FAQ

1. Must I be from Florin or Guilder?
2. Can I have more than one Rank?
3. When I want to buy abilities at higher levels, do have to buy them multiple times or do they just run off the related attribute?
4. Can I kill other people?
5. Can I resign my Rank?
6. What happens when I use my 'knockdown' ability on someone who 'can't be knocked down'?
7. If I'm Baron of West Kent, shouldn't I be ruling there?
8. Can I tell how powerful someone is?
9. Can people tell who I am?

Q Must I be from Florin or Guilder?
A No. You can buy the ability Foreign and be from some strange and distant land. But you still owe loyalty to either Florin or Guilder.

Q Can I have more than one Rank?
A No. We considered this as it is more historically realistic, but decided against it. You can be a lord, who taught at the university and then joined the military, but only your current rank counts in system terms. A duke who joins the military as a private, is treated as any other private.

Q When I want to buy abilities at higher levels, do have to buy them multiple times or do they just run off the related attribute?
A No to both. Skills you buy once and then set the level at whatever you want, up to the level of the core aspect. Talents, minions, items, etc you just buy once and if they have a value, it is fixed. Some abilities you can buy twice, such as businesses, etc, but you must specify the differences between them. If you want to buy multiple items, you can use the "extra item" ability to do so cheaply.

Q Can I kill other people?
A Sure, but some people are harder to kill than others. You can kill NPCs, and other PCs Minions, dependants or loved ones fairly easily. This is not always a good idea, as they get the XP refunded to spend however they like. Killing other PCs is possible, but if they are Consent then you need their permission to do so. It is also worth remembering that PCs will be in charge of enforcing the law, and its hard to get away with murder.

Q Can I resign my Rank?
A Sure. You will be refunded the XP and can use it however you like. You can also, if it fits with your characters backstory, return to your previous rank in a different hierarchy (so a military captain could resign and return to his life as a Noble baron).

Q What happens when I use my 'knockdown' ability on someone who 'can't be knocked down'?
A Nothing. Defensive powers beat offensive powers unless specifically written as otherwise.

Q If I'm Baron of West Kent, shouldn't I be ruling there?
A Not if it removes the character from the game. It is assumed that you have people to do that for you, and that your instructions to them (via post or other messenger) is part of your normal day to day life. Characters should have reasons to stay in Mainspring, not reasons to leave.

Q Can I tell how powerful someone is?
A Not automatically. If you are a good duellist then you can probably guess roughly how good another swordsman is after watching them fight a few times.

Q Can people tell who I am?
A Yes and no. People can normally tell which race you are as Clanks and Automatons are fairly obvious. In theory a Galetean could be made who looked perfectly human, but it is very rare. Most Galeteans are obviously not human (scars, scales, fur, claws, teeth, etc). People can usually tell your nationality (accent, dress, etc), unless you make an active effort to hide it.