Noob Guide - EFU for the ROLEPLAYING SNOB

[Gizmo]

EFU FOR THE ROLEPLAYNG SNOB

It's not uncommon that RPG players and DMs turn to online videogames looking for a decent reproduction of the familiar tabletop experience, only to have their expectations drastically frustrated. This is a humble guide to EFU for those who come from a roleplay-heavy background in RPGs, so that they may make the most of their experience in the server. EFU is a unique gaming environment that has a lot to offer, but old-school roleplayers may need to adjust some of their expectations and be flexible with their play style.

NOTE 1: This guide is an ongoing work and may be edited further.
NOTE 2: This guide represents an interpretation of EFU from a specific point of view and play style. It will not suit every player.

[the "tl;dr" here is you can skip the following paragraph entirely]

In order to make it clear who the target audience is for this little guide, I will comment on the kind of RPG player that I am, and hopefully not come across as a huge d-bag. I'm a roleplay centered RPG player, the type of player who will show up to your D&D table with a pacifist bard with a limp and expect that to work out. In my defense, more often than not it will actually work out, because I don't mind being the punchline of the group and dying quickly if necessary. I've been playing RPGs since the mid 90s and what attracted me to RPGs was the possibility of a non-competitive game, one that was cooperative instead. I understand that this has since changed, especially since Wizards of the Coast bought TSR, a move that catapulted D&D (and other tabletop RPGs) to new spheres of collectability and competition. Computer RPGs had their role in this as well, helping to shift the meaning of RPG towards "a game where you get points to improve an avatar." The very definition of what "roles" are changed a lot as well. I recognize that RPGs are not the same kind of game that they used to be "back in the day," but I can't stop myself from expecting that some of that experience may be recaptured every time I join a gaming group, be that group sitting around a table or mediated through a game server. I am always looking for a collaborative medium where my style of play may, at worst, be welcomed and, at best, celebrated. If you see yourself in some of the things I just shared about myself, this guide is for you. I'm not an RPG genius either, I just look for specific things in an RPG game, and EFU meets some of those expectations while failing to meet others.

[1] CUTTING TO THE CHASE: RP IN EFU
Short answer: YES, probably moreso than in other so-called "RP" communities within MMORPGS.
Long answer: from the point of view of an old-school roleplayer, it is important to understand a fundamental point about EFU: it is a fantasy combat setting with RP added to it, not the other way around. EFU is fundamentally a competitive videogame and, should you be unwilling or unable to have fun with that, you will be in for disappointment. As a roleplayer, you will probably be shocked by how much EFU centers on fine-tuning every little stat and equipment item the characters can get. The general attitude around the server is that EFU is hard, so it is your responsibility to "learn" how to play. There is a high standard of RP to be found in EFU, but that plays second fiddle to mechanic effectiveness of the characters and strategic competence of the players. It is very important that the target audience of this guide understand this point from the start: your character will NOT be able to survive on RP alone. Make an effort to build a character that can (a) take a few punches and (b) help other characters take even more punches. EFU is a pretty brutal setting, so design your character for a zombie apocalypse, not a United Nations congress. That being said, once you get the hang of not constantly dying horriffic deaths in EFU, you will find the opportunities to make your RP stand out, and you will certainly see other players do so.

[2] ALL RIGHT, BUT HOW ABOUT THE DM TEAM, ARE THEY ANY GOOD?
Short answer: YES, I don't think I've ever met a more dedicated or approachable DM team in any MMORPGS.
Long answer: the DMs in EFU are very frequently online, and they will enforce server rules and even role-playing standards. Metagaming is discouraged in EFU, and even extremist roleplayers will be able to admit that serious metagaming seldom happens (it does happen a lot, but there are standards in place to regulate what is acceptable). Griefing is discouraged and very rare, as far as I can tell. DMs will help you if you are in a jam due to game bugs or simply because you're stuck in a stupid limitation of the NWN interface. In my experience, DMs are polite, helpful and creative, and they keep a tight ship. You can expect cheaters to be punished and misunderstandings to be cleared with help from a DM. The player base is also very cooperative in that respect. Unlike other MMOs I've played, in EFU you really do get the impression that there are people running the game in a coherent sense.

[3] AN ONGOING STORYLINE
EFU plays out mostly as a continuous story unfolding as a result of previously scripted events and the way characters interact with them. There will be a "world out there" that keeps turning even if playing characters do nothing, which is to say, you cannot expect the storyline in EFU to revolve around certain key PCs or even NPCs. EFU is centered on a story being told in installments, not unlike an interactive TV series. Actions of the PCs do matter but, much like in the real world, small actions will have small consequences, and the characters who stand out are those who fully immerse themselves in the politics and economy of the server. There are entire plotlines started by PCs, but you should never expect your character to have a custom-made, significant side plot. Start by reacting to the major events already happening and slowly wiggle your way into finding allies, gaining a position of influence, and then finally exerting a major role in the EFU story. Also, if you want your character to become a major character in the game, you need to work on playing it as a conflict driver. EFU is a confrontation-based server (as I'll discuss in the next item) and the more your PC contributes to that principle, the higher its chances will be to ascend the political ladder.

[4] PHILOSOPHERS WITH CLUBS
AD&D players who have played the Planescape setting, as well as White Wolf players in general, will be familiar with this aspect of EFU. The server more or less works as a "faction wars" setting, with special interest groups articulating their shifting goals and rickety alliances in the shadiest ways possible. Take time to learn at least the general details of that dynamic before you dive into the server, and that may save your PC from a lot of mistrust and hostility, not to mention the occasional beating in a dark alley. Finding an active faction your PC can join can be a good option for starting players, but remember that EFU will put you in an us-or-them situation: for each friend your PC makes, it will make an enemy. Cutthroat is the word! And if you can't have fun with that style of play, it is possible to skirt by and avoid the major conflicts in the server, but you will most likely be marginalising your own PC in the process. EFU is simply not designed for pacifism. Over and over again, you will see a surge in activity around the server when there are duels, arenas, street brawls, tournaments, any kind of combat-oriented activity going on. Also, don't expect your character's arguments to be heard in any dispute unless you can back them up with muscle. Clerics can be especially frustrating to roleplay, since most characters will not be interested in religion beyond the point where worshipping a god tags the character as a member of yet another faction to be supported or opposed. Intellectuals have little to no value in EFU society unless, again, they can somehow stoke the fires of armed conflict around the server. Clerics from particularly belligerant cults will do fine, though.

[5] BLUR AND GUTS
Character-building in EFU is an advanced art that beginners will take a while to master. EFU offers a ton of customized game systems that affect how characters are built, from their appearance and character sheet to special perks and abilities that you will not find in "vanilla" NWN. That alone can stump old-school roleplayers who are used to being minimalists when it comes to stat building. On top of that, EFU has been running for years, and a large portion of the player base has sharpened their character building skills to a deadly edge. On top of all that, the server is deadly enough that normal decisions made by outside players when rolling their PCs may mean their EFU characters will be fatally flawed. Don't go overboard on the RP side of character building because, as I said before, RP is not the most important aspect of EFU. Combat is. Your PC will survive through carefully selected abilities, cultivated alliances, and the right equipment. They call Ghostly Visage "blur" in EFU, and that's a word you will hear a lot! Buffing equipment, especially consumables, are considered a major factor towards a character's success in EFU. To the role-play centered player, a PC's equipment may seem like a silly thing to focus on, and even a sign that there is something wrong with how the campaign is being run, but there is no use fighting it. EFU is what it is, not what you would like it to be. Stock up on that blur!

[6] YOU ARE WHAT YOU DRINK
Most playing characters in EFU are within the 2-8 level range. The challenges are often aimed at the higher end of that range, and the difficulty gap is bridged by an extensive use of buffing magic, magical items, and potions. In EFU, you will be drinking potions by the bucket, so don't skimp on the potion vendor. Assume that every quest will cost you at least a couple of buffing potions and a handful of healing ones. Again, remember how important Ghostly Visage is, and always try to keep at least a couple on you. When it comes to PvP, potions become even more critically important, with duels often looking like a drinking contest. GET POTIONS. I was once told by a player that your character's AC needs to be in the 24-26 range to be safe for melee combat, and that is just for the initial, "safer" areas.

[7] A GOBLIN-BASED ECONOMY
There are crafting systems in EFU. They take quite a while to master and are largely counter-intuitive. However, even though they can be fun to tinker with, none of the crafting systems will be really useful as an income source. EFU runs on a goblin economy, i.e., the money and resources are infinite and come from murdering and looting weaker monsters. The server operates a theme park system of automated quests (besides the fairly frequent DM quests) and players will farm them for money, xp, and loot. The improved potion brewing system can be a decent source of income, however, and is worth looking into if your PC is a spellcaster. Some players get to run entire businesses as well, which can be a fun way of stepping away from the dungeon looting if you want that. But mostly, EFU has constructed a robber-baron society with no real economy, which is not actually rare in a D&D game. 

[8] THINK SHORT TERM (periodic wipeout events, random deaths)
Your character will die a lot in EFU. Every time it does, it will lose a level, which adds insult to injury. But, for the most part, your PC's career as an adventurer will be a rolercoaster of levels, going up and down until you generally approach the top levels in the server, which are around 10. After level 8, in fact, your character will not be able to go on most of the scripted quests, so unless it has an established social role within the EFU setting, it will probably stall. Characters that reach level 10 are encouraged by DMs and players alike to just retire. Besides the random deaths from mismatched monster encounters and occasionally fatal PvP, your PC will also be subjected to wipe out events, which would be large (and extremely entertaining) DM events where something catastrophically dangerous happens, leaving the PCs to deal with overwhelming odds. The gist here is, you cannot expect your character to have a long and meaningful life. Most PCs will cycle through the lower levels a few times and either meet their final death or be abandoned out of player frustration.

[Gippy]

I mean... ok, but I don't agree with all this.

I mostly disagree with #1. First, EFU has excellent mechanics. We've modified the base game to make things really... balanced? To be good at one thing, means you'll be bad at other things, and there is truly no totally  'dominant' class or build. Certainly it helps to be exceptional at one or a few things to really stand out but there's really no way you can totally mess things up with a PC that's useless. Even fighter/wizard/rogue has certain pieces of loot that can help them be more effective! We also balance things as DMs based on you, the PC, and how you play your character. 

We have had many players get to high levels, accomplish great things, and be totally mechanically inept and just skilled at roleplaying with others.

Create a character that is distinctive, roleplay your stats, good or ill, your strengths and weaknesses and you  will be rewarded - sometimes mechanically with flashy DM loot, and sometimes with titles, perks, lavish attention.

First and foremost is roleplay, but we do love our mechanics, and beating up quests, and all that other stuff.  If you want true success on EFU see this excellent post by Howland: https://www.efupw.com/forums/index.php?topic=526.0

[VanillaPudding]

This thread is littered with misinformation or even completely false statements sadly.

[putrid_plum]

This is an extremely negative and false view of EFU.  Most of the information here is exaggerated or simply flat out wrong.

[Hound]

I'm not really sure where the belligerence of the above replies is coming from. For my part, this thread seems reasonably well-written and a balanced perspective from a player who is clearly a relative newcomer to EFU as opposed to the "Old Guard" who have been with the server since its earlier iterations.

I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on EFU, Gizmo, and believe the advice will be received positively by others coming to EFU from a similar place as yourself.

I'm mostly inclined to think the above posts are largely coming from a place of knee-jerk conservatism and an aversion to changes in the current ethos, to be blunt.  There is no harm in advising players who come from a less "hardcore" roleplaying background to adopt a more pragmatic approach to their character building - to suggest otherwise would be quite hypocritical from some of the names I see here...!

[whyemmdee]

This chapter is my first EFU chapter and I actually come from a somewhat similar background to Gizmo, if not in history then at least in spirit. You wouldn't catch me dead with such overpowered feats such as Blind Fight or Empower Spell before joining EFU; it was Skill Focus: Persuade/Lore/Intimidate with here and there a smattering of Silver Palm and a 15/11/13/14/11/13 stat redistribution because of ~roleplay~.

It took me a while to come around to the idea that there's no real reward for playing a gimped version of a build, other than being able to say after getting trounced in a quest or a PvP encounter: "well yeah of course you trashed me haha my build was so bad lol". Having said that, the majority of my characters have nevertheless managed to come out rather mechanically weak despite my (or Akke's...) best attempts  ;)

Reading your guide I can see the red thread that is somewhat in the vein of "mechanics > roleplay", and I will state that this I don't really agree with you there. To elaborate: I disagree with the fact that mechanics play second fiddle to roleplay, as this is rarely or ever the case from what I can tell  as a DM (players, justifiably sometimes, have a rather colored view of in-game events). What people often forget when playing NWN is that it is, first and foremost, a game that is meant to simulate combat and here at EFU we've happily come to embrace that aspect as part of the core experience. There are plenty of 'hardcore roleplay' servers where combat is seen less as an integral part of the day to day and more as a necessary evil to give both reason and explanation for characters to level up in experience over time, but here at EFU we consider it as a primary method of offering real and exciting challenges to keep the server stimulating and interesting. As a result, difficult combat encounters, deadly traps and mechanics and not to mention a willing and active DM team who spend a lot of time thinking of ways to try and push people to their limits (both mechanically and creatively), has made making builds and mechanically capable characters a symptom of intended design. There is nothing wrong with this, provided it is used to support actual and real roleplaying like we both ask and expect, I feel, though oftentimes new players consider a server where mechanics are as equally important to roleplay to be far from the norm as it is not something they are used to.

In EFU you have to make choices, whether that be in build or in story. It is perfectly fine to make a gimped character that for example only takes 'roleplay' feats, but it is *not* necessary. Because of the dice-roll nature of NWN (again, as it is a combat game first and foremost by original design), you can easily end up building a character that is simply not capable at comfortably taking on many of these mechanical challenges and will have you dying often. Did you really have to put in 18 CHA at character creation on your rogue? Couldn't you have made it 16 CHA instead and start off with a non-negative CON modifier? However, if you do and you end up sticking it out and making a cool character and manage to succeed, we DMs will often see fit to reward you because there is nothing more exciting to see a 'weak' character defeat the odds. The character that you create cannot do everything, but they *can* do anything, as long as you manage to make it far enough. The most memorable characters to me weren't the biggest crushbuilds, but rather those characters who managed to exert their roleplay influence in interesting and lasting ways that shaped the narrative of the server for the better.

If there is any advice for new players to EFU that I can give (and that I think I would perhaps see added to your guide if you can see to agree with me), is to consider our little niche to be distinct in two unique ways compared to other playerworld experiences:

1) EFU is tailored around gating experiences to each character uniquely and this is intended by design. Unlike say a generic adventurer in a DnD setting going around a party travelling the world and being able to see/encounter everything, your character will be (mechanically) gated from areas, lore, mechanics, events, and so on, simply because at some point in time they will inevitable make the choice of being 'for' something (and will therefore naturally come into conflict with anyone or anything that is 'against' you). The server and setting is meant to be explored again and again by different characters so that players can explore all the myriad facets that we've created and see if stories can be pushed further. This has the natural side effect that on EFU permanent death has come to be seen somewhat as a necessity so that things don't become stale over time due to an overpopulation of veteran characters only being able/allowed to explore a few facets of the server at a time, leaving great parts of the server and setting and story unexplored for large chunks of time. As a result of this, over the years, there has been a somewhat community-wide acceptance of being able to lose your character to a bad roll of the die. You will be unlikely to find another NWN community that is so at peace with the more than reasonable chance of losing a great chunk of character progress than on EFU. I'm not saying that this is a perfect design choice by any means (seeing as humans are emotional beings, we've had our fair share of drama), but it's something that we consider vastly preferable than seeing 40 1 year old characters sit around a campfire talking romance.

2) This is somewhat of a more personal view on the server, but I feel that EFU is unique in the sense that it doesn't focus so much on the nitty-gritty and simulation aspect of roleplay. No one's gong to emote drinking 30 different potions in a row each time they do a quest (although I applaud anyone who does without the use of macros). Although we have our fair share of just shooting the shit campfire rp and drinking at taverns for hours on end and so on,  I feel the primary reason why people make characters is to discover new things about the server and to accomplish big (sometimes *really* big) things. There is a much bigger focus on narratives without looking at the individual character because it's often more important that the story gets told/discovered at all,  and this is why you will often see players make a group concept together or otherwise put in special applications to start off as as a special subrace or background. The most important question we ask in applications isn't who your character is, but what their goals are and what they want to accomplish.  It is therefore a healthy approach to not just think about who your character is (traits, thoughts, views, etc.) but also what *you* as the player would like to discover about the setting, what narrative you would like to explore.

Thanks for posting your newbie guide, I'll be keeping an eye on it in the future if you do decide to update it somewhat.

[Charnelist]

While I can understand the urge to disparage and/or decry this 'guide', a thorough read of the actual post - and giving myself a minute to avoid jerking my own knee - left me feeling like it's pretty legit.
No, it's not an official or even perhaps popular perspective.
But it's not unfounded, either.
I came away from this thinking, "Well.. it is what it is!"
I tentatively suggest that those who feel offended by any alleged 'misinformation' here step back and ask themselves if it's possibly an excess of defensiveness on their part and if so, why would that be?
Alternatively, just recognise that this perspective isn't yours, even if it is still honestly pretty valid.

[parthenos]

cool guide

[VanillaPudding]

"Characters that reach level 10 are encouraged by DMs and players alike to just retire."

"you cannot expect your character to have a long and meaningful life"

Replying that statements in this thread are just false is not a knee-jerk reaction. What really should be stated is that efu embraces the idea of consequences for -your- actions. The things you choose to do can have a cost up to and including permanent death.

[creme bulette]

There's a negative undertone to this guide that I'm not extremely fond of. I agree with some of the concepts and ideas about roleplaying versus mechanics - like the advice that playing a gimped build for the sake of roleplay is a bit antithetical to EFU's design. But it feels like a lot of these observations are colored by a resentment for that design. The commentary about clerics is a bit off. The assertions about characters above level 7 are completely untrue. It feels like you are too new to the server or too jaded by PvP beatdowns to understand the long history of success that very mechanically inept players have had in our community. 

I appreciate the intent and work here but the execution and perspective leaves a bit to be desired.

[SunrypeSlim]

You can grind and goal all you want. It's a good thing! Repeat the same quests with the same people until you're blur in the face. You'll get loot, attention, and XP. Nothing wrong with that. Some of the best RP I've ever got done was in a quest group that decided to take just a few extra minutes here and there to improvise a sketch on someone's backstory prompt.

But contrary to YMD's #2, I want less goal-based play and more abnegation or simulation. Interpersonal moments and memories have more impact than a dragon falling dead.

If you want to enjoy EfU long-term, find a way to enjoy roleplaying the taste of 30 different potions: That will carry you through the moments that drag.

I agree with pretty much all of Gizmo's points, actually. Maybe some contrary evidence would go farther than the super-creative "no, you're new and therefore wrong" I've seen multiple times in this thread.

[Loops]

Yeah. I had to learn these lessons to play EFU myself. I can see it.

YMD also articulated what I've come to understand about the character stories you get to experience on each character quite well. I never knew how to phrase it before, but it's a good one.

Edit: If it helps I now see EFU as the Takeshi's Castle of NWN. You get to cheer, watching people try to get to the end, and it's fun to watch them get knocked down by a giant, motorised, baffled arms, water cannons and laser guns on the way. Who knows, you could get some cool lore or some fun treasure at the end.

[Electrohydra]

I guess most of it is true for a very niche, specific view of what roleplaying is, although even then there are mistakes. As someone who has played a ton of crafters for example, you very much can make money by crafting, it's just quite a long and difficult process. You need to spend a lot of time and money learning recepies, but once learned you can make big profits by crafting the right stuff.

[Jubek]

I just look for specific things in an RPG game, and EFU meets some of those expectations while failing to meet others.

Well, this sentence should be taken into account. I hope nobody expects the server to suit perfectly the tastes of everybody, because there is no universal taste that everybody likes. Yes, there are many ways to build successful stories in EFU, but they do rely on a specific way of thinking. Things like "follow these instructions for success" or "follow a long, difficult and time-consuming process" can be done fairly well by some individuals, but guess what ; not every personnality type enjoy these processes. Oh sure, it's doable. But it's not fun for us. We know these methods work, but we don't, and won't do it because it would be alienating to how we like to roleplay. So we try to find a way to spend some time on EFU, because we recognize its tremendous potential, but also that our ways does not fit "completely" in here.

Me too, some of these points speak to me.  And we are many to think like that. I can tell by the number of similar conversations I've had privately.

We just don't wish to repeat the process of being lectured for thinking differently. We know we're not always right, but we sure know what we like and don't. Remember : The sum of our posts here isn't the sum of our roleplaying experience.

And thank God it isn't the same as other people. As much as I respect and even admire other peoples' work, I also like nuances and variety, for what it brings.

Each opinion is alright. And Gizmo's thread is a boon. You know why? Because it allows you to see what a part of the community thinks. To not consider it...well, it would be like a restaurant owner never changing his recipes because the remaining old-timers like it (because it's not the identical player base since 2010), thus rejecting the new clientele. You don't have to change it all, but it is very wise to acknowledge it, at the very least.

[Bearic]

I am playing a pc counter to 1 and 4's arguments, but It is true that a certain level of skill makes playing efu more enjoyable than simply dying twenty times in a row to orcs or something because you're not sure what you're doing. But levels and mechanical power are only important for "winning" and keeping the player happy, and don't necessarily help your pc tell a story.

It is good that new players understand that efu is difficult, and pretty much impossible if you're hoping your pc will always win, but if you understand that you can win sometimes, and find how to lose the best way your character might look for, you can reach those high levels with skill focus lore, or whatever no problem.


Cool observations aside, hoping you're having fun. =]