Post by Ikura Shimakaze; Emperor on Apr 1, 2012 9:25:55 GMT -5
A number of people have approached Yoshi and myself with questions regarding the new role-playing guild “The Empire of Tokuno” and I would like to take this opportunity to answer some of them.
Q: What is the “Empire of Tokuno?”
A: The Empire of Tokuno is an Lake Austin role-playing guild set up along the lines of feudal Japan with laws and a governing body based along historic guidelines yet with the freedom to incorporate the many facets of UO life. Sworn to defend the lands of Tokuno and the Royal Family. EOT however is not patterned after the Ninja style of warfare but are considered Samurai. EOT's internal hierarchy is patterned after the strict Samurai traditions of leadership, duty and the Way of the Sword.
Q: Is the Empire of Tokuno a PvP guild.
A: Yes and no. Although we do participate in “Alliance Wars” in Tram and as such do PvP within the set guidelines of the Lake Austin Role Playing Community and rules of engagement except in Tram rather than Fel. Battle is exactly like dueling with a member of your own guild only in an “Alliance War” the enemy carries orange tags rather than red or blue and you are not labeled a criminal when killing another alliance member. This opens up the possibility of paid assassins and raiding parties during such ‘wars’.
Q: Do you do hunts?
A: We do indeed. We are a guild and work and play as a guild. We do all the same Boss hunts as any other guild. Hunts and spawns are great for building teamwork and getting to know each other’s fighting styles. As EOT grows there will be other activities such as training nights where we will train alongside our brothers and sisters in other Guilds. The members of the Tokuno Alliance work to together for the good of all. If a member of one guild finds themselves in trouble all they need do is sing out on guild chat, vent or alliance chat and someone will come to their aide.
Q: Do I have to build a new character?
A: It is always a good idea to first try your hand at role-playing to see if you like it and can adjust to the various scenarios. Role-playing is not for everyone and does take some work and study but the rewards are many and besides, it’s a lot of fun.
If one does decide to build a new character they should think very carefully about what kind of person they would be. Do they have bad habits? Are they drunkards? How do they relate to the world a large? Careful thought is important if one is to bring their character to life with a memorable reputation and this sometimes lets one have the freedom to experiment with various personalities and traits. A written profile is also encouraged and you can find several examples of character profiles on the EOT pro-boards at empireoftokuno.proboards.com/index.cgi
Q: Do I have to learn Japanese?
A: Absolutely not. Some role-players go to the extent of learning and using a UO language such as Elven or Orcish but the vast majority conduct business in the common tongue. Others take on a brogue or some sort of accent that they use when speaking in game making interaction even more interesting, like trying to understand someone with a heavy Scottish brogue, they're speaking English but darn if I can understand what their saying and this is part of the fun of role-playing.
I once spoke Elvish during a conversation and had another player “translate” for me. I typed out the Elvish and told my ‘interpreter’ what I was saying in party chat or VENT which they then repeated to the person with whom I was speaking, talk about hard, everyone had to pay attention and, like ‘real life’ , things are often lost in the translation making life very, very interesting.
I would, however, encourage members to try to learn some common words and phrases in Japanese to add flavor and depth to your character. Have your emotes on quick keys making it easier and faster to respond.
Q: What is an ‘emote’?
A: Ah yes, emotes are written actions outside of the ongoing conversation for example. Instead of typing “lol” one would emote *laughs*. Instead of saying “brb” one might type *dozes off* and then tell the others on guild chat or vent that they will “be right back.” This takes practice and imagination because one can emote almost anything they are doing. I once watched a man sitting in an inn make an arrow from start to finish using only emotes…quite impressive and detailed.
Emotes also project emotions such as *narrows eyes at so and so* or *wrinkles nose* or *swears under their breath at the mention of his name* emotes and depth and color to any role playing interaction.
In addition, carryover of knowledge from one character to another should be avoided. For example: you as a player may know that so and so is the RP wife of another player, but, not all of your RP characters might be aware of this.
Suspending universal knowledge between alts is something that has to be always considered during RP interaction. Like different people in RL your own characters may not even know each other in the RP world just as one of your friends might not know another of your friends until you introduce them.
Q: What is "IC" and "OOC"?
A: Simply put "IC" means "in character" and "OOC" means "out of character" When RP'ing one should make every effort to be in character at all times. Speech, emotes, and actions must be within the defined attributes you set down when developing your character and must adhere to the times. For example: A samurai would not say "Dude" to a superior officer of fellow warrior. Nor would they make a humorous reference to a current RL event. Being IC takes some effort and is very much like an actor taking on a role in a play or a movie. If Gandalf the Grey said "Dude. What’s up?" In the Lord of the Rings we might tend to lose some respect for the character.
"OOC" or "out of character" is how we speak to each other on Vent, guild chat or alliance chat...in our normal RL way in order to share information regarding story line or to ask questions about something in general. It is important not to lose sight of or mix either IC or OOC and that sometimes can be a challenge.
Q: I heard the rules are pretty strict. What is allowed in this guild?
A: Unlike many of the hard core role-playing guilds found on Europa and other shards the Lake Austin community is pretty laid back concerning armor, weapons and magic use. Keep in mind however that rules may vary between guilds applying only to the members of those guilds and not the entire RP community.
For example: in one guild on Europa only GM armor and weapons are permitted…no imbuing and the use of magic was looked upon as evil. Not so on Lake Austin although there are some rules governing war and overall history most other skills are permitted.
Q: Do I have to be a warrior?
A: Not everyone in UO is a Samurai or Ninja. Crafts people can role-play just as effectively as any other character. There are bartenders, cooks, smiths who role-play at their crafts making a living within the guidelines of their respective societies or guilds. Some own shops and inns and hire other characters to work for them for pay. The richness and variety of a role-playing community or guild is limited only by one’s imagination.
These are just a few of the questions asked. Anyone who wishes to learn more can visit our site at;
empireoftokuno.proboards.com/index.cgi
Or feel free to ICQ me at 441049714 or Yoshi at 563494726
Q: What is the “Empire of Tokuno?”
A: The Empire of Tokuno is an Lake Austin role-playing guild set up along the lines of feudal Japan with laws and a governing body based along historic guidelines yet with the freedom to incorporate the many facets of UO life. Sworn to defend the lands of Tokuno and the Royal Family. EOT however is not patterned after the Ninja style of warfare but are considered Samurai. EOT's internal hierarchy is patterned after the strict Samurai traditions of leadership, duty and the Way of the Sword.
Q: Is the Empire of Tokuno a PvP guild.
A: Yes and no. Although we do participate in “Alliance Wars” in Tram and as such do PvP within the set guidelines of the Lake Austin Role Playing Community and rules of engagement except in Tram rather than Fel. Battle is exactly like dueling with a member of your own guild only in an “Alliance War” the enemy carries orange tags rather than red or blue and you are not labeled a criminal when killing another alliance member. This opens up the possibility of paid assassins and raiding parties during such ‘wars’.
Q: Do you do hunts?
A: We do indeed. We are a guild and work and play as a guild. We do all the same Boss hunts as any other guild. Hunts and spawns are great for building teamwork and getting to know each other’s fighting styles. As EOT grows there will be other activities such as training nights where we will train alongside our brothers and sisters in other Guilds. The members of the Tokuno Alliance work to together for the good of all. If a member of one guild finds themselves in trouble all they need do is sing out on guild chat, vent or alliance chat and someone will come to their aide.
Q: Do I have to build a new character?
A: It is always a good idea to first try your hand at role-playing to see if you like it and can adjust to the various scenarios. Role-playing is not for everyone and does take some work and study but the rewards are many and besides, it’s a lot of fun.
If one does decide to build a new character they should think very carefully about what kind of person they would be. Do they have bad habits? Are they drunkards? How do they relate to the world a large? Careful thought is important if one is to bring their character to life with a memorable reputation and this sometimes lets one have the freedom to experiment with various personalities and traits. A written profile is also encouraged and you can find several examples of character profiles on the EOT pro-boards at empireoftokuno.proboards.com/index.cgi
Q: Do I have to learn Japanese?
A: Absolutely not. Some role-players go to the extent of learning and using a UO language such as Elven or Orcish but the vast majority conduct business in the common tongue. Others take on a brogue or some sort of accent that they use when speaking in game making interaction even more interesting, like trying to understand someone with a heavy Scottish brogue, they're speaking English but darn if I can understand what their saying and this is part of the fun of role-playing.
I once spoke Elvish during a conversation and had another player “translate” for me. I typed out the Elvish and told my ‘interpreter’ what I was saying in party chat or VENT which they then repeated to the person with whom I was speaking, talk about hard, everyone had to pay attention and, like ‘real life’ , things are often lost in the translation making life very, very interesting.
I would, however, encourage members to try to learn some common words and phrases in Japanese to add flavor and depth to your character. Have your emotes on quick keys making it easier and faster to respond.
Q: What is an ‘emote’?
A: Ah yes, emotes are written actions outside of the ongoing conversation for example. Instead of typing “lol” one would emote *laughs*. Instead of saying “brb” one might type *dozes off* and then tell the others on guild chat or vent that they will “be right back.” This takes practice and imagination because one can emote almost anything they are doing. I once watched a man sitting in an inn make an arrow from start to finish using only emotes…quite impressive and detailed.
Emotes also project emotions such as *narrows eyes at so and so* or *wrinkles nose* or *swears under their breath at the mention of his name* emotes and depth and color to any role playing interaction.
In addition, carryover of knowledge from one character to another should be avoided. For example: you as a player may know that so and so is the RP wife of another player, but, not all of your RP characters might be aware of this.
Suspending universal knowledge between alts is something that has to be always considered during RP interaction. Like different people in RL your own characters may not even know each other in the RP world just as one of your friends might not know another of your friends until you introduce them.
Q: What is "IC" and "OOC"?
A: Simply put "IC" means "in character" and "OOC" means "out of character" When RP'ing one should make every effort to be in character at all times. Speech, emotes, and actions must be within the defined attributes you set down when developing your character and must adhere to the times. For example: A samurai would not say "Dude" to a superior officer of fellow warrior. Nor would they make a humorous reference to a current RL event. Being IC takes some effort and is very much like an actor taking on a role in a play or a movie. If Gandalf the Grey said "Dude. What’s up?" In the Lord of the Rings we might tend to lose some respect for the character.
"OOC" or "out of character" is how we speak to each other on Vent, guild chat or alliance chat...in our normal RL way in order to share information regarding story line or to ask questions about something in general. It is important not to lose sight of or mix either IC or OOC and that sometimes can be a challenge.
Q: I heard the rules are pretty strict. What is allowed in this guild?
A: Unlike many of the hard core role-playing guilds found on Europa and other shards the Lake Austin community is pretty laid back concerning armor, weapons and magic use. Keep in mind however that rules may vary between guilds applying only to the members of those guilds and not the entire RP community.
For example: in one guild on Europa only GM armor and weapons are permitted…no imbuing and the use of magic was looked upon as evil. Not so on Lake Austin although there are some rules governing war and overall history most other skills are permitted.
Q: Do I have to be a warrior?
A: Not everyone in UO is a Samurai or Ninja. Crafts people can role-play just as effectively as any other character. There are bartenders, cooks, smiths who role-play at their crafts making a living within the guidelines of their respective societies or guilds. Some own shops and inns and hire other characters to work for them for pay. The richness and variety of a role-playing community or guild is limited only by one’s imagination.
These are just a few of the questions asked. Anyone who wishes to learn more can visit our site at;
empireoftokuno.proboards.com/index.cgi
Or feel free to ICQ me at 441049714 or Yoshi at 563494726