TLI for Dummies

TLI for Dummies

Please note this is a serious guide written in a simple manner with the title referencing the "____ for Dummies" books and guides. If you take the name seriously, you really are a dummy.

Welcome to TLI. This little guide will lay out the basics you need to know in the most simplistic form I can think of. It's good for referencing like an index, to help you find the things you need. Keep in mind that this is a work in progress and will be updated as needed, as things arise.

Rules: READ THEM
Seriously. Read these. All of it.
Game Rules: http://belariath.com/rules.html
(Read all of it, every link. And remember, if it's not okay IC, talking about it in OOC is also not allowed. Especially avoid bestiality/animal anatomy, snuff, bathroom play, anything under 18/young/kiddie, and the playing out of anything involving pregnancy.)
Rules of the OOC Room: http://belariath.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=16084
(Read. It's in the room topic too. Some basics: Avoid OOC RP of sex things and molestations in OOC, do not post links that are not from the TLI site or forum, do not talk religion/politics, do not make jokes of things that the Ops or other players say when they're being serious)
READ THEM. Seriously.

Item Command Cheat Sheet
In Des
Find your specific item: !shopitem myitems name
Example: !shopitem myitems ring (Detail: Pawprint stud with an exceptional opal crescent moon inlay.)
<Desdaemona> Owned ShopItem descriptions matching 'ring'
<Desdaemona> GS: Mithril Earrings (#36775)
Deleting a specific shop item: !shopitem destroy 36775
Giving a shop item: !shopitem give PlayerNameB 36775

Show proof of item
In the channel
!shopitem show 36775
[00:35] <@Desdaemona> Lumio (Lumio) has 'Mithril Earrings' (UID:36775) from shop GS - (Detail: Pawprint stud with an exceptional opal crescent moon inlay.) (Enchantments: none)

Useful Links: You'll need these to reference often.
Game Rules: http://belariath.com/rules.html
Rules of the OOC Room: http://belariath.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=16084
Desdaemona Commands: http://belariath.com/info/rphelp/des.html
Thief Rolls: http://belariath.com/locations/thieves/shop.html
Ranked Skills: http://belariath.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=3585
Unranked Skills: http://belariath.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=3584

Things to avoid jumping into...
These are things that many dive straight into, then end up overwhelmed and unhappy. You need to know your character first, get to play them and let them learn about the world as you're learning about TLI.
Slavery! Be it owning or being owned, do not take slavery lightly. There are many rules behind it, and if owning, you need to pay for owning your slave. You need to be comfortable with the person on an OOC level, and truly know them to avoid any bad bumps down the road. Be clear in what you're looking for and what you want when the time comes. Wait at least a month to know your character and the TLI world before diving into this.
Shop Jobs! These are good to earn coin/mehrial/mhl in the game, however they do require learning a lot of commands, and many times people will come to you expecting you to know items and prices, do all the math, and play everything out with them. You also need certain skills to get paid most for certain jobs. You should focus on knowing your character and the world first.
House Jobs! Working under a Noble can be fun. But you need to make sure that you mesh well with that House. If character ideals conflict with the Noble, like any job, it won't work out well. It can make for some interesting story, but you'll also be consenting to the consequences of being fired, challenged, bullied and other things ICly.
Combat! So, we all know Might Makes Right and when you're a level 1 in a world of 40-200lvl peoples, you feel like you NEED to know combat straight away. You don't. Play it smart and avoid getting into fights at first. If you do get into a fight, make sure that the player knows you don't know what you're doing. They should help walk you through things. Also, feel free to see if anyone working the Arena will help walk you through dice sometime. Most people will when they're available. You'll want to get a few spars in to really know what the dice are about, and you'll want to play with someone who can train you and your character for a full-fledged match to see how things are supposed to be done and carried through.
Spending your MHL! You got 200 total for character creation. Before you go blow it all on sex toys or spells or even new equipment, play for a bit. You'll find out what your character would need or want by playing. You also get 20mhl a month for just having gone IC. Mehrial/money will come. Don't fret needing to make it right away. Many characters are generous, and you'll want your coin for a room at the inn, tips, or in some cases, paying a healer.

Basic Knowledges!
Voice: You need to be voiced to talk to others and roleplay. In order to be voiced, you need to tell an OP that you're new, but you can't roleplay until you've gotten a character approved.
Trolling for Cyber: TLI is an adult rated room, yes. But it is first a foremost an RPG. Coming here just for sex scenes, cyber and random hookups is highly frowned upon by most. We're here to play. We like story and game with our smut.
"This place is a role playing environment first.  Sex happens, quite frequently, but if you're only looking for hookups, this probably isn't the best place for you." - Elthorion
PMs: PM means private message. It's good form to ASK someone in OOC if you can PM them before leaping into their PM. It's against the rules to just randomly sex up someone in their PM without permission prior. If you don't know the person, get to know them and make sure they're comfortable with it before you do it. (The only exception tends to be OPs and when someone has a shop open. These people generally expect PMs and questions from others. PMing them with questions pertaining to the game and what they are currently running shop-wise tends to be alright. Anything personal however, is not. Nor is PMing them when they're running a quest or a shop that doesn't concern your shop question.)
XP System: We don't ask/talk about the XP system. It's rude, and a secret so no one can abuse it. All you need to know is that xp is given by Desdaemona (our bot) as you play with people. The more you play, the more xp you get, the faster you level. Monologuing in an empty room will not earn you as much xp as monologuing in a room with others. You can also gain XP bonuses from OPs during events or other special things. Don't ask. They just reward it. Asking, pestering, or otherwise bad behavior can cause your xp to be docked. There's also no way of you knowing/checking how much xp you have or how close you are to leveling.
IC and OOC: You are not your character. Your character is not you. If someone's character is mad at your character, they are not mad at you. If a goblin is raping your elf, you do not call the police and scream that you are being raped by green men. If your character is killed, you needn't storm off or break into a sobbing crying fit over the loss. Resurrections are common. If someone has knowledge that is known to you-- but not your character-- do not use it ICly and have your character know. If you're ever unsure about what may constitute as something your character would pick up on/know, ask someone.
Peer Pressure and Jokes: You'll see people randomly saying to "post the links" when the OPs are gone, and people who actually do so as well. You'll see many actively breaking rules when OPs are not present IC and OOC. You'll see people joking about breaking the rules. This is not okay. Just because an OP isn't online, doesn't make it okay. And even if you're feeling pressured to do so, don't. It's the best choice. In many cases new players will see this and think it's okay. It's not.
Tags:  Tags are seen at the back of names and mean different things. {Tag} is a slave tag, with the owners mark being in {these} showing they are owned. If you see Name-TAG then the -TAG (or whatever the abbreviation may be) means they are working. Some open specific shops, where you can get items or services. When in doubt, ask. You can also use the following commands in Desdaemona by replacing "tag" with the letters for the tag: !collar check TAG and !list abbr TAG
The Rooms: Idling or being AFK in the OOC room is fine, but it's not fine for the RP rooms. It can be creepy when people are RPing, even if they're not RPing sex stuff. You should be monologuing or playing with someone when in an IC room. If you're not, you shouldn't be there. This includes if you're waiting for a shopkeep and the shopkeep is working with another customer. You should post that you're waiting, monolog it or getting to the shop.. not sit there and idle-watch waiting your turn. If you're going to wait anyways, get out of the room and ask the shopkeep to PM you when they're done. Don't make people uncomfortable. You also cannot be in more than one IC room at a time. #TLI-Quest is a rolling/command room and is a gaming version of the OOC, and doesn't count. People will be there as well as in the Arena or Town, because they will use Quest for their rolls and commands.


Character Creation
The most important part here is to think about what you want to play. Do not focus on pleasing others, or being so unique it's crazy. Focus on playing what you are comfortable with and enjoy. The enjoyment and fun is the most important part of the game. Read the races that interest you. Read the classes. Pay VERY close attention to the Advantages and Disadvantages, and the mindset of the Classes.
After you have made your character and get to the page that talks about getting approved, there's still more to do. Get your automated password from your email and go in to edit your character sheet. Change the password to something you want. Then add your skills. You have 5 points total to work with, not counting if you get more from the non-combat classes. Each point can get you either one unranked skill, or one rank in a skill. You can take multiple ranks of a skill to spend multiple points.
Ranked Skills are the skills that will in time get you pay for working. Don't concern yourself with working just yet, but do pick out skills that are relevant to your character. A blacksmith would like to have Metalsmithing for example. http://belariath.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=3585
Unranked Skills are the skills that enhance your RP fluff. Want to do some crazy flips and kick off walls? Get Acrobatics. These help you with being able to do things in play and are really useful for quests and events. http://belariath.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=3584
Once you have that set up, then it's best to contact an OP and see if they can look at your character for potential approval. Character approval usually doesn't take long once you get an OP's attention and give them your character name.


If you have questions, please feel free to drop by #TLI-Dev