FREQUENTLY
ASKED
QUESTIONS
As you can probably imagine, as GM and owner I tend to be asked the same things on more than one occasion, as a lot of matters aren't always clear, and for people who have spent less time involved in this kind of game as others, it can be a slightly daunting experience. Thus, in an attempt to try to clarify some of these I have prepared a selection of these into a FAQ which I hope will be useful. More may be added if I feel that they are worth adding.
- Anderlane, GM and Owner of Erythia
Question: Do I need to own any handbooks, rule books, supplements etc to play in Erythia?
Answer: Not at all! I can hardly require people to own anything - all that I kind of require people to need are internet access and a fertile imagination.
Question: Do I need to pay to play in Erythia?
Answer: No...but if you wish to make a voluntary donation...LOL! In seriousness, this is a game where I do not expect to make a financial gain...it is almost wholly played to have fun and to explore creative possibilities in the field of writing.
Question: Do I nede 2 b able 2 spel + rite propar 2 play?
Answer: I expect a level of English that is comprehensible - I cannot ask people to be completely perfect in their use of spelling, grammar and punctuation, and I am not a saint in that myself. I do request that all players make use of a program to check their spelling, and do not classify 'textspeak'/'webspeak' as acceptable writing.
Question: What is a PBeM?
Answer: PBeM stands for Play-By-Email - basically, this means that the game is conducted through the use of email rather than message boards (commonly referred to as Play-By-Web, or PBW).
Question: I'm new to this, can I still play?
Answer: Yes, everyone has to start somewhere and I'm happy to guide people until they find their feet.
Question: Does Erythia have an age restriction?
Answer: Not as such - I expect a level of maturity from my players, but have found in my experience age is immaterial - some people in their forties have acted with the maturity I would expect from small children, whereas teenagers have proven to show great sense and maturity above and beyond their years. I thus judge each case separately.
Question: Can I write about graphic sex/violence, and associated matters?
Answer: My personal preference is to maintain a fade-to-black existence, so that things of a nature inappropriate for young readers tend to happen behind the scenes and are only alluded to in the actual text. If you feel that you wish for material to appear in the actual text, I would prefer that it be run past me first. I expect that certain topics will eventually arise in the text, but do not expect this to be an excuse for people to place this kind of material in all the time. Profanities are, in my opinion, unnecessary to this kind of game, so I will be less than impressed to receive posts where every other word is a swear word.
Question: Can I lurk on your game?
Answer: No. I feel that writing in this fashion is, in a way, a group of writers allowing others to read their material for free, in exchange for reading the material of the others. Lurkers simply sit there and read for free, which tends to rankle. Also, they tend to form an administrative burden which I would frankly rather not be bothered with, as it then leaves me more time to run the game, add to the website etc.
Question: If I join the game, can I offer things for the site?
Answer: I always consider submissions from my players - although I am an imaginative person, I value the opinions and intentions of others. There is at least one page currently online that has been written with the input of a player - I may not take everything offered, but it is ALL considered and evaluated to see what can be used to adapt Erythia.
Question: Can I play a demon/vampire/werewolf/miniature-giant space hamster?
Answer: Try me...I am unwilling to consider a lot of races in the early stages of the game, but may eventually consider them. Check with me first to avoid the disappointment of creating a character only to find that I'm not interested in adding XXXXXX to the game at this time.
Question: I have a character I played for years in another game. Can I play him/her here?
Answer: I would prefer to have original characters in my game - I will consider old characters, as long as they are made to fit the setting and the relative power levels of the other characters. Remember that D&D/AD&D/VtM/etc characters will need to be adjusted rather heavily to actually fit into a game where there are no statistics or dice rolls.
Question: Can I have more than one character in the game?
Answer: I prefer that players have a single character in any thread that they are involved in to maximise their attention to that character. When the game has multiple threads and the player has proven themselves, they may be able to add a character to a second thread.
Question: How much of a commitment is Erythia?
Answer: I would like to see at least one post a week from each player as the bare minimum.