Welcome to RfC (+news welcome)

Welcome, brave soul, to the vast city-state of Tolkeen. Set in the post-apocalyptic hell, known as our possible future, Rise From Chaos chronicles the struggles of a kingdom, populated by humans and otherwise, to survive and prosper against overwhelming odds. Although RIFTs, the Role-Playing Game upon which RfC's theme is based, is highly combat and power oriented in its source material and fan base, Rise from Chaos MUSH is about building relationships while exploring a fantasy life in a science fiction setting. Tolkeen is a frontier kingdom, a haven for those who would be persecuted elsewhere for differences beyond their control. The city-state is itself one link in a short chain of alliances, of which the driving goal is to stand firm against the many enemies at the doorstep: the mighty Coalition (a human supremacist, military organization); predatory dimensional beings (only a comparative few D-Bee races are benevolent or even civilized); powerful supernatural entities whose thoughts and purposes are too alien (or gruesome) to imagine; and ultimately, humanity's personal demons, living amongst and within - ignorance, power-lust, and vice.

The PCs of Rise from Chaos live in a dangerous, oftimes mysterious world. Tolkeen's own mysteries, her origin and the key to her survival, are yet to be discovered. Should you choose to take part, your impact upon this enduring quest will enrich the story today, and the story still untold.

Tolkeen has a rich, intriguing history, with details to be found in +news History and +news Timeline. To summarize, towards the end of the post-apocalyptic Dark Ages, the city was founded in the attempt to provide a relatively safe, unprejudiced dwelling place for those whose differences set them apart from the rest of humanity. The infamous Siege of Tolkeen has passed, although her struggle against The Coalition States has not. New intrigues have taken the forefront, dealing with the local and internal conflicts in the kingdom. This is where you will come in.

Take your time to familiarize yourself with the setting, through such writings as +news Theme, +news Glossary and especially +news RPG, if you are new to the setting. Even if you are not, you will find that there are various significant differences between the Palladium system and our site.. +news Philosophy will help explain these things and more.

We the Staff, are willing to assist you in any way that we can, so don't be shy about contacting us, either through @mail (help @mail), or by paging one of us if you see us online (+staff and page =). Remember that a whole stack of information is available through the +news, +help, and help files, and even the online bulletin board (+help bb).

Thank you for your interest in Rise From Chaos MUSH. Enjoy your stay.

This +news file can be found on its own page:

+news RPG - What is RIFTs about?

This +news file can be found on its own page:

+news Theme - Prevailing themes of RfC.

This +news file is located within the Tolkeen City-State page:

+news History - A basic history of the region.

The players and staff of Rifts: Rise from Chaos face a dilemma, and that is the successful integration of the RIFTs theme and game system into a roleplay-intensive MUSH. The world of RIFTs is a fascinating concept, with a richness of possibilities and vast scopes of power. By that same token, it is difficult to translate many aspects from their original table-top use, to a text-driven format where character development and portrayal are of more importance than combat and the pursuit of ultimate power. That, as well as the difficulties in coding an automated character generation system for RIFTs, may be why there are only a handful of Rifts MUSH on the internet, of which we are the first .

It is discouraging, but expected, to find many new players interested in obtaining gloriously-buffed OCCs from the myriad of new books that Palladium puts out. A disappointing truth is that RIFTs inspires the 'power and combat' gland in gamers, and online, that often translates to 'twink' in prospective Players. Not everyone, certainly, but a significant enough number so as to be noticeable to the Approvals admin of RfC. This is not what this MUSH is about, and we try to reflect that in what we do and do not allow from the OCC power spectrum.

Aside from having a love for quality character roleplay, it is expected that all who come here conduct themselves in a civil and good-natured OOC manner. This is arguably of the utmost importance on this MUSH, moreso than gobs of MU*ing experience or skill. In such a vast, anonymous (for the most part), and accessible forum as the internet, it is awesome to see as many considerate and friendly individuals as there are, on this site alone. Be kind and respectful, and in turn these same gifts will be extended to you. That is the real key to success here, and that is why bad attitudes, poor social skills, and meanheartedness will NOT be tolerated here.

This does not mean Players are expected to 'suck up' to admin, behave extra snuggly-fluffy, or conduct themselves with royal decorum. It doesn't even mean that bad hair days will never occur for any one of us here. It does mean that Players and Staff alike are expected to make the effort to get along, contribute constructively to the MUSH, and be supportive of each other.

One other point to stress about attitude on Rifts: Rise From Chaos MUSH, is that Player initiative and creativity is not only valued, but expected. Currently, we are composed of a deliberately small admin roster and a relatively low base of Players (recent survey finds 25 approved, 6 average online during evenings), which means teamwork is required to generate role-playing enjoyment and further MUSH growth. As Staff, it is our responsibility to maintain the site, keep order through authority on rulings, and enhance the Player experience here through expedient, efficient aid when requested. Oftentimes we also provide tiny plots of the 'campaign' and 'one day stint' variety, and for these, the onus is on us to notify Players and generate interest. In turn we expect you, as Players, to actively initiate your own fun through seeking each other out on the map for spontaneous slice-of-life RP, reacting accordingly to current events as presented by Staff and Players, and involving others in your character's ongoing personal plot. In this ideal way, we can work together in creating a constant flow of enjoyment among a small community of good role-players.

In this sense, Players new on the MUSHing scene become valuable for their fresh outlook and enthusiasm, and the RfC community benefits. Veteran players of this MUSH and others are also welcome and integral to RfC, bringing in their perspective, experience and refined role-playing skill. What will NOT go over well here, is the jaded Player or the complacent Player, who sits back and waits for the MUSH to impress them, who expects others to do all the work entertaining them. They will invariably be disappointed through their own apathy. The Staff of RfC do what they can in service of the MUSH, but need the support and participation of its Players for a truly cohesive MUSH experience.

Lastly... Always keep abreast of the current bulletin board postings as well as our +news files, and +help. More often than not, you will find the answers you seek in those three areas. We ask that you look in those areas first before asking a staffer. It's not that we don't want you to ask us for help or if you have questions, but the online files (ie. +news, +help, the bboards) were put there for YOUR benefit. If you are paging us with questions that have already been covered elsewhere, it takes our time away from helping other players like yourself to give you the answer. So please, don't be upset if you ask a staffer a question and they quip off some enigmatic and cryptic response like "+help bb". Sure, they could tell you, but better that you learn for yourself.

Of course, these resources, especially the bulletin board, serve another important function: They tell you what's been happening, or is currently happening on RfC! We cannot, and will not, be expected to jump on and dance for each player who claims that nothing is happening in the game. When an IC Event is splashed on the board, that means the possibility for action and RP scenes is yours, if you only reach out and show that you're interested. Use page and @mail to suggest or declare the ways in which your character is involving him/herself. You'd be surprised at how much that motivates a storyteller!

And there you have it for the RfC MUSH mindset and priorities: high standards for creativity, behavior, attitude, and responsibility.

Cool enough? :)

We now return you to your regularly scheduled news file reading.

This file will list the long-term goals towards which Rise From Chaos MUSH is working. Besides being a place for mature role-players and story-tellers to gather to their mutual benefits, the site is an ever-developing project of efficiency, creativity, and vision. There's no telling whether or when these goals will be met, but we are certainly progressing in that direction.

1) Major System Overhaul - Over the years, the Staff have noted, and begun to loathe, numerous aspects of the Palladium system which can be considered inconsistent, irrational, underdeveloped, and/or unbalanced. Centauri and Antares are currently researching ways to bend or transform the current rules, to accommodate, with minimal angst:
* A new way of looking at, and building, characters. In general, we are talking about a revamping of the class templates, a removal of the Related/Secondary skill separations, and the introduction of a point-based CharGen. Characters can be shaped and not 'rolled', and advance in a completely individualized manner. (70% accomplished)
* A new method of combat resolution that is compatible with Hand to Hand and Weapon Proficiency skills. (25% accomplished)
* An updated and trimmed Skills List, featuring a new way of rating proficiency, and a Learned/Advanced classification. (90% accomplished)

2) Expanded Web Projects - The RfC Website is an ever-ongoing project managed by Centauri, sometimes coming along at a rather plodding pace. Players are encouraged to send in their original artwork, original RfC-related writings, RP logs, personal webpage links, and other similar contributions, to RfChaos@hotmail.com. Also part of the long-term vision:
* The completed Skyrunner Mission series, a made-for-TV documentary based on the tinyplot role-play of several RfC players, by Player Walter and Centauri. (70% accomplished)

3) A self-perpetuating MUSH environment where the function of Staff becomes a background effort, and players organize and direct their own play. By this time, the above goals would be completed or well underway, and there would be enough content and automation in the game, for this to be possible. Centauri envisions the future posts of official Player Storytellers from amongst the players, who will take turns running the day-to-day plotlines of the game. There are several good motivations behind this goal:
* In future times, the current Wizzen of RfC will very likely need to turn their time and attention to other projects, both in virtuality and real life. And as much as we appreciate our players, there is just no time to waste on those who can't, or won't, help themselves!
* Centauri has committed to keeping Rise From Chaos open for the continued enjoyment and sanity of all players who support and contribute to the site, past, present, and future.
* The staff roster is small, and new staff hiring is a very rare occurrence. Fact is, we do not hire - we invite, after spending a -lot- of time interacting with, and observing, a -player- of the MUSH.
* Lastly, there is no way in heck that RfC will ever be relinquished to new head management, or owners. It -is- just a game, but at the same time, it represents thousands of hours of care and effort. That fact is to be respected.

That concludes the Staff List of Goals at this time. Thanks for reading!

RIFTs Terms:

Easy reference of both RIFTs and MUSHing terms for new players. Note that these are game mechanics, not to be used as words in an IC context.
OCC: Occupational Character Class, a basic identity template for characters.
RCC: Racial Character Class, most non-humans have notable differences.
SDC: Structural Damage Capacity, the toughness of a person or object, how much regular damage one can withstand before total destruction. Most characters also have a Hit Point rating.
MDC: Mega Damage Capacity, an exceptionally damage-resistant rating due to high-technology or supernatural make. It takes especially high amounts of damage (mega damage) to break down this kind of toughness.
HP: Hit Points, the life-force rating of an SDC character. The loss of HP is life-threatening damage with 0 meaning death.
ISP: Inner Strength Points, a psychic energy present in beings with the potential for psionic activity.
PPE: Potential Paranormal Energy, a mystical energy present to some degree in all living things on Rifts Earth. Mages nurture, store, and tap this energy to fuel their magic.

The following terms can be used in roleplay:
LEY-LINES: Straight paths of magic energy bleeding up from the ground in a large emanation, invisible by day but glowing blue at night. See +news leylines
RIFT: A dimensional anomaly that usually occurs along a leyline or at the point where a nexus is created. It opens a portal connecting to another place, time, and/or plane of existence.
NEXUS: Refering to leylines, it is the point at which two or more lines cross through one another. Considered great sources of magical energy.
D-BEE: Slang for Dimensional Being. It is a general term for all beings that are not of earth (ie. not human or earth animal).
CS: Short for Coalition States - an large, organized, imperial, military dictatorship whose credo is human supremacy through the oppression and genocide of D-Bees.

MUSHing terms:

RP: Roleplay, taking on the identity and actions of a character and maintaining their make-believe environment through creative acting (posing).
IC: In Character, one's status when RPing - their actions and words must be based on what the character would do, not the player behind them.
OOC: Out Of Character, identifying your own personal comments.
PC: Player Character, as opposed to Non-Player Character (NPC). NPCs are basically the supporting cast for the main characters, the PCs. They can be bystanders, antagonists, or sidekicks just like a PC, but are played to enhance RP of the PCs.
IDLE: The act of sitting online without inputting any commands.
EMOTICONS: Small ASCII pictures developed online to accent one's remark with a corresponding emotion, further clarifying intent and meaning. The most popular examples are the 'smiley' :) - the 'frown' :( - the 'joking wink' ;) - the 'tongue' :P - and the 'puzzled' :/ - Emoticons should not be used to clarify IC behavior. A detailed pose is required.
ACRONYMS: Several short-hand terms are used often here to communicate an OOC expression quickly. Most prominently - AFK (away from keyboard), BRB (be right back), BBL (be back later), BBS (be back soon), LOL (laughs out loud), ROFL (rolls on floor laughing), j/k (just kidding), IMO (in my opinion), and IIRC (if I recall correctly).

The Rise from Chaos MUSH Website is located at http://rfc.mushpark.com. It includes the basic +news files for easy viewing by new players, and also provides links to our players' homepages as well as an art gallery of original pieces by our so-inclined community. An artistically-rendered map for the City of Tolkeen, a Ley Line placement map, as well as a kingdom geographical map are featured there for RP reference. We've also got Character Rosters, RP logs, bulletin board archives, and humorous tidbits taken from everyday events on site.

Our future goals include: Hall of Fame tributes, a weekly comic strip, and a new user interface. Meanwhile, listen to the pretty music. :) Contributions of RP scenes are welcome at RfChaos@hotmail.com, and will garner either bonus experience points, or Perks Points to those involved. Character pictures for use in the online roster, and related writings, will also be posted on request by the individual player.

Links to personal homepages are welcome (@mail the URL to Centauri), but we request that a link be created back to the RfC website, on your end as well. Artistic works submitted for posting to our Gallery must adhere to the following requirements:

1. The piece must be the original work of the contributing artist
2. The piece must be related to RfC MUSH in some way.
3. The size of each image should not exceed 100KB if at all possible.
4. If the image depicts another player's character, permission must have been gained from said player to create and display the piece.
5. The piece must display a certain level of quality (ie. no stick figures or unidentifiable works) and discretion in matters of erotica or violence (ie. no pornographic material or gratuitous gore).

The bulk of this +news section can be located on the Character Generation page.

What follows is a simple list of adjectives that one may use to pinpoint the faults in one's character, and use as a very basic guideline for predicting how a new PC will behave in less than ideal conditions, and situations that bring out the worst in him/her. For Application purposes, these traits are just a starting point - use your own phrasings if necessary. If appropriate, they will be added to these lists. Positive traits can be found in +news positive.

Negative Social/Emotional Traits
Antagonistic, Bad-tempered, Boorish, Bureaucratic, Childish, Cold, Contrary, Curmudgeonly, Egocentric, Excitable, Humorless, Ill-mannered, Insensitive, Intolerant, Jaded, Long-winded, Meddlesome, Nervous, Pandering, Pessimistic, Poorly-spoken, Selfish, Sexist, Sinful, Suspicious, Withdrawn

Negative Mental/Psychological Traits
Disturbed, Listless, Manic, Phobic, Scatterbrained, Slow-witted, Unstable, Weak-willed

Negative Physical Traits
Ill, Indolent, Puny, Unattractive, Unkempt

Negative Dramatic Traits
Cursed, Targeted

What follows is a simple list of adjectives that one may use to describe one's character, and use as a very basic guideline for predicting how a new PC will behave in any given situation. For Application purposes, these traits are just a starting point - use your own phrasings if necessary. If appropriate, they will be added to these lists. Negative traits can be found in +news negative.

Positive Social/Emotional Traits
Agreeable, Attentive, Chivalrous, Confident, Courteous, Cultured, Diplomatic, Eager, Generous, Humorous, Mature, Mild-mannered, Optimistic, Outgoing, Passionate, Spontaneous, Stoic, Sympathetic, Tolerant, Trusting, Virtuous, Well-Spoken, Youthful

Positive Mental/Psychological Traits
Alert, Creative, Focused, Imaginative, Intelligent, Sensible, Stoic, Strong-willed, Wise

Positive Physical Traits
Active, Attractive, Healthy, Neat, Robust, Sexy, Skilled, Talented

Positive Dramatic Traits
Favored, Lucky

The bulk of this +news section can be located on the City State of Tolkeen page.

The calendar used by the city-state and many allied kingdoms has a similar format to the Real Life calendar except for the names of the days and months. '+help time' will give additional details. Listed below are notable IC dates to aid in role-play: