What is Sidria?

Sidria is a persistent campaign world based on the forthcoming Neverwinter Nights game from Wizards of the Coast, Bioware, and Interplay. It is a realm of high magic, intrigue and adventure where most everything is possible and what’s more – live Dungeon Masters (DMs) will referee gameplay so as to provide amazing interactivity. Sidria will be a persistent world, so it will be up and running as consistently as is reasonable within the limitations of NeverWinter Nights, but there will certainly be down time to adjust and update the world.

What do you mean, ‘Adjust and Update’?

Sidria will be a persistent, but NOT repetitive world. Unlike an MMORPG where you can kill the same monster twenty times and it just reappears, Sidria will attempt to maintain an on-going economy/ecology, where dead NPCs and monsters must be replaced from elsewhere – they don’t just respawn on the spot. This does not mean there will not be a few monster areas where respawns occur, but it does mean that you may not find the same configuration twice. Unique NPCs will never show up more than once unless someone raises or resurrects them. You won’t be able to ‘camp’ the spawn spot.

On a similar topic, you may be able to affect parts of the world defined by game ‘tiles’. Since tiles are not changeable while the servers are running, changes of that sort will have to be made in downtime. It remains to be seen how smoothly the NWN game will allow this sort of change to occur, but the intent is to allow for construction of new buildings, addition of statues to local heroes (maybe you), and destruction of enemy strongholds, among other things. Therefore, although we will strive to have Sidria available for play whenever you want to enter, we do not guarantee 24/7 uptime.

How big is Sidria?

Sidria is a large world with many areas to explore. We are currently looking at multiple servers to run multiple areas. Our main DM has developed this world in tabletop adventures since 1977, so it is very well fleshed out on paper. The entire world of Sidria is MUCH larger than is ever likely to be represented in a NeverWinter Nights campaign, however we have chosen an active and exciting portion of the world to develop first. Our challenge is to bring Sidria, in all the glory we have experienced over the years, to the NWN environment. At this time we have a flowchart style area map including over 150 general areas. This does not include building interiors. We understand that the NWN architecture will not support this many areas running at the same time on one server – we intend to have multiple servers and a portal structure. In addition, we anticipate having portal stations – areas where portals to other servers (including other worlds through NeverWinter Net) will be available in groups. We see Sidria as a very large place, but it will be small compared to the entire multiverse of servers that will be out there once this game gets going.

You mention 150 areas - how is this possible?

Neverwinter Nights will allow infinitely expanding worlds, based on multiple servers and portals. The portal structure is one of the truly unique parts of the design which will allow your character to travel from place to place and from world to world. Within the World of Sidria we plan to take advantage of this structure to provide a broad expanse of playable area. We do not intend to have great open plains with nothing in them, like you might find in most of the popular MMORPGs right now. But we do intend to have a lot of terrain in which there will be many things to do. Our servers will easily handle the load if the structure is anything like what has been outlined by the BioWare folks so far.

Where will my character begin?

The plan is for several starting points, as allowed by the game, but most will hail from the Seven Cities area where one might choose to be a human, half-orc or half-elf residing in one of the cities of Atalon, Dubior, Galator, Maraket, Keltor, Chordan or, South Tanader. Alternatively, one might choose to be a dwarf from GoldDeep, a gnome from Opal Vale or an elf from the Dooran Forest. As NWN allows, we will make it as easy as possible to begin play in a racially specific area.

How can I have a PC in Sidria?

We are accepting applications NOW! If you want to be part of the evolving world of Sidria and help out against the burgeoning Laernean Empire of the Dark Elves, now is the time to make your intentions known. To apply for citizenship in the Seven Cities simply email a character description and bio to InternetConflict@Mindspring.com. The successful applicant should have read the world history and this FAQ and should write up a character bio based within the framework of Sidria as herein described. If you want to play an evil character, please feel free to note that in your bio - just because there is a large conflict going on doesn't mean that all must be heroes of the realm. We will be making final decisions AFTER the release of the game, but if you produce an interesting, compelling character you will be included in story-line creation ahead of time and we will let you know your status. Thanks for your interest!

Will Sidria be a 'hack and slash' world?

Certainly, the option will be up to the player as to how bloodthirsty they get, however roleplaying is key, and if a player has an interesting character concept that is not necessarily based on bashing the big bad ogres but rather on fashioning and selling arms and armor, more power to them. We fully intend to allow for PC merchants to develop their own business in reselling found or made gear. If you want to develop a fighter who is also a part time merchant in town we will work with you to develop storylines so that you can be a starting point for character quests.

Ok, so I decide to play a fighter who’s a merchant.
- Can I buy a smithy or a shop?

We don’t see why not. Those who ply a trade and can afford the costs of construction or who can buy a building/apartment/tower/whatever will be able to do so as part of the regular economy of Sidria. If, for some reason, NWN does not support merchant skills, something can be worked out with the DM Team.

How many characters can I have?

We are exploring this - depending on server space, we think three is reasonable. Because of the many class/race combinations, we hope to give players the variety they expect. In the end this will be dependant on the limitations of the game.

Will there be any race/class restrictions?

We think that what the NWN game allows will be allowable by our standards. Does this mean you can play an Ogre Bard? No, not initially, because the base game will not support such a combo without considerable scripting. (However, it doesn’t mean you won’t run into one! Nok! Nok!)

Will other characters be able to kill me?

Our first look says yes, as any world wherein lies a balance of good and evil must have such interaction. We will stress that there are reactions for character actions, and we will try to keep the application process to become a character in Sidria blind so that no player feels they are targeted. There will be good and evil societies and guilds, so both groups will have support, however, the greater your act of evil or good, the more notoriety you will gain. Remember that the gods and their servants are ever vigilant, and the main highways and cities WILL have powerful patrols and guards.

What about those cool prestige classes like Assassin and Lorekeeper? And what about Psionics?

Unfortunately, Bioware informs us that Prestige Classes, and Psionics, are not shipping with the initial game. As they become available through custom scripting or additional releases, we will make them available in Sidria.

What if I play an evil character and want to take over the world?

This is not a problem for us. Just make sure that you review all your plans of conquest with a five-year-old before putting them in action, remember to always kill heroes in pairs, and don’t wait to kill them while you explain your entire plan to them in detail. Just do it.

Can I join a guild?

Yes. Several in-play guilds native to Sidria will be available, and we plan to allow player-initiated guilds. We will strive to support player-created guilds as best we can, though support must be earned through in-game actions. We anticipate developing mapped guild halls for those guilds that seek a base within Sidria.

What about cool magic items? Can I have a Staff of Uber Power?

What if I play a mage? Will I need spell components?

We think this is something that is often missing from our tabletop games and that it will add a great deal of challenge to the art of magic. As the game allows we will require components. Rare components will be exactly that – rare. It is not yet completely clear how spells will be handled, from a technical point of view. We will, if possible, restrict spells to certain mages. We don’t want to be stingy, but we think mages may want to apprentice or adventure to gain new spells.

What if I die?

Death is a part of life, so to speak. Characters will die, and it will be sad. There may even be in-game funerals. The gods are active in Sidria, so there will be temples, both good and evil which can raise and resurrect characters. There will be a fee or service required, thus giving us yet more ways to torture…err…help you adventure. There are no plans at this time for automatic respawning of characters, so be careful out there. Also – If your character dies in a brave and heroic fashion and is NOT resurrected he may have a statue erected to him by the grateful locals.

These 'DM' people, will I ever see one?

Almost certainly - but will you recognize them? Perhaps not. DMs will work behind the scenes to bring you the great content you will find in Sidria. We will monitor the world and run modules and host tournaments from time to time, giving you ample opportunity to interact with something other than the game AI. You can never count on any high level monster to be a simple, scripted pushover – a DM may show up at any time.

How is experience handled?

We will utilize the CR system included with NWN for static NPC encounters and will throw in roleplaying bonuses and quest bonuses as allowed. This brings us back, a bit, to the PC Merchant. Just because you are sitting around making swords does not mean you are missing out on all the experience. You will be given experience for acts of exceptional roleplaying, good deeds, evil deeds, passing on a deed, etc as a DM sees fit. If you are a bard and give a good concert and a DM catches it, we will shoot you some exp. Whatever we can do to encourage a fully-immersive roleplaying experience, we will do. We hope to encourage good roleplaying in this way.

What if I am a jerk online?

We realize that some people will play ill-mannered races or alignments. Played within reason, this adds color to the game and will be allowed, if not encouraged. However, we understand that some people prefer to play like an idiot just to ruin other’s enjoyment of the game. If this occurs we will slap you down like a red-headed stepchild and ban you from the game. Harassment, including any kind of unwanted sexual innuendo, comments, or other forms of on- or offline harassment related to Sidria will be dealt with as harshly as we can within the law. Don’t be a jerk. That said, we will be dealing with adult themes at times. We do not expect you to act like a nun while playing a half-orc fighter or evil Necromancer. Just keep it in character and keep it online. A decent player-killer who stays in character and kills other players as part of his ‘evil’ alignment is not a detriment to the game, but adds excitement and tension. We expect to reward this sort of play by making player killers ‘notorious’ - having ‘WANTED’ posters go up, for instance. Even by having their name sung of in bardic ballads, like Jesse James or Billy the Kid.

Can players submit plotlines?

Absolutely. While we feel we are brilliant roleplayers and have thought of everything, we have to acknowledge that maybe one of you has a good idea from time to time, and we’d like to steal… err… use it. The best way to get into this vein in Sidria is to read the histories, read the racial errata (forthcoming SOON) and develop a solid written background for your character. Send it to us. We will try our best to implement it. However, the final decision on where, when and how it is implemented will be up to us.

Are gnomes really more intelligent than other races?

Of course - good things come in small packages.