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guide:creating_a_character

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Creating a Character

This guide will help you create a character to play in the Star Army setting. It is focused on making a character page on the wiki for your character and getting that wiki page approved as part of the site's canon. Note that characters do not have to be on the wiki to appear in Open Roleplaying Forum threads, but for elsewhere in Star Army RP, they do.

General Instructions

We recommend you start with the Character Template form open in a separate tab or window and fill it in as you go through the Character Creation Guide. The form automatically adds all the wiki code so you don't have to figure out the formatting syntax. Once you have the formatted code, you can paste it into a wiki page. Creating a page in the character: namespace will also cause a blank character template to automatically appear, so you can also use that method and in fill the details if you prefer.

Consider Mentor Assistance

While not required, it will help you to go into the site's chatroom and get an existing member to help you make your character and find an RP thread to join. It also helps you build a relationships with other community members. A faction manager or game master from your chosen faction can be a great resource to help you make your character because they're experts on Star Army lore.

Choose Your Faction

Check out the nations of the Star Army universe and find one that suits your character concept. In SARP, most of the playable factions try to avoid actual wars with other playable factions. Joining a faction is not required. If you want to blaze your own trail, see the Guide to Independent Characters. It's also possible to make your own faction (covered in Guide to Factions).

Major factions: Characters in the military in one of the major factions (eg star_army_of_yamatai or military) are usually easiest to play because they get the most resources and plots to be in (after all, it is a military themed RP).

Minor factions: There's also great variety of lovingly-crafted smaller factions in the SARP that are desperate for players. To experience Star Army better, consider making a second character in a different faction than the first and perhaps some of the less-common species a try. For smaller factions, it's a good idea to contact their faction manager for guidance. Note that SARP has been running for a long time, so factions' managers may have disappeared. If there is no obvious active person running a faction, you can get help with it from the site admin (Wes) instead.

Searching for Plots

Try to figure out what plot you're aiming for and build a character that fits. Before you make your character, if possible, do a little background reading on the role-play and get an idea of which plot you want to join. A plot in this case refers to an ongoing role playing group. In the Star Army RP, these are often on starships. Since a plot has an existing GM, story, and characters, there will be people and characters immediately available to interact with. You can find ongoing roleplay plots using the List of Active Plots.

Tip: You don't have to join an existing RP. You can also make your own roleplay threads; just remember, it's up to you to find players for those!

Mistakes Are Okay

Our goal is to help you get into the RP quickly and smoothly. Our wiki is very deep. Don't drown in it by getting overwhelmed by obscure details. Much of the background and history presented in this wiki is not strictly necessary for creating a character. Just focus on making a character you like. It's okay to submit an imperfect biography; if adjustments are needed, other members will help you tweak your character to fit the setting during the character's review. The best way to avoid mistakes is to get another member to help. Make friends!

General Guides

These are general guides. Please use the species-specific guides instead if possible.

Character Templates

Specific Guides

These are creation guides written specifically for given races.

Main Species

:-D Recommended for new players because these races have a wide playerbase and a variety of plots to choose from

Creation Guide Species Faction Description
Nekovalkyrja Create a Nekovalkyrja Nekovalkyrja:
NH-33

Star Army of Yamatai
(Yamatai Star Empire)
Exclusive to Yamatai's military, the Nekovalkyrja (pronounced Nay-ko-wul-ku-ree) are an all-female race of bio-engineered cat-eared warriors that make up the bulk of the Star Army of Yamatai.
Song Weizhi Create a Yamataian Yamataian:
NH-31

Yamatai Star Empire
Another artificial race (and cousins to the Nekovalkyrja), Yamataians make up most of the civilian populace but are also common in Yamatai's military.
Nepleslian Create a Nepleslian Nepleslian,
ID-SOL,
Jiyuuian,
Geshrin

Star Military (Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia)
Nepleslians are mostly human, but might have mutant, alien, or ID-SOL DNA mixed in, as well as cybernetics. Mostly male, Nepleslians are known for their love of guns, alcohol, and pretty much vice in general.

Most species also have the option of joining origin_industries or being independent.

Alternate Species

We suggest joining one of these smaller factions for your second character.

Creation Guide Species Faction Description
NeshatenShuraken Laibe Create a Neshaten Shukaren
Myleke

kingdom_of_neshaten
After a terrible Civil War nearly causes their race to become extinct, the Neshaten have spent the past seven hundred years rebuilding their civilization, and are ready to see what is out there in the universe… knowing full well that races, both allies and foes, await them.
Gartagen Create a Gartagen gartagens Gartagen Union
government
The Gartagens are a proud tribal/warrior race from the uncharted regions of the sector.
Hetzer Johannes Thalberg Abwehrans Abwehrans abwehran_flag2.jpg
abwehran_star_empire
A humanoid, heavy-gravity species with a long history of warfare. Males have four arms. :!: Note: Currently under revision, red links maybe found. :!:
Elysian Create an Elysian Elysian

Elysians may now join the Star Army of Yamatai or Nepleslian military
Winged and cultured, Elysians live within Yamatai and its neighbors.
Iromakuanhe Create an Iromakuanhe people
iromakuanhe_astral_commonwealth
The people are a race of humanoids with advanced biotechnology who join their bodies to living machines, including great organic starships and the powerful VANDR biomecha. Newcomers to the galactic scene, they find themselves splintered and fractious compared to the great empires of the Core Systems. Created by Exhack.
Freespacer freespacers freespacers freestate.jpg
the_free_state or
Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia
A race of nomadic space people.
Additional Minor Species

Create Your Character's Wiki Page

Add your bio to the wiki. If you're not sure how, see the steps below:

  1. Go the Character Directory, follow the link to your faction, and then click “Edit this page” and add a link to your your character.
  2. Save the page and then click the (red) link you just made. It'll take you to a page that says “This page hasn't been created.”
  3. Click “Create This Page” and insert your character biography code you made using the Character Template.
  4. Make any final adjustments needed and then save your Wiki bio.

See also: Submitting Your Character.

Submitting Your Character

In order to keep Star Army's setting original, consistent, and high-quality, we ask that new characters, setting elements, and technologies are submitted and approved before they appear in canon roleplay. Over 90% of characters submitted are approved, and most within a day or two.

How to submit: Go to the Submit New characters and create a topic containing a link to the bio page you just created.

Who Can Approve My Character?

  • Player characters are approved by their plot GM (if for a plot)*.
  • Player characters not aimed as a specific plot are approved by the Character Forum Moderators.
  • Non-player characters are approved by their respective faction manager.

Other types of characters are approved by the Setting Manager (Wes).

* Some character forum moderators are authorized to approve characters on behalf of GMs and FMs and all players are allowed to give suggestions and advice to fellow players. You are not required to follow any particular piece of advice but ignoring the suggestions of the approval staff may result in the character being rejected.

Review and Approval

We encourage you to also send your own private message to the plot GM introducing yourself and/or post in your intended plot's OOC thread to alert the plot GM that your character is awaiting approval for the plot.

If there are no problems, approval will usually be quick and painless. If there are issues with your biography, the game master will do his best to help you adjust it so that it makes sense or fits in the role-play. The most common sources of problems are overpowered, glorious histories and skills, story continuity issues (things that wouldn't make sense, like joining the Star Army before it was founded), and lack of detail.

NOTE: If you update/edit your bio, post a reply to its thread so the reviewers will know to look at it again!

Your plot's game master or a character forum moderator will post comments and/or approval of your character in the forum thread you posted. The topic will then be moved to the Approved Character Biographies forum (so if your character thread seems missing, check there!). The character forum moderator who approved your character should send a private message to you and to the GM of the plot you listed as your first preference.

In the unlikely event your character is approved but cannot be accepted (For example, if a plot becomes full or closed), the plot's GM (or if he is not available, the Faction Manager or Setting Manager) will post a notice in the approved character thread and then contact your second choice plot GM on your behalf.

After Approval

Once you're accepted into the plot, edit the plot's page so your character is on their crew roster (or ask your GM to). Start roleplaying as soon as the plot allows. Talk to your GM in the OOC thread if you're unsure.

If your character is in the military, you will also get an orders thread in the appropriate communications forum. It will tell your character where to go and serves as a record of his/her military service including transfers, awards, and promotions.

You are responsible for keeping your character page up-to-date. Keep track of changes your character's history, skills, inventory, and finances (including pay) and edit your character article accordingly.


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guide/creating_a_character.1407986366.txt.gz · Last modified: 2023/12/20 15:48 (external edit)