Guides

If you've never heard of Kanka before, it's really neat!  Here is a youtube video that gives an overview!

I can see your full name!

If you signed into Kanka using an account that shows your full name, then your full name might be displayed here.  To change that, you can get to your user profile by clicking the button that looks like a little guy in the top right of your screen.

The best way to learn Kanka...

... is to click around and explore and see where things are!  Mobile users, be sure to hit the three-line button in the top left to bring out the sidebar.  As we get going, we'll add more to this section to help clear up any stumbling blocks that people might be having. 

Finding Pages Quickly

A lot of important pages have been added to Dash as "tags" (not to be confused with Kanka tags... it's unfortunate that they're called the same thing...).  For example, you can find this page at any time by doing -tag guides.  You can do -taglist to see what pages have been added.  You can also look to the top left of a page to see if it has a tag, like this one: 

Each player can play as many PCs as they can and want to, but they come in different types.  Heroes have more opportunities for advancement and Wealth, and they get more priority with respect to plotlines, but they are expected to be more creative and put more effort into their downtime posts.  Buddy characters are a more casual experience (less work and less reward).  Each player can play one Hero and as many Buddies as they like.   

• Buddies (if created as such) always start out at 100 points with up to -50 in disadvantages and -5 in quirks. It does not cost a PC any points to have a Buddy. 
• Buddies can latch onto another PC (which could be another Buddy, and two Buddies can latch onto each other).  If they do, they get the following benefits:
  • Buddies are always at least 75% of this friend's point value.  If they fall below this, they can choose to automatically gain free points to catch up. 
  • Buddies earn money when this friend of theirs does. Whenever the friend gains Wealth, each Buddy also gains 50% as much. The tracker handles this automatically. Buddies can also spend their own Wealth as normal. 
• Buddies can occupy a Business slot.  Whenever a Buddy spends the day working a job (the default assumption unless they say otherwise), they give all Hero members of that Business +1 to their job rolls.  Buddies do not have to do a writeup, but every Hero using their bonus must mention them in theirs.
• Buddies handle Downtime a little differently than Heroes.  Writeups can be minimal. 
• Buddies follow the same rules for backstory connections. 
• Buddies may have once been Heros whose players chose to downgrade them.... Buddies can also upgrade to Heroes later if that player doesn't already have a Hero character. 

We're currently using RoloBot, Dash Delta, Ub3r-B0t, and YAGPDB.xyz to help us manage the server and roll dice.

To make a roll using Dash Delta, use something like this: -roll 3d6 . See GURPS Rules for more information. Dash's help command is "-help".

When rolling against a skill (including spells and weapon attacks), Rolo Bot does it best. If you have 13 in Singing, you can roll it like this: rb.rolo 13 Singing

Ub3r-B0t is helping keep time for us. Its help command is ".halp". 

Roleplaying is fun, but it can be taxing or even stressful. Take a break if you need it, and remember that you only need to play if you Can and Want To. 

We recommend using good grammar and spelling for ease of comprehension, but we have no strict style requirements. Just have fun with it, and make sure other people can read it too.

To communicate tone of voice, we recommend using discord's formatting features. **Italics** are used by some players to represent non-dialogue actions, and often to emphasize euphemistic dialogue. **Bold** text is used for emphasizing loud or powerful dialogue or actions. ||Spoilers|| can be used to denote speech that not everyone in a scene can hear or understand. If it's spoken in another language, make sure to mention what language. 

(Parentheses) and [Brackets], as well as ((doubles)) of [[either]], are general use for Out Of Character comments made during a scene or during another discussion. Treat it like a sidebar, and use the OOC channels for major discussion.

You will be most successful in a Living World if you...

• Enjoy reading and writing.  Sometimes, it takes a little reading on setting and lore things in order to immerse yourself in the world and get the best experience.  
• Have a collaborative attitude. Not all plot lines revolve around your character.  Go out into the world and try to be the hero.  Everyone should hopefully get the opportunity to be the hero if they interact with the world enough and take chances.  But sometimes you're the sidekick and that can also be a lot of fun!  Sometimes, you might even be an antagonist.  Also, google the concept of "Yes, and...", which is an Improv thing.  Always think "How can I make this scene interesting for myself and others?" 
• Take initiative. If you want to do a scene, post an open scene that anyone can join, or ask around for one.  We're not usually going to tell you where and when to have your character do things.  Sometimes asking a specific person for a scene is better than asking if anyone around is wanting one. 

If you walk around town enough in crowded areas, you can find a a nimble individual with a trademark sage green cloak willing to take your message to someone else for a few copper.  This message can be either written or verbal, and they're pretty good at remembering what you say!  The medieval equivalent of texting! 

Ping the character you're sending it to (pinging your own character is recommended).  If you accidentally ping the wrong person, go with it!  That means you messed up describing where to find the intended recipient, or the courier made a mistake getting there! 

RPC, or Roleplay Challenge, is a way to earn character points by completing randomly generated challenges in your scenes!  You can do this for any scene, but each character can only benefit once per 3 IRL days. This refreshes at the same time as the date tick and will be displayed in the #gain-spend-points channel. (It may be helpful to ping yourself every time you report points there).  It doesn't matter when the scene starts or when you get the task, as long as there is only at most one claim to RPC points between one date tick and the next.  

STEP 1 - Start a scene. 

Start a scene, any scene, with anyone. 

STEP 2 - Get your task.

Do the command rb.rpc in the RP channel to see what you have to do in the scene in order to complete the challenge.

STEP 3 - Try to do the task within this scene.

You have to be the one to do it. Others in the scene might also have a task of their own to complete. If it doesn’t work out, if it’s something your character can’t or wouldn’t do, or if the scene stalls out, no big deal! This can and will happen. There are no rerolls. Go back to step 1 and start over. New scene, new task.

STEP 4 - Gain character points! 

If you successfully complete your task, you get 5 character points! Don't forget to report them in #gain-spend-points and enter your points in the tracker!

If you have points to spend, but you're not sure where you're allowed to put them, this guide will take you through it! 

Advantages

Contrary to the normal rules in GURPS, you can purchase advantages at any time, as long as they make sense in your story and you get GM approval.  Adding more levels of advantages you already have is generally okay. If it is a secondary characteristic, or if it is recommended by your race description, these are usually okay.  If the GMs don't feel like it flows nicely from your story, we may ask you to Practice until you earn your first point towards the desired advantage before allowing you to spend saved points on it. 

The Homebrew Leverage and Point Advantages are always available.

Basic Attributes (ST, DX, HT, IQ)

Allowed. 

Secondary Characteristics

Allowed. 

Skills

If you already have at least one point in the skill, it's allowed. 

If it's a Spell, Alchemical Formula, Teaching, or a Crafting Skill that will allow you to make useful items for other players, it's allowed. 

You can earn a point toward any Weapon skill by using that weapon in the Training Yard, even if you've never put a point in that weapon before. 

Otherwise, you must use Downtime actions to either Practice or Unlock. 

No but I mean, what do I do if I have a point to spend and want to update my character sheet?

Players are never required to edit their character sheets through Google Sheets, but you can request edit access if you want it.  If you would like to spend your points, just say so in #gain-spend-points and ping @Staff ! 

If a scene meets multiple requirements, they don't stack, but take the best reward. It does stack with RPC or rewards gained for any other reason. 

• Describe a location.  It can be anything: where your character lives or works, a spot in the wilderness, somewhere within one of the villages, a nice spot for a date, a place everyone is afraid to go.  Please provide either a) a picture and 50+ words, or b) 150+ words.  Once it's approved, we'll then put it where it needs to go so that anyone can use that location.  5 points to a character of your choice, if approved. Admins don't qualify. 
• Start an open scene.  This one's very easy.  Start a scene in any location and any RP channel that fits it.  Put "Open" at the bottom of your post to signify that anyone looking for a scene is free to pop in.  Be patient; we're all available at different times, so give it several hours before assuming no one wants to be there! 1 point for that character.
• Help someone introduce their character.  You earn this reward if someone else in the scene is introducing their character for the first time.  This applies even if it's not the player's first character, or if it's an NPC.  No more than 2 people can gain this benefit per scene. Caution: please don't swamp new players.  3 points for that character.
• Do a scene with a player (not character, PLAYER) you've never RPed with before.  When you claim this, remember to mark down in your form submission who you RPed with to get this reward, so that it'll be saved in your sheet forever!  2 points for the character you used.
• Remember your Downtime.  If a character takes their Downtime action for three straight in-game days in a row, they get 5 points or 1 wealth, your choice, and it must go to that character.  Please declare this in the Downtime channel once this reward is claimed.  Once you claim it, the count starts over. 
• Refer a friend. Claim this reward once they finish making their first character.  5 points. 
• Advertise. If you're a member of a community where you can advertise for us, show Tetra a screenshot.  Please respect all rules and etiquette that other communities might have with respect to advertising.  (Any medium would qualify: discord, reddit, etc.) 
• Apply or yield to Leverage. 
• Some of these Advantage award character points: Homebrew Leverage and Point Advantages. 
• Make a Backstory Connection. 1 point each. 

Staff: When you would earn one of the rewards above, but you're using an NPC for your scene, apply the reward to a PC of your choice. 

Check out channel topics for links of described places within each area, or find the same information by going to Explore which can be found in the #information channel and in the sidebar here on the Kanka site.  

If you would like to describe a character's house, business, favorite tree to climb, favorite stream to swim in, or any location at all, we highly encourage that and even provide rewards for it!  All you have to do is provide either a) a picture and 50+ words, or b) 150+ words.  Just ping a staff member with your submission.  Once it's approved, we'll then put it where it needs to go so that anyone can find or use that location!