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Necropolis Chronicle FAQ

Necropolis recognizes the fact each chat room handles games differently and many people who come to the Unmoderated Chat have never been involved in Online Roleplaying before. Because of these things we have created the following FAQ for your enjoyment. If you still have questions after reading this feel free to contact any of the STs in the game for your answers.

Sections

New to Online Roleplaying
Getting Involved In Character

New To Online Roleplaying

Acronyms Glossary

Table Top and LARP vs Online RPG
When roleplaying there are proper ways to express if what you are saying is a character action, what a character is saying and what you are saying out of character. To do this in a room that is meant for IC interaction put your OOC comments within parentheses. For a character action an asterisk (*) is the most common method to express it. For any character vocalizing you don't have to do anything special.

Example: *Mark Adair walks into the spirit building and looks around at the others inside* Hello? Is anyone in here? (What do I see?)

Personal Storylines vs Game Storylines
A Personal Storyline will effect only a handful of people. These can be personal plots against another character, a quest to accomplish a goal or carrying on a conversation with others around. Game Storylines are going to be much larger. They are always ran by an ST and will normally draw a large group of people in. These can be large gatherings or extended SLs that can last months, even years, in a particular section of the game.

What to Play?
This Chronicle offers Sections for Camarilla(Vampires), Sabbat(Vampires), Independents(Vampires), Garou(Werewolves), Mages and Mortals. For more information on playing any of these, or to learn more about a particular section check out the page we have set up for its Creation Guidelines, Rules and more. If you are not familiar with White Wolf or Roleplaying please talk to an ST about a concept that is right for you. It may be better to start with a mortal to get a better feel for the general game and go from there.

Acquiring the Books
Necropolis encourages everyone to read the books White Wolf publishes to get a better idea on how to play their character and further information on the World of Darkness setting. If you are curious on what books would best suit the character you are playing ask any ST or player in the game and they can give you a list. Books can be purchased from the White Wolf Online Catalog found on the Official White Wolf Site or at a local bookstore or hobby store. Should none of your local stores carry these books encourage them to order the books in.

WoD = Game of Horror
This is a game of horror - a world of darkness. Your character is being placed in a world a thousand times more dangerous than our own. Realize that there is danger out there - not just danger from NPCs or evil SLs - but danger from other PCs as well. Because as buddy-buddy as everyone shows on the outside one of the key things WW points out is the fact that it's hard to know who are your real allies and who is really stabbing you in the back for their own gain.

Bad things happen. And bad things will continue to happen. Don't throw a fit about it. Don't blame players and take it personally. Don't make threats or outlandish insults. If you believe what was done wasn't legit IC let an ST know and have it sorted out. If it was an IC reasoning and legit don't hold grudges, instead hop back in the fray with another character. Because of this, we will not be warning people about a "dangerous" scene - all should be considered dangerous. Furthermore, we will not be holding back damage dealt by characters that are approved in Necropolis.

We realize everyone in the game puts a lot of thought, time and care into a character. It wouldn't be a good character if they didn't and you probably wouldn't be playing it as a result. But when playing in the World of Darkness setting not every story ends happy. Not every hero ends up victorious and you don't always get the girl at the end. This is a game of personal horror and struggle, where victories come few and far between and are relished when they do show. Where you make your own destiny because, as with the real world, you aren't automatically granted an amazing personalized destiny nor are you owed a happy ending.

Willing Suspension of Disbelief
One thing that we, as jaded roleplayers, often forget is that the essence of roleplaying is willing suspension of disbelief. It's not just about dressing up and bidding traits. There's a part of you which must give up your insistence on living in the real world and accept the illusions which we create together. This kind of make-believe, which we as adults have often forgotten, is what brings the magic into roleplaying. Believing in what you are doing is essential. If you refuse to enter the illusory world we create, you won't be able to play your character with any degree of truth. Have you ever seen a play whith actors whom you just couldn't believe? That's what lack of truth looks like. You're only fooling around. Or worse yet, you're not in character at all- you're just chilling with your friends, but with Puissance.

Specifically, you must put yourself into the mind of your character. Don't merely think to yourself, "Okay, I'm going to hallucinate something now." See it happen. Don't think, "My Self-Annihilation Impulse is probably going to be active now." Feel the sickening self-directed loathing and rage as your immortal mind rebels and seeks to destroy itself. If your character is paranoid, feel the twitching fear of those around you. If you can put yourself into the twisted mindset of your character, you will have the performance of your life. Note: This kind of roleplaying is only for people who have no trouble distinguishing between reality and game. Which is most of us. I am not saying you should become your character. It's called acting, people.

No Metagaming or Mixing OOC and IC Occurances
Metagaming is using OOC information to benefit your character. This can be done by looking at a character's icon and suddenly knowing IC that the character is a vampire, werewolf or mortal or knowing something you have read out of a book that your character is not equipped to know yet. Another thing to keep in mind is to keep what happens IC from becoming personal. If another character attacks you, plots against you, lies, cheats, steals or whatever do not take it as the player of the character hating you. Many characters will use others for personal gain. This is bound to happen sooner or later and it is usually not an attack on the player, instead being an attack on the character. Be mature about the matter and respond as your character would IC. If you believe the player is out to get you bring it to an ST's attention.

Keeping a Secret
Many characters will keep secrets from others. After all, a secret can hold a lot of value to a character as leverage for a particular plot, future blackmail, or to keep an ally protected. Don't feel snubbed OOC should you not be able to extract a lot of information from a certain character or player. Instead, realize it is a large part of a game where the unknown can be even more horrifying than the known. We are also encouraging people to branch into being secretive OOC as well as IC. This will help raise the suspense in the game and keep others from unconsciously metagaming on the information they have been given. Note, this is best to do to the players, bear in mind it is wise for the STs to know what is going on so they can vouch for you if someone says you're cheating and making things up.

Problems With Players or STs
Necropolis has formed into an extended family for many players in the game - and as most of us know not everyone in the family will get along with one another. If you happen to clash with another player or ST here are a few tips to help smooth things over. To start with try to narrow down why there is a disagreement between the two (yes, it needs to be narrowed down to something more than "because he's an idiot/asshole"). Approach an ST about the matter and try to explain it out to them. Above all, remain mature and calm about the problem - being upset won't help matters. Nor will ignoring the problem and hoping it goes away. If you do feel a particular ST or player is "out to get you" inform another ST on the matter to find out what is wrong and fix it. 99+% of the time it will be nothing more than a misunderstanding.

How To Contact a "Missing" Player or ST
Many of our players and STs can be found on the chat daily but schedules can make it hard to run into someone you are needing to talk to. If you cannot find someone on the chat there are two ways to still contact them. The easiest way to contact one or more individuals is to leave a message on the Forums about it. The second best way is to email them. All emails can be found on the site by clicking on the user name of the individual you are looking for. It may take a couple days for this to work.

Getting Involved In Character

Getting Involved In a Scene
Many supernaturals are not outgoing. They are quick to be wary of someone new and it is not unusual for them to test an outsider, rough them up or be reserved and watch them before basing an opinion on them. Because of this it may seem difficult to get involved with other characters. Don't give up. If you feel you are having more complications than you can handle to get involved with others tell an ST or talk to the players about it OOC. They should be able to help get you involved.

How to Enter A Scene
To do this sit OOC for a few minutes to see what is going on in the scene. If it is a set Necropolis room check to see if we have it on the site under our Locations to find out what it looks like. Once done think of the most realistic way your character would enter the scene and running into the other characters. Are they stepping off a bus onto the streets and looking for someone to help answer a few mundane questions about the city? Did they walk into the room of a building while removing their coat and are now looking for who is in charge? You are helping build a story. Detail is an important factor to help everyone else in the room know what you are doing and visualize the scene.

How to Meet Others
First impressions are considered important in our society - and this goes double for supernaturals. The World of Darkness does not suffer fools gladly and a stranger can jeopardize their very existance. Because of this very few will willingly accept a stranger at face value and decide they are true to their word. Tests are not uncommon and can become very hostile depending on the story given, the attitude and what happens. If you are unsure about how to get together with others talk to a player or ST around and ask them for their opinion. The STs will be more than happy to help you come up with a reason for your character being in the city and knowing what they know about the city. Remember that elaborate stories and automatically knowing someone is a supernatural can get you in more trouble than not. Do not try to reassure people OOC that your character means no harm. It is the IC perspective that matters.

Getting Involved In Politics
White Wolf has done an excellent job incorporating politics into their games as more of a focus point than combat. Because of this we encourage manipulative characters who strive to accomplish their goals through wits rather than fists. Still, politics can be even more dangerous to play out than combat - and it is much harder to get involved in. The least little slip up can make dangerous enemies. When getting involved in politics persistance is the key. It will take time to make allies and find out what is going on but it is bettrer to be safe than sorry.

Getting Involved In Combat
In the World of Darkness fighting is common. The fight for survival, to remove enemies, to free the enslaved humanity or to break the chains of manipulative creatures believed to be far more foul than possibly imagined. When getting involved in combat bear in mind it can be to the death - and there are no resurrections. Necropolis uses the most revised combat rules White Wolf publishes with a few house rules to help smooth out the process online. Combat does need to be rolled out and it should be kept civil OOC. Also respect how long it would take to get involved in a combat scene that is already going on. Each combat round is roughly three seconds long. "Stumbling" across the scene will still require time to get involved. If the individuals in combat say there is no time to join in then respect their decision.

When In Combat
With all the rules, the people talking and the time that it takes to do a fight scene a lot of the time things don't run as smoothly as can be. Here are some helpful ways to keep combat running more smoothly for any fight scene in Necropolis.

Have your action in mind before it gets around to you. This cuts down on the time it takes to state all the actions and get to the real combat. When explaining what you're doing make sure it is plausible without trying to sneak it by. ie. Don't declare a punch if the target is six feet away. Don't automatically have a weapon in hand, aimed and shooting in one turn. And so on and so forth with the examples.

If you get confused do not sit around and hope you can catch up. PM the ST or ask the room what is going on at the moment. Try to keep as much of the chatter in a PM as possible. The less chatter there is on the main screen the harder it will be for people to be confused. If you see any inconsistancies in the fight bring them up with the ST before the fight is over. Do not wait until after a combat to bring up questions you have or any inconsistancies you felt would have kept the fight from turning out how it did. We are refraining from redoing scenes. Which means speak during the fight or forever hold your peace.

Getting Involved In Romance
For some players romance can be a very interesting thing to play out between supernaturals. The idea of playing out a secret relationship, a forbidden love or a bond between two individuals can make for a great personal SL. Still, there are things to take into consideration. First and formost is to remember to keep OOC and IC separate. If a relationship breaks off IC for any reason that is no excuse to get upset at the player. Break-ups, cheating, finding out you were being used and so forth will occur. Respect the fact that it will and do not put too much of your own heart into the love. Second and also very important - Necropolis is not a dating service - it is a game. Please do not use the chronicle as a means to find your true love and play out sexual fantasies. We do not encourage, promote or appreciate random cybering.

Roleplaying in Public Rooms
Although Necropolis does create a wide array of Private Rooms to roleplay in we do allow players to still peruse the Public Rooms if they want to. When doing so please keep a few things in mind. This is an unmoderated chatroom which means you can stumble across anything. A 5th Generation, katana weilding Abomination is not something you want to accept a fate from. Nor would it be acceptable to take money, insane weapons o'doom or valuble, rare information from people who are more than happy to let you know every little detail White Wolf has published on a particular supernatural. When interacting in public rooms it is safe to assume that anything of real value recieved from characters that are not approved within the chronicle cannot be used or retained by your own character in the chronicle. Any exceptions to this rule must be first taken to an ST.