FAQ

[trodemods]

◊ Logistics
◊ Cyberspace/The Network
◊ Game Info

◊ LOGISTICS ◊

What will my character's arrival experience be like?

One day, while your character is jacked into the network, in cyberspace, they flatline. They go absolutely brain-dead for anywhere from one minute to three. During this time, they experience the life of their original canon. When they wake up, they have both sets of memories. It's incredibly disorienting. Your character will be assimilating the memories of two lives at once: one from whatever their canon world is, and one from the world of the Ark. It's up to you how they react, what they do, and which one they believe is real.

Where does my character wake up?

That's also up to you. It depends on your character's AU history. Are they a Capitol worker? Then they might wake up surrounded by doctors or by worried co-workers. Maybe they're a habitual code surfer, and they're trying to crack the code around a bank when they're yanked away. Maybe it was a link into a public terminal while they were trying to get some coffee. If they were out in the wilds, accessing a more remote terminal, then they might wake up in the dirt while a scavenger tries to pick their pockets. The options are only really limited by your imagination.

Does my character keep their existing form?

Everyone in the Ark is human. If your character is human, then yes, they do keep their existing form. If they are not, they wake up in the human form that they remember from their existence in the Ark. Non-human characters are appable here. Essentially, they would be a human who experiences a whole life as a robot, or a talking lion, or an alien. Perhaps they're a human who at heart wants to be something else.

How do my character's superpowers and/or magic work?

We take this on a case-by-case basis. There's an incredible variety of different types of magic in the Ark, and pretty much all superhuman ability is rooted in magic of some kind. So make us a pitch for what your character's powers would be. For example, a telepath who focuses on mind control could become a whispersmith, one who whispers to others and compels them to obey. Feel free to just make up types of magic, but remember to give us details on the extent of your characters abilities.

What if my character has no powers in canon but I'd like them to have some magic ability in this game?

We'll consider pitches for this. Give us a compelling case for it, and tell us why you'd like your character to be more powerful. If you have a good reason beyond "I want them to be able to smash things", odds are we'll go for it.

What happens if my character dies?

Death is almost always permanent. Except for the sort of death where the heart stops and then some doctors jolt it to set it beating again. Killing a character is dropping them. The only exception would be if you have a plot that involves some necromancy already pitched to us, and a plan for bringing your character back from the dead.

Is there any other way to drop them?

You can have them fade back into the background of existence on the Ark. As another alternative, you can have them go braindead while connected to the network. This, in a sense, is them "permanently" returning to their canon universe.

Can I break the fourth wall?

Breaking the fourth wall is a term for when one character can identify another character as someone fictional. For example, a nerd character like Hiro Nakamura from Heroes would be able to recognize Han Solo from Star Wars. If your character as part of their own canon would know of other canons, and would recognize characters from them, break the fourth wall all you like. As far as your Ark character knowing about Pokemon and Star Wars? This is far enough in the future of the human race that they likely will not have heard of anything like that.

◊ CYBERSPACE ◊

How does my character access cyberspace?

In order to interface fully, characters access what's called VR, or virtual reality. They 'jack in' by connecting electrodes to the skin over their skull, usually on a temple or behind the ear. They can also access cyberspace more slowly through computer terminals, visually, textually, and through audio.

Is cyberspace just a world of my character's canon?

No. It's basically the Internet, only more awesome and complicated, connecting all of the regions in the Ark. What's happened to your character is that, one time while accessing this cyberspace network, they got ganked into a story of a life they've never experienced.

Can they be ganked while accessing through a terminal?

Nope. Only when in VR.

What is cyberspace like?

Depends on how you access it. If you're looking through a terminal, it's pretty much the Internet. If you're in VR, it can look like anything. The brain accessing the network interprets the data it receives synesthetically -- that means that it uses all the senses of the brain to, together, make a picture of what it's experiencing. A particular website might smell like mint, feel like the splash of an ocean wave. Or it might open when you imagine the password, which could be anything from the feel of a kitten's fur to the sound of a creaking door hinge. Basically, as far as what cyberspace is, you can make up how your character perceives it and what parts of it they access. There are also parts of cyberspace that make a virtual world. It's modeled like a real neighborhood, with bars, restaurants, entertainment centers, business centers, only it can be infinitely crowded and you never have to see all of the people around you. Unless you choose to.

If cyberspace can feel like the real world, can it allow you to link into another person and experience what they're experiencing?

Yes, it can. The person you're linking into has to be specially rigged for output, not input, but there are plenty of chop shops along the way that'll do that, for a price.

Does my character experience their canon every time they link in?

No. Canon experiences come only rarely, and apparently at random. You can request more canon experiences by asking the mods if you can canon update your character to a later point in their timeline.

Can they experience their canon on purpose?

No. They won't be able to find out what causes it unless they do some serious digging.

Can my character experience another character's canon?

Not spontaneously, like they'd experience their own. That other character would have to create a VR simulation for your character to experience.

Can my character remember the flesh world when they go back to the cyberworld of their canon?

They may, but only distantly, and they will be unable to use those memories to affect their actions.

Can my characters hack the system?

Yes, they absolutely can. They can hack the government, banks, other users at will -- depending on their skill level and the permission of other muns. There are three tiers of hackability. The first is 'green', which means hackers are allowed to locate and decode the message. The second is 'yellow', meaning that the message is locked for plot reasons/character reasons, and you must contact the muns of the characters involved before you hack it. The third is 'red', which is restricted to NPCs alone. Hacking these is possible but unlikely and involves a severe risk to your character's mental health. Successes on reds will be determined by dice roll; failure could have a variety of consequences, which will be determined by the mods. Depending on plot needs, there may be an additional level of 'black' hackability. That means that hacker characters cannot even attempt hacking that data.

Is there data in this system about what happened to old Earth?

Yes, there is. But there's also a lot of fiction. And this is a vast, vast network. It's going to be incredibly difficult to shift through the sheer quantity of useless information in order to find the real stuff. Additionally, data packets 'owned' by a particular person are recycled when they die. Original data is extremely difficult to come by because it essentially requires that the data be passed down from person to person, and over six hundred years, that's extraordinarily rare.

What technology is available on the Ark?

This is cyberpunk, baby. Technology is all over the place, and it's awesome. Computers are lightning fast and small enough to fit in your pocket. You can implant cameras into your eyes. Technology is extremely advanced, especially in urban areas. Remember: technology is cheaper than food. The Ark does not have: faster-than-light travel, instantaneous transportation, nanites, artificial intelligence, Star Trek-style replicators. If there are technologies you're unsure about, just ask the mods.

How does the economy work?

In the Capitol, all transactions are made through credits, which are allotted to each person in the amount that they will require at the beginning of the month. You may submit bureaucratic requests for more credits/more material if you have particular need during that month, and the government will process it. All of this is handled by a central computer system. That computer system can identify you by retinal pattern, DNA scan, full-body scan, brainwaves and more. It uses an aggregate of data to recognize you as a person, and is constantly updating to monitor you. There is danger in traveling to a place not directly monitored by Capitol computers. (ie: outside of the Capitol, the trains, regions close to the trains or the axis with all of the Ark's systems.) If you change too much outside of the computer's range, it won't recognize you when you return. (This only applies to Capitol citizens.) For the rest of the Ark, the economy is mostly barter-based, with favors and foodstuffs more valuable than any currency. NOTE: You do not have to keep track of specific credits or riches for your character. Just keep it reasonable. If you have a question, ask the mods.

◊ GAME INFO ◊

What's the genre/tone of this game?

As it says on the profile page, this game is cyberpunk, magical realism and urban fantasy. In other words: it's not really one thing or the other. From this game, you can expect politics, war, magic, legends, hacking and crime. One thing you can't expect is control. This is not a slice-of-life game. Things will happen here that are nutty and weird. If your character goes exploring off the edge of the map, their fate might be determined by dice roll. You won't always know what you're walking into and what might result from it. If you want you to be in control of your character and able to avoid tough situations, there are plenty of games out there for you. This one might not be the right fit!

In a world that's so large, how are characters supposed to find each other?

Funny thing, that. Remember in setting info how we explained that the Ark is a place where impossible things happen? Well, that's exactly how you find each other: through coincidence. Are you accessing the network? Huh, that's weird, there's another data stream entangling with yours. Looks like it's shunting you into a VR environment you didn't try to access. Guess you'll have to go meet whoever else is in there. -- Or maybe you're in a virtual coffee shop and the only seat left open is next to another person who's been hijacked. You can also expect there to be official Capitol response to the hijackings, possibly cultists and followers of the incidents, and news focusing on what happened. There are lots of ways for your characters to encounter one another.

I am so confused right now.

Feel free to ask more questions in the comments below!