Editorials

This week in RoleCraft, Jim Moreno looks at ways for roleplayers to deal with the Fairer Tongue of Elvish.

I had a chat with the king of Aquilonia this month, and while I was impressed by King Conan's hospitality, I was left wondering, "WWCD?" What Would Conan Do?

"You take your blade in one hand and your balls in the other, by Crom, and you cut them down, one by one, and if Crom wills it you will have their heads on a pike like a Stygian shish!"

This month, it's a satirical look at life on an open PvP server and raiding a beast on command of the king!

Jonathan Steinhauer continues his application of the writings of Carl Clausewitz to MMOGs, this time looking at what happens when victory is yours.

This time on RoleCraft, Jim Moreno wants to hear from you roleplayers out there.

Jonathan Steinhauer continues his application of the writings of Clausewitz to gaming, this time examining what happens when you have to turn and run.

After spending 30 days in Hyboria, I decided it was time to check-in with myself and reflect on what has been so far:

"Personally, I've not been left disappointed by what I have experienced in the game so far... I wonder what the next 30 days are going to teach me."

In this edition of Mitra's Method, I take the time to stop and smell the roses.

In this installment of RoleCraft, Jim Moreno looks at an interesting idea from WoW RP Realms: Full Immersion Roleplaying (FIRP).

Jonathan Steinhauer continues his study of Clausewitz and examines the art of the kill.

Just in case you may not be aware, RoleCraft isn't the only place where you can find roleplaying related info on the interwebs. Of course you know that, and I'm only joking. During the course of my day, I am given and locating sites which are directly related to or merely referencing some aspect of roleplaying, and I consider it part of my duty to help keep you, my fellow roleplayers, informed as much as possible.

Since we are dealing with computer-generated cyber worlds that are more than likely not our own creations, there are certainly roadblocks and speed bumps in these games that challenge roleplayers to improvise and adapt. These game mechanics come with the nature of the beast, and many are very necessary to the operation of the games, and are often so obvious as to threaten to pull a roleplayer out of character. While they may not be pleasant to experience during roleplay, their effect in-game can be at least lessened through the lens of imaginative roleplaying.

Last week, Jordan Deam traveled 4,000 miles to party with Vikings, eat a $27 sandwich and check out Funcom's Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures.

It's here!

Yes, and after a minor delay (newborn-aggro), I am now pleased to bring to you all the answers to the questions you submitted to me over the week-and-a-half. Here's a sneak-peek:

4. What level do spell-casters get Spellweaving and how difficult is it to control it?
As far as I know, spell-casters are able to Spellweave from the very early levels, but you'd have a very limited array of spells at your disposal at that stage. Spellweaving is not difficult to control, but as a player you'd need to be careful not to push things too far, as a Spellweave that goes wrong can bear negative consequences on your character. These penalties vary. I would recommend experimenting first, just to see how far you can push your spell-caster and to get a feel for the various bonuses and penalties that can arise as a result of a successful or failed Spellweaving attempt.

Jump inside to see all the answers!

As game worlds become more and more advanced, they also grow larger and larger. The by-product of this improvement is the long distances that must be traveled between locations. For some reason, with this increase in world size, there is not a corresponding improvement in traveling systems. Indeed, there seems to be almost a perverse joy in sending players on quests that involve running back and forth between two distant points with no other objective but carrying a bickering message between a pair of NPCs.

Mitra's Method is giving you the opportunity to ask your questions about Age of Conan!

"The NDA has been lifted for press members, so if there is anything you desire to be answered, then be sure to submit a question!"

'Read More' to find out how to submit your question, and the steps you need to take to do so.

Jim Moreno tackles the difficult task of roleplaying a merchant in this edition of RoleCraft: "Even roleplayers are known to struggle with this cookie cutter gameplay, and with keeping their characters from looking and acting just like every other character in game. What to do? One sure way to avoid the pitfalls of routine is to realize that there are many other classes in game besides adventurer. It's time to become a professional roleplayer!"