Guidelines and (eventually) a FAQ

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Okay, so now you're looking at the paximperialis wiki, and maybe you're interested in being involved in this bit of craziness. Hence, We've got this page of handy guidelines on how one can be involved and a number of issues related thereto. Hence, a set of questions and answers (there haven't been enough questions yet to sincerely call this a "frequently asked questions" thing) are provided here.

• What is Pax Imperialis?

Pax Imperialis is a project focusing on roleplaying in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. One of the most important parts of that project is an online game centered on our forum.

• Does the Pax Imperialis forum game follow strict and up-to-date 40K canon?

Fairly close but not exactly. For one thing, no canonical character is going to show up in the course of play. There are a number of minor details that differ from present 40K canon, mostly based on the fact that the game's admin is a grognard that in some matters prefers the older material over the latest incarnation of the setting.

• How can I be involved in Pax Imperialis?

There are several ways. Folks interested in system design stuff but not wanting to play in the ongoing game/story exercise Hal is organizing are every bit as welcome to be involved as folks that just want to play.If playing's your thing, contact Hal and see about joining the forum

• How do I join up with the project?

It's really pretty simple. Contact Hal and express your interest to him. He'll groove on this, and if you want to work on the wiki itself, he'll happily give you the password. If you just want to play, then he'll help with that as well. Likewise, AIM or some form of IM service is highly encouraged.

• Okay smart guy, how do I contact Hal?

Oh, that's easy. Here's some contact information!

Email: casewerker@netscape.net

LiveJournal: uhlrik

AIM: Uhlrik

Skype: uhlrikg

ICQ: 276721386

Y! Messenger: casewerker

MSN Messenger: casewerker@netscape.net

• What does Hal want to know about folks that want to join the game?

Well, if I don't already know you when you ask to be involved in the game, I'll probably want to know a little about your past play history and preferences for styles of play, what you're looking for in a game and such, just so everyone involved knows more or less what we're getting into.

• How do I make changes to the wiki itself?

Just like any other pbwiki, you just log in and then click the little edit button at the top of the page. For help on formatting, you can check out the WikiStyle page. If you

• What kinds of changes am I welcome to make to the wiki?

You're welcome to help expand the Rules, to expand or otherwise edit People or Places writeups, help compile data from the LJ posts for the Story page, Add helpful links (with summaries) to the Resources page and so on. When you do make changes, though Hal would appreciate a quick email letting him know so he can thank you and take a gander at what you've done. He may redline a few things, offer some critique or the like so that we can all make Pax Imp the best it can be. In the end, as admin-monkey, he's the final arbiter of all things Pax Imperialis.

• How do I join the game itself?

Well, after you've contacted Hal, we can deal with this part. :) Generally, folks will interact with the universe of PaxImp through playing or writing about specific characters and their experiences. Theoretically, Hal is the GM/Admin for the game, so characters should be created and introduced in consultation with that august personage. You may create original characters or step into the role of a preexisting character that isn't already claimed. 'Canon' or signature characters from Games Workshop published material (such as Cypher or Gregor Eisenhorn) are not allowed.

• Which preexisting characters can I claim?

Most NPCs are fair game, though certain ones might be off-limits based on a particular plot that is going on. There's no hard-and-fast rule on this one. If a character hasn't already been claimed, go ahead and ask Hal whether it's cool if you take one of these folks. Many of the preexisting characters are just names and basic concepts that exist to inspire people to make conections or to give them ideas of appropriate character types. A fair number of the preexisting characters might never come "on camera" if nobody ever shows an interest in them by claiming them, claiming some connection to them or narrating them specifically into a scene. That's fine, and Hal planned it that way. Again, they're inspiration. Also, the People pages don't distinguish between player-controlled characters and NPCs; this is intentional. If you do want to have a page all to your character, you may do so and link it to the People page. Liking your character enough to givethem apageisall kinds of groovy.

• What types of original characters can I make?

For the most part, human characters are preferred: Xenos are problematic at best since this game is set in Imperial space (albeit at least initially in border zones), and will require a lot more work to involve in the game at large. Space Marines, Chaos Space Marines and original Inquisitors are not permitted at this time, so please don't ask to play one. The most important factor here is that characters need to be the types that can get involved in the ongoing universe and broad plotlines. There is also a bit more elaboration on character types and some sample concepts in the forum.

• What sort of information about characters are you looking for?

One of the important things to have is a solid concept for who the character is. A coherent concept can usually be communicated in less than a sentence. A paragraph or two each on personality, history and appearance would be great. Backgrounds that are sketchy enough to leave room for things to be fleshed-out in actual play are preferred. A picture or two is helpful but not absolutely necessary. We can help find one or, if nothing similar can be found, we can readily arrange for a sketch. It wouldn't hurt if you already have ideas how to involve your character, but that's not absolutely required.

• Can my character start play with some experience advances already?

If appropriate to the concept, sure. That's up for discussion and negotiation. Character concepts that involve being fresh-faced newbies tend to invalidate that sort of thing. Inexperienced characters are quite welcome, as are experienced ones within reason. Original characters will not be beyond the Seasoned (see WoD,p. 35) rating to start with.

• Can I write up stats for preexisting characters myself or do I have to take a prewritten statline?

Most of them don't have full character sheet-style writeups yet, so you're welcome to make your own take on them, with input from Hal. He writes up stats for the ones that actually need stats right now, not just every character he makes up off the top of his head. If the preexisting character actually has a statline or certain Traits that are very important, that will be discussed. Even prewritten statlines are negotiable within reason.

• Once a character is written up, is their sheet set in stone?

No. For the first little while of play, players are free to make tweaks to the sheet to better suit how their ideas on the character might have changed after initial creation. Once experience has been spent, though, the sheet ought to stay the same apart from normal XP expenditure.

• Can my original character be in some way connected to some of the preexisting characters?

Of course! That's a big part of why they exist. Looking for ideas for a Contact, Ally, parent or the like? Take a glance at the People pages and see if somebody that's already there fits the bill.

• Will I be playing tabletop-like sessions with 4-6 players at once plus a GM?

Probably not as part of the Pax Imperialis online chronicle. Most play will be one of several things: play-by-post on the forum, One on one or small group via IMs (logs will subsequently be compiled into forum posts for record-keeping and story-sharing purposes).

• How much experience will my character get in the course of play?

That will be given out by Hal for play at his discretion, though you're welcome to poke him about it so long as you aren't making a nuisance of yourself about it.