These are good questions! Thanks for asking them.
Should some of this information be readily available out of game?
For a long time, the information
wasn't available out-of-game; quite literally, the ritual scrolls and their contents were secret, and the only people who knew anything were staff (who happened to have a ritual database) and people who owned the scrolls and could actually read them. Not even ritual marshals really knew how the rituals worked or what they did. It was silly, to put it mildly. =P
We've come a long way since then, and have even gone so far as to publish the PC-available scroll text here on the boards (it does NOT have rituals that are "NPC Only" for a couple of reasons 1) they don't pertain to PCs and 2) additional information can be confusing and 3) players could mistakenly think those rituals are available to them, and maybe even spend months or years trying to get one before finding out it was all for naught).
As Norm mentioned, all you need to know about how a Golem works OOG is in the scroll text, and if you *do* have questions, you can ask on the local chapter boards (OOG), or the national Marshal board (which only owners and national staff can seemingly post in now).
Say for instance I gobbie a character up to formal, and acquire everything i need to create a golem and do so.
How the hell do I properly represent that role-play wise if there is no information regarding how it functions in that regard?
I would first point you to the scroll text, and then to chapter staff (logistics and plot can help suss out OOG questions). In addition, I would reference the ARB in a couple of spots to give more information:
ARB pg 142 said:
Master Construct
This ritual creates a golem that can be
Spirit Stored into. The level and abilities of the
golem created are determined by the difficulty
and reagents used in its creation.
and
ARB pg 143 said:
Spirit Store
This ritual allows the caster to place a spirit
into a golem body that has been created through
the Master Construct ritual. If the Spirit Store
ends the stored spirit will return to its original
body. If the golem body is destroyed before
the ritual ends the spirit must attempt resurrection.
And, in general, for someone who has a character who is (or wants to be) a Ritualist, I would point them to the Ritual Magic section of the book, starting on page 127, so they can get familiar with the rules of how rituals work, and maybe even encourage them to sit in on some ritual castings at a game as on OOG observer.
Unfortunately, Ritual Magic and casting them is one of the most complicated aspects of this game, and so the entry barrier is higher for newer players. That, of course, doesn't mean they shouldn't seek and look for information, but in general, we encourage players to find out in-game information, in-game. And as I said, the Master Construct ritual text has a wealth of information in it about OOG limitations, Requirements for costuming and make-up, and even tells you that a Master Construct by itself in mindless and will literally stand there unless given an order.
What if I show up in a golem, how can I find out in game if those things should already affect me?
Another great question!
This information is on the Master Construct "golem" Monster Card that is given to you upon successful completion of the casting of the Master Construct ritual. It holds all of the vital information you need to know - from Body, to Immunities, to weaknesses, to inherent skills, etc. It even says "May possess PC skills. Do NOT add PC body." on it.
That's like if someone wanted to play an Saar, and wanted to know certain things about how Saar fit into the world culturally and physiologically. We have culture packets and the rulebook for that. We don't just tell new Saar players to FOIG how their character thinks, feels, and perceives the world. The book specifically addresses their color vision, and general disposition, instincts, and other nuanced aspects of playing a Saar that are necessary for properly representing them.
Remember that, at the end of the day, a Golem is a Magic Item - it isn't a living creature, it isn't a race, it is a
thing made out of whatever materials the ritualist decides to use. I don't need to tell yo how to play a Stump, or a rock laying on the ground; a Master Construct quite literally falls into that category. Once the character is spirit-stored into the golem body, the golem body literally takes on the personality, traits, some physical features, and other aspects of the character inside it - it literally becomes the character's body, but everything inside - be they Sarr, Human, Hobling, etc. - is exactly the same.
So by having race packet information, you indirectly have information for how to RolePlay a golem/Master Construct.
Just like knowing if his golem can taste/smell/see at all, or in what way should be information available to him before he hops into a golem in game.
Chairs don't have taste buds! Nor do light bulbs. And tables can't smell (I mean, they can stink, but they lack olfactory nerves and the central nervous system to process impulses and information from that nerve) -- Master Constructs fall into this category, as explained above. =)
To make a suggestion, if the player spends time as the character doing research at game and in-game, talking to other characters, listening in on conversations, sitting in on rituals, the player is going to get more involved with the world (and other characters), make some in-game allies, and maybe even learn a thing or two in the process. It enriches the game for them, as well as other players who get to interact with them. It puts the "RP" in "LARP" and by doing it in-game, keeps the "LA" part true as well.
Hopefully this helps.
-Adam
