I have just started playing Lusternia. I have never played an IRE game before.

Does anyone have any tips/advice for someone just staring out?

Read Read read... If you read everything you'll be ahead of most players who are just going off assumptions.

spend a weak just reading if you want. And make decisions based on Roleplay above all else.

Ask your guild when you have questions, they should be able to help you with everything.
Also GHELP INDEX and CHELP INDEX will show you many useful files.

Never use puns.

Consider everything before you attack it.

Probe things that could be loyal to other players. People tend to be unforgiving.

No constant mooing.

"Never use puns" -- yes treat them well and pay them for their efforts. Puns make the world go round.

Remember, just putting something in brackets doesn't make it any less OOC.

Hi, I'm Bob. (OOC I'm not really called Bob).

Along those lines: Remember putting OOC infront of something doesn't make it right to go a head and say publically. And, is almost never really even neccessary to even do. I can't remember the last time I saw something starting with OOC that couldn't have been reworded to where it wouldn't have needed the OOC.

Since you can't lose much experience starting out, use the time to explore. Sure you'll get eaten a few times, but trust me that is going to happen anyways. Explore extensively while under level 10 since you have unlimited portals.

Give 100000 gold to Qaletaqa.

He's french, don't mind him.

Yeah, don't mind the french guy and give 1000 credits to shiro. Oh yeah, have fun in lusternia!!

Make use of your IC journal or keep a log OOC; it helps very much in keeping your character in line with previous actions and establishes more of a personality.

NOTE: I don't do this, I'm a lazy bastard.

do what I did when I first started playing IRE games all those years ago.

While your sleeping as a novice, and you'll spend a LOT of time sleeping trying to keep your health up, read help files. literaly just type HELP and start looking through stuff.

Its not like you can do much else while asleep.

Spend your lessons carefully - they are abundant at low levels, but once you are stuck around the higher ones and really don't want to rat, you'll wish you had been more careful. Skills like clotting in Discipline, diagnose in Discernment and rift (or teleport which is higher) in Planar are all helpful, as well as your guildskills.

Also, not choosing a tradeskill for a while is probably a good idea. Sure, they're cool, but a bit useless when you've only learnt to Adept and can't do anything cool - commodities are expensive, and there will be others who can do far more than you with the skill 'cause they've learnt more. The thing about tradeskills is you're designing items to sell, so you'll be able to buy what you'd be producing anyway.

Get the teleport ability as soon as you can before portals run out (using as much free lessons as your guild allows).

Always, always ask questions. Don't understand something? Ask a Guide, a guildleader, a guildmate, a citymate, or just use the Newbie channel to ask everyone. Take a little time out of your day to gain gold, to pursue Guild ideals, to socialize, and to develop your character. Make sure you understand the rules, or if you don't, ask someone to explain them. Live in moderation, with learning and time, and make sure you get what you need somehow. And remember to ASK QUESTIONS.