- Invitation Status
- Look for groups
- Posting Speed
- 1-3 posts per day
- One post per day
- Multiple posts per week
- 1-3 posts per week
- One post per week
- Slow As Molasses
- Online Availability
- 8 AM - 6 PM and 10 PM - 2 AM
- Writing Levels
- Intermediate
- Adept
- Advanced
- Prestige
- Douche
- Adaptable
- Preferred Character Gender
- Male
- Female
- Futanari
- No Preferences
- Genres
- Fantasy (High and Low), Sci-Fi, Modern Fantasy, Modern Realistic, Apocalypse, Drama, Romance... I have lots of interests!
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Many of you have seen it. Maybe you even clicked in it once or twice. Down in the Roleplaying area of the forums, there is one RP that gets its own section.
Ilium.
Why?
Ilium is a mass RP, and one of the only mass RPs currently running on Iwaku. The story is too expansive, the lore too wide, to "fit" inside just a few little threads. Ilium's GMs are hesitant to even call it a roleplay, because since its creation it has evolved into more of collaborative story.
Ilium is currently experiencing a resurgence - a renaissance, so to speak - and we would be happy to welcome new players and new writers to come and experience this world and to help shape its story.
[/fieldbox]Ilium.
Why?
Ilium is a mass RP, and one of the only mass RPs currently running on Iwaku. The story is too expansive, the lore too wide, to "fit" inside just a few little threads. Ilium's GMs are hesitant to even call it a roleplay, because since its creation it has evolved into more of collaborative story.
Ilium is currently experiencing a resurgence - a renaissance, so to speak - and we would be happy to welcome new players and new writers to come and experience this world and to help shape its story.
What is Ilium?
Ilium takes place in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world called Sunne. 300 years before the events of the story, for reasons unknown, the gods went to war. They clashed, sundering the world, and causing it to split into three very different landscapes: a fiery, arid desert; a poisonous forest; a vicious, icy mountainscape.
The few people left still alive rebuilt, and gradually each landscape formed its own nation. Kaustir, the Red Empire. Viridos, the Green Realm. Pegulis, the Blue Republic. In the 300 years since the Cataclysm, each nation grew and developed in its own unique ways, with their own philosophies and cultures. But as they continued to expand, war inevitably threatened.
Now, the war is here.
Divine Weapons, thought to be the same as the ones wielded by the gods themselves so many years ago, are being found across the world. They wield immense power to those who discover them... but at what cost?
What else do I need to know?
It's important to note that Ilium is a different sort of roleplay. Traditionally, a RP's reward is in player-player interaction. Here, much of the reward and delight comes from contributing to the story, having your work read and built upon by others, and open plotting to further Ilium's story. This style of collaborative writing means that your lasting mark on ilium will be a unique, seamless contribution to our world, and may not necessarily be the types of back and forths you are used to.
Ilium started as a huge, massive frenzy. It has since cooled into a focused endeavor, and the GM team is comfortable enough with the direction to begin opening the story up to new applicants.
Using Ozzie's Posting Expectations as a guideline, Ilium falls somewhere between the Adept and Advanced levels of the spectrum, depending on player involvement.
The Ilium forum contains the IC, as well as the Plot Discussion and character applications. We also have a Discord Channel which we use for OOC banter as well as for plot discussion and planning.
If you read nothing else in this post, read this:
Let me be frank, folks. I have been RPing since I was 9 or 10, which means I've been around this medium for 20 (twenty!!!) years. Throughout that time, I have never been a part of anything that even comes close to Ilium in terms of scope or success.
I know that a lot of roleplays promise you the world and fail to deliver. I've been there, done that, so many times it's taken for granted nowadays that an RP will die before it reaches its conclusion. I'm not here to make you those same promises, but I will give you these facts about Ilium and let you draw your own conclusions.
Ilium has been around since March of 2014 (over two and a half years). It has had over 100 player characters approved (not NPCs!), many of which are still active. Over the course of Ilium's life, it has been home to more than 80 unique writers, including some of the most talented writers on Iwaku. The GM team has an end in mind, and although we do not know exactly what the outcome will be (as that will be up to the writers), the story WILL have a definite end, one that we intend to reach.
Let me be frank, folks. I have been RPing since I was 9 or 10, which means I've been around this medium for 20 (twenty!!!) years. Throughout that time, I have never been a part of anything that even comes close to Ilium in terms of scope or success.
I know that a lot of roleplays promise you the world and fail to deliver. I've been there, done that, so many times it's taken for granted nowadays that an RP will die before it reaches its conclusion. I'm not here to make you those same promises, but I will give you these facts about Ilium and let you draw your own conclusions.
Ilium has been around since March of 2014 (over two and a half years). It has had over 100 player characters approved (not NPCs!), many of which are still active. Over the course of Ilium's life, it has been home to more than 80 unique writers, including some of the most talented writers on Iwaku. The GM team has an end in mind, and although we do not know exactly what the outcome will be (as that will be up to the writers), the story WILL have a definite end, one that we intend to reach.
SO! If you are looking for a new and challenging, but incredibly satisfying roleplay experience, I strongly suggest you submit an application for a character! Before doing so, please thoroughly read the Introduction and Code of Conduct. These are very important - in a roleplay of this size and scope we need to rely on everyone to pull their own weight by following the rules. It will only take you a moment but will save all the players (including yourself) a lot of headache in the long run!
Q&A
I will use this section to address some preliminary questions you might have. If you have a question that is not covered here, feel free to ask it in this thread and we'll try to answer it for you! Heck, I might even put that question into this post!
Who came up with Ilium?
Ilium is originally the brainchild of @Quill, a member who has left Iwaku due to real-life commitments. She formed the idea with the help of @Asmodeus, and together they ran it as a roleplay (twice) before @Tegan ended up coming in with some fresh ideas to completely revitalize Ilium and reshape its future.
Who are the GMs of Ilium?
Previously, Asmodeus and Tegan were GMing Ilium. They have since departed to pursue their own writing career together, and have left Ilium in the capable hands of @unanun, @Peregrine, and myself, @fatalrendezvous. Previous GMs also include @Diana (yes, THAT Diana) and @Jack Shade.
What if I'm intimidated by the posting expectations and/or all these great writers?
Everyone starts somewhere! Don't be intimidated. We love to plot and plan and the player base for Ilium is lively and friendly (most of the time!).
What kind of player is Ilium looking for?
We look at applications based on the character itself, so if the character fits with the story and is interesting, it is likely to be accepted. That said, Ilium is a proving ground that has shown itself to be most rewarding for the types of players who are adaptable and not afraid to take initiative.
What are the rules of roleplaying in Ilium?
The standard rules of no godmodding and no powergaming apply. However, we are very lax with (and in many cases, encourage) character "hijacking." In a roleplay this large, often times it is necessary to include the actions or responses of other characters in your post rather than leaving them open-ended for that person to respond. It helps to streamline posts, and improves your ability as a writer to have to think and act for multiple characters at a time. The roleplay also utilizes a karma system to keep characters in check.
What is the "karma system"?
Essentially, the karma system is our equalizer. It's our way of preventing players from powergaming or from doing things that are too unrealistic. Remember that Ilium is a low-fantasy world, and that in this world actions do have consequences. The more you try to abuse power levels in the roleplay, the more likely you are for a GM to intervene and give your character an injury, a pulled muscle, an illness, or have other unfortunate things befall them.
How come there's no section in applications for history / character / attitude / likes / dislikes / etc.?
When a character joins a roleplay, we want to learn about them organically. When you meet a person for the first time, if they IMMEDIATELY told you all of those things without you asking, told you their whole life story, gave you a general flowchart of how they react to situations, told you their likes and dislikes... you'd probably 1) find that person weird, and 2) no longer have motivation to talk with that person because you already know just about everything there is to know.
The bare Character Sheets help to resolve that problem. It is much more interesting for other readers to learn about your character and peel away the layers over time than it is to know everything about them right away.
How long has Ilium been running?
The first posts in this version of Ilium were made on April 7, 2014, and the signups have been around since March of 2014. So it has been about two and a half years, as of the time of this writing.
How long is Ilium going to run for?
This is a tough question to answer as it will depend on posting speeds and density of content. The goal is to have Ilium span three "books," and to have each book take approximately a year to complete. We are currently in Ilium's second Book.
What if I don't know if I'll be around for that long?
While we certainly hope you will stick around, don't let that deter you from joining! It's not a huge problem if you have to disappear, especially if you can do the GMs the courtesy of letting us know first! That way we can decide how to proceed with your character and neatly tie up your character's story arcs.
I have concerns about how my character will fit into a roleplay that has already been running for so long! How can I possibly catch up?
Ilium just began Book 2, which has essentially wiped the slate clean. The story will continue, but we expect to see new characters and new faces as the world continues to evolve. Now is actually an ideal time to join, and you don't have to know much about the story other than the basic premise.
There is a brief plot synopsis for each chapter in the Story So Far section of the Ilium forum. The GMs and players from each nation can also help fill you in on important details. That way you can hit the ground running.
What if I have another question that wasn't answered here?
Then feel free to post it and we will answer it for you in the thread!
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