Game Mechanics
Overview
The game mechanics of Wolfstory are preset features we've set in place to make the game more enjoyable.
Familiars
A familiar is a wolf's raven companion. Familiars ride on a wolf's shoulder, and forge a very primal partnership with their wolf. This relationship lasts until one or the other dies, and afterwards, the surviving partner never finds another companion. A wolf will typically find a familiar some time after they reach their first birthday, though occasionally a wolf might bond with a raven prior to then. The familiar will always choose the wolf, not the other way around. This relationship varies in closeness and professionalism - some wolves spend the majority of their life in close contact with their familiar, while others only call for them when needing help with hunting, finding their way out of an area, et cetera. This bond is mutually beneficial and instinctive, inspired by the mutualistic relationship between real, wild wolves and ravens.
Wolves cannot communicate with their ravens through speaking - body language and the tone their vocalizing carries is what conveys the wolf's needs. So, growling might mean 'go away', howling typically is used to summon a raven if they've flown off, and whimpering might mean 'please help'. The ravens themselves are just as expressive - they let their wolf know what they want through making noise, biting them, swooping down on them, etc. Despite the language barrier, wolves and familiars can become very capable teams if they cooperate. A familiar will help locate prey using their advantageous wings, and a wolf will bring down the kill, allowing the raven its portion for helping. A wolf also provides protection from predators that would harm the raven.
You do not need to fill out individual joining applications for their ravens. Just introduce them through roleplay, or include their information when creating your wolf in the respective field. If your wolf dies and leaves a familiar to survive it, the familiar will deactivate as well unless you are otherwise directed.
Fighting In-Character
The fighting format used in WS roleplay is fairly simple. The goal is not necessarily for your character to win the battle - it's less about beating your opponent and more about the development of your character through conflict, as well as staying true to their fighting abilities. Here is an example of how fighting is done here:
In this instance, you can choose whether or not you hit your character's opponent, but because this type of fighting is less about winning and more about development, you don't have to go for the kill every time there's a confrontation. Be true to your character's skill and abilities - if they're slow, give their opponent a chance to dodge out of the way.
In most cases, each player will decide early on whether or not they'd like their character to die. Always be respectful of your roleplay partner and their boundaries - if they ask you to tone it down some, listen to them! If your character is stronger and more aggressive than theirs, choose wisely about whether or not to engage in confrontation with them if you think it would be unrealistic for your character to let them get away alive.
If you have anymore questions about fighting in thread roleplay, contact anyone of our mods and we'll be happy to help you out.
Character Aging
One month in-character is the equivalent of one year in terms of mental development. For example, a three year old wolf is the equivalent of a 36 year old human, because there are 36 months in three years. The oldest your character can make it to is 10 years, the equivalent of a 120 year old, before we ask that you have them pass away of old age for the sake of realism.
Wolves are considered old enough to leave their natal family at 18 months/1.5 years, but most leave around 24 months. A young wolf on their own before that age would be considered an orphan or a runaway. While wolves in real life sexually mature at different times depending on sex, to make things less complicated, here in WS we say that a wolf is capable of producing offspring at 18 months.
Wolves in WS auto age a single year every IC spring. A moderator will post on the In-Character Updates boards to notify members that they should change their living characters' ages on their profile.
Seasonal Changes
Currently, seasonal changes in Wolfstory are fluid and undefined. We don't have a number of days counting down till the next seasonal shift, since sometimes members will lose their roleplay muse for a little while. When we decide enough time has passed, we'll change the season.
Each season is broken up into thirds to give members a better idea about the weather patterns as well as how much time is left in a season. Each season has an early, mid, and late period. For example: early spring, mid spring, and late spring.
Time skips
A time skip is a special mechanism that only mods and select senior members can authorize, typically to wrap up a day in roleplay. A time skip is when time is moved forward, sometimes a number of hours to the next day and occasionally up to as much as a month depending on the circumstances.
Travel
Traveling in-character through Aktesh is no small feat. Traveling to a territory in the same region requires half a day to a day's worth of travel, while traveling to a territory in another region takes 3-5 days depending on the distance. Once we work out a map, the time required to move from one territory to another will be definitively put down. For now, just feel your way around.
Rank Challenges
Rank challenges in WS only occur in an alpha vs alpha medium. A beta will have to step down if the alpha/s that appointed them are knocked out of power. It should be noted that packs established by breeding pairs cannot be challenged for leadership by their children - if children don't want to be led by their parents, they can disperse from the pack and create their own.
Your rank challenge must be written out in a thread, and there should be a reasonable motive. Typically, this will lead to a fight for dominance if neither backs down. The loser will either submit or die. Occasionally, a wolf may step down from their position as alpha if they don't wish to fight, but this is rarely the case.
Claiming Territory
In order to be officially recognized as a territory's owner (not including dens), a wolf must be in a pack of 5+. Claiming a territory is a simple process - the pack must stay there for over a month, and frequently mark their perimeters so that others know not to intrude. The only exception to this is if your pack drives out another one, in which case they become the immediate occupants of the territory, and need to begin replacing scent markers with their own.
A pack can only hold one territory for every 5-10 wolves, though this number is subject to variability depending on the size of the territory. Please ask a moderator for specifics if you're interested in having your pack claim a territory.
Territory Challenges
Territories can be taken from their occupants. Your pack can be driven out of their home by a larger, more aggressive force, or they can willingly leave if the invaders are kind enough to give a day's notice. The same is true the other way - your pack can take another's territory. It should be noted that most wolves will not give up their territory without a fight.
If your pack is challenged for their territory, you must organize a response to the attack. We ask that challenging roleplayers be considerate (out of character) about all the whys, whens, and whos you challenge. If the home team loses, let a mod know so they can edit the territory's bio.
The game mechanics of Wolfstory are preset features we've set in place to make the game more enjoyable.
Familiars
A familiar is a wolf's raven companion. Familiars ride on a wolf's shoulder, and forge a very primal partnership with their wolf. This relationship lasts until one or the other dies, and afterwards, the surviving partner never finds another companion. A wolf will typically find a familiar some time after they reach their first birthday, though occasionally a wolf might bond with a raven prior to then. The familiar will always choose the wolf, not the other way around. This relationship varies in closeness and professionalism - some wolves spend the majority of their life in close contact with their familiar, while others only call for them when needing help with hunting, finding their way out of an area, et cetera. This bond is mutually beneficial and instinctive, inspired by the mutualistic relationship between real, wild wolves and ravens.
Wolves cannot communicate with their ravens through speaking - body language and the tone their vocalizing carries is what conveys the wolf's needs. So, growling might mean 'go away', howling typically is used to summon a raven if they've flown off, and whimpering might mean 'please help'. The ravens themselves are just as expressive - they let their wolf know what they want through making noise, biting them, swooping down on them, etc. Despite the language barrier, wolves and familiars can become very capable teams if they cooperate. A familiar will help locate prey using their advantageous wings, and a wolf will bring down the kill, allowing the raven its portion for helping. A wolf also provides protection from predators that would harm the raven.
You do not need to fill out individual joining applications for their ravens. Just introduce them through roleplay, or include their information when creating your wolf in the respective field. If your wolf dies and leaves a familiar to survive it, the familiar will deactivate as well unless you are otherwise directed.
Fighting In-Character
The fighting format used in WS roleplay is fairly simple. The goal is not necessarily for your character to win the battle - it's less about beating your opponent and more about the development of your character through conflict, as well as staying true to their fighting abilities. Here is an example of how fighting is done here:
User 1: Rabbitfoot charged forward toward Sparrow as the last insult rang in his ears, a growl humming in his throat. Though this was his first real fight, he was never one to let a slight go unpunished no matter the odds stacked against him.
User 2: Sparrow smirked, watching as the smaller wolf approached her in amusement. Not a sign of nervousness betrayed her cool demeanor; if anything, she seemed to lounge even more comfortably as he raced towards her.
User 1: With an outlandishly young sounding snarl, Rabbitfoot leaped at her, his hackles bristling.
In this instance, you can choose whether or not you hit your character's opponent, but because this type of fighting is less about winning and more about development, you don't have to go for the kill every time there's a confrontation. Be true to your character's skill and abilities - if they're slow, give their opponent a chance to dodge out of the way.
User 2: At the last second, Sparrow lurched to the side, escaping unscathed from the younger wolf's first assault.
User 1: He swept past his target as she shot to his left, stumbled in surprise, and then rolled over his head with a yelp, tumbling into the leaves.
In most cases, each player will decide early on whether or not they'd like their character to die. Always be respectful of your roleplay partner and their boundaries - if they ask you to tone it down some, listen to them! If your character is stronger and more aggressive than theirs, choose wisely about whether or not to engage in confrontation with them if you think it would be unrealistic for your character to let them get away alive.
If you have anymore questions about fighting in thread roleplay, contact anyone of our mods and we'll be happy to help you out.
Character Aging
One month in-character is the equivalent of one year in terms of mental development. For example, a three year old wolf is the equivalent of a 36 year old human, because there are 36 months in three years. The oldest your character can make it to is 10 years, the equivalent of a 120 year old, before we ask that you have them pass away of old age for the sake of realism.
Wolves are considered old enough to leave their natal family at 18 months/1.5 years, but most leave around 24 months. A young wolf on their own before that age would be considered an orphan or a runaway. While wolves in real life sexually mature at different times depending on sex, to make things less complicated, here in WS we say that a wolf is capable of producing offspring at 18 months.
Wolves in WS auto age a single year every IC spring. A moderator will post on the In-Character Updates boards to notify members that they should change their living characters' ages on their profile.
Seasonal Changes
Currently, seasonal changes in Wolfstory are fluid and undefined. We don't have a number of days counting down till the next seasonal shift, since sometimes members will lose their roleplay muse for a little while. When we decide enough time has passed, we'll change the season.
Each season is broken up into thirds to give members a better idea about the weather patterns as well as how much time is left in a season. Each season has an early, mid, and late period. For example: early spring, mid spring, and late spring.
Time skips
A time skip is a special mechanism that only mods and select senior members can authorize, typically to wrap up a day in roleplay. A time skip is when time is moved forward, sometimes a number of hours to the next day and occasionally up to as much as a month depending on the circumstances.
Travel
Traveling in-character through Aktesh is no small feat. Traveling to a territory in the same region requires half a day to a day's worth of travel, while traveling to a territory in another region takes 3-5 days depending on the distance. Once we work out a map, the time required to move from one territory to another will be definitively put down. For now, just feel your way around.
Rank Challenges
Rank challenges in WS only occur in an alpha vs alpha medium. A beta will have to step down if the alpha/s that appointed them are knocked out of power. It should be noted that packs established by breeding pairs cannot be challenged for leadership by their children - if children don't want to be led by their parents, they can disperse from the pack and create their own.
Your rank challenge must be written out in a thread, and there should be a reasonable motive. Typically, this will lead to a fight for dominance if neither backs down. The loser will either submit or die. Occasionally, a wolf may step down from their position as alpha if they don't wish to fight, but this is rarely the case.
Claiming Territory
In order to be officially recognized as a territory's owner (not including dens), a wolf must be in a pack of 5+. Claiming a territory is a simple process - the pack must stay there for over a month, and frequently mark their perimeters so that others know not to intrude. The only exception to this is if your pack drives out another one, in which case they become the immediate occupants of the territory, and need to begin replacing scent markers with their own.
A pack can only hold one territory for every 5-10 wolves, though this number is subject to variability depending on the size of the territory. Please ask a moderator for specifics if you're interested in having your pack claim a territory.
Territory Challenges
Territories can be taken from their occupants. Your pack can be driven out of their home by a larger, more aggressive force, or they can willingly leave if the invaders are kind enough to give a day's notice. The same is true the other way - your pack can take another's territory. It should be noted that most wolves will not give up their territory without a fight.
If your pack is challenged for their territory, you must organize a response to the attack. We ask that challenging roleplayers be considerate (out of character) about all the whys, whens, and whos you challenge. If the home team loses, let a mod know so they can edit the territory's bio.