Writing Guide

Once you have created a character, and (if you're an experienced user) customized a package, then you will want to get right into playing the game. Aelyria is all about writing, and you role play by writing the stories about your character's adventures and interactions with other figures and the rest of the world. This document is the Writing Guide for Aelyria, and will offer you some best practices and quick tips for successful and enjoyable role playing in our community.


Narrative

All role playing in Aelyria is done in narrative prose, which means that sentences are written in the third person (he, she, they, etc.) and past tense, just like you would read in a storybook of fairy tales or your favorite fantasy novel. Traditional role players speak to one another using first/second person (e.g., "I want to buy a weapon..." or "You come across a city gate..."), but this does not make for compelling reading for others. Instead, you should write like this:

Kaelon walked into the armory, his eyes searching for a weapon.

Notice how the character's actions occur in the past, rather than the present, and how the sentence refers to the character by name rather than by a familiar first or second person pronoun. With a bit of practice, this style of writing will become natural to you and will allow other players to feel more immersed as they interact with your character.


Locations

One of your first posts will be to create your home. Aelyria is a vast world on our message forums that is divided into major areas, like cities, where each bulletin board represents one of those cities. Within each board, threads - or linear collections of related posts - represent individual places within that location. So, creating your home is about understanding what type of home you own and then posting about it. All new characters begin with a deed to a Basic Tenement, which is a standard small hovel or tiny apartment. Aelyria Prime is a very detailed city, divided into four major quarters or districts, each of which has certain wards and parishes with common housing. It may be helpful to read about Aelyria Prime on Aelyria Wiki, paying close attention to the Common Housing descriptions of each ward. Each has its own flavor and should provide you with an exciting opportunity to think about where your character might live. Once you have decided, post a new thread, and begin describing your home.

Posting for locations is all about being creative and original. There is really no right or wrong way about it. Describe what your home looks like, being consistent with the parameters for your home based upon your inventory and the part of the city where you are posting it, and allow readers to experience your home through your eyes. What is notable about your home? Are there any distinguishing features or characteristics? What furniture might exist within it? How is organized or set out? Posting a location that your character owns reveals as much about them as posting about your character itself does. Most importantly, have fun with this!


Interaction

At the heart of writing in Aelyria is interacting with other players and moderators. When you post a location, or when you read a location post, that location should provide an opening for other players - whether it is an explicit opening, by having a character available for interaction, or an implicit one, by providing context clues about what can be seen in that location that might prove a compelling temptation for others. To interact, think about whether it makes sense for your character to have traveled to the location where the thread takes place, and then, post a reply describing your character's actions, thoughts, and speech. Generally speaking, many threads in Aelyria consist of players interacting with other players, without the need for special rules or considerations. These types of threads are typically called social threads or filler threads. However, when a thread begins to involve actions and consequences, rather than just conversations or normal, everyday behavior, then those threads - called scenarios - need to be moderated.

In Aelyria, moderation is when an observer (a moderator) determines the consequences of actions among players. This is done by posting only what your character does, not what happens afterwards. This provides an opening for other players to also respond and provide their characters' actions. Finally, a moderator will post what happens taking into account your character's knowledge, skills, abilities, and possessions. After the moderator (usually a game master) has posted, players can act again to move the story forward. Many of Aelyria's most compelling stories are ones that are told by involved game masters that place the player characters in the starring roles as the heroes and villains of the adventure. (Further Reading for Moderators.)


A Word About Length

There is no right or wrong way to post in Aelyria. Different players and moderators have differing styles; some users will post lengthy texts that go on for numerous paragraphs, while others will post a couple of sentences. Both styles of length are equally as enjoyable. As long as you communicate what you would like to communicate, and feel good about your writing, then you are participating in a rich creative experience that should reward you and encourage others around you to post back.


Living the Adventure

Aelyria can be overwhelming at first, because just like the real world, your character can do anything you can imagine; the only limits are those set by your own creativity. As your character travels throughout the city, interacting with players, visiting establishments, it's a good idea to keep a few things in mind about moderation.

Read Game Master posts carefully.
Sometimes, a Game Master will create a location and provide specific rules for how players should interact with it. For example, a shoppe with a fixed price list will likely not require moderation - since you can simply describe your character making a purchase, and possibly socialize with other patrons.

Avoid controlling other characters.
It's okay to assume that other characters might do expected or ordinary things, but try not to control their actions. Sometimes, controlling the actions of other characters can seem arbitrary - almost as if multiple characters are being set up to do something together, when they really should not be. In Aelyria, this is affectionately called "stooging". Let the owners of the other characters post responses to you.

Action versus Reaction.
Also known as "cause and consequence", you can only post what your character is doing -- not what happens as a result of what your character has done. You ordinarily have to wait for another player to respond with his character, or, in the event that your character is attempting to interact with something in the world around him, like an object or an ability, a moderator usually has to tell you whether or not you were successful. Posting the consequences of your action is known in Aelyria as "bunnying".

Be realistic.
Role playing is all about immersing yourself in the experience, and even though Aelyria's setting is an original fantasy world of magic and adventure, the story still has to make sense. Please do not use out of character information -- things that you know in real life, but your character should not -- to give your character an unfair advantage. You will find yourself having more fun if your character grows and evolves from the challenges and experiences that he or she faces.