Hi everyone,
I am due to attend the June event and feel I have left character creation a bit late.
I have chosen a nation and have my costume sorted but am now stuck slightly at the Skills and background stages.
My questions are:
Do I have to spend my skill points now or can I spend them at a later date, as in, once I am a bit more familiar with how things work?
While I have read bits of the Wiki, life has been busy enough that I have not managed a deep dive so know I will have missed a lot. What level of detail does my characterâs background need at the start?
In addition to these questions, I have a more practical one. I know I read somewhere how money works - or was old during my introductory conversation - but I now cannot find it. Can I use OC cash and card in to buy things onsite, or do I need to exchange UK currency for crowns for all vendors/refreshments?
Sorry, I am sure this has all been asked a thousand times before, I just could not find it quickly.
Many thanks in advance. I am excited and nervous about attending.
You donât need to spend all of them/any of them. However, if youâre looking at magic I do recommend at least getting Magician so you can nosy in the HoW without having to borrow a Pauperâs Key from the Artisanâs Guild.
(And if you plan on combat and want go use a spear, you will need Weaponâs Master to do so)
You need to know what Nation youâre playing in, as that dictates your IC clothing set up, what your name is shaped like, and which egregore you can go to bother with questions ICâŚand who the barbarian Nations are
The level of what you need to know about who you are IC is your IC name, possibly your archetype, motivation for coming to Anvil, and where youâre originally fromâŚand, if youâre coming with a group, how yâall fit together
The lighter touch your backstory, the better as all the big drama stuff should happen in uptime
You should have chosen a character resource when you chose Nation, etc
This gives you a pack of the base generation of whatever you chose (or random resource amount if fleet or military unit) and 18 rings pocket money
Never, ever, ever exchange OC money for IC money as itâs against rules and the spirit of the game
All PD approved vendors on site take OC coin for stuff like food, prop weapons (please buy on site if youâre going combat spod), and kit bits
There are players who operate IC drinking/food places, but they take IC coin only
As a rule, you should use real world money to buy food and clothes and other necessities. IC money should only be used for things that are ânice to haveâ but not essential, like alcohol, cake, handicrafts and zines. My general principle is to only spend ic money on things made by the person that Iâm buying them from that have some connection to the empire game world.
The amount of ic resources your character will have is very dependent on ic curses and blessings and the like, and it is not PDâs intention that players will buy all their food using ic money
If you do not spend any of your EXP points, you can act as an apprentice to someone else.
Players are generally very forgiving of things you donât know but your character would. May I ask which nation you intend to join? That may help answer further questions.
At bear minimum you should read the conduct policy, the safety policy (especially if you intend to do combat) and the culture and customs pages for your nation. Some players have done good pray sees of the wiki for new players too
Welcome along WhitefoxAgain, to the game and these forums
Skill points can be spent now, or later. I would suggest spending only what you think you need for your character at the start.
eg, my first character was going to be a combat medic. I found that as armour use and basic weapon use were free, I only needed to spend 1 point out of 8 (in Chirugeon), and saved the rest for a while.
What you need to know at the start is:
a) your characters name
b) what nation they are from (if you can recall which province, thatâs a bonus)
c) approximately what flavour of skills you have (eg hitting stuff, making stuffâŚ)
Everything else is extra, you can pick it up in play or not as you like. I can reccomend investing in a small pocket notebook, to stuff in a pocket and use to record things you find in play. Interesting rumours, names, deals. And your own skills etc can be copied into that, for reference in the field. There will be, for example, hundreds of cases of people pulling out their books to check if they really can make/brew/cast thatâŚ
If you want to flesh out character background, keep it simple. You need a little bit for the character creation process, but it can be as simple as âwealthy farmer from Upwoldâ or âmonster hunter from Karovâ of even the classic âhere to seek my fortuneâ
A 500 word essay with emotional travails and swashbuckling adventure is not needed.
Bear in mind that PD staff will have a quick check through your background (to ensure no angels, vampires or jedi), so donât go overboard.
IC and OOC cash have already been covered, so Iâll leave you with a couple of tips:
There are New Player Workshops on Friday afternoon, including a tutorial skirmish. I would highly reccomend attending those relevant to you.
âIâm new to Anvilâ is a phrase that while completely in-character (âThis is my first visit to our impermanent capital, for all sorts of reasonsâ) also means â(This is my first Empire and I am a little overwhelmedâ) on the out-of-character level. You will have folk slowing down, explaining things, and offering you a seat
Thank you all, thatâs amazingly helpful.
I will definitely make sure to head to the new player workshops. I will do some more reading before the event weekend to make sure I at least remember a bit about the Empire and Wintermark as a whole.
The nations etc. I have chosen is as follows, so will spend some time working on a simple background and goals.
Nation
Wintermark
Tradition
Steinr
Archetype
No Archetype
Virtue
Banner
Coven
Sect
Territory
Hahnmark
Resource
Farm
I look forward to seeing it all in person in just over a week!
Farm is a good choice if youâre uncertain, as it gives you a wadge of cash and doesnât drag you into politics or the military campaigns (much). And you can change personal resource later.
I would suggest asking about, possibly on the Wintermark facebook page, for groups of of Hahnmark (thereâll be plenty). This can give you some IC nieghbours who your character could have travelled to Anvil with, someone to start off knowing in play. This can help a lot when you find yourself in the sprawling tent city that is WintermarkâŚ
âGreetings, I am Whitefox, I come from Hahnmark, and I am currently guesting with the Hall of the Brass Axe, who I met on the road.â
