What Can I Do Here?
Elendor is a Role-Playing Game (RPG), so clearly, our focus is on RP. But you can also hang out with friends, explore our vast and extremely detailed rendition of Middle Earth, learn to code objects for OOC (Out Of Character) or IC (In Character) fun. A dart board game for your favorite inn; a scrabble game to play when you're not in the mood to RP - or play that scrabble game! Depending on your culture, you may even be able to create new rooms and add descriptions to existing ones.You can temp-alt (ie RP a single-scene character that you don't normally play.) If your main char is an elf in Lorien, you can still go join the battle under the eaves of Mirkwood as an orc or a dwarf. If you like it well enough, create a real alt (in the game, type News Alts for information on doing this); there are no limits to the number of characters you can play.
Think out your history and family tree. Read logs of other scenes going on around Middle Earth, or get a lift OOC to one and watch as it happens.
Note: The label "RPG" is somewhat ambiguous these days. You may have heard of it already, but with the growth of technology and the internet, RPGs can now be anything from solo computer games to World of Warcraft to message boards with text-driven role-playing (RP).
Role-play for us on Elendor is much more than this. We focus on recreating the world of Middle Earth in as much detail as possible. We interact with dozens of other players, but with writing rather than computer graphics and animation. This is exciting because it allows players to create a rich atmosphere that is lacking in animated RPGs.
Below is a snippet from an RP scene in Gondor recently played. The two players involved are Tathar and Turlach Nimothan, aunt and nephew.
~~~~~ There is not much to be seen here, for the weather is dark and rainy and the bookshelves unlit. But at a table is set a candle, its wick nearly drowned in melted wax, and beside it, Turlach's dark head rests upon an open book. His eyes are closed.
The door swings open quietly, and the wavering light of another candle shedding its soft golden glow into the room. Tathar comes in, stopping as she sees Turlach, then moving to the bookshelves, where she lights a lamp, and pulls out one of the books, taking it and her candle to a chair nearby.
fast-forward to a bit of their conversation.
"It means ..." Turlach looks up cautiously, eyeing the slightly-ajar door. "She may have been taken by the Black Company. But why, I wonder?"
The door is pushed further open as an elderly butler comes in. "Yes, m'lady?"
"Something hot, please," Tathar instructs him. "Turlach and I are growing chilled, doing nothing but sitting and reading. A hot drink would be very welcome." Beldin nods and vanishes again, and Tathar turns her attention back to her nephew. She is frowning.
"Taken...? But of what avail would that be to them? The Ephalkhir have nothing to do with Mormegil or its estates." ~~~~~
As you can see, we don't have a list of coded actions (like: smile, kick, punch, grin, laugh, jump) that is all you are allowed to type. Anything you can imagine is possible.
Imagine sitting around a fire under the boughs of Mirkwood or at the feet of the Misty Mountains - and describe the smell the smoke, and the cold of the night. Grumble at the annoying conversation your comrades are having. All of it comes alive through the force of your own imagination, with no limits imposed by technology.
There are a number of tools to help liven up RP on Elendor. New players will join a culture (see Cultures) such as Gondor or Bree, which provides the player a starting geographic location within Middle Earth, as well as a base of support where the player can ask questions or find RP opportunities. Elendor also uses an extensive system of code that allows players to type commands into the game and receive a response that will help facilitate RP. An example is our Combat System (CS), which can calculate a player's ability to successfully strike an opponent depending on that player's level of expertise with a particular weapon. So when you are up against a nasty goblin of the Misty Mountains (or a nasty elf of Rivendell!), the code can help determine whether you describe narrowly avoiding a swinging mace or being bowled over backwards by it!
Elendor is as much as you chose to make it.
