Eburacum PBEM - Rules for playing and joining

Guidelines for Play
Style of Writing
Initial Application for Players
Creating a Character
Optional Files

GUIDELINES FOR PLAY

I don't know if it needs to be mentioned to adults to behave like adults, but I have witnessed some strange things in other pbem games, and it is not my particular desire to see them repeated here. Please keep a few simple things in mind during your stay:

It is just a game. First and possibly most important. Some people, at some stage, will get quite upset about what happens during play, whether through personality clashes or through the in-game actions of others. Relax. Take a break if you need to, the stress is simply not worth it.

Harrassment will not be tolerated. Having mentioned that 'fun' is the most important objective for this game, I also need to point out that agitators will be removed from the sim. I'm a nice guy, but if it's proven that you are persistantly ruining the game for others, for whatever reason, you get one warning and that's it. Treat other players kindly, have your say if you need to, and leave it at that. Honesty is a good policy, as long as it is dispensed with a modicum of tact. Keep any conflicts 'in-character'.

Do not use the characters of other players without their permission. The GM will either take charge of another player if someone drops out without reason, or they will screen any posts written by a single player involving another player character as long as permission was originally granted to do so. There is no problem with you requesting such control if you are in the middle of an important post and a player goes missing.

There is no set time limit for posting. However... please notify us (if only as an act of courtesy) if and when you need to take some time off. All it takes is a few lines in a small email, and you can take as much time as you need while keeping in touch every now and then. There will not be any whip-cracking, but an audit of players is planned for every now and then, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out who has been very quiet.

Take care with any sex and violence. As long as it is tasteful, enhances the development of relations between characters, and all participating players consent to being involved in such writing, then a level of eroticism is fine.
What is NOT allowed are any graphic scenes relating to rape, or sexual activity with minors. While such things obviously happened during that period of history, it is hoped that Eburacum will deal more with the romantic allure of medieval fantasy life, rather than the brutish reality of the Dark Ages. Violence is also fine, as long as it is both sensible in description and necessary to further the development of a situation or character. If you are uncertain of what you can write, just ask.

STYLE OF WRITING

Eburacum will be run mostly by mail server, using yahoo groups to post completed posts to the rest of the group. Most of the communication and writing is done by players posting 'turns' backwards and forwards to each other via normal email. The game is intended to be as freeform as possible, so while each character will be based on statistics, the process of using them should be (hopefully) infrequent and unobtrusive. Your character acts and behaves how you envisage he/she to act and behave. You can use the numbers to act as a guide to support your way of thinking about their behaviour. Rolling dice will only really come into play when characters go up against one another, and a fair and impartial means of resolution is required. Otherwise, don't let the numbers dictate you: work with them, and test your ability to roleplay according to what fate has dictated.

Finally, there is no set 'style' to write with. You don't have to use the old-fashioned language, or study Mallory in order to emulate the grammar and types of words used. 'Modern' english will work just fine, but try to keep any slang or other terminology that is clearly from the current time period out of your writing.

INITIAL APPLICATION FOR PLAYERS

Character generation for Eburacum is a lengthy process, and before subjecting players to it, a certain level of screening is necessary. This is for your benefit, as we do not wish to have you slave away on a character, just to be told at the end that "you aren't suitable". Please note in advance that you must be 16 years old to play.

We would appreciate it if you would take a little time to tell us about *you* (yes you, the player). Click here to send us an email (important: remove the 'nospamm' from the email address and add 'optusnet' instead), and please provide the following:

Full name;

Email address;

Age;

Brief summary of pbem experience (years, type of games played);

Current PBEM games you are playing in, as well as to what extent you are involved (player, moderator, gm, etc);

Brief summary of rpg (table) experience, including whether or not you have played the 'Pendragon' roleplaying game before;

What sort of character you would like to play;

What you would be looking to personally get out of this game (just as important - if I don't think I can meet your expectations, I will tell you).

I will then get back to you within 24-48 hours. You will be able to move on to the Character Generation stage (see the next section).

CREATING A CHARACTER

Click on a hyperlink to be taken straight to that part of the guide for assistance in generating your character. Download this textfile and fill in the sections that cover the following topics. Then email it back to me at the email address on the form.

Choose a Name

See the Medieval Names Archive for some background on applicable naming conventions. Your name is your choice - keep to the period and culture of your character.