This Article is a guide both for new players and for Greeters on the game, discussing the suitability of various character concepts and whether there are any special requirements associated with them.
As an initial note, simply because a character is listed in the CDB as Open, Restricted or Limited (those are the three character types that can be applied for) does not always mean they are immediately accessible and playable; some have positions (such as the Captain of the Guard, Maester for a House, or similar) which mean they would not be very inclined to depart from their home area. Characters from the Iron Islands, the North, and the Citadel do require additional justification as to why they are present in King’s Landing: it takes a significant incentive to pry an ironborn or a northerner out of their homes to come to King’s Landing. This includes the Starks; they are not a focus of the game.
...noble?
Blood of Dragons is wholly centered around the courts of King’s Landing and Sunspear. As such, almost all characters in play are nobles. The CDB includes everything from the smallest noble to members of the great houses.
...knight?
As most characters are nobles, most male characters who follow the Faith are either squires or knights. Exceptions exist, due to lack of funds, personal suitability or desire, but the default for a healthy nobleman is to become a knight.
...Lord or an Heir
There are many lords and heirs available in the CDB to be applied for, though they generally require a bit more experience than your average noble. All lords are at least Restricted and some heirs as well.
...young character?
The minimum age for a character is 15. Experience has shown that younger characters have a hard time integrating with roleplay and as the game runs on a 1:1 timescale, keep in mind that a 15-year-old squire would generally not be knighted until he is 18.
...woman?
Absolutely. Female characters are available and encouraged. It would be great to see more married women (whether the husband is in play or not!) around, as well as widows. There are a large number of young, unmarried women in play; while we do not discourage them, players should be aware that a betrothal and marriage can take a minimum of 1 year (and we run on a 1:1 basis) and that affairs or premarital relationships can cause severe social scandal which may render characters unaplayable (especially given the very pious King Baelor). Some people do feel RP as a woman can be constricting due to the role and expectations of women in Westeros, but we have a number of female characters in play and welcome the players up for the challenge.
...female fighter?
Female fighters are extremely rare in the setting, with the areas where they’re most common being far from the centers of society: the Iron Islands have a few “unnatural” women who fight and are accepted as being almost men, the Mormonts of Bear Island have a tradition of the women learning to defend themselves, the spear wives among the wildlings, and fighting women among the clans of the Mountains of the Moon. Because of this, female fighters can only be applied for with prior permission from the Admin.
That said, noblewomen can and do learn to use the bow—for hunting purposes—without raising eyebrows. In Dorne, limited skill with small blade may also be acceptable as part of a concept for a female character.
...ruling Lady or an Heir?
If the character is described such in their Character Database (CDB) info, absolutely. These are highly uncommon outside of Dorne, however, and all ruling ladies are at least Restricted and some heirs as well.
...commoner/smallfolk/peasant?
Blood of Dragons is targeted at the politics played by noble houses, and the intrigues and escapades they engage in. Some commoners may have been described in the CDB through being closely associated with a noble house, and if you are interested in one of them, contact the Admins. Otherwise, we do not feel that the commoners will be as engaged in the setting as the nobles will be, nor as fully able to participate in the level which the players have an interest in, and would not encourage them. If you have the urge to play a merchant or a brigand or a armourer, you may certainly NPC one if there is the opportunity arises, and a willingness to NPC them can make for great scenes.
...maester, septon, or septa?
Experience shows that such characters find it difficult to integrate into politically-driven roleplay, and so are not recommended. If you really want to play one, we recommend having some prior experience on the game first.
...magic user?
At this time, shapeshifters (wargs), true dreamers and wielders of actual magic (such as warlocks, priests or priestesses of Rh’llor, etc) are not available for play except in circumstances determined by the Admin.
...(lost) Targaryen?
In our time period, all the Targaryens are accounted for, and are treated as NPCs. They are not available as player characters. Relatives (such as Velaryons) have been described in the CDB and are available for play as any other character may be.
...member of the Kingsguard?
The Kingsguard is not available to play. PC examples are basically retired players, who will not run into the problem of their character having great difficulty getting involved in day-to-day roleplay. If your goal is to get your character into the Kingsguard, bear in mind that even if the Admin agree, they would expect you to retire from the role and take up a new character if you intend to remain active on the game.
...Brother of the Night’s Watch?
At this time, only King’s Landing in the Crownlands and Sunspear in Dorne are open areas; there is no sound reason for a Brother to be in King’s Landing except on brief business, and we do not anticipate opening the Wall for play (due to the limited roleplay available).
...wildling?
Characters from Beyond The Wall are not available. Our two open play areas are King’s Landing and Sunspear, and there is no reason wildlings would be in either.
...foreigner/outsider?
These kinds of characters are generally not available but the Admin may grant permission. On the whole, Westerosi characters are strongly preferred, but solid concepts coupled with solid setting knowledge and prior MUSH/MUX experience will be reviewed. One thing to keep in mind is that they can be very hard to integrate with play. If a character is designed to be foreign and/or appear untrustworthy, other characters will have little reason to engage with them.
...member of a faction like the Faceless Men, the Iron Bank of Braavos, etc?
At this time, these character types are not available for play.