Welcome to the GarouMUSH Frequently Asked Questions List!
The purpose of this document is to provide answers to the most common
questions asked by prospective GarouMUSH players. We also encourage you to
peruse the GarouMUSH new
players' primer to get an idea of what GarouMUSH is all about. Also,
to see some examples of good and bad applications, look at the GarouMUSH
Hall of Fame
and
Hall of Shame, respectively.
Much of the credit for this FAQ belongs to Megan@GarouMUSH
(alix@io.com).
- How do I get a character?
- Where do I submit my application?
- How long will it take for my application to be processed?
- It's been X weeks and I haven't heard anything from anyone about my
application! What do I do?
- How long does my application need to be?
- What sorts of characters does the game need?
- Are stats important in my application?
- Can I play a Vampire, Mage, Black Spiral Dancer,
Other Shapeshifter, Wraith, or Changeling?
- I have this really cool idea for a not-so-common or non-standard
character. Can I apply for it?
- Okay, what should I apply for?
- I've heard that you guys are sticklers for correct spelling and proper
English. What's the story?
The loaded, ambiguous question. To obtain a character, you need to submit an
application. The kinds of things you need to include in it are a character
name, concept, personality, and background. See FAQ 5 for
a bit more detail on this; there is a time interval between when you apply
and when you may actually be able to begin playing.
Until you do have a character, you are welcome to log into the game as
guest with password guest to gain help with your
application and bounce ideas off our players. We have a multi-guest system,
and we ask that you not log into the game as a specific guest;
this defeats the purpose of such a system. We also ask you to remember that
you are a guest, and that you behave yourself. Please try not to annoy
the other players with random foolishness or nonsense -- we discourage
people from logging into the game as guests solely for the purpose of
hanging out.
Applications for characters need to be mailed to
garou-reg@garoumush.org.
Do not send applications to garou-l@netcom.com
or any other address; these will simply not be processed.
Character applications are distributed randomly among the GarouMUSH
wizards, the game administrators. Thus, the length of time for decisions on
applications is highly variable. A standard time frame is two to three
weeks.
As said in FAQ 1, application approval takes time. Most
wizards will notify you within a week or so if they've received your
application, and most will get back to you in 3 to 4 weeks at the latest. If
it's been 3 to 4 weeks and you haven't even heard back from a wizard, the
application may have been lost by the mail system; you can send
e-mail to
garou-reg-all@garoumush.org
and make a polite inquiry as to the status of your application.
If you know a particular wizard has your application but you haven't heard
back about it 3 to 4 weeks after sending it in, contact that wizard directly
about your character; don't bug all the wizards.
If it's been less than three weeks, the watchword is patience. Don't whine
and don't pester the wizards or other players -- it's a fast way to make
yourself unpopular. The wizards are people with lives and other applications
to attend to. Please allow them the time they need to work.
The stock answer to this is, simply, as long as it needs to be. What the
wizards want is quality, not quantity. If you can write a one page
application that's well written and well thought out, you may have it
approved. A twenty page application may be more your speed but may take
longer to be approved -- but if it's twenty pages of nothing, you're only
wasting your time as well as that of the wizard who reads it. Generally,
though, the level of detail required in a successful application tends to
take at least one hundred written lines.
If a wizard likes your application, they may approve it at once; more
likely, though, the wizard will contact you with some questions. This revision
process can take quite a while, so be prepared for it even before you submit
your application.
This answer will vary depending on when you ask it because of the
changing demographics of the game. Human characters are always nice; not
only does everyone know how to play a human, but there are a lot of ways
for them to interact with the Garou. Stargazer Garou are discouraged due to
their low population in the world as a whole, but may be accepted if the
application is good. Wendigo applications are also particularly carefully
reviewed for plot reasons. Other than these, Garou applications in the other
eleven common tribes are more or less open.
Demographic breakdowns are available to Guest characters; you should feel
free to log into the game and make use of these in order to decide what type
of character will mesh nicely with the existing populations. Aside from this,
though, the most important thing to remember is that you should apply for a
character you want to play.
A fairly recent
GarouMUSH census is also available.
Not really. Although knowing your stats before applying is helpful in
developing your character concept, you do not need to include stats in your
application. During the revision process, some wizards may ask you what you
anticipate your character's stats to be like, but you should bear in mind
that GarouMUSH is decidedly non-numbers-focused; you don't need to write
out an entire character sheet when you submit an application.
Kindred (Vampires), Mages, Black Spiral Dancers, and other shapeshifters all
exist on the MUSH, but first-time players may not apply for them. While this
may seem unfair, applications for these races are not handled through an
open process because they are considered 'foils' to the Garou. Generally,
these types of characters are only given to experienced players who submit
a particularly excellent application and are aquainted with the unique
demands of playing a foil character.
If you're really interested in playing one of these types of characters, your
best bet is to try out a human or Garou character first. Play for a while,
establish yourself, talk to the wizard responsible for your favorite foil
race, and then apply.
No Wraith or Changeling characters are permitted on the MUSH at this time,
and no applications for these races will be considered.
It can't hurt to try. Realize, though, that highly unorthodox ideas, such as
a Rank 6 White Howler or an uncorrupted Black Spiral Dancer cub, have a very
good chance of being turned down. Your watchword, in thinking up a concept,
should be 'believability': if the application seems far-fetched, it'll
probably get rejected. The GarouMUSH wizards take a dim view of anything that
could be termed 'twinkish'.
Your first character will be a human (either absolutely normal or, if you
like, Kinfolk to the Garou) or a Garou. If you choose the latter option,
you may choose between playing a Rank 0 character (a raw, untried cub) or
a Rank 1 character (someone recently come of age in Garou society).
If you choose to play a cub, you will play a character who is thoroughly
ignorant of Garou culture; this can be challenging to play because the Garou
method of instruction is not particularly enlightened or forgiving. When,
and only when, your tribe's Elder feels that your character has learned
enough to force a reckoning, your cub will be sent on a Rite of Passage.
The Rite will test a cub's mettle, and if the cub succeeds in the testing,
he or she will be elevated to Rank 1 or "Cliath", and be considered an
adult in Garou society. Be warned: failure is a possibility, and, often,
failure means death.
If you choose to play a Cliath, you will play a character who has already
passed his or her Rite and may have some time as an adult Garou under his
or her belt; this can be challenging to play because it can be difficult
to pull off the image of accomplishment and knowledge of Garou society. A
Cliath character is expected to know what it is to be a Garou -- mistakes
that would get a cub slapped may get a Cliath killed.
Weigh these considerations carefully before deciding what type of character
you want to play, and be certain you know enough about how your character
will interface with GarouMUSH's world in order to play him or her
effectively.
It's all true. We on GarouMUSH consider our game to be the telling of a
story, and just as you wouldn't read a poorly-edited book, we don't want
to read anyone's sloppy grammar, spelling, punctuation, or capitalization.
We expect our players (and our guests) to make proper use of the English
language.
- Return to the top of the FAQ.
- View the official
GarouMUSH home page, with many of the same links provided in this document.
Last modified August 13, 1997 / Brett Cashman /
cashman@best.com
URL: http://www.io.com/~alix/Garou/faq.html