'm a fairly hardcore roleplayer, as I enjoy getting in character greatly. MUDs provide the best opportunity to flesh out characters online, in my experience - as opposed to graphical MMOs. I dance in and out of the MUD genre as my fickle interest levels wax and wane, but that is partly due to never finding a really suitable MUD for my playstyles.

- How enforced is roleplay? I've played on a lot of "heavy roleplay" servers which felt more like "roleplay lite" servers, with odd, OOC restrictions on player-killing, or in which characters were simply always leveling and grinding on monsters, or simply ignoring everyone outside of their cliques, etc.

- How is player-killing handled? I enjoy a community which can police itself. Obviously, guards, NPCs, and whatnot play a part in this, but I like people having more freedom in this regard, which makes things more realistic overall. So long as it is kept in check, as to avoid wanton absue (mass murderers, etc).

- How easy is it to progress and get into the basics? After the tutorial, should I end up just fine on my way, or am I going to get lost every five minutes due to quirky area design and layout? Are towns huge sprawling empty wastes, or are they efficient, and do they direct players towards one another in order to promote socialization?

- Would it make sense to play a Dwarven Barbarian who is a self-proclaimed Giant Killer? Hatred for Giants, and prone to attacking them if set off by the Giant or other circumstances. A really wild little guy. I've always loved the idea of a Dwarven giant-slayer. David and Goliath syndrome, I suppose!

Anyways, these questions should do me well for now. I'd appreciate your feedback. Thanks!

Hello and welcome... hope you find this MUD able to keep your interest and you stick around a wee while.

This is an RP intensive MUD. OOC communication is allowed, but should be kept to a minimum. However, for newcomers to the game it is a necessary evil as OOC chat is almost always required as one gets to grips with the mechanics. Always ensure you use OOC first though for any any ooc communication E.G. "OOC: I need help with xxx."

Make use of the mentor command to gain assistance from more experienced / higher level characters. See Help Mentor for more information. On that note, be sure to read the helpfiles as advised when you start out.

Each of the cities are very different, Menegroth is a sprawling mass, while Krychire is much more compact. However, be mindful of where you start, as certain places are less friendly to certain class / races than others.

Player killing is acceptable. However, it is not acceptable for a high level player to kill a newbie / low level. Auto Newbie (an in game flag) prevents this for newly rolled characters. However, most players will not attack lowbies unless provoked (and after several warnings). At higher levels, as you become stronger and have maybe made enemies then, well you are fair game.

What you play is totally up to you (there are certain race/class combo restrictions however). Maybe as you start out you would not want to carry such a provocative title as Giant Killer though - not at least until you have slain a giant and have gained some idea of the mechanics of combat.

Anyways, good luck. Ask about in game for help, there are plenty who will help. See you in game.

Worts

PS... helpful commands for newbie school "outfit". It is a godsend. If your practice dagger gets damaged always replace it.

Let me take a stab at it.



I'll be honest, so you know what to expect. Roleplay is enforced. There isn't enough IMMs to ensure everyone is RPing all the time, but they do ensure it is. Using Out-of-character knowledge inside the game is a cursable offense and is seriously frowned on. As far as PKing, there is almost 0 OOC restrictions. (There are some IC restrictions though. A lightie shouldn't be running around ganking lighties for instance. ) I won't lie to you though. This is a RPK mud. You will get PKed with little or no RP if you play this game long enough. That doesn't mean there wasn't any RP, just that you didn't see any of it. You will get jlooted as well. It sucks, but its apart of the game. Its the way this game goes. Stick through the thin, and you'll enjoy it I think.



Most of the pbase keeps itself in check and has some OOC respect in that regard. There are exceptions however...



If your experienced in MUDs, I don't think it'll take that long. There are some difficult areas, but they don't dominate the game areas. Most of them are fairly simple and easy to grasp.



It would. Theres been a lot of stuff like that. Just keep in mind that if you play a principled/scrupulous character, you can't go around killing lightie giants. And also keep in mind, giants are everywhere in this game. You kill one, you'll likely have its friends after you.

Welcome to SK, and good luck.

sleeper

This is an RPK mud, in the truest sense. If you like to roleplay but get mad if people want to kill you, then it is not for you. If you like to kill things and then say "kekekeke I owned ur faec" to the person you just killed, this is not the place for you. However, if you like to play a fantasy character who kills other people but sometimes dies to them, then you've found the right place.

To be perfectly honest, the learning curve here is steep and long, but well worth it. Those many hours spent exploring the roleplay, tactics, and world of shattered kingdoms are the best part of the experience.

There are maps of each starting area and home city. Here. The collegium map is out of date. I need to update it, but the rest are fairly accurate.

Your character idea is a great start. The RP is enforced, but there is quite a bit of room for interpretation. I would like to think that SK aspires to be RP heavy, but I'd say its fairly balanced. There are opportunities for very in depth role-play. There are also times when OOC communication is used, but there's always a requirement to remain in character.

PK is unrestricted except against levels 1-5, which is still allowed, but requires a set toggle be switched (auto newbie) so newbies aren't needlessly harmed. In factions, there is a great deal more conflict involved, be warned. Immortals observe and generally will penalize players that are killing others outside the bounds of good RP. We do read logs of PK or RP often.

Generally, if you're familiar with MMORPGs or MUDs you shouldn't have much difficulty finding your way around SK. Welcome!

As said by others, role play is enforced, and you can get cursed for breaking character in certain situations (namely too much or in order to make fun of others after PK. eg. "I > U haha") If you have a question in game, try to think of a way your character can associate it to "reality" and word it in such a way as it stays in character (eg. Rather than say "I am level three merc." say "I am an amateur mercenary.") Many numbers in the game have been replaced with appropriate adjectives to help keep the feel of the game. If you have too much trouble finding a way to word a question, then you may need to go OOC, but most of us prefer it if you do so in tells rather than says.

Role play is also rewarded in SK. Paragons (almost like demi-gods of role play) and immortals can reward those they find to be consistent and adept at their role playing with experience. It may take some time for one of them to notice you, but don't be discouraged. If you keep trying your best to maintain and improve your role play, and you'll eventually get rewards.



Player killing is really open, but as others said, you are restricted by your RP. All but one country has laws against attacking players and PCs, and it is wise to try and figure out the specific laws of each country. If someone has been too much of a nuisance to a certain country, they will likely be banished, and they will then face bounty NPCs, which make it harder, but not impossible to attack cities. It is best to say that it is mostly policed by PCs, law NPCs, and then (if necessary) IMMs.



Well, the wilderness is vast, but it has a rather neat mini-map feature in the upper left corner of the description, where you are always in the middle and can see the landscape around you. The legend is pretty easy to grasp. Some areas are a little harder to get a good bead on, but after time (and with more MUD experience) it gets much easier.



It would make perfect sense, but it is rather dangerous, and maybe not advisable for your first character. The mechanics come easier and harder for different people, but I wouldn't say pitting yourself against the melee strong race would be very fun until you feel confident in your skills.

The main page of this site also has a full list of classes with skills, now, so you can see what you're up against. SK ends up being a different game for different players and their style of play, so it is best just to try it and see what suits you.

Good luck and have fun.

-Randy

Hey hey. I'm comparatively new to this myself, so on behalf of the rest of the new-bloods, welcome. This little corner of the internet has been bounds of entertainment for me for this past year, and hopefully will be for you as well.

Nothing more to add to what the above people said, other than if you're lost on something, first check the help files by typing <help>. If that fails, ask a player with a <tell>. If you''re uncomfortable asking another character out of the blue, try sending a message to the IMM's with a <pray>. If all else fails, sent your question to this very forum.

It's almost a race to see who can answer questions here first.

No, some of us just don't have a life.

sleeper

The simple answers.

It is easy to level when you start. The higher level you are the harder it becomes. Most players end up having to get in groups to reach the top levels, and you cant plvl your way to it overnight.

RP is fickle. You can almost assure yourself of getting some RP if you put some amount of effort into looking for it. I would suggest joining one of the more active Churches, Like Dabi if you wish to be a Darkie. Only because Religion RP tends to be the safest from PK type of RP. tends to be, some churches will still have massive inn fighting. A active lightie church is probably the safest method of joining the RP of SK (as a priest even moreso). If not join a active grey church for a still relatively safe RP situation.

As far as PK go, i like to think of it as a tilt. The higher level you are the more likely you are to get Killed by other players. You WILL be killed for things like recieving aid from a well known player, as thiere enemys mihgt see you and consider you an enemy for it. The more prolific you wish to be in the mud the more you will have to watch your back. So as a Lowbie, you can expect to die more to NPCs. I suggest becoming friends with as many priest as you can, as soon as possible.

I have not seen it mentioned in any of the posts...

RP is strongly encouraged. Good RP can be rewarded by IMMs and PARagons. Paragons are considered to be good RPers. They have received experience rewards for the roleplaying they have done. If you ever have a question, always feel free to address it to any one of the 12. Only IMMs can curse for bad RP.

I would strongly suggest turning on ansi. The various languages show up in different colors. If you see in white, Someone tells you, '......<insert msg...>' That is an IMM and should be obeyed immediately.

There is religions you can join but make certain that the faith you choose fits your character because you cannot change faiths or leave the faith.

There are also tribunals (PC and NPC law groups for the various kingdoms) and cabals (political factions). The general rule is that you can only have ONE character (no matter how many you have) in a tribunal or a cabal. If you have two characters, only one can join a tribunal or cabal.

A pet peeve of mine is modern language. Ok truly annoys me. Okay is almost as bad. Language skills of the character should reflect their quirks of personality and their intelligence.

More than anything, welcome to Shattered Kingdoms and I hope you have a wonderful experience.