Black BoxGet the HUD
FeaturesGuidesFor sim ownersAboutGet the HUD
Guides

How to use Black Box

Start with the first few if you're new. Every sim switches different parts on, so if a guide mentions something your HUD doesn't have, your sim doesn't use it.

For players

Getting started

Wear your sim's HUD, sign in, make a character and find your way round the Home screen.

  1. 01Wearing the HUDFor players: picking up the HUD from the sim you play on, wearing it, and how it stays up to date.
  2. 02Your first sign-inWhat happens the first time you wear the HUD, from your new account to accepting the Terms of Service.
  3. 03Create a characterHow to make a character with the HUD's step-by-step creator, and how to switch between your characters.
  4. 04The Home screenWhat the HUD's Home screen shows, the three Home layouts, and how to make the HUD smaller.
  5. 05Play in characterSwitching between in character, out of character and away, setting up your titler, and earning experience for roleplay.
  6. 06Your sim's websiteHow to sign in to your sim's Black Box website and what you'll find there.
  7. 07SettingsEvery page under the HUD's Settings, what each one changes, and the chat commands that do the same.
For players

Your character

Levelling up, perks and respecs, your character sheet, and rolling dice.

  1. 01Levels, perks and respecsHow experience turns into levels, how to spend stat and perk points, and how respecs, skill pools and professions work.
  2. 02Your character sheetWhat the HUD's character sheet shows, how to switch characters, and how to set your alt name, title, species, picture and titler presets.
  3. 03Dice and skill checksHow to roll on the HUD's Dice page and with @roll, what each roll shows in chat, and how checks work in fights and quest talks.
For players

Fights

Starting a fight, taking your turn, tactics, wounds, magic, and what happens after.

  1. 01Start a fightHow to open the fight page, invite people, start the fight and find your way around the page.
  2. 02Your turnWhat you can do on your turn, from abilities and targets to items and ending the turn.
  3. 03TacticsThe Tactics panel on the fight page, from stance and cover to grapples, gear and escaping.
  4. 04Rows, cover and rangeHow front and back rows, cover ratings, range bands and movement work, for sims that use them.
  5. 05After a fightHow a fight ends, looting, being downed, treating wounds, and rolling dice outside a fight.
  6. 06Wounds and getting patched upWhat happens when you go down, how wounds work after a fight, and how to treat, stabilize and heal them.
  7. 07MagicHow spells work in a fight, from channelling and holding to counterspells, dispels, rune weapons, songs and lawful zones.
  8. 08Area attacksAbilities that hit more than one person, from attacks that pick their own targets and whole-row attacks to areas you aim with the in-world placer.
For players

Items and money

Your inventory, paying and trading, the bank, buying and selling, and crafting.

  1. 01Your inventoryHow to find, equip, use, give away and delete the items your character carries.
  2. 02Money and tradeHow money works on your sim, how to pay people, what's on the Trade page and how the bank works.
  3. 03Crafting and gatheringHow to craft at a station, gather materials from nodes, and keep items in banks and shared storage.
  4. 04The bankHow bank accounts, cards and PINs, ATMs, transfers, credit, interest and coin exchange work, on the HUD and on your sim's website.
  5. 05Buying and sellingHow to buy from and sell to shops, shop on the website, use the auction house, crafting orders and stalls, pick pockets and give to community projects.
For players

Story and community

Quests and NPCs, events and rewards, groups and ranks.

  1. 01Quests and NPCsHow to talk to NPCs and quest props, answer them, follow your quests in the journal and collect rewards.
  2. 02Events and rewardsHow to join events, earn experience for roleplay, file XP and IC reports, and use the bounty board.
  3. 03Groups and ranksHow groups, ranks and influence work, how promotions and stipends are given, and how your group changes your HUD.
For players

Around the sim

Doors, lights, power, alarms and the other things in the sim that answer to your character.

  1. 01Around the simThe objects in the world that answer to your character, what touching each one does, and what your HUD does when staff change the sky or play a sound.
For staff

For staff

Setting up your sim on the website: rules, the HUD's look and the staff menus.

  1. 01Setting up your simA map of the staff side of your sim's website, what each menu area is for, and who gets to see it.
  2. 02Rule sets and optionsWhat a game system holds, the rule sets a new sim starts with, and the optional rules you switch on or off.
  3. 03The HUD lookHow to set your sim's HUD themes and colours, its Home layout and sizes, the buttons, bars and counters it shows, and its languages.
For everyone

Help

Chat commands, and what to do when something isn't working.

  1. 01Chat commandsA reference of the @ commands you can type in chat to work the HUD, grouped by what they're for.
  2. 02TroubleshootingCommon problems with the HUD and the website, how to fix them, and where to ask for help.