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SimpleMU: http://simplemu.onlineroleplay.com
MUSHClient: http://www.mushclient.com
Savitar: http://www.heynow.com/savitar

Creating a Character

First, connect to the MUSH. Then, when you reach the connection screen, type create X Y where X is your character's name and Y is your character's account password. Don't worry: If you decide that the name needs to change later, while in game type @name me=X where X is the new name for the character.

After creating your character, you'll find yourself in the OtherSpace character setup area. This provides your introduction to the game and its systems. Please read the room descriptions and follow the directions provided. Some rooms have objects in them that provide further information. You can type look X where X is the name of the object you're trying to look at in the room.

Early in the process, you'll be informed about the various races that are open for applications. Be advised that it might be more beneficial for a totally new OtherSpace player to consider one of our special offer humans. Every month, we add a new possibility for human characters that are pulled through time-space rifts from Earth and dropped on Comorro Station. Taking this option means you don't need to know all the evolving lore of the game to get started.

Once you've finished the introduction, all you have to do is step onto the grid and you'll find yourself aboard Comorro Station - our central roleplaying hub. It is not necessary to submit a biography to begin playing your character. However, if you do not submit a biography, your character cannot receive Roleplaying Points to spend on improving your +sheet and, if you drop out of RP mode, you cannot return to the grid until the bio is submitted and approved.

Biographies must at least be 250 words long. They are submitted using our +str system (+str/help). NOTE: Approval of a biography means you're eligible to receive the usual outlay of RPP so that you can begin the +sheet development process. However, it is not necessarily absolute approval of the concept. Staffers are human and they make mistakes. So, when someone submits a biography that says their Tupai has ubertelekinetic powers and a staffer approves it without recognizing how wrong that detail might be, it does not mean that the Tupai gets to be ubertelekinetic. Staffers may ask for changes after approval to prevent clashes with established lore or direct conflicts with how the skill system functions.

We try to respond to biography submissions with 48 hours after they are received.

Setting Up Your +Sheet

Most new characters receive 2,000-2,500 Roleplaying Points to spend on skills after approval.

This may not be enough to get all that you think your character ought to have right off the bat, but it should provide a good start. Don't worry: If you're active, you'll have opportunities to earn plenty of RPP down the road.

Type +sinfo for the main menu of the FUDGE-based skill system. Type +skills to see the various categories. Type +skills X where X is the chosen category to see the list of skills under that category. Type +sinfo X where X is the chosen skill to see information about what a skill does, what prerequisites it might have, and how much it will cost to raise it.

If you type +sheet you'll see your basic attribute and skill setup, along with any Gifts, Faults, or Quirks that are native to the race you're playing. Want to spend some RPP improving core attributes? Use the +raise X to Y command, where X is the attribute name and Y is the quality level: Terrible, Poor, Mediocre, Fair, Good, Great, Superb, and Legendary. NOTE: Only one skill can be raised to Legendary and that's with the aid of a staffer. If you raise a character's skill to Superb and have a natural +1 bonus on that skill, it counts effectively as a Legendary.

For purposes of context, Fair is middle-of-the-road competency. In a refereed situation, Mediocre counts as a success. It is possible to get lucky with rolls even if you haven't trained much at all in a skill. Also, you're allowed to purchase Action Cards to give boosts to your skills during refereed scenes.

Note that if you need a skill as a prerequisite for another skill and you have it at as a default at the level that is required you will still need to use +raise <skill> to <level> to have it show up on your sheet before the system will count you as having the proper prerequisite.

Want to request other Gifts, Faults, or Quirks? Check out +sinfo list X where X is either Gifts, Faults, or Quirks to get a list of those available. Type +sinfo X where X is the chosen Gift/Fault/Quirk you want to learn more about. Make a request using the +str system, but be advised that not all GFQs are valid for every race or character concept.

Earning Money

Hekayti Credits are the currency of the realm, as it were. You'll need these to purchase gear, pay a crew, buy a home, or build a starship.

If you're an inhabitant aboard Comorro Station and have practical skills that might be of use to others aboard, you may join the Career System Organization. Post an +str indicating the skill that you want your income to be based on. Also, indicate whether you've got a home or a starship. If you qualify, you'll be joined to the CSO. Each week, you can then type +org/paycheck and draw income that's determined by skill level and property ownership.

Money can also be earned through the trade system in HSpace or by crafting goods that are sold to other players or to NPC vendors.

Earning Roleplaying Points

After you receive that initial outlay of points for submitting your biography, you can still earn RP Points over time to flesh out your +sheet.

Every Friday, the RPPaycheck System cycles, issuing points based on your activity during the week.
Once a month, we cycle the RP Notables system. Players who +vote for each other earn more points.
Randomly, we'll distribute confetti RPP when people are online.
When new characters get approved for the grid, we usually distribute RPP to everyone online at the time.
When a new article is posted in the +news system, we distribute RPP to everyone online at the time.
When we receive a contribution toward marketing and server costs, we distribute RPP to everyone online at the time.

Earning Roleplaying Belts

Largely optional, Roleplaying Belts provide a source of achievement for participants on OtherSpace.

Similar in premise to martial arts belts, our Roleplaying Belts are an attempt to measure a player's creative expertise with their character and the stories they tell for fellow players, along with gauging and rewarding behind-the-scenes contributions to the game (building rooms, writing character journals, and promoting our games across the Internet, for example).

We have seven levels of expertise. If you only expect to have one character during your Jointhesaga.com experience, you never need to test for a belt. However, you must achieve at least a Blue Belt (second level) to qualify for normal alternate characters. To apply for a player-portrayed world, you must earn no less than a Crimson Belt (fifth level).

Normally, players may test for only one belt each week. You may put multiple characters through the testing process simultaneously. Belt achievements are progressive. You may qualify for a Golden Belt right now, but you must take the time and test for each belt in turn, starting with the Green.

Tests are conducted via email. Information on each test can be found at the following links:

Once you've passed the belt test, you'll be notified via email, your character will receive a badge in-game, and your achievement will be announced on our Facebook Fan Page.

Exceptions to the one-belt-per-week rule are based on monetary contributions toward our marketing and server costs:

Saga Supporter: 2 belts per week
Saga Patron: 3 belts per week
Saga Benefactor: 4 belts per week
Saga Legend: Complete belt process in one day if qualified

Earning Badges

Badges are OOC (Out of Character) achievements worth JTS Faction Points. They're not required under most circumstances although some, such as the Roleplaying Belts, are necessary if you want to apply for alternate characters or earn special benefits.

We've got more than 400 badges at last count. They tend to fall under the following categories:

To access the system in-game and see the available badges, type +listbadges. You can type +sheet/badges to see which badges you've currently collected. Type +sheet/badges X (where X is another character's name) to see their badges. Type +hasbadge X (where X is the number of a specific badge) to see which players have earned that badge.

Earning Medals

Medals are IC (In Character) achievements worth Reputation Points - effectively, they determine your clout and celebrity in Hiverspace. These are awarded to characters based on special activities and major RP events. However, it's also possible for players to submit their own ideas for medals that they can have rewarded to their peers.

To access the system in-game and see the available medals, type +listmedals. You can type +sheet/medals to see which medals you've earned. Type sheet/medals X (where X is another character's name) to see their medals. Type +hasmedal X (where X is the number of a specific medal) to see which players have earned that medal.

Earning Saga Points

Used to acquire special items, these points are earned passively through the Saga Point Paycheck system (coming in April 2010) or through contributions toward marketing and server costs via PayPal to jointhesaga@gmail.com. ($1 U.S. per 100 Saga Points.)

Using Action Cards

Earn at least 50 JTS Faction Points and you gain access to the Player Reward Services shop in the OOC area. Here, you'll find vendors that sell special cards in exchange for Roleplaying Points (RPP).

Action Cards are used to enhance your character's stats and skills during refereed activities. For example, your character might be faced with jumping a wide chasm, but you haven't invested a lot of points in Athletics. Worried you might die? You can improve your chances with an Action Card, reducing or eliminating negative modifiers depending on the tier of the card you've purchased.

Action Cards are available in three tiers: 1, 2, and 3. Tier 1 cards generally grant a +3 to eligible taskrolls and are the most expensive to purchase. Tier 2 cards generally grant a +2 to eligible taskrolls. Tier 3 cards generally grant a +1 to eligible taskrolls and are the cheapest to purchase.

You're allowed to use as many as 10 Action Cards during a single refereed session.

Using Event Cards

Earn at least 50 JTS Faction Points and you gain access to the Player Reward Services shop in the OOC area. Here, you'll find vendors that sell special cards in exchange for Roleplaying Points (RPP).

Event Cards give you the power to create your own adventures with the aid of our game staffers. For example, you might want to lead your crew on a bounty hunt mission to capture an NPC for cash. You'd purchase a Bounty Hunt card, post a +str identifying the staffer you want to run the event, and then arrangements are made to run the event. Before the event begins, you hand the card over to the staffer.

Activities sparked by single Event Cards are intended to normally run during a single session, but may spawn prolonged storylines. It is possible to play multiple Event Cards to create more of a challenge for the staffer (and the participants), but we recommend caution as mixing and matching cards can yield unexpected, unintended, and (sometimes) unpleasant results. You're almost always better off limiting events to one card a time.

As of 10/15/2009, the new pre-requisite thresholds for playing Event Cards are: 50 JTS Faction Points to call on a staffer for a single Event Card, 200 JTS Faction Points for two Event Cards, and 750 JTS Faction Points for three Event Cards.

On Winning the Game

If you're looking for a game to win, this isn't it.

OtherSpace is a shared, evolving multiplayer epic space opera where success might be gauged by the number of years your character sticks around, the number of times they've seen an archenemy come back from the dead, the many logs of major events where they show up, and how many universes they've called home.

Everybody who plays wins as long as the story keeps plugging along.

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