Darts
Darts is a popular game of skill that can also be played without any skill. Many versions of darts exist and it is a popular event often hosted by CHEs and MHOs, who can place dart boards in their structures. Some groups have even come up with games unique to Elanthia. Public dart boards are also available in places like the Hearthstone Manor game room.
The dartboard on the right is a standard board used both in real life and in GemStone IV. The thin outer ring scores double and the thin inner ring scores triple. A single bullseye (center green circle) is 25 points and a double bullseye (red circle at the very center) scores 50 points.
Dartboard is the proper usage, but in Elanthia a dartboard must be a "dart board" or it will break.
Skilled Darts
The skill of darts involves learning how to properly throw a dart at a predetermined spot on the board. While it does not use up any of a character's allowable Artisan Guild skill ranks, learning darts functions similarly to learning one of those skills, but with 250 possible ranks (instead of 500). Also similar to the Artisan Guild, achieving a new rank is indicated with the "Aha, you learned something that time" message.
To check one's skill in darts, analyze a set of darts.
>analyze my darts You analyze your black diamond darts and sense that the item is largely free from merchant alteration restrictions. The creator has also provided the following information: These are darts for playing the pub game, not weapon darts. They can be altered, but MUST have "some darts" as part of the base description. They cannot have a long description, but a show is fine. Your current skill in darts is 250 out of 250 maximum possible ranks. You can tell that the darts is as light as it can get.
As one grows in skill, throws require aiming at harder targets (double ring, triple ring, outer, then inner bullseye) to have a chance of further skilling up. The last 50 ranks require an audience.
The following factors contribute towards success in successfully aiming darts:
- Room illumination (e.g. bright, normal, foggy)
- Wounds
- Thrown Weapons skill
- Perception skill
- Dexterity stat
Messaging
General
>throw my dart (or throw my dart at board help)
Darts can be thrown either randomly or aimed. Any throw that does not have a specific target will be treated as random and will not take your skill into account. Others will see different messaging depending on whether your throw is random or aimed.
Darts can only be thrown at a dart board.
Random: THROW my DART at BOARD
Aimed: THROW my DART at BOARD <modifier> <target>
<modifier>, if given, must be one of triple, double, single, inner, or outer.
Inner and outer refer to the bullseye.
Single, double, and triple refer to the numbers.
<target> must be either 'bullseye' or a number from 1 to 20.
Specifying 'bullseye' without a modifier of inner or outer will assume inner.
Specifying a number without a modifier will assume single.
Success
First
You grab a dart from your left hand. Aiming carefully at the inner bullseye, you throw a violet-hued dart at a black ash dart board inscribed with an erupting volcano, and nail the **Double Bull**! 50 points! Roundtime: 4 sec.
Third
Dart Master aims carefully, throws a violet-hued dart at a black ash dart board inscribed with an erupting volcano, and nails the **Double Bull**! 50 points!
The "aims carefully" indicates that the thrower is using their dart aiming skill to play.
Mastery
There is no way to tell how many ranks a character has, but there is a specific message for mastering.
J>throw my dart at board inner bull You grab a dart from your left hand. Aha, you learned something that time. You feel as though you are now a true master at darts. Congratulations! Aiming carefully at the inner bullseye, you throw a golden-fletched dart at a gold-edged dart board set with thin lapis rings, and hit 15! Roundtime: 4 sec.
Unskilled Darts
In unskilled darts, a character can throw one dart at the board, or all three at once. To throw all three, hold something that is not a dart in the right hand.
Messaging
One Dart
First
>throw my dart at board You grab a dart from your left hand. You throw a violet-hued dart at a black ash dart board inscribed with an erupting volcano! The violet-hued dart hits a 20! Roundtime: 2 sec.
Third
Person throws a violet-hued dart at a black ash dart board inscribed with an erupting volcano! The violet-hued dart hits a 20!
Three Darts
First
You perform an amazing feat of juggling as you grab some violet-hued darts with your right hand and catch a cup of Manny's Special with the other! You throw a handful of violet-hued darts at a black ash dart board inscribed with an erupting volcano! The violet-hued dart hits... ** Bull's eye! ** Roundtime: 2 sec. The violet-hued dart hits a 15! Outside Ring, Double! Roundtime: 2 sec. The violet-hued dart hits a 12! Roundtime: 2 sec.
Third
Person performs an amazing feat of juggling as she tosses a cup of Manny's Special in the air, grabs some violet-hued darts and catches the Manny's Special in her other hand! Person throws a handful of violet-hued darts at a black ash dart board inscribed with an erupting volcano! The violet-hued dart hits... ** Bull's eye! ** The violet-hued dart hits a 15! Outside Ring, Double! The violet-hued dart hits a 12!
Tips and Tricks
Darts can be GATHERed to collect them all at once. Use the appropriate descriptor (at the start of the 2nd 15 of 15/15/15) to gather the right ones if playing with other people. Use GET to get one dart.
Before starting to play it is helpful to ensure that everyone has a different set of darts, but if that is not possible, each player should RAISE their set to stamp their first initial on it.
Look at the board to see what darts are on it.
There is no system built into the game to keep score, one of the players must do it.
The double bullseye is not the highest scoring part of the board, the triple 20 is. Triple 17-19 will also score higher than double bull.
>gath vio dar You gather up three violet-hued darts. >raise my dart As you lift the darts, you see a small glyph on the ferrule shift. >l my dart You see a set of 3 violet-hued darts. You notice a tiny "A" stamped on the ferrule. >l board You see a classical dart board numbered one through twenty, with two special score rings and a standard two ring bull's eye. On the board you also see: A violet-hued dart on 12. A violet-hued dart on 15, Outside Ring. A violet-hued dart on the Bull's Eye. A platinum dart on 12, Inside Ring.