New Player Guide
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Welcome to God Save the King - A Medieval RPG
God Save the King (GSTK) is a forum-based Role Playing Game taking place in Medieval England. In reading this, you may notice that some words are in bold - these are important words and concepts to know throughout your experience in GSTK.
In joining the GSTK Community, you will be able to become a knight or a clergyman and rise up the Feudal ranks in order to contribute to England's history. Maybe you will become a wealthy Earl who holds the command of hundreds of men, both knightly and mercenary alike, or perhaps you may find yourself a chivalrous knight protecting England from her enemies. Maybe you will find yourself more suited as a political bulldog, controlling the Parliament and even persuading the King himself to your ideas. Then again, you might like the life of a priest who, although holding no military power, might bring the Wrath of the Vatican upon the heretics of a nation. Whatever you want to be, all are welcome in God Save the King.
Character Creation - Where to begin?
All things begin at Registration. This is where you will be able to create your Main Character. Simply create a post with the following details about him or her:
1) Name
=> People want to know what to call your Character when they meet you. It can be as short or as long as you like.
2) Age
=> Age can be very important, especially in first appearances. A battle-hardened knight may react differently to a fresh-faced knight just earned his spurs than a venerable baron of many years. Your character will age at a rate of one year per real-time week.
3) Ethnicity
=> The people of England will react very differently to different people. Though they will be accustomed to seeing a man from any of the British Isles, they could well act with hostility towards the hated French, or become concerned in the presence of a Muslim. You will find that most characters will have Norman or English heritage.
4) Biography
=> This doesn't have to be long; three or four sentences can cover it all, in fact.. If you want to really expand and explore your Character, perhaps you may want to give him more of a back story. At any rate, this is where you explain what your Character or his family has been doing before entering the game.
Now that that's out of the way, you are now a Freedman (the class of people just above the serfs and peasants) and can enter into the Realm of England.
Creating a House Thread - My First Home
The first thing you should be doing when joining the game is to create a House. This can be done in the Kingdom of England by creating a thread describing your house (again, it need not be lengthy, but the longer you make it the more enthralling the game is). This is where players can come to visit you, and I can assure you that they will be more than ready to do so when you join. Remember, though, that you are just a Freedman and so you will not be living in a castle just yet. Be sure to describe your house as something which fits your character.
Income - Money, money, money...
The Income each character gets upon promotion and per week are found here.
Choosing Your Class - Steel and Cloth, Charisma and Coin
Now that you're a Freedman, you can choose to enter Knighthood or Priesthood. If you want to become a Knight then all you must do is find a Knight, Baron, Earl, March/Margrave or Duke who will be willing to make you his Squire. After some time he may decide that you are ready and will make you a Knight, earning you your spurs and a step up the power-ladder.
If you want to become a Priest then you should talk to a Bishop, the Archbishop or Cardinal about becoming a Monk. This is where you Character will learn about Catholocism and how to protect it through the hearts and minds of the people. After a while, your teacher may decide that you have finished your training and you may become a Priest. Hang up your habit and find yourself a Church!
In a few of our latest whirlwind updates, you may now play the roles of Free Captain and Merchant. The Captain is a man who has spent his life on the battlefield, leading mercenaries and other soldiers with great charisma. The Merchant makes up some of the most wealthy people in the city of London who have great potential to gain large profits or equally lose vast fortunes with their business ventures.
Playing Your Role - What do I do now?
If you decided to become a Knight, then it is your duty to protect England from her enemies and your Lord from harm. In return you will be given land on which you may live and farm (known as your fief). Sometimes you may be called to fight for the King, sometimes it will be for a Tourney or Joust. Perhaps you will have to help another player in their struggles. At any rate, actions speak louder than words - so get going and make yourself known! You won't get any titles sitting in your house!
If you decided to become a Priest, then it is your duty to preach the word of God to your Parish. Your parishioners will look to you for spiritual guidance, as well as an intelligent and educated to help with their lives' problems. Sometimes you will give a Sermon to the people. Sometimes you will be called upon to perform a Baptism, a Marriage or even Last Rites. In times of great peril, you may have to denounce Heretics and call for them to be cleansed of their sin. Whatever you do, be sure to travel about as well. A priest may do well in his own parish, but it is your job to make sure that all people rest in the good graces of God.
If you have decided to become a Mercenary Captain, then your role is to supply the Noble Peerage with you cheap mercenaries, to grease the cogs of war, and to turn a tidy profit whilst you do so. In times of war, you will be approached by noblemen to barter a Contract to bolster their armed forces with the 'Dogs of War' during their campaigns. In times of peace, members of the peerage may hire you to carry out their assasinations. Perform well and you will become one of the richest and most important members of the Realm.
If you have decided to become a Merchant, you will start off as a Free Merchant - a freedman who has the capabilities to sell a small amount of goods. You can spend your money purchasing Merchant-only Items from Baldrick's Emporium or you can invest it in ventures which may or may not give you great boosts to your income. You should give good thought into contacting the Merchant Guild and talking to the Guild Spokesman, the person who acts as the head of the Merchant Guild as well as the face of it to the outside world. In doing this, you may be able to gain membership and become an Associate, giving you some bonus money and the ability to invest greater amounts into your ventures.
Character Skills
outdated
The Feudal System - Of Fiefs and Fealty
If you are a knight, you will find yourself rising to power up the ranks of Feudal England. The country is based on a system of Fealty: Each knight will find himself a Lord to serve and protect, pay taxes to and fight in wars for in return for land and title. The ranks that you will find are:
Squire - A knight-in-training
Knight - A squire who has earned his spurs and may now be called 'Sir'
Baron - A knight who owns a substantial fief (known as a Barony), ranging from the size of a Town to that of a Shire
Earl - A powerful knight who owns a very large fief which consists of a County.
Margrave/March- A well-respected Earl who has been given several Counties to rule over with an iron fist.
Duke - A rich knight of the Nobility who will own many Counties to form a Duchy.
King - The top-dog. All of the land belongs to him and he decides ultimately if you are allowed to keep your plot.
As you perform more and more feats of chivalry, you will be more likely to be granted larger fiefs. The more land you own, the more men you will have to serve under you. A knight with lots of land and lots of men will be more likely to be promoted higher up the ladder.
If you are a priest, then you will find yourself in the Pariochal system. This divides up the land so that each priest has a Parish in which their Church will be established. The priestly ranks are:
Monk - A man who has dedicated himself to God, but not as a preacher yet
Priest - A clergyman who has been given a Parish which he must help to guide them and protect them from Heresy.
Bishop - A powerful clergyman who will be responsible for a Diocese of multiple Parishes, he will more than likely act as a judge for small disputes in this diocese as well as administering the priests in the area.
Archbishop - A very powerful Bishop who has been entrusted with protecting the faith of England through an Archdiocese; he will play a strong role in the advising of both spiritual and political questions, being a very learned man.
Cardinal - A clergyman selected by the Pope himself to act as an adviser to him; it is the Cardinal's duty to report all matters of Catholic concern in a nation that they are in, though their loyalties will remain sternly with the Vatican.
As you give more sermons and become more well-recognised as an intelligent and pious man, you will be granted greated titles by the Archbishop or Cardinal.
Tips and Tricks - Pearls of Wisdom
All of these came from the previous Player Guide, and all of them I find to be very compelling:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Odds and Ends - A Few Points
Something you may see now and again is the existence of things known are RPs or Roleplays. These are adventures in which all characters involved may put themselves in a situation outside of usual feudal life such as searching for criminals, searching for relics or simply attending a hunt or joust. These will usually be defined as an Open RPG or a Closed/Specific RPG. An Open RPG is one in which all characters are welcome to join, usually at any time. A Closed or Specific RPG will be calling out for a particular class of character (e.g. only priests or only knights from Northern England). Generally, they will be announced in the main GSTK forum and started by the original poster of this thread.
A few tips to take with you on RPGs:
-Remember that it is a story, and the creator is the narrator. Try not to take the story in a direction that the creator is not intending it to go (don't go searching for excaliber when you need to find a French raiding party!).
-Even if it is an Open RPG, you should try to ask for permission to join out of politeness. The creator will like to know who he can expect to turn up in his story.
-Always recall that there are other players in the RPG who want to enjoy it, too. If a situation arises, don't finish it in one post (e.g. if you are attacked by four bandits, don't post instantly saying that you kill them all off in one go, share the pain!).
Another useful thing to note is the use of Out-Of-Character posts. These are usually noted as 'OOC:' followed by the message. These notes are made outside of the world of GSTK and are intended to be between the players, and not the characters. They will often be asking questions about the situation or clarifying the actions made in the post.
A further point of note is the use of what are known as Time Warps. This is the idea that not all events are happening at the same time, allowing for a character to apparently be in two places at once. Though you may be fighting in France, you can still return to England to partake in Parliament by simply writing it off to anachronous events.
Above all, enjoy yourself. This is meant to be fun for everyone, so if you're not having fun then something's not going right. Remember that everyone is here to roleplay and have a good time. Things people say or do in the game do not reflect what they feel, but what they think their character would do.
THE GOLDEN RULE
RESPECT OTHER PLAYERS!!!!!! Regardless of what happens to your character, regardless of whether fate looks fondly upon you - always respect each other. You would not have a fight with a friend over a card table because of a lucky ace and you shall not make petty comments to other players because of their character's actions.
Take care and good luck in the Realm of England.
Originally Posted by Bucket of Lithium
Reply With Quote
