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faq
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What is the premise of the game?
THEOREM is a space exploration and adventure game. Wayfarers will board the Theorem of the Astral Rose, a base ship charged with exploration of distant planets and unknown alien cultures, all with the goal of searching for the mysterious Song. The vibes are largely sci-fi with a little bit of fantasy mixed in; cosmic horror will occasionally make an appearance, along with fun adventurous vibes, some sci-fi coziness, long-term mysteries for the characters to chew on, and humor.
Where does this game take place?
Partially aboard the ship the Theorem of the Astral Rose, which is an exploration class vessel, and partially on various planets as they are discovered.
Was this game inspired by anything in particular?
In particular, the mod is a huge fan of both No Man's Sky and Honkai Star Rail, and both have an influence on this game. Books like A Psalm for the Wild-Built and To Be Taught, If Fortunate also have an impact. Every TDM and event will be prefaced with a song, as this game is also majorly influenced by post-rock groups such as 65daysofstatic, Swarm of the Sun, and God is an Astronaut.
What can I expect from this game?
Getting to modify your own personal spaceship β
Being screwed with by cosmic space gods β
Exploring new planets with weird alien flora and fauna β
Getting to know local alien cultures β
Cute robot Hosts that may or may not be friendly β
Mysteries, some horror, some coziness, a medley of vibes β
Is there an official game discord?
No. The mod would also like to request that no unofficial game discord be made either. There will be regular OOC and plotting events hosted to facilitate mingling and plotting.
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How does my character even get here?
Wayfarers are pulled in from their various universes by a force that nobody yet understands, but the Ascendants are able to redirect your path and have you arrive on the Theorem instead of in the middle of empty space. Wayfarers will arrive in the medbay, greeted by Starling's Lament in Flight, your most helpful Host.
Will my character still have their abilities/powers/magic/tech?
All powers, magic, and technology will be nerfed as characters arrive (but they'll be able to earn it back later!). If Wayfarers had magic, they can no longer use it. If they had cool tech to fight with, it will either be absent from their person, or present but unusable. If they have superhuman features, like animal physiology, or robotic parts, those parts will still work, but will be without anything superhuman like advanced senses or built in weaponry.
Does my character still have their items?
Wayfarers arrive only with the clothes on their back. All weapons, belongings, magic items, technology, and so on, are gone. But, like magic powers, they will be able to earn these back with the credit system.
My character is Godzilla / Unicron / otherwise too big for the ship, or is a ghost and cannot touch things, or is very non-human and would be unable to engage with things properly, what happens to them?
Humanization and/or shrinking and/or corporealization will happen on a case by case basis, and the mod will work with the applicant to come to a conclusion that will be both fun for them to play, and reasonably able to fit within this game.
My character is disabled in a way that would make it difficult for them to traverse the wilderness or difficult terrain, what happens to them?
Both the Hosts and the Medical Division will be equipped to be able to handle disability support, and will be able to provide medical devices if necessary: walking aides, anti-grav wheelchairs, earpieces that can provide detailed visual descriptions of anything in one's way, and so on.
Help, my character doesn't want to engage in any of the events because exploration isn't interesting to them at all!
I'm going to gently suggest that you find a different character to app, one that would be more willing to engage with the game's premise.
My character was nearly dead/severely injured/deathly ill at their canon point that I'm bringing them in from, what happens?
You can assume that your character is healed from whatever was killing them; either completely or, if it's more interesting to you, only partially, so that they have health challenges going forward.
What happens to characters that speak a different language than the majority?
There is a universal translation filter in place to help all Wayfarers understand each other. It works on the Theorem, and even on other planets.
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Tell me more about the Theorem?
The Theorem is an exploration class vessel designed to be comfortable for long-term journeys. There are two styles of cabin for Wayfarers to choose -- basic, and rustic -- and a large number of amenities. There is a mess hall that serves food from many different cultures both Earthen and intergalactic, an entertainment center featuring media from thousands of different alien cultures, scientific and engineering laboratories to study samples from planets, a library, a state of the art medbay, and more.
Who are the Ascendants?
They are an ancient race of people who were once commonly seen throughout Alliance space, but within the last few centuries, have largely retreated back to their own worlds. Not much is known about them other than the fact that they were one of the early builders of the pan-galactic Alliance, they are one of the most technologically advanced species in the galaxy, and they generally have a favourable if mysterious reputation.
What is the Alliance?
The Alliance is an alliance of planetary systems that have agreed to communicate, trade freely, and stay peaceful with each other. It is the largest of its kind in the universe, and as such, has formed something of its own culture and norms. The Theorem will be specifically exploring outside of Alliance charted space.
Who are the Hosts?
The Hosts are the robots that have been built to aid Wayfarers in this journey. They come in seemingly endless varieties: some are shaped like animals, others like humanoids, and yet others like drones or claws or many other things. They are largely helpful and cheerful, though Wayfarers may encounter the odd grumpy one who isn't thrilled about this.
What are the Edicts?
Cosmic space gods. The Edicts are far beyond gods as they are usually depicted; these are not entities that mingle with people or interfere in the lives of mortals. To be merely glanced at by an Edict is to be changed irrevocably, and needless to say, it is highly unusual to have formed a bond with them the way the Wayfarers have. There are six Edicts, each representing their own aspects, all with their own lore and mysteries.
How often will Wayfarers visit new planets?
The game will run on a four month cycle:
πͺ Month 1, The Wilderness, where Wayfarers touch down on a new planet and investigate the wilderness.
πͺ Month 2, First Contact, where they will encounter the local civilization.
πͺ Month 3, Deeper Connections, where the Wayfarers have either gotten the locals to trust them and now have been invited to take place in some deeper cultural sharing, or the Wayfarers have pissed off the locals so much that consequences ensue, or any number of options.
πͺ Month 4, Travel, where Wayfarers will be on the Theorem as they travel between planets.
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Will there be a network for characters to communicate on?
Yes! It is called TheoremNet, and all characters will be provided a datapad (a futuristic tablet) to communicate with. It is capable of texting, sending audio or video calls, or accessing the ship's entertaining databank.
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Can Wayfarers die?
They certainly can, though they will 'respawn' in the medbay on the Theorem. Wayfarers will also see a vision of their bonded Edict when they die; players can note a character death on the Drops & Hiatus page, and the mod will give their character a personal vision.
I need to drop; what will happen to my character?
That depends on player choice! Your character can be assumed to have left the ship to go back to Allied space and journey on their own, or they can be assumed to have been pulled through a random portal and taken back to their own world.
I need to go on hiatus; what will happen to my character?
That also depends on player choice! Mostly, it will be assumed that your character is acting as normal, but on autopilot.
π°π²ππΈπ πΈππ, π²ππ΄π³πΈππ & ππ΄ππ°ππ³π
What is the AC for this game?
AC will be five log-style comments from any single thread. The thread must have been started in the current month, and all five comments must also be in the current month. Log threads, event threads, and TDM threads all count toward AC. Personal inbox and network threads do not count toward AC.
How do characters earn Credits?
Credits are earned for every comment you post for a character. 1 comment = 1 Credit. On the AC form is a section for including threads you would like to bank for Credits, and however many comments you posted in that thread will be the amount of Credits you earn for that thread. Players will be responsible for managing their own Credits count, though the mod will doublecheck. Like AC, Credits can be earned from events, logs, TDMs, and network threads, but not personal inbox threads.
What can Credits be spent on?
Over at the Credit Rewards page, you will find a list of everything your character can buy with credits. This includes:
πͺ buying their powers/magic back after the initial nerf
πͺ buying their technology back after the initial nerf
πͺ bringing items from home into this universe, such as outfits, books, momentos, technology, etc
πͺ modifying their personal spaceships, adding rooms, changing the exterior, etc
πͺ catching up on rewards from previous events
πͺ a mystery prize?
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How do invites work?
Anybody on the mod's plurk is automatically invited, and players not on the mod's plurk may seek a mod invitation through the invites page. After players have been accepted, they have one invitation per month they can extend to others. Please note that an invite does not automatically guarantee acceptance.
How often are applications accepted?
There will be a bi-monthly TDM (every two months), where new players can apply. Applications and reserves are first come, first serve.
Is there a player cap?
There is no planned player cap at the moment, though this may change depending on player volume.
Do you allow CRAU?
We do not allow CRAU characters.
Do you accept characters from new canons?
Within a limit. The canon must be at least a month old before characters are applied for. If the canon updates regularly, the specific update you take your character from must be at least a month old.
Are original characters accepted?
Yes! Original characters from original settings are welcomed, as are TTRPG characters. We do not, however, allow fandom OCs. Malleable protagonists will be allowed on a case-by-case basis: if there is a built-in personality and history, they will be allowed, but others that have no set personality or history like WoL's or Tavs will not be allowed.
Is there a cast cap?
There will be a cast cap of 15 per canon. This may be up for adjustment, depending on how the game and population shakes out.
Can I play multiple characters from the same canon?
Yes, as long as they are not important CR to each other.
Is there a minimum age for characters?
The minimum age for applicable characters is 18. The Ascendants firmly frown upon child labor.
(note: There are currently 3 characters, ages 16 and 17, that have been grandfathered in as they applied in the first round of application before the minimum age was set to 18.)
Some exceptions to this may be possible in certain cases, such as: a robot character who was made recently but thinks, behaves and looks like an adult, or an animal character who is physically and mentally an adult in the appropriate age range for their species, even if they may be below 18 in human years. If your character is a regular human below the age of 18, they will not count as an exception. This will work on a case-by-case basis: if you're unsure if your character counts, please contact the mods! If you are going to write anything NSFW with your characters, they must be 18 -- you will be kicked from the game if you are found to be writing underage NSFW.
Are there any other kind of characters not allowed?
Real world and historical figures will not be allowed. Minor characters who do not have much in the way of canon may not be allowed if you cannot adequately fill out the app with enough detail.
Are duplicates allowed?
No, duplicates are not allowed. If a Spider-Man from the MCU is active in game, you cannot apply a Spider-Man from the comics.
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So I hear Wayfarers can get their own personal ships?
Hell yeah they can! The Theorem's docking bay is enormous, and can hold lots of ships. There are three basic models of ship that Wayfarers can claim for free, as seen on the Personal Spaceships page.
How does exterior modification work?
For a price, the Hosts can modify the exterior of your ship to make it resemble anything. If Wayfarers want a ship that looks like a flying train car, or a UFO, or a different kind of spaceship, they are able to do that. For an extra price, they can even go with something far more complicated, like a mech, or a similarily transforming ship.
Is there a maximum amount of rooms characters can add?
Yes, the maximum amount of rooms that characters can add to a spaceship is 10. This is on a case-by-case basis, though: if characters modify their ships to look like a flying taxi, they obviously do not have the room to add personal rooms.
Can characters fly anywhere with these ships?
There are limits to where characters to fly. In Travel months, they must fly alongside the Theorem, or be docked inside. On planets, they cannot venture too far from the landing site. However, if players purchase the warp-drive upgrade, they can visit previous locations whenever they want.
Can my character live on their ship, instead of in the Theorem?
They sure can!
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What are Divisions?
The Divisions are the five personnel sections that Wayfarers are recruited into: Security, Science & Engineering, Medical, Research & Archives, and Support. They are each provided technology that aids their mission, and will sometimes be given direction on planets as to what their Divisions should do, though characters do not have to follow this.
What if I can't pick between Divisions?
You can leave it up to the mod to assign your character, if you like.
What technology is given to the Wayfarers?
It will vary based on Division, and is detailed on the Divisions page.
no subject
some mild hundred line spoilers inside
So, Ghost Boy/Shion here is in a rather weird (tm) situation here regarding age and corporeal...ness.
He thinks and acts like the 17 year old he is, and he has physically been alive for at least 17 years, in which he was raised by his father figure, Sirei, all that time. However, because he was born with powers that are so, well, powerful, he essentially has a growth disorder that prevents his physical body from developing ("As a tradeoff for the overwhelming power I was born with, my body was incapable of growing physically... It was unable to endure the sheer might of my cryptoglobin."), so his real/physical body is stuck as a literal baby in a life support capsule that is also constantly draining his flames so he won't die by his own powers.
In canon, to get around this, Shion creates an avatar (as seen in his icons and here and here) made of his flames that he uses to communicate and gesture and take in sensory information. That avatar is the main way he's able to, well, be a person and character, makes up pretty much all of his screentime, and everyone who interacts with him via that avatar treats him as the 17 year old he is. The few times that characters refer to him as "the baby", "divine infant", etc. are in routes where they see his real body but he doesn't have a name and/or they don't know him or his circumstances so their literal only frame of reference as to who or what he is is "that baby in the capsule in the Defense Room".
Is this Ghost Boy playable within the bounds of the age rule or naw?
no subject
spoilery answer under the cut!
So, as he is 17 mentally and physically in his avatar body, yes, Shion is regarded as being above the minimum age for this game's purposes. Obviously, he cannot be played as a literal baby, and would only be appable in his avatar form.How you choose to do that, I think, should be left up to what's more interesting to you. As his flames will be nerfed as he arrives, you could choose to have him manifest in a physical biological body, and we can handwave the details as "something got messed up in the transition between universes, or it gave him the body he should have had, etc". Or, you can say that his body is still made of the flames that he outputs, but he cannot control them in any other way, and they are contained solely to making his avatar -- at least until you choose to regain that power via credit rewards.
no subject
some more hundred line spoilers under the cut
Just for some clarification, when you say "Obviously, he cannot be played as a literal baby, and would only be appable in his avatar form.", does that mean his physical baby body isn't coming along for the warp ride and is stuck in his canon setting while his avatar is warped away to the Theorem and various planets? Or is it coming along for the ride? Shion solely in his real body is unplayable regardless of game setting or age rules anyway; the baby body is unable to speak or move.
In canon, there is a way to take his baby body outside of the capsule Death Stranding-style, in a (aptly-named) Baby Jar that is essentially a portable version of it, providing life support/nutrition while also nullifying his flames. (Seen here and (KG route CG spoilers) here.) It's the only known way of taking him outside of the school (the game's main setting in canon, Last Defense Academy) since there's a limit to the distance in which he can manifest his avatar. I assume that if I go the route of having him still utilize his avatar, he'll have a room/ship where there'll be a similar baby-jar-esque device in there to house his real body while he can trawl the Theorem in his avatar like usual, and for explorations there'll be some sort of accommodation like an android body that he can possess/control with his avatar (with a similar life support jar system integrated inside), or something.
Is that correct, or is there anything I may have misunderstood/not jive with the setting/your intention as mods?
no subject
more spoilers!
Sorry if I was unclear! Yes, by "he cannot be app'd as a literal baby" I meant the possibility of playing him as just being in his baby form, no avatar, and interacting with people solely in the form of a baby. That, I would not allow.I am fully on board with the idea of him being app'd as interacting with people in his avatar form while his baby form is stashed in his room. The difficult part here is that he needs his powers to be able to express his avatar form, but the rules call for an initial nerfing. So, the best solution I can come up with is the idea that Shion will be fully nerfed like everyone else, with the sole exception of being able to use his flames to produce his avatar form. The flames will not be able to be used for anything else until he regains that ability, if he chooses to. Additionally, the baby form would not uncontrollably output the flames, as they would be nerfed.
I'm viewing this sort of the same way as, say, a vampire or a transformer, a character with alternate biology. A transformer being made out of metal is an inherent power in the sense that it's an advantage over flesh people, but it's something that absolutely cannot be taken away from the character. So, too, one cannot take away Shion's avatar form.
When you say "some sort of accommodation like an android body that he can possess/control with his avatar (with a similar life support jar system integrated inside)", do you mean that you want Shion to have an android body that he possesses and uses on planets, instead of being purely in his avatar form? I can see the Hosts being onboard with that as a form of disability accommodation, but we'd have to be very careful not to make it overpowered or anything. No built-in weapons, etc. It would be a very basic thing that could be upgraded, but only if Shion makes the upgrades himself.
I do want to stress one thing: I'd strongly prefer if 99.99% of Shion's interactions with other people are when he's in his avatar form. I understand there may be some interaction with the baby form as other characters will naturally be kind of baffled by the set-up, but I'm allowing this character on the basis that his avatar form is of age -- I don't want the baby form becoming the main way he interacts with other characters.
no subject
hopefully this will be the last spoilers comment
Yes, by "he cannot be app'd as a literal baby" I meant the possibility of playing him as just being in his baby form, no avatar, and interacting with people solely in the form of a baby. That, I would not allow.
Oh yes, that fully aligns with what I was thinking. I have absolutely zero desire to have him solely in his baby form with no avatar; he literally can't move or speak in that form and it's more like a...lich phylactery (fitting for someone who's constantly likened to a ghost, I suppose) so his avatar is him.
I am fully on board with the idea of him being app'd as interacting with people in his avatar form while his baby form is stashed in his room. The difficult part here is that he needs his powers to be able to express his avatar form, but the rules call for an initial nerfing. So, the best solution I can come up with is the idea that Shion will be fully nerfed like everyone else, with the sole exception of being able to use his flames to produce his avatar form. The flames will not be able to be used for anything else until he regains that ability, if he chooses to. Additionally, the baby form would not uncontrollably output the flames, as they would be nerfed.
Yep, I'm totally on board with everything here, pretty much what I was thinking too. He'll only have enough power to manifest his avatar and nothing else (so none of his additional abilities like shooting fireballs or forming a wall of fire until he gets those through regains). The nerfs will dampen his flames enough that they can only be used to manifest his avatar for communication purposes, which would mean they're so weak they're only about as hot as like, a space heater. (Which he will genuinely consider being nerfed one of the greatest things to ever happen to him, as it means that he can be near people with significantly less concern about accidentally burning them.)
I'm viewing this sort of the same way as, say, a vampire or a transformer, a character with alternate biology. A transformer being made out of metal is an inherent power in the sense that it's an advantage over flesh people, but it's something that absolutely cannot be taken away from the character. So, too, one cannot take away Shion's avatar form.
Makes total sense to me, and is pretty much how I'm seeing it too. He's basically an energy ghost with a certain lich phylactery-esque vulnerability (if someone so wanted to, say, kill him), that being his real body. While his avatar may have some aspects that could be considered a "power" in some senses (like not needing to eat or drink), it's who he is and you can't just take away his avatar, else he essentially ceases to be a person.
When you say "some sort of accommodation like an android body that he can possess/control with his avatar (with a similar life support jar system integrated inside)", do you mean that you want Shion to have an android body that he possesses and uses on planets, instead of being purely in his avatar form? I can see the Hosts being onboard with that as a form of disability accommodation, but we'd have to be very careful not to make it overpowered or anything. No built-in weapons, etc. It would be a very basic thing that could be upgraded, but only if Shion makes the upgrades himself.
That's correct, a disability accommodation of sorts so he can actually do things off-Theorem. I thought of an android body for planetary exploration instead of his avatar because:
1. He can only manifest his avatar within a limited distance of his real body, which would probably pose a problem when Wayfarers are tasked to investigate a planet outside of the Theorem. While it's probably possible to handwave it such that the limit doesn't exist in-game, so he could theoretically manifest his avatar while his real body is safe and sound on the Theorem during excursions...
2. ...I'm not sure if it makes much narrative sense if everyone else is roughing it, so to speak, during an excursion/planet touch-down, with a real risk to well-being, while he's just chilling in (relative) safety because his real body is on the ship. So this is kinda what I came up with. If I got anything wrong, let me know.
It would be as you describe, a very basic android body that isn't really special in any way; any "power" it would have would only be an extension of his own power regains (like, if he regained the ability to shoot fireballs in his avatar form then he would have the ability to shoot fireballs when inhabiting the android body too. But only then; the android body wouldn't have the capability to shoot fireballs at all otherwise. That kind of thing.).
I do want to stress one thing: I'd strongly prefer if 99.99% of Shion's interactions with other people are when he's in his avatar form. I understand there may be some interaction with the baby form as other characters will naturally be kind of baffled by the set-up, but I'm allowing this character on the basis that his avatar form is of age -- I don't want the baby form becoming the main way he interacts with other characters.
I am in 100% agreement. Shion is never going to interact with anyone without his avatar, because his baby form is literally physically incapable of interacting with things. It cannot move or speak and I have zero desire to play out anything with just his baby form. Shion himself is pretty ashamed of it being what it is (he calls it "wretched" and "pitiful"). If his baby form is somehow involved in a thread without his avatar (aka himself) around, then it's safe to assume he's either unconscious/knocked out or dead. If, for instance, a character comes over to his room and spots the weird baby jar set-up and understandably has questions about it, Shion will interact and converse with them entirely in his avatar form the whole time ("uhhhh yeah that's my physical body, kinda awkward and really sucks tbh so I have this avatar instead").
Does that all track/make sense/work out? (I'm so sorry. This canon is a nightmare and a half to explain.)
no subject
Thank you for being so specific in your explanations, by the way, I'm not sure I would have understood the character if I'd just had to go off the wiki! That's a highly specific character concept that was made much easier to understand by the way you explained it.