Quickstart Guide

New Dawn is a low-fantasy roleplay server that is dedicated to creating a roleplay environment that simulates rich political, cultural, and personal stories that every player no matter how new, are able to influence and become major historical figures. To participate all you have to do is fill out an application on the Enjin forums.

## **Application**

To begin, sign in/create an account on the Enjin website, copy the template, and create a new thread in the character application sub-forum titled ( [Username's] Application ). A character application should take no longer than 20-30 minutes unless you wish to write a very detailed backstory for your character. Try to think long term, and create a character that isn't a generic self-insert power-fantasy but one that has unique characteristics and personality that will enhance both your roleplay experience and those you interact with. Feel free to draw inspiration from history and other fantasy worlds, but try to avoid outright copying an entire character.

## **Roleplaying, Metagaming and Powergaming**

Roleplaying, metagaming and powergaming are crucial concepts that need to be understood by all players on our server in order ensure both fairness and enjoyment.

## **Roleplaying**

**Roleplaying**, generally speaking, refers to the act of embodying yourself as a person or character that is not *you*, but rather someone else. Roleplaying as your created character involves, but is not limited to, behaving, speaking, thinking, reacting, fearing etc. as your character would as opposed to how you would do those things in real life. As a player, it is extremely important to understand the separation between your real life self and your character while playing on the New Dawn server.

## **Metagaming**

**Metagaming** is the usage of information you know out-of-character (OOC) that influences decision making in-character (IC), even unconsciously.

Deliberate Metagaming example: You accidentally join a VC with members of another nation and hear them talking about how they are about to declare war upon yours. **You then use this information IC** to tell the leader of your nation that they are about to declare war upon you, which unfairly gives your nation an advantage that you would not have had otherwise.

**Unconscious Metagaming** is harder to define, but most often refers to sensitive IC information being discussed in OOC voice channels or text chats with parties not directly involved. Even if players don't intend on metagaming with the information, just knowing it can slightly influence their decision making as to whether they should interact with someone, or travel through a region, etc. Even small unconscious or unintentional influences can have large roleplay implications. So please avoid talking about sensitive IC information until it become common knowledge IC in the server.

## **Powergaming**

**Powergaming** can be occur in a variety of different ways, it is important to understand all aspects of Powergaming and not just one. Below are several examples of the different forms of Powergaming.

Given the limitations of Minecraft, often times more intricate roleplay situations will require the usage of emoted actions through the text chat, typically with an admin present. When your emoted actions are being used in situations that have adversarial roleplay implications (hitting someone on the head with a bottle, lockpick a door, etc.) these actions should be written as attempts. **Powergaming** is ignoring this and writing your emoted actions as if they have already succeeded, and sometimes even adding their own further outcome.

**Powergaming emote example;** *\*(character name) hits him over the head with the bottle, concussing him\**

**Correct emote example:** *\*(character name) attempts to him him over the head very hard with a bottle, with intent to seriously injure him.\**

**Powergaming** can additionally be described as playing in a way that utilizes any means, whether internal or external, to maximize and or focus on winning as opposed to genuinely roleplaying as your character, this can also be referred to as "min-maxing". Attempting to perform and or emote blatantly unrealistic actions, whether to another character or in general, for any reason whatsoever is another example of **Powergaming**.

**Powergaming "min-maxing" example:** \*A player creates a character that has an extreme fear of heights and a deep distaste for living in the cold, yet has established a settlement atop a hill surrounded by steep cliffs in a largely cold region due to the locations natural defensive position. This player is therefore motivating his character's actions based on giving themselves the most inherent advantage over other players as opposed to genuinely roleplaying as their character.

**Powergaming unrealistic action example:** *\*(character name) jumps high into the air, attempting to land atop the the walls of the castle to avoid capture by the local garrison.\**