Eruvian FAQ

General Questions
Questions about Content
Questions about Community
Questions about Gaming Groups
Questions about Member Classes
Questions about Survival

General Questions

Question: What is Eruvian.com?
Answer: Eruvian.com is a resource that helps gamers play roleplaying games (RPGs), such as Dungeons & Dragons. On the surface it is a repository containing gaming content: locales, characters, and so on. This gaming content has been contributed by gamers just like you and is constantly being reviewed and rated by the Eruvian community. Dig just a little deeper and you can find campaign settings put together by individuals who use Eruvian to publish and share their creations. Dig a bit further and you realize that it is a community focused on a collaborative world-building environment enabling creative gamers to work together to build campaign settings of unprecedented depth and playability.

Question: How do I use Eruvian.com as a player?
Answer: Players usually come to Eruvian.com at the prompting of their GM to find material on the campaign setting they are playing within. They can view all the information about the campaign setting that is known to their characters. If you are a player and are looking for a GM, make sure you are signed up to the campaign you want to play in and that you've checked the box next to "Open to Being Contacted" in your Registration Settings.

Question: How do I use Eruvian.com as a GM?
Answer: GMs can use Eruvian.com as their source for campaign material with which they run a game. Or they might use it as a source for individual characters, monsters, spells, items, and so on for use within campaign settings of their own creation or those released by more traditional publishers. GMs that create their own content are encouraged to submit it to Eruvian so that it can be used and enjoyed by others. Even more so, GMs are encouraged to submit content to the most popular campaign settings or even join the guild developing that setting. To get access to GM-only content for a given setting go to Registration Settings.

Questions about Content

Question: How do I submit content to Eruvian.com?
Answer: If you want to submit it to the general repository, simply click "Submit ..." (Submit Character, Locale, Spell, etc.) on the home page. Once you're satisfied with how the content looks, check the box next to "Is Published". Published content is visible to the Eruvian community and will be reviewed and rated. Additionally, a given piece of content may be tied to a given locale within a single setting by an owner of that locale. In this way, your creation can become a part of something greater and help add depth and gameplay to an existing setting.

Question: But what if I've got a piece of content that would fit perfectly into an existing setting?
Answer: Simply go to the locale where you think your content would work well and click "Submit ...". (If you don't see a link to submit content, that means that locale isn't taking submissions.) Once you submit the content a message will be sent to the owner(s) of that locale requesting that they review it. This review will either result in the piece of content being accepted, in which case it becomes part of the campaign setting with you credited as the creator, or it can be rejected, usually along with a note from the reviewer explaining why it was rejected and what changes if any they'd like to see before you re-submit it. If the reviewers like your work, they might even invite you to become an owner of a locale within the setting and take part in its ongoing development.

Question: Wait, you've talked about locales and about settings...what's the difference?
Answer: Locales are individual locations within a campaign setting. A locale can pretty much be created for any location that has its own map. Locales can range in size from as big as a Multiverse, with a high-scale map showing the layout of the planes within the multiverse, down to a single level of a building, with a corresponding map.

Large-scale locales often have sublocales, detailing a location within them. For example, a locale might be a world and it might have several sublocales, one for each continent. A given continent might have further sublocales for kingdoms, which might have sublocales for counties, which might have sublocales for towns, which might have sublocales for individual buildings within the town. Generally speaking, rooms need not be their own locales as there are usually several rooms within a single map. Or they can be, depending on the preference of the content developers.

Oh, and a setting is simply the top-most locale, which is the largest locale of the campaign setting. It contains all the other locales and its name defines the name of the campaign setting.

Question: Okay, how does ownership of content work within Eruvian.com?
Answer: Ownership in Eruvian.com consists of two levels. On the one hand, users are always owners of the individual pieces of content that they contribute. In this case they are also flagged as the creators of that content. Additionally, owners of locales own all sublocales under that locale as well as any objects - characters, items, and so on - attached to any of those locales. An owner of a kingdom, for example, is also an owner of all the towns, buildings, dungeon levels, and other locales within that kingdom.

Locale owners can invite other registered users to become owners of any locale that they own, in which case both users own the locale. For example, the owner of a kingdom might invite another user to own one of the towns within that kingdom and trust them to take part in the ongoing development of that town. In turn, that owner could invite another user to own a particular building within that town or become a co-owner of the town itself.

Owners can also dismiss owners within their hierarchy, in other words, owners of sublocales under a locale that they own. An owner can also dismiss a co-owner of a given locale if they are the senior owner of that locale (e.g. if they have owned it for a longer period of time). In this way, there is a clear hierarchy of ownership and control within settings that are being collaboratively developed by guilds of contributors.

Question: What happens if an owner of a locale is dismissed?
Answer: Well, hopefully that won't happen too often - Eruvian.com is meant to be a place for gamers to cooperate, not quarrel. However, if an owner is dismissed, for example due to creative differences with a senior owner within a campaign setting, they still have access to view all the content they created. However, Eruvian.com is a collaborative work environment, and as such it is possible content that you submitted might someday be modified by another user. In this situation, you are still considered the creator of the content but it is possible you may no longer have edit privileges over that content if you're no longer an owner of the locale within which the content resides. In short, as with any collaborative effort it is best to remain on good terms with those you are working with.

Question: If I contribute content to Eruvian.com, does that mean I'm giving up my copyright on that content?
Answer: No, you retain copyright on all material you contribute to Eruvian.com. However, by uploading your content you are agreeing to share joint copyright of the content in question with Eruvian.com. This allows Eruvian.com to publish the content - on the website, for example -, license it, or take any other action available to a copyright holder. It also means that others may modify your content if, for example, it becomes part of a larger campaign setting and the owners of that setting need to tweak it. If you're interested in learning more about Eruvian's joint copyright policy please read Eruvian's Terms and Conditions. In case of a conflict between what is stated here and in the official Terms and Conditions, the information in the Terms and Conditions shall take precedent. My lawyer made me say that.

Question: Can I contribute content I saw in a book or magazine?
Answer: No. You can only contribute content for which you have copyright privileges. In general, this means anything you created yourself.

Question: What if I scan it in so I have the words in my own digital text file?
Answer: Nice try, but no. If you didn't create it or otherwise have copyright privileges, Eruvian.com legally can't and won't take it.

Question: What if I go to the trouble of typing the content into the site all by myself?
Answer: Wow, you truly don't give up. Kudos for that persistence, but sorry, the answer is still no.

Question: Can I contribute content I've created for traditionally published campaign settings, such as Forgotten Realms?
Answer: Yes, but only as long as there is no reference to characters, places, items, or anything else that would identify that product. If you created your own version of Elminster from the Forgotten Realms campaign setting published by Wizards of the Coast, you must at least change the character's name and any references within the character sheet linking it to Forgotten Realms before uploading it.

Question: Wait a minute - you just said I can't mention "Forgotten Realms", but then you go ahead and mention it yourself! What's up with that?
Answer: Do as I say, not as I do.

Question: So, what happens if I go ahead and submit someone else's content without their permission anyway?
Answer: If I find out, I shall be quite...put out. In addition, Eruvian will remove the content and either give you a warning or suspend your account. Those that use Eruvian.com to infringe on the copyrights of others are not only being disrespectful but are breaking the law and are thus putting Eruvian.com in legal jeopardy. Under no circumstances will this be tolerated.

Question: Hey, I just found my content on Eruvian.com and I didn't upload it!!!
Answer: Dang it, now I've got to warn or suspend someone. I assume you don't want your content on the site, otherwise you wouldn't be concerned about this. Just send a message to content@eruvian.com with a link to the content in question and it will be taken down as soon as humanly possible. Eruvian.com supports artists and all creative people by following and enforcing copyright laws to the best of our ability. However, sometimes things slip through and for that we apologize. Please don't sue us.

Question: Is the content on Eruvian.com safe for kids?
Answer: Generally speaking, yes. However, it really depends on the Maturity Rating of the content. The Maturity Rating is initially set by the owner of the content using a scale similar to that used to rate movies: G, PG, PG-13, and R. If you feel that a piece of content is misrated, please contact content@eruvian.com and include a link to the content in question. Beyond that, Eruvian.com is meant to be a place for creating fantasy worlds and it does not allow content that contains messages of real-world bigotry, racism, or hatred in any form. Fantastic variants on these themes may be present within campaign settings as long as they are done tastefully. As with all things, Eruvian.com reserves the right to make the final decision on content and to remove any content for any reason.

Questions about Community

Question: Wow, Eruvian.com seems like a grrreat source for quality gaming content. Is there any other way it helps gamers play RPGs?
Answer: Glad you asked! Eruvian.com also helps gamers wanting to play Eruvian campaigns to find each other. Simply click the "Find Gamers Near You" link on the home page for a list of potential gamers near you based on the Postal/Zip Code you entered in your Registration Settings.

Even if you don't find any immediately, make sure your "Open to Being Contacted" box is checked in your Registration Settings so you can be found by others. New users are always registering at Eruvian.com and as they do we'll bring you into contact with fellow gamers near you that are looking for a game.

Question: What if I don't want to be found?
Answer: Then make sure the "Open to Being Contacted" box is left unchecked in your Registration Settings.

Question: Is it safe to meet face-to-face with people that I've come into contact with through Eruvian.com?
Answer: It's the Internet, so you never know who you're typing to. A preliminary phone call might not be a bad idea. Otherwise, use common sense.

Question: Eruvian.com's tools to support collaboration and group communication seem limited.
Answer: Agreed. For those serious about raising a guild of contributors to collaboratively build a campaign setting, I recommend supplementing Eruvian.com's tools with Google Groups or Yahoo! Groups. You might also use other spiffy means of communication such as instant messaging, email, or pony express.

Question: So, are you ever going to add improved communication tools within Eruvian.com?
Answer: Prob'ly. However, for the moment it isn't a priority as the off-site tools seem to be fitting the bill.

Questions about Gaming Groups

Question: Why does Eruvian have Gaming Groups?
Answer: Gaming Groups are cool because they allow GMs a level of control over the content their players see.

Using the Manage Gaming Groups page a GM can allow one or more of their players access to a locale or object that was previously hidden to them. For example, perhaps in a given campaign there is a hidden island that the PCs locate and explore. After they become familiar with it, you, the GM, may want to allow them to read all about the island. You can do so by flagging the locale as "Known" to a particular player, or all your players. At this point, the next time the player goes into the campaign setting they will see the locale and be able to read all the information about it that is visible to players. Of course, they still won't have access to GM-only info.

Question: Well, I suppose that seems kinda neat, but what else are Gaming Groups good for?
Answer: There are...other ways in which a Gaming Group helps GMs. I'm not at liberty to discuss these within this FAQ...just trust me that if you're a GM, you'll want to create a Gaming Group and assign all your players to it. ;)

Questions about Membership

Question: How come some members have spiffy, neat-o icons and stuff next to their aliases?
Answer: These represent accomplishments they have achieved within Eruvian.com, such as gaining levels in Contributor.

Question: Whoa...you mean I, the registered user, can gain levels and their corresponding notoriety within Eruvian.com?
Answer: Yep. Whenever you first contribute content, you become a 1st-level Contributor - Con1. As you contribute more content - and especially popular, highly-rated content - you earn experience points (XP) towards the next highest level of Contributor. Once you have enough points to make a level, you are notified and the level appears next to your alias and on you member page. By contributing your own popular, high-quality content you may reach ever higher levels.

Question: Are there any benefits to being higher level?
Answer: Well, you'll get mad props from your fellow contributors. Each time a contributor rises a level, an announcement will be made on the site. Also, if you dream of someday creating RPG content for a living, this is a pretty good thing to have on your resume.

Question: Are there any other ways to gain levels?
Answer: That's about it for the Contributor class. However, there are other classes that you can excel at.

Question: Serious? Like what?
Answer: The classes currently available include: Contributor (Con), Leader (Ldr), and Reviewer (Rev). It's also possible others may be added in future.

Question: How do all these classes work?
Answer: Well, we've already covered Contributors - 'nuff said about them. On to the others.

You become a 1st-level Leader once another user publishes content within a locale that you own. From there on you gain a fraction of the contributor XP earned by those contributing within your sphere of ownership, and that XP is applied towards your next level of Leader. For example, if you are the owner of a kingdom and you allow someone to own a town within that kingdom, your Leader class gets a percentage of XP for every piece of content that individual contributes to that town. Users that build a team of contributors adding popular, high-quality content will gain levels in Leader.

Reviewers gain XP based on the quantity and quality of their reviews. Quality is determined by the reviewer showing a wide breadth of ratings across a wide range of content contributors. Those that always give high ratings or always give low ratings won't gain much XP.

Question: Wow. Is that it?
Answer: Pretty much. The only other thing worth mentioning is that based on the ratings of reviewers, a member's page will show the average rating for Depth, Verisimilitude, Creativity, and Gameplay given to the content the user has contributed.

Question about Survival

Question: So, how do you even survive?
Answer: Generally I try to eat and sleep regularly. However, that can be hit or miss. Breathing is a must, too.

Question: No, no - I mean, how does the Eruvian website survive?
Answer: Oh, that. Well, Eruvian makes a little coin whenever someone clicks on one of the sponsored links on the site. However, that's not enough to even cover bandwidth and I don't want to turn the site into one big advertisement with snippets of content throughout. Hopefully someday its costs will be supported by those users that choose to sign up as paying members for a given campaign setting. In the meantime it is supported by whatever means the founder can find: using the metal detector at the beach, selling organs, panhandling - even consulting. You know, the usual.

Question: Well, Eruvian seems like a pretty neat idea - is there someway I could help out?
Answer: (gasp...sputter...choke)

Question: Are...are you okay?
Answer: Sorry. (snort...hack) Your question...just took me...by surprise. Ahem. SUUUUURE you can help. Contributing lots of quality content would be awesome, especially if you join an existing project. Rating and reviewing the stuff that other people put up would also be great (you can't review stuff that you create or take ownership of). If you want to sign up as a paying member for a given campaign setting, perhaps one that you're not contributing to, that would help pay the bills as well as give you access to more great GM-only content.

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