anaplasiamod

FAQ

This page discusses all the different OOC and IC mechanics that are important for the game, like posting format, language translation, hiatus mechanisms, and the network.

The FAQ is at the bottom.

「GAME MECHANICS」

COMMUNITIES

anaplasia: network
anaplasialogs: logs
anaplasiaooc: ooc communication
anaplasiacomms: character inboxes
anaplasiamemes: memes & tdms

NETWORK & LANGUAGE TRANSLATION

The Base NERF creates a communications system called the Nabu Communications System. It's responsible for translation and communication. A Nabu allows a user to hear and see any written language as being in their native language. For terms that are particular to an individual world that the user has no context for, it won't translate, and they may have to ask the other user to try to describe what they're talking about.

Nabu's are also the game's communicator system, allowing for video, text, and audio. Nanites will cause a earpiece appear on a character's ear or near an equivalent auditory organ, to allow for auditory communication. For looking at videos or texts, an augmented reality visor can form that will allow them to see video but still see their surroundings, or their Nabu can project a holographic screen that blocks sight a little more, but that can be repositioned where they please with a wave of a hand. The screen can be a bit more handy, allowing for many different windows at once, and can move alongside a user as they walk.

Visual recording will either be just a direct close-up portrait of their face, if using the visor, or a small floating camera can spring from the earpiece that they can position to show what they want. This camera can be pointed anywhere and will float alongside someone as they move. It will merge again with the earpiece when no longer in use.

A small holographic keyboard, projected from the earpiece, can be used for typing. The system can also accommodate for any issues with hearing or reading by using methods like screen readers, voice-to-text, text-to-speech, or live captioning of videos.

MISSIONS & EXPEDITIONS

Ishtar will send PCs on both interdimensional missions to a variety of worlds and expeditions into the megastructure. If a character refuse to go on missions or expeditions, Ishtar will find ways to punish them like threatening to cut the group off from the rest of the structure until their food supply runs out.

Missions: These are not always sci fi or horror, as they can take place in worlds with many different genres. However, stakes are often high and the interdimensional threat to these worlds can cause absolute devastation if not stopped. Missions will reveal more of the nature of whatever Ishtar is concerned about and about the evil force attacking planets -which has unknown connections to Uruk.

Expeditions: The game will emphasize Uruk-based expeditions more than missions. Expeditions can be dictated by Ishtar but she'll also allow for self-motivated and self-organized missions by the PCs, allowing them to discreetly work at cross purposes with Ishtar if they want. Expeditions can have many purposes like exploration and scavenging, finding specific targets like certain labs or medbays or other areas with information, defeating certain enemies, attempting diplomacy with other npcs, and so on. Expeditions will be extremely dangerous, exposing the PCs to a variety of sci fi/horror threats.

ACTIVITY CHECK

Activity runs in 2-month periods. Proofs are required at the end of each 2-month period, with an activity check-in in between. AC will always run the last 7 days of the month.

Since the game will have some plots where people heavily focus on just one character, AC is by player.

Requirements:

(1) entry post to the log or network comm

(20) comments in (1) thread

(10) comments X 2 threads for a total of (20) comments

(10) comments + (1) top-level in a plot (the comments don't have to be under the top-level)

(1) player plot or event run for others, regardless of whether you participated as a player. This includes setting up a network post to help guide IC organization during a mod plot. (Just link to one of your plot posts.)

Eligible comments: Comments in logs and network are counted with the same weight. Inbox comments are only eligible for people who opt to have their inbox in the inbox comm.

Network Comments: Since thread-hopping is allowed on the network, network comments are allowed to be slightly more scattered apart as long as they're in the same network post. If you can link to a thread and I can count the necessary comment counts scattered underneath one top-level, it will count as a proof.

Different Characters: Barring the network exception, comments can't be scattered individually across multiple threads, or scattered randomly across multiple characters, but if you can find full proofs from two different characters, you can use them. Ex: 1 (10)-comment thread is from Character A and the other (10)-comment thread is from Character B. Or the (1) top-level is from Character A and the (10)-comment thread is from Character B.

Continuations of old threads: These can be used, but to make sure people are active on recent network posts, logs, plots, and events, the original plot or entry post hosting the older activity must be in the AC period prior to the most recent Full AC.

AC INFO

AC Skips: You have 2 AC skips a year, although they can't be used for 2 consecutive ACs. However, if mitigating circumstances come up, please ask about more skips. We can talk about it.

Warnings: Warnings require double AC the next Activity Check. As long as you satisfy double AC the next Activity Check after a warning was given, you can take as many Warnings as you need through the year.

Missed AC: If you miss AC entirely due to IRL circumstances but notice it quickly and have either the required proofs or are eligible for a warning, skip, etc, please contact the mods right away. If you notice it right after the check happened, we may possibly re-add you without penalty. This is more likely if there's no past pattern of this and AC hasn't been processed yet.

AC Failure: Failing AC means you're swept from the game. If you formally drop or communicate with the mods over failing AC during the Activity Check, you can reapp in 1 month's time.

Idling Out: If you idle out and we receive no contact near AC time, you'll have to wait to re-enter. If you had enough activity to make the last AC before idling and can provide the proofs before re-apping, you'll be able to come back again in 1 months' time. If you would have failed your previous AC, it's 2 months' time.

New Character AC: New characters don't need proofs for their first AC that requires activity proofs (ie full AC). They can just check-in with a link to their character intro.

Bonus AC: There is no bonus AC with rewards at this game, however, individuals who are actively participating in plots and threading are more likely to ICly have important plot roles/gain important plot info, or find supplies, equipment, better weapons, etc. so extra activity will be rewarded.

GEAR

All canonical clothing, weapons, and belongings will be taken away and not given back, but characters will be allowed to keep 1 token item of sentimental value, as long as it doesn't convey a power or isn't a weapon. Characters will, however, be assured by Ishtar that they're safely in storage somewhere and retrievable when The Mission (whatever it truly is) is over.

Everyone will start with extremely limited gear and players will be trusted to track the rarer supplies/weapons/equipment they've gathered for themselves. However, all characters will have basic packs for travel/scavenging that seem slightly bigger on the inside and slightly lighter than they should be. These attach closely to their Enki suits in a way that keeps the straps from being too loose if someone has to quickly maneuver around.

Every person will be equipped with a multi-tool that allows them to undo fasteners or pick locks to access doors and panels, as well as multiple wires that can extend to allow them to download data to any handheld computers or datapads they find. (However, these only work with ones with ports.)

Small handheld computers and data pads are not hard to find if someone searches enough.

Other equipment can be scavenged during expeditions, including portable medical equipment and equipment to make it easier to help traverse the city more easily.

WEAPONS

All canonical weapons and belongings will be taken away. The initial weapons provided to characters will be basic and able to do some damage to enemies but not as much as they'd all probably like. Characters with ARC abilities will find using weapons difficult as the abilities often require free hands (or convert one's hands). Also, the more complex a weapon is, the more likely it is to fail due to the nanites they subtly shed. A gun may jam up in their hands, but they can still use a sword or bow. Players can decide how badly this happens for their character, but the hard line is that weapons more complex than modern small arms won't work so the non-NERF users can potentially use them.

Small explosives like grenades usually are immune from this condition and usable by everyone due to internal mechanisms being shielded.

Non-ARC users who only have a Base Implant will find that all weapons work fine for them and as more complex and powerful weapons are unearthed through their efforts in plots, they'll have no limitations using them, making it logical for more complex and powerful weapons to be put in their hands.

For starting weapons, it can be assumed all characters have access to most conventional modern small arms, bladed weapons, and blunt weapons. Slightly unconventional but still fairly common weapons like sports equipment can also be found in non-Armory areas, like storage rooms with recreation equipment.

WRITING FORMAT & PLOT STRUCTURE

Plots will have a variety of different structures, with mods setting up NPCed threads or players doing starters and prompts, as well as private plots or plotty setups for normal threads, but the game will have one special plot mechanism for some action or fighting-based plot posts, called a "free-for-all" post.

Free-for-all posts are meant to have fast-paced, prose-light, threadhop-friendly threads, much like network threads tend to be. The mods encourage players to keep these posts moving and to stay in touch with the other players in their threads so that issues like needing to skip a character for a tag round can be resolved quickly. These posts will most often be used during plots where characters are on the move and doing something very action-oriented, or trying to discuss something in a large group in person rather than the network. Only "free-for-all" type mod plots will require use of bracketspam by players and will be designated as such.

Most other mod plot logs and comments will be posted in whatever formats work best, whether bracketspam or prose, and players are free to match or pick another format for their individual threads. If the mod prefers to npc using bracketspam or prose, a player doesn't have to match and can stay in the format they want.

The network will be in bracketspam format, but if players move to action in a network thread, they can either keep using bracketspam or switch to prose based on preference.

For non-plot logs or non-"free for all" mod plot logs, players can use either bracketspam or prose, based on preference.

When it comes to plot size, mod plots will be open to all, though the mods may ask that only 1 character per player be committed to a plot for ease of npcing. Player plots can be open, or limited in a number of ways: such as fully private to a few pre-picked individuals; open but limited in slots, with players either being chosen by RNG or first come first serve; or open to everyone but with players only being allowed to bring 1 character.

CANON UPDATES

Players can contact the mods to request canon updates. In-game, the character simply gets zapped home to the exact moment they left, experiences the new canon, and is zapped back, with no time having passed in game. They will not remember their game experiences at home and will only remember their combined experiences upon return to Uruk. To assuage any fears that this means they'll someday forget their Uruk experiences, Ishtar will assure them they'll be able to keep all combined memories when the Mission is over and they're sent home permanently, they're just having their game experiences blocked during trips home for now due to avoid them trying to prevent return to Uruk.

Allowing them to go home for a while will be explained as simply giving them a reprieve from the pressures of Uruk, allowing them to develop as people, or making them later appreciate the growth they've had in the terror city.

To request a canon update, ask on the mod contact page.

HIATUS & SLOWATUS

When players hiatus or slowatus, you have a few options. One is handwaving that they've been collected and tucked away for maintenance of their implants in a hidden room near Medbay. While being whisked away by hard-light hologram tentacles by Ishtar is a bit alarming, the situation will be explained to them before they get put under. They may, at worst, wake up slightly in a healing tank while armatures are doing something to their base implant, but it'll be painless, so no big deal, right? It may even feel like it's relieving some kind of pent-up tension they'd barely notice had built up in their spine. They'll realize when they wake up that the tank is actually like the same one they were initially released from on their intro to the game, before they're unceremoniously dumped back into the normal base area through a fun slide. (Fortunately, with clothes this time if they have some, though Enki suits will take an hour to function again.)

Players can also opt to handwave that a character is engaging in helpful side missions in the background or simply helping in duties around the base.

The hiatus page is here.

DROPS

When a character is dropped they're simply sent back home. Upon return, they would retain their Uruk memories, meaning if a character is reapped later, they'd be able to verify this.

The drop page is here.

TDM MECHANICS

Ishtar is kind of a dick and new Vespers will be auditioned by Ishtar imply throwing them head first into a terrible mission/conflict with barely any explanation. They'll perceive being taken from the previous dimension, will have all powers suppressed, will possibly be given implants as a trial period (this is up to the player), and wake up and have to hit the ground running. While in this trial period they may still be allowed to retain their normal clothes and weapons, and those without weapons will be armed with new weapons if necessary. Each TDM will state what belongings they can retain during the TDM.

If they are "chosen" by Ishtar (ie apped), after this little trial mission, they'll be recaptured, have implants installed if they haven't already (or calibrated if they have), have all belongings (if they were left any in the TDM) taken, and have the standard intro to the game of popping out of a tank and being ejected down a chute to the base area.

TDMs count as game canon and current characters can top-level but must have at least one open-to-all prompt. Characters who aren't apped can be handwaved as being sent home. Players can also handwave everyone forgetting a thread they want to not make game canon.

Death can happen in TDMs, in which case temporary off-kilter dimensional resonance can allow Ishtar to give new characters temporary unlimited revives in Gula chambers before they're thrown back into the fray of the TDM. Characters that aren't new to the TDM will be locked down to their limit of 2 revives after their first TDM, even if they tag into later TDMs. Characters that stay in the game will be told that un-apped characters that died were revived and returned home.

TDMs will be every 1 to 3 months, based on whether or not a large plot is being run in that period. If there's a very large gamewide plot, the game's size, mod workload, and all-hands-on-deck nature means a TDM will be more spaced out.

MENTAL BONDING

Characters can opt to change their base and move elsewhere in the structure, though the mods ask that players try to keep their characters sticking to other bases left in the structure as this means the location info can just be tweaked to say which sections are available in that base.

If it'd be extremely ooc for them to stay in an established base and the group would choose an area that requires a full write up, the mods ask that these changes happen only occasionally.

If characters move base, they'll have to all agree on it and go together. All characters will have something in their implants creating a psychological tendency to want to regroup with the others. They'll be able to recognize it as something alien, as it creates a sense of deep anxiety and discomfort if they try to strike out for themselves and permanently leave, one that eventually becomes nearly incapacitating.

It doesn't act up during missions where the intention is to someday return later, even if the expedition is meant to last days or weeks, and doesn't act up if they're trapped somewhere against their will and want to get out. It only arises when they make a choice to try to strike out on their own entirely.

They don't have to necessary socialize to keep it at bay, just vaguely stay in the vicinity of where the largest chunk of the group is.

PACE

The game will have a somewhat atypical day ratio, since some plots can take a while to thread out. But when looking back to handwave how much time has passed, players can treat it as if the average IC/OOC day ratio is 1:1.

We're also big fans of backtagging and "bendytime" where players handwave different things happened at different times. (Such as players posting two plots on the same day and handwaving that there was some time between them).

DEATH

There is a death mechanic that can be found here. Please also report deaths there.

「FAQ」

For questions that don't really fit under the other provided information.

Does time pass back home for the characters?

No. Ishtar will assure the group of this. Any character that gets canon updated will be able to verify this as they'll go back to the moment they left.

How do spoilers have to be handled?

If it's within one month of the release of the spoilers, we ask that any major spoilers be cut and warned for if a player puts them in a post. If it comes up during a thread, we ask that players check with the other players involved to see if it's okay to mention the spoilers.

After the month has passed, players won't have to cut or provide any warnings for things.

Can my character keep their clothes and belongings?

Nope. Ishtar is a jerk that way. Characters will only be able to retain 1 single item or article of clothing of sentimental value and it can't be a weapon or powerful item of any kind. Whether tech can be brought in will depend on the nature of the device, please ask in the appropriate section in the app.

Can my character be apped post-death?

Yes, they can be pulled in from right before death or they'll simply be healed on arrival. If they need a full revival, the temporary dimensional energies around them will allow for a freebie that doesn't cut into their normal count of 2 possible revivals, just as new characters can die and revive in a TDM. Their very first revival can even heal injuries to the brain (unlike the rest of the time where the brain must be intact).

Can my character's pet/animal companion come in with them?

This depends on the circumstances.

Are they sentient but difficult to handle as a separate character? (Such as a symbiote, Pokemon, or a pet dragon that's smart but doesn't talk?) In that case, yes. They're smart enough to not die but also it'd be hard for the player to find someone else to play someone so connected. Please contact the mods to figure out limits and ways to make them not OP in the setting.

Are they so sentient and independent they could be played as their own character? No. They should be left open to be apped.

Are they non-sentient and just a normal, albeit well-behaved animal? No. And they'll likely be better off for it, given how hard it can be to survive. Not every animal has the same luck in horror situations as Jonesy the cat.

If you're not sure what a companion would count as, you can ask below or in the mod contact. After getting an answer, please list the companion in the appropriate section of the app. If the companion has powers or special physical abilities based on form, these will be limited, and you'll have to choose powerlessness or implants for them.

What if my character has a periodic monster transformation?

If it's a situation where they're out of control and it can't be used as a power, handle it whatever way is most fun for you. For instance, if they're a werewolf, either a lack of moon means they wouldn't transform, or they might still transform based on some cycle and have to be locked up every so often, or Ishtar can have good luck at scrounging up some weird amulet or device to prevent it.

The only limitation is it can't be used as a regular power.

What if my character has a strange diet?

Again, handle it in whatever way is most fun for you. For instance, if they're a vampire maybe the nanites from an Implant prevent their hunger, or Ishtar can scrounge up an amulet that makes them always feel sustained, or maybe you can have them work it out with others to see if people can regularly donate blood.

This can vary even between individuals from the same canon, due to their reaction to the nanites.

Feel free to ask about this in the faq or mod contact.

Can my character change their powers after they've apped?

Yes, if you find the powers aren't working for you, just hit up in the mod contact to ask for a change. I'll handwave a change in the nanites' function, or that implants finally took.

What characters can be apped? Are there caps?

Canon characters, fanmade AUs, OCs, tabletop OCs, and CRAUs are allowed. Canon OCs are only allowed if they have no pre-existing relationship to named characters and the named characters would realistically not know of their existence.

CRAUs can't have more than 1 other game's worth of history.

For more info on character types, see playable characters. For more info on caps of various types, please see apps.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Does a person who speaks multiple languages automatically have their secondary langauages translated into their native tongue? Or would Brainy hear English because it speaks it? Or is it simulcast?

If they speak the language fluently, it would remain untranslated when they hear it, since they know the language. That also means anyone speaking that language would have their accents audible to other speakers of the same language.

If they know the language but aren't fluent, they'd just hear it fully translated into their native tongue for ease of translation.

So if Brainy is fluent in the other languages he'll just hear them as spoken without the translation.

Thank you!

faq

Characters who speak multiple languages

Re: Characters who speak multiple languages

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