Info / FAQ

[expiationmods]

INFO / FAQ About Expiation⇁ Expiation is a pan-fandom adventure game with science fiction, fantasy, and subtle horror elements that explore the concepts of crime versus innocence, definition of atonement, and reflection of self. An overarching storyline will encourage characters to determine the truth about why they’ve been brought to this world and will be impacted by character discoveries and actions taken during the bimonthly events. Player-run events and plots are welcome during months where there is downtime. Characters are mysteriously plucked from their world of origin, dropped into the white nothingness of disembodied voices, and told they’ll be treated as 'all of the others' have been. They awaken in this newer world largely pleasant to the eye in the close proximity of a populated town. In hand, they carry documentation that accuses them of a crime, whether it be true or false, and they are instructed to simply wait until they face their sentencing. For prospective players, it is imperative that you understand Expiation is not a fast-paced game and the answers that characters are seeking will not be immediately provided to them. It will require players and characters alike to piece together potentially cryptic information that is supplied in events. The moderator team will provide as much information per situation as can be without releasing or spoiling the overarching storyline. If you are seeking a hasty pay-off, require a consistent feed of information or action, you may not find this game to be a good fit for you. For more information about what is happening behind the scenes, we suggest you read the Premise and End Game section of our April 2023 State of the Game. You may also find the remainder of that entry of interest and full of valuable information. Themes⇁ The ideas of what constitutes criminal behaviour versus innocence, and the shades of grey in between are meant to be a point of reflection and consideration that may differ from character to character. This is not a physical prison or inmate game, but more rather a metaphorical one. The crime that characters are accused of may have nothing to do with how they carried themselves in their original world. On the other hand, said crime could be something that the character committed. It is the notion of crime or actions taken that have resulted in regret or remorse experienced by said character. Expiation is an environment meant to give characters the opportunity to analyse and reflect on their past actions in an effort to define and discover their own self-atonement and forgiveness. They may also perhaps seek forgiveness from others that they may have wronged, inadvertently or direct. It is not necessarily rehabilitation, but rather dissection of character motivation and evolution, based on individual dynamic and relationships with others. Sentencing⇁ So if it’s not actually a prison game, why are characters being told they must prepare and wait for 'sentencing?' Not everything in Expiation is quite the way it seems. To the locals who are native to this world, they seem to define ‘sentencing’ as merely a very natural way of life, implying that it may not necessarily be equivalent to punishment or declaration of innocence. As the bimonthly events occur and characters discover more about why they are in Expiation and how they got here, the pieces will begin to fall into place and they may be surprised by the end result. On occasion (months opposite events starting approximately June 2023), players may submit their characters for sentencing (with a positive, negative, or neutral result, depending on player preference), and upon return from sentencing, they will be free to share their learned information with other characters in the game. Arrival⇁ Characters will arrive with inventory they may have been carrying, within reason. If they had anything in their possession that would be considered ‘world breaking,’ they will find that it is missing. Arrival will not always necessarily be in the exact same location. Monthly cycles of applications accepted will come with a different location that the newly-arrived will initially occupy. They will, however, always be within a relatively safe, if not slightly exhausting, walking distance of a populated town where the locals will probably be friendly. Probably. In addition to their base inventory, characters will all arrive with parchment detailing the crime they’ve been accused of. This parchment is indestructible. It cannot be cut. It cannot be burnt. It cannot be destroyed. There’s no sign of it being specially preserved, so to the touch, it feels strangely archaic and possibly out of place. Locals⇁ The locals are what have made the world of Expiation as comfortable and as welcoming as it appears to be. They’ve established simple places to eat and drink, lodgings, taverns, clothing stores, clinics, and just about anything else you might expect to find in a hearty little town. They rely largely on farming and fishing from the local land and bodies of water to provide sustenance for themselves and for those who are brought to this world. They are not excessively technologically advanced, but do have things like cameras, simple computers, and so on. The locals, as a whole, worship and revere something they refer to as 'Those Who Were There.' Different locals in different locations across the world of Expiation come with various cultures, traditions, and beliefs. More of these will be uncovered as the storyline of the game proceeds. Their government and life routine is a rather simple one. They operate under a council of elders and consider themselves a theocratic people, most large decisions made by those dedicated to their greater beings. This same council determines how to handle crimes committed in Expiation by or against locals and player characters. Bestiary⇁ There is no official page for the bestiary and though the moderator team is not planning to make one, that plan may one day change if it absolutely necessary and vital to do so. At this time, it is safe for players to assume that one month after initial arrival, some of the animals, beasts, and other creatures from a character's naturally-occurring homeworld will begin to appear on the Expiation continent. There will be no mass overpopulation of these creatures and they will seem realistically integrated depending on the environment they're found in. With regards to Shadows from the Persona verse or other creatures akin to, at this time, these will not be found casually in the world. Despite our real-world view of changes to an ecosystem when new lifeforms are introduced to something they ordinarily are not native to, that will not apply here. At present, there will be no ecosystem alterations as a result of this. In the interim, it is safe to think that these various creatures are acclimating well, and perhaps better than some of the Chosen are. We ask that all players be realistic about what will and can show up. If we notice anything that seems excessive, we will address it accordingly, though suggest if you are uncertain, you contact us for clarification beforehand. Network⇁ There is no global-wide internet or equivalent connector. As such, characters who may arrive with a mobile device or small personal computer will find that they are not able to acquire a signal, but programmes not requiring an internet connection will still work largely as intended, with the occasional mysterious glitch here or there. Locals will outfit all newly-arrived with a golden charm depicting waves of water. This charm is a moderate size and light of weight, can be fashioned onto a necklace, a bracelet, an earring, or even something as simple as a keychain like attachment. Use of this charm allows all residents of Expiation to communicate with one another as individuals and as a community. How does it work? Not even the locals know. If asked, they will simply cryptically indicate that it was a gift bestowed upon them by Those Who Were There. In contrast to many of the world’s more simple forms of living, this charm can accept speech and even translate it to text upon request. When video is used, it comes across in a strangely holographic presentation. This charm also allows for universal communication, eliminating the need for language interpretation and translation. If a character loses their charm, or in the unlikely scenario it’s destroyed, it will take one week for a new one to be crafted and procured, removing the character’s ability to communicate with others over distance. It would be prudent to treat the charms with respect. Currency⇁ The world of Expiation uses peculiarly shaped coins as their form of currency. Currency can be obtained by performing deeds for the locals. Help gather materials, assist on the farmlands, work in one of the shops or other establishments, keep the townspeople safe by slaying the wildlife that comes too close, and so on. Currency will not be tracked. Simply be realistic about what your character might have obtained. The moderator team will be keeping an eye on any spending that seems unfeasible. Death⇁ According to the locals, death too, is a natural way of life. Characters and locals alike can die, much the way they would have in their original worlds. A character who dies will come back a fortnight after their passing, however, under the caveat that something about them has changed, and they may not be aware of it. Upon death, it is not uncommon that locals, such as clinicians or other related fields, may be interested in partaking of some experimentation on the dead for medical or other advancements. For each death a human character incurs, a part of their body will be replaced with synthetic material. What happens when a character no longer has any organic matter left? Who can say for sure. We probably don’t want to find out. For each death a non-human character incurs (read: android or similar), a part of their body will be replaced with a like material, however, will occasionally suffer malfunctions such as short-circuiting, lack of function, or other strange and mysterious behaviours, at the player's discretion. Until characters make the discovery that death includes this or that the locals may be inclined to experiment, consider this information only OOC knowledge. This will be updated as necessary. If your character dies, please notify the mod team. Rewards⇁ Rewards with extra activity can be redeemed by using the rewards page. This includes approved inventory from home, the ability to run one’s own business, and other like ideas. Please see the page for additional details, how to redeem, and other requirements. Drops & Canon Updates⇁ Canon updates, drops, and hiatuses can all be submitted on the appropriate page. When a character drops, there is no great fanfare. They are simply gone, much in the way they arrived. The record of the crime they were accused of will remain since the parchment that contains that information is indestructible. Any inventory that isn’t on their person will also remain in the world or can be claimed by other characters with player permission. Characters dropped and reapplied for later will not initially retain memories of their previous time in Expiation (if played by the same player). They can regain these memories by submitting extra AC on the rewards page. Characters who are going to be updated in canon will be absent for a minimum of one week (or longer, depending on circumstance). Temporarily they will be extracted from Expiation, but upon return, they will not be assigned a new piece of parchment and will otherwise wake up in their lodgings. They will have no memory of extraction. It will be as if they simply had a long, extensive nap. Applications & Reserves⇁ This is a pan-fandom game, accepting monthly applications for video game, live action, book, film, and other related mediums, including original characters. We have a Player Cap of 70. We have a Canon Cap of 10. (This refers to the number of characters per specific canon.) Reserves are a first-come, first-served system and limited to two characters at a time. Due to our player cap, note that we will only accept as many players as we have player slots, however, we will review all applications submitted during the cycle. We will not accept child characters, though extenuating circumstances may apply (read: a younger physical appearance who may be thousands of years old, or a character who may be a construct in an age of single digits). Please consider the nature of the game and the age of your character. A literal child likely would not be suitable to the environment or the concepts we'll be exploring. We suggest teenagers and older. We will not accept applications for characters who we find are inappropriate for the atmosphere. There is a six month wait on applying for characters from a newly-released canon. For example, Fire Emblem: Engage released at the end of January 2023. We would begin accepting characters from it by the end of July 2023 / early August 2023. If your canon character has a lack of canon material / information and you are relying heavily and mostly on headcanon to the point where your character is likened to an OC, we will not accept the application. We accept CRAU characters with the caveat that they must still accurately represent the character in their canon state. If they are too far removed from canon, we will not accept them, but we do understand the desire to move CR without having to completely rebuild it from scratch. We accept malleable protagonists, such as the Warden from Dragon Age, Commander Shepard from Mass Effect, and the Warrior of Light from Final Fantasy XIV. That said, only one of these can exist [per applicable canon] and they must be applied for without preexisting relationships to canon characters aside from what base storyline dictates. (Exceptions will potentially be made for CRAUs and handled on a case-by-case basis.) Fandom OCs, such as World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV creatables will also be accepted, however, they cannot be the Champion of Azeroth, Warrior of Light, or equitable title if there is already one in the game, and thus will be treated as OCs who live in and come from these preexisting worlds. The same rules apply as above. They cannot have preexisting relationships with canon characters. (Exceptions will potentially be made for CRAUs and handled on a case-by-case basis.) We do not accept duplicates (for example: Leon from Kingdom Hearts versus Squall from Dissidia Final Fantasy versus Squall from Final Fantasy VIII). You can check the application and reserve pages for additional details, including cycle dates and other requirements.

Comments

[megatheorem]

good morning mods, i have Dead Character Questions.

if you aren't familiar with the locked tomb, the series is full of necromancers and everyone's relationship to death is kinda sideways. palamedes here is "dead" in the sense that his body is dead, but he spends 2 out of 3 books as a soul possessing something else (first his own bones, then timesharing his bestie's body). the question is: how would these "dead" canon points work vis-a-vis apping? would the world restore his original body (or, i guess, a copy of it. he disintegrated)? if so, would it automatically come with a death penalty synthetic part?

asking this because i've seen the "healed right back from before-death moment" questions but this guy genuinely has no body for more of the canon than he has one, so...! he briefly exits the body-timeshare to puppet, you know, somebody else's corpse around, so moving his soul into Other Bodies has precedent, but i'm not sure of the game's preferred mechanic in this Situation.

final questions... this time about powers... palamedes has a psychometric ability that allows him to "read" the history of an object he touches by sensing lingering energy on them. in the canon this is used to do things like carbon-date architecture, sense the presence of someone who painted a wall and when, who touched items, etc. he already comes with the vague nerf of "if you get to it early" and "if there's a strong association," so it's not an instant thing all the time, but would this have to be nerfed further?

also because he would absolutely try to use this power on stuff in the setting, would he be able to sense anything about how old the places are/anything else that would Stand Out? the more confusing the better tbh.

[expiationmods]

Hello!

We're going to try to simplify our responses here, because the nature of your questions have the potential to be convoluted.

1. When it comes to body possession and physical form, this would largely be dependent on what canon point you are choosing to app from. If you choose to app from the point at which he is sharing his best friend's body, he would arrive in his best friend's body, sans best friend. If you choose to app from the point at which he has his own bones / body, then he would arrive in his body (even if it was post his own death in canon), since we require everyone have some kind of physical body as to not bypass the death mechanic.

2. Regardless of which body, death mechanic would apply.

3. We've thought a lot about how his psychometric ability would translate into this world. We want to encourage his usage of this and would say largely to let him keep that ability intact. With that said, information on construction origins (materials, dates, and so on) of the things in Expiation's world correlate directly with the overarching storyline.

As a result, we propose that he is capable of sensing origin information, however, right now would find that detailed information surrounding that to be mysteriously redacted or not something he can access. Liken it to a piece of programming code that is unreadable or perhaps glitched. This way, he knows he still has the ability, but also has the mystery to solve of why is this information redacted and how can he solve that.

This would only apply to things specific to Expiation's world. When it comes to items and related that belong to other characters / worlds, we would leave that to player discretion and communication between necessary parties. Same would apply to anything that comes from his home world via AC rewards and related.

Hope that helps!

[prophylactic]

thank you for the detailed response!! it was me all along this does help! glitchy power especially is delightful, love that.