Annexed Mod Team (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
modaccount) wrote2021-05-14 04:57 pm
modaccount) wrote2021-05-14 04:57 pm
Player Handbook
Overview
Annexed is a mission-based sci-fantasy panfandom game that accepts fandom characters and original characters. Applications will be open on a permanent basis, and the game is capped at 60 players total, with a character limit of 2 per person.
⇅ Applications & Activity ⇅
TEST DRIVE MEMES: TDMs go up at 12:01 AM EST on the first day of every second month. Test Drive Memes will be set in a virtual reality simulation occurring in characters' minds that tests them for 'fitness' before they enter the setting officially. Characters currently in-game may also show up in these simulations, either through a connection to the microchips implanted in them or based on information gathered before they woke and during the time they had a chip if it's removed. Threads on Test Drive Memes can be held as game canon if all players involved consent.
APPLICATION, PLAYER, CHARACTER & CAST/FRANCHISE CAPS: There will be a gamewide cap of 60 players, and each player is allowed a maximum of 2 characters. There will be a cast cap of 5 characters, and a franchise cap of 10 characters. There will be no cap on the number of original characters, as they are generally from different worlds and not at risk of insular behavior.
APPABLE CHARACTERS - Annexed is currently accepting canon characters and original characters. This includes characters created as a native to the setting, providing the player has been in game three months.
Silent/Malleable Protagonists: Accepted on a case-by-case basis, but the mod metric is that the protagonist should come from a game with set personality types based on chosen responses to allow for some measure of character consistency.
Tabletop RPG Characters: Characters from various tabletop games that were developed and played in a campaign by the applicant are treated as original characters.
MMORPG Player Characters: These will be handled the same as tabletop RPG characters.
Minor Characters: Minor characters with limited screentime should have enough history and personality that an application could be written without excessive headcanon, and all headcanon must be clearly marked in the application.
Newly Released Canons: Characters from newly released canons can be applied for one month after their release date. In the case of ongoing canons, the character's canon point should be one month before the most recently released content. For content in ongoing canons that is retroactively revealed (ie. new facts about a character's past are released) there is no waiting period, but please use spoiler warnings for a month after the information is revealed.
Non-English Canons: Characters from non-English canons are appable, but should have enough official or fan translated material to write an application without excessive headcanon, and all headcanon or non-translated material should be clearly marked in the application.
NON-APPABLE CHARACTERS: Annexed is not accepting AU characters, CRAU characters or fandom OCs. We are also not accepting doubles of any kind, even if the characters are from different versions of the same franchise - for example, if someone is already playing the Marvel Comics version of Tony Stark, then the Tony Stark from the Marvel Cinematic Universe could not be applied for.
CANON ABILITIES & INVENTORY: New arrivals will have no inventory besides a simple set of plain scrub-type short-sleeved shirt and pants, a jacket, socks, and shoes that are given to them upon their waking. They are allowed to keep whatever devices they have that might access the network such as cell phones, computers, etc. so long as they are not weaponized or capable of more than a regular cell phone or computer. However, any items or non-appable companions that were on their person when they left their canon do still exist in the game world, and there will be opportunities to regain these items through missions. Characters are given a stipend by the Witches once they arrive at the Witches Camp to buy new clothing or other necessities.
All new arrivals will also have been implanted with a chip before waking up that suppresses all naturally-occurring abilities that deviate from a standard human baseline, even if they don't have any abilities, and which "keeps track" of them, allowing the Sylphid to know where they are at any given point. Once characters are brought to the Witches Camp, they enter the range of a magic spell that disrupts the chip and feeds back false information about the character's whereabouts. Characters may have this chip completely removed (Stripped) to regain autonomy and abilities, but once it is gone an alarm will be raised as soon as they step foot in Sylphid territory and they will not be able to participate in stealth missions unless those missions are in neutral territory.
ACTIVITY REQUIREMENTS: Activity will be two threads of any length and a check-in description of what your character has been up to throughout the month. Backtags are acceptable for these two threads, just link the thread starting at the first timestamp within the current month, regardless of when the thread was started. The description can be brief as long as it covers the character's activity, without including any handwaved actions. Please do not include anything in your description that was handwaved.
⇅ ACQUIRED ABILITIES & TETHERS ⇅
PLANETARY ALIGNMENT: Every character, upon application, will be tied directly to the energy of one of the two planets that make up the Broken World - Heba or Tian. This energy is what allows them to live on the Broken World, and grants them either one special ability that is all their own (Heba), or the ability to slowly learn magic (Tian). These energies, however, can become easily unbalanced, being tied to only one of the two planets, and all residents of the Broken World (yes, including all NPCs and the Sylphid) need to have a Tether, or a special connection to another person who is tied to the energy of the opposing planet. People without a Tether will face the consequences of this imbalance - a slow decline in health leading to eventual death.
PLANETARY ALIGNMENT AND PERSONALITY: Residents of the Broken World have noticed that there are certain personality traits that tend to align with the one planet or another. This can be an interesting way to choose which planetary alignment your character should have, though it is not mandatory that they align with a particular planet based solely on personality - some people simply align with a planet that doesn't suit their personality. Additionally, if players choose, the character's alignment may bring out more of the associated traits in their character the longer they're in game.
Heba: People aligned with Heba, the planet of technology, tend to be more of a yang-type personality. Passionate, ambitious, and driven by their own goals, they like to take action rather than sit back and think things through. Action rather than reaction is a major driver of Heba personalities, and they tend to seek excitement, whether it's through their own personal studies or through thrill-seeking. Another thing that drives Heba personalities is joy, they like to do things they truly enjoy doing and often seek out jobs that are associated with their passions and interests. Heba personalities also tend to be more direct and rather than avoiding difficult conversations they will express themselves freely and openly. Heba personalities tend to want to make the society a better place.
Tian: People aligned with Tian, the planet of magic, tend to be more of a yin-type personality. Intuitive and imaginative, they like to think things through before taking action and are often more quiet than outgoing and loud. They tend to be nurturing, enjoying taking care of other people, with a focus on improving the lives of those around them through their caring and kindness. Tian personalities tend to be more emotional and driven by their passion and feelings rather than concrete goals or ambition. Their minds are often turned inward, and they enjoy contemplation and self-exploration, learning all they can about their own mental landscape. Rather than insisting on having their own way, they tend to be diplomatic and like to include everyone in decisions, reaching a mutually beneficial result. Tian personalities tend to want to make things better for others on an individual level.
TETHERS: Tethers are a tie between two people, and come with some side effects - people who are Tethered to each other can have a connection unlike any other, which always includes an innate knowledge of where the other person is in the world and can also include shared emotions, memories, and dreams. The level of shared experiences can be played with flexibly, with each player choosing how much or how little their character shares through the Tether, from simply their location to the full experience of every emotion, dream, and memory their character has. Characters may have up to six Tethers with characters - they can Tether with characters aligned with the same planet as them, but must have an equal number of Tethers to both planets or the energy will destabilize again. One Tether to someone on the opposing side is enough to stabilize the energy inside the character, but more Tethers is always better just in case, no?
A lot of people in the city treat searching for Tethers almost like dating - many people simply get out there and meet people to try to find that chemistry, but there is an app on the phone that characters can use to find a Tether (which will be made into a meme for game purposes), and scores of Tether Matchmakers can be found in the market districts who offer to pair you up with someone compatible. While there's no functional compatibility issue and anyone can Tether with anyone, a lot of people factor in compatibility of personality, values, etc. because it can be an incredibly intimate relationship. Many matchmakers will do a series of tests (mostly trust type tests) with the two potential Tether partners to ensure they are compatible.
Characters will know they've found a compatible Tether partner when they feel it. Much like falling in love, intense anger, or anxiety/excitement, they'll get a heart pounding feeling when around that person, a flutter in the stomach, and maybe a bit of a head rush. Once they've found a good Tether partner and both characters have agreed to Tether, there is a magic ceremony that should be done to bind the two together. Some people have this done at market stalls in the Mage's District that offer the service, while others treat it like a wedding. That is all up to player choice. The Tether should also be registered at Central Command.
On an OOC level, the mod isn't going to be keeping track of people's Tethers or anything, there are no forms to fill out, it's simply part of playing in the game.
THE UNTETHERED: Characters may hold out on finding Tethers, but this will come with nasty side effects. Namely, within three months of being Untethered, they will start to experience nausea and vomiting, lack of appetite, and fatigue. At four months they will also start to experience hair loss, constant dizziness, fever, and a fatigue so intense they can barely get out of bed. At five months, they will also start to experience physical waste, with loss of muscle tone eventually resulting in an inability to move. By the end of the sixth month Untethered, the character will die and incur the penalty for in-game deaths - a complete wipe of all in-game memories. If, at any point before death, the character becomes Tethered, all effects of the imbalance will vanish within a week.
ACQUIRED ABILITIES (HEBA): Characters who arrive aligned with the planet Heba will experience the gain of one beyond-human ability that can be used regardless of Chipped or Stripped status. This power can be any non-magical ability, generally assumed to be a mutation in the character's DNA that allows for the ability. This ability should be outlined in the application. For ideas, please see the Superpower Wiki, and any category that isn't Magic.
MAGIC (TIAN): Characters who arrive aligned with the planet Tian will gain the ability to learn the system of magic on the Broken World, which can be used regardless of Chipped or Stripped status. This system of magic roughly follows the D&D schools of magic and characters can learn spells from the D&D system. For ideas and spell guides, please see the DNDBeyond Spells List. Characters will start with the ability to do Cantrips and Level 1 spells and may advance a level every 2 months, and have a limit of number of spells they can cast per day - they may cast a number of spells equal to double their level per day. For example, two spells per day at level 1, four spells per day at level 2, etc.
WHAT THIS MEANS: Any character with canon beyond-human powers will have them automatically blocked by the chip. So long as they have the chip, these canon abilities will be locked away. HOWEVER, while Chipped, they may use their acquired abilities or magic.
DORMANT & UNUSED POWERS: Using the ability gained or learning magic are not requirements, just perks! If you're not interested in playing with these abilities or with learning magic, the character can either just not bother to learn magic, or the ability can lie dormant. If you have no desire to play with an acquired ability, you can just write "Dormant" under the Acquired Ability/Magic section of the application. If you've chosen to leave your ability dormant and later wish to add an ability, you can PM the mod account at any time with an ability description to have it added.
⇅ Other Mechanics ⇅
CHARACTER DEATH: Character death is not permanent but does have permanent consequences. Whenever a character dies, their body will dissolve into planetary energy and within 24 hours, the character will awaken in the Troop, a forest of giant mushrooms that lies between the Sylphid city Zephyr and the Witches camp. Characters will lose all inventory that was on their person, except for their network device, which can be found in their quarters. Characters emerging from the Troop will be disoriented as they were upon arrival, and will have a complete memory wipe of all in-game memories. Essentially, a character death is a canon reset to their most recent canon point.
CANON UPDATES: Canon updates are possible and can happen at any time. There is no need to check with the mod regarding canon updates, though they must comply with the new release canon requirements (wait one month from the release date). Canon updates happen via a very intense magical dream that lasts an entire night and leaves the character exhausted. They will awaken with any physical changes. For canon information that is new but retroactive, such as revelations from flashbacks, canon retcons, or similar, no canon update is required, but please use spoiler warnings for new content for at least a month.
FOURTH-WALLING: Fourth-walling is not permitted in Annexed, even if characters are canonically familiar with another canon. This can be explained away in any way that players wish, from the version in their canon being a knock-off to just handwaving it. The closest players should get to fourth-walling is for a character's canon to remind someone of a movie or show they saw, or a book they read, etc. Characters should never know the details of another character's canon.
INTERNET & NETWORK: There is a version of the internet available on the Broken World, and it is accessible via magic or technology. However, this internet is based in Zephyr and character posts and searches on the general internet are subject to tracking by the Sylphid. That internet can be assumed to have an equivalent of most websites available on the real internet, so long as they're not used to fourth-wall, and is available to characters. There is also an untrackable intranet used by the Witches, which is where the majority of gameplay will happen. The in-game network is a special network created for the new extra-universal arrivals to communicate with each other either as a group or privately.
NETWORK ACCESS: There are a variety of network devices that are available to new arrivals, all of which are offered free of charge. These can range from ultra-modern tablets that can fold into phone shapes to an equivalent of regular modern-day cell phones to magical tablets or books that can be interacted with by characters unfamiliar with technology. All devices are equipped with accessibility options for characters with sensory impairments or who are illiterate. Players are perfectly welcome to assume that a device that makes sense to each character is available. Characters with their own familiar and preferred devices can also have them modified to access the network with the same functionality as a device from the game setting - all devices should be able to access the network in the form of text, voice, and video. All devices are also able to take photos or videos and send them in messages.
LANGUAGES: There is an ambient magical spell across all of the Broken World that automatically translates languages into the character's native tongue. However, if they concentrate a little, characters are still able to speak in their own language without translation. This goes for both reading and writing.
⇅ QUESTIONS ⇅
Have a question about the game mechanics? Check out the answered questions database below. If it's still not answered, post a comment and once your question is answered it will be linked here for posterity! If your question is related to the game setting, locations, game mechanics, or other gameplay, please go to the Player Handbook or World Guide pages as appropriate and ask your question there if it isn't answered yet.
⇝ What are the size limits for the game? How would extra-large characters be handled?
⇝ Are adaptive devices taken away when characters arrive?
⇝ If a character were to shapeshift into a mythical creature, would they be able to use traditionally associated powers?
⇝ Is all technology magitech? How do the Sylphid tell if a character is chipped? Would unchipped characters be better at stealth? What kind of morality do the Sylphid have? Do characters or players choose planetary alignment and how do they know which planet they're aligned to?
⇝ Do the chips suppress biological abilities like heightened senses or agility? What about non-human features like horns or a tail?
⇝ Would the Sylphid heal existing injuries or illnesses?
⇝ Are characters allowed to keep their existing network devices (ie. cellphones, computers, etc.)?
⇝ Are characters given different clothing when they arrive at the Witches Camp?
⇝ How are characters who have an entity other than themselves in their body handled and how would the NPCs view these characters?
⇝ How are characters identified on the network and is there an anonymous option?
⇝ How would a sturdy robot be taken to a human baseline with regards to abilities, durability, electronic interaction, etc?
⇝ How many spells can a magic user learn per level and do they need to stick to a class?
⇝ Do characters have any of their inventory on them during TDMs?
⇝ How would bags of holding be handled for inventory? Do the chips suppress the ability to use powered items?
⇝ What is the stance on playing multiple characters from the same canon? What counts as a cast versus a franchise?
⇝ How do people find a Tether and how does it happen?
⇝ How do characters discover or manifest their acquired abilities?
⇝ How would above-average alien physiology be handled?
⇝ Is the network public by default and can you lock threads?
⇝ Can characters make their own weapons/are they provided?
⇝ Do characters have to get jobs and what is the stipend like?
⇝ Are dead or undead characters appable and how is that handled?
⇝ Could characters with malleable physiology remove and replace their chip at will?
⇝ How would stripped characters with stealth abilities be handled on missions?
⇝ Can you get a tether divorce?
⇝ How does balancing Tethers work?
⇝ What would a formal, traditional tethering ceremony look like?
⇝ How powerful are healing spells? How would resurrection and necromancy magics interact with the death mechanics?
⇝ When is AC actually due?
⇝ Can Tian-aligned characters learn to conduct Tethering ceremonies?
⇝ For characters creating magitech, when should the player contact the mod regarding their creations?
⇝ Can characters with the appropriate skills create tech from home?
⇝ How are very powerful abilities handled?
⇝ How would full moon sensitive abilities work?
⇝ I need tags for my characters.
⇝ Are there energy weapons available? Are personal vehicles common in camp and could characters acquire/build one?
⇝ Would different versions of the Doctor from Doctor Who count as doubles?
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Spirits/ghosts with a solid body/form, dead people who pass as living, a character taken from the point of their death some time during canon, etc.
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