Smithcraft Guide v 2.3

      1. General Smithcraft Information 
      1.1 What is the Smithcraft? 
      1.2 Where is the Smithcraft Hall? 
      1.3 Craft Admin 

      2. What are subcrafts? 
      2.1 Architecture 
      2.2 Chemistry 
      2.3 Glasscraft 
      2.4 Machinework 
      2.5 Material Science 
      2.6 Metalwork 

      3. Apprentices, Journeymen, and Masters 
      3.1 Yay! I'm a Junior Apprentice! Er, what do I do now? 
      3.2 A day in the life of an Apprentice 
      3.3 Promotions, Postings and Positions, oh my! 
      3.3.1 Junior Apprentice -> Apprentice 
      3.3.2 Apprentice -> Senior Apprentice 
      3.3.3 Senior Apprentice -> Journeyman 
      3.3.4 Journeyman -> Master

      4. Coding and Projects 
      4.1 Do I have to know how to code? 
      4.2 Coding classes 
      4.3 Some ideas for projects 
      4.4 The MUSH Manual 

      5. *Ahem* Policy *Ahem* 
      5.1 Commissions 
      5.1.1 Junior Apprentices 
      5.1.2 Full/Senior Apprentices 
      5.1.3 Journeymen 
      5.1.4 Masters 
      5.2 Weapons 
      5.3 Being Idle 
      5.4 Search 

      6. A Miscellany of Useles...er...ful Stuff 
      6.1 Units of Measurement 
      6.2 Glossary of Terms 

      7. Credits




1. General Smithcraft Information

1.1 What is the Smithcraft ?

The Smithcraft has been one of the more progressive crafts on Pern since the ninth Pass. Today, they continue
to produce new ideas and products as well as many 'traditional' smithcrafted items. The craft is also one of the
most varied, covering glasswork, metalwork, chemistry, material science, machinework, and architecture; many
projects are code-oriented, but some of the best projects rely on good description-writing and planning. 

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1.2 Where is the Smithcraft Hall?

The Hall is located on the Telgar River, west of Telgar Weyr, and northeast of Telgar Hold. 

Winters at the Smithcraft Hall are often cold and harsh, but the summers are pleasant, albeit on the cool side of
warm. 

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1.3 Craft Admin

Here is a list of folk in charge of administration at the Hall. 

Craftmaster: Annik 

Craftsecond(s): Loren 

Apprentice Master: Wen 

Headwoman: Senara (NPC) 

Asst. Headwomen: 

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2. What are subcrafts?

The Smithcraft is divided into smaller subcrafts. Each Subcraft lays claim to a different area of expertise. 

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2.1 Architecture

The architects of Pern work closely with the Miners and Woodsmiths to design and build its Holds and Cotholds.
They can often be found poring over sandtables and wherhide drawings of structures, or engaged in heated
debates over building styles. 

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2.2 Chemistry

Pern's chemists are the makers of the much needed agenothree -- an important line of defense in the ongoing
battle against Thread as well as a well-used fertilizer. They also work with the Tanners, Weavers, and
Woodsmiths to create dyes, stains, and paints. A colorful bunch, all, none of whom we will let near the shiny
copper klah pots. 

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2.3 Glasscraft

Glass, both ornamental and useful, is the love and labor of the glass smith. In their line of products can be found
mirrors, statues, and light fixtures. They also work in concert with the Starsmiths to create the distance viewers
and various lenses. 

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2.4 Machinework

Pern's machinists are responsible for the creation and upkeep of many technological marvels. Among their
charges are the Weaver's loom and the Distance Writer. 

2.5 Materials Science

Materials science is the study of materials, their properties and the methods of combining them to achieve
desired goals. This subcraft is one of the most difficult because it deals with the theoretical and analytical side of
the Smithcraft. Most Crafters in the subcraft come to it to further their studies. 

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2.6 Metalwork

The metalsmiths make everything from irrigation pipes to finely-detailed jewelry to knives and tools. They can
often be found wheeling and dealing with the Miners to obtain ores and gemstones for their works. Much of the
repair work on the flame throwers and agenothree sprayers is carried out by the metalcrafters. 

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3. Apprentices, Journeymen, and Masters

3.1 Yay! I'm a Junior Apprentice! Er, what do I do now?

     Set your position to reflect the fact that you're a Smith. 

     &POS me=Jr Apprentice Smith // Smithcraft Hall

     Make sure that you're @linked to your new home in the Apprentice Dorms. This sets the location to which
     you teleport upon typing 'home'. Go to your new room and type: 

     @link me=here

     Familiarize yourself with the basic knot commands. The knots allow you to easily find general information
     on Smithcrafter. A few of these commands listed below. 

     To find out the posting information of connected Smiths, type: 

     +rwho smi

     To find the location of connected Smiths, type: 

     +roster/smi where

     To list every Smith in the Craft, type: 

     +rwho/all smi

     There is a Smithcraft 'chat' line. It is used to discuss matters pertaining to the Smithcraft. To send a
     message, type: 

     =smi Hi there, Smithcrafters!!

     The connected Smiths who are paying attention will see: 

     Smithcraft> (your name) says, "Hi there, Smithcrafters!!"

     To send a pose, type: 

     =smi :grins. "There are no weapons here."

     The connected Smiths who are paying attention will see: 

     Smithcraft> (your name) grins. "There are no weapons here."

     '+help knot' will list other commands. 

     On PernMUSH you can have a list of instructions that runs every time you log in. This list should check for
     new mail and any new announcements. Try this one: @aconnect me=+skim;+bbscan/smi new Get out
     there and ROLE-PLAY!!!! :) *heh* GO TEAM!!!

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3.2 A day in the life of an Apprentice...

Traditionally, an apprenticeship in the Smithcraft is one of the longest on Pern. However, the amount of training
that an Apprentice Smith receives makes for an excellent crafter... one of the most respected on Pern. 

Apprentices usually have very busy days. A basic example follows. 

Early Morning: 
     Most smiths of your rank rise with the sun. Before your morning meal you will be cleaning and preparing the
     Hall for a day's work. 
Morning: 
     After the morning meal, your time would be spent either in classes with groups of other smiths, or doing
     practical work under watchful eye of a Journeyman. Morning is also a popular time for Journeyranks to
     assign errands. 
Afternoon: 
     Lunch is followed by lectures in Norgan Hall and studying for the remainder of the afternoon. You will
     occasionally find time to work on projects in the workshop. 
Evening: 
     After your evening meal, you're on your own. You should be studying or cleaning the Hall after the day's
     work but unless you're being disciplined it won't be enforced.

I realize this can cramp an apprentice's style. You are free to travel to Telgar Weyr or any of the nearby
Holds/Crafthalls. If you get cornered for an excuse tell them you're running errands for Journeymen. :) 

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3.3 Promotions, Postings and Positions, oh my!

3.3.1 Junior Apprentice -> Apprentice

Send a short +mail to the CraftMaster, CraftSecond(s), and the Apprentice Master saying you would like to be
promoted. By now, you should have gotten settled in at the Hall and acquainted with some of the other Smiths.
If possible, you should have spent some time in the Smithcraft Gather Tent, on duty, at an event, or you should
have attended a Smith class. Though times may vary, the minimum stay at the rank of Jr. Apprentice is 1 RL
week. 

CODING REQUIREMENT: If you choose to do a project, it should be a VERY simple object that shows an
understanding of @create, @o/succ, @o/drop, @fail and a $command. A cot or a firelizard is a good example. 

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3.3.2 Apprentice -> Senior Apprentice

As an apprentice you will have had time to develop a competent RP style, learn more of the finer points of
Pernese culture, and construct a relatively good self-concept (this is really important if you plan on Impressing
somewhere.) You should choose a subcraft if you haven't already, but it's not a requirement until you're a Sr.
Apprentice. You'll need to complete at least two of the following: some time manning the tent, an object, or
attendance of a Smith class. Request a promotion to the MasterSmith, Craftsecond, or Apprentice Master by
+mailing them. Minimum stay at the rank of Apprentice is 1 RL month. 

CODING REQUIREMENT: Another object that is more complex and has a working $-command. 

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3.3.3 Senior Apprentice -> Journeyman

As a Journeyman you can be posted to Halls, Holds, and Weyrs and as such become a representative of the
Craft. You should have a very good grasp of Pernese culture by this time. 

Role-play is also strongly encouraged as part of the promotion procedure. This includes time in the gather tent or
a Smith class, and time spent at other Halls, Holds, and Weyrs. You must choose a subcraft at this time, though
you can choose your specialization whenever you figure it out. You are strongly encouraged to teach a simple
lesson (approved by an admin). As with every other rank, you must sent a promotion request to the
Craftmaster, Craftsecond(s), and the Apprentice Master. Minimum stay at the rank of Sr. Apprentice is 3 RL
months, but again, that may vary. 

CODING REQUIREMENT: The only required project, though ideally youll do more throughout Journeyrank and
Mastership. This doesnt have to have any $-commands, but it does have to pass +check. 

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3.3.4 Journeyman -> Master

A promotion to Master is a decision by the current Masters Collective. To apply, contact the MasterSmith. The
decision will be a group one based on your marked excellence as a character and player. 

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4. Coding and Projects

4.1 Do I have to know how to code?

Coding is part of the promotion requirement, so the short answer to this question is yes. 

HOWEVER... you DON'T need to learn how to do all of it at once. You progress at a rate you're comfortable with,
it's not a race. If you find we're going too slow or too fast just tell us. Your first couple projects will be very, very
simple. 

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4.2 Coding classes

I hope that these will be held regularly and SOON! Work on a series of lesson plans and follow-up exercises is in
progress. 

Journeymen/Sr. Apprentices who are interested in teaching classes in basic coding to Jr. Apprentices, Apprentices
and non-Smiths, please +mail/page Annik and Loren. 

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4.3 Some ideas for projects

Architecture: 

     Design (or import from RL) a Pernese game 
     Work with miners to build buildings

Chemistry: 

     Talk to weyrs about agenothree 
     Talk to miners about natural gas 
     Talk to weavers about the production of dyes 
     Do RL research about the making of natural dyes/stains consistent with Pern's level of technology

Glasscraft: 

     Build a statue/ornamental glass work 
     Work with healers and chemist smurfs, er, smiths to supply them with needed vials, tubes, beakers,
     containers 
     Healers also often need glassware

Machinework: 

     Invent a rudimentary machine using code 
     Do RL research on what machines might exist with Pern's technology level

Materials Science: 

     Look through the books and get a better sense of Pern's level of technology 
     Debate nuclear power on Pern with the Craftsecond 
     Teach coding classes 
     Design and code a science experiment at Pern's tech level

Metalwork: 

     Talk to miners about metals and cut gems 
     Make jewelry 
     Make tools 
     Make knives

All Smiths: 

     Give tours of the Smithcraft Hall 
     Add to this list

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4.4 The MUSH Manual

Available on the web at http://www.idyllmtn.com/mush/manual.html or http://www.godlike.com/mushman/ 

This is a comprehensive guide to MUSH coding written by Amberyl. 

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5. *Ahem* Policy *Ahem*

5.1 Commissions

In the spirit of RP, accepting commissions *should* be RPed. Commissions should not be accepted through
pages, and rarely through +mail. 

Receipt of the finished project should be RPed as well, although no actual marks need to exchange hands;
however, VR ones should be. In many cases a coded object need not even exist. 

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5.1.1 Junior apprentices

Junior apprentices are not allowed to accept commissions under any circumstances. 'Nuff said. =) 

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5.1.2 Full/Senior Apprentices

Full and senior apprentices are allowed to accept commissions from anyone. However, they must have approval
from the Mastersmith, the Craftsecond(s), the Apprentice Master, or a mentor, first. Full/Sr. Apprentices without
a mentor may be asked to pair up with another Apprentice. Full/Sr. Apprentices with a mentor should work with
that person. Before the object or desc can be delivered to the customer, it must be shown to any of the above
people (CM, C2(s), AM, mentor). 

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5.1.3 Journeymen

Journeymen may accept commissions from anyone. They do not have to notify the Mastersmith or the
Craftsecond, but should have their project looked over by one of them before giving it to the customer. 

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5.1.4 Masters

Masters do not need to have any approval if they accept commissions. 

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5.2 Weapons

No swords, guns, rifles, neutron bombs, ray blasters, psi-canons, phasers, or disrupters. I don't even want to tell
you what happened to the person who left a photon torpedo in my office. 

Y'get the picture? :) 

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5.3 Being Idle

Smiths who are idle, without notifying the Craftmaster and/or a Craftsecond of an extended absence via +mail,
for more than 8 weeks are subject to removal from the knot. If you know youre going to be away for an
extended period of time, +mail the Craftmaster and Craftsecond(s) to let them know of your absence. 

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5.4 Search

Please let the Craft admin know if youre going to apply for Search. Ideally, one full Search cycle (OOC Search, IC
Search, and Hatching) should have passed since receiving your knot before you should apply. 

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6. A Miscellany of Usele... er... ful Stuff.

6.1 Units of Measure

It is suggested that measurements on PernMUSH be given in Pern units. The following is a list of some of those
units, as listed in the Dragonlovers' Guide. 

FINGERTIP: 1/2 inch wide (about 1 cm) 

HAND: 4 inches (about 10 cm) 

HAND-SPAN: extended thumb to little fingertip; 8-9 inches (about 22 cm) 

MAN-HEIGHT: man-height: varies; over 5 feet 2 inches, under 6 feet 2 inches (between 1.5 m and 2 m) 

DRAGONLENGTH: size of a green, 60 feet (about 20 meters) 

WEAVER'S-LENGTH: weaver's-length: from nosetip to extended arm fingertip; approximately 1 yard (about 1 m)

For more precise measurements, use SI (metric). :) 

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6.2 Glossary of Terms

OOC: Out Of Character - This is what you, the player do or think, as opposed to what your character does or
thinks. 

IC: In Character - This is what your character does or thinks, as opposed to what you do or think. 

NPC: Non Player Character - A character that exists ICly but has no player OOCly. 

RL: Real Life - We all know what this is. 

VR: Virtual Reality - When one refers to one's character's life, in the game. 

TP: TinyPlot - Any plot that people like to roleplay. Most TPs are spontaneous things. 

DLG: DragonLover's Guide to Pern - Contains lots of useful information about Pern which can help you roleplay
any character more authentically. 

spam: 'Getting spammed' refers to the condition of not being able to keep up with what's going on because
everything is scrolling by too quickly. Spam, therefore, is the stuff that's scrolling by too quickly to keep up with. 

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7. Credits

Allory's credits: This is Atan's work, I have merely modified it to reflect the current status of the craft under my
(Allory) leadership. I do, however, take full responsibility for putting this together. 

Atan's credits: I don't take credit for writing any of this information, it came from several sources. Thanks go out
to: The Atlas of Pern, The Dragon Lover's Guide, the 'news' files, the Encyclopedia of Pern on PernMUSH, several
newbie guides, and Mastersmiths Kaitlin, Encil and Keryana, Tara and Journeyman Tassa. If I've forgotten
somebody, tell me. 

Note: Some editing/updating was done by Annik, Argothe, and Loren during their leadership (2002). 

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All references to worlds and characters based on Anne McCaffrey's fiction are copyright Anne McCaffrey 1967, 2000, all rights
reserved, and used by permission of the author. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office,
by Anne McCaffrey, used here with permission. Use or reproduction without a license is strictly prohibited. 
   

