Character Guides

Shadow Accord has a team of Character Guides to help players develop characters that fit into the setting. Every new character by new and old players needs to go through character guiding.

Becoming an Active Character

A new character is not considered official until that character has been played at an event. A character can be played on the Roleplay Forums once they have been approved by the Character Guides, but the character does not have access to any powers or abilities on a Character Sheet until they've gone through the Check-In process.

Sometimes players will have smaller troupe gatherings. Examples of a troupe gathering would be a Ratkin revel, Corax parliament, or Clergymen meeting. Please note that characters are approved so that they can become active participants in the main Shadow Accord Weekend events that happen six times a year. The forums and between game events are optional supplements only.

The Character Guide Experience - What To Expect

So, what is it like to go through the Character Guide process? The goal of this post is to demystify being “CGed” so that everyone can have a great, useful experience, and not feel nervous or concerned before they send the CGs an email. If there are further questions you have that would make a good addition to this post, please ask!

Is the Character Guide process some kind of test?

Absolutely not! CGs are NOT here to tell you that you are wrong, that your ideas aren’t any good, to quiz you, or give you any other kind of negative or pressured feedback. What we WILL do is help you ensure your character fits in with our game.

CGs aren’t here to tell you “No” (unless your concept violates Character Guide Policies). We’ll ask you things like “Have you thought of…?” or “Were you aware that…?”, and ask about situations your character may find themselves in that you may or may not have considered. We try to approach these conversations with no preconceived notion of your experience or knowledge level. This is meant to be fair and equal treatment, from the newest player to the most veteran.

What do the Character Guides want me to send them?

Anything! There is no particular format, number of words, or other criteria for your submission. Of course, it helps things progress more quickly the more you have written out for us to discuss with you, but you don’t have to have an essay or exhaustive outline before you talk to us. Personally, I find it easiest to write a bullet-point style list of major events in my character’s life to start with, followed by more descriptive story-like writing, but any communication will do.

What information must I include in my submission?

CGs want to help you know your chosen faction well enough to play within World of Darkness Dark Ages canon, within our time period (800 years prior to the current date), and specifically at Shadow Accord. Refer to the Creating a New Character for guidelines on the information Character Guides will ask for.

You may choose to provide as little information as you would like in order to preserve some mystery about your character, however CGs will need you to demonstrate that you know your faction and the time period in order to ensure that everyone is playing the same game. CGs follow a very strict non-metagaming policy and will never share your character information with anyone IG or OOG; the only possible exception is if they require help from another CG to assist you.

What will the Character Guides do with my submission?

We’ll read it to see what faction you plan to play, then flag your submission for the appropriate Character Guide who specializes in that faction. That faction CG will read over what you have given us, and begin a conversation with you about your character. Here is your chance to talk about your character as much as you'd like!

Usually the guiding process takes the form of an email conversation where we first read what you have given us, then reply with questions or suggestions for you, and ask you where you feel you may need help. This may go back and forth a few times before all questions are answered, and we might suggest other resources to assist you, such as websites or books or this Wiki.

The questions and suggestions a CG may pose to you are not criticism or judgement, they are meant to help you craft a deep, setting-appropriate character. Ideally we would like to help you think ahead so that you can stay in character at event rather than having to pause and consider (or make up on the fly) what your character would do. Obviously we can't cover every scenario - our game is an exercise in improvisational theater, after all - but having a solid grasp of your character's outlook, attitudes, and experiences makes immersion easier.

How long will it take to get my character approved?

Unfortunately there is no hard and fast turn-around time, but of course the sooner you get us your information, the better! Speed will depend on several factors on both sides of the conversation, such as how much information you share with us, how frequently we are able to reply to you (and you to us), and whether or not you are playing a character that needs extra vetting, such as a restricted character type or higher-ranking/older character. Each CG will have a different style, but will do their best to get back to you in a timely fashion.

Please note that the last week before event becomes particularly busy as people turn in last-minute characters. CGs may not be able to have a full conversation with you in that time, but it is still a good idea to send in at least a summary of what you intend to play so that we may better serve you when you arrive at event.

How do I know when my character is approved?

Your Character Guide will tell you in your email conversation when your character is approved for play. Congratulations! Time to bring your character to life! Before you enter game for the first time with your brand new and approved character, make sure to see the CGs to get their verification (a signature or our stamp) on your character sheet before you check in. There will be a CG or two on hand at all times while Check-In is open.

What will Character Guides do with my character concept after it is approved?

Your submission, including all conversation had with your Character Guide about it, will be marked as approved in our email system and archived. It will never be shared with any other staff team or player except as necessary by official staff investigation (which as of writing this, has never happened). Honestly, the email will likely never be opened again - CGs do not make a hobby of re-reading old character histories, and rarely deal with any character history outside of their faction specialization.