Castle Marrach
Encyclopedia
Castle Marrach is an online
multiplayer storytelling
fantasy
produced by Skotos
. The game revolves around the world of Queen Vivienne, a half-fae
, half-human
sovereign queen
, and the mysteries of her secluded realm atop Mount Ardan. Players take the role of "newly awoken" individuals who can barely remember their past before being revived in the Castle.
Castle Marrach is a browser-based game and has often been likened to a MUSH
environment, but includes graphical elements. First introduced in beta on September 21, 2000, and commercially released April 21, 2001, it has consistently been expanded by the player-run game staff.
s to gain favor, which results in both soft social friendships (or enmities) as well as an explicit rank on the Great Chain of Being
. The Queen is at the top, and players begin at the bottom, working their way up.
While the game has traditional game systems such as combat, crafting, and sorcery, the social structure of the game and emphasis on social roleplaying distinguishes it from most other games. For instance, the game also has different languages unique to its world which players can speak, either from the time of their awakening (an uncommon talent), or through learning through in-game lessons. Social status may be determine one's ability to learn some of the more elite languages of the Castle's society.
Teaching and learning are also elements of the game's social networking. Players are required to learn from other players, and to remain together for a half-hour while the roleplayed lesson is conducted.
The game also has a strong sense of roleplaying, discouraging the use of leet
-speak, and encouraging social acclimatization
of the "Newly Awoken" guests of the Castle. Sometimes they are pejoratively referred to as "Newlies," until they attain "Middlebie" status, and finally, "Oldbies" for players who have been around for a while (usually a year or more).
The castle culture reflects a working medieval fantasy society, with rewards and consequences for player actions. For example, though there is a dungeon in the game, unlike other roleplaying games, it is a place where unruly characters who break the in-game laws are thrown for days, weeks, or even years, depriving that character of roleplaying opportunities. It is generally not filled with monsters and treasure as one might find in Dungeons and Dragons, though there might be fellow incarcerated inmates or gaolers to periodically socialize with. On the other hand, performing a favor or acting genteely before the high ranking characters of the game might result in promotion via social interaction without having to "level
"-up.
text parser
shared with other Skotos games, such as Lovecraft Country
and the Lazarus Project, so that commands can be entered more like typical sentences rather than as computer-oriented commands. For instance, to interact with another character, one would type a regular-sounding sentence:
Thus, in this example, the parser accepts verb
s, prepositions, title
s, noun
s, particularly distinguishing name
s, and adverb
s (collectively known as an "emote"), as well as a text string of one or more sentences presumed to be spoken aloud by the character, called the "evoke." Other elements of grammar include adjective
s, cardinal
s (one, two, three, or 1, 2, 3...), conjunctions
(with, and), ordinal
s (first, second, third, or 1st, 2nd, 3rd), possessive
s (Sir Lanfal's white scroll), and pronoun
s (shake his hand firmly).
The result is that players can create rather long but natural sentences which have pragmatic and dramatic effects in the game. All of these would be examples of valid commands:
There are not the usual pre-set adventures or encounters with monsters and non-player characters that result in camping
. While the game allows for combat with certain types of creatures, and permits player versus player
(PvP) conflict, it has a strong system of consent
, which means that one has to specifically allow their character to come to harm from the environment or from another player. Even social interactions may be consented or denied, to prevent unwanted intrusive interactions with other players. This is to prevent "griefing" by other players.
The game uses an extensive private TWiki
project collaboration system to keep information for the player guilds and game staff. The game objects themselves are made with a unique set of tools called the StoryBuilder Toolkit. This has a browser navigation tree, called a "Tree of Woe" to let builders find existing objects, and other browser-based pop-up and command-line tools and scripts to edit and test new additions to the world. The core of the game is built upon LPC, but only the elite engineers of the game are allowed to modify such code.
It is because of this resistance towards the creation of new guilds, that those guilds that are finalized tend to be long lasting groups that have the ability to effect great change within the game.
Online game
An online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems...
multiplayer storytelling
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
produced by Skotos
Skotos
Skotos, sometimes known as Skotos Tech, is an online game company that was founded in 1999 and released its first game, Castle Marrach, in September 2000. Its primary focus is prose online RPGs , though it currently offers a total of 15 different games...
. The game revolves around the world of Queen Vivienne, a half-fae
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
, half-human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
sovereign queen
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
, and the mysteries of her secluded realm atop Mount Ardan. Players take the role of "newly awoken" individuals who can barely remember their past before being revived in the Castle.
Castle Marrach is a browser-based game and has often been likened to a MUSH
MUSH
In multiplayer online games, a MUSH is a text-based online social medium to which multiple users are connected at the same time...
environment, but includes graphical elements. First introduced in beta on September 21, 2000, and commercially released April 21, 2001, it has consistently been expanded by the player-run game staff.
Social networking
Players are encouraged to build social networkSocial network
A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
s to gain favor, which results in both soft social friendships (or enmities) as well as an explicit rank on the Great Chain of Being
Great chain of being
The great chain of being , is a Christian concept detailing a strict, religious hierarchical structure of all matter and life, believed to have been decreed by the Christian God.-Divisions:...
. The Queen is at the top, and players begin at the bottom, working their way up.
While the game has traditional game systems such as combat, crafting, and sorcery, the social structure of the game and emphasis on social roleplaying distinguishes it from most other games. For instance, the game also has different languages unique to its world which players can speak, either from the time of their awakening (an uncommon talent), or through learning through in-game lessons. Social status may be determine one's ability to learn some of the more elite languages of the Castle's society.
Teaching and learning are also elements of the game's social networking. Players are required to learn from other players, and to remain together for a half-hour while the roleplayed lesson is conducted.
The game also has a strong sense of roleplaying, discouraging the use of leet
Leet
Leet , also known as eleet or leetspeak, is an alternative alphabet for the English language that is used primarily on the Internet. It uses various combinations of ASCII characters to replace Latinate letters...
-speak, and encouraging social acclimatization
Acclimatization
Acclimatisation or acclimation is the process of an individual organism adjusting to a gradual change in its environment, allowing it to maintain performance across a range of environmental conditions...
of the "Newly Awoken" guests of the Castle. Sometimes they are pejoratively referred to as "Newlies," until they attain "Middlebie" status, and finally, "Oldbies" for players who have been around for a while (usually a year or more).
The castle culture reflects a working medieval fantasy society, with rewards and consequences for player actions. For example, though there is a dungeon in the game, unlike other roleplaying games, it is a place where unruly characters who break the in-game laws are thrown for days, weeks, or even years, depriving that character of roleplaying opportunities. It is generally not filled with monsters and treasure as one might find in Dungeons and Dragons, though there might be fellow incarcerated inmates or gaolers to periodically socialize with. On the other hand, performing a favor or acting genteely before the high ranking characters of the game might result in promotion via social interaction without having to "level
Level (computer and video games)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
"-up.
Parser
The game includes a natural languageNatural language
In the philosophy of language, a natural language is any language which arises in an unpremeditated fashion as the result of the innate facility for language possessed by the human intellect. A natural language is typically used for communication, and may be spoken, signed, or written...
text parser
Text parser
In an adventure game, a text parser takes typed input from the player and simplifies it to something the game can understand. Usually, words with the same meaning are turned into the same word and certain filler words are dropped .The parser makes it easier for the game's author to react on input...
shared with other Skotos games, such as Lovecraft Country
Lovecraft Country
Lovecraft Country is a term coined by Keith Herber for the New England setting, combining real and fictitious locations, used by H. P. Lovecraft in many of his weird fiction stories, and later elaborated by other writers working in the Cthulhu Mythos. The term was popularized by Chaosium, the...
and the Lazarus Project, so that commands can be entered more like typical sentences rather than as computer-oriented commands. For instance, to interact with another character, one would type a regular-sounding sentence:
- glance at Sir Launfal concernedly "Yes, my lord! It certainly should be brought to the Queen's attention!"
Thus, in this example, the parser accepts verb
Verb
A verb, from the Latin verbum meaning word, is a word that in syntax conveys an action , or a state of being . In the usual description of English, the basic form, with or without the particle to, is the infinitive...
s, prepositions, title
Title
A title is a prefix or suffix added to someone's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name...
s, noun
Noun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
s, particularly distinguishing name
Name
A name is a word or term used for identification. Names can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. A personal name identifies a specific unique and identifiable individual person, and may or may not include a middle name...
s, and adverb
Adverb
An adverb is a part of speech that modifies verbs or any part of speech other than a noun . Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives , clauses, sentences, and other adverbs....
s (collectively known as an "emote"), as well as a text string of one or more sentences presumed to be spoken aloud by the character, called the "evoke." Other elements of grammar include adjective
Adjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
s, cardinal
Cardinal number
In mathematics, cardinal numbers, or cardinals for short, are a generalization of the natural numbers used to measure the cardinality of sets. The cardinality of a finite set is a natural number – the number of elements in the set. The transfinite cardinal numbers describe the sizes of infinite...
s (one, two, three, or 1, 2, 3...), conjunctions
Grammatical conjunction
In grammar, a conjunction is a part of speech that connects two words, sentences, phrases or clauses together. A discourse connective is a conjunction joining sentences. This definition may overlap with that of other parts of speech, so what constitutes a "conjunction" must be defined for each...
(with, and), ordinal
Ordinal
Ordinal may refer to:* Ordinal number , a word representing the rank of a number* Ordinal scale, ranking things that are not necessarily numbers* Ordinal indicator, the sign adjacent to a numeral denoting that it is an ordinal number...
s (first, second, third, or 1st, 2nd, 3rd), possessive
Possessive suffix
In linguistics, a possessive affix is a suffix or prefix attached to a noun to indicate its possessor, much in the manner of possessive adjectives. Possessive suffixes are found in some Uralic, Altaic, Semitic, and Indo-European languages...
s (Sir Lanfal's white scroll), and pronoun
Pronoun
In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun is a pro-form that substitutes for a noun , such as, in English, the words it and he...
s (shake his hand firmly).
The result is that players can create rather long but natural sentences which have pragmatic and dramatic effects in the game. All of these would be examples of valid commands:
- grasp my steel longsword's grip with my right hand warningly "Speak no treason in my presence, varlet!"
- consider my 4th scroll peevishly "Why don't people sign their scrolls so I know who to respond to?"
- juggle my three dead toads and my two rotten sausages agilely "It helps alleviate the tedium of centuries, don't you think?"
Community
Players are encouraged to contribute participatory content to the game, whether as coders, artists, plotters of events, or as special staff-directed characters, known as "Veteran Players," which are akin to cast actors in a play. Plots remain open-ended; though there are often ostensible goals for the players to achieve and long-term plot arcs, there are not pre-scripted outcomes to many interactions (known as "scenes") or to whole stories, making the social evolution of the game partly in the staff's hands, and often in the control of the players themselves.There are not the usual pre-set adventures or encounters with monsters and non-player characters that result in camping
Camping (computer gaming)
In video gaming, camping is a tactic in which a player will obtain a strategic position anywhere on the map and wait for characters to arrive and be killed, or waiting for useful objects to appear in an area rather than actively seeking them out....
. While the game allows for combat with certain types of creatures, and permits player versus player
Player versus player
Player versus player, or PvP, is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between two or more live participants. This is in contrast to games where players compete against computer controlled opponents, which is correspondingly referred to as player versus environment...
(PvP) conflict, it has a strong system of consent
Consent
Consent refers to the provision of approval or agreement, particularly and especially after thoughtful consideration.- Types of consent :*Implied consent is a controversial form of consent which is not expressly granted by a person, but rather inferred from a person's actions and the facts and...
, which means that one has to specifically allow their character to come to harm from the environment or from another player. Even social interactions may be consented or denied, to prevent unwanted intrusive interactions with other players. This is to prevent "griefing" by other players.
The game uses an extensive private TWiki
TWiki
TWiki is a Perl-based structured wiki application, typically used to run a collaboration platform, knowledge or document management system, a knowledge base, or team portal...
project collaboration system to keep information for the player guilds and game staff. The game objects themselves are made with a unique set of tools called the StoryBuilder Toolkit. This has a browser navigation tree, called a "Tree of Woe" to let builders find existing objects, and other browser-based pop-up and command-line tools and scripts to edit and test new additions to the world. The core of the game is built upon LPC, but only the elite engineers of the game are allowed to modify such code.
Guild system
The guild system in Castle Marrach is fairly unique in that the rulers of the castle must approve any new guild being formed, with the requirements depending upon the stated purpose of the guild. Players are encouraged to join one of the already existing guilds within the game, and will find that the prospect of starting one from scratch will be met with resistance.It is because of this resistance towards the creation of new guilds, that those guilds that are finalized tend to be long lasting groups that have the ability to effect great change within the game.