Keldean: /* Job FAQ */

2008-05-09T15:21:46Z

‎Job FAQ

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== History ==
To set your history, type &history me=<your history> and then @set me/history=vis

Your character history is just that - the recorded sequence of events which led your character to be where he/she is today. Most of this will be made up things that you want your character to have done. The history, when used correctly, can be one of the greatest RP tools available. Your history should include your place of birth, where you grew up, what kind of a kid you were, the story about your parents and family, and all the stuff that has happened to you to bring you to the present situation. The history can be as in-depth as you care for it to be, but it needs to cover the basic facts covered in this help file. Once you are done with your history, please +mail bad and ask us to check it out so that we can help you if there are any sticky spots.

To look at other players' histories, type +breedetail playername.

== History Tips ==

Many people come in with the idea that they want to be the exception, not the rule. It's fine to be unique, but keep that uniqueness within bounds. Things to remember:

1) You have joined the Breefolk culture. This means that you are from Bree, a local. When you write your character's background, please be from the Breelands and not from some distant land. Travel is dangerous, especially in Eriador; families did not move from place to place, across Middle-Earth, like someone might do today. In all likelihood, they'd die on the way. That said, look at +breeinfo towns and figure out where you grew up. The lands surrounding Bree are comprised of several smaller towns, each with its own special characteristics.

2) Love your family. Whether you have picked a surname from +breeinfo families or you have made up your own, your family is a good thing. Don't kill your parents; too many people are orphans, leading some of us to believe that an entire generation is dead. Having living family members can be fun; you can use them in RP or make up stories about them.

Chances are, if you include one or both of these things in your history, an LA will warn you against it. It may seem "unique" at the time but in reality these two things are overused concepts.

Having said that, your history is a nice place to be creative. Think about what kind of childhood your character had. What kinds of friends did you have? What kind of relationship did you have with your family? Why did you choose the profession that you have today? As an adult (if you are one) what kinds of things have you done? Are you married? Do you have children? Etc. Make up your own questions and answer them; it'll help you get a good grasp on your character even if you don't actually write it into your background. Remember, too, that your history is dynamic. You can add to it as you discover more things about your character through RP, for character development is one of the primary reasons for roleplay in the first place.

== Jobs ==

Bree has an economy which is alive and well, thanks in large part to Nob. Our marketplace is full of opportunities for Breefolk and visitors to spend all their hard-earned money on groceries, livestock, metalworks, wood crafts, cloth and clothing, etc etc etc. (On a related note, the Salary Object from which all Breefolk receive their earnings is located in the Common House. For more information on this, and how to use it, type +breeinfo e-econ)

We try to RP these types of situations as much as possible because it makes it seem more lifelike and real in Bree. For that reason, all characters in Bree should think about having some way to earn money. Anything which would enable you to earn money is acceptable, as long as it fits in with the theme of Bree.

It is recommended that you choose your job and RP it as your first RP. Many times this RP session is the one by which LAs IC-Approve players. You can RP getting hired for the job, or if it is a job which your character has had for a while, you can RP just carrying out some duty of the position.

Another thing to consider while deciding on a job is our Guild System. Many jobs can either be part of a guild, or not, depending on your personal preference. For more information on this, type +breeinfo guilds.

== Sample Jobs ==

Jobs are important in Bree -- we try to RP our jobs as much as possible. It adds variety to our RP and also gives us a new perspective on our characters. The following is a list of jobs for Breefolk to play. However, it is important to note that the Bree LAs are very open to other ideas - this is not a comprehensive list of professions, and we almost never turn a new idea for a job down, so if something you have in mind doesn't appear here, ask us about it anyway!

Citizen (housewife/husband, busybody, gossip, retired senior citizen, child), farmer, craftsman (carpenter, smith, woodworker, thatcher, mason, builder, glassmaker), artisan, cook, hunter, messenger, stablehand, tinker, tailor, barber, butcher, Breeguard*, gardener, servant, woodcutter, bookkeeper, healer, merchant, shopkeeper, janitor, etc.

*Guardsman is usually a part-time non-paid public service position filled by folks who already have other jobs.

Keep in mind that when you choose your job, your RP is not restricted to your worklife. More often it simply comes up in conversation with others or as an excuse for having certain skills or other traits. Combat and travel is rare in Bree, even in jobs such as messenger, hunter or guardsman. But you will not miss out on fun TPs or RP if you choose a more mundane-seeming profession. Bree, being a small town, needs a good spread of jobs among citizens.

== Job FAQ ==

1. Is this list complete? Can't I be something else? Of course! Just talk to an LA to see if your idea is feasible.

2. Are there any requirements for any of the jobs? Yes. In order to be in the Breeguard, you need to be combat-registered. See +breeinfo combat for more information. Healing can be enhanced by +heal abilities, but this is not necessary to enjoy RPing being a healer. If this is something you are interested in, +mail BAD and ask about it. Being a +healer also requires combat registration.

3. What about the town's more important roles? Can I be mayor?
Certain positions within the town are not considered feature roles (although they may be held by an FC). These ones are the high-ranking jobs such as Head of the Towne Council, Head Breeguard, Master Merchant, etc. If a job title holds a certain amount of stature, chances are it will require some work to attain. Since responsibility goes hand-in-hand with the role, we would prefer that they be given to players who have demonstrated some dedication to their character.

If you would like to have a position like this and the role is unfilled, consider thinking of a plot for your character. For example, if you wanted to be the head of the council, suggest running an election TP. In all cases, promotion must have some IC reason behind it. Talk to BAD if you would like more details. Additionally, BAD will talk to you if they consider you a good candidate for such a role.

4. As a merchant, what can I sell? It's likely that you'd make your own wares, so consider being an artisan or craftsman of some kind in addition to simply selling things.

5. What about artists or performers? Can I be one of those? I don't see them on the list anywhere. Yes, you can, but the region isn't terribly prosperous and probably wouldn't be able to support art for its own sake. Consider having another job and being an amateur painter/musician/poet/author/etc. on the side or as a hobby.

== Character ==

The most interesting and fun-to-play-with characters in all of Middle Earth are the ones that give us hooks -- character aspects that draw us in and make us want to learn more or interact more with them. Too easily, we create cookie-cutter characters, give them a different color hair or eyes, call them unique, and run with them, allowing time to make them truly different. We also tend to focus on giving our characters physical advantages -- we like to be tall, we like to be strong, we like to be beautiful.

One of the coolest things you can do for your character is to make them strikingly different from the get-go. That doesn't mean to make them evil, or make them a non-Breefolk. But within every culture on earth -- and in Middle Earth -- there are folks who stick out: people everyone knows, or at least knows about, due to some physical or behavioral characteristic which is atypical or 'strange.'

There is no reason not to include such aspects when creating or developing a character within the Breelands. In fact, it may make life a great deal more interesting around here -- for Breefolk and visitors alike.

=== The Three M's of Character Development ===

'''Malady'''
# a disease or disorder of the animal body
# an unwholesome or disordered condition
Disease and sickness are evident in nearly every society out there. Though Tolkien didn't specifically mention a great deal of this, he did reveal that there were healing houses in a good many of the places -- we can be sure that people with some level of knowledge about herbs and healing plants and concotions existed nearly everywhere out there; Bree is no exception. And except in wartime, the only reason to have one of these healing houses is to help sick people. And not just people with the common cold, either.

'''Mentality:'''
# mental power or capacity; intelligence;
# mode or way of thought; outlook
Giving your character some mental instability, quirky thought processes, peculiar trait or idiosyncrasy, or even a psychological disorder may prove very challenging, and in the end very rewarding. It may be worthwhile to you for your character to have a mental tick or set-off or strange perception about a certain kind of event or activity. These types of situations could lead to a whole aspect of RP you've never experienced before, not to mention making life in Bree more lifelike and 'feel-able.'

'''Malignant:'''
# obsolete; malcontent, disaffected;
# evil in nature, influence, or effect; injurious
While the latter part of this partial definition may be less likely in Bree, the first part is certainly acceptable and even encouraged. A character who holds grudges, who walks around with a chip on his shoulder, who feels wronged by the system, discontented by 'the way things are,' etc., makes life more interesting. Characters like this challenge the rest of us to think about how to react to them; they increase the depth of each character with whom they interact.

All these sorts of folks literally must exist to make life in Bree and in Middle Earth true. Generally, they are represented by NPCs, which is okay. But the +locals want you to feel comfortable and encouraged in thinking about incorporating some of these types of characteristics into your repertoire. At the same time, we must maintain the correct balance of 'normal' vs 'deranged,' so don't everyone go creating psychologically unstable hunchbacks who are out for the head of the Captain of the Breeguard, but don't be afraid to throw a little spice into your character's life by reshaping the cookie cutter before you cut your cookie.

Character Development - Revision history

Keldean: /* Job FAQ */