An Overview for New Players

This area has been set out to provide a comprehensive guide to playing Shattered Kingdoms for those who are new to these types of games as a whole, as well as a quick start for those who are familiar with Multi-User Dimension (or 'MUD' for short) and the various games that exist within the genre.

Shattered Kingdoms the game, often referred to throughout the website as just 'SK', is an adventure game centered around different people interacting in real time and each portraying themselves as though impersonating or 'playing' a particular 'role' within an imaginary world. Thus, the style of game is often described as 'roleplay', since the player pretends to be a particular character within the game. Characters interact not only with each other, but also with the game environment itself - an expansive realm with well over 80,000 individual descriptions of places, other beings and objects, with more being added daily.

This area is divided into four parts:

An overview of how the game works via the Internet, your PC and the Shattered Kingdoms 'server'
How to join in the fun by creating a new character for yourself, and how to describe this new being that you will control
A brief guide to starting life in the realms as a young character, to to make those first few steps a bit easier
And finally a general resource area that may provide further information as you begin to get more confident with your gameplay

Your computer

The computer you use to play Shattered Kingdoms (or 'SK') needs to be connected to the Internet. It need not be an incredibly fast connection, as there is very little actual data to be transferred between the server and each of the players. Also, you do not need to be in any particular geographical region to play - such diverse locations as Dubai, London, Sydney, New York all contain players of SK. We do recommend a stable connection to the internet and as many players have mentioned, one that is not overly expensive if you are connected for long periods of time.

The imaginary world

As SK is an imaginary world, it is quite possible to get immersed for hours in a land of kings and queens, knights and rogues, love and murder, children and demon-beasts. The intrigue and danger of the game is no more real than a book, however the possibilities and pathways through the game are not fixed. Far from it. A book is fixed in its format, the lands unchanging and always the same when re-read. SK is a continuously evolving world that the character you create and control is able to impact. Pit yourself against a thief who steals your coin, fight for your life against scavengers in sewers, defend a city against invaders. Or perhaps your taste lies on the darker side, plotting the downfall of a king, or carrying out an assasination order with meticulous planning. All and more is possible.

The inhabitants

The game as a whole consists of three main entities: Firstly, we have player-characters (or 'PCs'), controlled by various players around the world, just like you. Secondly, there are non-player-characters (or 'NPCs' / 'mobs'), which can be either semi-automated in their behaviour and responses, and exist as either sentient beings (appearing almost identical to other player- characters, in some cases) or as wild, unintelligent beasts that may even help or hinder your character. NPCs should be treated as if they were characters controlled by a player when it comes to roleplay. Finally, there are the Immortals. These deities that exist within the game influence the path of all characters: smiting down some, providing rich powers to others; sometimes a kind benefactor, other times a cruel master - the gods of Shattered Kingdoms are ever respected and very fearsome: a force in the world of SK unrivalled by mortals.

Help Links and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

If a word is highlighted like this, then you can type help "this" for further explanation of that particular word in the online help files (either in the game, or via the website help area). If you have a question that is not answered or not sufficiently explained in the FAQ section, please check the help files first. Failing this, use forums button and ask your question in the 'Newbie Help' section. Also, certain words and acronyms that have special meanings have been explained in the glossary, which is the last item on the menu.

Starting out..

The first step in joining the game is connecting to the server...