Tips

## Tips and Advice

There are many things that come with experience, and many things that we all wish we would have known earlier. This is the attempt of the experienced to fulfill the need of inexperienced, to teach that which we might have wanted to know earlier than we did.

## IC Advice

**Travel in Groups**

* The areas of Sundren are dangerous. Travelling independently across hostile territory is a good way to end up frusterated, waiting to have your character raised. Being in a group always inreases your chances for survival.
* DM's will sometimes target those that explore alone, making it all the more dangerous of an experience.
* Having a party of three or more people, while hunting, will increase the XP gained by each kill by 30%, making it a far more beneficial event.
* Group interaction is a very rewarding RP experience, and is a vital aspect to Sundren, and the community.

**Know your Weaknesses**

* Realistically, every character should have a few weaknesses, and not necessarily in the stats. Some characters may have issues with patience, understanding, temper, (etc.), which all enhance the realism of their personality.
* DM's, and other players, enjoy seeing a colourful character who is realistic to interact with. It creates a far more memorable and enjoyable experience.
* If your weaknesses should lead you to an IC failure, defeat, or situation where you have to back down, don't see that as a negative. The defeat has fallen upon your character, and not you as a person; on the contrary, the ability to see your character lose is something that a lot of people have too much pride to handle. You'll be far more respected if you can admit to your character's loss.

**Record your Exploits**

* There will be times where you feel as though something epic transpired, and leave you wishing that more people had been there to witness it. Well, the Sundren forums are the next best thing. There is a Rumors section, and there is Roleplay Central, which are both appropriate for detailing your character's noteworthy events.
* DM's and players alike enjoy reading well-written, creative stories, journals, summaries, and documents. Artisitc contributions, such as poems or songs that your character might have written, are great too.
* It has been known to happen once in a while, that DM's will interact with, or reward you for, your IC character writing.
* Forum contributions also contribute towards recieving a vote from other people, as being the RPoTM (Role Player of the Month).

**Think History**

* Your character obviously has a history, whether he was born in Sundren or somewhere else. Realize, though, that your character will begin at the 3rd level regardless of his or her history. Even if Bob was the mightiest Dragon slayer in his homeland, he is only going to be a level 3 when he crosses the border. Plan your character history accordingly.
* A creative character background is a very important thing to work on, as it provides direction for where your character might end up in the future. It adds to having a complete, well-defined concept.
* If your character history is posted in the Wiki, DM's have been known to interact with it, having bits and pieces resurface through IG events. Had an old arch-nemesis? If you record it, you might end up seeing him return for revenge a month or two down the road!

**Know your Lore**

* There is nothing wrong with playing an ignorant character, but when a character is played by an ignorant player, some messy situations might arise. It isn't necessary to memorize every Sundarian fact in existence, but reading through a few informative pages doesn't hurt.
* It is good to know about important places, people, and names, so that you aren't left feeling confused when they get brought up in IC conversation. It isn't always important for your character to know, but you as a player might enjoy being *in the know.*
* If your character has a lot of skill points in things like the Crafting skills for example, you as a player should know a little bit about the materials and processes involved. It's good to know what your character knows, so that you might properly RP his abilities.

**The Sundren Menu**

* While IC, you might notice that, by right-clicking your character, you can find the Sundren Menu. This is a very important tool.
* With the Sundren Menu, you can save your character, meaning that if there is a crash, all of the GP and XP that you had gained within a lengthly period of time will not be lost.
* The Sundren menu can also show you where other players are so that you might be able to find a group to RP with, if your current area has nobody to interact with. Make sure that your character actually has a logical reason to head to that area, though. As a Blackguard, don't show up at the temple of Helm just because there are a few people there - it doesn't make much sense, most often.
* The Menu is also capable of permanently deleting your character if you should choose such an option - be sure to think hard about that decision, though. This action is not reversable.

## OOC Advice

**Ask Questions**

* It's always better to ask. If you have a question, never be afraid to send someone a private message, or even publically post on the forums; you might discover that you aren't even the only one wanting to ask.
* If the matter is potentially embaressing, or you really feel that it is a terrible question for whatever your reason, you can always send the message to one of the DM's, who will always handle the situation respectfully, and keep it confidential should you desire it.
* Be specific with what you are asking, so as to ensure that those that are answering will be better able to provide you with an accurate answer.

**Prove It**

* Some questions, problems, or concerns will require some measure of proof to their validity. This isn't to doubt you as a person, but to gather the entire series of facts of a situation to guarentee that everything is handled accordingly.
* If the question, problem, or concern arose while IG, take a screenshot using the Print Screen key on your keyboard, and send it to a DM who will authoritatively decide what to do about it.
* If the issue took place through private messages on the forums, you can forward the message to a DM and have them read over the matter themselves, and respond however is necessary.
* Witnesses also help in confirming that something took place in a way that it shouldn't have. Don't be afraid to have other people involved send messages to DM's, as well as yourself, to back up a story.

**Community First**

* We are a community. It may be a virtual community involving people that may never meet or interact with each other without the aid of a computer, but it is still a community. Just as in any other community, the golden rule tends to be that you should treat others the way that you would wish to be treated yourself.
* If you happen enjoy being abused, disrespected, and emotionally/psychologically tormented, forget the aforementioned golden rule, and treat people how you *don't* wish to be treated.
* Remember that no matter how much you may despise a character IC, they are not a representation of who the player is OOC. For that reason, it's important to remain civil and polite while on the forums, or not in character, no matter what your disposition with a particular character is.
* Remember, the community loves you. Probably.