From: gujn@uniwa.uwa.edu.au (Jeremy Nelson)
Subject: Frequently Asked Questions
Organization: University of Western Australia
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 07:04:34 GMT


 
This Document purports to answer introductory questions to
the Newsgroup Alt.Pub.Dragons.Inn.
--
 
OUTLINE
=======
 
o  Introduction
o  Rules
o  Introducing a character
o  Posting
o  Generica
o  PC's and NPC's
o  Etiquette
o  Time in the Inn
o  Miscellaneous
o  Appendices
   1. Character List
   2. Character Descriptions
   3. FAQ List
   4. Australian Players List
   5. Alt.Pub.Dragons-Inn
   6. Helpful People
   7. Additional Services.
 
 
o  Introduction
===============
 
Alt.Pub.DragonsInn (a.p.d-i)  was created as a news group for
on the net Roleplaying, and as an interactive forum for the
story telling.  It is intended to be used as the launching
place for play by E-Mail RPG's, and an ongoing netwide
RolePlaying game.
 
The news group is intended to log the activities of
characters in the pub called the Dragon Inn, in the city of
Generica, and its immediate surroundings.  It is not designed
to be the sole center of activity for all netwide
roleplaying.
 
There is no Game Master/Dungeon Master, all activites within
the inn are determined by the players themselves.  In many
ways the inn is not so much a process of role playing, but
mass co-authorship. :)
 
All characters from all Role Playing systems are welcome,
there are however a majority of fantasy characters, since the
Inn is in a fantasy setting.  This is not a hard and fast
rule, there have been several Science Fiction genre
characters already, and quite successfully introduced.
 
 
o  Rules
========
 
Extracted from regular postings by:
   The Nightstalker  <pope@physics.su.OZ.AU> 
 
 
The official Charter of alt.pub.dragons-inn Version 2.1
12.5.92
 
1) No flaming.  This is self explanitory, although I will
expand slightly. This group is for fun, for those who enjoy
frps.  It is NOT a forum for discussing whose system is best,
for it should for the most part be system free.  Any extra
details (ie stats) are best shared via email.  Nor do we wish
to discuss the morality of roleplaying.  It is assumed that
the people in the group have a good enough grasp on reality,
that this is not a problem.  Sadists are NOT welcome, this is
not an extention of alt.evil.  There are to be NO debates
like christianity vs roleplaying, etc.  Any flames must go
elsewhere. Nuff said.
 
2) In the interests of a balanced enviroment, there is to be
no, my character is better than your character rubbish, and
could people please not wander in with PC (or NPC) gods or
demons, etc.
 
3) Please do not go out of your way to invade others part of
the multiverse and rearrange it for them.  The city in which
the bar is set is called Generica (for an obvious reason),
and there is plenty of room out there to find your own Lich
or Dragon to slay, your own castle to live in etc.
 
4) Please feel free to post as often as you wish, even if it
is just to comment (in character) about someone elses tale,
or just to interact with others. 
 
5) The general idea of it being generic, is that the
originator (that is me) will only really specify the basics
of the city state Generica, and the bar. The rest can be
arranged by groups or individuals, there will be no large
scale organisation of this group, although people may join
together to organise an interactive, ongoing part of the
setting.  The whole idea is that people may contribute to the
group in whatever fashion and volume they choose.
 
Please also see the section on etiquette.
 
 
o  Introducing a Character.
===========================
 
What sort of Character?
 
The one thing to remember is that a.p.d-i is not a
competitive setting.  Characters make impressions for
different reasons, but raw power is unlikely to impress. 
Take a character you will enjoy, and who has a breadth and
depth of character.
 
It is also advisable to take a character from a fantasy RPG,
since characters from other RPG's will tend to be
inordinately powerful.
 
 
Introducing the Character:
 
There are no hard and fast rules, basically how, where and
why are up to you.  Pre-organization by E-Mail so that your
character knows a familiar face is recommended.  It allows
your character to slide in without the embarrasement of
loitering around waiting for a friendly call...
 
It is even better if the character can come in an active
manner.  Once again though, this requires active organization
by E-Mail.
 
Once the character is introduced there are several people who
should be informed by E-Mail.  In particular Mike Bavister and
Andrew Solberg, who are maintaining a list of characters and
character descriptions.  See the appendices for further
information.  These lists give an idea of who is in the inn,
and a brief description.
 
Additionally, Paul Davis is maintaining a list of Australian
pubbers.  Again, see the appendices for further information.
 
 
o Posting
=========
 
Due to the popularity of the group there are a large number
of postings.  Unfortunately this makes it difficult to keep
up with the group for those with limited time. To eliminate
extraneous volume, please try not to post questions to the
group, use E-Mail if at all possible.  A list of some of the 
more active posters, and people happy to answer questions are 
at the end of this FAQ. 
 
Additionally several guidelines have been adopted to help
clarify subject content and eliminate the need to read every
posting.
 
 
Subject line format:
 
Subject lines should include, if possible, characters name,
location and an indication of the content of the posting.
 
ADMIN:  
Any administrative postings should be prefixed by 'ADMIN:'. 
 
ADMIN postings contain all information which is not in
character for the PC.  In many respects ADMIN postings have
the sort of information a DM would distribute.
 
The only other messages which are typical of ADMIN postings
are administrative work, related to non character postings
such as character lists, FAQ list and other administrivia.
 
Please see the section on etiquette for further information
on ADMIN postings.
 
 
Message format:
 
Some postings include a list of involved characters. 
Typically this will include who is at the table, or perhaps
the name of the current thread of action.  This has several
advantages.  In the case of table discussions it allows the
characters to keep an idea of who is where.  As the
participants follow up on subjects they can append or remove
their name from the list.
 
The ADMIN: prefix is also used within postings to indicate
out of character reference or other administrivia.
 
 
Content:
 
Is of course entirely up to you, but please take note of the
etiquette guidelines.
 
 
o  Generica
===========
 
There are some more extensive guides to Generica available as
regular postings in a.p.d-i.  (See appendices.)  This is a brief
guide of Generica.
 
Extracted from a posting my NightStalker.
Version 2.1 12.5.92
 
Generica, is ageneric fantasy city.  It is approximately
Rennaisance. Technology excludes gunpowder, but includes glass
cutting, crossbows and sundials.  
 
It is a city state, run my Melwis the wise, a merchant.  It is a
traders city, on a very busy trade route by land, river and sea. 
It is run by merchant familes, and there are many guilds of
various descriptions.  It is not inherently corrupt, but money
will get you far in this city, and there is not much that you
can't buy.  By day it is bussling with trade, by night there is
much action, festivities and so on.  In some areas, there is much
evil.  It is your average fantasy city.
 
Being on a prime trade route means that you can come from almost
anywhere,  and can add on your campaign to the world in which
generica is as you like. Even portal connections from other prime
material plane worlds (to borrow from AD&D language), are allowed. 
Also as a result, many religions are found, of any pantheon you
can think of, and they won't interfere (except tell that to the
followers).  Magic is active in many forms.  Many races also pass
through. However, there are many of the populace who are ignorant
to the wider world, especially those in the outlying farmlands.  
 
Generica is on a west coast.  Think of the position something
similar to where Italy is on the earth.  Warm summers and cold
winters.  Across the sea to the west (The Great Blue, as it is 
called), is the Great Western Isle, where magic is abound and
strange things happen.  (Note that The Great Western Isle is (tm)
of the founder of the group, as are the exploits of certain
characters.  See below.)
 
The mists which take travellers to Ravenloft can swirl here. 
Also, to the west passing from the mountains, under the Great
Forest, and even to the city sewer system itself, is the
Underwurlde.  The Underwurlde is an extensive system of grotto,
caves and so on, which travel fro hundreds of miles.  There is
said to be a whole city in a large, magic grotto, itself called
The Underwurlde, where many dark and evil races dwell.  
 
 
o  PC's and NPC's
=================
 
Needless to say there must be bad guys in any story.  These
are generally NPCs.  NPC's are free for use by any player in
a.p.d-i, within some constraints.  Some NPCs are free for use
but are not permitted to be killed, some should only be used
after seeking permission from their originator via E-Mail. 
It is dependant on the NPC in question.
 
NPC's are usually introduced during some character
interactions, and clarified with either an ADMIN posting, or
and ADMIN paragraph in the original posting.  These should
give an idea of their general ability, their character (if
this is not already clear) and conditions of use. 
 
 
o  Etiquette
============
 
My apologies for the size of this section, hopefully repetion
will clarify any unclear statements from other sections. :)
 
 
From regular postings by:
   The Nightstalker  <pope@physics.su.OZ.AU> 
 
The Official Etiquitte Rules for alt.pub.dragons-inn Version
1.1 19.5.92
 
It has become necessary to add to the already present
charter a set of rules for the etiquitte of posting to this
group, so that things will flow well and all members of the
group will be happier and get along better together. These
rules should be considered official and any major additions
to this can be discussed, but there should be an official
guide, so that the group works as it should.
 
I  Using of others characters.
 
The popular opinion is that if it is not wished that a
character be used by others in any way other than simple
reactions that are in the character of that character. 
Associations between characters should be arranged via email. 
The NPC's that are there for open use should be used only in
their character framework.  Thus Littlefair is no coward and
does not tolerate any trouble in his Inn.  In the Inn he has
superior physical strength and 100% magic resistance, and
will deal with characters who misbehave.  Listener will
always play a charming tune to defuse any situation.
 
II  Character conduct.
 
Extreme violence in the inn, such as killing PC's or your own
NPC's is not to be tolerated, nor is graphic sex.  We do not
like people getting out their sado-masochistic tendencies
here.  Go to alt.evil.  Also, foul language and profanity are
not necessary, so wash your mouths out.
 
III  Locations.
 
There is a whole city.  Use it.  If you wish to have an
exclusive location, arrange it via an ADMIN post or email. 
No gatecrashers, but the Inn itself is public access.
 
IV  Keeping the peace.
 
If there are people who are posting in a nonconstructive
manner, simply ignore their postings, and post in that
situation as if they had not posted at all.  This may be a
little confusing, but they will eventually get the idea and
start behaving.  I realise that this may be a little
subjective, but in general, the slaying of PC's or major
NPC's such as the owner are     things to ignore.
 
V  Admin posts.
 
These are designed to inform readers of new ideas, such as
this ettiquite  post.  The possible uses are new locations,
suggestions for ettiquite, or PC's or NPC's that are not
TMed, that is that are open to general use. A ADMIN: note at
the end of a posting is also useful if the poster wishes to
add extra info, but people may want to have separate posts
for ADMIN. The subject line should be explicit, for all
postings, and cutting down on what is already been posted
before is a good idea.  Leave some of it to help others to
follow the thread, but I feel that for a group of such large
bandwidth, we might want smaller posts to make it easier to
keep up.  Large stories may want to be split up as well, and
repliers should only reply to the last installment of such a
tale, unless it is a short post about a characters reaction
to the tale being told rather than a long, 'well that reminds
me'.  By all means, if you are inspired by one persons post,
go for it, but don't plagerise others work (at least not
posters, plagerise anyone else).
-------
 
 
Knobbled unmercifully from a posting by:
 Pete Calvert   <pcalvert@economics.adelaide.edu.au>
 
 
Q: How do I join a thread?  Do I just jump in?
A: Depends :)
   sometimes a free for all, or invitation is made, eg.
people asking for help from no-one in particular, or the
fight to save the Inn, HOWEVER, in the majority of cases,
and to avoid being ignored, it is probably best to email the
instigator of the thread and say that you want in, plus
maybe outline your suggestions for joining. This not only
stops toes being stepped on, but it also means that a
character already involved in the thread can pull your
character in, rather than you having to jump in and hope for
the best. (the arrival of 'Raelf is a case in point, and much
email transpired between Stephen and I before he joined
...sage).  If you don't know who started a thread, mail
someone in it and ask them who you should ask.
 
Q: How can I use other characters in my post?
A: Under NO circumstances should you interfere with another
character UNLESS it is only conversation level (including
passing notes, trinkets, name-dropping etc.) OR you are
invited to in a post, OR you tee up something via email OR
there is a way out provided where nothing effectively   
happened.  There is a very fuzzy line here and while
different people will react in different ways, it is better
to err on the side of caution.
 
Q: Who is ADMIN?
A: Anyone can post ADMIN, though the less the better.  Mike
and Andrew have set up regular character updates for the Inn,
which is especially good for those who are new to the group.
Thanks guys and keep up the good work.  ADMIN should not be
used for flames, complaints, or general discussion.  ADMIN
should be used to introduce new localities (the Great
Library, the Gateway, the Royal Chambers, the Watch Towers)
and to broadcast stuff that should be viewed by everyone
(this post as a case in point). Small ADMIN notes in
character posts are a good way for character or thread
specific notices to be made, and should be encouraged for
smooth running.
 
Q: Who the hell do you think you are to tell us all this!?
A: Miss Manners. :)
   As has been pointed out by other people, the quality of
stories being developed in this group are excellent and the
secret is a lot of behind-the-scenes work being done in
email. Respect for one another's characters and not wanting
to hog the limelight make for threads that are enjoyed by   
all involved. If you want a little ego-tripping, go on a solo
adventure, or tell a story in the Inn. (BTW, ...sage's
detour to Arkham was not for ego-tripping, it was to keep me
involved, while convoluting the Kron plot while I was doing
my exams. I needed long articles which needed not much in   
the way of correspondance until my exams were finished).  I
believe that I can justify my position in making all the
above suggestions by pointing at the success of the Dougl
thread and now the Mother thread and noting that I have been
involved in both since the start. I do NOT however, want to
give myself airs, because these threads would not have
worked except with the concerted effort and especially   
ettiquette of ALL involved. Some problems arose, admittedly,
but all were promptly and diplomatically thrashed out in
email, to the betterment of the group and thread (IMHO).
 
 
o  Time in the Inn
==================
 
Due to the non-instantaneous distribution of news, it is
inevitable that some postings will conflict, and the time
stream will become tangled.
 
There have been several suggestions as to why (from the
characters point of view) this happens:
 
- The overwhelming presence and concentration of magic items
has distorted the time stream itself.
 
- A future time machine was accidentally lost in the past (ie
the present).  Apologies have been made for inconvenience.
 
By far the best suggestion is that the resolving the timeline
to make sense is just part of the fun.
 
Needless to say this means some actions will need to be
retracted, or clarified.  This will rarely create any
problems, but you should be aware that everyone else is aware
that the time stream is sometimes irregular. :)
 
 
o  Miscellaneous
================
 
It has been suggested that a.p.d-i will eventually be
compiled into a net.book 'Tales from the Dragon Inn', or
something of the sort.  Whether this comes to pass or not,
posting with posterity in mind is a good idea.
 
Due to the large number of 'dark, hooded' characters in
earlier postings, and the high demand for corners, the inn
has approximately 18 corners.  This is a purely local
phenomenon.  Possibly it is related to the twisted time
stream. :)  
 
Please make sure that your postings are correctly formatted,
ie they do not excede 80 characters in line length.  While
many people have screens capable of supporting >80 columns,
most are using terminals incapable of this.  It can lead to
the message wrapping in a peculiar manner, or worse,
bunching at the end of the screen, totaly losing the
message.  If you thought it worth posting, we want to read
it.  
 
Bad message format can be caused by using word-processors
which do not save with hard returns.  Most Unix text editors
will insert hard returns at the end of the line.
 
 
 
o  Appendices
=============
 
1.  Character List
------------------
 
Kindly maintained by Mike D. Bavister (Zenith)
 
 <bj689@cleveland.Freenet.Edu>
 
The "Official Book of Guests" is a roster of the cast of
characters involved in the various plots and subplots here at
the Dragon's Inn. It is organized into subsections: STAFF,
GUESTS, TOWNSFOLK, VILLAINS, and INACTIVES. Each one-line
listing in the Book consists of a character's name, and a
brief description (if known). A newly updated version is
posted once a week to APD-I. To add your character(s) name to
the Book, just send your name, race/sex, and a one-line
description to the e-mail address above.
 
      Please send all correspondance/new
characters/corrections to:
 
     bj689@cleveland.freenet.edu
 
         Zenith, Librarian at Large, 
     Keeper of the Official Book of Guests
        "Open books are happy books"
 
 
2.  Character Descriptions
-------------------------
 
Kindly compiled and maintained by:
 
Andrew Solberg
<andsol@owlnet.rice.edu>
 
From the List:
 
For those who don't know, I am compiling a list of character
descriptions for all characters currently active on this
group.  Please mail me a short summary of all new characters
in the Inn; also, please mail any corrections or suggestions
as quickly as possible.  If you have any ideas about how this
list could be better, I want to hear them.
 
Another point, brought on by the "Is Del Micek Present Or
Not" controversy: If you are LEAVING the inn for any length
of time, or for good, please do us all the service of telling
me so I can remove you from the List.  I would like to keep
the List as current and accurate as possible.  Thank you.
 
 
 
3.  Frequently Asked Questions List.
------------------------------------
 
This FAQ compiled by  Jeremy Nelson  <gujn@uniwa.uwa.edu.au>
 
With help from:
     Dennis Brennan     <djb6@midway.uchicago.edu>
     Sean A. Reith      <gusar@uniwa.uwa.edu.au>
     Andrew Solberg     <andsol@owlnet.rice.edu>
     Mike D. Bavister   <bj689@cleveland.Freenet.Edu>
     Pete Calvert       <pcalvert@economics.adelaide.edu.au>
     Thomas Ketternring <kring@physik.uni-kl.de>
 
Any mistakes or misinformation are my fault.  Unless I can
work out someone else to blame.
 
 
4.  Australian Players List
---------------------------
 
Kindly compiled and maintained by:
Paul Davis <u9035281@wraith.cs.uow.edu.au>
 
A list of a.p.d-i Australian occupants.
 
 
5.  Alt.Pub.Dragons-Inn.
------------------------
 
Alt.Pub.Dragons-Inn was originally conceived and supported
through formation by:
 
The NightStalker
<pope@physics.su.oz.au>
 
6.  Helpful People
------------------
 
Some friendly people have volunteered to answer any additional
questions you might have:
 
Thomas Kettenring  <kring@physik.uni-kl.de>
Laurie F. Alden    <alden@coos.dartmouth.edu>
Sean A Reith       <gusar@uniwa.uwa.edu.au>
 
Thanks people!  If you would like to be added to this list, just
mail me. :)
 
7.  Additional Serices
-----------------
 
Several other lists/services are available.  These are all
reguarly posted to a.p.d-i.  If you are adding to Generica it is
probably a good idea to read the appropriate list first to make
sure no conflict occurs, and then send your addition to the
maintainer in question.  Thanks guys!
 
   Atlas of the Known Lands
   Aaron Humphrey    <aaron@space.ualberta.ca>
-
   Bestiary of the Known Lands
   Clinton Wolf      <wolf@cheshire.oxy.edu>
   Some of the more exotic inhabitants of Generica... and
   elsewhere.
-
   Dragon's Inn Bulletin Board   
   Mike Sander    <344lwkc@cmuvm.csv.cmich.edu>
-
   This Week in Review     
   Andrew Solberg    <andsol@owlnet.rice.edu>
   :For those unable to read all postings.  Send a summary of
   any ongoing threads, or alternatively Andrew will do his best
   to summarise.
-
   Tourists Guide to Generica 
   Aaron Humphrey    <aaron@space.ualberta.ca>
 
 
--
End FAQ
 
Please direct all notes, addenda, criticism, flames to:
 
Jeremy Nelson <gujn@uniwa.uwa.edu.au>
 
I think I have missed something.  Please E-Mail and tell me what
it was.  Thanks.
 
-- 
Jem.  Jeremy Nelson.  gujn@uniwa.uwa.edu.au       :\  =>  :) 
I fear two things: 
That I am not one of the most interesting people in the world... and that I am.