Checking In to an Event
At the start of each event it is each player's responsibility to head to the Logistics desk and sign-in. Here you will pay the event entry-fee which is $30, and they will take your name to indicate you are present. The person taking your sign in will register what shifts you are going to PC. Players are expected to NPC at least half of the shifts they play during the weekend.
If you have a player character any experience you have earned since the last event you played will be applied to your character sheet. You may choose not to take that experience if you want to save it for a different character or for a point when you are going to immediately archive your sheet.
If you gain new experience points, calculate your new level and then record it on a new character sheet. Copy your existing skills over, and then, on the new sheet, spend any new skill points you wish to spend. Bring your new and old character sheet to the person running the archive on the logistics desk. They will double check your math and then file your old character sheet into the archive so that if you ever lose your current sheet there is a back up. If you lose your current sheet you will forced to make a copy from the archived sheet and any experience you have earned in the mean time may be gone. So seriously, back up your sheet regularly.
After you have done these things if you have any production skills and filled out a preproduction request before the event head down the table to the logistics person handling that. If a player is NPCing all 4 shifts, they may still select one character to use production points and crafting points.
Here you'll pay any in-game costs on what you are producing and pick up items slips, or item numbers of anything you had made. Remember that you are responsible for any props needed, you are only picking up the paperwork to make those props officially part of the game. At this point you are now successfully checked in.
During the shifts that you signed up to NPC be sure to once more check-in with the logistics personnel at the main desk to let them know you are there for the shift, and then one more time at the end of the shift to let them know you stayed the entire shift (and so they know they don't have to go searching the woods for you because no one saw you come back).
The first time a player signs-in with a new character they will receive a new character consumable package. When a character does preproduction for the first time they do not have to pay any coin costs to use production points or crafting points.
Experience Points
Experience points are generally earned by performing activities that enhance the game. One of the primary ways to earn them is from your mandatory NPC shifts during each event. Assisting with setting up and break down, performing extra NPC shifts, writing post-event letters (PELs) are some examples of other activities that can earn you more experience. Experience points are earned by individual players, and can't be gifted by that player to other players. In the event that you have more than one character you may choose which character will receive any experience you earn.
A player will earn 1 experience point for each $10 given to the game, including the $30 sign-in. They earn one experience point for each of the first two shifts they NPC. If you choose to NPC additional shifts you will get 2 experience points for each additional shift you choose to NPC beyond the first two. Each player may also turn in 10 coin in order to gain 1 additional experience point once during each sign-in.
Experience points determine character level, which in turn determines how many skill points you have to purchase new skills. New characters begin at level zero with zero experience points. Each level up to level 20 requires five experience points. After level 20 each level requires an additional ten experience points.
Each character sheet has a box to record new experience points earned in. Don't immediately update your sheet with these points. Instead when you want to use these new experience points, fill out a brand new sheet, and on that sheet update your level with the new experience points. Take your new sheet to logistics to be approved and archive the old one.
Skill Points
Skill points are earned whenever a character gains a level. These points can be spent immediately to purchase skills or saved for later. Each skill lists how many skill points it costs to learn.
Characters should have a total number of skill points equal to their: (Character Level x 2) + 10
Language Skills
The language skill allow a character to read, speak, and write in one single chosen language. This skill can be taken more than once, and each time a character takes this skill they may select one language to learn. You can find information on the languages in the game here.
Common languages may be learned without a tutor and can be taken by starting characters freely. Characters who wish to be illiterate are welcome to do so voluntarily with any languages they feel is appropriate to do so with.
Uncommon languages are not actively spoken in the world. Characters learn uncommon languages? through the scholar roleplaying skill.
Rare languages must have plot marshal approval (from Ryan Green) and require a special tutor to learn or can be acquired through long term advancement in the scholar roleplaying skill. A player who knows a rare language cannot teach another player that language, only certain special npcs are capable of passing on these languages.
The language of the druids can only be learned through druid skills.
Characters who have learned a language may request the key from logistics to translate that language on props.