Canon
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PernMUSH attempts to recreate Anne McCaffrey's world of Pern as closely as possible while still keeping it 'playable,' a broad term which tries to take into consideration the fact that the books are occasionally inconsistent, the players do not come from a ranked, sexist society, and this is a game centred around communication. This focus on a single theme is one of the strengths of this particular game. There are other games available for those who are not interested in the world of Pern.
The wizards are the final judges of what is 'canonical' (fits into the theme) and what is not. In many cases, however, other leaders on the MUSH have contributed a great deal of time and thought, and may be the canon experts in their particular field.
Frequently, new players try to find their niche on the game by coming up with something 'different,' and find this quite frustrating when they are told it's not canonical. The best way to explore the fine line we try to maintain on PernMUSH is to play the game to get a feel for it, before trying to change things.
Please read +info policy canon on the MUSH.
+info policy canon1 - Riders
In Anne McCaffrey's books, female riders of any dragon other than gold are extremely rare - so rare, in fact, that there is only one instance of this happening. On PernMUSH, however, we have taken the step of allowing female characters to Impress to any colour of dragon except bronze, and male characters to Impress to any colour of dragon except gold. Male riders still use the honorific (Rokon would become R'kon, for example) but female riders do not. At one point in PernMUSH history there were female riders who took the honorific, and there are still a few who have retained it, but this is rare.
+info policy canon7 - Rank
Pern, unlike 20th century Western society, is a society that has a high regard for social status. When roleplaying, it is a good idea to keep in mind that even though as players respect develops through shared experience, as Pernese characters, rank brings at the very least a pretense of respect. The ranks are:
Lord/Lady Holder; Weyrleader/woman; Craftmaster/second
Very few people would argue with these people to their faces; most would follow orders from any one of them (there might be grumbling behind their backs).
Within their areas, familiarity might breed a more relaxed atmosphere - depending on the personalities involved.
Hold Heirs; Weyrlingmaster/Wingleader; Masters
Only rarely would these people be challenged in their authority; in the Harper Hall trilogy it's clear that apprentices are required to obey Masters in *any* craft, as an example.
Headwoman/Steward; Journeymen; Wingseconds/many riders
Here things get complex, but generally, these people are deserving of quite a bit of respect. Some Headwomen/Stewards have even more authority, so people unfamiliar with the area would give them respect like that accorded to the leaders. Also, the specific area would be more at play - a Harper Journeyman would get more respect from a Harper Apprentice than a Minecraft Apprentice, possibly, but even a Minecraft Apprentice would not want any Journeyman to report on him.
Dragon Ranks
Dragons have a genetically imprinted social structure. All dragons will obey a gold from their weyr, and from other weyrs, with the possible exception of other golds. No dragon could disobey the senior queen, no matter how much its rider might insist. Bronzes are next in rank, then browns, and finally, blues and greens. There is a small degree of flexibility, for example, in Threadfall even the golds follow the senior bronze, but this is rare.
Due to the dragons' position as the protectors of both Pern and their riders, it would be rare for a rider's authority to be challenged by anyone not of the Master/Hold Heir Rank or above outside of the Weyrs -- although someone might appeal to another rider to interfere.
The end result of this rank structure is a complex mix of social mores. A rider, for example, would be externally polite to Masters and Craftmasters regardless of his or her feelings, but s/he might complain to a Weyrleader about an incident, who might then complain to the Craftmaster of the craft in question, or who might say 'Well, s/he's a Master, so we'll have to let it drop.'
The examples of these situations are numerous: one of the most striking is where Piemur criticizes the Oldtimers and Robinton, despite his probable agreement on an emotional level, is very offended that an apprentice would dare to voice such an opinion - even in private.
In general, if you are roleplaying with persons of rank, if you have not previously agreed with them OOCly that you are going to be insolent or disrespectful, you should treat them with respect. Otherwise, their options of how to react ICly are extremely limited. It is extremely OOC to say 'you have to earn my respect' to them, as Pernese are raised from birth to respect rank. Since PernMUSH has a rank system based on merit and some length of play on the game, people who have received these ranks tend to be players who are aware of both the roleplaying atmosphere (which is fairly relaxed) and also what it is like to be a non-ranked character; those who play them are well aware of the respect that every player deserves and will act accordingly.
