I mentioned this in a thread that I m Rdy began about battleships, and I thought that it was important enough for it to reach a broader audience.

I joined in late 2006, and when I first got here, I was like many of the poorer newbies. In fact, as several older members like Caylith, Hoodlum, and Mal can attest, I was a supreme annoyance. I barely RPed, only joining in an activity that many newbies seem to be fond of - RM Bashing. That did not go so well, and my time spent on the forums earned me little, if no respect.

Eventually, however, with some self reflecting and recalling some words from my mentor, I began to turn my act around. I gained some respect, earned a little trust, and was eventually accepted as a full-blown member of the community.

In retrospect, trust was the key to my healthy relationship with the Discovery community.

Trust is an integral part of life. It is the glue that bonds us to others; it allows us to interact with others in a way not possible without it. Although we are all individuals, we are all innately members of communities at all times - regardless of whether or not we like it. For a community to stay viable, trust must be dispensed and earned.


1) Make yourself known on the forums. This is the first and most important task that you must undertake. Without a presence on the forums, do not expect people to know who you are and what you do. You can have brilliant ingame RP flying a Liberty Assualt Cruiser, but if people don't know your RP, they will see you as another PvP-hungry Capwhore. The forums allow you to make you and your RP known to others.

2) Before you begin RPing at all, make sure that your RP is logical, and that you are not powergaming. Look over the rumors on the planets well, and read over some older RPs. Remember that you are a member of a much larger community, and that your RP cannot just encroach on the RP of others. For instance, don't just buy a battleship and decide that you are going to siege New London.

3) Start off with basic, beginner level RP. When you become more comfortable with RPing in general, move on to more complex RP. An example of a beginner level RP would be, for instance, a smuggling character or trader. An RP for more experienced RPers would be something like a pirate or a Xeno. Of course, joining a faction makes everything easier. But don't feel pressured to do so. The game is called Freelancer for a reason.;)

4) And perhaps most importantly, have a good attitude. Be respectful and polite, and you will be respected. Even if you do get bumped around harshly in by some of the older members of the community, keep your cool. I admit to being harsh to many new members, using the excuse that their RP is foolish, or nonsensical. But frankly, it's cruel and uncalled for.

While it is important for new players to earn trust, it is also important for the established members of the community to dispense trust. We cannot simply keep people at bay at our doors forever. Teach them, and guide them in. Give them a chance.

If we can continue to build our community on a foundation of trust and mutual respect, we can go a long way. Although our server has changed from the time of 50 server slots, I feel that we can still try our best to achieve what we had then here today.

Even if you find this an overly idealistic piece of junk...try it out. You might be surprised.

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/Signed

Needs a pin in my opinion..

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And on a comical note, you have just earned my trust with that mighty beast of a post.

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/signed

I cannot stress on how much joining a faction helps with learning to RP. I did it, and i am sure many many people here did the same.

But you are of course right, Trust is everything. Hell i'm happy if i have a cap ship at my back who i have learnt to trust over time, indie or faction owned. USS Titan was a prime example, at the beginning i was actually wary of it (sorry titan:P) but after time he proved more and more that he was rping along, followed orders given from the owning factions and gained my trust. Soon after that i would commonly go looking for him just to rp the meeting.

Trust is what makes and breaks us on this server. How will you gain yours?

Very, VERY true. /signed.

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Whether or not this is ever pinned, it now has a linky from my pinned thread.

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How did you know the story of my life???????????????:(

Very well written. Words to try to live by.:yahoo:

Amen, brothah.

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The only thing I must feel needs to be added is the community must treat all new people, and everyone else for that matter, with the courtesy and respect every single human being deserves to be treated.

There are threads that can be pointed to where such was not present at all.

That only hurts the community. It takes very little effort to be courteous, respectful, and pleasant, no matter what you are trying to say. In fact, when you do so, more people will listen, and view what you are saying in a positive manner.

Some of the flaming and attacks I have seen around here will destroy the server if they continue. I have seen it happen right before my eyes.

So for the sake of the community at large, everyone needs to treat everyone else with he courtesy and respect every single human being deserves to be treated. No matter what you think of them or what they are doing, everyone here is here for one thing, to have fun playing a game.

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triply quadruply signed! (SP?):crazy:

Gotta love it when indy Corsair cruisers/Bships are flying by you all day...:nono: