Revised Rules and Criteria for Gaming in Rohan

[Bêthberry]

Writers of the Mark,

Please take the time to read carefully the newly revised rules and criteria for gaming in Rohan. They are found here, in the Revised Golden Hall.

The revisions were undertaken in order to clarify the kind of writing and gaming found in Rohan. The Rohan team felt that both gamers and game owners would benefit from this more explicit statement of the requirements.

The requirements do not constitute any major changes in standards as much as they simply make explicit those standards in concrete terms which are easier for everyone to understand and to follow.
If you have any questions about the revisions, please post them here and I will be happy to elaborate.

Bêthberry,
Moderator of Rohan, Innkeeper of The White Horse

[Sophia the Thunder Mistress]

Hello Bethberry-

As an aspiring Rohan gamer, I would be interested in knowing how one goes about getting their name on the list. What are the qualifications necessary?

Also, I had been under the impression that the White Horse would still be open for those of us who are still testing the waters. Is this the case, or must we be on the Rohan list to post in the inn?

Thanks.

Sophia

[Bêthberry]

And good questions these are, Sophia.

You personally can still game in The Horse. If fact, I hope to see you there soon!

Anyone who has gamed at The Green Dragon or can meet the minimum standard for gaming in The Shire can try his or her hand in The White Horse. This is the place where gamers can learn to meet the standards in Rohan.

Gamers can be placed on the list of Rohan writers if they meet these criteria:

1. They have consistently shown, in games and in the Dragon, that they can meet the standard of gaming for The Shire and show promise of more complex gaming skills, in the opinion of the Shire Mods.

2. They have run or co-run a game in The Shire.

This experience running a shorter game in The Shire will, we hope, provide gamers with some concrete experience which will make proposing games in Rohan easier.

Bêthberry

[ July 11, 2003: Message edited by: Bêthberry ]

[Bêthberry]

Several people have asked me in PM if they can attend the party in their 'regular' nick character, or in the character they are currently using in a game, so I thought it would be good to explain the purpose of The White Horse before answering that for everyone's benefit.

The White Horse is the place where experienced Shire and Rohan gamers can try out various characters without making the long term commitment which a game requires. This makes exploring different kinds of characters, activities, and actions easier. It's not a marriage or cohabiting, just a date.

Always been a warrior? Take that vocabulary of weaponry and apply it in the blacksmith's forge. Always been a lady? Take that knowledge of etiquette and manners and apply it to a court page or functionary.

The White Horse is also a place to practice the important gaming skill of interacting with other characters. You can learn how to pick up on cues from previous posts and how to leave a post open-ended, so the next poster has something to respond to. (The Innkeeper, Assistant Innkeeper and Bard will offer suggestions how to do that, in PM, if you wish. You can even PM us your post before you post it.)

This is one reason why specific occupations and activities have been suggested: they provide an explicit, precise context which makes such interacting easier. This skill of good transitions between posts is what makes a game coherent, smooth, and easy to follow.

So, the answer to that first question is no. Please come to the party in a new character which fits the activities of the Inn and the town of Edoras. Play the field, you might say.

Bêthberry

[ June 17, 2003: Message edited by: Bêthberry ]

[Nurumaiel]

Bethberry

So you would prefer it if those who wrote in the White Horse did not post with characters they usually use in the Green Dragon and other games? I.e. for myself, you would rather I do not game with the character Nurumaiel in the Horse, who is the character of my nick and my usual 'inn character.'

Thanks.

[Bêthberry]

That's right, Nurumaiel. It will develop better gaming skills to devise a new character.

And, it is stretching things a bit, even for the fiction of gaming, for a character to be in two places and two times at the same time.

I look forward to meeting your new character at The Horse!

Bêthberry

[ June 20, 2003: Message edited by: Bêthberry ]

[Orofaniel]

If you want to post in Rohan, you'll have to own a game in the Shire, right?

And you'll have to post inn the Dragon?

So both?

[Bêthberry]

Only people whose names are on the list of Rohan gamers can join a game in Rohan or own a game in Rohan.

Gamers must first run or co-run successfully at a minimum one game in The Shire before their names can be added to this list. Before running a game in The Shire, gamers must meet the requirements there as set out by the Moderators of The Shire. Usually this means posting first at The Green Dragon, I believe.

Shire gamers who have demonstrated that they can meet at a minimum the Shire standards for writing, even if they have not run a game, can post at The White Horse Inn in Rohan, with the intention of improving their writing and gaming skills as preparation for running a game. They must post in a plausible character as set out in the initial facts and definitions of The White Horse. If their posts do not demonstrate the minimum writing skills for The Shire, they will be advised to get more practice writing in The Green Dragon and in Shire games before coming to The White Horse.

[Earendil Halfelven]

Hello

What if a gamer has already RP'ed in Rohan in the past-are they alright on the list? I have a character thats in the "In War" RPG but that one is sort of "frozen in time" because the game owner and a bunch of others have had to leave...so its still there.
Anyways, can I join another Rohan RPG if I've been here before? Just wondering...

[Bêthberry]

Your question is answered, Earendil Halfelven, in the rules in The Golden Hall, remodelled.

You will also find the list of Game Players and Game Owners in the first post of The White Horse Inn, Act II.

Bêthberry,
Moderator for Rohan

Bêthberry,

Having read "The Golden Hall, remodeled" thread, am I correct in assuming that, even though I have participated extensively in RPGs on other sites, since I am relatively new to the Barrow-Downs, I have to start as a beginner? Or is there some way (i.e. giving you some links to RPGs I've participated in) that this prerequisite can be waived?

[Bêthberry]

Hello Undoriel,

and welcome to the Barrow Downs. The short answer to your question is that, yes, we ask that everyone new to RPG at the Downs participate in at least one game in The Shire. Why? Because we have found that, in the past, many gamers, even experienced gamers, did not always understand how games are developed here. There are many styles of RPGing, some of which are not appropriate or suitable to this site and we are particularly proud of the quality of writing done for our games.

However, before you run off, let me explain in a bit more detail that, if you are eager to do a bit of role playing at a more advanced level, you can post at The White Horse Inn in Rohan. Anyone can post at The Horse as long as they demonstrate at least the minimum standard of writing expected for The Shire. So, I invite you to read over the White Horse thread, create a character in keeping with its timeframe, and join the writers of the Mark there. Posting at the Horse is a good way to develope games that can spin off, so if you are interested in eventually running games, that's an option for you.

Games in The Shire are short, typically six to eight weeks, and once you successfully finish one, you will be eligible to join the list of Rohan game players.

I look forward to seeing your gaming here at the Barrow Downs.

Bêthberry

[rutslegolas]

Hello.
i am a regular Shire gamer and i have posted in the Green Dragon Inn several times

i also want to post in the White horse Inn Part3 so can i continue the character which i am playing in the dragon i.e. of a carpenter who is a hoobit??

[Bêthberry]

rutslegolas, many gamers cross post their characters between several Inns. As long as they pay due attention to the context and respect the nature of the actions (and standards) in each Inn, I don't think this has been a problem. Your hobbit carpenter would have to fit in with the events and surroundings of the new Horse, so that would, I think, give you greater opportunity to develope other aspects of your character .

Keep in mind, however, that hobbits were not known in Rohan before WoTR and that they remain under special protection in The Shire. Your character will have to deal with being someone new and different in Rohan.

See you in The White Horse, Act III.

Bêthberry

[Kryssal]

No!! Competition for my basically non existent brother carpenter Lowfel! Ahhh!!!