Role-Playing Points (RPP)

The purpose of this guide is to outline how the Staff of Shadows of Isildur (SOI) will be awarding Role Play Points (RPP) and what you as a Player need to know in order to earn and use RPP.

RPP will be awarded during a monthly review session where members of the RPA staff will review the last month's active Players to see who has fulfilled the requirements to earn their next RPP. This will ensure that all Players who are actively playing will be brought up and discussed for consideration and that the decisions will be made as a group to prevent any one personal bias from swaying an RPP award.

Below are the general guidelines of what Staff will be looking at as requirements for certain RPP awards, in general the first and all subsequent RPP awards will only be considered after 30 days have passed from Character creation or the last reward. This time requirement will be reviewed monthly during the RPP reward discussion.

1. The first RPP will be awarded to a Player who is able to demonstrate the ability to understand the basic game commands, and in doing so is effectively able to play their Character. This includes being able to navigate the game world and manipulate objects as well being able to use say and emote to engage with other Players in roleplay.

2. The second RPP will be awarded to a Player who consistently and effectively engages in roleplay with other Characters. This is to say, a Player who is becoming a part of the Story, stepping into the focus of other Players and partaking in interesting and engaging roleplay

3. The third RPP will be awarded to a Player who has begun to step up and create roleplay opportunities around them. This includes engaging other Players with your own story, whether through helping to guide and engage newer Players, playing roles in Admin driven plots as well as Player started ones, and just bringing more to the game than your Character's presence.

4. The fourth RPP and all subsequent RPP awards will be awarded for going above and beyond the aforementioned criteria. It will be awarded to Players who show consistent interaction in the game and story of SOI as well as help foster a positive community inside and outside of the game for all Players.

In addition to the positive behaviors and actions we'll be looking at in our Players in order to reward RPP, there are also a number of activities that will prevent the gaining of RPP.

1. The sharing and utilizing of Out of Character information to influence your In Character actions will be grounds for a RPP to not be awarded. We understand that Discord and other platforms are great tools to help facilitate and encourage in game interactions via setting play times and letting others know of your availability. These types of communications are fine, what is not okay is sharing of information to another Player that in turn affects how their Character reacts in the game without them having an in game reason or motivation too. Sharing with your friends the exciting adventure or plot point you just took part in is completely understandable, but just be advised that if Staff feels that your Character is utilizing information that you gained outside the game, RPP will not be rewarded until we notice a change in this behavior.

2. Shadows of Isildur is a game, and as such we are all here to enjoy ourselves and have some fun, any Player found to be contributing or engaging in actions that create conflict or discord among our player base will not be considered for RPP until such actions stop. In our game there are plenty of scenarios in which conflict can arise between Players, such In Character actions as being mean, upset, to killing another Character are not what we are talking about here. You can kill each others Characters but be civil and friendly Out of Character. We are directly referring to an OOC harassment or bullying that is brought to our attention.

RPP will be usable during character creation to unlock and purchase various bonus and boosts to your newly created PC. We will not be allowing the spending of RPP outside of character creation and precommence, the intention of the RPP you will be earning is to encourage you to immerse yourself in your current Character and allow you more flexibility in future concepts.

Below is the list of things you will be able to do with RPP.

1. 1 RPP will unlock 30 skill points

2. 1 RPP will unlock 6 crafts in a chosen craftset

3. 2 RPP will increase a stat by 1 point up to 18 (limit of 2)

RPP also unlocks a few additional options during Character Creation such as unlocking additional races or skills.

1. 3 RPP will unlock the Medicine Skill

2. 3 RPP will unlock Dwarves, Rohirrim, and Daleman as race options

3. 5 RPP will unlock Gondorain as a race option

4. 6 RPP will unlock Dunadan, Silvan Elf, and Spider as race options

RPP are awarded based upon the merits listed above and with the understanding that the Player receiving them is in good standing with SOI and acting as a positive member of our community. Should a Player resort to actions at any time that break the trust previously built and resulting in their being awarded RPP, said RPP can be revoked at the discretion of the Staff. We do not take such an action lightly, and it is not our desire or aim to have to remove RPP from anyone. Before any RPP are removed a warning will be issued to the Player in question and then additional Staff members will be brought into the situation to insure everyone is being treating in accordance with these guidelines.

Some examples of what would result in a loss of RPP would be.

1. The exploitation of bugs within the game

2. . Harassment of other members of the community through OOC means

3. Harassment of other Players in game (This does not include being confrontational with other Players, but continuing to engage a Player in a manner they have expressed they are uncomfortable with or repeatedly provoking a Player in a manner that is not supported ICly are some examples as well as an unwarranted Pks)

Again we understand that these can be touchy subjects, but it is our desire that everyone be able to find enjoyment in SOI, if a Player expresses they are uncomfortable please be understanding. This is not put in place to discourage PvP or even the killing of other Players, needless PK's that serve no purpose to the story are what we are talking about here, not a group of Orcs catching a hunter outside the walls and killing them. Our game covers difficult topics at time and Players are bound to be frustrated upon losing Characters, you will not be docked your RPP for killing another Player and potentially causing them to be upset, you or they would be potentially docked RPP for taking to Discord to complain, accuse, or cause conflict with another Player over said death. We are asking that you place your trust in us as Staff to be able to see when something is part of life within SOI and when it has gone beyond that and is being done with malicious intent.

The purpose of the RPP system is to encourage and reward excellence in our Players, it is our desire to see those who are putting in the time and adding to the story of SOI feel confident that their efforts are seen and fairly rewarded.

If you have any questions regarding our Policy on RPP or any thing else feel free to contact a member of our Staff either through Hobbitmail or Discord and we will gladly speak with you.