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A GUIDE TO HELP YOU THROUGH THE GAME |
Welcome to Arabian Nights! First of all, we are quite excited to have you here, and can't wait to share our AN family with you. Please read on for game navigation and tips, and as always, you can ask us any further questions you have via the Ask Shadow board (click here) or by emailing a site administrator, shannon@arabian-nights.net
Joining
When you're ready to join us, please first read the rules. This should answer most questions you might have. To sum things up, Arabian Nights is an "old style" HRPG (harem-based), and as the name suggests, this is an all Arabian game. The only way to have a hybrid is if the lines can be traced back to a legal paint or mustang (click here for registries).
Make sure to fill out all required information on the joining board, and you do not have to wait to be accepted just go ahead and start playing.
Yes, you do need to post a sample post& this helps us determine what level of role player you are, so try your best on it J Recycled posts from another game or char that you play are acceptable, as long as you wrote it yourself. Please remember that each post must be at least 100 words. To be honest, that's only about 4 sentences, so it shouldn't be too hard. If you get stuck or need some help, you can post on the Ask Shadow board and a staff member will help you out.
Please remember to register your players name by filling out the member form. *Note, if you do not fill out the form, we do not offer any protection against someone stealing your name.* There are some fields that have a predetermined set of options, such as height and color. These are realistic colors/heights for Arabians and must be adhered to.
Once you are done registering your character, you are welcome to register yourself& this is optional. The member database offers you a chance to chat with other members via email, instant messenger, or other contact means ooc. If you are on the database and wish to have your name removed, please send an email to shannon@arabian-nights.net and we will remove your contacts.
Anytime you need to make a change to a character or player in the database, just fill out another form and we'll get the change up soon. Changes may take a week to show up on the database.
If you are a mare
After joining, mares proceed to the Mares Acres, where they can find a herd. You do not have to go with the first stallion that approaches you, but at the same time you cannot live in the Mares Acres permanently. If you don't want to find a herd right away, you can reside temporarily in the Haven.
Once you are in a herd, you are ranked by the stallion. The herd stats will be posted once a month. Your ranking illustrates where your place in the harem hierarchy is alpha is the "top mare/mate" of the stallion, omega is the last in line etc. A herd can have as many mares as it wishes, but can only have one stallion.
Your herd is like your family you cannot wander through the lands and just pick and choose at a whim which you want to join. While mares are welcome to return to common lands such as the Haven, most of your posting will occur in the territory. Make friends with the other mares in the herd, and try to talk to as many others as you can to make the game more exciting. Remember, you only get out of this experience what you put into it.
Mares can fight to work their way up the rankings in the herd. Although a stallion determines the original hierarchy, you are always welcome to challenge the Alpha mare for her position. Mares can also challenge the character one position above her own (so as an example, the delta mare can challenge the gamma mare for her position). The only other challenge a mare can make is for her freedom from a herd. Please adhere to the rules on the challenge board and pay attention to the health tables.
If you are stolen or won in a challenge, you must go with that stallion and remain in his herd until you are either 1) released, 2) win your freedom, 3) stolen/won back by your stallion, or 4) stolen/won by another stallion.
You are only allowed to breed during specific times of the year. If you are in a herd, you may only breed with your stallion (unless you are stolen/challenged for and in a different herd during breeding season& then you can only breed with that stallion). If you are herd-less and wish to have a foal, you can post your stats in the breeding acres, and the first stallion to respond can sire your foal. There is a breeding calendar provided under the "other" section. Mares can only give birth during the time frame listed, and one month real time = 1 season game time& so you have 1 game year every 4 months. While this might seem like a long time to wait to breed, the wait makes being pregnant/having foals a lot more exciting.
In an attempt to make the game more realistic, your foal stats are decided by staff members based on the parent's stats. This means that you will not be allowed to determine the gender, or color of your foals. Twins are extremely rare, and you will only get about a 1 in 10 chance of having them. Again, a staff member will make this determination.
If you are a stallion
Stallions are the head of the herd, and have the power to collect mares, claim lands, and fight/steal.
Stallions may claim whichever territory they wish, so long as it is not occupied by another herd. If you are in a specific territory, it does not mean that you own it, only that you live there. Also, you cannot just "wander" into another stallion's land and fraternize with their mares. The only place you can have contact with another stallion's mares is in the Haven.
When you claim mares, keep in mind that they do not have to go with you and you cannot "force" them. Mares have the right to choose. However, once they choose to be in your herd, they are there until 1) you release them, 2) they challenge for and win their freedom, or 3) they are stolen/won in a challenge.
One of the more important jobs that a stallion has is to keep track of herd stats. It is required to post them at least once a month. If you fail to do this, a staff member will rank your mares however we decide. Herd stats should be posted on the Stallion Acres board, and updated appropriately. When ranking mares, you decide the alpha mare. She decides the beta, and then you get to decide the balance. There is a list of herd positions linked on the Stallion board. For our purposes, we need to have the mares ranked using our titles& but if you wish to call them something different in your posts, that's fine (ie queen, princess, duchess etc).
Stallions may breed to any or all mares in their herd. Force-breeding is not allowed for any reason. However, a stallion may kill a colt that is born to one of HIS MARES where he is not the father (must be under 1 year)& In that case, the mare has no say. If the mare in question was won in a challenge as was pregnant when she was won, then her foal is safe (unless both players agree to other plans ooc). If a mare is not in a herd and wishes to breed, she can post her stats on the breeding board and the first stallion to respond may sire the foal. Arguments or questions? Email shannon@arabian-nights.net
When challenging for mares, you can either challenge for one mare, or the entire herd. You may NOT issue a challenge for 2 mares at one time, or pick and choose from the herd. Please see the challenging board and read further down in the guide for more information.
Challenges
Please see the battle guide, which is linked on the Challenge board for specific instructions on how to challenge for lands, mares, and positions.
New to Arabian Nights: We now have a sparring program that will allow you to gain battle points faster. If you receive 50 points, you gain an extra number on the dice in your challenges. Here's how it works:
Spars are role played battles between two horses (can be any gender). Both horses must be over the age of 1 year to spar. In these battles, nothing is gained except for points& so you don't have to worry about losing a position, a land, or a mare in your herd. However, if you are repeatedly successful, it may affect your reputation within a herd. You will be paired according to skill level by a battle moderator. There will be both a minimum and maximum word count, which adjusts with the skill level of each battle. Customized instructions will be given before each fight begins. Here's how this works:
Each character is allowed one attack, and one defense. The format is as follows:
All attacks must land, so that means you cannot avoid any attack entirely. Your attacks will be judged on realism, execution, and effectiveness. Your defense will be judged on damage taken, execution, and effectiveness. Additional points may be added for detail, grammar, and description of weather conditions.
If you win a spar, your character will receive 5 battle points. If you lose, you will receive 2. This is to encourage everyone to at least try and improve their battle skill.
Stealing
Only stallions can steal, and they can only steal one mare at a time. Detailed rules are listed on the steal board& but for a quick version:
Steals must contain the name of the mare you are stealing, the name of the stallion that she is living with, and the territory she is living in. These clues can be hidden in riddles, and you can be as creative as you'd like (remember to follow the guidelines on the steal board).
Each stallion in the game is allowed 3 guesses per steal, and they must post WHY they think a mare is being stolen& so you can't just say "I block Blackie, Star, and Rosebud". People put a lot of time into making steals, so you should put some time into figuring them out also. After 3 days (72 hours, check the time stamp), if your steal is not guessed, you may post the answers for review. A staff member will check the steal to see if it is valid. You will have points awarded for the name references, and territory references. You will have points deducted if your steal is too vague, too hard to tie together, or can apply to more than one character& so be careful.
If you are stolen or won in a challenge, you must go with that stallion and remain in his herd until you are either 1) released, 2) win your freedom, 3) stolen/won back by your stallion, or 4) stolen/won by another stallion.
You may only steal colts that are 1-2 years old, or mares that are over 2 years old.
Pick a Path Round Up (PAPRU)
A Pick-A-Path round up is similiar to that of a choose your own adventure book, except played interactively on our boards. When a round starts it will continue for a maximum of seven days or until a winner is decided. The basic idea of PAPRU is to be fleet of foot and mind to escape the horse hunters who persue you. You must choose between different scenarios and post with a certain number of hours or you will be captured and out of the round.
For specific details, visit the PAPRU FAQ under "options"
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