Armageddon Overview

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The world of Armageddon is known as Zalanthas. It is a harsh planet where only the fittest survive, and competition over extremely scarce resources causes constant strife, struggle, and bloodshed. Deserts cover most of its explored surface, and the great red sun can bring temperatures as high as 150 degrees during mid-day and as low as 60 degrees at night. Your character will face hardship often, and will probably even be killed, possibly at the hands of another player. If your character dies, he or she is dead -- permanently. However, you can always make another; just keep in mind that your new character will have no knowledge of your previous life.

Players are advised to begin in either the south or the north, rather than other, less-populated locations. Both locations are harsh. In Allanak, characters bow to the blue, red, and black-robed Templarate carrying out the will of the centuries old Highlord, Tektolnes, while in Tuluk to the north, the sinister white and red clad Lirathan and Jihaen templarate perform a similar role for the sorcerer king, Muk Utep. Magic is feared and dreaded, whether the oppressive coercions of those in power or the rogue powers of elementalists and sorcerers. Similarly feared are the sinister psionicists, or mind-benders, who can penetrate one's very thoughts. Whether warrior, thief, merchant, servant, or hero, every character offers a new perspective on this harsh world.

Armageddon is, first and foremost, a role-playing game. It has a combat system, magick spells, and thousands of other features for added realism, but you must keep in mind that the only reason everyone is here is to have fun while acting out a role. The most important thing is playing your character according to their own personality in order to help in the creation of a realistic fantasy world.

In the world of Zalanthas, several things are key:

• One, roleplaying is central to the environment and is not considered an option by the creators of the world. It is a requirement. If you do not want to roleplay, this is not the game for you.
• Two, life is hard. There are no free lunches on Zalanthas. There aren't even free drinks of water. It is likely that you will die, and if you are unlucky or unintelligent you will die very fast. Only the fittest live long enough to retire in comfort at the end of their careers.
• Three, sometimes people are nasty. There are no rules against being mean to others that you meet, be it cheating, stealing, killing, swindling, or otherwise making a fool out of them as long as the meanness is in-character (IC).
• Four, complaints of unfairness on the part of other players will not be given an audience. If you think another character was mean to you, you're most likely right.

What does all of this mean ? It does not mean that Armageddon is for people who revel masochistically in abuse. We have created this harsh world with the idea that the heart of narrative lies in conflict and dealing with hardship. The point of the world is not to allow a few overachieving players to boost their egos at the expense of the rest of the players; on the contrary, we hope that players will find in the harsh, unforgiving reality of Armageddon a great deal of freedom in which to explore the narrative of the world and, even more importantly, the nuances of its characters and the stories played out there.

In existence for over ten years now, the game has developed a rich culture both on and offstage. Players and staff conduct lively arguments and debates on the discussion board and we meet every year at the Armageddon Players Meeting (often held in conjunction with DragonCon) in locations such as Las Vegas, Chicago, Baltimore, Raleigh, and Iowa City, and Phuket (Thailand). Player contributions are valued and credited in the game's Weekly Update. If you're new to the game, we urge you to explore this website - we've found that it's the players who spend a little time learning the ropes beforehand who get the most out of the game, or at the least, who catch on to nuances faster than other players. If you should require assistance, there is a list of Player Helpers, both players and staff, who can be emailed or IMed.