New / Returning Players

Welcome to Telath!​

Quick Start | How to Play | Where to Post | Finding other Players | Forum Etiquette

Get started on your adventure​

Telath is a forum-based, play-by-post role-playing experience that takes place primarily in the fictional Aelyrian Empire. Players like you Create Characters that inhabit this world, writing their stories with others as interwoven chapters making up the backdrop of the forum's ever-growing, expanding world.

Quick Start (4 Steps)​

Quick Start | How to Play | Where to Post | Finding other Players | Forum Etiquette

1. Register an Account​

Typically, your account name is the name of your character.

It may include spaces, hyphens, and apostrophes. If you joined before creating your character and enough time has passed, you can change your account name through Account Details, available from the dropdown menu when clicking on your username in the top right.

If you have any technical difficulties, please submit a Help Desk ticket to request changes to your account name.

2. Your Character​

Use the Character Creator to generate your first character! This will get you started with ideas for your race, starting Skills and items, and some general questions about your character's background and motivations.

3. Your Character Sheet​

Check out Guide to Character Sheets and then post it in the Character Sheets forum. This is where you will keep an ongoing record of your character's exploits, gained experience, relationships, items, and anything else of note as you progress through the game.

4. Introduce Yourself to the Community​

Post in our Welcome Forum and/or join the Telath Discord to introduce yourself, ask questions, request some feedback on your ideas, or just to say hello!

How to Play the Game (4 Steps)​

Quick Start | How to Play | Where to Post | Finding other Players | Forum Etiquette

1. Choose Your Beginning​

Now that you have a Character and a Character Sheet, you should choose where your new character's story begins in the Aelyrian Empire! If you are having trouble deciding (it's a big world, after all), jump into Discord or post in the Matchmaker and someone in our Community will be more than happy to help you. You might even find some fellow adventurers and storytellers along the way!

2. The Game World​

The In-Character (IC) World of Telath exists in the Gameplay forums. The game world is split into five subforums: Western Marches, Central Heartlands, Eastern Dominions, Outlands, and the Archives.

Each subforum represents a geographic region with its own Provinces, capitals, major cities, towns, villages, monsters, and thousands of Peoples, creatures, and opportunities. Depending on where your Player Character (PC) is located in the game world, you (the Player) would post in the corresponding subforum.

Threads represent 'events' or 'adventures' and each 'post' to that Thread represents each Player Character's action within that event or adventure. Players and Storytellers take turns describing their actions and the consequences of those actions based on their environment. The results of each Thread or event/adventure at its logical conclusion may involve some kind of Reward for your Player Character or progression toward their goal or story.

3. Finding Other Players​

By now, you should have run into other members of our community. But if you skipped a few steps, that's OK! Backtrack a little and introduce yourself in our Welcome Forum and/or join the Telath Discord. More importantly, post to the Matchmaker to find other Players and Storytellers for your first adventure! It's OK to feel confused or overwhelmed or even make some mistakes along the way! The Community is here to guide you and nudge you in the right direction

4. An Immersive World​

In between posts, it's a good idea to read about the shared world we've created and built over the decades that have an incredibly rich in-game history.

Forum Gameplay Etiquette ​

Quick Start | How to Play | Where to Post | Finding other Players | Forum Etiquette

1. Collaboration​

Subject, Safety, and Setting (A Mutual Understanding)

• Before a group thread begins, Daisy (Storyteller) contacts each of the players via private message (PM) and asks them to list any story elements or subjects that they would like to avoid during the thread.
• Clover (Storyteller) creates a group PM for everyone in the thread and asks each player to describe their expectations for the thread, the story elements they're looking forward to, and the rewards they hope to earn.
• Leaf (Co-Storyteller) contacts their new thread partner via the Telath Discord to discuss each character's location and Timeline and to ensure both characters can logically participate in the chosen setting.
• Before a thread begins, always ensure each player understands and is comfortable with the planned story and setting.

2. Storyboard​

A Plan for Every Thread (Synopsis and Goals)

• Daisy posts to the Peer Moderation Desk with a link to a new thread.
• They note the location, season, and players involved. "Clover and Daisy are meeting for tea! Just a social thread, will update if that changes."
• Clover's Storyboard includes a list of rewards they plan to give out at the end of the thread
• "Leaf is looking for experience in Gadgeteering. Here's a short synopsis of the risks and challenges Leaf will face in this thread."
• Leaf wants to run a major group adventure thread. Before recruiting players, they post the idea to the Game Thread Storyboards: "I want to attack Medonia with a giant monster. Here's the plan for how I'll do it. What do you think?" Then Staff would provide input and suggestions, similar to a writing room or a writer's workshop.
• Storyboards help Staff keep track of what's happening in-character and give players a way to ensure their thread plans are fair and world-consistent. This is a collaborative and transparent process.

3. Communication​

Clarify Confusion, Discomfort, and Uncertainty (Open and Honest)

• "Thanks so much for the great thread! I'm interested in moving forward, but I'm not really into this fight scene. Could we finish the fight in the next post? I look forward to seeing where this story goes!"
• "I want to be sure l understand the current scene, could you clarity your last post? Where is my character in relation to the monster? How far away is the weapon they dropped?"
• "Thanks so much for the RP, but I'm just not that invested in this thread. I'll make one more post to write my character out of this scene so the thread can go on without me or finish up. Thanks for understanding!"
• This is a game that we play for fun! If anything is preventing you from having fun in the game, let the other players know.

4. Pacing​

The Patience Between Posts (Real Life is All That Matters)

• Daisy posts to the Matchmaker forum looking for fellow quick-paced roleplayers: "Looking for players who would like to post short and fast, about three times a week."
• Clover very much looks forward to the next post in a thread, but the other player consistently takes a week or more between posts. Clover joins more threads to always have something to write in while waiting.
• Leaf knows they will not be able to post for the next two weeks or more, so they post a message on their profile/office thread: "Posts will be delayed for the next few weeks!"
• On average, players in Telath post to a thread about once every 7-10 days but maintain numerous threads at once. Real life priorities always come first.

5. Post Order​

Adhere or Adapt (When to Break the Turn)

• Daisy, Clover, and Leaf are in a thread together and consistently post in the same order. Daisy asks Leaf a question, so Leaf posts an answer first so that Clover has an opportunity to react to Leaf's answer.
• Clover is the Storyteller for a large-scale thread event. With the recruitment thread, they state that there will be a 10-day posting period between each Storyteller post. Players post when they can, in any order.
• Leaf is the Storyteller for Daisy and Clover's thread. Daisy and Clover post numerous times between them, and Leaf only interjects a post now and then in order to set a scene or to decide the outcome of an action.
• Players will usually keep the same posting order throughout the duration of a thread, but some circumstances benefit from an exception to this rule.

6. Archived Threads​

Recruit, Revive, or Abandon (Handling Lapsed Threads)

• Daisy returns from an unexpected absence to find that a thread has been waiting on them for two months. Daisy messages the players:
  • "Thanks so much for your patience! I'm ready to continue if you are!"
• Clover is in a social thread with Leaf's character. Leaf has not posted in over two months. Clover considers the thread abandoned and clicks "Unwatch" to unsubscribe to the thread, knowing Leaf will reach out if they return.
• Leaf has been waiting on a Storyteller's post for over two months. Leaf sends a courtesy private message reminder. When there is no response, Leaf posts a Matchmaker request for a new Storyteller for the thread.
• After two months of inactivity, a thread is considered archived until a returning player reaches out to reactivate it, no questions asked. Real life happens! It's OK! We will be here when you return

Quick Start | How to Play | Where to Post | Finding other Players | Forum Etiquette

Credits​

Charybdis, Crimson, Kettle, Indefinite, @Gavril Berghansen, @Smyth , @Tal K'Pazhawrl , @Lysandra Roth , @Lei'gen Zylralei , @Valanthia L'Evienne