Character Creation

This guide is designed to help you create a character sheet that will be approved for play quickly, so that you can join our game - and that will fit in well with our setting, so that you will enjoy your time with us. While the application process can take up several days, it is well worth your effort. Our players have staying power and many have been with us for several years.

If you want to read more information first try: Unless material is linked specifically in this article the content of the wiki is nice to know but not required reading.
 * Intro
 * Plot
 * Rules
 * AoI Game System
 * FAQ

= The Application Process: How to Join our game! =

Before we start, if you have questions, you have the following ways of reaching us: Your character will need to be approved before you can join our game. This article helps you with creating that character, using an application or charactersheet. If you are interested in joining the game, we recommend the following steps:
 * 1) Email us if you have questions, and we will get back to you as quickly as we can. Please allow 24 hours for a reply.
 * 2) Come into our on-line chat room. This is by far the more immediate way to contact us, and there is often at least one moderator in chat at any given time of day (we are an international game). There is a button for the mibbit webchat version on the sidebar of the forums.
 * 1) Look at the Documentation for Starting Characters
 * 2) Read the article below and don't fret about the other Secrets of the game. Reading deeper linked articles (the opt in articles) is not necessary for character creation.
 * 3) Fill out an application using the copy/paste Template set out on the Character Sheet page.
 * 4) Mail it to us DO NOT attach a document, CUT AND PASTE into the email message. Do not use keys the board cannot recognize, please. No ellipses, dashes, etc.
 * 5) Wait for a response. It typically takes us 36 hours to formulate a reply with comments, suggestions and recommendations. You should receive an acknowledgement that we have received your application within 24 hours though.
 * 6) Make an account with the name of your character (without the title). Your title etc. will be added as rank by the Privy Council to your profile. NOTE: you will not gain access to the IC forums till you are approved. However you are warmly encouraged to say hi to the community (moderation queue will apply). The answer to the final Registration question is "RPG".
 * 7) There are always edits to make on the sheet.
 * 8) You will gain final approval, which means we give you access to the IC forums and set up your compendium. From here on your posts do no longer have to be approved by a mod first.
 * 9) Start playing!

= STARTER GUIDE or Character Creation Step by Step = You can find a copy paste version of the Character Sheet here. Here are some Examples of Finished Charactersheets

See the Wanted List to see what our most urgent needs are.

We are currently not accepting:
 * Commoners who cannot circulate amongst gentry
 * Girls who have it all (beauty, wealth, status) or gentlemen who have it all
 * Historical/Canon figures. Originals only please. Note that this means your parents & siblings are not historical/canon either.
 * Beauty as a benefit is full right now
 * Being talented with swords or horses (we have only a few male PCs and already have 2 or 3 with these skills, we'll open it up again once we get more males). Instead under-used skills are espionage, languages, daggers, hunting, archery, hawking, hand-to-hand fighting)

Player Profile
This part is confidential and for moderation staff eyes only. Remember this is an 18+ game. We welcome newbies to roleplaying, but it is helpful to us to know where you are coming from. This tells us if you might be a good fit for the community. You show us your trust by telling us about yourself.

Character Details
Further Optional Reading Rank,Period Names and Avatar

This section shall be visible to other Players, as it will be posted on the Boards for easy reference. They are the basic details of your character. You will be asked to name your character, his title, estate etc. This sounds intimidating, but since you are creating an original title, you can just throw something out there. If it doesn't fit, a mod will help you figure out something more appropriate. Just remember that all peers have a title. In addition to territory, it is likely you will have an ancestral home with its own name. Do not select the name of an actual estate from any of the major English nobility (e.g. York, Essex, Exeter, Cornwall, Coventry, etc.), you can use English_towns_for_titles as a resource for picking a title, and remember you can be a cousin to a historical/canon figure, but not a child or sibling of one. * For example, Lady Alice Putman, daughter of the Viscount of Little Puddleton, lives with her family on her father's estate of Little Puddle Hall. Also consider the age of your character. As time moves slowly IC your character will not age quickly. Ladies become of marriageable age at 14, in England. They typically make their début at court somewhere around their 16-17th birthday. Married ladies, or widows, would be older, somewhere between 25-35, though older characters can work was well. Gentlemen make their début by their 18th birthday usually, though they are not considered adults until they are 21. As such, men do not typically marry until they are well into their 20s, unless there is a great need for a dowry or an heir. It is not uncommon for older men, even in their 60s, to marry young ladies that are still in their peak child-bearing years.

You are asked to also upload an avatar to your account. An avatar is the image that represents your character, sometimes known as a 'play by', preferably matched by your description. You can see a few suggestions here or you can visit RPGD, for a section dedicated to avatars/play by's. We do not have a face claim system and are fairly laid back. If you need help finding something suitable, ask us.

First Impressions
This provides other players' first impression of your character, both physically any little quirks and habits that are noticeable, so be as creative as you can. Do not describe your character as beautiful unless you have taken that particular benefit. Remember to not include information that other characters would have to mindread to know.

Ladies are typically shorter than men and their common height ranges from 5 foot to 5'6". Men commonly range from 5'4" to 5'10". Anything shorter or taller will be deemed to be noteworthy and taller would cost a benefit point (in order for us to stay within historical realism). Unlike today, women of our period are expected to be pleasingly plump. That is to say that a bit of body fat is viewed as a good thing. Thin ladies are thought to be unhealthy and likely to have difficulty with childbirth. On the other hand, very heavy men and women are not viewed as very attractive either. A man being overly muscular was a sign of doing physical labour.

Character Details Expanded
This part is confidential and will only be known to you and the moderators.

Wealth Level
Further optional reading: Wealth Level

While money plays a role in our game, there is no need for a day to day accounting of what you spend and own. Through our wealth level system a few simple limitations are introduced. A lot of the starting finances of your characters, including what wardrobe he starts out with, what inventory he can buy, what housing he can afford etc, is determined by this wealth level. There are four categories you can start out with: If you are joining the game with the intend to trade or make long term investments then we advise you to take Lump Sum as a benefit so your character has an extra sum of money in his ledger to start out with. Your character can also attempt to gain riches in the game. Each season your character may go up or down in the wealth level system.
 * Impoverished - a challenge
 * Financially Secure - the standard
 * Financially Well-to-do - a benefit
 * Financial Abundance - a benefit

Housing
Further optional reading: Housing

Where will you stay in London (based on your wealth level):
 * The Red Lion Inn or Dorchester house for Financially Well-to-do & Financial Abundance

In your next season you will be able to have a town house fitted to your wealth level, or you can use a benefit. Seasons outside London will have different arrangements that we'll inform you about upon receiving your charactersheet. During Recess you can stay at your estate or travel.
 * Saint Marks Hall provides a modest alternative, upon the Kings hospitality, for those who desire to be amid the thick of palatial intrigue.

Benefits, Challenges
We prefer you aim for no more than 4 points. The Benefits and Challenges are weighed against each other and must balance to be zero. Unless your characters reputation is part of character creation, it will not be determined till half way the season.
 * Select benefits from our list. We prefer at least 1 major benefit, and no more than 2 minor ones. Only one physical one, and not the combination of beauty, wealthy and high rank.
 * Select challenges from our list. We prefer at least 1 major challenge, and no more than 2 minor ones.

The benefits and challenges form a nice basis for your background story. E.a.:
 * Being a Foreigner is a challenge. Your character will be at a disadvantage vis-a-vis English lords and ladies, as even higher ranking nobles from foreign lands are considered to rank socially below English nobility, with the exception of foreign royalty. The further away (s)he is from home, the less likely your character is to meet a countryman. In a game like this, social relations are key. Some NPCs will have prejudices against foreigners. Foreigners cannot hold offices. Still, there can be interesting alternatives available to an ingenuity player of a foreigner.
 * A character's religion is a very important choice. In England, there is a very great distrust of Catholics at present. They suspect them as mere agents of Rome, intending to subvert the Anglican Church. Catholics are forbidden from holding public office. Likewise, Puritans are reviled because they ruled the country for 11 years with a heavy hand and there is a backlash against them.
 * We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. As you can read in our Political Section there are two main political philosophies: that of the Royalist Party (defending the divine right of Kings) and the Whig Party (defending the rights of the people to the point of republicanism, but also strongly anti-Catholic). If your character is a peer he will have a seat in the house of Lords as well as having the opportunity to serve in a public office. What stance will your character take?

Personality
This is the personality of your character, which should harmonise with her/his background and any chosen challenges. E.a. if your character has a temper, tell us how that challenge influenced his life. Show us in your background how this returned in your character's history.

Background
This is a short story about where your character began life, where her/his roots are, and with whom. Please make sure it explains your character's benefits and challenges, and her/his personality development. Remember it is not length that impresses us, but relevance. What made your character into who he is now? What is he good at or bad at?

While elements of your character's background may return in the story lines played out in game, this will largely depend on your initiative; for instance by writing home. You are encouraged to make use of existing NPCs, if they are mentioned in your character's background; for example, as a patron or enemy. You are encouraged to include a list of father/mother/siblings and any appropriate family members with their age and whether or not they are deceased in a small bullet point style.

At a basic level you can improvise a lot. If it makes sense within the scope of the game we will generally run with it. You cannot improvise major historical or political events such as wars, but you can mention those that existed in history.

Goals
We think it is important to list some goals so that you get into the habit of planning a way forward for your character. This is part of Goal Oriented Playing]. Reaching short and long term goals is the only kind of true "win" you will get in the game so it is a key motivator.

= Now Join = Do not fret too long over your application/charactersheet. You will be given feedback and extra help when and if necessary to help your character adjust the game. That is what your Player compendium is for. So, without further ado, mail us your application as soon as you done!

= Optional: Further Reading =
 * 50 questions To Ask Your Character
 * Examples of Finished Charactersheets