Hello Everybody!

1. You are welcome to arrive in either, but personally I would hate driving all that way in a costume. Most people arrive in OOG clothes and change once on-site. Lay-on varies, but is generally called between 9 - 10PM. If you show up late, don't sweat it.

2. Knight Realms is a 24/3 game, meaning it runs all night. In most cases, sleeping OOG is not allowed. If you have to sleep out of game for some reason it must be approved by the director, James. Pajamas are fine, just please try to keep them nondescript. Hello Kitty PJs are gonna look mighty silly when you get attacked in the middle of the night.

3. Modern things like phones and hair straighteners are fine, as long as they are used discreetly away from highly populated areas.

4. When IG items are stolen, they are gone and not returned. Your phys-rep for swords and such can be picked up from logistics.

5. Most people bring food with them to get them through the weekend, although there is generally food available from sources at the game (market fair on Saturday afternoon, breakfast at the inn, etc). People sell food for both IG and OOG money, so having both is probably your best bet.

Sean

For a combo fight/healing class? That's a tough balance.

If you're dead set on combat immediately when you jump into the game, I would go ranger, or priest or cleric both have combat and healing spells....problem that you'll have is the spells are a casting and verbal thing...as is the minor healing you get with ranger...However I recommend for the best RP out of healing, to start as a healer(It's a profession that HAS to be your first profession if you ever want to take it anyway. And then early on pick up warrior or another combat class to get that aspect out of it.

Ultimately however, it is up to you.

As for costuming, that is entirely up to you, as long as it looks IG, you shouldn't have much of a problem.

Hey Raquel,

"Also can my PC have a Jekyll and Hyde type personality? If so can she have a different look/costume for the good and evil side?"

That sounds really cool.

Hi Raquel,

I will strongly advise against the Jekyll / Hyde combo, for two reasons:

1) It's been done before, repeatedly.

2) Someone will attempt to "cure" it as soon as the dual personality becomes evident. This will result in either you being frustrated that your concept was "defeated" so quickly, or everyone else being frustrated that they can't cure it. (This is from personal experience at Knight Realms).

The best way to make a memorable character is to have a personality that is normal, but memorable. A code of honor, a religious devotion, a dedication to your Lord or Land, etc.

You're not the only person who has asked this question recently, so don't feel bad! The key thing to realize is that good character "writing" (role-play) is better than a crutch or gimmick in the long run.

Edit: There's a former discussion on this topic here: www.knightrealms.com/forum/Realizing-the...g-with-insanity.html

Hey Raquel

I just wanted to say a bit about the "Jekyll/Hyde" personality question. I agree with Geoff that it would be frustrating to have because of the reactions people would have. However, that shouldn't hold you back from giving your character a certain quirk that could relate to their backstory in some way. Like, their parents were alchemists, so they have a passion for making potions too. Or the opposite! They didn't want to end up boring like them, so they became a warrior! The way I see it, the best way to have a certain quirk for your character is to have a reasonable explanation for it. Insanities and the like are one thing, and can be caught IG frequently, but having something like a special item the character loves for x reason, or preferring bacon over any other food, etc. are things that can make your character stand out.

Plus, the "jekyll/hyde" personality doesn't/shouldn't have to be an obvious RP. There are characters who can RP being good and evil so subtly that talking to them makes me shudder! (Yes, I'm looking at you, Alex!)

Can I say that, as for the Jekyll/Hyde idea, you can bring it in a bit and get a lot of the same RP, but without the horribly RP-restricting side-effects!

I'd recommend a generally sweet character like you mentioned, one that is honestly not very violent, and want to help people, who has a vicious and hard-to-control temper. They tend to lash out, verbally and physically, depending on the situation, only to recover themselves soon after, and have to deal with hating their own behavior. Not so much an actual illness so much as a poor behavioral trait. This might even be better as a bit of a surprise that only comes to light when pushed to an emotional extreme (which makes it more engaging and also let gimmicky). They might, in a combat scene, at first be fairly weak, trying to avoid injuring someone, but suddenly fly into a rage when someone they care about is injured, or fail to revive someone on the field because they're not an adept enough healer yet, and go ballistic on the nearest enemy. Rangers seem to have a good skill spread for this.

There's a lot you can do that will allow you a richer, simpler interaction without the difficulty of delving into MPD. It will also make your character more fun to be around, which is something I often forget to mention when people go for this sort of concept. Real psych issues are uncomfortable to work with and around; as a friend said, there's a certain disconnect that happens when it's RP'd well or in real life that unsettles us greatly. It's not necessarily an appropriate RP for all games, though it is fascinating. I'd say that a Jekyll/Hyde concept is great, but rein it in a bit. If you don't make it a serious character flaw, it won't be as fulfilling, but if it consumes the character, you'll lose so much RP opportunity, which is sad. In between these two is an RP sweet spot that will liven up roleplay, but allow the game to move at a reasonable pace.

I also have to really throw in with the "NPC a bit before you PC" school of thought. The longer and more whole-heartedly you NPC the better you'll know the system, the setting, and the character types. You'll be more "tuned in" on the vagaries that every game has, and you'll also get better at the actual physical skills of the particular game you're getting into (as an example, I'd consider Dagorhir and Knight Realms, though both solid boffers, to be so entirely different as to make comparison irrelevant and transitioning between them like virtually starting completely fresh). Not only that, but NPCing means you have to really pull on several skins, usually, per event. You're acting muscles will get SO much stronger for NPCing a good amount. In the Changeling: The Lost game I'm in, I NPC'd a full year, once, and feel I'm MUCH better off for it.

Also, one personal secret for awesome characterization from me to you (Shh, it's totally a secret, don't tell anyone! ), bring really in-character food stuffs. I used to backpack, I've cooked for re-enactors, so I will be bringing things like enriched hard-tack, dried/smoked meats, shelf-friendly fruits, a water bladder, dry cheese, etc. It adds to the atmosphere and pushes you from "In character" to "Part of the world".

Such are my thoughts.