FTW:Search FAQ

Search FAQ

How do I get a dragon?

In character (IC), search dragons know, by some innate understanding, who would make a good candidate for the hatching and the newly hatched dragonets instinctively recognize a compatible life partner on the Sands and sometimes in the audience. Out of character (OOC), we offer the opportunity to all players to play out candidacy and weyrlinghood and use the application process to figure out how to make an engaging dragon character and help tell a story that is hopefully interesting and fun for applicants to play out.

As the designated gold flight approaches there will be bbposts on the game and announcements on the web site and Livejournal letting everyone know that OOC Search has begun. This means that the Weyr will be accepting applications from anyone interested in playing through a candidate/weyrling story. All candidate applications will be accepted.

After the flight has taken place IC search riders will head out to connect with applicants and play out the experience of being Searched. This period could last until a day or two before the hatching, IC and OOC, at the discretion of the applicants. During this time all applicants are encouraged to spend time RPing at Fort and getting to know the Weyr and fellow candidates.

Also during this time, dragonwriters will be working to create a dragon that fits the desired traits that Impression applicants have chosen. Applicants may collaborate with the dragonwriters if desired. The hatching itself will be held on camera as an event, providing the opportunity for applicants to play out the experience of Impression. We leave the 'surprise' of the dragonet up to the applicant. If you wish to be notified ahead of time about your dragon, please let the Fort admins know by +mail to ftwadmin.

What are the requirements for a character to get searched?

Fort Weyr searches characters between the ages of 15 and 25. In order to be searched, a character must be 15 or older, in reasonably good health, with no impairments that would hinder the completion of weyrlinghood. Characters who are married or pregnant will not be Searched.

We generally do not search Journeyrank crafters, though are open to doing so. If your character is a journeyman and you would like to play out a story that involves your character being searched or impressing, please contact the admin team by +mail to ftwadmin. Please use +mail to ask about this option so that all members of the admin team are aware of your request.

Masters of any craft are never searched.

What do you look for in an applicant or candidate?

At present, we are trying out a search process that entails an 'open' search policy. As such, we will search any character who applies. Only players who demonstrate serious ongoing behavior problems, lack of understanding of the game and who can't seem to get along with fellow players will not impress.

We value activity, creativity and proactivity in applicants. While a lack of these traits will not prevent you from impressing, they will help you and the Weyr to have a more enjoyable RP experience.

A note on proactivity: While we try to provide many hooks for both personal and plot-based RP at Fort, we also expect our players to be proactive and come up with their own hooks. Don't be afraid to politely page for RP or to politely request RP on the knot. Also please be aware that if players are sitting out in a public room, this usually means they are expecting to play with people who stop by. Check +where to see who is out in public and page the player/s to make sure an unexpected idle hasn't occurred then head on out to play. This is the standard etiquette for getting RP in the Fort area. Some players may be hard to catch due to RL schedules, if you have a particular scene in mind that would move your character's story forward, please don't hesitate to use +mail to attempt to schedule scenes as well.

How many people will you impress?

Fort has a limit of ten impressions per hatching, and we will impress all applicants up to this limit barring serious objections as stated in our Search Process. If we receive more than ten applications for weyrlinghood, players will have an opportunity to change voluntarily to Stand Only. If we do not have enough volunteers and still have more applicants than we have impression slots, the Fort admin team and dragonwriters will convene to decide upon the final make up of the weyrling class. Please be aware that we may decide to use a random selection method (coin toss, dice-rolling, random number generator) to put the class together if we cannot come to consensus.

What are the differences in dragon colors? How do I pick?

Gold and green dragons are female. Bronze, brown and blue dragons are male. For each there are a number of specified abilities and myriad stereotypes, but ultimately every dragon is what the player makes of it. We encourage everyone to check out our color page to learn more about each color and what it may mean to ride it.

Please consider what kind of rider you'd like to play carefully and be completely honest in your application about your preferences, both for dragon color and dragon personality. We encourage applicants to be very clear about what they do and do not want in a dragon - it's okay to only give us one color preference for instance, if you really only want to play a bluerider for example. There is no need to try to "second-guess the Co." Don't put down what you think we want to see. Please describe exactly what you want as best as you are able unless you prefer to be surprised. However, please be aware that if you enter a 'surprise me' answer that you may not be pleased with the results as this will introduce guess-work into the dragonwriting process.

Which gold is rising this time? Will there be a gold egg?

Eliyaveith will be rising in her second flight. We will consider the possibility of there being a gold egg in our summer 2015 cycle.

The application says something about permission. What is that and how do I get it?

We ask that any applicant currently knotted to another area contact those area admin with their intent to apply. This is to prevent any confusion or trouble between areas. In order to get permission, we recommend +mailing your current areas leaders to let them know that you're planning to apply at Fort.

What does it mean to be Stand Only (SO)? Why would I want to be a Stand Only candidate? How do I do that?

Some applicants do not wish to impress but rather are interested in playing the experience of being a candidate. Many times this option is explored as a way to give the character more time to develop or to get better accustomed to the Weyr before making a long term commitment. Sometimes players may chose to be SO simply because they prefer to play a non-rider but would like to participate in candidacy or provide a character with a candidacy experience.

What is Weyrlinghood?

Weyrlinghood is the training time for new riders during which players have the opportunity to explore the effects of impression and all the changes that it entails for their characters. Guided IC Weyrlinghood lasts 10-12 RL weeks and is described in our weyrlinghood pages. If you would like to play a rider but are not interested in playing weyrlinghood, we encourage players to skip Search and apply for an insta-rider instead.

Can I go on vacation during candidacy or weyrlinghood?

Everyone takes vacations, just be aware that missing the main period of candidacy will make it difficult for us to get to know each other and write a good dragon for your character and may take away from your enjoyment of weyrlinghood. If you know you have a vacation planned during the period of candidacy or weyrlinghood, please let the admin team know. Players who will be absent for this entire time-period may wish to consider applying for Search at our next cycle, creating an insta-rider or applying for another Weyr's Search to get the most out of the Search experience.

I have a question that's not listed here. Who do I ask?

If you have other questions or anything at all that you would like to discuss, please contact the admin team on game. The current admins are listed under '+lhelp ooc staff' or you can +mail the whole team by using the mailing list 'ftwadmin'. ex: +mail ftwadmin=Search question!