A Newbie Guide to Elendor
N.B. Many of the pointers below may well be applicable to other MU*'s. For easy reading I have not included the actual MUSH commands themselves.
As a newbie to the world of roleplaying and MUSHing in general, Elendor can at first seem daunting and confusing. Given time and effort however, it can be an utterly rewarding and enjoyable experience that will keep you addicted for years to come (the oldest Wizard on the game has been around, at last count, for thirteen years). That's not to say it doesn't have it's downsides, but as with all online communities, the politics and cliqueyness need not spoil your enjoyment of what is generally regarded as a shining example of online gaming.
When you first arrive on Elendor, you will be whisked into Character Creation, where you will be guided by one of the friendly staffers (called Greeters) who can help you through choosing a culture (the area of Tolkiens Middle-earth that you will be playing a character in) as well as more general issues like paging, talking on channels, and setting your sex and species. The aforementioned are all handled by simple commands that will in time become second nature.
As a new player, the following cultures are available:
- Beorning
- Breefolk
- Dale-Lands
- Dunlending
- Erebor
- Ered-Luin
- Galadhrim
- Gondorian
- Haradrim
- Imladhrim
- Isendrim
- Mordain
- Morian
- Ndaedeldhrim
- Rohirrim
- Shirefolk
And the following species are available within the cultures:
Species such as Eagles, Trolls, Wargs and First/Second Age Elves are available to players with experience, and then by application only.
After you have been admitted to your chosen culture by your assigned Greeter, you will be allowed onto a channel in order to converse with others of your culture. Don't panic, it's likely you'll receive a warm welcome! The players on here will likely be more specialised in your chosen area, and so will be able to help you set up your description (so people will know what you look like) and history (so people have an idea of what has happened to your character in the past, possible motivations and perhaps homicidal tendenancies). Greeters will be on hand at this point to approve these, and give you any pointers in how to improve and spice up your musings.
With an approved description and history, you're ready to go! Except of course, you need someone to play with. Luckily, these are easily found, particuarly in the larger cultures that have anything up to 30 players connected at any one time.
Elendor is a large game. Each culture has hundreds of rooms in which to roleplay and explore. You should choose an appropriate one in which to begin your scene, and either you or someone with whom you are roleplaying should then set. This can be as long or as short as you like, although it is generally a good idea to make it as descriptive as possible. Tell your companions whether it is day or night. What the weather is like. Whether you have on your best lederhosen or leather gimp mask with the zipped-up mouth. From this point on, anything goes (provided you stay within theme, a very crucial point to Elendor). Failure to stick to theme will have you branded a twink, and nobody likes one of those. Your actions and words, set out in what are called 'poses' are your own creations, and can be written in the wittiest flowing prose your scrambled brain can muster, or simply a few lines describing walking somewhere. There is no right or wrong way to roleplay, as long as you and those you interact with enjoy yourselves. Feel free to pester the Local Admins of your culture about changes or improvements you think might work. Elendor is a thriving community, and can only grow if it's playerbase allows it to do so.
Once you've been there a year or two, you'll wonder why you were ever confused in the first place.