Ilkor: Dark Rising (Ilkor for short) is a number of things, though at it’s heart it is a Hand Moderated Fantasy RPG PBM Game.
Don’t know what a PBM Game is? Read here for more.
It’s a labour of love of mine. I have a wish to return to the glory days of the hobby. I’m trying to provide a retro feel of the ‘good old days’ coupled with the best of today’s technology. It’s important to me to preserve what I consider is vital in providing the feeling of a classic hand moderated PBM game.
The Game is Free to Play: Yes you read that correctly. I dont need your money, though donations would be welcome. It costs me money to run the game, but I see it as a hobby that I enjoy doing in my free time. So technically I am running a non-commercial game.
Hand-moderated Single Character RPG: So the game is not processed by a computer program. It is 100% hand moderated though it does make use of technology such as this website, email, forums, mapping software, etc. The game is modelled around each player running a single character in a fantasy role playing game setting.
Open-ended and variable turnaround times: The game is not winnable. There is no end. You are welcome to immerse your character into the game for as long as you want. I cannot promise how quick the turnaround will be. As I am running the game in my spare time there is likely to be times when the turnaround will slow down. Please understand and bear with me.
Multi-player Fantasy World: The world setting is called ‘Arcadia’ and it’s huge. It can support many thousands of player characters and many GameMasters. It’s a role-playing adventure game in which players create and then play the role of their character in the fantasy world of Arcadia where magic is real and heroes venture out on dangerous quests in search of fame and fortune. Characters gain experience by overcoming perils and recovering treasures. As characters gain experience, they grow in power and ability. Each player submits their set of actions to the GameMaster, who in turn, processes and then sends the results of the character’s actions back to the player in narrative form. This cycle continues for as long as the character is alive or until the player no longer wishes to play.
Here is a map of ‘The World of Arcadia‘.
Game Setting & Background: For info on the world your character will live in is described in Arcadia’s Gazetteer.
I suggest you take your time to read the Introduction of the Player’s Handbook to get a more rounded view and understanding of the game.
A lot of terms have been thrown around on this page. Most are obvious, but I have documented their definitions in this Player’s Handbook.