The Petition

Below is the form you'll need to use in order to submit your character. Please fill out every field. Please CROP the directions which appear in brackets; then copy&paste the form into an e-mail. Do NOT submit it as an attachment or it will not be read (guaranteed). Strive to make your character interesting, and if you have queries, e-mail the GM and ask about the different possibilities available. Last but not least, after pasting the completed form into an e-mail, send it to the following address: wereviking AT hotmail DOT com (ja??). Your suitability for play will be judged as much on your character idea as HOW and HOW WELL you write and follow these instructions. Lazy, incomplete and incoherent applications will reap their own rewards.

============================================================================

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Vikingsaga operates on a *strict* maximum turnaround of 2 days, though most players respond daily. At times we generate a decent quantity of e-mail. Please do not progress further without considering whether your schedule will allow you 30 minutes or so every day or two to check your mail, read it all thoroughly, and then post replies (not to mention starting new threads for your character when the opportunity arises). Your RL situation should be stable enough that you can foresee yourself being able to act thus for at least the next couple of months. I know this is a hard thing to say from the outset, but I regularly expend alot of energy answering new player enquiries, getting them comfortable, tailoring entry plots to their needs and answering questions, and after a week have the person turn around and realise they are not able to either keep up with what is going on. In a nutshell, the Vikingsaga is a play by e-mail game, and as such, requires you to SEND AND RECEIVE E-MAIL! (total traffic is usually about 20 e-mails a day from our list at vikingsaga@egroups.com). The whole group is HAPPY to have new players join the game, and I hope that you enjoy and develop the fondness for it that many of us share. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask; but first consider whether or not you are truly able to step up to the position offered to you. ============================================================================

WARNING: The ship does not currently need; shipwrights, helmsmen, teenage vikings out on their first venture, crazy red-haired happy drinker characters, smooth womanisers, transvestites or assassins. Please understand that almost ANY melodramatic hook that involves your character's FATHER has been done a *million* times already. Additionally, the Vikingsaga no longer will consider applications for BERSERKER characters from players who are not well-versed in the Icelandic sagas and the folklore of the Berserk. Generally, this means that players will be asked to submit something other than a berserker character. Please read the small notice at the bottom of the page before submitting your character to the GM, thanks. SORRY FOR ALL THE NOTES!!

============================================================================

PLAYER: (Full name please, no internet aliases. Name can be suppressed on request. IF YOU USE A FREE E-MAIL SERVICE FOR PLAYING THE GAME, PLEASE ALSO INCLUDE YOUR REAL E-MAIL ADDRESS HERE [for security purposes only]).

LOCATION: (Country as well please :>)

CHARACTER NAME: (including surname, in the patrynomic form [ie., Father's name]) GETTING YOUR CHARACTER NAME RIGHT, AS DICTATED BY YOUR CHARACTER'S BIRTHPLACE, PARENTAGE AND CULTURAL MIX, IS *THE* SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS APPLICATION. Nonsense names, obvious fantasy names, and brackets telling the GM that such-and-such translates as "Deathwind Forest-wraith" will attract immediate deletion. GM is happy to offer suggestions.

CHARACTER TITLE: (This is what you call yourself. You might well earn a different nickname in the course of the game) (Feel free to leave blank, rather than choose a silly title off the cuff).

RACE: (Although your character must be a Viking [ie., a part-Norse worker on ships, in whatever capacity, not just a professional killer], there is quite a variety of backgrounds available under this banner. In the Viking diaspora, the Scandinavians mixed their blood with Irish, Saxons, Germans, Slavs, Rus, Lapps, and many others). APPLICATIONS FOR PURE-BREED, NON-NORSE CHARACTERS WILL ONLY BE CONSIDERED IF THE PLAYER HAS, AND CAN SHOW IN THIS APPLICATION, SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE AREA, AND A JUSTIFICATION FOR HOW SUCH A CHARACTER COULD SUIT THE GAME.

AGE: (please be advised that you may play a character of any age, but this will not make your character any more capable than younger characters; playing an older character is not a path to "super-hero" status. It may, however, give you lots of interesting background history to play with. No older than 35 without discussing it with the GM please.)

PROFESSION: (this is what your character makes a living from when not raiding the seven seas. Most commonly, vikings would be farmers or hirelings of a chieftain/lord, but any other viking-age profession is possible, and will affect your skills. Possibilities are endless, but for instance; thane, carl, baker, blacksmith, shipwright, poet, fisherman, horse-breeder, wanderer, craftsman etc. PLEASE CHOOSE ONLY ONE PROFESSION. BE ORIGINAL.)

BIRTHPLACE: (Seek GM assistance if unsure).

OCCUPATION: (Though other options exist, choose mainly from Sailor/Warrior, Berserk, Goti (Priest), Helmsman, Skald (real poetry required ;>), Bursar, Other [specify]. Be warned that only certain numbers of each position are required, but players may be on “standby” mode to replace deceased crew-members).

RELIGION: (If pagan/heathen, specify your choice deity. Note: Only berserks and Odinic priests *willingly* worship Odin, so other Norse characters may wish to choose another deity. Only suicidal people worship Odin primarily. Due to long experience, the Vikingsaga no longer accepts Christian characters [or players for that matter, hehe, we hate them]. Non-Norse characters may be from Christian backgrounds, but must be somehow non-religious -- as in keeping with our Viking theme).

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: (Please do not submit characters that are clean shaven [I mean their faces, yes]. As amazing as it sounds, most of the members of cultures in Northern Europe from this time believed that men who could not grow and maintain at least the semblance of a beard were basically transvestites. Transvestite characters [see above] are not currently required [thanks for asking though].)

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES:

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (At least a few lines in this category is compulsory).

FIVE ADJECTIVES THAT CAPTURE YOUR CHARACTER: (single-word adjectives please ;>).

FIVE BEST SKILLS: (In order from best to least, and should not include weapons. Specific skills only, please).

PRIVILEGED WEAPON: (This is the weapon you'll be BEST at).

SECONDARY WEAPON: (Nothing vague or too cute, please).

NEXT OF KIN:

ADDITIONAL NOTES: (If any).

============================================================================

Do take a moment after finishing your application to ask yourself, "In what way is my character unique? Does it merely emulate the characters already in the game? What small, finishing touch could be given to my character (a skill, a mannerism, a distinctive physical trait) which might help distinguish him from all the others?" If you're not sure, the GM is willing to work with you to make something more than a run-of-the-mill Viking sailor. Contact if uncertain.

============================================================================