I've been wondering how exactly we're supposed to use the 'pray' command. I've read the helpfiles, and it seems to be a typical channel, which you use to inform the imms of OOC problems like cheating or bugs in the game, etc. What I'm confused about though is I've seen instances (mainly in reading immortal comments in the premium battlefield) where people seem to use the channel in an IC context.

Is this right? Can the pray channel be used in both an OOC and IC context? Or have I mistaken the 'pray' channel for another channel that players get access to when involving themselves in a particular immortal's religion?

If you can pray to an immortal in a roleplayed manner, are there certain guidelines that should be followed? In what circumstances would it be appropriate to pray to an imm in your character's voice?

On a somewhat related note, when it comes to interacting with immortals in an IC context, for religious purposes or otherwise, is there a bias towards more experienced players who know the mud inside out, or is good RP the first consideration? In other words, say an immortal was deciding on who to allow into their religion. Would the player who has decent rp, is good at pk, knows where to find all the best equipment, and knows how to get to every single area in the mud stand a better chance than a newer player with exceptional rp who simply hasn't got the experience yet to do as well in pk and doesn't know the mud's geography nearly as well?

(Also, I'm curious, do you ever get to see the comments immortals are posting about you? Or do you only see them if you get your character sheet published?)

>Is this right? Can the pray channel be used in both an OOC and
>IC context? Or have I mistaken the 'pray' channel for another
>channel that players get access to when involving themselves
>in a particular immortal's religion?

Pray is a way to communicate to the immortals. So, yes, this can be either OOC or IC, depending on whether it's the player needing help (found a bug, has a question about how the game works, etc.) or the character seeking to communicate with the divine. We'll respond OOC or IC as appropriate.

>On a somewhat related note, when it comes to interacting with
>immortals in an IC context, for religious purposes or
>otherwise, is there a bias towards more experienced players
>who know the mud inside out, or is good RP the first
>consideration? In other words, say an immortal was deciding on
>who to allow into their religion. Would the player who has
>decent rp, is good at pk, knows where to find all the best
>equipment, and knows how to get to every single area in the
>mud stand a better chance than a newer player with exceptional
>rp who simply hasn't got the experience yet to do as well in
>pk and doesn't know the mud's geography nearly as well?

RP is a primary consideration; however, I'd advise you to be careful not to write checks with your RP that your PK/game knowledge can't cash. For example, don't build a character who's supposed to be a great and feared scourge of evil and go pray for Shokai under that premise if you couldn't PK a necromancer to save your life. Don't create a role for your character where s/he's this extremely well-travelled sage if you can't find your way from Galadon to Hamsah Mu'tazz. It's not that hard to get into a religion as a hard-RPing newbie, as long as you pick a role that suits your skill level.

>(Also, I'm curious, do you ever get to see the comments
>immortals are posting about you? Or do you only see them if
>you get your character sheet published?)

Only if you get your character sheet published. They're something not meant to be seen until the character is done.

To put it most simply, "pray" is to get in touch with the Immortals. Since the Immortals fulfill two roles, pray does to.

Option A) As you mentioned, OOCly contacting the Imms as the "People who oversee the game and fix brokenness, stop cheating"

Option B) Very powerful godly beings in the game. This is where you see people mostly pray when involved in religious aspects. As to which sort of player Immortals prefer to deal with...in my experience, I tend to see that Immortals *PREFER* the roleplay. Of course, PK ability can factor into that (Sometimes you've just got to accept if you're a lame, lazy dwarven warrior, you *PROBABLY* aren't going to be Ordasen's favorite person, in character). Many of my favorite Immortal interactions dealt with Immortal characters who DIDN'T like my character, but the person playing the Immortal did.

Hopefully that made sense, but to sum up, you were pretty much on the ball, and as long as you make an effort to roleplay, usually the Immortals will take an interest.