Staff are there to help, but are usually quite busy. If you need help, try asking on the OOC or question channels first. Higher level chars (which can be defined as anyone more than 10 levels above you, or over level 30) should be willing to help others. If you have a question, ask it on the question channel. Don't ask on OOC if there are staff members logged in unless you are in a no-exit, no-recall, no-summon room that is obviously an accident (i.e., in a new area) or you are the victim of a imminently fatal bug.

If you need a corpse return (cr), ask on OOC. Don't demand that a staff member come help you. Staff know if a player has died, even when wizi. They will either offer to do the cr or return your corpse if they can.

If you were killed, and couldn't get your corpse before it melted, you can use money to buy armor and weapons, then re-kill your equipment. If a higher level player comes on, you can politely ask (either in a tell or on OOC) them to help you re-equip. Explain you lost your corpse.

If higher level players routinely refuse to respond to reasonable, polite requests for help, write a note to staff explaining this.

In general, if you need to talk to staff about something, write a note to staff. This is polite, since you won't interrupt them. Someone will get back to you as quickly as possible.

If a staff member doesn't respond to a reasonable, polite request for help, e-mail Kiom and/or Paxton. They will look in to the matter. Staff are held to very high standards (which are in help commandments), and staff who do not do their job or who annoy players will not be tolerated.

Read the rules and help files. Some of the help files need work (if you find one that does, note the staff about it), but are better than nothing. It tends to annoy people when they are asked questions that are answered in the help files. Examples of annoying questions are things like, "When do warriors get dual wield?" "How do I drop an item?" Non-annoying questions are things like, "Does anyone have some tips in how to set up a thief here?" "How long should I stay in the dungeon?" "I've read the help files, but am having trouble with the syntax for the protection good spell."

Swearing on channels is not only rude, but it is against the rules. If you are IC, and it is necessary to swear, make up something ("By Duranthl's toes!" or "May you rot in Kevlyn's old boots!").

If you are unsure of how to behave, send a tell to a higher level player asking if they will meet with you, at their convenience, to answer some questions. Or, note the staff asking for a meeting. It is far better to ask politely for guidance than to be banned from the mud, or to annoy folks so much they won't help you again. Alternately, write a note in the discussion spool asking for advice.

It is ok to occasionally ask a higher level player for a spellup. This is best done if you see one awake at the healer. It is not ok to constantly ask a player for spellups, either in tells or on OOC. It is very bad to ask a staff member for spells. They are forbidden to spellup players. When you ask a player for spells, it is polite to offer money. Be prepared to take no for an answer gracefully. This is not only polite, but if you get used to fighting only with spells on that you cannot cast yourself, you will get killed when you can't get those spells. Also, if you ask for a spellup, please specify which spells you currently have on you. It costs mana to cast a spell, even if it fails because that spell is already on the target.

What goes for spellups goes for identify spells and enchantments. It is considered to be polite to offer money for spells. It is also considered to be polite to decline to take money for spells from low level players (level 20 and below), but it is not an offense to ask for money.

If you need advice on where to fight or where an area is, ask on IC. Do this in character. Or, wait at the healer, and ask folks there. In general, if you can ask something IC, do so. The convo may switch to OOC, in which case, switch to the OOC channel. Do not discuss levels on IC. Levels are not IC. Do not bother staff with questions of where areas are, what level certain areas are (there is the areas command for this) or what alignment areas are.

If you are in doubt as to whether a convo is IC or OOC, ask. A player may say something IC that would be rude OOC. Please don't make the mistake of thinking that, just because a player uses the wrong channel or says something outrageous (babies are wonderfully tender when braised, for example) that they believe this OOC.

Harassment is illegal. Harassment includes slandering people on the basis of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or national origin. This does not mean an elven character cannot tease a dwarven character, but make it very clear that you are being IC. It is the responsibility of someone who is being harassed to warn the harasser that they have crossed a boundary. OOC is a good channel to do this on, so that staff might be warned. If the harasser doesn't stop, note the staff, ask for help on OOC, and, as a last resort, log off and come back later when there is someone online to deal with that person. If someone tells you that you are harassing them, stop. If you don't think you are harassing someone, or that they mistook IC stuff for OOC stuff, you can politely ask them to discuss the matter. Ask someone to mediate. We are all aware that it is impossible to define harassment. There are players from around the world, from many different backgrounds. Be careful, be firm but polite if you feel harassed, and let the staff or, in their absence, a high level player you both trust mediate.

It is the responsibility of high level players to help low level players within reason. This doesn't mean you have to stop killing a mob to do a cr, unless you want to. It does mean that you will do the cr after you kill that mob if you are capable of it. Answer questions when you can, offer advice, and generally be a good example of how to play, and you will be meeting the responsibility that comes with rank.

Be careful about the difference between IC and OOC. You can be feuding with someone IC, and still talk with them OOC.

It is considered to be polite to greet and say goodbye to players and staff as they come into Arythia or leave. If you want to make it clear that you detest someone OOC, just don't greet or say goodbye when they leave. This is rude, not illegal.

If a player is continuously annoying, ignore them. Note staff telling them how this player annoys you. Staff need to know, in case a problem is developing. Be aware that the staff may decide you are the problem. There have unfortunately been players on Arythia (and other muds) who don't quite harass, but manage to annoy just about everyone. Someone who plays that game is abusing the mud, and they will be dealt with.

You don't need to come up with your character's history and personality right away, but you should have a pretty good idea of the basics by around level 10. RP is required, and it is much easier to RP if you know who you are.

Please read the MOTD when you first log in, it does change from time to time and will contain updated information, such as new help files concerning rules, new commands, and other important mud related information

It is a good idea when starting your first char on Arythia (or anywhere else, for that matter) to read many of the help files and politely ask for advice. Do this by level 5. Things are different on Arythia than on other muds. This is especially critical if you are new to mudding. If you do this, you may decide to redo your character. Use the delete command to delete the char you don't want.

If you are going to recreate your char, it is polite to say you are recreating on OOC, so folks don't take your suicide personally.