1. Discord: The best place to start to by joining our Discord. [Link] Simply post your 4-digit number that is found after your Discord Name in that thread (we soft delete it after for your privacy) you can join our discord and meet our community members and staff.
2. Your House Common Room: The next place I would consider going is your house Common Room. Every common room has a place where you can introduce yourself. Share as much or as little as you like but please note that we are a large community with users as young as 11 and users such as myself that are over 30 (and beyond). Gryffindor Common Room | Slytherin Common Room | Hufflepuff Common Room | Ravenclaw Common Room
3. Finding an RP Partner: We have a thread where players can request to have a certain type of RP, search for RP partners or complete certain objectives. Skim this thread, see if anything piques your interest or make your own "friend wanted" post in the thread. refer to [this link]. If you have made a thread that you think others will be interested in looking at or a thread that is in need of more players, consider advertising this in this thread or in our Discord on our #thread_sharing channel.
4. OC Chatting: For those that want to just discuss random events, things of interest or make new friends, the Leaky Cauldron: At the Counter is a great resource for members that want to just hop in and make new friends.
5. Clans & Clubs: A means by which you can create in-character (or out of character) ties with some of the other players is to create or participate in a club. Club information can be found in the Leaky Cauldron: Clans and Clubs.
6. Quill Pals: This is a tool where players request to be given a Quill Pal, similar to a pen pal this is a means where you can develop a relationship with another player IC. This serves as an OC means to accomplish this. About once every 1-2 weeks (depending on the number of users that have posted a desire to participate) players will be matched up. To learn more, click on [this link].
7. Forum Games: For those that are not interested in RP, simply want to do more than RP or just want an excuse to interface with other players, consider the forum games. We have forum games that are open to all players in the Leaky Cauldron: Games Room. In addition, there is a sub-forum in your common room that is also an area for forum games. 

1. The Hogwarts Express is where most players start. About a dozen if not more players join daily so we have a continual influx of players. Look for an open thread or make up one of your own and ride the train to Hogwarts for the first time.
2. The Sorting Ceremony is another good place to start or go to after the train ride. This is simply a single solo thread posted in by your character where the sorting hat declares your house. Much to your elation or chagrin. [Remember: we do not resort players, it is one of your first moderated experiences on the site and if we allowed players to change it that would defeat the purpose of having moderated experiences at all.]  
3. Great Hall Tables -- messy threads where players can make some quick roleplays and meet a few of the other members of their house. We make a fresh one every year.

• Hufflepuff Table
• Gryffindor Table
• Slytherin Table
• Ravenclaw Table

4. Your Dorms -- every house has male, female and non-binary dorms. Enter your dorm area and have a look around, start a thread and unpack your things, meet your dormates, make new friends and enemies.

Don't forget to collect your scholarship!

Your scholarship will refresh every 22 hours on site. Basically your stipend/scholarship is money that you can spend in the shops. You can find your scholarship in the common room of your house.

If you find all of this overwhelming we offer a mentorship program for new (or returning new) members. This is a great way to get integrated into the community if you are feeling overwhelmed or just need a bit of help getting started. You can learn more about the Mentorship Program by following [this link]

1. Write a 200+ word in-character post
2. Tag the thread appropriately. If a thread has no tags it will be presumed [Open]
   1. Information on tags can be found here.
3. Place the appropriate thread symbol when creating the thread.
   1. Information on Thread Symbols can be found here.
4. Consider advertising your thread if you do not have friends in mind already.
   1. We have a Thread Sharing thread here and there is also a channel dedicated to this in our Discord.

1. The location (mostly defined by the forum that you chose to roleplay in) but you can (and should) further specify this. Not only does it help you reach your word count but also this gives other users a clear idea of where this thread is happening.
2. The time of day/date. This can be important because a get-together at noon versus midnight would be the difference between a deviant thread and a normal roleplay. It adds context and also effects what sort of characters might take part in your thread.
3. Consider a theme, a context for the thread. This can be the hardest thing for some, you do need to have something interesting about your character or about the scenario to draw people in. You will struggle to gain roleplay partners if your threads are basically "meet me."
4. Limit the user of non-player characters (NPCs). Generally you should be writing about yourself, interfacing with other players (not your own NPCs). We understand that you have to reference the existence of other students being in the halls (nameless, faceless entities that serve as background noise), or in the great hall during mealtime, or in the library dutifully studying. That said, practice moderation, if your post is you interfacing with an NPC best friend, you leave little opportunity for other members to join the thread because you are already having a moment (with yourself).
   1. More information can be found on NPCs here.
5. When other users join your thread, remember that they control their own character. Do not godmod them. Godmodding is controlling their character, speaking for them, saying they did something or reacted in a certain way that they did not write.
6. When other users join your thread, remember that you only know what your character knows about them. So if the other player is a muggleborn and you don't even know their name, you would not know that they are a muggle born for example. This is called metagaming. Metagaming means acting on things about someone else that you should not already know.
7. If you are roleplaying that you are using a potion item, a magical item that we sell in the shop, a specific sort of broom, you need to own (and have) the item in your inventory. This means that you need to purchase the item with your hard-earned galleons.
   
   You will need to have the galleons on hand to buy an item in the shop.
   Note: the galleons you have on hand and your total worth (money and items) are different things. One if the amount of money that you have and the other (as it says directly below total worth) is the money you have on hand and the value of any items that you own. So if you own 10 galleons worth of candy from the shop and have 5 galleons, your amount on hand would be 5 galleons and your total worth would be 15.

• Start with something loud, sudden, and in your face. Someone suddenly running around a corner, a sudden attack, a loud noise, a scream, a door slamming, a spell (you know) backfiring, a book being dropped, a pet (if you own one) making a loud noise or causing a commotion. If you have a roleplay partner in mind, you might consider something that would appeal to them. If they in-character hate cursing and you said an expletive in response to something going wrong for example. If they have a fear of certain pets or scenarios, overcoming this for them (or you) could be a great bonding experience. Having sudden things pop out of no where gives you both a chance, in character, to react to it and share an experience.

• Think of something important to your character and make it a goal. Alternatively if you are thinking of your roleplay partner, think about a goal that they might have or one that you might share and make it a thread goal. Think about how you/they will get there. Think about the potential obstacles you (and they) will have to overcome. This can very easy turn into a storyline. Examples might include pranking someone in particular, asking someone out on a date, steal something (no we won't let you steal a time-turning or anything major school level but you can agree to steal one another's diaries), sneak out at night, climb something, explore something, learn something specific about another character (follow them around maybe).

• Your character has quirks, or well they should. Being a Mary Sue or a Gary Stu makes for a boring character. Something visible or audible that your character does could be used to draw the attention of another user. Have them do whatever this quirk might be. Explain the action, explain what it means vaguely in your narration, leave space for characters to join and ask questions about it.
  • Be careful that your quirk is not offensive or breaking site rating (such as self harm).

• Talk about an interesting place, a fascinating scene. Looking at the Hogwarts castle for the first time, looking at the window and watching it rain/snow, have a magical creature (that you are not directly interfacing with) walk into view with the permission of the Care of Magical Creatures Professor. Maybe just lunch time in the Great Hall, a shop in Diagon Alley, etc. Just set up a scene, spend most of your post describing the area and if there are NPCs what they are up to (they should not be interfacing with you because you want to leave opening for others to talk to you) and if anything of interest might be happening. Then insert your character closer to the end of the post. Consider where would your character likely be, or where you want them to be.
  • Advanced Writing Considerations: use your setting to create a mood for roleplayers. Gloomy places being wet, dark, damp, perhaps a musty or aged scent. Creaks and groans in floorboards, mist and shadow can all lend to a dismal, dark atmosphere by focusing on certain elements. Conversely happiness can be conveyed with light, butterflies, flowers, pleasant scents like cookies, cozy crackling hearths, etc.
  • Advanced Writing Considerations: Set up a thread that is at odds with the plot or plan for the thread. Placing a happy, cute, cuddly character in a dark, dismal place. Be an indoor person that is stuck outside, perhaps in inclimate weather. Be a gloomy person in a happy setting. This adds an additional layer to the setting, gives your character something particularly interesting that might encourage others to join in the thread.
  • Advanced Writing Considerations: Set up a thread where there is something to be contested over. A favorite chair in a common room or nook in the library, quiet corner in the courtyard or romantic space on the grounds. Explain why the place conjures a want, why others might share your love for this particular space. This creates that mood but also provides a focused plot.

• This is a common topic of choice for new roleplayers. Basically you bump into someone (literally) or ask for someone to enter a thread where your character is and introduce themselves to you. This can be a challenging one to get players for without a specific interest or focus. Often to keep the thread interesting and to prevent the thread from dorning on would require the thoughtful addition of some drama - a secret, a quirk, a random incident like a broken window, an emotional moment, some reveal. A simple, thoughtless diversion or way to end the thread before they go on too long if all you needed was a short introduction is having to leave abruptly because of curfew, remember that you are late for class, study session, that you are hungry or meant to meet someone at that time. This can also be used to move the other character into a fresh thread to keep a story going.

• Apparently Scotland has unpredictable weather who knew! Sudden snowfall, heavy winds, hail or rain that you were unprepared for. Hurry and find cover!

There are a list of commands found on their support site: Link

A few example commands are:

Tatsu is used for rolling
/t! 1d10 for example is a command to notify tatsu (t!) 1d (number of dice) and then the number of sides to the dice (a number from 2 to 100).

Tatsu is used in a Getting Started Series
We have scheduled Tatsu to post certain informational posts weekly in the first year channel as well as in some shared site channels in hopes that it helps players new and old get integrated into the site.

Tatsu can be used to make a choice for you.
t!choose <option > | <option > | [option ] | [ … ]
Example: t!choose Sleep | Discord

You can use Tatsu like an 8-ball.
t!8ball [question ]
Example: t!8ball Is the 8ball magical?

You can flip a coin.
t!coin

You can play Rock, Paper, Scissors with Tatsu.
t!rps [rock | paper | scissors ]
Example: t!rps rock

Tatsu can tell you obscure information about numbers.
t!numberfacts [number ]
Example: t!numberfacts 42

Tatsu likes cats. It will tell you obscure cat information.
t!catfacts

Tatsu can tell you your fortune.
t!fortune [category ]
You can get a fortune from the following categories: all, computers, cookies, definitions, miscellaneous, people, platitudes, politics, science, and wisdom. By default, wisdom is selected. Example: t!fortune cookie

Avrae is a popular DnD bot. It is used by HiO primarily as a secondary roller for moderated instances as well as rolls between players to settle IC disputes for fun. Avrae has more roller functionality than other rollers because it can roll for advantage for instance. A list of their commands can be found here.

The most basic functions include the following:

![multiroll|rr] <iterations> <dice>expand_more
Rolls dice in xdy format a given number of times.

![roll|r] [dice=1d20]expand_more
Roll is used to roll any combination of dice in the XdY format. (1d6, 2d8, etc)

The Writer Bot is a fun bot that is used to engage users in their writing, it offers writing sprints, writing prompts, keeps score and lets you compete against your friends. Information regarding the Writer Bot can be found here.

Writing-related commands:

!ask: Asks you a random question about your character or your world, to get the creative juices flowing.

!challenge: Generates a random writing challenge for you. e.g. "Write 400 words in 15 minutes". You can add the flags "easy", "normal", "hard", "hardcore", or "insane" to choose a pre-set wpm, or add your chosen wpm as the flag, or you can specify a time instead by adding a the time in minutes, prefixed with a "t", e.g. "t15"

!event: Create server-wide writing events and compete against your fellow writers to see who can write the most

!generate: Random generator for various things (character names, place names, land names, book titles, story ideas). Define the type of item you wanted generated and then optionally, the amount of items to generate.

!goal: Sets a daily goal which resets every 24 hours

!project: Using these commands, you can create different projects and store word counts against them seperately. They also integrate with the wrote and sprint commands. See the help information for those commands for more info.

!sprint: Write with your friends and see who can write the most in the time limit!

!wrote: Add to your total words written statistic

Fun commands:

!8ball: Ask the magic 8-ball a question. Your question will be routed to a text-processing AI and broken down into character sets, in order to properly analyze the content of the question and provide a meaningful answer.

!flip: Flips a coin

!quote: Gives you random motivational quote

!reassure: Gives you reassurance/motivation

!roll: Rolls a dice between 1-6, or 1 and a specified number

!xp: Checks your server Experience Points and Level. Use the "top" flag to see the top 10 on this server.

Utility Commands

!profile: Displays your user statistics

!about: Shows bot information and status

!patch: Shows the latest patch notes for the bot

!reset: Allows you to reset your stats

!mysetting: Allows you to set user configuration values, such as your timezone

!setting: Allows users with the (MANAGE_MESSAGES) permission on the server, to change configuration values

!help: Display help information about the bot and its commands

!invite: Generates an invite link to invite the bot to another server

!ping: Ping the bot to check the latency

!todo: View the current TODO list for the bot development

For further information about any of the commands, run !help <command>, e.g. !help event or !help sprint

The Wordplay Bot is a bot that allows users to play Wordle (yes the game you all wont stop playing) on the discord either alone or as a group. Cooperative Wordle, competitive wordle. basically an additional and new dynamic. This is also a fine way to make new friends and socialize if you are feeling a bit introverted. Information regarding this bot.

The bot is tied to #bot-spam. If we require more space in the future I will tie it to an additional channel.

Start a game with /play as the command. You can get fancy and even do wordle with bigger words.