Before requesting access, you are required to read the following:

• Rules of Conduct
• RPoL Terms of Use
• RPoL Mature Games Policy

Game rules may be subject to change.

SECTION I. CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE

Applications will not be accepted on a first come-first served basis. Please take some time and give some thought to your character submission.



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Here are some answers to some questions you might have.

What is the Big Picture?

The Quori have managed to create a utopia within their own Arc of the galaxy, but not all is well on the fringes of their civilisation. Not only are they locked into a cold war with their nearest peer rivals, the frontiers of their volume of space are plagued by problems that an infinite supply of Quori could not easily solve. Yet their numbers are few, and they cannot be everywhere at once. And while they are incredibly long-lived, time is not always on their side.

Indeed, many different powers are arrayed against the Quori, some open in their hostility and others hiding in the darkness, waiting to strike when the moment is right.

Who are the players supposed to be?

As an initiate of the Conservators' Order, your mission is to preserve and protect the cultural and historical works that are of interest to the Quori Empire within your assigned volume of space. Your responsibilities could include protecting small outposts from marauding space pirates; studying the ruins of an ancient, long forgotten civilisation; repairing the infrastructure that the Quori gave as technological gifts; arbitrating a dispute between two warring civilisations; defending a system from the privations of a cosmic horror, and much more.

As a member of the Quori species, you are gifted with many different superhuman powers:

• Superhuman strength
• Superhuman speed
• Superhuman durability
• Superhuman sensory perception
• Flight
• Decelerated aging

Quori of different stripes have varying levels of the above abilities, depending on how gifted they are and how much they've trained their native physiology. In addition, if your character is not of pure strain Quori descent, but are instead descended from a line that mated with an alien species, you could have other powers besides, as the Quori Empire is incredibly diverse and inclusive.

Members of the Order are emphatically not soldiers or warriors. They are guardians, yes, but they are also scientists, philosophers, poets, and more.

Does Earth exist in this game?

No. This game takes place in a reality unlike our own, though it may be similar. There are no humans, though their nearest counterpart may be the Quori themselves, at least in appearance.

What kind of powers can I choose?

I personally have no problem with any power whatsoever. Whatever you decide, I can roll with, for the most part. Now, other people may have their own opinions, so if there's a power you personally would feel uncomfortable being in the game, let your preferences be known as soon as possible. For example, maybe you don't like the idea of a power to induce torture, like the Cruciatus Curse in Harry Potter.

This is a Mature game, so that means there's not to be any explicit or graphic sex or violence and such, and any power you selected would have to fit that scope. And we definitely want to respect people's boundaries. Just know that I have very few that don't already fit within the constraints of a Mature game. :)

Tricky to adjudicate powers will be handled with care, but they should certainly be doable. If you want to be able to travel in time or read minds, I will make accommodations for those powers. One thing I think might be tricky is if you have a Rogue or Peter Petrelli like power to copy other people's powers. Ensemble stories are all about making sure you have your own way to shine that other people can't mimic. If you can do it all, there's no point in making this a story about a group of characters, but more about one particular main character. That wouldn't be fun, I think, for the other players, but we can discuss it, if that's what you want to do. We can see about adding some fictional constraints to make it more interesting as a story.

Take this as my stance on any quote-unquote "problematic" powers. If there's an interesting story there, I'm willing to work a little harder, exert a little more effort, to make it work in the story we're all telling together. But remember that we are telling a story together. Be open to feedback from other players as well as from me. :)

What's your perspective on game balance?

I take a more nuanced approach to balance than is espoused in most game systems. Remember that this game isn't about combat per se. As long as every character has something interesting to do, I don't see a really huge problem. Often in stories you have an ensemble cast of characters with widely differing skillsets. You can have Superman and Batman in the same story.

Style

I expect players to think about their characters' inner life and thoughts and feelings and be descriptive about such in their posts. Some players have only posted their outward physical actions, which is fine for some games, but not the ones I run. I'm interested in character arcs and narratives and emotional pay-offs and so forth.

Lay out your character's backstory gradually. The tendency of most players is to get it all out at the beginning, sometimes in the first post. I've had some players whose first posts were their entire backstory, with 1000 words or more.

Don't do that.

Not only is it contravention to the posting guidelines, but we're just getting to know the characters, the world, the story. The less you spill, the more that is retained. Leave us wanting more, instead of wanting to skim.

Collaboration

I expect players to be open to collaboration in the fiction. I'll rein you back if I feel you come up with something that contradicts the world, but players should generally be open to suggestions from other players and the GM. We're all in charge of the fiction together. You can write for another NPC, just as much as I can. Someone else can even chime in and move other characters around if their idea makes for a more interesting story.

I'm even okay with player characters moving other player characters, with each other's permission, of course. Comfort levels may vary, but if I was playing Doc Brown, and another was playing Marty, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for me to move Marty in such a way:


If you do move another PC or NPC, be sure to be open to making edits if someone says you're doing something to make them go out of character.

Regarding Romance

I'll leave it up to the players whether they'll engage their characters in a romance. Personally, I prefer for romance to arise organically in the story, as opposed to something that is forced or the "point" or the main driver of a game.

Nice as romance is, my aims and interests do not revolve around romance, but instead are concerned with the overarching narrative and the character arcs I'm trying to build in complicated webs between the characters. Romance can play its part, and maybe even a vital part for some arcs, but keep in mind that it's only one part amidst many others.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:01, Thu 08 Apr 2021.