First, read everything on this site so you have an overview of the tribe, its history, other tribes, the trolls, the humans, and the general layout of the world.

Next, attend several chats. The holt meets weekly for a howl in a private room on America Online, called Grey Falls Holt. Time and day may vary, so check before attempting to attend. Keep your holt guide handy as you watch what's going on. The contents of our howl may be one of three things business, role-playing (see RP guide that follows), or open chatting. Most howls begin with some open chatting before we settle down to business.

Finally, adopt or create a character. There are advantages and disadvantages to both

Adoption a character up for adoption is ready-made, and already a part of the holt. Some are blank slates, others come with histories. This can be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on how you view things. One difficulty to adopting a character with an established history is that you may hear from people who think you're not playing the character correctly.

Creation you might have a character already in mind. This is fine, as long as you follow a few rules. 1) We want to limit magic in the holt, so be careful about introducing a new magic user. 2) We also want to limit the number of Recognitions in the holt. Develop the character and his or her relationships to other characters, rather than using Recognition as a plot tool. Recognitions should be approved of by the holt beforehand. 3) Try to find a way to fit your character into the family tree (if we've just made a time jump, we might be able to have your character born during the jump). If that's not possible, try to work out a history of your character that's not cliche i.e. no more "lone survivor of a holt that was destroyed by humans" introductions. Look to the existing holts in our world for your character's origins.

Special rules and precedences

1. All holt members are limited initially to four characters. If you're handling four characters well and want to add one or two more, that can happen with the approval of the tribe. Please strive to make your character a blood member of the tribe or another known tribe rather than a complete stranger.
2. When writing stories about your characters, remember that if you use someone else's character in your story, obtain that person's permission and allow the player to read and edit at least the portions the characters appear in. This goes double when you use the chief or need a healer handy.
3. A character may be designated a "holt character" who can be used freely in stories, as long as you are true to the character, and don't kill them off or have them Recognize someone without permission from their creator. Creating a holt character is a way to occasionally get around the four character limit, but please get the permission of the holt before proceeding. In general we don't encourage holt characters any more, as they are too seldom played and developed. Holt characters may be created specifically to be put up for adoption. Human, Troll, or other characters that make cameo appearances can also be created within reasonable limits.
4. This is a "family-style" holt by mutual desire of most members. Bear this in mind when you write and role-play. Still, our elves have to act like natural elves they breed, they fight, they cuss at one another. In general, sex scenes are about the level you would find in a "sweet" romance novel; that is, most of the action goes on off-camera, with lots of glowing descriptions about the earth moving and fireworks going off. Think of the old movies in which the hero and heroine fall into one another's arms, and the camera pans over to the crackling fire in the fireplace. You know perfectly well what's going on, but you don't have to see every detail. The same goes for violence: you don't have to describe an enemy's guts strewn all over the forest to show he's dead. With all the wars and the animosity of many humans toward elves, there has been a lot of violence in the history of the tribe. Just be tasteful in how you represent it. If you're considering a rape scene -- please don't, at least not without discussing it with the rest of the holt. Elfin cussing tends to be colorful, but not in the way ours is. References to sex and excrement don't embarrass them. An explanation of the word "bastard" would really puzzle them. Exclamatory remarks are things like "puckernuts," "dung," "beardung," "snailfeathers," and similar words or phrases. Note that "dung" is more an expression of annoyance than the idea of contemptible filth that our similar common exclamation conjures up.
5. On the subject of romance Pini elves don't kiss, but ours have learned how to from the humans. How could any rational creature pass up such a pleasant occupation?
6. Magic is always inherited, though it can skip generations. A particular kind of magic must be present in the family tree for an elf to inherit it -- that is, if papa was firemaker, baby might be a firemaker, but won't be a healer (unless some other ancestor was a healer). Magic is somewhat rare, usually, but a bit more common in our tribe as a large proportion of those who survived the many wars happened to be magic-users.
7. Purebloods know their own soul names from the moment of conception. The precedence has been set in our world that the parents also know the child's soulname at conception. Wolfriders, however, are often born without soul names. While they usually find their soul name soon after adolescence, their parents do not automatically know the name.
8. Many other precedences concerning every-day elven life have been drawn from the Pini's original story or set in our own stories. Please don't be offended if a long-term member corrects you on one of these points. We strive for consistency in our world as much as possible.
9. Any of the above "rules" may end up being bent or broken as long as there is good reason and the entire holt approves.

Tips for developing your characters

Make sure you've read a good deal of Wendy and Richard Pini's work and fully understand the characters of Wolfriders, purebloods, Go-Backs, Gliders, and the world they live in. We cannot stress that strongly enough. It's frustrating for the Elfquest fans who founded the holt to have to stop and explain these things to newcomers, though we're as obliging as possible. We highly recommend you read the original graphic novel (available in bookstores in a series of eight bound volumes &emdash; put 'em on your Christmas list). Also look into the "Blood of Ten Chiefs" volumes of collected short stories, and the "The Hidden Years" and "Rogue's Challenge" hardbound collections of Elfquest comics. Wendy also produced a wonderful picture book for the younger set titled "A Gift of Her Own" that should please Elfquest fans of all ages.

1. Work on the personality of your character. Put in as many flaws as good points. Try to see your character move, hear his or her voice, think as your character would think.
2. Use the Character Information Sheet (CIS &emdash; below) to flesh out your idea. Make sure you give a copy to all holt members via e-mail &emdash; especially the holt "goddesses."
3. Make a sketch. Even if you're not an artist, you can send your picture to someone whose drawing skills you admire.
4. Work on stories around your character, including your character's past. Whether you write the stories for the fanzine or not, they will help you make your character more real.
5. Read other CIS's and try to pick out another character to be your character's special friend. Establishing relationships between your character and others will suggest story ideas and make roleplaying easier.
6. When adopting a character, find out all that has been established for that character so far. In most cases the character has never been played and is wide open for development, including name changes. Even the gender can be negotiable!

Some common errors to avoid

1. The "raised by wolves" tired plot scenario: for some reason lots of new member want to have their characters lost or abandoned at a very young age and raised in the woods by wolves. While a new spin on this idea might be welcome, be sure to discuss it with others first.
2. The "wanderer who accidentally happens across Grey Falls" tired plot scenario: the location of our holt is supposed to be secret, yet somehow in our history elves have managed to stumble across it with alarming regularity For a while, Grey Falls was beginning to resemble Grand Central Station. We've had so many strangers arrive from the far corners of Abode that we will never need a Kinseeker in our holt. We know about all the other tribes of elves, and are related to most of them. Visitors from established tribes are all right.
3. The "bringing a character from another fan holt into Grey Falls" problem scenario: as our world is already well-populated with tribes we are reluctant to introduce any more, especially Wolfrider holts. If you arrive at a time when there aren't any adoptables in the holt, please have your character derive from one of the known holts in our elfworld. Moon Lake is ideal, since it is not a played holt, there is no established family tree, but there is an established history that ties the Moon Lake Wolfriders to the Grey Falls tribe.
4. The "Goliath" fallacy: please note that the average height for Wolfriders is four feet. Older purebloods can be upwards of five feet, while younger ones will be shorter (it's the way Abode works). Remember, Wolfrider wolves may be larger than normal wolves, but they still can't carry load that would strain a Shetland pony.
5. The "tortured, angst-ridden soul" or "cranky elf" tired character traits: when we ask for flaws, keep in mind that these traits are used a lot! Be creative in planning your character. Elves tend to be pretty stable and are raised with a lot of self-respect (though Moon Lake Wolfriders have a streak of madness running through the holt that would shape their characters).

Character Information Sheet

Here is a standard CIS format. Use this when outlining your character. Be sure to e-mail a copy to everyone in the holt.

Character Name

Played by

Gender

Race (Wolfrider, pureblood, etc.)

Origin (what tribe?)

Birth date (can be approximate)

Soul Name (some Wolfriders must find theirs)

Known by (i.e. who besides parents knows this person's soul name?)

Lifemate

Lovemates

Children

Family

Mother

Father

Siblings

Bondbeast

Appearance

Height (most range between 3'6" and 4'6", young purebloods may reach 5'3". Short, medium, or tall is all we really need to provide here)

Build

Costume

Summer

Winter

Jewelry

Weapons

Colors

Talents (magical talents, if any)

Skills (i.e. weaving, hunting, tanning)

Likes

Dislikes

Personality

Outlook on life

Important thing to remember

Sees self as

If you like, you can do a CIS for your Wolfrider's bond-wolf as well

Bond beast

Animal

Name

Colors

Eye color

Gender

Age (remember, Wolfrider wolves have a little elf blood in them, so they can live a long time -- 40 to 50 years is not too unusual. They can send a little, too, though mostly in images)

Size (large, medium, or small)

Appearance

Personality

Abilities

Relationship (status in the pack)

Also make sure you fill out a member information sheet and e-mail it to everyone in the holt

Member Name

Personas

Address

Phone

Birthdate

Hobbies

Other important things we should know

Other EQ clubs

Here is sample a CIS for Fringes, Kestrel's mother who died many turns ago, as an example

Name: Fringes

Race: Wolfrider

Gender: Female

Origin: Grey Falls tribe, born when tribe was still in the Redwood forest.

Age: At death, 523

Known by: parents, Stone, Allim

Lifemate: none.

Lovemates: Stone, dallied briefly with Treesniffer. Other lovemates in the past.

Family: Father: unknown wolfrider

Mother: Orelan

Children: Kestrel

Bondbeast: Bristlebrush (killed by humans), Featherfoot

Pets: none

Hair: pale blond, falling halfway down her back.

Eyes: gold, large.

Nose: straight and small.

Mouth: small and full.

Skin tone: very fair.

Height: 3' 9"

Build: very slim, but tough. Long legs and long torso.

Costume:

(Summer): Short pullover fawn jacked with deep fringes on the sleeves and the lower edge, fringed trim around neck opening, neck opening trimmed in deep green; skirt of fawn, deep green yoke, fringed lower edge and fringe trim on yoke; knee-high boots of fawn, with deep green band around top, fringes falling from band.

(Winter): Similar, but jacket is long-sleeved, and boots are thigh-length.

Colors: fawn and deep green.

Jewelry: gold circlet necklace with feathered ornament, flowers and vines twined in her hair.

Weapons: long knife, throwing stones, occasionally will use a spear when hunting.

Talents: none beyond sending.

Skills: Making delicate ornaments from flowers; bird calls and bird hunting; spying on humans. Can hide in plain sight, and pass unseen even under the noses of her tribemates.

Likes: Summer, playing with flowers, pretty things, running off to a special spot with a special lovemate.

Dislikes: Allim, serious people, smelly humans, being told what to do.

Personality/history: Fringes was the only cub in the tribe when she was born, and grew up dreamy and a bit spoiled. She could be rather saucy with those who annoyed her, and she was particularly annoyed by those who take life too seriously, like Greywolf and Allim. Though she hunted well, she didn't care for it as much as other Wolfriders. Her ability to imitate birds well made her a good bird hunter, for she could call ducks out of the sky and kill them with a stone, or come at them under the water and grab them by their feet, wringing their necks to kill them instantly. She was an excellent spy for the tribe, stealing up to the human village at any time of the day or night, completely unseen. She took special delight in teasing young humans on their vision quests. She was never without a lovemate, though she only had one at any one time, for in love she gave of herself completely. She Recognized Allim, giving birth to Kestrel soon after. While Recognition was strong, Allim used it in an attempt to control her and influence Kestrel's personality. It is possible that his actions cause Recognition to fade sooner than it might have otherwise, for she Recognized Stone soon afterwards, much sooner than might have been expected. Immediately after Recognizing him, she ran away to tease him, and fell over a cliff, breaking her neck. She died instantly, and Recognition between the two was never fulfilled (The Grandfather Tree, vol 1, # 2).

Outlook on life: She loved being an elf, and loved being in love.

Important thing to remember: She's not a flirt. When she loves, it's with all her heart, but holding her is like trying to hold back the waters of Grey Falls. She's at her best when she's free to do as she pleases. Making demands of her is the surest way to lose her.

Sees self as: The warm breath of summer.

Writing tales

In the past, we published a fanzine, The Grandfather Tree. Alas, holt members have all been busy, including the former editors, and though many holties wondered aloud when the 'zine would be published again, few were able to give sufficient time to make it a reality. So... now we take The Grandfather Tree to the Web. There are a few advantages to this. First, there are no printing and shipping costs. The Grandfather Tree is now free. Second, all stories can be made available to all players at all times, without the expense and hassle of reprints. Third, it's a whole heckuva lot easier.

Stories for the webzine can be from any time period: the Now, the "hidden years" of a time jump, time-before-now tales, or even apocryphal "dreamberry tales." Illustrations can be line art, grayscale, or color. If you do not have a scanner, there are several people in the holt who do. Computer art is fine. JPEG, PICT, or TIFF formats are best to preserve the quality of your art.

Submission procedures for stories (from Karen, your editor)

All of us have different computers, different word processors (resulting in pages of crazy formatting characters for folks who don't use that word processor), and different things our typing teachers taught us about formatting. Standardizing all of that will help me out, so please keep these general guidelines in mind as you prepare your stories.

1. Please put single spaces, not double spaces, between sentences. I know your typing teacher taught you otherwise, and that's because of the ugly standardized spacing that typewriters use (you know, all letters are given the same amount of space no matter how wide or skinny), and double spaces were necessary to distinguish the ends of sentences. With kerning and modern typefaces, that is no longer the case. If you look in most books, you will see that spaces given to letters are proportional, and there is only one space after the period. That's why books look so good.
2. "Smart quotes" are great for printed material, and would look great on a web page, but viewing can be problematic between the various systems and browsers out there. Alas, we'll have to stick with "straight quotes."
3. Use single dashes for hyphens, and double dashes between phrases. Normally, you would use "n" dashes and "m" dashes for these, but such characters are a problem on web pages.
4. Use indents rather than tabs at the beginning of your paragraphs. Typing teachers always told you to use 5 space indents, but today's word processors do this for you.
5. Mark passages that should be in italics with (begin italics) and (end italics). For single italicized words, mark like this: _itallics_. While I have no trouble reading various word processing documents and preserving the format, alas, the format is lost when I paste into HomePage.
6. When submitting, please save your file as .RTF (rich text format) if your word processing program will allow it. I have translators that can convert most word processing documents, but RTF is a reliable format.

RITFL

(Roleplaying in the Falls laughing)

Some parts adapted without permission from the author, AOLname Diamond, whose roleplaying hints were posted in the Online Gaming Forum of AOL in 1992, which, we think, makes them public domain; and with the addition of infinitely helpful hints from Anne of the AOL fantasy forum. Alterations have been made to Amy's original draft of this piece, based on experience and the evolution of Grey Falls roleplaying.

1. Usually there will be a plot established for the evening's session. If you have a plot in mind, contact the "goddesses" ahead of time, who will usually be happy to be relieved of the chore of coming up with plots! However, don't leap in and introduce impromptu elements into a someone else's plot without asking first. The session leader will usually control the non-player characters, such as humans or trolls, so be cautious about IMing -- he or she may be juggling a half-dozen characters at once! Wiser session leaders may assign some of these characters to other players.
2. Whenever possible, we will have a designated guide to fill in latecomers on what is going on. Please use IM's when getting caught up with the night's session in order to allow the RP to continue.
3. Extraneous, off-RP chatter should be kept to a minimum. When you have something to say, put your comments (in parentheses, like this). That way we know that you are speaking as yourself instesd of as your character. While we SAY we want to keep chatter at a minimum, in actuality we often make jokes about the role-play. It's part of the fun. However...
4. The minute the role-playing begins, you are IN CHARACTER. It keeps folk from getting confused, and discourages chat. As soon as the "we are now RPing" signal is given, please end all chatting and allow the stage to be set. If you want to finish a chat, carry on via IM's.
5. Saying Hello, Good Bye or chatting is kept to IMs when in session. You can "cheat" by having your CHARACTER leave or enter, and get greetings THAT way, if you must.
6. If a person does NOT want to play, or is slow to do an action, LEAVE HIM OR HER ALONE!!! We all get hit with the "oh, dear- I CAN'T do that or they'll freak" and when EVERYONE bounces on your tail, you get angry and upset, making the session a torture, rather than fun.
7. ALWAYS remember- this is FUN . . . DON'T get carried away, and DON'T worry if it doesn't go your way- it's a HOBBY, not your whole life. And if your character and another get into an argument, don't take it personally. It's your characters who are fighting, not you.
8. Once you have a character established and part of the holt, please attend as many of the RP's as possible. We realize everyone has time and budget constraints, but please attend at minimum of one session per month. We've had too much trouble with "silent" characters. If you find you have no time for attending chats, consider giving your character up for adoption, or sending your character on a journey until you can return on a regular basis.

The Living Persona

Levels of experience vary in spectacular fashion. Some people have never even played a roleplaying game before. Some have played 15 years or more. A mix like this is a recipe for trouble. Or is it? How do you get the most out of the experience?

1. Prepare a CIS, or familiarize yourself with your "adopted" CIS. In which holt was your persona born? What major events in the history of the tribe has your persona lived through? What are your persona's mannerisms, and why? Does he or she have a violent personality? Was it upbringing? Great! Describe dam and sire, then, too. Remember that we are still in the process of filling in the details of our past (this comment applies to story writing, too); if your elf lived through Kirrah's fire, feel free to make up your own opinion of what that was like -- there's only one vague story concerning that time. Maybe your elf has had a fear of fire ever since.
2. Sound like too much work? Consider that other members will read your CIS and may get plot ideas from your persona image. Does your persona nurse a secret grudge against the line of chiefs? Have a hidden weakness or obsession? Have trouble getting out of the Wolfsong? Believe in fanatical adherence to the Way? The guide can take that germ of an idea and run with it. Fun!! Other people, too, love hearing about your persona's background and will use the information to react to your persona in a realistic way.

"Be" Your Persona

How does one come across in such a medium as a computer service, and still maintain a unique personality? Some of the tricks that established players use to create vibrant, realistic personas

1. Have a general personality in mind. If the personality of your elf is radically different from your own, this can be difficult to remember. It helps to have your CIS at hand for occasional reference. If you're not sure where to even start, then lurk for a while at a roleplaying session and observe the players. Watch for general personality traits, which include both speech and actions. Use that to come up with ideas of your own!
2. Come up with specific mannerisms. Scratching the chin, scowling, chewing on something (jerky? fingernails?), or nervously fingering a weapon are all examples.
3. Personalize your elf's voice. Does your elf have an unbelievable Go-Back accent? Perhaps he mumbles all the time? Does he constantly use one word in place of another, or scramble his sentences so badly that he's nearly impossible to understand? These are all examples of traits that have been used well.
4. Try to be as realistic as you can. Making the persona believable, using the resources you have, is important. By playing the persona "to the hilt" you help the other players to suspend disbelief and play along with you. Thus, the fun is increased for all.
5. Stay in-character during the session. Try to hold out-of-character comments to the other players until after the session. Let the others know if you're away from your keyboard (just type "afk" or "brb" when you go and "bak" when you return). Try to stay the entire session, or let the goddesses know in advance if you won't be there.
6. Still feel uncertain? Is there's one elf in the Pini's world that you like the best? Try, just to get started, patterning your persona on that character ("Hmm--what would Pike say in a situation like this?").

Make it Easier on Your Leader

Here are a few hints for making it easier on the session's leader

1. Running roleplaying online is a challenge. Try to treat your leader with the same consideration you would appreciate. He or she has taken on a difficult task, and considerate players are appreciated above all.
2. It has become accepted practice that the leader's word, in live gaming, is accepted - even if wrong. Try not to argue with him or her until after the session, and then try to be polite about it. Your guide might have missed a fact about life on Abode that you were aware of, and is simply doing the best with what information is at hand. If the mistake needs to be corrected quickly, then send an Instant Message to the guide pointing out the inconsistency. You'd be surprised to see the (grateful) scrambling when errors are pointed out! Most guides try to be at least consistent, but everyone is human.
3. Don't overstep your bounds. If a bear appears, don't have your character kill it before anyone else gets a chance to get a blow in. Since the bear is a non-player character, the session leader decides when and if it dies. Similarly, don't bring in a new threat (in comes the bear's mate!) without getting the session-leader's permission. Many a plot has been spoiled in these ways, so we repeat DO NOT KILL OFF NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS THAT THE SESSION LEADER HAS INTRODUCED UNTIL TOLD YOU TO DO SO!! DO NOT INTRODUCE NEW THREATS WITHOUT THE SESSION LEADER'S APPROVAL!! If you are unsure how far the session leader wants to go, ask!

After the Session

Gather your thoughts. Gather your notes. Then, if you enjoyed the session, tell your fellow holties! If not, let's discuss how we can improve. Email the holt, and if a plot session is necessary we'll call for one.

If You Miss a Session

Logs of all sessions are emailed to the holt soon after the RP. If you miss a session, be sure to read the logs so that you can keep up with what's going on.

Communication Symbols

The only way you have to bring across your elf's style, personality, and mannerisms is a keyboard, screen, and software. To make it easier to differentiate between what a persona says and what the player says, a system of symbols has been adopted.

"..."

This indicates a statement spoken aloud by the character. Usually preceeded by the character's name or an abbreviation of the name.

• NF: "She's dead, Jim."
• BRTH: "Stop calling me Jim."

( ... ) or [ ... ]

Either of these can be used to indicate a statement made by the player.

• (Groannnnn! That was bad.)
• [Is she really dead, or are we just tossing Star Trek jokes?]

##

Commonly used online to indicate singing.

• [##I have thoroughly examined her, and she is most sincerely dead...##]
• Twiglet: ##Bree, dee, the witch is dead!##

* ... *

Used by us holties to indicate an open send, the silent speech of elves. Remember that everyone within a certain range will be able to hear what you send. As with spoken words, preceed this with the initials of your character.

• NF: *Allim sure is a pain in the tailfur, isn't he?*
• A: *Ahem... I heard that.*

 

** ... **

Our notation for a private send. Directed to one or more specific elves; the other players must respect the fact that these are private. If it's really an enormously big secret later to become a nice surprise for everyone else, use an IM, but give us an indication, if you like, that something is going on.

• BRTH: (to Nightfire) **Quiet, he'll get upset.**
  ::Nightfire looks meaningfully back::
• Stone (to Kestrel): **While Nightfire works this out, there's a dreamberry patch I'd like to show you.**
  K (to Stone): **How fascinating. Let's go.**

::... ::

This indicates an action taken by a persona. The use of first or third person is left up to the taste of the player, though we tend to use the latter. Within "send" symbols, these can also indicate sent emotions or images. Formerly we used *<..>* for sent images and *<<...>>* for send emotions, but these were too unwieldy and difficult to remember.

• ::Nightfire stands up, frowns:: or ::standing up, frowning::
• Nightfire looks meaningfully back *::where Allim can stick his head::*
• Allim *::utter contempt::*
• Hilltop: *::pure glee::*

 "<..>"

This is used most often to indicate someone using human speech, to distinguish the language from elfin speech.

• Shrea: "<This is it? The Spirit village? Just some trees and stuff?>"

*######*

This will represent black sending. Only one elf in the holt can black send so don't use this unless you have the ability also (hint black sending is healing turned inside-out).

***you are getting very sleepy***

A mind-bending send. A rare ability, and no one currently in the holt has this.

Painless Instant Messages

Sending a private message ("IM", or Instant Message) online is the equivalent of passing slips of paper as you play.

When hanging out in People Connection, these little gems can fly without worrying about what's going on on the chat text screen -- you can just page up to read what you missed. When in a live game, though, it can mean the difference between a slow game and a fast one.

The larger the game, the heavier the IM volume can potentially get. Many role-playing game masters have adopted a system where the player warns that an IM is about to come through. If the session leader requests it, use "gm, im?" and wait for an okay (such as "g/a" for "go ahead") before IMing. This was very useful with older versions of AOL, when every time an IM comes in, it gobbled up part of what we were typing in the chat window, making it necessary to backtrack and stick in the missing letters. This was unfun.

Usually, though, our RPs are less formal than this. Permission should be asked to IM if the game involves over ten players, when IMs might be flying rapidly. If the person IMed doesn't respond, players can say "(Jen -- IM)" in the chat window to alert the player.

The best use of IMs in our RPs are 1)to send secret messages about what's happening to another player, such as, "Beartooth sees a scrap of woven cloth wedged under the fallen log," which can help an RP run more smoothly and realistically, and 2) to carry out off-topic conversations.

Manners Online

As unimportant as this topic may seem, it has a profound effect. Online conduct can make or break a holt. A few hints:

1. Treat everyone as you would like to be treated. This is the golden rule. If you are rude, expect rudeness back. Even if your persona disagrees with another, there is no reason for the players to be rude in any way towards each other. Likewise, don't use your persona to hurl insults at another holtie in the guise of roleplaying.
2. Understand that game mastering online is many times more difficult than running offline games. It is slower, so the players need to be more patient. The rewards are well worth the effort, though. Telling the session leader to "hurry up" only causes frustration to someone who is doing the best job he or she can.
3. Live gaming online will start out slowly. Be patient, and help keep the action running by jumping into it right away, without a lot of extraneous character chatter.
4. Show up on time. Lots of time is wasted waiting for people to show. Before you know it, everyone is coming late, figuring they might as well since the chats don't start right away.
5. Do try to start RPing right away. There is often lots of chatter as everyone assembles. As soon as all the players are present, do what you can to get the RP started.
6. Please do your best to keep the plot moving. Staying in character is the best way to do this. Answer other characters quickly. Try not to get the plot sidetracked. Don't waste excessive time having your characters argue about what to do next.
7. Try to stick with the planned plot as much as possible. Stopping to discuss the plot points in the middle of the session slows things down and annoys people. You can call for a plotting session if you feel it is needed.
8. You might get drop-ins, on the invitation of other members, who are interested in joining the holt. It's a good idea to be prepared with a short "welcome" that you can send via IM to be polite and to help the newcomer understand what is going on.
9. If you need to ask the guide questions in the middle of a game that can be answered afterwards, then send e-mail -- particularly if there is only one guide. When the guide is distracted, your fellow holties won't know if the guide is answering an Instant Message, away from keyboard, or has been frozen or booted. The fewer distractions, the better it is for all.
10. Make sure you read all the conversations that are going on. Particularly pay attention to anything the session leader posts -- otherwise you may overlook an important cue (::A large snake slithers down the tree towards Beartooth's head::). Session leaders do not like to have to repeat themselves, and may get feisty (::Oh, too bad. Beartooth wasn't paying attention. Snake had him for dinner! ;-) ::) It's easy to get caught up in one running conversation with another character, but in the meantime the game is going on and you are missing all the action.

Helping New Players

"I've never roleplayed before, but what you're doing sounds like fun."

Helping new members fit in is one of the most rewarding experiences of running a holt. How does the guide make it as painless as possible for the newbie?

1. Be patient. Not everyone learns at the same speed. If your explanation isn't understood one way, try another.
2. Be responsive. Try to answer questions quickly.
3. Be thorough. "Because I said so" can be confusing to a new holtie, and logical explanations for your replies help to explain game mechanics as well.
4. Invite newbies to sit in on a session to watch and get an idea as to how they're played. Be prepared to answer questions during the session.
5. Encourage newcomers to voice their plot ideas as soon as they have a character up and running. This helps them feel like they're apart of the action.

Manners for Guides

Treat all newcomers as you would like to have been treated. Remember that even people who have roleplayed for umpteen zillion years have probably learned a very different style than you learned in your own umpteen zillion years of roleplaying on- and offline. Some people may be wondering where the dice are. Some people may be familiar with the Red Dragon Inn's style of freeform role-play and may not understand the procedures of a subtly more structured form. Others have no idea what's going on and will say so.

Have fun. You have a responsibility to yourself, as well as to your fellow holt members.