Alexander General Role-Play Guide
Character Creation
First, understand that this is a fantasy game. You are not you when you log in. Make sure you remember that. Immerse yourself in your character and try to be someone else. In RP, you can be pretty much anything you want. That holy hero, that vile villain. Don't miss out on the opportunity for this and have fun with it all. Think about who and what you want to be and play that out. Try not to mix too many things together though. I've seen people do things like half-orc, half-dragon races. Of course, these two wouldn't mate, so this is viewed as a big no-no. Try to be unique as well. Having too many princes gets redundant for example. Also remember the genre of the game. Guns, spaceships and the like have their place, but not in a fantasy game.
Pick a good name. Not something like Batman. That will just make you look stupid. Some games allow pictures to be used as well. There are many art sites you can look up pictures from and if you want, there are those who can tweak them in a paint program for you.
There is a lot to choose from so it may take a long time to find that perfect one, but it is out there. Just make sure it's appropriate. When you have a grasp on how your character looks and acts, think of where he/she is from. Make at least a short history for them. This will add depth to your character and will help you broaden a few things in your RP. Speaking of that, let us move on.
Role-Playing Effectively
Okay, here we go with the nitty gritty. First off, you are not you, you are your character. Play the part. Think up a history, lifestyle, way of thinking, of acting, fighting... as many things as you can fit into it. Immerse yourself in the part. Role-play is essentially acting. Try to stay in-character as much as possible. Remember to use the OOC command for out-of-character talking. Also, remember that anything said or done is usually in-character as well. Remember to read your room descriptions; some offer directions, or things you can search in order to find items.
Here is the most important issue regarding this kind of game: KEEP IN AND OUT OF CHARACTER MATTERS SEPARATE! I cannot stress this enough. Just because someone is your enemy in-character does not mean they hate you in real life. Many people make the mistake of mixing these two together and it causes nothing but problems for all. As well, don’t make this game a life endeavor. Yes, it's fun and all, but don't shut the world out just to play it all day. Some people make the mistake of becoming so attached to their character and to the game that it becomes an addiction. This can get very dangerous as if that character is killed or betrayed, it affects them out of character more than it should, and with some, they give up friends, family and the world around them because their in-character life is viewed as better than their real one. Yes, it is easy to like the fact you can control your character life more than your real one, but please do not let it go that far. This game is to be played for fun; don't take it too seriously.
Good and Evil alignments
By now you should at least have an idea of alignment. Now I'm not going to break it down fully for you but it basically goes "Good, Neutral and Evil." Neutral is not bad and has certain freedoms that the other two don't. Obviously, good and evil characters will not frequently get along. Try not to play a good character who hangs out with evil ones without proper rationale. And the same works in reverse. Try to think of what you want your character to do in the future. Enslave all mankind... save mankind and be a hero... or grow the best crops in the land.
After you've created your character and thought out how he/she is going to be in the game (or at least have a general idea.), you're all set to start playing.
RP Dueling Guidelines
Below we've outlined a few guidelines on how to effectively duel. These are a few techniques that have been picked up over the years and are things many judges will be considering as duels unfold.
- Spelling/grammar
- Originality/believability
- Attitude
- Defensive moves/taking damage
- Attacking moves/keeping to restrictions
- Descriptions (i.e.: Emotions, environment etc)
- Time limits
- In-character/Out-of-character
Spelling and Grammar
Simply put and understood, but it’s always a good rule of thumb to type moves in WordPad or some other writing program. It’s a neat way to beat the system and helps not to confuse people reading moves. Do bear in mind that needlessly fancy language is oftentimes a detriment; aim for clarity, not floweriness.
Originality/Believability
More or less how you present your moves. Wow your judges with everything you can, but don't go overboard. Correctly corresponding one's moves to class and race also fall under this category. But don’t hesitate to toss a few surprises in there along the way! Creativity is key.
Attitude
This is probably the most important thing. Many have been known to judge against people who would have won, but say, in their last move, make it purposefully stupid, believing that because they are going to win they can henceforth do things like "godmode." Most players dislike that sort of arrogance especially when it's from veteran RPers who should know better. Just be serious about your duel. That is all.
Defensive moves/Damage-Taking
You are not invincible. You cannot defend every move thrown at you. Bear this in mind when defending. Take a bump here and there. It adds flavor to your posts. You can also incorporate healing, but don't overdo it to the point that you appear impervious to any sort of lasting damage. One thing that has been debated for years is the concept of "auto-hits." Bear in mind that there is no move that cannot be countered. Never assume your character's attack has struck your opponent; give your opponent the chance to retaliate that you would want afforded to yourself as well.
Attacking Moves/Keeping to Restrictions
You're here to whoop the crap out of your opponent. Throw everything you can into your attack. Devastating your opponent may award you points from judges. A cool trick is to have a sub-attack in your move to incapacitate your opponent. For example, a bard using a paralyzing song while attacking with a summoned creature. That gives your opponent more to defend against and can sometimes fluster them, drawing more attention to your moves. However, do not write a book for one move. Overdoing it will prompt your judges to merely skim your move rather than read it in depth. Long moves can also bore readers unless you are going all out with a certain person. Restrictions can include anything decided-upon prior to the start of a match Time limits, no magic, no weapons, word limits -- these are just a few. Break too many rules and you'll likely lose.
Descriptions
Where are you? What are you thinking, feeling? Keep these in mind when typing out your move. Squeeze every little goodie in that you can. Think of it like writing an action story. Set the scene prior to your initial move and sometimes in the midst of it as well. Try to keep your character from speaking to their opponent through dialogue much unless their personality and abilities completely warrant it -- there is far too much action going on in far too short an in-universe time for lots of chatter. Environmental description can also be useful. Describe what is going on around you to help add to your moves. That, and it may help you get ideas on certain attacks and defenses.
Time Limits
Full duels will take some time. People do have other things to do in the game, and certainly in their lives, so most don't want to wait extended amounts of time for you to type in a single move. Setting a time limit per post can help to alleviate these concerns as well as work to keep your writing concise.
In-Character (IC) and Out-of-Character (ooc)
Just like in normal RP, these two affect a duel the same way. Keep your out-of-character comments about the duel to yourself. It royally ticks people off when you criticize your opponent, especially during a duel. Everyone is there to learn, have fun and challenge themselves. No one is equal, and if you decide to point that out, especially judges, you will annoy them greatly. A judge can well see mistakes in front of them. Don't point them out.
Judges
Choosing a judge is also a key thing. You of course want them to be fair. The best way this is done is for there to be three judges selected total. One chosen by you, one by your opponent and the last decided by you both. This keeps everything unbiased and gives no one room to complain about the final decision. For those who are judging, keep in mind this is an OOC responsibility. Don't get your characters involved, and for goodness' sake, don't judge in favor of whomever your friend is on account of them being your friend. Remain impartial. Combatants, bear this in mind as well. If you think choosing a friend will give you an automatic win, think again. And don't be ticked off if they vote against you. If you lose, take the loss. If judges are open to offering helpful critique, use this as an opportunity to better prepare yourself for next time.
Dueling Styles and Rules
There are several reasons to duel. Some duel for fun, others for stakes. Pretty much anything the imagination conjures up can be used as stakes. Here we’ll go over a few and their inner workings.
Death Duel
Plain and simple: the loser dies. Their character is erased from Hollow (Including all items and gold held) and must restart by making a completely new character. Some have tried to role-play out that they were resurrected and use a different name, yet fundamentally the same character. Again, this is bad form and cannot be done. If you are willing to place your character on the line in a duel, be prepared for the consequences. One addition to a death duel is that the winner is allowed one extra move to deliver the final blow, killing their opponent.
Inventory Duel
For some, this is a great way to earn extra gold and items. This style of duel is often preferable to death dueling simply because gold and items can be replaced whereas characters are gone forever. The loser transfers any agreed items and/or gold to the winner.
Clan Wars
Quite rare in contemporary Hollow, clan wars were once commonplace. Please be advised that the rules which will be listed here are guidelines from a bygone era, and if something akin to a clan war were to erupt today, administrators may need to reevaluate the situation and change policy accordingly.
In a clan war, a clan leader can declare war on a rival group and hunt the characters as they see fit. Clan followers have two choices: either fight with their clan, or leave the clan. Since clan wars are usually done to erase the opposing clan from Hollow, these rules must be followed to be fair for all. For duels within a clan war, the primary purpose is that the loser must leave their respective clan until the war is over. If their clan is the victor, they can be added back. A clan war is over when one of the two clans goes below having the required seven members. At that time, the leaders must disband the remaining members of their clan and leave it themselves. Failure to adhere will result in an administrator deleting the clan themselves.
This page was originally written by Alexander and was placed on his now-defunct help site. The article was later placed on Alexander and Lionel's joint Hollow help site, which is also defunct. In January 2020, Lionel made extensive revisions to the page to reflect changes in Hollow's ecosystem. Please anticipate further edits.