Getting Into a Cabal: Basic Outlines and Philosophies Regarding This Topic
written by Harry the Hound on June 23, 2003
Overview
1. Your Character
2. Attitude
3. Meeting requirements
4. Application do's and don'ts
5. Waiting for an interview or even a brief notice of your application
6. Handling an interview
7. Passing any sort of test or problem set forth to show your worthiness
8. Handling acceptance or dismissal
1. Your character, of course, is what your ideology is going to be based on,
how your character talks, how he thinks, what his long-term goals are, how
he's going to treat other people depending on their class and/or race, is
all something you need to decide. The best time to figure out your
character's
attitudes, is before you even create him, some of the best cabaled
characters,
were ones that were planned out long in advance of being created. Although
there's been a few gems of outstanding talent from characters just made for
a good time. Is your invoker going to be a fire bug? Is your druid going to
think those sheep there are pretty sexy looking? Is your fire giant going
to be afraid of the dark? Your dwarf afraid of proper hygiene? Characters
flaws are even more important then outstanding character qualities. Sure,
people get props for being great pkers in a cabal, and it goes a long way
into getting in, but if you're not great, or if you want to be remembered
on a long-term scale, then focus on having peculiar character flaws. And
wanting to smash gnomes with your huge stone club isn't a flaw. It's a dumb
generic joke for all the jackasses who think they're roleplaying. Your
ranger or druid raised by animals because his parents were killed? Yawn.
Hoo-hum. That's new....not really. Nor is it a character flaw, more of a
character background. Of course, you could always say your character was
raised by animals, and therefore can't talk. This would be mean you'd
never be able to grouptalk, tell, say, etc etc though. I saw a ranger
who wrote things in the dirt with a stick because he was raised by animals,
and therefore never learned to talk. Only problem there, is how the hell did
he learn how to write then? So try to reason out any interesting traits
ahead of time, because having some weird trait that's mockable isn't going
to get you points for effort. So regardless, unless you're used to the cabal
circuit, and have a steady hand on it, you should think out your potential
cabal characters traits. And make sure those traits aren't in conflict with
your cabals basic guidelines on attitude. A warrior who likes to lie and
lure
people into the cabin in the woods for some blair witch action with his two
dark knight buddies sitting in their invisible, waiting, isn't going to be
Warlord material. And try to remember, originality is best. Don't try doing
something thats been done lately, any version 1.01 of Lucan will be shot on
sight, because Version 1.00 was bad enough. And try not to have some
socially
disturbing trait, because even though a Legionairre is probably pretty sick
and twisted, molesting the dwarven youths in the daycare is going to make
people wonder what sort of repressed childhood memories you're repressing to
want to play that sort of character. And you don't want anyone wondering
about you, do you, you red-headed stepchild?
2. Attitude, not your characters attitude, so much as your own while playing
that character. Staying In Character is a big factor, going out of character
with your group, even for a moment, is bad etiquette, and is going to be
even more potentially damaging, if one of those groupmembers is an alt
of an Imm, or the alt of a character for the cabal you're applying for.
Hell,
even if that's not the case, people post on ar_chat a lot of ooc stuff they
hear in game, and then it's pretty well guaranteed to be seen by someone
who has a say in your application for a cabal. Other things, being pked,
you need to take that in stride, if you swear or curse at the person who
killed you, and call them a f*cking *sshole or what not, and that'll
circulate
back to other people too a lot of the time. Silence is a virtue when you're
mad. And you don't need a perfect pk record to get into a cabal focused on
pk. Hell, if you're in Knights or Legion, it'll be more focused on
gangbanging
anyways, so your current pk record won't make too much of an impression.
Unless
it's truly atrocious, if your pk record is a 1:3 ratio with the 3 as your
deaths
to players compared to your kills, it might have some weight with the cabal
Imms when they're deciding, though even then your chances can still be
alright,
because roleplaying counts for something, usually.
3. Meeting cabal requirements is an obvious must, most cabals have a level
prerequisite, and while this can be overlooked in some cases, it's very
rare,
and done for only the most dedicated players. And you want to get in a cabal
badly right? So why lower your odds? Stick with the program Chief. Well
written description is nice. Run your description through a spell-check,
make sure punctuation is correct, make sure its more based on characters
physical traits, no character histories, no ansi art. This stuff is usually
checked before you get to too high of a level regardless, but if you manage
to slip it by Immortal scrutiny, time to fix it now, because your
description
is bound to be checked when applying to a cabal. And if you're one of those
schmucks who reuse character descriptions, well, having a drow description
for a storm giant ain't going to be too impressive.
4. Application do's and don'ts. This is where a lot of newbies bite the
slim-chance-in-hell of getting in bullet. Not that I'm saying your odds are
slim-chance-in-hell, with my help, they'll be average or better, but so many
people say something stupid in the application that earns them a disqualification
even before the match begins. Don't mention anything OOC, gods, this is caught
a lot of spuds right here. "My brother has had level 50's, and he'll help any
character I get into the cabal, so it's not really just me applying, it's more
like both of us." I saw that once, honest to god. No one gives a damn about
your brother or your cousin or your bestfriends characters, this is about
you. Which doesn't mean you should mention your characters either, that's just as
dumb to do. Proper punctuation, capitalization, sentence structuring, that
makes an application look nice. Description Length? I'd say 15-25 lines is nice,
more is alright, too much more will make most people smash their heads on the
monitor since they're going to have to read all of it if they want to interview you.
So maybe they'll be in a bothered mood and delay the reading of really long
boring applications until the next week. So you might want to avoid this with a
more brief summary. Mind you, I've had 30+ line applications which I've been told
were extremely funny and enjoyable. But there's always one or two exceptions,
so it's best to go with the masses. As for under 15 lines? Well, I'm Frank,
and I'd like to be the next big stone Warlord, isn't impressive. You have to
show you have some possible talent and skill to you, and yeah, this sometimes can
be noticed in your application, to a small extent. When you spell right, and
you
have good grammar, and sentence structures, people tend to think you're
probably
alright with roleplaying, or at least you'll be easily molded. Wood u plz
let
my dude in? Thx. - poor spelling, grammar, or much of anything. Anyone who
reads it will get a good laugh out of it though, before they pass it over
and
forget about it completely. Things to do in applications though? Well, most
require a history, it doesn't have to be extended to the point where you
create
a daily conversation between you and your family everyday for the last 20
years
of your characters life. Specific points which have guided him to the point
where
he is now, and has made him want to be in this cabal for a reason, and so
forth,
is a good idea. I already mentioned in the beginning the my parents were
killed
bit is old and reused til its worn thin, so try to avoid stereotyping. But
at the
same time, sometimes stereotyping works, especially if it fits into your
characters
class and race selection. A Gnome warrior is more likely to have had parents
slaughtered by giants then a Giant is to have had his parents and village
slaughtered
by halflings. Though maybe it'd be funny to have the roles reversed, because
remember
some people are evil because they have the wrong understanding of what is
often
considered a "goodly" race. Maybe something to consider, though if this
essay becomes
popularly used, that might get overdone too. You'll have to mention why you
want
to be in this cabal, try not to be vague in your answer. "I wish to become
powerful!"
Okay. Sounds good. Why though? To do what? How will being in this cabal make
you
powerful? There's nothing wrong with sounding confident either, confidence
is always
good thing to present, especially when you have fair reason to be confident
in your
characters abilities. And make sure the reason for wanting to be in the
cabal fits
with the cabal guidelines. Wanting to be in Legion to convert into into a
missionary,
is probably not going to go over well, and as much as they appreciate humor
and
good roleplaying, that'll probably get a big "Go away." Try to present
character
attitude in the application, and make sure it fits. If your character
stutters, well
he's not going to write his sentences in stutters either, unless he's
epileptic.
Remember, this is a note, it's your words, but not your words being spoken.
Some
people forget that too, and sometimes the Imm or cabal member reading it
won't
realize it either, but sometimes it does get noticed, and if they mention
it, it's
embarassing. But if your character second-guesses himself a lot, try
displaying it
in the application, "What I mean, is, uh, I'd like to be a member of this
proud
cabal....I think, well, I'm not sure if I think, it sort of seems impulsive,
maybe
I should rethink this...no...no...I'm sure I want to be in this cabal."
That'll
get you points. Stuff like that. That covers this section I think.
5. What to do and how to act while waiting for a response to your
application?
Activeness is the most important thing you can do, I can't stress how much
I'd
see some guy apply to a cabal I was either in, or running, and I wanted to
talk
to this guy to give a heads up of how he was to the head Chief. But he was
never
around! When does this guy finally show up? When the Patron Immortal of that
cabal was visible. He was clueless of how often they were around, but just
wizinvis,
and when we got asked of our opinion of that person, well, I quite simply
said
I never saw them around. I'm not sure if that was the pertaining factor, but
that
person never even got squired, which is sad, because they'll squire any
newbie
under the sun if they at least try. So activeness is #1 in importance.
Showing
examples of what makes you good for this cabal is another thing? Applying
for
Warlords? Cream everyone in your range, in duels, and when I say everyone, I
mean
everyone worth dueling, because dueling a gnome might be fun, and an easy
win,
but that's not really showing how good you are. Find some dark-knight three
levels
higher then you, and cream him. Now that's impressive. If you're a Knight or
Legion, well, pk evil-doers/light-walkers like mad. Of course, if you're
sitting
at 35 with 100 pks, and your excuse for the Immortal is "I'm waiting for a
reply
to my application." It might not go over well, so try to keep this within
maintained
limits. Chances are by the time you have 60 or so pks you'll get a response,
hopefully anyways. Assassin applicants? Eh...I'd have to say while killing
people
shows you have skill, roleplay counts for a fair bit, and not dying much at
all
probably counts more then pks. And just a side tip, the best Assassin is the
one
no one thinks twice about, so friendly facades count for a lot, if they
think
you're some cheerful spud, they'll not think of you twice. Then you gut them
like
a fish. Herald applicants should probably focus on roleplaying, activeness,
maybe
have a few sample pieces written up on a notepad file so you can copy and
send
them in a note if you're asked for an example of your materials. Justice,
activeness
is the most important thing, not breaking ethos is obviously an essential
too, you
see those dumbasses who start yelling or sending you angry tells when you
break
the law with a different character, because they're a Justice wannabe, and
they
think berrating people for breaking the law is a good start. Personally, I
think
that's just stupid and pointless, at best someone says "Glad to see you
respect
the law so much." More likely some guy with a Justice alt will say, "What a
dumb
spaz, he's grating my nerves to hell." Mystics Who? Yeah. 'nuff said true
believers.
6. Handling an interview can sometimes make you nervous, but hey, it's just
a game,
so simmer down. First thing to do, is review your application yourself, and
any
points you briefly mentioned, be sure you can go into detailed mention of
them at
a moments notice. My last cabal interview as of the time of this essay was
with
an Imm who asked more questions then most of them do, so I sorta tripped and
fumbled
with the ball for a second. Which is where thinking quick on your feet comes
in handy.
But for those who aren't as fast thinking as others, think out your
application, maybe
even write out the details briefly on a notepad file to alt-tab between
during the
interview, so you can throw out answers steadily, so it sounds like you know
what you're
talking about. And you should know what you're talking about, because your
character
better damn well know who he/she is and what his/her life has been like. If
it's Immortal
giving the interview, and he's wizinvis, don't ask him/her to show
themselves, you
can assume if they're giving you the interview, that it's the Patron
Immortal of that
cabal, and that if it's not, it's probably another Immortal who's doing the
interview
because you're not around at the same time as the Immortal who runs that
cabal. If
it's a mortal leader of the cabal, give them a nice little bow or something
equally
respectful, call them sir, or whatever. Even if you don't like the
character, or your
character plans to eventually kill that leader and take control of that
cabal for yourself,
being polite usually works best, because you won't be mortal leader if you
can't even
get into the cabal. Though maybe you want to be borderline offensive with
your Legionairre,
it really is up to you, but this remember, is a guideline for new players,
so stick
with what you can pull off the easiest. Answer questions promptly, without
hesitance
(Unless your character is hesitant of course), and make them as detailed as
they are
expected to be. You might not get inducted right away, they might say that's
all for
now, or something else, this is fine, sometimes if they're not sure about
you, or want
to test your resolve, they might let you dangle. Stick with your guns, keep
the attitude
up, and cross your fingers, because if you did everything right, they'll
contact you
again eventually.
7. Passing any cabal tests can be nerve wracking too. Beat this dude in a
duel, because
the interviewer has noticed he's always whipped you in the past? Well, try
your best,
don't just throw yourself at the guy and spam trip. Think smart, play smart,
run around,
utilizing essays on pking, lag, and use of the ticks, try to wear him out
and run
him to the ground. Berserkers healer faster then warriors, so if you're
that, run around,
sleep up, drag that warrior slowly but surely down, if you're a warrior,
well, keep
the berserker awake, always dog him, keep him blinded, yadda yadda. This is
how to
get into a cabal, not how to win a pk fight, but don't just give up before
the fight,
show effort, show intuition and insight, and you might get a C+ for effort,
and that's
still a passing grade. Maybe you'll be required to submit that article(which
I mentioned
earlier) to Heralds, to get into the Herald cabal. Well, do so, and
remember, poetry is
fine, but anyone can make a silly poem. Try doing some creative writing
article on
the ongoing feud between Legion and Knights, or something else. Because in
the end,
it's the most creative work that's given props. Justice might require you to
know
the area of what a creature, or a room name is, hopefully you know your
areas, or
have automapped all of them and can do a quick search through the mapped
area and find the
room name and the area it's in, uh, though thats cheating. *Cough* Yeah,
well, life
is full of cheating bastards, and you're just one of many. Legion might
require you
to have mudsex with the Cabal Imm...just kidding. Or am I?.... They'd have
some test
for you too though. Knights, well, being squired and surviving and notching
the old blade
with pks is your test, and its a damn long test usually too. Assassins?
Might give you
a target to eliminate for them to decide if you're good enough. Or they
might just
induct you and let your first few weeks be your test, not sure. Mystics? You
lost me
there, what're those again? Yeah.
8. Handling acceptance or dismissal, well, it's about attitude again. Being let in,
first thing to do is say something appropriate to the interviewer, or interviewers,
you decide what your character would say that would be appropriate. A favorite of mine
was always "Well...YES! Victory will be mine! Bwahaha!" You might want to be a bit more
reserved with "Thank you, I shall serve/perform well, and show that I am worthy of the
honor." or some other dumb line. Eh, don't say, "Alright, cool, so what's everyones
contact information for msn/icq/aim? We're gonna make this cabal gangbang central! Booyah!"
Uh, that'll ruin the efforts of the last however long you spent training the character
and waiting for them to get inducted. Getting refused? Well, if you're evil, something
like "You won't get the chance to live to regret this!" is fitting. Though maybe goods
and neutrals should be more graceful and conserved. "I understand then, good day to you."
But this, "You damn dirty apes! My alts are so going to take your cabal members out,
and you'll rue this day! RUE!" isn't a good idea, nope, not at all. Because the second
you tried to do it with an alt the Imms would be over your ass for doing it for non-rp
reasons. Another thing to remember is, deleting the character once he gets refused is
a big waste of time. It's easier to level them to 50 and take out some of those pent
up frustrations about rejection on the people who gave you the thumbs down. Uh, though
attacking Knights with a good align probably isn't a good idea. But I'd do it with a
neutral or evil! Because it'd be Oh so satisfying. And if your character is trained,
he'll do just as well not in a cabal as he would being in a cabal. And deleting well
trained characters is just a waste of time. Be a man about it. I'd say be a woman
about it, but we all know women take rejection badly, and there answer would be suicide
in this case. So yeah, be a man about it.
I think this covers the basics. Eh, if necessary I'll do a edited version of this
in the future as deemed necessary, if you're still struggling with ideas and what not,
do what you seem to think works best, your first choice is always your best and what
not. Unless you're a dumbass. In which case Why did you even bother reading this?
You're hopelessly screwed no matter how much effort you put into trying. I could
make, train, apply, and get inducted with a character, and then give it over to you,
and the second you logged it in, it'd internally combust and be destroyed, because
you're that bad. But I'm sure this isn't the case.
|
|