Play DungeonWorld for FREE (special Offer) (AD) From: madcentral@aol.com (MadCentral) Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2000 00:00:00 +0000 THE FLAGSHIP SPECIAL OFFER Hi! Anybody interested in the Flagship Special Offer advertised in the most recent issue for a FREE position in DungeonWorld. Here's the full details that were sent out to people who responded thus far... We've had a lot of interest in the offer, so my apologies also that this is something of a 'generic' letter to you all. If you have individual queries or concerns I'll be more than happy to reply personally to you to answer them. This document is, I'm afraid, rather long. And I am going to have to ask you all to read it thoroughly and be sure you understand it all. Consider it as a 'entrance test' <grin>. We should, I hope, weed out the time-wasters by the end! So here we go… +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ WHAT DUNGEONWORLD IS! DungeonWorld is a fantasy adventure play by mail game (and play by email game). Turns of DungeonWorld run every 14 days (every other weekend.) What makes DungeonWorld really unique is that all the players go into the SAME game! Madhouse have licensed branches in the U.S.A. and Australia, plus many European players, and all the players from all these sources go into the exact same game that all the British players go into. This has meant that the game has grown very quickly and with so many people, doing so many things, it has become an amazing place, a real living and breathing fantasy world! You should remember though that while DungeonWorld often uses the title 'roleplaying game' it is 100% computer moderated and has the restrictions that computer moderation confers. It uses coded orders to instruct your characters as to what you would like them to do, and the text, while very varied, will occasionally repeat. Nevertheless, I think you'll find that DW is a whole different ballgame to any 'similar' system you may have played before. True roleplaying, however, is possible only if you involve yourself in diplomacy with other players, via letter, phone call, email, the numerous internet discussion lists or the prodigious guild interplay. DungeonWorld, we think, is more accurately described as an 'adventure game'. DungeonWorld is not a static game. It grows all the time. A team of GMs are working on it constantly, adding new features, new places, new monsters, new items, new everything! Once you've played for a while and seen these things gradually introduced, we hope you''ll become as excited by the dynamic nature of the game as so many other players already have. The Normal cost to play the game is a £1.00 Base Turn Fee, plus 50p per Main Character you control and 10p per 'sub' character. (These classifications are explained more clearly in the rulebook.) You guys, though, have signed up to play for free and so you will be playing a position containing one main character without having to pay anything at all. The normal cost of this would be £1.50 per turn, (£1.00 base turn fee, + 50p for the character.) So for every year you play, we are essentially giving you £156.00 worth of free turns. This offer does not have a limit. You can play this way forever, subject to certain guidelines explained below, and with the proviso that we, the GMs, reserve the right to discontinue the offer at any time we choose if we deem it necessary for whatever reason. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THE RULES OF THE SPECIAL OFFER It is very important that you READ and UNDERSTAND these rules, and you will be asked to email us confirming that you have done so before you will be allowed to start playing. Your participation in the game is subject to these rules. If any of these rules are not to your liking, I am afraid we cannot accept your participation in the free special offer at all. These rules, of course, are there to protect us as GMs, the existing player base, and YOU as future players from possible bad influences of players who engage in antisocial play, so hopefully you understand the need for them. (1) No GM of any other PBM company, nor close friend, family or associate of such may participate in the free special offer. Obtaining a free position under false pretenses will be considered a fraudulant act and Madhouse will take legal action in this matter. (2) No player may pass on the contact information of any other players found from within the game to any other Game Company, nor to any other party who is not also a player of DungeonWorld. (3) The Special Offer covers only this special position of 1 character (and said Base Turn Fee). No additional characters can be signed up while the player is still playing the free special offer, not even if the player wishes to pay for these additional characters. If the participant in the free special offer wants to convert to a commercial position this is fine (of course) <grin>, at which point the free character will also become a commercial character and the whole position will convert to normal commercial rates. (4) Sub-Characters (what these are is explained more clearly in the rulebook) CAN be signed up in a free position without converting the position to a commercial one. However, their small turnfees will have to be paid for. (An example of this is if you choose to buy a guard dog. Such characters carry a turnfee of only 10p a turn, but they are not included in your free position. You can buy one if you want to, but you'll need to send a small amount of cash to go into your account if you do, to cover the dogs 10p-per-turn fee. (5) Players who are found to have signed up multiple characters under numerous false names will be immediately dropped from the game forever and banned. All turnfees that have been negated due to the free offer will have to be immediately repaid for the full period of participation at that point. (6) Players of the Free Special Offer cannot attack any other Adventurer controlled by a player for any reason other than self-defence and if they do so any damage done will be removed and they will be immediately dropped from the game. This shouldn't cause you too much problem, though, since DW has excellent mechanics to discourage PC-killing and it almost never happens anyway. (There are more than enough bad guys to fight.) This is an important rule to stop game 'vandals' signing up simply to attack other PCs and be a pain. PC-Killing in DW is not against the rules, but we aren't going to allow free players to do it (unless in self-defence, of course.) (7) Madhouse reserve the right to discontinue the special offer at any time we choose if we deem it necessary for whatever reason. We have no plans whatsoever to use this power senselessly and the idea is that you will be able to play for free, forever, if you want to, but we need to have absolute control over termination of the offer to cover unforseen circumstances, as you can imagine. Still, £156.00 a year's worth of free turnfees are nothing to be sneezed at, even with this proviso! <grin> (8) EMAIL COSTS:- If you are an email player you do not have to pay anything to play the Free Special Offer. However, to qualify for this you must be sending your orders and receiving them by email. Email turns are sent as PDF files. To read them and examine them you will need the program 'Adobe Acrobat Viewer' which is a FreeWare program available all over the place. If you don't already have it, there is a link to the site where it can be downloaded free on our website. http://www.play.by.mail.com (9) MAIL COSTS:- If you are a mail player (meaning that you receive your turn as a laser-printout, by post, it doesn't matter how you choose to send your orders) then the cost of the Special Offer position is a SSAE (Self, Stamped Addressed Envelope) and 1 additional 27p stamp. We cannot accept cash/cheque payments to cover this, it must be the SSAE and the extra stamp. (10) It is possible, any time you like, to change from mail to email play, or vice-versa. All you need to do is send a message to us and let us know, and to make sure we have the SSAE/extra stamp we need if you have moved to mail play. (11) THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE:- We are not offering these free positions so that players can take them and then never bother sending in orders. If you miss a turn of the game you will be given a warning. If you miss another you will be immediately dropped from the game without further notice. (12) All the Normal House Rules of Madhouse, as shown in our rulebooks, are still applicable to the Special Offer positions. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THE RULES You can download the rules for DungeonWorld as a PDF file from our website http://www.play.by.mail.com. The download is a long one, because the rules are quite extensive and graphic. If you prefer a hard copy of the rules you can purchase them from us. Price lists for the rules, plus other supplements available for the game, can be found at the end of this message. Please note:- No supplements of any kind are necessary to play DungeonWorld. They have been produced simply to add to your playing experience if you are interested in them. Player reviews on all products have been excellent! But don't take our word for it… ask the other players! Everything you need to play is in the rules which you can download for free from our website. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PRICE LIST OF ADDITIONAL STUFF YOU CAN BUY (if you want to.) 1/ Hard Copy of the Rules (Budget Edition) £8.00 **The budget and deluxe rules have the same content. The budget ones are an A5 stapled booklet, while the deluxe rules is A4 loose-leaf printed on hard stock card in a binder (and looks really cool!) 2/ Hard Copy of the Rules (Deluxe Edition) £16.00 3/ Legends Of Bereny £10.00 A 60-page ring-bound colour-covered booklet detailing the history of Bereny and the line of Kings. 4/ Mysteries Of Bereny £10.00 A 60-page ring-bound colour-covered booklet detailing the surface world of Bereny in a 'gazeteer' format, very useful for the overland adventurer. 5/ Treasures Of Bereny £10.00 A 60-page ring-bound colour-covered booklet detailing the lost artifacts and mysterious treasures rumoured to exist in the Kingdom of Bereny. 6/ NEW! Secrets Of Bereny £10.00 A 60-page ring-bound colour-covered booklet detailing the hidden cults, organisations and conspiracies of Bereny. 7/ A3 Laminated Colour Wall Map Of the Kingdom of Bereny £8.00 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DUNGEON SETUP INFO AND FORM Basic Character Types There are hundreds of characters types in the game, many available to players at later stages. But when you first start only a few basic types are available. There is nothing wrong with these classes of character, they have just as much potential and ability as any other, maybe even more, but they have been selected to be easy to play when you first start the game. As part of the Flagship special offer you can play ONE character. Human & Dwarven Fighters These characters can be male or female. They represent the classic fantasy warrior, who stands at the front row of a conflict and goes toe-to-toe with the enemy. Fighters have more health points and better starting combat skills than any other characters, giving them a good survival rate which is offset by their tendency to be 'in the thick of it'. The Dwarven fighter is about half the height of a human but far broader of chest and (usually) a long beard. Can use any normal weapons or armour. Human Rogues Rogues are the classic fantasy thief/scout class. While they are fair fighters, they are somewhat weaker and not so finely trained. However, they have other skills and abilities that give them distinct advantages, including the ability to hide from the enemies sight in certain circumstances and to use tools and equipment other classes are refused. They can be male or female. Can use any normal weapons and any armour other than Plate Mail and Steel Gauntlets. Human Enchanter/Enchantress The most general of the Magical classes, these are the only wizards available to new players. Enchanters can cast powerful magical spells with the aid of Scrolls which only they can purchase. Furthermore, they can use magical items restricted to them. Their powers, however, are counterbalanced by the low health scores and poor combat skills. Can use any normal weapons, but cannot wear any type of armour, or Steel Gauntlets. Human Priests These holy men and women worship the Gods of Light and can use their powers to heal the sick and wounded as well as cast certain types of holy miracle. They are normally fairly tough as well, making them a useful addition to any adventuring group. Can use any normal weapons or armour Human Monks Human Monks can only be male, since the remote mountain schools which teach them, still stuck in ancient and foolish prejudices, will not take female applicants. Monks are masters of the martial arts, being devastating hand-to-hand fighters, but being limited by the weapon and armour choices they are allowed. Can use any normal weapons, but cannot wear any type of armour, or Steel Gauntlets. Elven Warrior Maidens Due to an ancient curse, Elves in the world of Dungeon have a very distinct class system in which the women are the superior fighters. Consequently, these classes can only initially be female. Elven Women, like other fighter forms, have the usual warrior strengths. Can use any normal weapons or armour Glacier Barbarians These huge brutish Southerners come from the icy wastes. Their huge girth and resistance to cold are infamous, as is their fiery temper. While Barbarians are a type of fighter, their style and sheer rage sets them apart. They can be male or female. Can use any normal weapons, but cannot wear any type of armour, or Steel Gauntlets. Human Assassins In the political hotpot of the Dungeon world there have always been those rogues who take one step further into the darker profession of Assassination. In time, these people have found their skills can be used for the cause of good too! Their ability to make poison and use a special 'backstab' attack with an Assassins' Curved dagger is useful too! Assassins can be male or female. Can use any normal weapons and any armour other than Plate Mail and Steel Gauntlets. Human & Elven Bards Bards are the entertainers, musicians and minstrels of DungeonWorld. They have fair fighting abilities and can use their music to 'influence' others, both negatively for their enemies and positively for their friends. They can be male or female, but be warned, Elven Male Bards are extremely weak because of a magical curse which affects all Elven men in the game. Human Necromancers The study of death has long been feared in the lands of Bereny. Necromancers are mistrusted and misunderstood characters who use the dark magics of entropy in their quest for magical knowledge. Although they are still adventuring heroes, Necromancers never quite seem to be accepted by society. Like Enchanters, they have low combat and health stats. They can be male or female. **Please note** Necromancers in DungeonWorld are not 'evil', as they are in some other games, their skills are used for adventuring and heroics the same as other characters (for the most part.) Human Crusaders Crusaders are holy warriors who work for the Church and the Crown. While they worship all the gods, they are split into 'arms' which each honour one of the Deities in particular. Crusaders start with armour and a shield and are a powerful initial class, *but* they have a downside. Each 'arm' of the Crusaders is ruled by a 'Lord Crusader' who's word is *law*. If they issue a command your character will be expected to obey or suffer dire consequences. **The Crusader option is recommended for advanced players only. ** When taking a crusader you will need enjoy diplomacy with other players and you'll need to bear in mind that you have other characters in positions of authority over your crusader. If you do choose to take one you should choose which sort and write your choice in a space on the signup form:- Crusader of Cambron (God of Justice) - Must be male Crusader of Selador (Father of the Gods) - Must be male Crusader of Merl (God of Commerce) - Must be male Crusader of Marial (Goddess of Healing) - Must be female Crusader of Bethseline (Goddess of Love) - Must be female Crusader of Shanna (Goddess of Nature) - Must be female The Adventurers Market To get your characters started you'll need to purchase some equipment for them. You can fill in what purchases you want to make on the sign-up sheet. Each character has 50 gps (Gold Pieces) to spend at the Adventurers Market. There are literally thousands of items available in the game, but for the purposes of this setup we've limited your choices down to a few pieces of basic equipment. The rest you can buy later... when you've made some money! Weapons Dagger 5gp Short Sword 10gp Long Sword 20gp Scimitar 25gp Hand Axe 10gp Battle Axe 25gp Short Bow 25gp Long Bow 40gp Staff 10gp Armour Wooden Shield 5gp Leather Armour 20gp Studded Leather Armour 30gp Chain Mail Armour 50gp Metal Helmet 5gp Special ''Teleport Home'' Scroll 5gp Healing Ointment 5gp Shadow Cloak 25gp Petty Title 15gp Guard Dog 25gp Miscellaneous Woollen Cloak 2gp Leather Boots 5gp Leather Gloves 2gp Explanations Its probably best to get a weapon, whoever you are, since bare hands don't do much damage in combat... unless you're a monk, in which case, don't bother with a weapon for now! Fighters probably want some sort of armour too. A ''Teleport Home'' Scroll is a handy thing which magically returns your character to the start point and might be very handy to get back after you've explored as far as you want to before returning to lick your wounds and sell your gains for a while. A ''Shadow Cloak'' is a tool for rogues, made from a low-friction lightweight material, but not actually magical, it's the best thing for dodgy dealings! A ''Petty Title'' gives your character the affix of ''Lord'' before their name. It's of little use except for show, since petty titles can be bought from the Crown at any time, but it does have some weight in bureaucratic circles. A ''Guard Dog'' actually functions as another character, having it's own orders and working independently of it's owner. However, if you buy a guard dog your position will be charged an additional 10p in *real* money, (not a great sum, but it covers the printing costs, etc.) All characters are considered ''clothed'' in basic tunic, leggings and sandals until other clothing is bought. Enchanters start the game equipped with everything they need for basic spells. Barbarians start the game with a 'Strach' (a special weapon for their class.) YOUR FIRST TURN The Next Turn of DungeonWorld is due to run on Sunday 20th August (a turn has just run) and you will be placed in the game then, assuming your signup form arrives before then. You should expect to receive your email turn on the Monday evening. Please clip and email back the form below as soon as possible so that you can be placed in the game. Do NOT (please) email back this whole message, just this bottom piece is fine! YOUR FULL NAME ______________________________ YOUR ADDRESS _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ Post Code __________________ Country __________________ YOUR TELEPHONE NO __________________________ YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS _____________________________ YOUR CHARACTER (1) Choose a Name ______________________________ (2) Choose a Character Type ______________________________ (3) Male or Female? (Circle One) MALE / FEMALE Purchase Equipment (Max 50gps) 1/ ________________ Cost ____ GPs 2/ ________________ Cost ____ GPs 3/ ________________ Cost ____ GPs 4/ ________________ Cost ____ GPs 5/ ________________ Cost ____ GPs 6/ ________________ Cost ____ GPs 7/ ________________ Cost ____ GPs 8/ ________________ Cost ____ GPs Total (Not More than 50gps) ____ GPs Please write YES for one of the following:- I would like to play by SNAIL MAIL ___________ I would like to play by E-MAIL __________ THE IMPORTANT BIT! I HAVE READ THIS ENTIRE MAIL AND UNDERSTAND IT, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARDS TO THE RULES OF PARTICIPATION. I ACCEPT THESE RULES AS STATED. ____________________________ (Write your name and the date here) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ AND FINALLY….. Well, you made it to the end! Congratulations! (Unless you skipped straight here, in which case… go on back and read it all!) <grin> You are about to join the game and we very much hope you'll love it! Obviously, our ultimate plan here is to convert you to a commercial player. While we realise that dropping a free £156.00 a year worth of turnfees in order to pay to play is a big step, we hope that you'll thoroughly love the game and feel that its well worth the money! As a full commercial player you'll be able to take on the full range of character types, pay multiple characters (or even multiple positions), play a Monster Position, or a Trader Position. Should you wish to simply continue playing your free 1-character position, though, that's fine too! Even as a single character you can still have fantastic adventurers, find fabulous wealth, unveil mysteries, or join and participate in one of the exciting player-run guilds. There are no limits with DungeonWorld! Now that you are about to become a player there are a few interesting places you might want to check out… (1) The DungeonWorld Internet Discussion List is well worth joining if you'd like to grab some hints from new players, talk about the game, get involved with player-run guilds, or find out the current climate of Bereny! To sign up for the list, send an email to DungeonWorld-subscribe@egroups.com. The email doesn't need to SAY anything. But be prepared for a LOT of emails, unless you choose the 'digest' option. DW is a BIG game with a lot of players! The Madhouse GMs are on this list and help moderate it! (2) Once they heard about the Special Offer and realised it would bring in a lot of new players, a group of the existing DW players set up a special list which you could join to get some friendly advice about playing if you were interested. This is a purely player-run list, the Madhouse GMs don't moderate it. If you think you might like some start-up advice, sign up! The way to sign up is to send an email to DW-Tactical-subscribe@egroups.com The email doesn't need to SAY anything. If you decide to either, or both, of these lists (highly recommended) then once you are on the list and receiving mail, send an email saying 'Hi! Im new! Give me some help!' or something similar, and that should start the ball rolling! Have fun! Steve Tierney -Madhouse UK Up