FAQ

[rubimods]

⚰︎ ⍢ ⌲ ⍚ FAQ

JOINING THE GAME

In order join, prospective players must receive an INVITATION from a game moderator or current player.

To control the growth of the game, each player can extend one invitation per application round. These invitations will be reported on our monthly State of the Game posts and compared to incoming applications and reserves. Players who would like to invite more than one person in a single round will have the opportunity to purchase an additional invitation as an activity reward via the IN-GAME SHOP. (In the rare case that a player invites someone that the moderators feel would not be a good fit for the game, they may veto that player's invite. In these instances, the current player who extended the invite will promptly be made aware, and that player can redirect their monthly invitation elsewhere.)

Prospective players who'd like to join but don't know anyone in the game can request an invitation at MOD CONTACT.

To further control the game's growth and keep it manageable for moderators to provide the flexible and interactive elements of its premise, there are CHARACTER AND PLAYER CAPS:

• Three (3) characters per player.
• Five (5) characters per canon/franchise.¹
• 60 total players in game.²

¹ Franchised properties that span multiple titles (e.g., the Marvel Cinematic Universe) are treated as single canons for the purpose of these caps because the goal of these caps is (1) to prevent one property from dominating the game's overall tone, and (2) prevent any player from feeling like they cannot avoid a certain property.

² To avoid forcing potential applicants to compete for limited spots, we will never turn down an application solely because it would take us over cap, so the character count may sometimes reflect that we have exceeded it. However, we will not open applications in months where we start at or over our player cap. You can always check the character count on our APPLICATIONS page.

Certain character types cannot be brought into the game.

WE ALLOW ...		WE DO NOT ALLOW ...
Non-human characters* Malleable and silent protagonists * Characters 15 years of age or older Original characters Original characters from existing canon universes, such as WOD or Star Wars Original characters native to the game setting, contingent upon coordination with the game moderators. Alternate universe versions of characters, including CRAU and canon AUs		Oversized inhuman characters (more than 10' tall with no alternative humanoid form) Malleable or silent protagonists with a variable canon storyline. Non-sentient characters Characters under the age of 15 Duplicates of characters already in-game, even if they are alternate universe versions. Canon OCs who have ties to pre-existing canon characters.

None of these guidelines for the types of characters that can be applied into the game reflect personal judgments by the mod team — rather, they are a response to setting limitations and suitability.

Monstrous and non-human characters with alternative humanoid forms or who fall below the 10' height maximum are welcome in the game, and have some flexibility on the handling of curses. For more information, see the CURSES section of this FAQ.

CHARACTER ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE

When characters arrive, they wake up in the void-space at the edges of Rubilykskoye, naked and without any belongings. They will discover they've been marked with a curse rune somewhere on their bodies. These runes have the tactile quality of tattoos, despite their capacity to glow.

Severely injured or dead characters will arrive fully healed, though they may bear scars from their death or injuries at player discretion. Mentions of this situation to the townspeople will prompt an explanation of the Duchess' ability to resurrect them (see DEATH AND REBIRTH for more info).

Characters must hike into town through the woods and miles of farmland into town, where any local NPC (or PC) can direct them to the boarding house where player characters can stay. On their first night, new characters will be invited to a communal meal in the dining room. The locals will share information about their town, and fellow PCs can provide their own additional orientation materials over time.

Moderators will not be posting arrival logs — but the same prompts providing details will reappear on our test drive memes.

Hiatused characters will remain on autopilot or be somehow incapacitated via any method the player invents, according to player preference. Many hiatused players have had their characters get lost in the woods/Void and lose sense of time or memory, but it's just as valid to knock a character out with a mundane illness, etc. This is because, for setting and lore reasons, because no one can leave the void-world of Rubilykskoye. Similarly, canon updates will not be available.

Characters who are dropped from the game will vanish without warning. Players who drop a character may reapply for them at a later date with their previous game memories, but the characters will have no memory of anything that took place during their absence. The mod team encourages players in this situation to play into the psychological horror elements of this mechanic. We also have an alternate drop mechanic in place - however utilizing this will not allow players to reapp their character with their game memories.

Drops and hiatuses can be reported HERE.

GAME PACE & ACTIVITY

monthly, mod-posted event logs will help players find ways to interact with one another and the setting itself. The subject matter of these events will vary between horror- and smut-influenced event types in order to prevent player burnout on any one particular type of content. Over time, these events will build up in mini-arcs towards larger plot events over which players will have some measure of influence. More on this can be found in the NPC & Plot Engagement section.

Players should keep our RULES in mind when evaluating their own participation in the game. When we ask for "enthusiastic participation", we want to see players "writing out scenes instead of merely handwaving." Enthusiastically engaged players maintain a range of CR with castmates and non-castmates alike by completing threads (not just plotting, handwaving, or starting) with one another most months. These players' threads change their character's relationships with their CR over time, influencing one another to action and reaction, and also engage with the game events and the setting to influence, reveal, or change the character's personal beliefs and attitudes.

To help with accountability, we ask that all players respond to a static ACTIVITY CHECK each month. Using the form provided on the ACTIVITY page, players must summarize their characters' engagement and provide:

• Links to two threads that each


• Took place in the game communities (rubilogs and rubilykskoye)


• Contain at least three comments from their character made during the same calendar month of the activity period

Players who cannot make activity for a given month should comment to the hiatus page as soon as they anticipate failing to submit. Retroactive hiatuses are welcome, as long as they're submitted before the end of the activity period. Due to the game's low activity requirements, players may not miss multiple consecutive activity checks. The mods may also reach out to players who consistently provide links to only minimum activity to discuss the player's engagement in the game. Because this is a capped game, players are expected to consistently keep characters active to remain in the game—or, if they can't, to drop and reapply at a later date.

On the first of the month, moderators will then sweep inactive characters who do not submit proof of engagement. At this point, players who have not submitted will be swept from the game. Reminder posts will not always be made, so players are expected to be responsible for their own check-ins. If the game is at cap, swept players will need to reapply; if the game is not at cap, players can contact the mods to discuss leniency.

Any changes to the activity policy will have a full activity period of warning prior to implementation.

BONUS ACTIVITY & PLOT COINS

While the minimum required activity for this game is low, we offer incentives for enthusiastic engagement in the form of plot coins. Plot coins can be exchanged for privileges, resources, and special interactions that facilitate their character's influence over the plot. By offering these as part of our activity rewards system, we hope to keep access to plot engagement clear and equitable for all players.

Plot coins can be earned in any month that the traveling Minstrel visits Rubilykskoye. When the Minstrel arrives in town, the mods will create a new sub-heading under this thread. To earn a plot coin for a given character, players must submit proof of exceptional activity by the end of that calendar month.

To earn a plot coin, players must provide:

• 2-4 links to threads which contain a total of 20+ comments made by a single character
  
  • Eligible comments must be dated between Minstrel visits
  
  
  • At least 10 comments must be in mod-posted event logs
  
  
  • Up to 10 comments may be made in TDMs or player-made posts related to the game's plot
  
  
  • Linked threads must not have been used for prior basic activity checks OR as proofs for side quests

Plot coins cannot be stocked up and spent in bulk. Each character can earn and spend a single plot coin in a three-month period. When the Minstrel comes around again, any plot coins earned in the previous period EXPIRE.

As soon as they've submitted their bonus activity, players can SPEND plot coins on the plotting page. Once we've discussed and approved your submission, we will screen the comment with your bonus activity. We will only reply to bonus activity submissions if we see something missing. Players can exchange plot coins for any of the following:

• One additional invite


• A monster curse change


• A power gain


• The opening of an IC business


• Independent housing for characters who have not been in game for 6 months


• Independent housing is automatically available for any characters who have been in game for 6 months or more; this option is for newer characters who wish to gain independent housing earlier.


• An additional specialty item from the Minstrel


• Each character is already entitled to one free item from the Minstrel when he comes around. A plot coin is only required to request a second item, and can only be spent this way during the Minstrel's visit.
  
  Players may use expiring plot coins from the previous Minstrel round for this purchase. For example, if a plot coin expired on March 15 with the Minstrel's arrival, the coin can still be used to purchase a second item until he departs on April 1. This policy only applies to second Minstrel items; any other plot coin purchases must be made prior to the Minstrel's arrival.


• The chance to apply for a third character


• This is not a third character slot; it is the chance to apply for a specific third character at a specific time. If that character is later dropped, the plot coin is not refunded, and the player would need to spend another plot coin (or coins) to apply for another.


• A custom NPC thread, plot role, or plot hint/secret


• Consider using the setting influence form for these kinds of submissions to help us understand what you're looking for. As a general guide, plots that require creativity and threading from you and consequences for your character do not require a plot coin. Plots that require creativity and threading from the mod team and/or have consequences for the game at large probably will.
  
  Spending a plot coin in this way may also result in characters gaining a different kind of IC consequences as thanks from us for engaging the plot and/or making the game fun for everyone. For instance, the Duchess or other NPCs may grant titles, help characters with housing/businesses, or offer other items and favors. Characters may also suffer IC negative repercussions that give the player something fun to play with.
  
  If you don't have a plot in mind, you can request a hint/secret by giving us an idea of what aspects of the plot and setting your character is interested in investigating. Here are some examples: ONE & TWO. Per our FAQ, any plot information does need to be distributed widely through the game and not just restricted to a single character's CR circle, so be sure to post about it publicly.

CURSES

When writing their application for the game, players determine their characters' monster form and abilities. The application form asks for a few key pieces of information regarding the monster. Players are encouraged to select monstrous forms and traits that align with or somehow complement their character's own arc or psychological profile.

Players of already non-human characters may have those characters: (1) remain as they are normally, but gain an additional monstrous form; or (2) become fully human except when they transform into their monstrous self, in which case they may choose their canon monster or choose a game-specific alternative. Please note that their monstrous transformations will still be subject to the constraints of awareness and primal drives as other cursed characters.

Players choose the physical appearance of their character's monstrous form. These monsters may mirror preexisting folklore or fiction, reimagine familiar creatures, or invent something wholly new. The appearances of these monster forms can also vary in their degrees of humanity. A physical description is required, but players may also link images for reference.

In the course of developing a unique monster persona, players may also assign specific traits, powers, and behaviors that suit their character's monster. These may range from aspects of the monster's body that confer certain abilities — such as claws, heightened senses, etc. — or additional powers (e.g., telepathy, shadow manipulation) that enable the monster to perform its function of causing destruction and letting out the character's worst impulses.

Players must also categorize their character's monster based on the four major curse types listed below. These curse categories may be used to assign event mechanics, so consider it an unofficial sorting system. Each curse category contains a description of monster types and associated personality traits, as well as a non-exhaustive list of suggested examples. The symbol associated with the category determines the appearance of a character's curse rune.

In cases where players find their monsters could technically fit into multiple categories or struggles to fit into any, they may freely interpret the categories based on symbols, vibes, plot interests, kink preferences, or other rationale. That said, if the mods feel a character's monster form may better fit into another category, they may suggest a revision; this is primarily done to ensure the same types of monsters don't wind up split across multiple categories in a way that muddies the categorization system.

⍢ WILK The wolf curse creates werebeasts and all things furred and fanged, unified by animalistic or primal qualities. Aggressive and loyal protectors may find themselves more likely to receive this curse. werewolves chimeras ogres centaurs minotaurs		⚰︎ DIABEL The devil curse creates demons and devils, unified by their underworldly and in some ways parasitic behaviors. Indulgent and charismatic hedonists may find themselves more likely to receive this curse. mindflayers vampires succubi fae demons
⌲ SKALA The scale curse creates chitinous or scaled monsters, unified by their alien or otherworldly appearance. Proud and cold leaders may find themselves more likely to receive this curse. wyverns naga xenomorphs harpies kelpies		⍚ NIEZ The void curse creates inhuman eldritch abominations, unified by their unfathomable and unknowable nature. Strange and artistic outcasts may find themselves more likely to receive this curse. krakens greys slimes beholders incorporeal

Changes to curses and monstrous forms are restricted. Once approved, a specific monstrous form cannot be modified to add or adjust physical appearance or abilities, so players are encouraged to be thorough in their applications. However, the PLOTTING page offers the OOC opportunity for players to change their characters' curses and develop new monstrous forms. ICly, characters (consensually or otherwise) in a ritual and, upon its completion, discover their curse rune has changed. In these situations, players would submit new physical descriptions and summary of traits/abilities for approval as part of the plotting request. Characters cannot change their character's monstrous form more than once a calendar year.

transformations into a character's monstrous form can be triggered in a number of ways.

The primary method of preventing transformation is for the individual to satiate their appetites, either through sexual intercourse (consensual or otherwise) or violent behavior. The longer one goes without engaging in either of these practices, the more monstrous they become. Transformation occurs over the following stages:

STAGE 0:	The individual has been thoroughly venting their violent or sexual urges and experiences no symptoms.
STAGE 1:	If the individual has not engaged in sexual intercourse or excessive violence in the past month, they will suffer behavioral changes — increased aggression, irritability, and sexual appetite.
STAGE 2:	After a week, the behavioral changes escalate to small-scale body horror changes. Teeth elongating, hair and claws growing, and so forth. The individual will still appear mostly human.
STAGE 3:	After about another week, the more substantial body transformations begin. Bones may break to elongate jaws and shift or add limbs, etc. These body transformations culminate in the full transformation of the individual into beast.
STAGE 4:	After two months of repression, the fully transformed individual's mind will be entirely lost to the beast until their rampage has led to sating the creature's need for sex and/or violence.

The full transformation begins after a month-long drought and stretches across the following month. An easy way for players to keep track of their characters' transformation is by month — if their character did not engage in sexual intercourse or violent acts in a given month, then in the following month, their character will be grappling with the creeping onset of their monstrous transformation, culminating in their conscious self being utterly drowned in violent and sexual instinct.

However, as characters discovered during the game's first event, transformations can also be triggered by severe emotional distress. In this way, monster transformations can function as a sort of contagion that spreads, as the fear and panic induced by one monster can give rise to another. Pain, suffering, rage, and other negative emotions are the primary motivators of these types of transformations, which do not follow the progression outlined above. These transformations are usually sudden and complete, but are reversed in the usual manner (satisfying the monster's appetite for sex and/or violence to a degree determined by the player).

Players are also welcome to use emotional distress and suppressed urges (or some combination of the two) to prolong partial transformations. More on this can be found here.

DEATH & REBIRTH

Obviously, the premise of the game begets a lot of death by both NPCs and PCs. To facilitate this, in Rubilykskoye, death is not permanent. This is as true for NPCs as it is for PCs — therefore, functionally, all of the people of Rubilykskoye are immortal except for death by old age. However, this immortality comes at a price, and anyone with pronounced magical or spiritual sensitivity may sense that these people feel as if they come back wrong somehow.

The local cultural attitudes and practices around death vary by cause. When townspeople die of old age, the remains are also brought to the castle, but they are first wrapped tightly in fabric and their eyes and ears are stuffed with spices like coriander and nutmeg and orange peels. These bodies are not recovered, and the townspeople seem to be insulted when asked what becomes of the remains after they leave them by the castle - however the characters who have attended the formal dinners hosted by the Duchess may have an answer.

Following any violent deaths, the townspeople bring the dead to the front doors of the castle. They don bestial masks and hold a candlelight vigil overnight where they tell stories and express understanding of the primal forces that took their life. At midnight, the tone shifts to somber as they pray fervently and religiously for the Duchess to return them to life, so they can make another attempt to do better in coexisting with those impulses.

Resurrection occurs on the first of the month inside the castle through an excruciating process. Resurrection takes place inside Castle Rubilyk, and is performed by the Duchess and her family members. During the ritual, characters are physically paralyzed but aware of their every mortal injury over the hours (or sometimes days) that it takes for the elder gods to revert their bodies to their original state. When it's done, for better or worse psychologically, they send the characters on their way back into town.

POWERS & LIMITATIONS

Most characters can retain their canon powers in Rubilykskoye. Commonly contentious powers that operate normally include immortality and resurrection abilities, any unique dietary limitations, teleportation, and flight. Using teleportation or other powers to access the castle while it is closed to the townspeople requires a player plot submitted to the mods. Flying far enough over the castle and town will reveal that the void space encroaches on the atmosphere too, despite it looking from the ground like a normal blue or starry sky.

Per our RULES players should always be sure to communicate about the ways in which their character's powers are used on one another. Players are welcome to set up opt-outs, but should never assume without communicating that another player is comfortable with a character's powers affording special power or influence over, or knowledge of, their character.

However, there are a few practical limitations:

• Outside of their monstrous form, characters must pass for roughly humanoid. No one will be brought into Rubilykskoye if they can't manoeuvre through the setting comfortably — so no inhuman robots, no characters over 10', and so forth. (These restrictions do not apply to monster forms.)


• More essential the setting is the limitation on dimensional travel; no one can leave the void-world of Rubilykskoye, and no one knows what happens to people who vanish, though characters are welcome to speculate. Attempts to use dimensional travel (or any form of teleportation that takes them beyond the borders of the setting) may lead to characters getting lost in the void-space and stumbling out as their monstrous forms.


• Characters are also unable to contact other dimensions, so those whose powers are based on extra-dimensional connections (such as a power source left behind in their homeland, or their deity working through them) will find they are weakened. In cases where your character's power might be an innate part of them or an extradimensional force, we leave this to player discretion, but ask that you remain consistent.

In addition to their canon powers, characters may gain additional powers, either via some plotting mechanic, or related to their monster form. Monster-related powers are only available during their transformation or after fully transforming. Passive powers (e.g., senses) become available early in the transformation, while all other powers become available after full physical transformation occurs.

THE NETWORK

One power that all characters get upon entry to the game is the ability to psychically communicate with one another and the local NPCs. The characters' curse runes glow in the color associated with their curse while they are using the network to communicate.

These psychic links mean there is no language barrier between the people of Rubilykskoye. Thanks to the blessing of the Duchess in November 2023, everybody with the telepathic link is also able to read the Rubean language.

To facilitate the "network" style of RP, the mods do not heavily police what characters do and do not send telepathically, and the details of how it works will be different for each character's mind. Messages can be sent psychically in a video-hologram style where characters psychically manifest their image to one another (imagine Leia Organa in A New Hope) or voice/text style, which sends only the verbal content of the thought. However, notably, they do not develop an empathy link to share sensations or emotions, nor do they link characters to each other's memories and psyche.

In addition, these messages can be sent and connections can be opened accidentally. Messages can be directed to specific individuals, or broadcast for all to hear, but total privacy is never guaranteed without specific mod confirmation. Psychic impressions can also indicate whether a message is attempting to open live conversation for a back-and-forth or simply leaving a note for later.

A psychic connection might suggest that no one can miss a call, but characters may not be able to receive messages if they are unconscious or dead, or if they are in their monstrous state. Messages can be received with some delay this way, or they can be lost — it's up to the individual player. Just know that the magic around this psychic communication method can get spotty in these situations.

Characters who arrive in the game already proficient in telepathy may find they are able to do more with this network, customizing their experience and helping others customize theirs. We are open to discussing your character's telepathic acumen on the plotting post.

OPT-OUTS FOR SUBJECT MATTER

This game's information pages reference and describe a number of potentially upsetting or even triggering topics involved in the game's premise, setting, plot, and events. The mod team recognizes that an important part of conscientiously handling dark and upsetting material is to allow players to self-select the extent to which they write threads involving some of these topics.

This is not a slice of life game, and this game's events and its fundamental setting and premise are not designed to be overlooked. This game's setting places characters into a context where they may struggle to avoid proximity to those topics listed in the game's PREMISE, either because it means avoiding engagement with the game's plot or events, or because it's simply difficult for a character to remain ignorant to how the plot and events' dark subject matter affect other characters, including their close CR.

That said, the mod team personally guarantees that events will never involve explicit prejudice against groups of people based on immutable facets of identity — such as outright sexism, racism, homophobia, or transphobia. We understand that many common sexual tropes and kinks — such as gender play and master/slave dynamics — and many of the premise's horror tropes — such as religion, mythology, and cults — lie adjacent to these topics. While these subjects may come into player, the mods will never connect these topics to a single, specific discriminatory structure, modern or historical.

We do not restrict any players from writing these topics into their threads, as players' personal threads are much different than a game-wide event, but those players are expected to provide ample and conscientious forewarning. However, our RULES require that content warnings be provided in log headings even if they aren't updated in the subject lines of private threads. The goal is to ensure that no one accidentally stumbles upon something that might emotionally disturb them. It is the duty of all players to navigate their own engagement with content that has adequate warnings on it, and to communicate with players about their comfort levels. If a player feels that their stated preferences or the game-regulated requirement for content warnings has been overlooked, those players should contact a mod directly.

opt-outs for game-wide events are always available in the form of personal non-participation. These opt-outs (and any others the mod team proactively provides) offer a way to avoid direct engagement by a player with a topic that upsets them and/or a way to choose an alternative dark topic to engage (i.e., the monster transformation at the end of a void disappearance instead of an event's subject matter):

• If the subject of an event is upsetting to a particular player, they may either put a character on hiatus (incapacitating them or sending them into the void, from which they will return transformed) or leave their character(s) personally unaffected.


• In any event where cursemarks are used to specifically affect a group of characters, players can opt-out as needed by considering these things as influences — no one is obligated to act upon or thread around these impulses.


• Similarly, players should reference the game's info pages and communicate with fellow players and the mods in order to avoid actions by their characters that would elicit IC consequences which may be troubling on an OOC level.

PLOT ENGAGEMENT

This game is designed to have an ongoing metaplot involving multiple NPC actors but which is reactive to and developed by player interest and character choices. Direct engagement with the plot in a capacity where characters influence it is largely optional, though the effects of player choices will be felt by all. Here are the primary ways by which characters can engage with and influence the plot:

• Monthly event logs will rotate intermittently (not necessarily equally) between downtime CR-building events and more plot-focused logs that emphasize the darker content of the game. On many of these logs, the mods will indicate ways for the players to influence the outcome of the event through OOC mechanics like RNG sign-ups, OOC votes, and plot coin expenditures. These tools aim to keep plot access and direction fair, equitable, and in consensus.


• On the PLOTTING page, players can develop their own plots, cultivate reputation and resources, brainstorm ways to reach their OOC goals for their character's role or actions in the scope of the setting, pursue areas of IC investigation related to previously revealed plot points/hints, and more. We often ask that players actively and clearly solicit the involvement of others when developing these ideas. In order to keep plot access equitable, to engage with or influence the plot outside of events, the expenditure of a plot coin is required except in instances where player plots are open enough to involve the entire game and get developed into being used as the game's monthly event.


• During events and via plot coins, players can (but are not required to) engage with the game's NPCs to learn more about the plot and develop relationships that can help build their way towards longer term plotting. More on NPC engagement can be found below. Any plot reveals delivered via NPC must be shared with the game at large, and any resources acquired via NPC can also be acquired via collaboration with other players, so don't worry about missing out.

The info pages of this game reflect what is currently common knowledge amongst characters. Because this is a plot-forward game, some aspects of the setting and its NPCs are yet to be revealed. We believe that maintaining some level of OOC surprise both makes the game more exciting for players and helps players feel less stress about and spend less energy on separating what their characters know from what they do. Some examples of these OOC surprises might include plot events (including those spurred as a reaction to character choices), setting changes, or NPC reveals.

Surprises also happen sometimes because we don't always know what our players will have their characters do! When hints or plot details are pursued by players, the plot can be revealed through character investigation brought to us on the PLOTTING page or through event Q&A. In some of these cases, we have to deliberate on how the game environment will logically react to those character choices, based on what we have established because we hadn't imagined that approach. For us, that surprise is part of the joy of having a game where characters' choices really matter and can impact how the game evolves.

We want our players to be excited and curious about the implications of plot events, NPC commentary, and their own characters' choices. However, we'll always endeavor to lay clear groundwork and hints about what is to come. To help our players make decisions about what events and outcomes are (or aren't) right for them, we:

• Keep a game-wide list of triggers that is compiled from the triggers listed in applications when players join.


• Provide CWs on all logs, CR memes, and in Q&A replies for those triggers.


• Provide CWs for potential consequences/outcomes when we are able to anticipate the choices players will have their characters make regarding the plot/events.


• Keep outcomes flexible in cases where we're too surprised to provide CWs in advance, allowing players room to take ownership of and modulate the consequences to their personal comfort.


• Spoil specific details of upcoming plot events via DM and Mod Contact for players who proactively reach out to us in private to ask for clarification about CWs that may tread to close or include their triggers.


• Allow retconning of character choices regarding recent plot events in situations where the player reaches out to us because the outcomes of a character's choice unexpectedly put them in a position that causes distress to the player.

Sometimes, a plot reveal occurs because of a choice a character made that results in IC consequences. In those situations, we try to avoid having a player retcon that character's action because we can't un-reveal the plot information; in those instances, we ask characters to work with us to brainstorm and negotiate a reaction to the character choice that makes sense in the setting and also works for the player. In short, if you're feeling stuck or uneasy, just reach out and we'll try to find a solution.

NPC INTERACTIONS

NPC interactions will also be made available with similar frequency (though not always in the same event as direct plot influence). Out of respect for moderators' time, these threads should not focus on small-talk, but instead center the immediate plot events, the NPC's role in the game plot, and/or a way the player character may influence the NPC's future beliefs or actions.

In a given event, player can expect the following general guidelines for NPC threads, with occasional exceptions to be detailed on a case-by-case basis:

• One (1) thread per player (not character) on a given event log.


• Threads will continue for five (5) NPC replies OR five (5) OOC days, whichever is shorter.


• These threads can either be an IC interaction played out beat-for-beat with the NPC, or players can write an OOC summary of the things their PC would say/ask and how. NPCs will respond in kind with the same limits on replies. Please see these examples: IC Interaction, OOC Interaction

NPC threads have the potential to reveal information about the game's plot, lore, or NPCs. Understand that due to the unpredictable nature of threads and the variety of player approaches, the mod team cannot guarantee that NPC threads will lead to something actionable or reveal information about the plot.

In situations where engagement with an event or an NPC reveals plot information, players are expected to share these findings with the rest of the game in a timely and public manner, such as through a public post or open log. Players who do not share this information may be passed over when NPC/Plot engagement opportunities are next offered.

ITEM & HOUSING REQUESTS

Every few months, a traveling minstrel will make his way through Rubilykskoye to buy and sell interdimensional wares. During his visit, characters will ICly have the opportunity to barter with him for goods in his supply. OOCly, this gives players the chance to submit item requests. Even if characters are dead during the Minstrel's visit, their players can still submit item requests during that period.

Bear in mind that item requests are only open to requests during scheduled Minstrel visits. The Minstrel's arrival will always be marked on the calendar and SOTG posts. The Minstrel visits roughly every three months.

Players can request one item per character per visit. The Minstrel's collection contains items brought from other universes and dimensions. Though some of the items may seem uncannily familiar to characters, they will never be identical to character's personal mementos and the minstrel will never claim that an item comes from any player character's home universe. For instance, a character cannot request a lightsaber, but may request a laser sword with a different design and invention, but which functions similarly.

To make a request, head to the MINSTREL page during the appropriate window.



Also available at this page are housing requests, which are always open.

All characters who arrive are able to secure free housing at the boarding house in town, or the Void-touched run hostel in the woods. Per the setting page, these housing options are available to any characters regardless of their character's work and contributions. These communal housing situations often help facilitate and sustain CR and promote characters' engagement with game events due to sheer proximity.

However, once a character has been in game for 6 months or more, they can gain independent housing. Note that independent housing is an entirely optional add-on that may facilitate players' personal thread interests; it does not contribute to a character's success or influence in the game.

While any character is eligible for independent housing after 6 months, there are some limitations:

• A character cannot request housing more than once.


• If a character's previous housing was destroyed in some way, they will have to wait another 6 months to gain new housing.
• We require that players come up with an explanation for how their character comes by that housing. They might build it themselves, received it as payment for services rendered from the locals, find it abandoned, take it over after someone's untimely demise, offered it through their work, etc.


• There are no palatial mansions in the communist village of Rubilykskoye. The requested housing can include the following features:
• one bedroom big enough for two singles or a single larger bed;


• one lounge room/dining area;


• one kitchen (small and private or large but shared with a neighbor);


• one washroom (characters will still need to use the communal bathhouses); and


• a balcony OR a small courtyard.
• Expansions to independent housing can be discussed on the PLOTTING page. No plot coin is required to expand housing, except in cases where the function of the housing changes (e.g., a private home becomes a business) or a character is using their powers to impact the setting (e.g., magically transforming a townhouse into a castle).

VOID AUS

"Void AU" refers to the hallucinations of other lives and worlds telepathically shared by characters who enter the Void, the empty nothingness which surrounds the territory of Rubilykskoye. These hallucinations are caused by a character's mind essentially fleeing from the terrible reality of the unfathomable emptiness of the Void.

As a reactive coping mechanism, Void AUs will generally take the form of a world or life that is safe, happy, and fulfilling, however that may form itself in your character's mind. However, in time your character's consciousness may begin to rebel against this - perhaps there's an uncanniness about the other people in this place, or things are just a little too perfect, or they're plagued by an unshakeable sense of wrongness. Cracks form, the structure slips, and eventually the hallucination splinters entirely, leaving your character in the empty dark reality of the Void - where terror once again seizes them, wrenching them into the false safety of another hallucination.

These hallucinations can be shared amongst other characters also in the Void, as the telepathic connection between them has their minds leaking or reaching out to one another in desperation, allowing players to have their characters live out alternative lives in alternative worlds. Whether the memories of these lives linger or are simply dismissed after characters leave the Void is something we leave to player choice.

Functionally, Void AUs:

• Only happen when characters are physically in the Void.
  
• May be shared between as many characters as you care to have involved.
  
• May take any shape, so long as it's within your character's potential imagination to create it.
  
• Are not limited by time or space; a character can experience multiple Void AUs with multiple characters spanning decades of life in the time they're in the Void.
  
• Give space for a breadth of different horrors to be explored, with the structure of the Void AUs themselves offering psychological, surreal, uncanny valley, false utopia, and other similar tropes.

OTHER GAME MECHANICS

This game has a zero-tolerance policy on fourth-walling. While pop culture savvy characters are not required to fabricate fictional names for the properties they have consumed, they may not apply any of those properties' details to suggest familiarity with any other character in the game, either in narration or dialogue. This policy exists to maintain the game's tone and focus.

For more information on details regarding...

• Player plots, setting and event suggestions, and setting engagement can be found on the PLOTTING page.


• Employment, laws, culture, and daily life can be found on the SETTING page.


• The game calendar, which addresses the pacing and time distortion of the game, see the CALENDAR.


• Joining the game, see the following: APPLICATIONS | RESERVES.

PAST QUESTIONS

This section serves as a list of links to valuable questions that other players have asked in the past.

Application Questions:
Malleable and Silent Protagonists
Minor and Mysterious Characters
Trans Headcanon
Time Since Canon Release
Body-Sharing Characters
Using Material from Multiple Versions of a Canon
Appability of Characters from PVP Match Video Games with Separate Lore
Where To Include CRAU Info
How To Include Extensive Power Info


The Curse, Runes, and Monster Forms:
Rune Size/Placement
De-Transforming
Does Psychological Harm Count as Violence?
Does Telepathic Sex Count As Sex?
Partial Transformation Through Periodic Satiation
Monster Forms Matching Canon Transformations
Detransformation Guidelines (and Losing Limbs In Monster Form)
Deliberately Inducing Transformation


Death Rules:
Immortal Characters and Death


The Psychic Network
'Private' Communications And Thread-Jacking
What Using the Network Feels Like
Does Written Language Psychically Translate?
The Duchess On The Network
Posting Anonymously
Can Children Without Curse Marks Understand Languages?
Telepathically Sending Images
Can Monsters Use The Network?


Setting Information:
Mobility Devices (+ specifically Contact Lenses)
The Barter Economy, Guns and Pets
Music and Instruments
Bathing Facilities
Fashion and Jewelry
Contents of the Graveyard
Sexual Interactions with NPCS and Culture Around Monogamy/Polygamy
The Pregnancy/Contraception Question
The Vibe of the Void
Holding Multiple Jobs
The Rubean Calendar
NPC Attitude Towards Illicit Drugs
NPC Attitude Towards Non-Humans
Clothes In Rubi
Tobacco and Marijuana
The Brothel and Living There
Magically Communicating With Animals
Rubean Musical Notation


Activity:
Inbox Thread Eligibility
Requirements for Sharing Plot Information

Comments

[ragnarsson]

So Ivar here is one of very few Norsemen who knows how to read and write Norse runes. Are the curse runes similar to the Norse ones at all? Would he be able to read or interpret them?

As a secondary question, are there any mobility devices in the town to be found for barter or purchase such as leg braces or wheelchairs? He's used to getting around without them but I always like to check in games to see what's available.

[rubimods]

Hey, Shade!

1) We took some time to research Norse runes and were able to confirm that the curse runes are not, in fact, part of that alphabet, so Ivar would not be able to read or interpret them. That said, we selected the curse runes from the Mac special characters window based entirely on vibes, so if any players do wind up recognizing the origin of the characters (we honestly couldn't tell you) and have a character who'd feasibly have that knowledge, they'd of course be welcome to flag the shape as familiar to them and speculate on how that meaning relates to their in-game meaning.

2) Ivar will be able to find mobility devices in town pretty quickly. If he makes mention of his need to any townspeople at the festival, they'll help him get set up with a temporary wooden wheelchair from the doctor. Once he's set up at the boarding house, he could work with the doctor and the carpenter to get something more custom made for him that will better suit his body, and you could expect the project to be finished within a week.