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The UNoffical Manual of The SmithCraft Hall
Part I
Craftmaster - Master Tanghos (CM)
Craftsecond - Master Norgan (C2)
Apprentice Master - Master Ethelwyn (AppMast)
On Becoming and Apprentice
When you are admitted to the Hall it will be at the rank of Jr Apprentice, at which time you will be placed on the Hall's knot system. This allows you full player quota, access to the Hall's chat channel, rosters, and bulletin board. There is no actual knot object, and instructions for using the knot commands can be found using +help knots.
Once you are 'knotted', you should set your position, which is used in the +finger command. If you type +finger [name] several pieces of information are displayed, including the gender of the character, the knot system(s) the character is on, the position that person holds on Pern, the email address, if provided, the current location (if known), whether they have unread mail, and the last login. To try it type +finger Ethelwyn and see what is displayed.
To set your position and email field, type the following
&pos me=[your position on Pern, ie Junior Apprentice, etc.]
&email me=[Your email address.] (This field is entirely OPTIONAL.)
You do NOT have to set your email if you don't want to.)
NOTE: Many people have WWW homepages they like to advertise. These can be placed in your &email message if you choose.
The SmithCraft Hall bulletin board is used to keep members of the craft up to date on happenings within the Hall. In order to remind you to read the postings you are highly encouraged to put a command in your @aconnect to notify you when there are new messages. The default @aconnect is +read, which notifies you when you have new mail. You can replace this command by typing
@aconnect me=+read;+bbscan/smi new
Further commands regarding the bulletin board can be found by typing +help bb
With very, very few exceptions all apprentices are posted to the Main Hall. If you're an apprentice in another Hall/Hold/Weyr, you're expected to live in the resident quarters (but no one's going to do bed checks). Apprentices live in the the dorms, which are split by sex, and located in the Apprentice Dorms (off of the Main Meadow). You are welcome to @link yourself to the appropriate dorm room. If you wish you may create yourself a cot.
The following is a step by step guide to creating a cot.
@create 'your name's' Cot
(you will receive a message that your object
has been created with a # for the object. You
may use that # in place of the object name
when coding it.)
@desc [cot]=description of your cot.
@set [cot]=enter_ok
This allows you to actually enter the cot object.
You may ensure that other people don't 'climb into your bed'
by enterlocking it, the command for this is:
@lock/enter [cot]=me
Another useful command for objects you own and don't want
picked up is @lock.
@lock [cot]=me
One command that you will need on your cot is @set [name of cot]=dark
This removed your cot from 'view' when people look at the room, so that we don't have lists and lists of cots in the room's contents. The cot is still there, it is just invisible.
Preferably, you would set the following attributes on your cot: @succ, @osucc, @fail, @ofail, @enter, @oenter, @leave and @oleave. Those are all items required to pass a +check [object]. Use HELP [topic] to learn more about those attributes
There are many, many other commands you can set on your cot. If you're not familiar with the coding process you might find the following help features useful:
help commands help commands2
help [name of command] (such as 'help @create')
For help with commands that begin with a +, such as +finger, use the +help function. +help finger would give you information about the +finger command.
Upon acceptance to the craft, you should notify the CraftMaster, CraftSecond, and/or the Apprentice Master, depending on which one of them accepted you, that you are now part of the Hall. Also, if you'd like to post a short (no more than 8 line) BB saying who you are, where you're from, and all that, please do.
+bbpost/SMI SUBJECT=MESSAGE
or +help bb
If you have a particular subcraft you are interested in (the equivalent of a RL major), you should also mail the Apprentice Master with this interest. However, it is standard practice that an apprentice does not declare a subcraft until they are a Sr. Apprentice. Also, remember that +mail is the easiest way to be in touch with these people. If you are unfamiliar with +mail, +help mail provides a thorough help file.
For more in depth discussion of the Subcrafts, see the subcraft listing.
Architecture
IC -- The study of architecture, designing and building of rooms etc.
OOC -- This is mostly RP and descing.
Chemistry
IC -- The makers of agenothree (HNO3), fireworks, dyes, stains, and paints.
OOC -- A bit of RP and coding, depending on what you have to make.
Glasscraft
IC -- The making of glass.
OOC -- RP, a bit of coding, and a LOT of descing.
Machinework
IC -- The building of machines (note, '+info letter' has something about Perns technology and WHY it's the way it is.)
OOC -- Much of the same, a lot of Coding, some RP, a bit of descing.
Material Science
IC -- Math and Physics, basically.
OOC -- Mostly RP, unless you want to code an on-line quadratic equation solver, or desc some proof...
Metalwork
IC -- Working with metal, from rings to klah pots.
OOC -- Basically RP and descing. Coding is VERY optional.
Weaponry (WARNING, This subcraft may be abolished)
IC -- A Subcraft of the MetalWork Subcraft, Weaponry is an art in itself.
OOC -- Mostly descing and RP. Coding, again, optional.
One of the most freqently asked questions is, "Okay, now that I'm a Smith, what do I DO next?"
First and foremost, delight in your time as an apprentice. Many people in many crafts would probably tell you that their apprenticeships were the most 'enjoyable and fun' part of being a Smith. Some go so far as to refuse promotion beyond the apprentice level (like Tepper, our etternal NPC Sr. Apprentice). Remember, being a J'man/Master means a more OOC work, and in some cases, a lot less RP. Rank isn't everything.
You should work on developing your character "as a Smith". What would your character be doing during this time in the Hall? Lessons, chores, more lessons, the occasional prank perhaps, more chores, interacting with the other apprentices and staff of the Hall, deciding on a subcraft, more lessons, IC meetings, attending public events, of course, a few more lessons...as you see, apprentices are constantly striving to learn their craft.
Since you will be learning, it's important that you do NOT play your character at their peak level. You won't be crafting the perfect flamethrower your first try, nor have all the elements memorized in a sevenday. You'll be expected to make mistakes, in fact, if you don't, people will be unimpressed with the 'believability' of your character.
Most apprentices would never leave the Hall, at least not on any long term basis, restricting themselves to the general vicinity. ICly then, you wouldn't be far from the Hall at any given time unless accompanying a journeyperson or a Master, or running an errand. Given the nature of the game, how spread out geographically people might be at any one time, you are NOT restricted to the Hall's confines. If you do travel, please think up an IC excuse for being in the area, running errands for Masters or such is always good. If in doubt, ask. Keep in mind that the world of Pern is HUGE, and that hopping a travel wagon from Fort to Benden wouldn't be a matter of just a few hours riding time.
Unless you have a history which includes actually having been established in another Hold/Hall/Weyr, you wouldn't have 'living quarters' any where else. Upon joining the Hall most people move in with everything they own, and stay there until they leave, either leaving the Craft, or being posted. The life of an apprentice isn't a cushy one. You'd have very little in the way of belongings, your clothes would tend to be very modest and of inexpensive, sturdy materials, your ornaments wouldn't contain precious metals or jewels, and you wouldn't have a lot of 'pets', INCLUDING firelizards, one or two would probably be the most an apprentice would have. This isn't to say there can't be exceptions, but it might be a good idea to check with others in the Hall regarding any out of the ordinary resources or talents you might want to display.
The Hall is only as vibrant and interesting as the players make it. If you are constantly off in some other locale, then it becomes more difficult for people within the Hall to interact with you. Invite your friends to visit you, show them around, climb up the water wheel, have a picnic, visit the lower meadow. Promote the Hall as a hub of RP, and it will be just that. Leaving because it is 'boring', and waiting for things to happen pretty much condemns it to stay that way.
Projects are required as part of the Craft, and many people enjoy working on them, from learning coding to descing a glass bowl, from writing scrolls of chemistry to taking part in planning a cross craft gather. If you're at a loss for things to do, ask your fellow Smiths. ICly, you might be scared to death of bothering the "Masters" in such a way, OOCly the key to getting over this is to remember that offline, a j'man or Master's knot and 20 cents will get you a phone call. If people aren't able to help you at the moment, don't take it as an indication they aren't interested, it might be that they are doing other things that preclude them from helping at that time.
Attending IC events is HIGHLY encouraged, especially if you are interested in promotions of any sort. If the Masters don't know you, don't see you around, and aren't aware of what you're doing, we really don't have any basis for promotion decisions. In the past IC events have ranged from attending Gathers outside of the Hall, Cross-craft gathers held in the Hall, Hall Dinners and meetings, and lessons prepared by the various Masters. Some of the meetings, while held in an IC manner, tend to deal with OOC events. If at all possible, try to attend these meetings. Policy decisions, news of changes in the Hall structure, promotions, etc., all take place at these meetings.
There is nothing more discouraging for those putting together lessons and classes than to take a large amount of time to prepare something and then have no one attend. This has happened so often during the past that many of the Masters are reluctant to even attempt such classes now. If these are the kinds of IC activities you'd like to see, then be sure to make that known to the various Masters, and then follow through.
All players on Pern encouraged to familiarize themselves with the information contained in the Infobot files. +info to get started reading this. Please pay special attention to the sections dealing with rping, characters, theme, and also the new addition on policy. All players are required to abide by the policy guidelines in the +info files.
In addition, there will (hopefully) be several files on the infobot pertaining to Smith Hall specifically. These will serve two purposes, to provide more information to the Mush community as a whole, and to provide quick referencing when necessary. We just sorta need someone to write that up...
When anyone first comes to Pern they often don't know a lot about role playing, and make every mistake possible for a new person to make. Don't hesitate to ask your fellow smiths for advice on character background, RPing in general, what is and isn't appropriate, etc.
End of Part I.
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Part IIb
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Email: smithcraft@usa.net
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