Future player with character creation questions

First of all hello. I am a future player. I say future instead of new because I won't be playing until more than a year from now (When I return to the NY area). Gives me lots of time to slowly buildup a great costume and characterization tho. I have larped before, but its been about 10 years. Anyway, I have some questions about the background as it pertains to racial cultures that I have not found reading the rulebook, website or forum, as well as a couple logistics questions.

1)Regarding Gaaldron. The civilized goblinoid races are refered to in the rulebook as 'Imperial'. The Goblin entry makes reference to the 'Legion' and legionnaries. Is it safe to assume that Gaaldron is Roman flavored? I am thinking like Gaul and Brittania, since Gaaldron is geographicly northern and presumably colder than Mediterranian and African Rome. (Haha, I just now realized the phoentic connection between Gaul and Gaaldron, duh) That would be awesome. I am seeing the differences in clothing and armor between tribal and Imperial Orcs similar to that of the 2004 King Arthur movie. Any Orc or Hobgoblin players get that vibe too?

2) Still on Orcs. The descendants of the Warscream tribe are described as pretty anarchic, does this mean they are not followers of Enax, or simply poor followers/not religious? Sub question, I imagine Hobgoblins and Bloodblade Orcs would speak Common with little or no accent because of their higher education levels and general aspirations to a more refined life. Can Warscream Orcs use a 40k Ork accent, since it is largely based off lower class british slang and inflection?

3) Quick rule question. Can the 50 starting build can be used to purchase additional lists at character creation? I saw previous posting in the forum saying it could not be used on Penalized professions, but how about regular non-penalized lists? Or is it restricted to only starting lists?

4) Logistics question. If I were to play a character with Trade:Cook, could I set up shop and cook/serve food during the event? If so, what are the policies on open flames (campfire style cooking) and on charcoal or propane grills and equipment? What is the avalibilty of electricity, if any, for cooking purposes? How many people do events average, does any other player already fill this role, and do you think it would be utilized or would I be wasting a lot of food?

Thank you for your help, and I look forward to joining your LARP when the time comes.

-Kyle

Kyle,

Hi! I'm Jason, and I'm looking forward to when you come down. It seems like you have some great ideas and some excellent questions to back it up. I'm not in a position where I can really to answer any of them, so I'll just wait for those who can to post.

Jason

Hi there! Welcome to our mad, twisted, wonderful family! I'm no new player marshal or rules marshal, but I can do my best to help you out with your questions from my experience.

1)I don't have a whole ton of experience with Goblinoids, but I can say that that is a safe bet. Nothing in the costume requirements suggests that Roman-inspired clothing is necessary, but creative liberties are a thing that exist. I know my Nyad has dashes of Greek influence in her, even if others don't. There are unfortunately only a few Orcs or Hobgoblins that attend game on a regular basis, though.
Also, if you really want to put this idea into the lore of Goblinoids, there is currently a project where you may go into detail on certain races and cultures. I highly suggest you check it out and share your ideas and creativity!

2) I am not entirely sure, as there are not many Orcs in game, making it hard to ask about Enax. I would say, if you do want him to worship Enax, there is a bit of room for flexibility. Will he adapt to Travance and follow every written law down to the dot? Will he follow a different kind of "law of the land"? Or will he just be a terrible worshiper who screws up his god's tenants on a regular basis? Honestly, it's all up to your interpretation. Though I do suggest double-checking this with others before feeling you have to set Enax down in stone for your character.
We have a Coast Havener with a French accent, a Selendrian with a British one, and some sort of human with an Australian one (though that's more to do with his heritage than his character). For most characters, you are free to pick the manner in which you speak. Go for that 40k accent!

3) Yes. You can use the starting build to take up a second list, I know I have done this myself. After one starting professions, you may take up another non-penalized one as well, which I intend to do also.

4) Yes, you can set up a little shop for food, and there is a market faire on Saturday specifically for trading various goods for in-game and out-of-game currency. As for the policies on grills and flame and equipment, I can't help you, you'll need to take that question up with James (Gallion), the camp's owner and our game's mastermind. There is electricity in the inn, though. Events usually have about 75-100 players at least and up to 250, usually depending on the season. Other characters may sell actual food at any time, and our kitchen staff does provide 3 meals a day, but variety is always a welcome change. And yes. Food would be utilized. But PLEASE check with James first about bringing this in, from the sound of it, he'll definitely need to know of this plan and give you the final yay or nay.

I hope all this helped, and if you need any more aid when it comes to simple inquiries, character development, garb help, or anything, don't hesitate to message me!
~May

Hi Kyle! I'm Onca, a new player marshal! We appreciate when other players help answer things before we get here, but let me take a stab at officially answering your questions!

Firstly, let me say, if you need further explanation or more questions, or just want to chat about the world of KR, you're welcome to message me (or anyone else that posts saying so).

1) My boyfriend plays one of the few PC goblins in the game - he says that the way Gaaldron is treated and RP'd in game is not necessarily Roman-esque, though that may have been the original intent. Currently, we're all working on a lore project for the races of the game, so this could be fleshed out more from where it stands by the time you join game. I encourage you to follow any information about new lores in the meantime =)

2) Based on what little I know, the warscream are more anarchic versus the governing bodies, not the deities. I say this VERY loosely, however, for two reasons a) the fleshing out of the racial lores that I mentioned above and b) the current IG plot has to do with a changing of the deities/how they're viewed/etc. and therefore this could be affected. The accents for races like orc/goblin are not set in stone - if a RP marshal has a concern they would bring it up, and you could email atmosphere@knightrealms.com if you wanted a more direct answer, but as a new player marshal, I've heard an orc played with 40k accent and I don't see an issue with it.

3) Clytie's answer is correct for this - you can purchase any non-restricted list that you have the build available to open, at character creation. It is preferred that you don't have more than 2 because that limits your ability to have many useful skills for yourself for a couple of games, and we like you to get to experience the RP of learning a list AND the skills from people. But if your concept only makes sense with two professions, and neither is restricted, go for it. You cannot have your primary list (the free class) be a penalized class, but you could spend 15 build to open the penalized list at character creation with a NON-penalized list first.

4) You don't need Trade: cook to cook at game, though if you wanted your character to join the merchant's guild, that would be another matter. Depending on the time of year, open flames are allowed - basically, be cautious in extremely dry weather and ask at the start of the weekend if uncertain. Also depending on time of year, the amount of players fluctuates. In Feb, I think we had...70 something people? In July, we might have more like 115 over the course of the weekend. This does not mean you have to feed all of them, but you could make some IG money selling said food. Remember that on saturday (for most of the day) using the kitchen is a big no-no, as they are making feast for EVERYONE. So be prepared to have little in the way of prep space and do some outdoor cooking, if that's what you want. Or cook it all ahead of time and serve cold! We do have a fair amount of people who bring food to the game, but everyone likes something new to try and I think it's likely you would have a fair amount of custom.

Hope this all helps, and even though it's a ways off, looking forward to seeing you at game sometime! I'm sorry so many of the answers hinge on 'wait and see', but bit by bit these things will get pinned down.

-Onca

Thank you all for the warm welcome and the responses! Can't wait to get back in the area and attend a game. The reason I am asking all this so early is to pin down a character concept and slowly build a costume so as to not break the bank in one or two big purchases :)

Onca, would your boyfriend be the goblin physician with the excellent prosthetics, or mask? He looks amazing, I am a big fan of extensive prosthetics/quality movingparts masks and detailed makeup. Great job!

This lore project sounds excellent, can I contribute on behalf of Goblinoids/Gaaldron, even tho I am not a paying player yet? All my submissions used would become Knight Realms IP of course, even if by some strange chance I can't join. I have experience. Would hate to see Gaaldron become a generic medieval kingdom with green skin.

The question about Enax and the Warscream was because, as I understand it, Enax's religion is specifically about strong government and strict laws, but no problem til the re-write since none of my character concepts include Clerics or Priests.

With Enax's emphasis on Law, and the strict governmental hierarchy and what looks like the hintings of a caste system imposed by the Hobgoblins, I am suprised to see Chaos Warrior as a starting profession for almost all the Goblinoids, yet Cavalier nowhere to be seen . Hobgoblins and Bloodblade Orcs seem natural Cavaliers. [Edit: My mistake, Cavalier is a starter for Hobgoblins] To be a Chaos Warrior, a Goblinoid would definately have to forsake their god (perhaps for the Old Ways of the tribal orcs? Fun!) and would almost certainly be an outcast from their regimented society.

I really want to help on the Goblinoid lore... please?

-Kyle

I posted the link to help with Lore in my last post but here it is again . Click that and follow the format in a word doc, and when you're done, send it in. If you're ready to put yourself out there into this game, even if it's only pledging your soul to us in advance, definitely help shape the Goblinoids!

Hi, I'm Jeremy. I'm not a new player marshal, but it's always awesome to see new players, especially ones trying to tackle races like Orcs and hobgoblins. About Enax and the Warscream, I assume that orcs of the Warscream clan worship Enax's might. Might=authority, especially in the Warscream clan, and there's a reason why Enax's symbol is a mailed fist, because iron fists hurt and help to keep people in order.

Hey Kyle, Name is Conor and I'm a New Player Marshal. So looks like your questions for the most part got answered.

While we are open to any and all suggestions I am sure, my suggestion for helping with the Lore....since the deadlines for different races hasn't been posted yet, is to come to a couple events first to see how people react to the race in general.

The 40k accent has been used for orcs before and we like it :3

Heck, my character uses basically the 40k accent for Space Wolves, and people enjoy my pseudo northman-isms

And while you don't need trade: Cook, having trade cook is awesome for getting the little trade cards you can trade in for build :)

Howdy! I'm one of the Veterans here, and a Staff member - wanted to chime in on the Enax thing, as there is a distinction that is very important.

Enax is not about LAW - that is Valos. He is about AUTHORITY. Enax cares very little about right or wrong, justice, etc. What he represents is the pecking order of Authority - usually, those who worship him the most (Hobgoblins) rule over others, using his gifts, and enforcing their authority over others. This is why Orcs, Goblins, Ogres, etc. may not be as "orderly" - they aren't orderly by nature or choice, but mostly because the Hobgoblins beat them into submission, drill them into battle formation, and do drills. Without the Hobgoblins to lead the Empire, it would fall apart very quickly.

Hopefully that helps with the world setting!

Geoffrey J. Schaller,
Thank you for the clarification, that helps a lot! "An Enaxian must obey the law of the land." is what was throwing me off I think. To put it in d&d terms, Valos would be Lawful Good, Enax would be Lawful Neutral, correct? Law for the sake of obedience, not for the sake of justice. "Followers of Enax believe that society is best guided by the leadership of one powerful ruler, whose command is law. The ruler, in return, has a sacred duty to lead her people wisely, choosing always the course of action that brings the greatest good upon society." Individual sacrifice for the greater good.

-Kyle
"On ne saurait faire une omelette sans casser des oeufs."

Correct, LN vs. LG is a good assessment. The catch is, of course, that if said ruler is NOT a good, wise, one... you dare not challenge it without the power to back up your words.

Hi there!

Oooh, I wish I knew more about Goblins to answer these questio---

[sputters] What zuh huh!?

You CAN use starting build to open a second profession!?

I had asked this question ages ago, and even used a creative and brilliant example of a hypothetical Dwarf Acrobat called Angus McSomersault! I thought that the answer was an unqualified "No!". [headscratchy]

Does it only work with two STARTING professions? Or can you do: Half the build on one of your starting professions, and another half on a non-starting profession. (as long as it's not a forbidden or penalized profession?)

Because I really would like to create a ... um ... NOT a Dwarf Acrobat.

[looks at the piles of crumpled up character builds on the floor next to trashcan]

I mean, I'm totally okay with the idea of just making a 5th level [something that I don't care about] and then changing him to a [OMG this race-class combo would be awesome] after attending my first game as this alt, but ...

I just hope I can make it to the March game. I'll probably just show up as Ambrosius anyway, since I won't have all the costume pieces for my alt by then.

Sorry to make this reply all about ME, but that #3 answer really made me sputter and do a headboggly thing.

Craig,

This is a recent change because of the much higher amount of starting build for new characters. Prior to October, the answer would have been a '' a 'not without approval from James' at the VERY least. Now that there is 50 build to begin with, the stipulations have changed.

As acrobat is a penalized class for dwarves, you would have to start with a non-penalized class and then spend 15 build on the acrobat (in this example). If you wanted to then buy another (penalized or not) class, you could do so, but you are throwing away a LOT of starting build on something that you can RP your way into, and it limits what your character can actually do. Sure, you can say he's a dwarven acrobat, but you'll maybe only have one acrobat-specific skill with all the other build you have to spend on basic skills and pre-reqs. Thus, my suggestion is still to think it over and maybe RP your way into a 2nd (or further) list.

Hope that clarifies!
-Onca

Onca,
That is my thinking too. The question I posed originally was for my definate alt character for when I dont want to go fullblown prosthetics/makeup, a Coast Havener Bounty Hunter / Assassin. Great synergy with those lists (Waylay not on BH list, ugh!). A dual class like that makes sense at the start.

For penalized lists it was in regard to a possible main character Ogre bodyguard (Warrior/Ronin). Getting the Ronin list would be an RP goal for that character. Dual class like that would be much more fun to RP into than to start with. I think most Penalized lists are penalized for story reason as much as for game balance, and as a starting character I would not take one regardless of my initial level.

-Kyle
"Wanted dead or alive huh? Which one is worth more to ya?"

Hi, I'm Chris and I play one of the gobbos running around town (the dentist, to be exact). I agree with Connor in regards to waiting to write about goblinoids until you come to a game or two. The world of goblinoids at Knight Realms is very complex and rather dissimilar to other fantasy orc/goblin civilizations I can find in literature/movies, so trying to write about it sight unseen probably wouldn't work well.

If you have any questions about it for figuring out your character, shoot me a PM and I'll do my best to answer it for you! We always need more greenskins at game from the cities, right now the orc population is rather savage!

Hi there!

Thank you, Onca!

I don't ACTUALLY want to play a Dwarven Acrobat! That was my example of a race/class combo that was unavailable at start. I wasn't divulging what race/class I ACTUALLY want to bring in as an alt, because ... spoilers!!

But thank you for this information. As I said, I may just keep playing my main for a while, OR I might just stick with what you suggested. (i.e. not pick a secondary class until my alt is already established as a [fill in the blank starting class here] for a few games.