Shattered Kingdoms

"Hey there, priestly seeming person. You got time to talk about your religion?" Most will talk your head off about their faith if you will let them. Just need to get in there and ask.

There's nothing wrong with having a NEWB sign on your head. I'll note that joining a religion, particularly if you are playing a priest, a paladin, or a hellion, does not require you to know everything about that religion BEFORE you join. Nor, would I argue, does it require as high of a roleplay standard as joining a cabal should typically demand.

I think that if a faction/religion leader is requiring your character to already know their faction inside & out before you join it, then the faction leader's requirements might not jive with what I consider reasonable. Consider, for instance, that most people who get baptized end up learning a LOT out their religion AFTER that baptismal.

Asking questions about a religion/faction should not hinder you from joining any of them. Good leaders will look to help and guide their newest members. Membership doesn't require that you have already perfected a faction's roleplay, it simply requires that you can roleplay your character, and that roleplay is compatible with the faction in question. It also doesn't require that you've already mastered the game or become a stellar PKer, etc. Personally, I believe that newbies who join factions open up a lot of their opportunities to fully engage the game, they set the stage to become more fully immersed and to get more help from their associates. It also sets the stage to become more fully immersed in PK, and sometimes the best way to learn is to jump in the deep end.

TL;DR
Don't let the "NEWB" sign around your neck stop you from pursuing this info in-character; make it an opportunity to flesh out this character.
Don't avoid joining a faction unless you will be genuinely bothered by potential PK/eq-loot by the enemies of that faction.

Don't. Keep enjoying the game

Guilty as charged....

I think that asking about IC religion is a very entertaining part of Sk.
Because the answers to the questions are not set in stone. Everything is up for debate and relies heavily on perception.
You actually find yourself discussing what these broad concepts mean to each of you.
Some things have better answers/more static answers, but for the most part, it becomes a debate.
Some of my best rp memories dirive from learning what war means. Both internal wars and external. What it means to truly conquore your enemies.
By asking, you're providing an opportunity for players to RP. And faith RP can get very deep.

How does the saying go? Things not to talk about at thanks giving? Religion, politics and... I forget the last one. But you get the concept.

I was hoping for more RP opportunities.

From what I'm hearing, it sounds like finding out more about a religion should be doable but joining a faction as a newbie is very hard.

I disagree with the fact that factions would be tough for a newbie to join. I've seen plenty of newbies get inducted into factions. But it will be tougher, as their guidelines are more strict than a faith's restriction/requirements.
"Tell me what it means to be a peacekeeper." I think that would be enough to show your interest and get the ball rolling with RP.

Joining a faction as a newbie isn't hard, most of the time. But before you do so, you do need to know that you're increasing the likelihood people will try to kill you. You're also exploring new RP angles, and, if you're lucky, learning the ins and outs from cagey, and hopefully not too jaded, vets. If you take it all in stride and keep it IC and in good fun, it can be totally worthwhile, even as a newb. Depends on how casual you want to be.

Chiming in -

Also have to keep in mind some new players to the game may not be new players to a mud, nor PK, and might enjoy the competitive nature of joining many of the groups.

Additionally, some (not all) of a leader's job when recruiting/admitting new blood is to access the character's mindset and to interact with a recruit in a way to determine if they are actually ready (mentally, and from an IC perspective further is your group itself able to handle bringing someone new to the game up to speed.

I found when I was playing my second character, getting quickly immersed into a tribunal was the best way of coping with PK (winning or generally losing) and getting on with it. Being involved with a group meant not just more attention from enemies, but in making IC friends and getting involved with exploring/adventuring more.

I think it probably varies from new player to new player when they're 'ready'/prepared for joining a group. Hopefully we can continue be both welcoming and helpful as a community for helping new players climb the ranks.

You hit the nail on the head, Pook. I'm not new to MUDs (been mudding 15+ years) and some of my past MUDs have been far more PK-heavy than SK. In the end I've found that joining a clan/cabal/faction/etc. leads to great RP opportunities. More enemies, yes, but more friends and more fun!