Newbie Guide
Are you completely new to ARPGs? Start right below this line!
Know ARPGs but not kukuri? Click here!
What is an ARPG?
The term ARPG is short for 'Art Roleplay Game' or 'Artistic Roleplay Group'. It is basically an RPG game made by artists for artists: it combines elements of RPG gaming with art. Generally an ARPG will focus on an original species designed by the group, such as with Kukuri.
How does it work?
Like classic DND or other similar RPGs where you build characters, kill monsters and take on quests, ARPGs work in a very similar way: the only difference is that it is art centric! An ARPG is a place where you can tell the story of your character through art and literature!
Every time your ARPG character is depicted in an artwork of any medium, they gain 'experience points' that will level them up!If these artworks are 'activity' artworks, you can be rewarded with loot too!
For Kukuris, these points are called "Fate Points" (or FP for short). FP is used to track your character’s level and journey through life. You can take your kukuri from nothing all the way to Arisen and beyond!
Your skill level in art will not affect how much FP you gain, as everyone is compared to their own gallery. A more experienced artist will not have any advantage over a newbie artist; everyone levels up the same way.
You can acquire loot and items, craft equipment and potions, encounter or trigger various random events, etc, all by participating in activities within the group such as hunting, traveling, quests and more! You can partake in our group’s lore, or build your own. Your kukuri can be a knight’s mount or a cyberpunk racing kukuri! The limits are only your imagination.
ARPG terms
There are a lot of terms that float around ARPGs, and when abbreviations come in it can get quite dizzying! Luckily we can help you with that… below is a list of common terms within the community! These might prove useful in your journey here~
Genotype (geno) and Phenotype (pheno):
Genotype is a string of letters that lists how the Kukuri looks colorwise and marking wise. A lot of people refer to undesigned Kukuris as "genos", as they are still only strings of letters without much identity.Related pages: Genes and mutations
A genotype will always start with the Kukuri's color: this is normally the first 4-6 letters (2-3 genes) within the geno. Their dominance will determine the color of a kukuri -- If the letters are small (aa), that means that it is not present in the genotype. A big first letter and a small second letter (Aa) means that the gene is present as a non-dominant form, and when both letters are big (AA) it means that the gene is dominant. Knowing this, the colors respond to following letters:
Aa/ee: This means that the kukuri is CRIMSON, as Aa corresponds to the crimson color.
aa/Ee: This means that the kukuri is HAZEL, as Ee corresponds to the hazel color.
aa/ee/Xx: Means the Kukuri is RAVEN. Xx correspons to the raven color, and when neither Aa nor Ee is present, it means it's pure raven.
aa/ee/Oo: is the same as raven, but PEARL color.
However, these colorations can be mixed, and that is when things get interesting. Kukuris come in many more colors than those listed here, read more about them in the Coat Colors page!
For markings, the non-dominant and dominant forms are written little differently. When there is a small "n" in front of the gene abbreviation (nSo), it means that the gene is non-dominant. If there is no "n" and the gene repeats itself (SoSo), it means that the gene is dominant and thus more likely to be inherited in breeding and allows the marking to have extra properties!
Import/Upload
An import refers to a Kukuri that has been designed, officially approved by the group, and added to the Kuku-ri gallery. When someone mentions that they are selling an import or an uploaded Kukuri, it means that it isn't a geno anymore, and cannot be designed again (except with special items).Related pages: Design approval
Semi Custom
Semi custom refers to a Kukuri which is bought from the group, or gained from a special event. The person who bought the semi custom can decide what kind of markings the kukuri has (with limits), the coat colors, and traits. If you're familiar with Closed Species, you could think of a semi custom as a kind of Make Your Own (MYO), but within limits. Kukuri semi-customs often come with “point” allowances, which determines how a user may add genes. Semi customs often come with a short lineage.
Slots
Slots are breeding related. Each Kukuri has a set amount of breeding slots (but the amount does raise with the kukuri's rank), which the user can either use themselves or sell to other users. You cannot breed another person's kukuri without owning a slot from the said Kukuri. You, as a user, have a set number of monthly Slots as well. Unlike Kukuris whose used slots stay with them the rest of their lives and the total can be increased via art, yours will refresh at the beginning of every month. You can breed 4 times a month (where you post the breeding) and take part in 2 splits a month (“collabing” in a breeding with another player, where the breeding is not posted by you).Related pages: Breeding
You can check here your personal monthly slots, and the slots any kukuri has used and their total!
Breeding Permission
When you've acquired a slot, the person who owns the Kukuri must give you a breeding permission. This is the proof that you own the said slot, and it's required to be shown when submitting the breeding of the Kukuri you were given a slot to. The breeding slot must be given on the group provided page, no other proof is eligible. That's also why it's important to keep these permissions safe, so make sure to copy the link to the comment in a sheet or document!Related pages: Breeding
Split breeding/clutch/litter/bun
A breeding where there are two people work together to provide the needed slots, items, and other aspects to produce a breeding. Both users would divide the resulting genos between themselves based on some rules set by themselves beforehand.Related pages: Breeding
POTC/POTL/POTB and other methods of dividing splits
Pick Of The Clutch, Pick Of The Litter, and Pick Of The Bun all refer to the same thing. This is a term seen in split breedings, and it means, in rough terms, that whoever has the Pick Of The Clutch gets to decide which genos they wish to keep first.
In contrast to those terms, players may choose to discuss privately after a breeding is posted. Or there is the option to take turns making picks. All of the above are valid methods of splitting a nest, so long as it is agreed upon by both parties!
Related pages: Breeding
Lineage, sire, dam
Lineage refers to the Kukuri's ancestors (a short family tree, if you may), and it's important when checking for inbreeding. Sire stands for the kukuri's father, and dam stands for the kukuri's mother. That means that Sire's Dam, for example, means the father's mother.
Related pages: Breeding, Design approval
Activity roll
A lot of people ask for activities as a payment, due to them giving them items that they might need for crafting. When saying activity roll, they mean a kukuri that is rolled for items. Since you can draw up to 3 kukuris in one activity image, if you're asked 3 activity rolls you can do them all in one image, provided that the person owns all the 3 kukuris portrayed doing the activity in the picture.
Related pages: Hunting, Gathering, Excavating, Traveling
Kukuri terms
As many groups, Kukuris have few things named specifically for the game, you might find these fun to use or just easier! These are terms you might see around!
Dove/Rook
These are terms that relate to Kukuri's gender. Dove stands for a female Kukuri, and Rook stands for a male Kukuri.
Bun
A nest of Kukuris (as a result in breeding) is called a bun.Loaf
A group of Kukuris is referred to as a loaf. Members often describe "all the kukuris I own" as "my loaf".
Crescent (Cr)
The ingame money that can be acquired with doing activities and then selling them to the shop. You can check how many Crescents you have from your bank, which will be created for you when you acquire your first items/Crescents.Related pages: The Bank
Enamored
A picture that is required in every breeding, unless a starter is present or a specific item is used. Requirements for Enamored: Both Kukus must be at least 50% visible, colored, shaded and with minimal background surrounding at least 50% of both kukuris. For writing, 500 words. A same enamored picture/story can be used 2 times.Related pages: Breeding
Fate Points (FP)
When you or someone else does art or write stories of your kukuri, it gains Fate Points. This is easiest explained as experience points, and when you acquire enough you gain new ranks that unlock new things for your Kukuri (often more breeding slots and skill points).Related pages: Fate Points and Skill Points, FP tracker (and how to make one)
Skillpoints (SP)
Skillpoints are divided in 3 different types: Attack (ATK), Defense (DEF) and Speed (SPD). These skills affect your outcomes and chances in the Coliseum, as well as certain events that make use of them!Related pages: Fate Points and Skill Points
Activity Rolls (AR)
Activity Rolls (often shortened to ARs) are rolls for a kukuri in an activity image. ARs does not refer to the image as a whole, but rather the kukuri inside the image/literature. If someone says “3 ARs” they often mean “3 kukus in one image”. Activity images and literatures have a max cap of 3 rolled kukuri per entry.Related pages: Hunting, Gathering, Excavating, Traveling
Injuries and Illnesses
Don't be frightened by this one! Your kukuri can get injured in activites and some events, but they can NEVER be killed. Kukuris also dont have HP, so if you cannot heal an injury right away, they will not loose health. Various injuries can have some side effects on activities, however, the injuries may be healed with certain items so those effects are not permanent!Related pages: Illnesses and Injuries
FoD/CoL: Annual Events
You might see "FoD" or "CoL" floating around during certain parts of the year... these are abbreviations of annual events. FoD is the Festival of Death, the event that celebrates the Goddess, Death. This event is held from April to May each year. CoL is the Carnival of Life, the battle based event that honors the Goddess, Life. This event is held from October to November each year. If you're interested in following the group's lore, these events are perfect to keep up with!
Divine Shop
Divine Shop is a bi-annual group hosted sale of various items and goods that are useful such as familiars, slots, items, and even semi-customs! These sales are REAL MONEY sales priced in euros, meaning there are no use of ingame currencies or art payments. These sales raise funds for group maintenance.Divine Shops are hosted during the following times:
June (following Festival of Death)
December (Following the Carnival of Life)
Kukuris and how to get one
Kukuris are closed-species by Unikeko, which means you can't just make one 'cause you desire to do so. However, don't fret! Getting your first kukuri isn't hard! We have an Adoption Center where you can get a free geno or import. You can also buy from other players, often folks will let you pay through art so no need to pull out the wallet just yet! Lastly you can buy from the group itself (see Divine Shop)
The Adoption Center is a place where other players can donate their undesired Kukus for newbies to adopt! This is easily the best place to look when seeking out your first kukuri! It has many genos and several imports for people to adopt. Each user has an adoption limit of 2, and your account should have some activity for us to know you're a real person!
Kukuris for Sale - is a gallery folder where you can look through other player’s sales to find your own kukuri! People will sell kukuri for anything from real money, to art, items, or slots. You'll have to do a little work to get a kukuri using this method, but it might be worth it if you want something nicer then what's in the adoption center!
Looking for Kukuris - gallery folder is where YOU can post a journal that explains that you're looking for your own kukuri - many people are willing to help, especially if you offer something in return!
Buy slots and breed! If you'd like to aim for rare markings or a certain look on your kukuri without haggling with the prices, you can try to breed your own! You will still need slots to two kukuri in order to breed, you can find these in member sales, or when the group hosts it's bi-annual Divine Shop!
Special Events: Perhaps youve arrived right when we are hosting an event, well theres a chance you could win one from partaking in that event! Some events will give out Semi-customs or eggs as part of raffle prizes. Most commonly this is the Festival of Death (held from April-May each year).
Other useful information
Group wait-time: Sitting in queues isn't normally a fun thing to do, but we assure you our team is working hard to roll, count, and process your requests! We have an expected wait-time for the group of 2 weeks! This doesnt always apply as some areas might fall behind when life is particularly hard so we ask for your understanding when the wait time gets longer!
What does "on hold" mean?: This is something you might see in any queue, this isn't bad! This simply means the team needs to review something or get a second opinion. After the choice has been made (normally it takes a few days) your submission will either be approved/rolled or you'll be informed of what was decided.
Why is this marking in brackets? [Viper]: This is a rare thing to see! If you see this youve stumbled upon one of few kukuri with so many markings they are no longer inheritable. Kukuri have a inheritable marking limit of 8, anything beyond that will be inside [] brackets.
Ive bought an import, what now?: Congratulations! Theres a few things you should do upon buying an import from someone; get or make a PSD for the kukuri, and bulk upload any FP it has! If you can not get the original PSD from the first owner, you may need to make your own. Heres a handy guide on how to make a PNG into a PSD. You should also make sure the Kukuri's FP is transferred to a tracker of your own should it have any. This can be done by our FP admins for you (this is recommended). For more information on bulk uploads, look here.
Get all of that? Well if you didnt dont worry, it took all of us a while to learn it all and we are here to help!
If you have any questions, we are here to answer! You can ask on our group's Discord server, or on the
Group's Q&A page!