Your Character: You

Xanodria is a “Live Action” system, meaning that every action that a player wishes their character to perform must be acted out in some fashion. You may perform any action you wish your character to attempt, so long as it is reasonably safe to you and fellow players and does not damage property or the environment. Nothing will prohibit you from trying to pick a lock during a game. No one will tell you that you are not allowed to carry a sword because your character doesn’t know how to use it. How well you fight, run, climb, dodge, shoot arrows, sneak, lie, think, fast talk, intimidate, break codes, pick locks, solve puzzles, and anything else that you can think of, Xanodria either allows or will simulate. The only measure of how good you are in game is how good you are in real life! There are no levels, no experience points, and no needless restrictions.

So if I’m playing a doctor I cut people open? That doesn’t sound safe…

It’s not… which is why we don’t allow it. There are many actions that would be commonplace in a Medieval-based fantasy world that cannot be actually done. For example, we cannot allow our players to fight with real swords. Instead, the swords are foam padded PVC pipes (see our Combat or Weapon Construction page for more info). Likewise, players who are portraying Physiks (our term for doctors) cannot be allowed to actually stitch up other players whose characters have been wounded. We can, however, simulate stitches by using red watercolor paint applied with a thin brush.

If you call for a Physik, an in-game Physik will come to tend to your in-game simulated wounds. If there is a real world emergency, call out as loud as you can Game Stop by yelling, ”GAME STOP!… MEDIC!” One of our Safety crew will come out, assess the situation, and get you a real medic to provide you the attention you need. Any time you call “Medic” it will be assumed that there is a real world emergency.

How Simulated Skills Work

Simulated skills, like the combat and the Physiks described above, follow a few, simple principles:

1. They are reasonably safe to players and the environment.
2. They simulate the actual skill in some major way.
3. The more you use the simulated skill, the better you will become at it.
4. It teaches you something “real” about the skill simulated.

That’s a tall order! Some examples please?

Sure! For example, our Medieval Fantasy Blacksmith’s purpose in the game is to repair metallic armor that has taken “damage” during a fight. Metal armor can withstand a number of hits before it is counted as useless: therefore, repairing such damage can be important between fights! The Blacksmith simulates repair by adding 20 links to a “ten sheet” of real, metal chain mail. This is done in the following fashion:

1. Making chain mail is very safe, and harms nothing.
2. Blacksmiths of old actually made chain mail as part of their duties.
3. Experienced mail-makers are much faster than beginners.
4. When you’ve done enough repairs, you’ve just made yourself a chain shirt!

Other skills work in similar ways. The list of skills we have a simulation for is below. Things like weaving, scouting, or tracking are defined as skilled actions. Anyone can attempt a skilled action, but if there is no physical in-game way for them to attempt it, such as a carpentry skill to rebuild the burnt down front steps of the inn, their success will be dependent on the writers’ discretion.

What skills are available in game?

    Physik (medical practices/surgery)

    Alchemy

    Tanning (leather working)

    Blacksmithing

    Appraisal (gem weight/color etc)

There are two other simulated skills, however they are treated differently than the above list. Each has it’s own page for more complete explanations of them.

    Combat

    Magic

There is a difference in the world of Xanodria between skills, professions, and abilities. Aside from natural abilities such as walking, talking, and chewing, you may find that certain players can do amazing things. These abilities are granted by specific entities, come with their own rules and regulations, and are frequently magical in nature. For instance, a brand new player walking into game would not be allowed to block a weapon with their bare hands, but someone who has undergone in-game training and passed the test allowing him to use “Guardian open-hand defense” would be able to (see the Combat page). Possibly the most prevalent example of an ability is Mana awareness, which usually leads to use of the magic skill (see the Magic page).

What about professions?

The opposite side of the coin from skills and abilities are the professions and affiliations. A profession is something that a character does for a living and may make use of a skill, but they are more a way to define oneself rather than a limiting factor or techniques unto themselves. A profession is more like a character class, but a player does not have to choose one in order to play. Affiliations are simply the in-game organizations to which a character belongs. Some of them are exclusive and some are not. Examples of professions in XPI are: Thief, Physik, Soldier, Mage, Scholar, or Priest. Examples of organizations to be affiliated with are: the Physik’s Guild, the Alchemy Guild, The Defenders, The Shadow Guardians, or any of the mage orders. While there are a set number of skills and abilities, new organizations spring up from time to time and players are even free to start their own.