New Player Guide

Greetings and welcome to Shadowlack! If at any point you feel lost or confused about Shadowlack, just remember that we’re here to help you! We realize that there is a lot of information on this site to learn and that it may seem intimidating at first. Feel free to take things slow and ask any questions that you may have so that we may further improve both your experience, and the game for other potential players.

What is Play by Post Roleplaying?

Play by Post (PbP) roleplaying is just one of many methods of online roleplaying. Play by Post roleplaying is traditionally done using a forum or a bulletin board as the main medium of game-play. Players will create threads with their character, and then other players will reply to that thread with responses from the perspectives of their characters. In essence, it is a collaborative story writing endeavour.

The Planet Ramath-lehi

Shadowlack is an original fictional world setting (geofiction) that revolves around the planet Ramath-lehi. Through the regular course of game-play, players are encouraged to help build and expand upon the world alongside developing their original characters.

Ramath-lehi is a magical and fantastical world. It runs directly alongside an invisible spirit world called Fronima. Fronima is the primary source of all magic on Ramath-lehi. Nearly all of Ramath-lehi's advanced technology uses Fronima (known as "magicka" when being used as a power source) to some extent. Fronima is also where the souls of Ramathians go when they die, as well as the place that some inhabitants  visit during their dreams when the barrier between the two dimensions is at its thinnest.

The most dominant beings on the planet Ramath-lehi are a race called the Pendragons. While the Ramathians are capable of faster-than-light travel, they prefer sticking to their own solar system where the link to Fronima is the strongest. As a result, trade between neighboring alien races and travel is limited.

How to Join Shadowlack

1. Read Shadowlack’s Basic Guides. They contain a lot of information that is essential to participating in our game – like the Rules & Regulations!
2. Register a new account.
3. Create a new thread in Hatchling Central to introduce yourself. If this is your first Play by Post game, you may also want to browse the World (roleplay boards) to see some roleplaying in action. Now is a great time to ask any questions that you may have.
4. Pass your first New Game Plus Quiz in order to gain character creation and roleplaying privileges for your account.
5. Read the Character Creation guide, pick your race, and create your first Ramathian character.
6. Start roleplaying!

Register an Account!

Your First Roleplay Post

You’ve created a character - now what? Well, it’s time for you to start writing as that character. The first thing you should do is make sure that you are familiar with Shadowlack’s Roleplaying Etiquette. It’ll save you some potential headaches. As for getting started, there are several recommended approaches that you may take:

• Look for an open thread that as marked as “AW” (All Welcome). Anyone may join threads like these (provided that they are not heavily underway). If you're not sure if you're allowed to join, simply PM the thread creator and ask.
• Start your own “AW” thread in a World area of your choosing.
• Post in the Game-Related board and see if anyone would like to start off a thread with you and your character.
• Saw someone else’s character that catches your eye?  Ask them if they’d like to do a thread with your character via Private Message. They might even have suggestions or ideas to help you get started.

The key to enjoying yourself at Shadowlack is to be proactive. If you get involved in the game, make friends - or even invite your friends to join - you're going to have a much more entertaining experience. We'd love you to not only become a member, but become a part of our strong community.

Building Our World

Shadowlack is an entirely player-built world. As an active player at Shadowlack, you're invited to help build and expand upon our unique universe setting. Do you see some key piece missing? A gap in an otherwise great write up? Is there something that you think other players would enjoy? A new creature or plant? We want to hear your suggestions. The wiki is a great place to put your initial ideas and suggestions.

Visit the Wiki

Basic Game-play Lingo

• Thread. Used to refer to a roleplay topic on a board.
• Out of Character (OOC). Used to by you, the player, to indicate that you are making a note or comment that may not pertain to the actual roleplaying that is occurring in the thread. OOC notes should be kept to a minimum on Shadowlack since we have many alternate methods of communication.
• Back In Character (BIC/IC). Often used after an Out of Character note to indicate that you are now back in character.
• Private (P). Used to indicate a private thread where only people who have been personally invited may post.
• All Welcome (AW). Used to indicate an “Open” thread in which anyone may join and start posting.
• RaL. A popular abbreviation used to refer to the planet Ramath-lehi.
• Ramathian. An inhabitant of the planet Ramath-lehi.
• Non-Player Character (NPC). All of the characters played by yourself or others are called “Player Characters.” On Shadowlack, NPC is a blanket term to refer to all characters that do not have a registered character profiles in the database.
• 'Dragon. Slang for Pendragon.
• Thill. An adult female Pendragon.
• Arden. An adult male Pendragon.
• Hatchling. A newly hatched Pendragon. Often also used to refer to new players on Shadowlack.

For a more extensive list of terms and phrases that are exclusive to the world of Shadowlack, please consult the Lexicon.