Unknown Seas Mods / NPCs (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bathymetric) wrote2022-05-05 01:05 am
bathymetric) wrote2022-05-05 01:05 am
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FAQ (R3)
Hang on, what is this, again?
Welcome to the third and final round of Unknown Seas! This game's come a long way since R1 back in 2020, and it's about time we take it home. This is the end of the line for this game - but in general, it's a murdergame! Twenty-five fictional characters enter a closed setting, some number of them exit at the other end of a couple months. While this is intended to resolve the lingering plot threads from the first two rounds, there's no reason not to hop in and enjoy!
Okay, but like... what's the premise? And who's in charge of this whole operation this time?
So! Round One took place in an underwater research facility in the Pacific run by The Professor, who turned out to be a man Gunnar Maelstrom, running the game as an experiment to answer some sort of question he never quite figured out. Round Two took players to a cruise ship in the Bermuda Triangle, where The Captain, a man named Handsome Jack, was manipulated by the dread ghost pirate LeChuck into following a very similar ritual for power at a mysterious lighthouse.
This time, well... welcome to New Rapture! A beautiful underwater art deco city, founded by industrialist and entrepreneur Frank Fontaine of Fontaine Futuristics. Like that other, smaller Rapture you may have heard of in video games. He gathered the best of the best from not just his own but several worlds to put together the nexus of his own interdimensional sales empire! But... that was a long time ago, now. Characters will be free to explore and uncover the secrets of New Rapture over the course of their time in it - when they're not trying to avoid being killed, that is.
Oocly, however, your mods are Lyndon /lovebelievesin, Drizz /
How do I keep up with the game?
All logs will be posted tounknownseas, our main comm! TDMs and memes and anything else can be posted to or accessed at
As far as ooc communication goes, there is no official Unknown Seas game discord! We operate on the old school "plurk only" plotting style. It's worked pretty well for us so far, and we don't have a plan to change it! Obviously feel free to use discord to communicate one-on-one with whoever you want, though.
Do I have to have to do homework to get in?
Nope! While there will be things that link back to the first two rounds, and their events will definitely come up at some point, you don't have to have been in either or know the exact events of either to participate! You do still need to be on one of the mods's plurk lists to join, but no prior knowledge of either round OR any of the canons we've pulled from for npcs is necessary! Nope, not even Bioshock! It's all recommended reading, but not required, so to speak.
As with last time as well, there is a possibility that characters will meet the casts of Rounds 1 and 2! Prior round characters will not be participating directly in the plot, but they won't entirely be strangers, either.
Can I get a refresher on how murdergames work?
Great question! So the main comm,
So far so normal, right? Well, the other main ingredient in a murdergame besides, well, the game, is the murder! The first week is all sunshine and rainbows and getting to know each other in the face of impending death, but from the second week on, Friday is given to murder! There will be an investigation posted at 12pm EST, where characters get to wander around until they find a body and then look for clues towards who might have done the murder! Then, on Saturday at 12pm EST, the trial will be posted! Everyone gets to go to the trial room and argue it out until they find the murderer! Then the next week they get to do the whole thing all over again! Unless of course you get tapped to be part of a case, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
What happens ICly on Saturdays?
Great question! Love your continued faith in that day of the week.
How many characters can I play? What are the caps like?
Characters are limited to one per player, with a cap of two characters from any given canon! The only exception to this is canons with multiple separate continuities (Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy, etc), which have an additional franchise character cap of six if that's ever needed. While this is a relaxed game, getting characters out of their usual comfort zones and into all kinds of weird relationships is half the fun of this kind of thing! As for the overall character count, there's a cap of 25 characters.
What kinds of characters can I app?
Any applicable character 18 or over is appable with no strings attached, but characters ages 16 and 17 are subject to scrutiny and require justification of maturity - basically, have they been through enough that they qualify for the exciting world of murder? We're not going to be hugely picky about this, but you're probably not going to get your slice of life anime characters or DCOM kids in. Probably. There are some wild SOL anime and DCOMs out there.
Characters can be apped from any canon in any medium, with some exceptions (though we reserve the right to veto) and conditions:
Original characters are allowed, but the app will be slightly longer given the need to explain their canon to me! Fan OCs are acceptable provided they are relatively unconnected from the canon narrative at large, and will still require an extended writeup and will receive additional scrutiny app-wise.
Playable characters from video games where the player shapes their personality will be allowed provided you can provide a definitive worldstate in your app! Please be respectful to any fellow players from your canon, though.
Characters based on extant real people such as internet celebrities or actors are not allowed - we're fine with you bringing in Fate/ John Wilkes Booth or whoever, but you can't show up playing Linkara.
Characters who are dead at their canonpoint are not appable! "Moments before death with healed wounds upon arrival" is fine, but full-on dead people not so much. Corporeal undead are fine, ghosts... we can talk about options.
Characters already present in this round are not appable! No doubles, basically. If you want to app a character who was in Rounds One or Two, we'll allow it on account of Multiverse Nonsense, and if you want to app a character from the R1 backstory round or one of the canons we've pulled from in the metaplot (Carmen Sandiego, Borderlands, Monkey Island, or Bioshock), give your mods a quick ring if you'd like! We might be able to give you an extra little hook or two (nothing major, we'll tell you that up-front), or at least let you know what you can and can't do.
CRAUs are not allowed! Nothing against them, but for this game they're just not gonna gel.
What if my character isn't human? Like a vampire or a big bug or something?
Well, that's a layered issue! We do require that characters be of at least human sentience (please no pets), that they leave something that can be called a body behind when they die (a gem or pile of coins or whatever is fine), and that while here they be killable with a difficulty on level with a normal human. No weird vampire conditions! But if a character has a special diet (blood, bugs, etc) or any other kind of non-standard physiology you want to play with, you're more than welcome to! The crew is very accommodating. But you're also free to call their physiology a power and make them a normal human as part of the power nerfing! Basically, bottom line: we can talk, just make sure to pitch what you're doing in your app if your character falls into this category.
Okay buddy, when are reserves? Apps?
Well, we're sure glad you mentioned both, because you need a reserve to app to Unknown Seas! Reserves are going to open Friday,May 27thJUNE 3RD at 12:00PM EST sharp, and apps will open immediately after and close Saturday, June 11th at 11:59PM EST! Then the game will start on Sunday, June 12th!
As far as reserves go, if you feel like changing feel free to comment in reply to your original reserve, and if you want to withdraw your reserve please let the mods know ASAP!
How active do I have to be? And why SHOULD I be active?
Well, each week at AC time, you'll be expected to turn in ten comments from your character, from a maximum of two threads! If you let us know you're not making AC it won't be a big deal, but if you don't let us know beforehand or you miss two weeks, your character is getting slated for death either in a case or an execution, depending.
As for why you SHOULD be active, that's where regains come in! For every thread of five comments from your character or more (multiples of five comments in a thread DO mean more regains!), your character will receive a token for a small, randomly chosen item! This could be anything from trash to a beloved keepsake from home (or someone else's beloved keepsake from home!), so going out and getting that cr gets your character stuff to play around with! Pretty neat, huh?
Walk me through the behind the scenes of the murder thing?
Well, every Sunday or so, one or more culprits and victims will be rolled (or chosen, in the case of volunteers) by your mod and tapped to start putting a case together (earlier than Sunday if more than one body is expected to hit the floor). That process is pretty simple, and we can go through it when we get there together! If you are picked as culprit and cannot be present on Saturday, please let the mods know as soon as you are tapped and he will reroll, with your character slated for death the next week. There are no full opt-outs.
Hang on, where are we?
Welcome, citizen, to New Rapture, the shining blue jewel of the multiverse! We are experiencing [KZZZZT] current points of required maintenance, but once those are cleared, you will have access to the whole of what our beautiful city has to offer! You have been assigned [KSHHHHH] credits, which allows you full access to all standard New Rapture amenities and services! The exit? Sorry, the Bathysphere is currently out of order. Estimated completion of maintenance is ERROR: VALUE NOT FOUND.
How did we get here?
You've been brought to New Rapture for the same reason everyone is brought to New Rapture: Mayor Fontaine thinks you have something special to offer the city! The wheels of industry are greased with the blood and sweat of man, after all! But mostly blood.
Is there some kind of network? A way to talk to others?
Of course you can talk to your fellow citizens! We're not separating you, after all. And you have communication options in your suites, including a direct line to Mayor Fontaine himself!
Hang on, what happened to my powers?
New Rapture is built on personal freedom, but there's only so much of that you can allow folks before things go sideways, you know? Until you get out of here, you're all on an even playing field. That means no powers.
So what, we just... live here for a while?
Indefinitely, actually! The only way out is through your actions - if you want it so bad, you're going to have to kill another New Rapture citizen and get away with it.
What happens if they do find out it was me?
Well, you still get to leave New Rapture! But likely not in the way you were hoping.
Hang on, so... how much murder am I going to see?
If you all just can't help yourselves from trying to get out, you should see one or two bodies per week from the second week on. If there is reluctance, which there almost certainly will be, Mayor Fontaine will offer... motivation. Motivation will be provided on Tuesdays, beginning on the second week.
How are the other test subjects going to figure me out, though?
Glad you asked! On Saturday (in the real world, late Friday in yours), following the investigation on Friday, all citizens will be brought into a special room for a trial! You'll all argue it out, and in the end, you'll vote for a guilty party! Majority rules.
Okay, but... what about who the heck is this Fontaine guy? Where do I take my complaints?
Mayor Fontaine is available at all hours to field comments, questions, or concerns from the public of New Rapture. You will likely not meet him face to face unless something goes terribly wrong.
Hang on, how are you going to ensure this isn't just a week of starving and sleeping on the floor?
While we cannot force you to eat, that certainly would be a waste, don't you think? As citizens of New Rapture, you will all be afforded every amenity that the city has to offer. Food and board, entertainment, shopping, leisure, and more are all provided! Simply use the card key built into your personal short-wave radio for payment and all expenses will be covered on the house. After all, all good things of this Earth flow into the city.
Okay, and finally... what happens on Saturdays, if you guys are having the Friday trials during that time?
Don't worry about it!
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1. Nathaniel's plot involves a lot of Legendary Pokemon who are actively part of the plot, including Mewtwo, Ho-oh, and the Tao Trio. Is that okay, since in most cases they're based on the GM's own interpretation and don't really have aspects of the canon games/movies they showed up in?
1a. The Shadow Trio from Black/White also show up at one point, although only as a plot device. I assume he'd be fine to mention them? He's also interacted with both Sabrina and Whitney, but only in their capacity as gym leaders, and those were arcs that could technically be considered "filler" since it was just a gym challenge for fun. The only real important thing is that he received several unique items from them that were later put to use, so would he be allowed to generally refer to them? This is also 10 years after Black/White, so they've changed some from canon.
2. Most importantly, Nathaniel himself is now the "trainer" of a newly revived Zapdos. Would he be allowed to regain them, but shrunk back down into the baby form they first hatched in?
3. Similarly to Nira, he also has a walking stick and service Pokemon. While several of his team are registered as service Pokemon, Macy the Carnivine is most important to him as both a mobility aid and emotional support, but she's also not as crucial to him as Aria was to Nira. I assume he'd be allowed the walking stick, but would he also be allowed to have Macy with him when he wakes up?
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1. That's fine!
2. Baby Zapdos is fine, but will be depowered per normal Pokemon In A Murdergame rules
3. Hmmm okay so! He would def be allowed the walking stick, but if Macy's primary function is emotional support, that's not an accommodation Mayor Fontaine would make. How exactly does Macy function as a mobility aid?
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