Getting Started Step 1: Get The Books First, please note that we make no attempt to document all of the rules or provide a complete set of information on our game about the game of Shadowrun. That information remains the property of FASA or of Wizkids, and we have no desire to infringe upon their copyrights. Players of our game are encouraged to purchase at least the core rulebook (Shadowrun, 3rd edition, FASA Corporation, ISBN #1-55560-371-8). It should be available from most major bookstores, game stores, or web-based book vendors. We strongly encourage players to support this fine book and those who developed it by purchasing a copy. Information posted on the game is intended to be a 'quick reference' and is not intended in any manner to replace what is found in the core rulebooks. A listing of further books whose rules are in use on this game can be found by typing '+news houserules books'. You are not *required* to purchase the books in order to play here. However, you will find it a much easier experience, as well as helping to support and encourage the development of Shadowrun in the future. Step 2: Create A Character Once you feel ready to log in to the game and create a character, do so. You've already done this step if you're logged in as somebody besides a guest. You can do this by connecting to the game, then typing: create <name> <password> In place of <name> , put your desired character name. In place of <password>, put your desired password. In general, items surrounded by <>-signs represent items you should replace with some piece of information. Also in general, you should never type single-quotes ('') when they appear around a command. The game is much better viewed with ANSI color. A large number of terminals support ANSI color. Once logged into the game, type '+ansi on'. This will display a text screen to make sure your terminal is ANSI compliant. If everything looks okay, you can leave it alone. If things look garbled or weird, you may need to type '+ansi off'. If this screen appears in color, then you've already done this step as well. Step 3: Set Your Web Password All characters, in order to be approved for IC play, must submit a background. This is usually 3-4 pages of text submitted that tells a bit about your character, how she got where she is today, what events shaped her life, and what kind of person she is, really. Details about this can be found on the game by typing '+news bg' and '+news policy applications'. Details on setting your web password can be found by typing or clicking '+help setwebpass'. In order to set your password, you must have created your character, and this step must be done from within the game. It establishes the 'link' between your character object and the web site, making it possible for you and only you to securely edit your background. Step 4: Read The News Files Despite the name, the news files contain important information for new players, including game policies, house rules, background and theme of the game, and other information that you, as a player, need to know. You can view the news files by typing '+news' and following the instructions from there. Especially important are the '+news policy' and '+news houserules' sections. Step 5: Character Generation This step and the next one may be done in either order. Character Generation, or CharGen, is the process of using the code to set up the stats on your character, select your gear, and set up other aspects of your character. You can access it by, from the OOC Room, typing 'pn' to go to the Player Nexus, then 'cg' to enter Character Generation. You may go through chargen as many times as you wish, making changes each time. Step 6: Write Your Background This step and the previous one may be done in either order. Writing a background is a complex step. Please read through '+news policy applications' and '+news bg' thoroughly. Try as best you can to use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation as you write — I know the occasional typo is inevitable, but please, make it as good as you can. We're looking for as much creativity as possible within the application. The background may be written in any 'style', though going down the list of 'background questions' one by one won't work. You need to have some in-character theme that ties the whole background together. It can be written in third person, first person, as a dossier, a police rap sheet, whatever works for what you want to say. Step 7: Submit Your Application Once you're happy with your background and character sheet, you can type the following command to submit it for the admins to review: +bg/submit <archetype> <archetype> should be the type of character you want to play (the archetype), such as "fixer", "decker", "samurai", "mage", etc. This is primarily so that staff members can select the types of applications that match the systems of the game we know best. It won't hurt anything if it's wrong. We try to review all applications within 48 hours. Sometimes this doesn't happen. If 72 hours elapse and your application still has not been claimed from the queue, a polite inquiry to staff is in order. Please don't ask us incessantly about your application's status; we are reviewing them as fast as we can, given other duties that we have as staff members. If your application shows up as, for example, "number 24" in the queue, this does not mean there are 23 people ahead of you. Queue listings are numbered in the order received, but are not instantly deleted when completed. They're kept for up to 3 weeks afterward. Usually there are only a few apps in the queue at any given time. Step 8: Wait For Approval Generally, an admin will claim your application from the queue. This will show up in your notification messages when you log on — you'll see a message indicating that you have one or more notification messages waiting. The admin will either approve you as is (which will send a notification message as well), or will reply to your application with a list of things they'd like to see corrected or improved. This will usually arrive by @mail. As we said above, if more than 72 hours go by before your application is reviewed, feel free to ask staff members about it, politely. Sometimes, Real Life gets in the way of our online duties. Remember, we don't get paid for doing this, so sometimes we've got to go out and make money to cover the bills. Step 9: If You Get Rejected… First, don't panic. This doesn't mean that you can't play here. It means that what you submitted didn't meet some or all of the criteria we have for applications. Usually, the admin will submit back a detailed listing of what they find that needs improvement on your application. All you have to do is correct these issues and resubmit, or, in some cases, simply let the admin know that you have made the changes they requested. The purpose of the application and approval process is to encourage people to think about their characters, and make sure they have a good, solid idea of who their character is before they hit the grid. It improves the quality of characters on the grid, and improves the quality of roleplaying. Yes, it's a lot of work, but we believe the rewards are worth it. The purpose of the process is not to 'keep some people out' of the game. If you have questions about your application, feel free to ask other players or staff members; unless we're super-busy, we'll be glad to help you out with any questions you may have.