Title: Getting Started in Arda
Description: A guide for new members.
Lothlómendil - November 13, 2006 04:32 AM (GMT)
Hello there and welcome to Arda! You're probably reading this because you are new to Arda and need some help getting started. This is a step-by-step guide designed to help you find everything you need to get your character going and participating in topics. :)
The very first thing anyone should do when they join a community is to read the rules. Reading this will save you from doing something that will get you in trouble. You can also read the frequently asked questions topic for more information about how Arda works.
Once you've read the rules, you will want to start making your character. Here is a template that you can use to get you started choosing the important details. You can put this in your signature or in a topic in the extended character descriptions forum. However, you should always keep some of the basic information in your signature so that the people you're posting with have easy access.
In the template you can find links to information about some of the bits of character information you may not be familiar with, so I'll go into detail about what each one means.Race - You can be any race that you want. The races topic is just a list of ones commonly found throughout Arda. Feel free to be as creative as you want, as long as your character's race isn't god-like and enable you to have extra powers.
Class - When you choose your class, you are telling us about your role in a battle. You can be a mage and use lots of spells, or you can be a fighter and rely on weapons and skill alone.
Occupation - What does your character do for a living? This is a good way to help develop your character and make them seem more realistic. It may also inspire content for your topics.
Alignment - Is your character good, evil, or neutral? Do they obey the laws of society, or do things their own way?
Element - A lot of people like to focus on one particular school of magic, or follow a certain deity. If you are a mage that uses a lot of fire magic and enjoys burning things down, your element is probably going to be fire. If you are a devout follower of the goddess Threnody, your element might be balance. It is perfectly acceptable for you to not choose an element, or to wait on picking one until after you've developed your character more. Just try not to change your element very often, if ever.
Starting Equipment - Your character gets some basic items to start with so that they aren't totally defenseless when they first begin their adventures. You get to choose one item from each category in the list: a weapon, an item, and a spell. You also get 2 starting skills, and 1 starting feat. You may choose to not have starting equipment. Later if you decide you do want your starting equipment, you can still claim it at any point. You may not sell or transfer any of your starting equipment.
Now that you've made your character, it might be a good idea to ask people to look over it to see if everything makes sense and is within the rules. Posting a topic in the Character Reviews & Development forum will give you some feedback.
At this point, if you have any more questions it is strongly advised that you read the FAQ. It should be able to guide you the rest of the way. Once you've read everything, you can post in the Help forum for more assistance.
Finally, when you're confident that your character is ready to venture out into the world, you can start a topic in any RP forum that you like. Choose whichever one appeals to you most. You can also join other currently active topics as long as they aren't marked as private and have been posted in within the last month. It's wise to not jump into a topic that's already had a lot of posts made, though, since those topics are already working in a certain direction.