the head | the hand (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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dualisooc2020-04-26 09:35 pm
headandhand) wrote in dualisooc2020-04-26 09:35 pm
Entry tags:
welcome back, to that same old place that you laughed about ...
Welcome back, y’all! I’m very pleased to have you back for Dualis v2.0.
First thing before we get started - please take a moment to refresh your memory on the rules of the game. I don’t expect we’ll have any issues going forward with this crew, but if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Rae (Discord is the best way).
Second thing - we’re gonna be switching up a few things here:
- In light of … everything happening with the current on-fire state of the world, activity check will be reduced to 5 comments a month in a single thread from either the network or logs comm. Inbox thread comments will no longer count for main AC but will still count for bonus AC. As always, more activity is encouraged - remember, this is a metaplot-intense game, and the outcome will be directed by player choices. It is NOT a fluffy sandbox.
- Invites will now be considered on an individual basis. If you have a friend you want to invite, please contact Rae to discuss it.
- Apps can be submitted at any time in the month. In other words, there will not be a set app period every month.
- Character limits have been lifted; players can have as many characters as they can reasonably keep up with. You must pass AC for the month with all existing characters before submitting an application for another character. So if you want more than three characters, go for it.
- Apps are not required for any returning characters! Your app was fine the first time, no need to go through another review. Simply re-join the comms and you’re good to go. NEW characters will need to follow the standard app procedure, but it’s an easy app and y’all don’t need to stress about it. Think of it like a character reference sheet rather than a dissertation.
- There will be fewer mod-run events - more on that below.
Third, let’s have a quick review of what’s previously happened in the game!
- The annual Dualis Days celebration was bombed, and responsibility was claimed by a group of revolutionaries called The Heart.
- A weird period of shared memories was a thing that happened, featuring flashbacks from none other than your new robot overlords, The Head.
- The Heart issued an invitation for the newest arrivals to Dualis to meet them for a heart-to-heart. It went about as well as you’d expect with a shady quasi-terrorist group asking for new recruits.
- In order to make their point in the most dramatic way possible, The Heart released a crowd of cyborg doubles during a massive city-wide power outage, thus revealing that The Head might not have been entirely truthful about its motives for kidnapping folks.
- All citizens were invited to the annual Plague Memorial Masked Ball, a fun and not at all threatening gala held in remembrance of the city’s original inhabitants, who tragically all died from a terrible virus that ravaged the entire population.
- The Heart once again extended an invitation to meet up and join their revolution, and it went even more poorly this time, with almost all of the group’s members captured by The Hand.
- Shortly after, The Heart’s members were executed on live television in some pretty brutal ways - the Head’s method of sending a few messages about what it thinks of attempted acts of rebellion.
- A freak blizzard shut the city down for a few days, during which a wild NPC appeared with an offer to secure the Dualink network in exchange for a story - an offer that was mostly met with hostility and not accepted.
And that, my friends, is where we ended with Act I. Act II begins this Friday, May 1 - two months after the blizzard. What happened during those two months? Glad you asked! That’s one of the mysteries that can be investigated and solved.
Returning characters will wake up on May 1 in their own beds, in their assigned rooms, groggy and with a vague awareness of missing time. They’ll be able to easily figure out that their memories of the past two months are a big blank space - it’s no longer blizzarding, the clocks and calendars on their devices are two months later than their last memories (which should be no later than the blizzard and Jack’s message).
IF you would like your character to have additional memories missing - for example, a close castmate who is not returning and the absence would negatively affect your character to a degree of unplayability - that is absolutely OK too! I want to make Act II run as smoothly as possible, especially for those returning, so if an option to erase memories will help with that, I definitely want to offer it.
Any new characters joining will also return to consciousness in their assigned dorm room, not at the Temple, with their devices waiting on their desks.
And as far as the city itself goes? With the exception of your characters, it is eerily silent and deserted. The entire population seems to have vanished without a trace. Power, water, phones, and internet all still work as usual, but shops are unlocked and there are no employees to be found. Where did everyone go? That’s another mystery to be investigated.
So what the hecky heck is happening here? It’s actually still the same dickery, just with different conditions. The Head is still observing this group, but with another set of parameters than what was present before, in Act I. What happens when a small group of people is isolated in a big, empty metropolis? That’s what we’re here to find out.
Jack will reappear on the network shortly after everyone regains consciousness, again with an offer to help in exchange for that story she needs for her unusual dietary requirements. There will be two offers on the table this time, and as an olive branch, she’ll also provide a video that should answer some questions about the city’s original inhabitants and what happened to them when The Head rose to power.
And from there? Y’all, this is your game. Where do you want things to go? What do you want to investigate? How do you plan to get out of this nightmare? As noted above, there will be fewer mod-run events like masquerade balls, sports competitions, etc. NAPs will no longer be held, as there is no one around to organize them in an official capacity. It will be up to your characters to organize gatherings, make plans, investigate, etc. I’ll note changes in the environment as they come up, and The Head will of course introduce variables (unpleasant ones, most likely) as time goes on. But Act II will be a lot less structured around events and more freeform for character exploration and CR-building. Working together, making alliances, and sharing information will all be key to survival.
A few more notes on changes to the city environment: money and jobs will no longer be necessary, as shops are open and goods (within reason) are available for the taking. Fresh produce will become scarce as time goes on, but no one should starve. Remember, Dualis is a city around the same size as NYC, so it’s huge and well stocked on supplies. The game isn’t changing to a typical survival-horror game, but survival has always been a theme here - it’s just getting a bit of a facelift for Act II.
Since the city’s population has vanished, that also means that body mods will be more or less unavailable until/if the missing citizens are found. DIY body mods are an option you can pursue, but they probably won’t turn out as intended. So that this restriction is a little more fair, if you’d been planning to obtain a body mod before Act I ended, we can handwave that it was acquired before The Big Memory Blackout happened.
There are probably points I’m forgetting to cover, so if you have questions, just ask! And as a mod, I’m here to help guide player interactions, so don’t be shy about chatting with me - that’s what I’m here for. c:
First thing before we get started - please take a moment to refresh your memory on the rules of the game. I don’t expect we’ll have any issues going forward with this crew, but if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Rae (Discord is the best way).
Second thing - we’re gonna be switching up a few things here:
- In light of … everything happening with the current on-fire state of the world, activity check will be reduced to 5 comments a month in a single thread from either the network or logs comm. Inbox thread comments will no longer count for main AC but will still count for bonus AC. As always, more activity is encouraged - remember, this is a metaplot-intense game, and the outcome will be directed by player choices. It is NOT a fluffy sandbox.
- Invites will now be considered on an individual basis. If you have a friend you want to invite, please contact Rae to discuss it.
- Apps can be submitted at any time in the month. In other words, there will not be a set app period every month.
- Character limits have been lifted; players can have as many characters as they can reasonably keep up with. You must pass AC for the month with all existing characters before submitting an application for another character. So if you want more than three characters, go for it.
- Apps are not required for any returning characters! Your app was fine the first time, no need to go through another review. Simply re-join the comms and you’re good to go. NEW characters will need to follow the standard app procedure, but it’s an easy app and y’all don’t need to stress about it. Think of it like a character reference sheet rather than a dissertation.
- There will be fewer mod-run events - more on that below.
Third, let’s have a quick review of what’s previously happened in the game!
- The annual Dualis Days celebration was bombed, and responsibility was claimed by a group of revolutionaries called The Heart.
- A weird period of shared memories was a thing that happened, featuring flashbacks from none other than your new robot overlords, The Head.
- The Heart issued an invitation for the newest arrivals to Dualis to meet them for a heart-to-heart. It went about as well as you’d expect with a shady quasi-terrorist group asking for new recruits.
- In order to make their point in the most dramatic way possible, The Heart released a crowd of cyborg doubles during a massive city-wide power outage, thus revealing that The Head might not have been entirely truthful about its motives for kidnapping folks.
- All citizens were invited to the annual Plague Memorial Masked Ball, a fun and not at all threatening gala held in remembrance of the city’s original inhabitants, who tragically all died from a terrible virus that ravaged the entire population.
- The Heart once again extended an invitation to meet up and join their revolution, and it went even more poorly this time, with almost all of the group’s members captured by The Hand.
- Shortly after, The Heart’s members were executed on live television in some pretty brutal ways - the Head’s method of sending a few messages about what it thinks of attempted acts of rebellion.
- A freak blizzard shut the city down for a few days, during which a wild NPC appeared with an offer to secure the Dualink network in exchange for a story - an offer that was mostly met with hostility and not accepted.
And that, my friends, is where we ended with Act I. Act II begins this Friday, May 1 - two months after the blizzard. What happened during those two months? Glad you asked! That’s one of the mysteries that can be investigated and solved.
Returning characters will wake up on May 1 in their own beds, in their assigned rooms, groggy and with a vague awareness of missing time. They’ll be able to easily figure out that their memories of the past two months are a big blank space - it’s no longer blizzarding, the clocks and calendars on their devices are two months later than their last memories (which should be no later than the blizzard and Jack’s message).
IF you would like your character to have additional memories missing - for example, a close castmate who is not returning and the absence would negatively affect your character to a degree of unplayability - that is absolutely OK too! I want to make Act II run as smoothly as possible, especially for those returning, so if an option to erase memories will help with that, I definitely want to offer it.
Any new characters joining will also return to consciousness in their assigned dorm room, not at the Temple, with their devices waiting on their desks.
And as far as the city itself goes? With the exception of your characters, it is eerily silent and deserted. The entire population seems to have vanished without a trace. Power, water, phones, and internet all still work as usual, but shops are unlocked and there are no employees to be found. Where did everyone go? That’s another mystery to be investigated.
So what the hecky heck is happening here? It’s actually still the same dickery, just with different conditions. The Head is still observing this group, but with another set of parameters than what was present before, in Act I. What happens when a small group of people is isolated in a big, empty metropolis? That’s what we’re here to find out.
Jack will reappear on the network shortly after everyone regains consciousness, again with an offer to help in exchange for that story she needs for her unusual dietary requirements. There will be two offers on the table this time, and as an olive branch, she’ll also provide a video that should answer some questions about the city’s original inhabitants and what happened to them when The Head rose to power.
And from there? Y’all, this is your game. Where do you want things to go? What do you want to investigate? How do you plan to get out of this nightmare? As noted above, there will be fewer mod-run events like masquerade balls, sports competitions, etc. NAPs will no longer be held, as there is no one around to organize them in an official capacity. It will be up to your characters to organize gatherings, make plans, investigate, etc. I’ll note changes in the environment as they come up, and The Head will of course introduce variables (unpleasant ones, most likely) as time goes on. But Act II will be a lot less structured around events and more freeform for character exploration and CR-building. Working together, making alliances, and sharing information will all be key to survival.
A few more notes on changes to the city environment: money and jobs will no longer be necessary, as shops are open and goods (within reason) are available for the taking. Fresh produce will become scarce as time goes on, but no one should starve. Remember, Dualis is a city around the same size as NYC, so it’s huge and well stocked on supplies. The game isn’t changing to a typical survival-horror game, but survival has always been a theme here - it’s just getting a bit of a facelift for Act II.
Since the city’s population has vanished, that also means that body mods will be more or less unavailable until/if the missing citizens are found. DIY body mods are an option you can pursue, but they probably won’t turn out as intended. So that this restriction is a little more fair, if you’d been planning to obtain a body mod before Act I ended, we can handwave that it was acquired before The Big Memory Blackout happened.
There are probably points I’m forgetting to cover, so if you have questions, just ask! And as a mod, I’m here to help guide player interactions, so don’t be shy about chatting with me - that’s what I’m here for. c: