Permadeath. PC can only be raised by magic a limited number of times.
Setting
Custom Setting
Alignments
All
Races
Standard except underdark races are not allowed.
Application Reqs
Must complete player application.
Language
English
Scope
Medium
Tricks Traps
Dependant on Module
RolePlay
Heavy
DM Needed
No DM Required
Magic Level
Low
Treasure
Low
Experience Rewards
Low to Moderate
Vault Type
Server
PvP
Full PvP
Connection
T1
Content Rating
Mature
NumberAreas
100-500
Description
-The Background
Sages say the collection of islands, called by their inhabitants simply The Known Lands, is in its Third Age of existence. In the three thousand years since whatever cataclysmic event destroyed the Second Age � a time period whose knowledge is all but lost � the various sentient races have built nations and civilizations. It is a time of peace and prosperity.
Alas, though peace reigns over much of The Known Lands, it is not a time of tranquility. In the past fifty years, The Known Lands has been shocked with the realization that below their islands exists a subterranean world at least as large as their own � the Underdark. Twice from this Underdark have come forth a hitherto unknown race� the drow. Two massive attacks by the drow have all but destroyed the citadel homelands of the dwarves, leaving that once-proud race decimated and beaten. The last was but a score of years ago....
Now the Known Lands struggles with the repercussions of a dwarven-created plague gone awry, the 'Culling' of the halflings in their own land, and strange and unknown forces that have brought new challenges to the peoples of the world. Many strange and unique societies and organizations have sprung up, from the shadowy to the enlightened. Many parts of The Known Lands remain unexplored, though legends of wild barbarian elves and halflings, strange draconic followers, people who sail the endless oceans, never stepping off their ships, all abound in taverns and marketplaces of The Known Lands. What new heroes will arise to explore and discover the truth to these tales?
-The Known Lands Game Setup
The Known Lands is a 'home grown' world that has been developed around the PW structure. Our ultimate goal with this project is to make a PW that is roleplay (RP) focused with the feel of a �pen and paper� (PnP) game. In order to get that PnP feel, we have added a feature that is the most similar to traditional PnP. This is the use of adventuring parties in the world (described below).
-Adventuring Parties
The way these work is:
-When you apply to play in the Known Lands, you have the option to request joining a party. If you decide to do this, you will give us some times that you can make on a weekly basis. We will match these times to existing groups that needs PCs to find a party for you.
-Each party is employed by a DM run NPC. Your new PC will be hired and added to the party.
-Every week, parties meet for a DM run session, usually taking about 3 hours. Each party will have one DM who will run plots for this group. Picture this like a regular, weekly PnP session.
-These parties are where the most important, world altering activities occur. Expect many long, running plotlines to be run for the parties. In the 1.5 years that this server is running, adventuring parties have helped with the birth of a new god, the ruin of a nation, and many other events of epic proportions.
Aside from the adventuring parties - as a PW that is up 24-7 we have a great many automated quests for you to enjoy whenever you log on. We are proud to say we have many highly experienced and talented builders and coders that have made a variety of quests to suit and challenge characters. To add further fun challenges as well as a greater degree of the unexpected, we have a quality staff of creative DMs who run events when they are on.
At the moment we have nine adventuring parties active in the world, consisting of 5-8 players each. We hope to add a tenth one soon. A list of available parties can be found at the link mentioned above.
Posted by __doug__ at 2012-07-06 17:20:30 Voted 10.00 on 07/06/12
I have been playing a over a year now and I can say this PW is excellent! The quality of the server is top notch and best of all they make it easy to jump right in and be part of the plot.
Posted by Sethatos!!! at 2012-03-28 08:48:53 Voted 10.00 on 03/28/12
Love this PW. I really enjoy pen and paper so the known lands has everything for me: a great world to explore, clever DM's, and terrific roleplaying with the adventuring party. I would play more if I had time to. A perfect rememdy for those who are tired of big MMORPG's.
Posted by LordSintax at 2012-03-25 13:59:09 Voted 10.00 on 03/25/12
I've been a player here for over a year now, And I've got to say, this is better than any MMO out there. The players are awesome, the characters they create are three-dimensional and genuinely fun to interact with, and the DMs are both helpful and write great stories that keep you wanting to log in every session to see what's next.
There are lots of games that can give you the hack-and-slash experience, but this one feels like you're actually telling an epic story, rather than just wandering around the wilderness killing a bunch of green folks because they have fangs and you don't. (although there are certainly those moments within the game itself :D )
Posted by aislara at 2012-03-20 09:10:21 Voted 10.00 on 03/20/12
I tried to understand for years why my husband was so adicted to this game. Finally, after much prodding I agreed to try it, just to get him to stop bothering me.
Well, two years later I'm still here :)
There are plenty of games that allow you to enjoy a good ole fashioned dungeon crawl, or randomly smite creatures. Sure, you can do that at TKL, too, but the real fun is the PnP feel of the groups. Our server has a great group of creative players, who can rp like champs, and innovative DM's who keep us coming back each week to 'find out what happens next.'
Outside sessions, there are fantastic areas, quests, and if you are of the crafting persuasion, an elaborate (custom) crafting system. We also have active ic forum threads for things that happen between times, or to let others know about your amazing adventures.
If you are looking for a server where you can develop your pc, and have that pc impact the game world, then you have found us.
Posted by BlueLaser at 2012-03-19 23:28:09 Voted 10.00 on 03/19/12
I'd totally have a life, if I weren't spending so much time on this PW.
The Known Lands: It's like crack, but digital, safe, and most importantly legal.
Posted by Zatwu at 2012-03-19 20:34:35 Voted 10.00 on 03/19/12
Been here for 4 years now.
Just want to say I've very much enjoyed this server. It feels very much like the Pen and Paper groups of old. If you've been looking for a digital form of this experience you can find it right here.
Deider's speaking to a particular circumstance and he has the well-deserved right to voice his opinion. We respect Deider. He's the best. None of the great things about TKL would be what they are without him. I just want to say that there is absolutely not a culture of team cheating or favoritism on TKL. It's something that we feel very strongly about and we'll never allow that sort of thing to become prevalent in our culture. This is a home-away-from home for many of us and I personally believe there's no better environment for roleplay and personalized story telling online. We love our players; they're the heart of who we are. _________________________ The Known Lands World Leader
knownlands.com
Posted by Deider at 2011-06-05 13:49:55 Voted 1.00 on 06/05/11
I've left TKL and am changing my vote. I can't in good conscience recommend a PW where the team is OK with other team members cheating.
Posted by BlakOrkz at 2011-04-23 21:01:40 Voted 10.00 on 04/23/11
I played on TKL a long time ago. If I had the time, I would return in a heartbeat. You just can't beat a PnP environment where your characters are a meaningful part of the world. Oh, and Deider gives you free gnome pr0n with every 1,000xp.
Posted by Deider at 2010-12-17 20:17:54 Voted 1.00 on 06/05/11
Just an update. We are up to ten active parties now. We now allow players to have up to 3 active characters (characters can be retired and brought back, so you can have an unlimited number of inactive PCs).
Currently we are in the midst of an epic plot which affects almost all of the parties. Characters have a chance to majorly influence the gameworld.
We've recently added a lot of custom content.
Custom Races: Minotaur, Wolfeylf (similar to a wolfwere), Thoul, Varag, Ogrillon, Saurial, and Urd.
We have one custom PrC (Goldwright, a crafting-based PrC), and numerous custom feats. And we are planning to add more races, PrCs, and feats in the near future.
Game on!
Deider
Head DM, TKL
Posted by docboots at 2010-06-22 17:20:15 Voted 10.00 on 06/22/10
Will you believe me if I say I posted a broken link below on purpose to demonstrate that you don't need to be computer savvy to be part of TKL? No?
Well if you want to visit the actual forums (which I do encourage.. and check out the character journals while you're there!) go to Link (not the link in my post below O.o).
Posted by docboots at 2010-06-22 17:15:12 Voted 10.00 on 06/22/10
Wow.. it's been over 2 years now since my husband and I joined TKL and I last posted a comment here. Let's just say we're not only still active players, we liked it so much we became DMs!
Seriously though - I remember surfing by this very page a few times when we were bored and looking for a NWN2 PW but the application process turned us off. I'm so glad we finally decided to give it a go because we've found everything we ever wanted in TKL.
In the past two years much has changed - new custom scripts, races, PrCs, and other content have been added. I can't even begin to tally up the new areas and persistent adventures - and all of that is on top of the weekly player group sessions.
The world is immersive, visually stunning, incredibly complex, and always, always entertaining. When I just feel like crumping I can go off and do static quests (and in all this time I've still not come close to doing all of them). When I feel more social I hitch up with other players - who I think are almost universally happy to interact with players and characters both old and new. There are times I might sit at Moe's pub and spend an entire evening drinking or chatting with other characters. Pretty well no matter what your mood is there's something here for you.
So if you've breezed by here but never applied I urge you to send in an application, or come on the forums at Link and browse around or ask one of us any questions you have. It will be well worth the effort!!
Posted by Korithian at 2010-03-12 02:14:10 Voted 10.00 on 03/12/10
I can't say enough good things about this PW. The first thing a new player will see is how wonderfully it looks and feels, the areas have been put together so well that navigating them is almost intuative. There aren't vast open spaces that you have to run across just to get to the potion seller who lives 5 loading screens on the other side of town. But at the same time the cities and towns have a feel of size giving a good feel to the game, with many places to explore.
Then there is the community helpful, mature and all invested in roleplaying and their characters, take a look at the character journal and adventuring party tales to get a feel for this. Though I will admit at least as far as any journal entries I have submitted they don't do credit to what happens in game. Everyone I have met has been very helpful and really made it a joy to log in.
And while the world would be perfect as a stand alone PW with the occassional DM appearance, the staff run old style PnP games through the week for the various groups as well as Free for alls where if you can get on you are invited into a party made up on the spot. And these adventuring parties are where the game shines. After you have submited your character application and play times the DM's will work hard to find a group for you to play in (there are Europe, Aussi and NA times available so there are pleny to choose from)you find yourself thrown into the proper PnP roleplaying experience. No longer are you subjected to a couple of pre-selected responses that often in the form of single player RP games have the same results but here your character can say anything that he wants and often reap the consequences. More than this your character right from the outset can influence the game world around them in a meaningful way. Now I'm a big MMO player but I know that firstly there are unlikely to be any big surprises awaiting me in even the best MMO and that my actions wont effect the world. That all powerful dragon I slew but one hour ago is back and everyone else has slain it. Here you assassinate the king of a nation and he isn't coming back and you will reap in the rewards as befits your actions and who you brag your accomplishment to :)
A few other things to mention, there is a fully realised crafting system including customisation, customs race, class and lore inclusing gods. Cause of the DM function you can also see titles and henchmen and bases of oppertation given out as rewards along with so many other nice touches and even have your exploits announced by the town crier. It would really take too long to mention all the nice things and you can check them out yourselves at the web page.
One final thing to note is the application process, I know people can get a little funny about these things. I know I was checking my in box every couple of hours to see if I'd been approved. The staff work as bloody hard as they can to check them out and to ensure this is the right world for you. It is a Roleplay world, while there is combat just charging into everybody you see trying to kill them will get you killed and may ruin the enjoyment for the rest of your party so the team have to make sure you will be happy here. And they have to make sure that your bio fits with the world, it doesn't have to be tolstoy and it can be worked on as you play (people will often ask you where your from and the like) and through DM adventures who can and will run games based on your past but it has to stay in keeping with the world. No deamon princes who have lost their power and seek to get revenge on the gods :) As long as its not problematic they often get back to you within 3 days and your ready to play. And 3 days isn't long compared to the months/years of fun ahead of you.
So I highly recommend checking out this PW even if you have only a couple of hours a week to play or slot it in between other games you can still have a lot of fun and adventure with a party of good roleplayers and excellent DM's.
Posted by rodkinnison at 2010-03-07 08:01:20 Voted 10.00 on 03/07/10
Now past two years in to this world; the richness and depth continues to be wonderful. New areas keep opening up, new quests to run, and the player community can't be beat.
Posted by uncast at 2009-11-17 03:42:56 Voted 9.50 on 11/17/09
Been playing here for a couple of months, and I've got to say, this is definately a server you should apply for, if you're looking for PnP style gameplay/RP. And I haven't actually played PnP in real life! So you don't have to be a PnP player to reap the benefits.
The DMs are dedicated (for example, Deider gets up at 4 am to DM our group, the insane nut); every week they run deep/serious plots, fun/amusing plots and plots where you think 'should I be reeeaaaallllly be doing this?' Everyone in the group always gets involved in the events (unless your character just simply doesn't interact � even then...). The players on the server are wonderful too; ever friendly, and always with interesting but sometimes quirky characters. I mean, how many do you know have a hat-fetish? Okay maybe a few, but it's still quirky.
And inbetween events, there's plenty of things to do; just be careful though, as you're sometimes only given a faint hint of how dangerous it may be. But that's part of the thrill.
The semi-permadeath seems harsh, but I'd say it actually adds to the atmosphere and severity of the situation. Doesn't mean I jump for joy everytime my character dies, but you'd feel particularly heroic if you managed to save your teammate from certain death, or survived a particularly hard battle. And if you fall... well, everyone dies at some point, so you're not alone.
Another plus; no healkits! You still get bandages to stop bleeding-to-death. Characters with healing spells will have their spells beefed up, so the all so useless Cure Light Wounds isn't so useless at all.
Okay, I'm gonna stop here before this becomes a 10 page essay. It's worth applying for, if you like weekly DM events and rich character interaction.
Posted by lasaverin at 2009-11-12 19:41:34 Voted 10.00 on 11/12/09
Simply the best PnP style server ever made!
Posted by vinnyb66 at 2009-10-13 20:36:05 Voted 9.50 on 10/13/09
Visually stunning areas, and seriously good RP. All players have to submit character applications to play which makes for some great PCs.
The adventuring party system with weekly DM run events allows great plot and character development opportunity. DM events are not an isolated 'one off' but form part of a long running plot.
Great fun and a great team behind it all.
Posted by Griz at 2009-10-13 13:11:58 Voted 10.00 on 10/13/09
I have been playing here over three months and figured I would chime in.
Adventuring parties are very enjoyable and allow for dynamic and interesting plots. It is rewarding to hear about your heroic(or dastardly) deeds from the town crier after a campaign.
The crafting system is top notch! Scrolls and wands do not have a fixed caster level as in the OC so you can make a mage armor that casts at level 20 instead of being limited to the default scroll level. There are tons of custom enchanting recipes to be discovered (not in the OC). There is a 40 hour cap to prevent a flooding of magical items. The caveat is you have to dedicate a lot of feats to craft anything worthwhile, but makes for social interaction when you need something made.
The world is very low magic. This is really my only gripe so far. This is probably to reduce the need to 'farm', but some of us have a lot of free time and like a little hack and slash with our RP (also I haven't hit any really hard areas).
The developers are very good and the module is constantly being improved, so I don't think it will get stale anytime soon.
Most of the players are very good RPers and quick to help out newcomers.
TKL is basically PnP using the NWN2 engine instead of spending 2 hours resolving combat (the weakness of big battles in PnP). This is the first PW I've played on and really can't see any reason to play on another RP server.
Posted by Lasher at 2009-10-12 22:59:09 Voted 10.00 on 10/12/09
RL commitments kept me away from some time, but since coming back I can only say how impressed I am with how the world has developed. The community is fantastic, and the parties/storylines make the world more dynamic and player driven then anything I have seen in other gameworlds. I can't recommend TKL highly enough.
Posted by baron rosencheckl at 2009-04-28 11:47:56 Voted 10.00 on 04/28/09
I was priveledged to be part of the original beta testers, and while my opportunities to play have been reduced, I know many of the staff and some of the players from other worlds. I cant reccomend TKL more for someone looking for a RP server
Posted by COSIAN at 2009-03-16 11:51:35 Voted 9.25 on 03/16/09
It took a bit better than a week to get in, but was worth the wait. The application process and the necessity to understand the background lore and setting while developing a character results in a playerbase that is mature and here to roleplay. That said, the atmosphere is relaxed and I didn't feel like the DM's were a 'police force' making sure I wasn't running where I should have been walking. At the end of the day, the staff and players make or break any PW and I've found the group here to be mature, helpful, and fun. The weekly fixed party session with a permenant DM, coupled with a cap on weekly non-DM XP was exactly what I was looking for. Even though the focus is on these party sessions, there is plenty to do during non-Party sessions with lotsa scaled encounter areas and quests. TKL also incorporates a number of customs which further enhance and support a great roleplay experience. Nicely done folks!
Posted by germi91 at 2009-03-12 16:34:34 Voted 10.00 on 03/12/09
A nice gameworld, an awesome PW and lots of friendly players and DMs. Tons of role-playing too.
Posted by Merago at 2009-03-12 06:58:19 Voted 10.00 on 03/12/09
I started playing TKL just after it went live, and I genuinely can't think of anything negative to say about it all. I've played on a few other NWN2 PWs and none of them can match TKL for me. It ticks all the right boxes:- the player base are mature and consumate RPers, the DMs are skilled and inventive and the areas are original and vey well designed.
The weekly, PnP-style party events are probably TKL's biggest selling point. Whichever team member devised the scheme deserves a medal.
I plan on playing on TKL for as long as there's a server to play on.
Posted by Sepelio at 2009-03-10 16:26:57 Voted 9.00 on 03/10/09
Good server. Very friendly players and staff. Has some lag issues at times. I don't play nwn2 that much so the event group system they do is perfect if you just want to drop in on weekends for some RP.
Posted by BlueLaser at 2009-03-10 00:23:49 Voted 10.00 on 03/19/12
I've been playing on TKL for about five months, and I've found it to be a very entertaining experience. I'm going to be realistic and state that there are a few issues that prevent me from saying this is "D&D Gaming Perfection", but I can't say there's a better PW out there. I recommend The Known Lands to anyone serious about online roleplaying.
Posted by Quontir at 2009-03-09 17:57:05 Voted 10.00 on 03/09/09
I have played on The Known Lands for almost a year. It is one of the best and most interesting places I've ever played at. The Dm's are good and the players are polite as well as excellent in their RP. Truly this is as close as you can come to PnP without an eraser
Posted by JuniorMint at 2009-03-09 12:37:25 Voted 9.75 on 03/09/09
I'm coming up to my 2 year anniversary on this PW. It's been really fun. I reiterate what I've said before and what others have too. It's a mature, balanced, & repectful PW. This goes for both the TKL Team and it's players.
I thought my playing time was done when our party DM decided to take some time off, but another team member promptly picked up the timeslot. It shows how dedicated and caring this team really is.
The death system, encumberance, & weekly XP/Crafting cap may be a hard pill for some to swallow, but it really puts the emphasis on RP and character development. 2 things you may find lacking in some NWN PWs.
Posted by Brastias at 2009-03-09 10:45:06 Voted 9.75 on 03/09/09
I've been a player on this PW for about 18 months now. I'm an experienced PnP player but had only tried a couple of PW's before this one so I was a bit of a n00b. Luckily I picked a great PW with a great community and even greater RP. I like the tough death penalty and the weekly XP cap and I think you will too if you play here long enough to understand the TKL philosophy. The DM's are fantastic and the party sessions are what makes this server stand out. If I could marry TKL I would
Posted by rodkinnison at 2009-03-09 09:02:53 Voted 10.00 on 03/07/10
Well, I've passed my one year anniversary in this world, my PCs are getting up in level, influence, and wealth, and things keep getting deeper and richer.
My main regret is that I can't have 3 PCs! I may have to temporarily retire one to play with the new PC types just added :-)
Posted by Cubante at 2009-01-07 13:52:29 Voted 10.00 on 01/07/09
A talented and dedicated development team.
The same goes for their DMs. The player base is very mature and a pleasure to RP with.
I love the weekly session idea, and the other measures in place to stop the powergamers. You'll get some other servers out there that pretend to be a PnP based RP server. This IS THE REAL DEAL.
10 - A Masterpiece, Genuinely Groundbreaking 9 - Outstanding, a Must Have 8 - Excellent, Recommended to Anyone 7 - Very Good, Deserves a Look 6 - Good, Qualified Recommendation 5 - Fair, Solid yet Unremarkable 4 - Some Merit, Requires Improvements 3 - Poor Execution, Potential Unrealized 2 - Very Little Appeal 1 - Not Recommended to Anyone
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