That depends on what you want to do ... If you haven't yet created a character, that's the first step. The game will take you through the steps of generating a character.

If you have made it into the game, and are wondering what to do next, there are several options. You have been entrusted with something to be delivered, and you might follow through on that. Or find your way to a bulletin board and read the notices posted on it to see if there's a job you might be interested in! Take a good explore around, get familiar with the commands, and feel free to dive into the setting! You might want to browse through the rest of these FAQ's, as they contain a plethora of information that will help you along your way. You may also wish to read our New Player Guide for even more information about the game. Our mentors (a.k.a. Island Guides) are available in game to help you settle into island life once you arrive; just type DIR TIC for directions to the Tourist Information Center. If you find yourself totally stuck, type ASSIST and one of the on-duty GameMasters will help you.

There are a whole battalion of commands, and far too many to list here! But, there are some basic commands that you should be familiar with. Some other game commands are listed under the appropriate topic in these FAQ's.

LOOK [IN, ON, UNDER, BEHIND] <ITEM>. For instance, you could LOOK UNDER BENCH, LOOK IN MY BAG, or simple LOOK FLOWERPOT. Each will allow you to see what something looks like, or to see if there is anything else to explore in the immediate area.

READ <ITEM>. READ MENUBOARD, or READ POSTER, or READ MY MAP.

INVENTORY, or INV for short. This will let you see what you have on you in plain sight, including whatever you are holding in each hand. Something to remember, though ... if you have put an item in your coat, for example, you'll have to type LOOK IN MY COAT to see what you have stashed in there.

JOIN <PERSON>. This command allows you to join that person's group, and he or she effectively becomes the leader. When he moves, you move. If you need to part ways, just type LEAVE, and this will remove you from the group.

HOLD <PERSON> allows you to take the hand of the person and draw them into your group. You are the leader, and when you move so does anyone else in your party.

GET <ITEM>. This will allow you to pick up an item. If you want to take something out of something else you may have to type GET <ITEM> FROM <OTHER ITEM>. For example say you have found a necklace in a box, you'd have to type GET NECKLACE FROM BOX.

GIVE <ITEM> TO <PERSON>. Doing this allows you to offer an item in your hands to another player. Let's say you wanted to hand over a map to Josh. You'd type GIVE MAP TO JOSH. He then could either ACCEPT your offer or DECLINE it.

GO <WHATEVER>. If you wanted to enter a phone booth, you'd type GO BOOTH, or if it's a shop entrance, you could either type GO SHOP or GO ENTRANCE.

OPEN or CLOSE <ITEM>. This will let you make sure an item is fully opened or closed.

Then there are commands like SIT, LIE, STAND, COUGH, WAVE, SMILE, GRIMACE, LEAN, SNORT, LAUGH, GIGGLE, RAISE EYEBROW ... the list goes on and on. Feel free to try things out! You may also want to read the partial list of verbs found on the Modus Operandi website.

To speak, just type a quote mark " or an apostrophe ' in front of whatever it is you'd like to say. You don't have to close the sentence with a quote mark, as the game will take care of that for you. So if you wanted to say "Howdy, all." you'd type 'Howdy, all.

The punctuation placed at the end of what is said will affect how your character says it. A period will cause you to 'say' something. A question mark will cause you to 'ask' something, and an exclamation point will cause you to 'exclaim' something.

First type LOOK. This will give you the description of the area you are in, as well as letting you know who else is with you and the most obvious directions you can move. For example:

The vaulted ceiling of the Customs-Port Authority building arches high above you, its gilded paint reflecting the movement of tourists and officials hurrying through the terminal. Brightly painted murals depicting various scenes from Morada's political and social history adorn the walls. As you gaze at the artwork, a light ocean breeze blows through the gateway, cooling the air inside the old structure and bringing welcome relief from the muggy Caribbean heat. You also see an archway embossed with a crest and a bulletin board with some stuff on it. Also in the room: Kitty Hawke, Mamma Leone, Dervus Rothschild.
Obvious exits: south, east, west, out.

>From this description you see that you can go south, east, west or out. To move in one of those directions, type the first letter of the direction, or the direction itself... W is the same as West.

To go into a place or building type GO <WHATEVER>. Sometimes you have to read the area description closely to see all that can be found. For example:

Slightly dingy but quite comfortable, this establishment looks as if it has seen a good deal of use in its day. Activity is centered around an information desk where the sweet smell of gardenias clings, and several lost-looking people seem to be getting answers to their multitudinous questions. Through an archway comes the sound of conversation, and you see what looks to be a common sitting room. You also see a beautiful woven basket filled with brochures, an ornate sign, a newsstand with a local newspaper on it, a dining room, a corridor, Mitzi Marvoli and a bulletin board with some stuff on it.
Obvious exits: out.

In this area you are told that there is an archway, a corridor and a dining room that may allow access to different parts of the building. Try GO CORRIDOR, or GO ARCHWAY. Not all the accesses will be plainly listed in the "You also see:" section of the description. It really pays off to explore your surroundings.