Basic Communication

The simplest form of communication is just speak using the SAY command. SAY followed by what you wish to speak aloud will communicate with anybody who is in your location.

2002h, 2002m aex --- say Hi there!
You say, "Hi there!"

Tells

You can also speak directly to any other Avalonian who is currently within the world using a TELL. Simply enter their name followed by what you wish to tell them: for example, XANDAMERE HI THERE! would send a tell to Xandamere, if you were fortunate enough to spot the Master Thief. Take care that any other person in your target's location who possesses a bug rune will hear your tell.

2002h, 2002m aex --- xandamere Hello
You tell Count Xandamere, the Damned "Hello."

Messages

The final method of communicating with another player is by private message. Messages are permanent and can be sent to any character, even if they are not in Avalon at the present time. If they are not within the land when you send the message, they will see it when they next arrive in Avalon. The MSG command allows you to send a message at a token cost of 5 gold coins, and RMSG is used to read messages that others have sent to you. Messages can also be useful for private communication, as they cannot be seen via bug runes or other methods of snooping.

2002h, 2002m aex --- msg xandamere I wanted to speak with you
You send a message to Xandamere: "I wanted to speak with you."
2002h, 2002m aex ---
Xandamere has just left you a message
2002h, 2002m aex --- rmsg
Xandamere: "What do you want?"

Calling Channels

Calling allows you to call to a specific channel, which can be seen by anyone else in that channel. For example, you could call to your fellow citizens, members of your guild, everyone on your friends list, and many more. HELP CALLING shows the full list of channels. Of particular note is that calling is completely secure and cannot be seen by anybody who is not in that channel via any means. The basic command to call is CC plus a single letter to designate the channel you are using: CCC for calling to city-mates, CCG for calling to your guild, et cetera.

2002h, 2002m aex --- ccc Good morning Thakria!
You call to Thakria: "Good morning Thakria!"
2002h, 2002m aex --- ccg Hello Sorcerers!
You call to the Sorcerers Guild: "Hello Sorcerers!"

The Bulletin Board

The Bulletin Board, or BB, is for posting of messages to Avalon's permanent record. There are a variety of sections on the BB, from the public forum, able to be viewed by anyone, to more specialized sections for cities, guilds, or other groups. You can read the BB whilst going about your normal business in Avalon, or you can fully enter the BB, taking you out of Avalon itself. BBSTATUS will show you the sections you can read as well as how far you've read in each section, which will let you see if there's anything new that you should go catch up on.

2002h, 2002m aex --- bbstatus
Public BB:         Read 26793 out of 26793
City BB:           Read 11808 out of 11811
Govt BB:           Read 1 out of 1
Guild BB:          Read 1740 out of 1740
Order BB:          Read 5 out of 5
Profession BB:     Read 133 out of 133
News BB:           Read 194 out of 194
Merchants BB:      Read 749 out of 749
Guildmasters:      Read 826 out of 826
Priesthood BB:     Read 24 out of 24
Leaders BB:        Read 341 out of 341
Warfare BB:        Read 48 out of 48
Treaties BB:       Read 77 out of 77
Fighters BB:       Read 5341 out of 5341
Elders BB:         Read 4221 out of 4221
Meets BB:          Read 2674 out of 2674
Alumni BB:         Read 131 out of 131

If you wish to remain in Avalon, simply use the READBB command to view an individual post. You will have to specify a section and post number, so, for example, READBB PUBLIC 10000 would show you the 10,000th post in the public section.

2002h, 2002m aex --- readbb public 10000
Read 2708 times: Message #10000.
Date: 6-3-1996 at 20:51.
From: Genesis, the god of time.
To  : Everyone
Subj: 10,000th Message

Symbolically I have nabbed the 10,000th message and will write something more here when I have a moment.

Sign of the changing times - I have a moment. Here we are at last - an addition to public post ten thousand on the 20th anniversary of Avalon, on November 11th 2009. Thirteen years late but apposite in Avalon yr 1247. A little note for old age and posterity, writ with living fingers. Unlikely to be stumbled upon so many years afterwards, but then that's a metaphor applicable to many things in this weird and wonderful world.

A rhyme for the day, assonance'n'all:
rebound the path of brilliance,
beings truly slain,
Diabolus the pentagram,
'ken the full moon's name!

Written again, centuries elapsed, on the 9th of Cloudburst 1247.

If you wish to enter the bulletin board entirely, use BB and wait 12 seconds. Once in the BB, your character is safe from attack, allowing you some peaceful time to read and catch up. From within the BB, use SECTION [section] to navigate around, READ # to read a specific post, or simply use N to read the next post in whichever section you are currently browsing. For example, once going to the BB, you would use SECTION CITY to move to your city's section of the bulletin board, then just use N as you read each post in order to catch up fully.

Roleplaying Etiquette

While there are few hard and fast rules on behavior in Avalon, roleplaying is encouraged at all times. The concept of roleplay differs from person to person and there is no "right" way to roleplay, however, there are some wrong ways. The simplest rule is to leave out-of-world matters outside of Avalon, or at least outside of public channels.

One critical thing to remember is that Avalon is, at its heart, about relationships between players. During your time in Avalon you will forge powerful friendships and, most likely, make bitter enemies. The emotional hook of Avalon is undeniable, and it's one of the things that makes the world so unique. Roleplay not only makes Avalon a richer experience for everyone involved, but it also creates boundaries between in-game and out-of-game interactions between players. With an enemy whom you've just killed multiple times, you can see why this would be a good thing.

While there is no definitive guide to "good" roleplaying, there are some excellent guidelines written up in HELP ROLE, and all players should peruse and consider this document.