Lasanar/Mentor Lessons/Galiard 1
Welcome to the Feudal Republic of Lasanar and the Far East!
Battlemaster can be as much about storytelling as it is about battles, and nowhere do we try to make that more true than in the Far East. Known as the 'roleplaying island,' every player is expected to involve their characters in Battlemaster's medieval setting. In other words, game mechanics can and do take a back seat to being true to our characters', their beliefs, loyalties, and behaviors.
The most important distinction for any player in the Far East is separating IC (in-character) from OOC (out-of-character). Whenever Battlemaster players are talking about something, they're having an OOC discussion. Talking about things "OOCly" is inevitable to some extent, but we try to keep it as infrequent as possible. When our characters are talking about their lives or current events, they are speaking "ICly", typically with forms of address and a vocabulary more suited to Medieval Europe than to the present day. Every island in Battlemaster makes the distinction between the way our characters talk and what they know as opposed to how we (the players) do, but in the Far East, it's not just a convenience -- it's a requirement.
One of the most important times to make this distinction is during conflict between characters. Other Battlemaster players will usually be glad to answer OOC questions about almost anything; as fellow players, we try to be there for each other and make the game more fun for everybody. That is definitely not the case for our characters, who may be honorable and upstanding or scheming and conniving (or all of the above). Nobles in Medieval times had complex relationships with one another, both within the same realm and with foreign nobles -- remember that this is the era about which Machiavelli wrote The Prince! Nevertheless, even when our characters are at each others' throats, good sportsmanship as a player is essential (and required by Battlemaster's Social Contract). Put another way, there are no dumb OOC questions and you should never worry about coming off a certain way in front of other players; as nobles, however, our characters probably spend a lot of time worrying about what other nobles think of them. Social status and regard was everything to the Medieval noble; we'll spend more time on that and other aspects of Medieval life a bit later.
These lessons are written in an OOC "tone" of sorts; even though a lot of the information they will be covering is IC, your character didn't leave his or her home and then learn everything there is to know about Medieval life from a mentor in a week or two. Your character has been busy acquiring the knowledge of politics, religion, and warfare their whole life, and probably already has strong feelings about all three of those things -- one of your first jobs as a player in the Far East is to find out what those feelings are.
How our characters talk
Battlemaster uses many terms to convey information about what's happening to the players that the characters might not use to talk about the same events. For example, the game refers to the twice-daily 'turn changes' while our characters refer to 'sunrise' and 'sunset'; the game refers to the quality of soldiers' weapons and armor in percentage values, while our characters would simply recognize the difference between a well-equipped, professional soldier and a poorly-equipped militia fighter. The game tracks each of our characters' 'honor' and 'prestige' ratings as numbers, but the Baron of Abilotiel would never ask the Duke of Ossaet about the difference between 30 and 35 honor, or the prestige requirements to become a cavalier or run for Prime Minister. Chances are, if your question involves one of these game mechanics, you should just ask it OOCly.
Modes of address and other information about how nobles talk to each other is covered in more detail in a later lesson on Medieval life.
OOC Conversations and Questions
Whenever you have an OOC question or topic to discuss, be sure to select 'Out of character' from the drop-down menu when you compose your message. It is generally considered bad form to mix IC and OOC content in a single message. Also, whenever possible, ask OOC questions of another player you know well (or your mentor!). As a rule, we try to keep the number of OOC messages sent to the realm to a minimum. There are other outlets that are appropriate for in-depth OOC discussions about the game -- particularly the Discussion List.
If you ever have an OOC Problem
All of the hierarchy and chains of command through which our characters exert power and influence are IC. OOCly, all players are equal, and we all have the same rights and responsibilities. If you have a dispute with another player, we encourage you to resolve it directly with them. Barring that, the ruler (our Prime Minister) has a limited authority to enforce OOC rules and the social contract and can serve as an arbiter for some things. The ultimate authority for abuses of the game or the social contract are the Titans and Magistrates, a small group of volunteer players who enforce the Social Contract (among other things). The most important thing anyone can tell you about playing BM:
It's only a game, and is only meant to be taken so seriously.
That concludes the introductory lesson. The other lessons have to do with specific elements of gameplay (like battles and your soldiers) as well as medieval life -- the interesting stuff!
