Step One: Creating a Character

  • First, log into Harper's Tale MOO! HT is located at moo.harpers-tale.com port 7007, and is accessible with any MOO-capable client. For PC users, MUSHclient and PotatoMu are a popular choices. For Mac users, the most common MOO client is Atlantis, though PotatoMu works as well. You will want to initially connect to the game via a 'guest' character. Type 'connect guest' to do so.
  • Next, type @request. This will allow you to request a character, with the password sent to the email of your choice.
  • Once you've logged on with your new character for the first time, you'll find yourself in the Birthplace. This room makes you audible to any Guide who is currently on and able to assist: you can see who the Guides are by types guides, or by looking at WHO and finding the names with a % besides them.
  • Follow the instructions in the Birthplace, using quickstart to set the necessary requirements for approval: a character's age, gender, physical description and clothing description. It is also possible to do all these things manually: age may be set using @setage me to #T #M #D, physical description may be set with @desc me as Description, and clothing may be set with @wearing me is Clothing description. During the transition period between HT 1.0 and 2.0, it will be necessary to manually @setage me to #T #M #D, even if you set their age during quickstart.
  • If you've never written a character description for a MOO before, you may want to ask advice from the Guides, who will be happy to give you some pointers! In general, a good physical description will aim to cover basic details like character height, build, coloring, hairstyle and notable features, and may also include details like voice, posture, etc. Note that it is considered very poor form to 'powerpose' in one's description: don't do things like describe your character as "the most beautiful girl you've ever seen", or "you are intimidated by this young man's looming presence".
  • Once everything is set, it's time to get approved by a Guide! Typing guides will show you if any are on. If someone is available, all you need to do is say I'm ready for approval! Please be patient; Guides are players too, and aren't always immediately available to handle your requests!
  • All approved and ready to go? Then it's time to find a home! HT has two areas you can choose from: Igen and Southern. You'll want to speak to a member of their respective staffs about the policies and procedures for joining their area.

Step Two: Joining the Wiki

Now that you have your character, it's time to join the wiki so that you can create your character page, and claim a PB, and all of that! To join the wiki, make sure that you first have an account on wikidot.com. Once you've created and logged into your wikidot account, go to the HT main page (http://harpers-tale.wikidot.com/) and on the right side of the page, beneath all of the right-side navigation, there will be a 'Join' button. It's grey and kind of faintly colored, but it's just beneath the 'weekly update' text box!

Once you've submitted your application, approval comes pretty quickly! Now, you're ready to create pages!

Step Three: Picking a "Played By"

Now that you have your wikidot account, you've joined the site, and you've created your character in-game, it's time to pick a played by! What is a played by? Usually, it is the image of an actor (TV, Movies, US actor or someone from abroad) or a model that best "represents" the way their character is visualized in their mind.

Click Here to Pick your Played By!

Step Four: Creating a Character Page

Once you've made your character and have an area picked out, what you need is a character page! Use the text field below to generate your character page. Simply type your character's name in and click "new character"!

Step Five: Uploading a Default Icon

You have a Character Page, a Character, a Played By and now all that's left is uploading a Default Icon! This icon must be 100x100 (standard LJ-sized icon) and must be named name_default.jpg, where name is your character's name or your character's dragon's name.

Examples:

  • bob_default.jpg (standard name)
  • b-ob_default.jpg (elided name [dragonriders])
  • bobth_default.jpg (dragon name)

Click Here to Upload Your Default Icon!