START HERE! Welcome Message

[Charles Rex]

Thanks for your interest in joining AoI!

One of the main differences between our game and many other RPGs is that AoI is a moderated game versus a freeform game. As such our application process and the types of characters we accept at your start of the game is much different as well. To make this easier on everyone, we've decided to give you examples of characters we accept and do not accept.

If you want a character with a higher rank, you're going to have to sacrifice a lot of other potential benefits or take big challenges. We don't approve all that many earls, but the ones we do generally have average wealth, no famous family, and no particular court connections. Their big benefit or big boon is their rank. To have more than that, they generally have to have very playable deficits. (example: Charles Audley)

If you want a character from the upper nobility but don't want to sacrifice as many other benefits, contemplate making an heir or a younger son. The mods will decide the actions of the father, guardian, or head of the family (and when/if they die), but you get the prestige of the father's rank if not all that power and independence. (example: Robert Saint-Leger)

If you want a character related an established, historical family (a Howard, a Cavendish, a Hamilton, etc), you will not be able to also take a higher rank, like an earl or even viscount, or have massive wealth. Keep in mind cousin is the closest we now allow. Also, it's hard to pre-arrange how an NPC feels about a PC who we've never written for, so it's easier if you don't know the relative well if at all. If you have really good connections or family or both (since these often go together), you'll probably need a lower rank, certainly not a peer. (male example: Stephen Murray & Francis Kirke - neither of these were a peer or had a court position at their start. Female example: Davina Wellsley)

If you want to be stupid wealthy, you will most likely not be able to have a high rank or fantastic connection. Think baron, baronet, or knight or daughter of one. 

If you want to have a business, especially if you do anything with the actual running of it, prepare to not be a peer or son of one, because the nobility stayed away from much of that sort of thing. Investing was one thing, but actually doing business was for commoners to the old elite. 

When characters start to have too much already going for them, they often do not have stories to tell or development to do, and other players tend to find them boring. In the key areas of rank, wealth, connections/positions , and beauty, we generally pass through characters really high on one with NOTHING ELSE or moderately high on one with beauty or a minor benefit added (although beauty is closed right now, we have too many ). Anything more than that just becomes a bit much. We never, ever allow anyone to take Wealth, Rank/Connections/Position, & Beauty together. 

Please keep in mind nobody can be the best at everything. We look for characters with faults, who have things they are bad at. That gives them things to work on. For the most part all characters are allowed to be average (for their station in life) at all typical activities and better than average (sometimes called skilled) at only a few and these things need to make sense with the narrative of your character sheet. Not every man can be great with swords and guns and horses and hunting and wenching and politics and academics and soldiering and dancing and hawking and tennis! Not every woman can be a beautiful, witty, well-read, singing, playing, horse riding, dancing dynamo with full lips, a large dowry, and awesome dresses. We don't do that kind of thing here, so please do not give us applications like that or attempting to hide permutations of that only to then try to play that way on the board. We also don't accept anachronistic characters, or characters who are too modern and buck established and ingrained traditions and expectations of the era. For example, we will no longer accept characters who do not respect that everyone had a religion - this was a core part of life in this era. We won't accept atheists or modern faiths.

Remember! You can GAIN things in game with clever RP, dedication, and TIME  Most of our current player base had gained significant benefits IC during the course of their play. That is fun, not coming into the game with a bunch of things already.

[Guest Henry Grey]

Greetings,

I write here because I have found no other way to contact Defiance (I *think* someone told me that the email address was not checked often, but that was a long time ago). Is there a possibility for Henry Grey to return to London? Thank you!

[Charles Blount]

It is not up to me but I would think it is very possible as they let me back after several years away. It would be a pleasure to RP with you again.

[Douglas FitzJames]

I too am back after several years away. It would be lovely to have you on the boards again.

[Blackguard]

You can PM me.  Your character is saved and ready for your log in.