silenceooc | [OOC Info] Rules and FAQ

FAQ:

General Game Questions:

What sort of game is this? This game is something of a sandbox, especially in that it's contained in an empty domed colony, but it will have a lot of exploration, a lot of mystery, a smattering of horror, and a lot of sci-fi. At first, there will be a focus on repair and survival, but as the colony is restored, the mystery of why it is empty will become more at the heart of the game in general.

What kind of exploration? At first, the colony itself. Finding out what's contained in the domes as they're opened thanks to repair. After that, finding clues about what happened that everything was left behind.

What kind of horror? This is a broken, old colony. Who knows what broke it? Who knows what's waiting? Who knows what's behind that locked door? Who knows why it's empty? There are secrets hiding in every corner. However, there is currently no intention of delving into gore, mutilation, or rampant murder. The intent is an atmospheric and psychological horror with elements of science fiction.

What kind of mystery? As has been mentioned previously, the colony is empty and on low power. Finding out why will be the large mystery, coupled with the mystery of what the characters want to do with the knowledge that they find.

What will the game mechanics be like? As the characters repair and explore, thresholds will be reached. When a threshold is reached, the players will get to decide on a dome with a reachable door to open and, if the dome isn't a preset environment, a die will be rolled to decide what sort of dome they've discovered. What happens beyond that will depend on character actions when the discovery is made. The thresholds will be based on repair status, character actions, and activity. This kind of interaction with the setting is vital to the game. Without the players pushing forward, the colony will not only stagnate but continue to degrade.

Speaking of activity, what activity is required? This will be a monthly check-in. After you've missed a check-in, you will be asked if you wish to remain in the game. If not, no harm done. More activity will be rewarded with more hints as to mystery and discovery. Less activity is not punished, but people who simply squat on characters will be removed.

Is the game sex-positive? The game is sex-neutral. There will be no events that require sex or smut, no aphrodisiacs in the air, no sex-pollen, but character chemistry is real. Relationships happen, and to expect that sort of in-character interaction not to happen would be unrealistic. Any thread that becomes explicit, however, should be given a warning so people know what they're getting into.

How many characters are allowed in the game? The first 'awakening' will be small and limited to 20 characters. Eventually, this will widen to 60. After that, we'll see.

What if I want to drop? Then you are welcome to drop. Your character can go back to sleep in the medical wing and can then be applied for by someone else. There will be a waiting period of at least one month (which may be changed in the future).

How do I get invited? At the moment, invites are going to players who have expressed interest in this type of game. The second round of awakenings will be open to players recommended by the playerbase. The game is invite-only to manage growth, to keep the game manageable, and to hopefully limit drama, but the invite-only status may someday change depending on how things go.

Can I have more than one character in the game? Yes, but only one character per player will be accepted per awakening.

Setting Questions:

How were the characters brought into the colony? As far as the characters know, they were home and just woke up here at a moment of the player's choosing. The reality is... different, and will be revealed as the game progresses.

How do the characters awaken? They awaken on a bed in the medical wing in a comfortable but vaguely futuristic set of clothing, like pajamas or scrubs, the appearance of which is decided by the player, and a pair of shoes. They never awaken alone. Awakenings happen in groups or waves as the colony's systems find it necessary. Each Awakening will have an announcement to the current inhabitants, and the medical wing screen will give a display of current system status.

With this stress on interacting with the environment, what kind of things am I allowed to do? Most anything, so long as it isn't an effort to break the game. We've all had moments of frustration where we've wanted to do something with our characters only to hear that it won't work and, while there are no promises that everything will work here, this setting is dependent on player buy-in. If your character wants to blow open a door with an improvised explosive, so long as they've put in the work to find the explosive ingredients and you're prepared to live with the possible consequences, the answer probably won't be no so long as all the players involved consent. If your character manages to find the raw materials to build a house inside one of the domes, then it looks like your character is a homesteader now. If your character steals an envirosuit and goes walkabout on the planet's surface.... bye? The main thing that will be asked of you is that, if you want to make a major change to the setting, something that will affect more characters than only yours, ask. The answer will very, very rarely be an outright 'no.' More than that, things that will be difficult to be changed will be stated as such when described.

What about the network? Currently, there is no network device for each character. Resources are not that plentiful. Each room in the active sections of the colony, however, has a terminal at some point within the room that accesses the colony's bulletin board system (BBS) and includes a private messaging system. At the beginning, this is limited to text. As repairs are made and power restored, the system will have greater capabilities.

What's the technology level? The colony is like a mix of Mass Effect and Star Trek, specifically TNG/Voyager. There are things like replicators that can produce basic food and clothing (like Star Trek), but finding a reliable source of necessities would be more reliable (like Mass Effect). However, there is no system like the Star Trek transporters and no device like the Mass Effect omni-tool.

What's the colony like? In-depth setting information can be found here.

Character Questions:

What sorts of characters will be accepted? Given that this is an invite-only game, character types are not limited, but there are some guidelines. Within the colony, characters must be A) humanoid, B) under 10 feet tall, C) nonmechanical/non-AI, and D) sentient. Before awakening in the colony, characters can be anything. Transformers, giants, pure software, amorphous blobs - anything. But within the colony, the guidelines must be followed. Canon characters and OCs are welcome, as are canon OCs such as silent protagonists, tabletop characters, and other canon OCs with no or limited interaction with canon characters. If your character went to school with a canon character but wasn't their bestie, that's fine. If your character is a canon character's hitherto-unknown sibling, that's not really kosher. In short, please don't place limitations on other people's characters with yours. Doubles are accepted so long as canon source is different. Comics vs. TV vs. movies, for instance. Characters cannot be immortal.

Can I play a child? Eventually, perhaps, but for the first few awakenings, no children will be allowed.

What about pregnancy? Your character will not awaken pregnant. Pregnancy will be allowed, however. Characters can find and use birth control if they want. There will not be a penalty for pregnancy, however it will be expected for pregnancy to be treated realistically. The colony is not a safe environment and survival is not guaranteed.

What about scars or injuries from canon? This will be at player discretion, but there are some caveats. If you choose the moment of death for your character's awakening, that injury or illness will not be present when they awaken. If your character has a chronic illness, they will find that the illness can now be managed with supplies from the colony's systems. If your character has scars, missing limbs, or missing senses, that can remain, but there will be options for treatments or prosthetics later on. If your character requires a mobility device, it will be provided.

What about powers? Most powers are going to be fine so long as the rules are followed. Each character's abilities will be looked at individually and if any may be gamebreaking, the player will be asked to keep that power to a reasonable level. Eventually, full power will likely be given, but as uber-powerful characters are adjusting to life within the colony, nerfing may be necessary.

My character has limitations based on environment. What about that? That will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, but in most cases, that limitation will persist. If your character is a vampire that will burst into flames in sunlight, they will still burst into flames in sunlight.

What about character death? Character death in this game will be permanent. If your character dies, they die, and are removed from the game. There are medical resources, but they are limited, and any serious injury or illness can result in death. A dead character cannot be reapplied for. If Harry Potter dies trying to open a dome door, then Harry Potter no longer exists here, and no future player can apply for him.

Can my character bring things from home? No. Your character will not arrive with any belongings from home. They may be able to be found later, but they are not with them upon awakening.

Is CRAU allowed? No. Carryover CR from other games is not allowed. Your character will be coming here straight from canon. The only exception to this will be OCs from the same original world with consent from the players.

Community Rules:

Be decent to each other. It would be silly to assume that everyone is going to get along at all times. We all know better than that. But there are good and not-good ways to handle situations and I ask that everyone do their best to treat others as decent human beings until and unless the situation becomes untenable. At that point, please contact the mod.

Don't actively try to break the game. Metagaming is expected to a degree. In a game like this, it's pretty much necessary. But while there will be questions asked and experiments made by characters, please don't try to break the setting and take the fun away for other people.

Don't character squat. While this is only a check-in level of activity, consistently only checking in and not making posts or comments is character squatting. Someone else may wish to play that character, and we ask you that, if you feel your interest either in the character or the game waning, you go ahead and drop. No judgement. Everybody's interest changes with time.

Actions have consequences. In a game like this, where so many things are open to being changed by the characters involved, this is worth saying. Actions will have consequences. Those consequences will depend on the action. If you don't want negative consequences, don't make negative actions. People will react how they react, but if you follow the first rule, everything should be fine. If you think something could go over badly, then ask first.

Second chances. It is rare that someone doesn't deserve a second chance. More often than not, if a player breaks one of the above rules, they will be given a warning and a second chance. One second chance. If that second chance is wasted by doubling down or breaking another rule, then the player will be removed. The only rule that will have flexibility in this is character squatting as DW RP is not as fast as it used to be and real life always comes first. If the broken rule is particularly egregious (including but not limited to outright harassment and/or bullying, hate speech, and personal attacks), then no second chance will be offered..