FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Basics
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● What does “mysterium tremendum” mean?
● Who is H.P. Lovecraft and what is the Cthulhu Mythos?
● Do I have to have read Lovecraft's stories to play?
Applications, Reserves and Character Specific Questions
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● Reserves, applications and challenges.
● When are reserves and applications open? When are they processed?
● Is there an age restriction for players?
● How many characters can I app/play?
● What kinds of characters can be apped at this game?
● Can I app a character that features in several different canons?
● Can I app an Alternate Universe (AU) version of a character?
● Do you accept OCs?
● Can I app a character who has died in their canon? What about one who’s mortally wounded?
● My character is dead in canon (e.g., a grim reaper, ghost, vampire, etc.), can I still app them?
● Can I app a character who is a robot?
● My character consistently takes part in Fourth-Walling in their canon, can I still app them?
● I want to app a character who is a God/dess in their canon, can I do this?
● Can my character bring their animal/non-human pet/sidekick with them?
● Can I app Cthulhu, one of the Great Old Ones, or a character from one of Lovecraft's stories?
● Can I play a character from an adaptation of a Lovecraft story?
● My character’s canon is set during the 1920s. Would they be an AU or an OU here?
Gameplay
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● What kinds of plots can I expect to see in this game?
● Which community do I post to and what kinds of posts can I make?
● How do characters communicate?
● Are there any other ways for characters to communicate?
● How does time pass in this game?
● What is the tagging system here?
● How do characters arrive?
○ Alternative arrival option.
○ AU and native OC character arrivals.
● What happens to my character's powers?
● What happens to my character's stuff?
● What about NC-17 content?
Activity Checks, Hiatuses and HMD
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● What are the activity check requirements?
● What are the hiatus rules?
● What is "How's My Driving?" (HMD) and is it mandatory?
Specifics About the World and Arkham, MA
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● What and where is Arkham, Massachusetts?
● Where do characters live?
● What about languages?
● Can my character leave?
● What happens to dropped characters?
● What happens if a dropped character is re-apped?
● What happens if a character dies?
● What other bad things might happen to my character short of death?
● Can I canon update my character?
● What is the date in-game?
Miskatonic University
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● What is M.U.?
● Can my character enroll at M.U.?
● Who is who at M.U.?
Lovecraft Mythos Specifics
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● Can my character run into Cthulhu in a dark alley?
● What is the Necronomicon (and can my character get/read a copy)?
● What about magic?
Other
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● Holy shit! Why is there so much to read?!
● Jeeze, is this place just dead or something?
● I have a question that is not answered here. What do I do?
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Basics
● What does “mysterium trememndum” mean?
In short, the term names an experience of visceral and preternatural dread brought about by an encounter with the divine or supernatural. Because the concept is so central to the game and its atmosphere, we have devoted more space to a full explanation here, on the premise page.
●Who is H.P. Lovecraft and what is “Cthulhu Mythos”?
One of the major science fiction and gothic horror writers of the 20th Century, Howard Phillips Lovecraft wrote more than 65 stories in his lifetime as well as a massive correspondence of letters, and dozens of essays and poems. Primarily writing during the 1920s and 1930s, his greatest popularity came after his death in 1937.
Lovecraft created what others since have named the “Cthluhu Mythos,” a term which describes recurrent elements of the theme, plot, tone, and world in which his stories were set. It is this notion of a unifying mythos--a mythology of alien horrors inextricably interwoven with earth’s most ancient past, constantly threatening to return in the present--which most recognizably marks Lovecraft’s writing. Great Old Ones, Outer Gods, Elder Gods, and all manner of servitor races are parts of the Mythos, as are the alien architecture that marks their presence on the earth. Beings like Yog-Sothoth and Nyarlathotep, as well as, of course, Cthulhu are all part of the Mythos.
Since the end of Lovecraft’s life, other authors, inspired by his creations, have taken up and expanded upon the fantastic and otherworldly elements he envisioned. This game draws both on the writings of Lovecraft and on some of those contributions which came after him, in particular the tabletop RPG Call of Cthulhu by Sandy Petersen and Lynn Willis.
● Do I have to have read Lovecraft's stories to play?
No, but you might want to familiarize yourself with one or two to get a feel for the tone of the world. There is a free audio book of The Call Of Cthulhu available here for anyone who would like to hear a sample of the style and tone of Lovecraft's writing.
Applications, Reserves and Character Specific Questions
● Reserves, applications and challenges.
Players may reserve and app one character at a time.
This game does accept challenge reserves and apps. The challenge reserve must be posted before the initial reserver's application is submitted. The challenger will then have one week from the date of their reserve in order to submit their application.
Unfortunately, we cannot grant extensions on challenge reserves.
Please note that a reserve does not guarantee the application will be accepted. Also note that after the opening round of apps, players will only be able to reserve one character at a time. (This page will be updated to reflect that change when it takes effect.)
● When are reserves and applications open? When are they processed?
Currently, reserves and apps may be submitted at any time and we will be processing applications once a month to allow the mods to facilitate in-game events and plots between new arrivals.
Please check the applications page for the next projected app processing dates.
● Is there an age restriction for players?
There is no arbitrary number that we have assigned to measure players’ maturity levels or their ability to conduct themselves as adults for the purposes of the game. Suffice to say that the game contains horror, violence, strong language, and adult themes. Players are left to assess for themselves whether the content will be suitable for them, but please keep in mind that the mods do expect players to conduct themselves as adults and will treat them as such.
The expectation of player maturity is also reflected in the use of language in descriptions of the game. These are written with a mature and literate audience in mind and do not attempt to simplify or make overly transparent that which should necessarily remain mysterious, ambiguous, or “slippery.” This may be particularly true of the page on insanity. If you find the material on that page to be too uncomfortable or too challenging, then it may be an indication that this game isn’t the right fit for you.
● How many characters can I app/play?
Initially, you may reserve and apply for one character. After that, players who have maintained activity with their existing characters may app one additional character per application cycle to a maximum of four. That number may be reduced in future if it becomes necessary to control the growth of the game.
● What kinds of characters can be apped at this game?
We accept OU and AU versions of characters from any published medium, whether it be anime, manga, movie, TV show, videogame, or book.
Characters from most canons can be applied for with a few exceptions: while there are no age restrictions on what characters can be apped, keep in mind that this is a game with mature and adult themes and not a setting geared towards crack or silliness. We strongly discourage the apping of crack characters or those who the player sees as functioning solely as comic relief. For this reason, we do not accept characters from MS Paint Adventures (for the tl;dr on this particular point, please see here). We reserve the right to turn down applications from characters that we feel would be disruptive to the game’s overall atmosphere and feel.
At this time, we do not accept non-humanoid characters, regardless of sentience. This means that at this time characters such as My Little Ponies or Pokémon are not acceptible. Humanoid characters with some animal features or attributes (dog boys, cat girls, etc.) are acceptable, though please keep in mind that they are likely to be viewed as freaks and oddities by those native to the world and may be met with hostility from them.
Please be aware that characters with limited canon information will be judged on a case-by-case basis. If there is not enough information or history in canon to judge your character’s personality and motivations then the mods may inform players that the character is not suitable.
In general, we expect characters to have some degree of narrative in their canon text that is coherent enough to provide a basis for characterization and background. (Hence, Vocaloid characters, for example, are generally not appropriate, and Hetalia characters must have at least one strip devoted to them in the webcomic; simple visuals and character design are not enough.)
If in doubt about whether we’ll allow a character, please do contact a mod for clarification ahead of time.
● Can I app a character that features in several different canons?
Yes, but only one version of any character may be present in the game at any given time. For example, if someone in the game is already playing Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII, Cloud Strife from Kingdom Hearts can not be apped, and vice-versa. However if there is an unambiguous physical difference between two characters who are considered to be the same person (e.g., Persona 3’s Male Main Character and Persona 3 Portable’s Female Main Character) we may allow it. If specific clarification is required please speak with a mod.
● Can I app an Alternate Universe (AU) version of a character?
We allow AU versions of characters who are native to the game setting only. AU characters who are native to the game world can be apped provided there is no OU version of them already present in the game (and vise versa--if an AU version of a character exists in game, an OU of the same character is not available). In short, there may be only one version of each character, regardless of what universe they come from. If there is some ambiguity as to whether two characters constitute different versions of the same, we will generally defer to visual elements of character.
AU characters will be subject to a common affliction of selective amnesia which will render the names and faces of castmates in their personal histories hazy and just out of reach, as though those particular memories have become out of focus to them. This is done to avoid boxing in any players who may app into the cast later on, and will apply to all castmates of the AU character no matter how important or influential they may have been in the character’s past. The exception to this rule will be if two (or more) players have planned a specific AU background together which is reflected in their apps. If we are in any doubt we may check to make sure that all players involved have consented to each others' AU plans.
AU characters meeting OU castmates may experience a strange kind of deja-vu or unplaced familiarity as though they have met before but can not quite put their finger on where or when.
If an AU character is dropped and another player wishes to app the same character again as an AU this is very possible. The new player will not be expected to pick up where the previous AU left off. The new version of the AU character will once again experience the strange sense of unplaced familiarity and deja-vu when meeting castmates (OU or AU alike) and they will not remember anything of their previous incarnation in the game. IC confusion between characters is expected and can be played out with whatever kinds of impacts and repercussions players wish to explore.
Please note that we do not accept genderswapped characters as AUs or non-humanoid characters in human bodies. The visual representation of an AU character must be substantively consistent with their canon source. The AU interpretation of the character must also demonstrate a logical adaptation of the character’s canon personality and history--they must be recognizable in more than just appearance. An AU version of a character is not carte blanche for OOC behaviors and attitudes. AU versions must remain true to the spirit of the character in their canon text.
Additionally, only players with at least one character already in the game may apply for AU versions of characters. This is because we want those who are playing characters native to the game world to have a solid understanding of the world and the game dynamics before picking up a character native to the setting.
If you have previously dropped and want to come back to the game with an AU character, please talk to a mod. We will handle this on a case-by-case basis.
● Do you accept OCs?
We will be allowing existing players the option of apping OCs who are native to the game world. However this option will not be available until players have a solid familiarity with the game world setting.
● Can I app a character who has died in their canon? What about one who’s mortally wounded?
Yes, characters who have died in canon can be apped. These characters will not have memories from any kind of perceived afterlife and they will never experience their own death with absolute certainty. That is to say, characters may think that they are dead, or may have a sense that they must have died, but they will never be sure. They may hear about their death from castmates, but this does not translate into the character’s literal experience of their own death. As such, characters who have died in their canon will have a lingering sense of ambiguity about their state of morality and may be more susceptible to trauma/insanity as a result.
Wounded characters do not automatically get healed on arrival. NPCs will make every effort to prevent characters who arrive wounded from dying and to offer them medical attention, but this will, of course, be at a 1920s standard. If you wish to plot out a method for healing with another PC before your wounded character arrives, that is fine. The main thing is to treat injuries like real injuries--a broken arm is a broken arm and will take something like six weeks in game to heal. Because of this we advise players to carefully consider the point in canon they take their characters from.
● My character is dead in canon (e.g., a grim reaper, ghost, vampire, etc.), can I still app them?
So long as your character is corporeal and solid (i.e. mortals can touch, hear, see, smell and taste(?) them), then there should be no problem. If the answer is more ambiguous then we would suggest talking to a mod. We will handle this on a case-by-case basis.
● Can I app a character who is a robot?
Yes, but robot characters will only be acceptable if they are humanoid in size and appearance. For example, Aigis from Persona 3 would be acceptable because she is humanoid in size and appearance, however Transformers, in any incarnation, would not be acceptable.
Additionally, please be aware that the technology needed to sustain a robot of any kind would not be readily available, as such there would be no quick access to a means of repair, systems back-up, or an easy way to recharge any internal power source. Think of unplugging a laptop and how it effects performance and lifespan, or else a glitchy electrical connection maintained by a frayed cable--that is the kind of thing we are talking about with robot characters. Your robot character may struggle with their battery energy draining each day from their point of arrival, or they may find particular systems and circuits momentarily cutting out or freezing up before coming back online. For robot characters this will be a part of their power reduction to maintain fairness throughout the game.
A means to restore their energy or smooth out their operation could become an on-going project for tech-savvy characters ICly, but to have something up and running would take many months in game to accomplish and there would be bumps along the way.
● Is Fourth-Walling allowed?
To a limited degree. As noted on the rules page, under no circumstances may your character have Fourth-Wall knowledge about the Lovecraft universe.
Other kinds of fourth-walling should be dealt with responsibly by getting other players’ express permissions before hand.
Please keep in mind that not breaking the fourth wall in direct conversations with one character, but then breaking it in conversations about that character with others, undermines and circumvents the permissions process. Thus if a player says no to fourth-walling with their character, that also means that fourth wall information about that character is off limits for discussion with any other characters in the game. In the event that two players from the same canon have different preferences on fourth-walling, players must defer to whichever request is more restrictive.
● Can my character bring their animal/non-human pet/sidekick with them?
Unfortunately, no. Because animal/non-human pets/sidekicks can come in a range of shapes, sizes and colors and potentially with varying kinds of magical abilities/powers, at this time we are unable to allow them to enter the game with your character.
● I want to app a character who is a God/dess in their canon, can I do this?
Yes, but please be aware that your character will become mortal upon their arrival and will be subject to the same power reductions and restraints as other characters. Encounters with elements of the Mythos will be as traumatizing and horrifying as they would be for any mortal: their past experiences as a God/dess would not, for example, allow them to view any of the Great Old Ones as their equals.
● Can I app Cthulhu, one of the Great Old Ones, or a character from one of Lovecraft's stories?
No, sorry. All of Lovecraft's characters--both human and monster/demi-god/god--will be treated as NPCs in the game. They are not available for players to app.
Players with at least one character already in the game can, however, app an OC native to the game world. Such characters must be human and cannot have any kind of mixed ancestry with non-human creatures from the Cthulhu mythos. Being related to a character from Lovecraft's works or to any of the game's NPCs will require mod approval before hand. More details on OCs will become available when OC apps open.
● Can I play a character from an adaptation of a Lovecraft story?
We understand that, because Lovecraft's fiction has been so influential, there are a lot of series which are themselves effectively AU adaptations of his work. In fact Lovecraft’s fiction has been so influential that there’s a whole genre named for it. While we welcome characters who are from that genre of cosmic horror, at this time we cannot accept characters from canons that are specific adaptations of Lovecraft's stories. Basically, if your character’s canon says anywhere that it is “based on X story by H.P. Lovecraft” we cannot accept them.
Our guideline for cases in which the line between genre work and adaptation is ambiguous will be whether the character would know about specific places, people, and artifacts of Lovecraft's creations from their own world. Would they recognize the name Miskatonic University, for example. Would The Necronomicon be a real tome of power where they come from? Was a clay bas relief with the inscription Cthulhu Cult recovered after a local young artist had several nights of bizarre and vivid dreams? If the answer to those questions is yes, we'll probably have to say no to the character.
As noted on our rules page, there can be no fourth walling with regards to Lovecraft's creations. Any knowledge of Lovecraft's creations must be treated as having been expunged wholly from characters' minds. We don’t mean this as a form of memory loss (since memory loss leaves traces, or at least evidence of gaps and erasures). We mean that those elements which make reference to Lovecraft’s creations would not have existed for the character at all, and this would hardly be reasonable for characters whose whole world is effectively Lovecraftian.
● My character’s canon is set during the 1920s. Would they be an AU or an OU here?
The short answer to that is that it’s very much up to you--you have the option of apping them as an OU character who will be transported into the world and thus considered one of the “outlanders,” or else (if you are a current player who qualifies to app an AU character) of apping an AU version of them native to this world. For some characters the differences between these options may be relatively subtle, not so much a matter of fundamentally different histories but of different experiences of the game setting and different ways of encountering it.
For our purposes, any series or text that is not itself simply an AU or offshoot of Lovecraft’s stories will be treated as a distinct canon universe with its own distinct world. The Untouchables and The Great Gatsby, for example, would be treated as two distinct canon universes, each separate from the universe of the game setting. The events of The Great Gatsby do not already simply exist in the game world; Jay Gatsby never lived here. Keep in mind that this game world is not simply a conglomerate of all stories set in the 1920’s era.
So if someone wanted to app Jay Gatsby, he could arrive through the portal from his own world. He would, of course, find the world into which he stepped to be strikingly similar to the one he left in many ways, but the differences would still be undeniable. None of his friends exist here, he has no mansion in New York in which to throw lavish parties, and he would have to cope with the shock of having come through this portal into a world where there’s no record at all of his existence. On the other hand, he’d likely have an easier time than some assimilating to the world, its technology level, and its social expectations.
Alternately, if someone wanted to app an AU version of Gatsby, they would be dealing with a different set of character dynamics--not the shock of entering a new world, but perhaps the shock of learning that forces are at work in the world which he would never have imagined. Gatsby would also not clearly be able to the names and faces of other members of his canon, so he’d never clearly recall Daisy Fay Buchanan, even if he remembered his passionate adoration for a mysterious woman from his past.
Gameplay
● What kinds of plots can I expect to see in this game?
The game doesn’t have a single overarching plot so much as it has an overarching conflict. Think of this as the conflict with wholly profane and alien Others, already secretly an ancient force in the cosmos all around, now threatening to re-appear through multitudinous little eruptions across the world. The plot of the game is one in which sinister forces are always plotting and conspiring, aspiring to act as mysterious and hidden harbingers of destruction.
This means that we will be offering an array of plots that will range in length, tone, intent and risk. In some cases, the threat will be on the characters’ doorsteps, and the plots game-wide. In others, the threats will be more local, and individual groups of characters can elect to go on missions together to conquer them. Characters may be asked to investigate particular strange happenings, sometimes in distant regions, and sometimes the threats will prove more real than others. Not every strange or supernatural-seeming occurrence will necessarily have to do with the Mythos.
There will also be opportunities for plots to develop as the product of routine interactions with townsfolk NPCs over time. It might turn out that the waitress at the coffee shop your character goes to every day tells a strange tale that sparks the discovery of a whole mystery you never knew existed.
What players should not expect to find here is weekly ‘curse’ style plots (i.e. “Your character wakes up and for three days will be the opposite sex/a child/unable to lie/etc.”). That is not to say that there won’t be strange short-term events that will have particular effects on your characters, but please don’t expect these to be the standard.
The mods will also do all that we can to facilitate player led/player generated plots, and we wholeheartedly encourage any suggestions for plots--small and/or game-wide.
● Which community do I post to and what kinds of posts can I make?
The main community, mysterium_rpg can be used for any of the following:
Phone call: All
Phone call: [Character's name(s)]
Telegram (or Cable): [Character's name(s)]
Letter: [Character's name(s) | Date of mailing]
Action
Please keep in mind that sending letters through the post takes time. For any mail sent within the state or in those immediately bordering it, you can assume next day arrival. For longer distances, please use your judgement. Please also remember to note the dates when answering letters are sent. It is acceptable to forward date (within reason) some letters in an exchange in order to keep threads moving.
Because of the time it takes for delivery, letters and telegrams might not be appropriate for long threads. Please keep the medium of communication and its necessary limitations in mind. Sending a message by telegraph requires a trip to the Western Union office in town and will cost 60¢/10 words. Telegrams can only be sent, received, and delivered during normal business hours. (The Western Union office is open on Sunday afternoons.)
mysterium_logs is for prose logs written in the third person (past tense is customary, though not required. Please do be consistent with the verb tense being used by other players in the log though.) You may use this template for easy posting:
Who:
What:
Where:
When:
Rating and Warnings:
● How do characters communicate?
For now? The old fashioned way: if not face-to-face, then by phone, telegraph, or letters sent through the post. Phone calls to an outside line go through the switchboard operator and may connect either individual speakers or a whole group. Inside the residence, you may phone someone’s room directly by dialing their room number, or else, by dialing 404 will open up the lines throughout the residence, ringing everyone in the house simultaneously. There are no video or texting options, and it is not possible to switch a group call to a private one. You must instead hang up and dial back on a private line (i.e. make a new post to one individual alone.)
The game-wide communication system may change if some industrious character gets it in their mind to invent some sort of communication device (or improve the existing one). Certainly there are those at the university who would be fascinated by the challenge. But this remains a possibility that would have to be pursued and developed in-game.
● Are there any other ways for characters to communicate?
We will be maintaining an in-character notice board. Located in one of the common areas of the residence hall, this is basically a place for leaving notes or messages to others in the residence.
Approximately every two weeks, we will post an image template with a few basic notes. Players may then add any notes/scribbles/graffiti that their characters want to leave using the Goggles add-on for either Firefox or Chrome.
These missives and notes are in character and game canon, not intended as a meme. They are, however, optional and not a requirement for play (and cannot count towards AC). These posts will, from necessity, be locked to community members. We will take a screencap at the end of each fortnight so that anyone not using Goggles can read what’s been said.
● How does time pass in this game?
Ideally, game time will pass at 1/4 the rate of real time, so one in-game day = four days in real life. That means that roughly six hours of game time pass in each real-life day.
In practice, however, game time is organic: we respond to the apparent needs of the game and of players. If players seem to need more time to focus on a given event or log, we will delay the day change until the timing seems more appropriate. This is particularly the case during game-wide plots. Game time will never be faster than the 1:4 ratio, but it may at times be slower. Our goal is to facilitate time for logging and not to have anyone feeling left in the dust.
Day-change announcements will be posted to the main community. Additionally, we encourage backtagging and back-dating of logs where needed.
● What is the tagging system here?
Posts in the main comm should be tagged by the original poster in the following format: [canon] character name. Additionally, every character who comments should add a comment style tag: + character name. It is the responsibility of the commenter to add comment tags to every post s/he comments on, but the original poster should also check to make sure that all the tags on their post are correct and no one is left off. Please do be diligent about tagging your posts and comments as the tags are our best record of the game’s history.
● How do characters arrive?
There are several possible options for characters' entry into the game; however some are only available to players already in the game.
Unlike most LJRPs, character arrival is one of the more fluid and changing aspects of play here. Specifics and nuances will be given in the intro log for each new group of arrivals, and the treatment they initially receive will reflect recent developments in game. (For example, if a character has recently gone on a killing spree or tried attacking people, new arrivals might well be divested of their weapons until such time as it's believed they can be trusted not to run off skewering the townsfolk.)
The majority of characters (and the first character of all new players) will arrive through a portal that can be accessed through the cellar in Old Dixon House. They will initially be very groggy, some to the point of semi-consciousness, feel queasy and generally disoriented. Those who greet them (generally NPC's, but this might at some points include players' characters as well) will bring them to a sitting room where they can recover from the shock of their arrival and hear an explanation...of sorts. What the NPC's will themselves know, and how much they'll be able to explain, will depend on game developments and events. (Expect, initially, that they will be as confused as you are.) They'll offer characters a place to stay and provisions for their basic needs while they all try to figure out what has happened to send them there and how to stop/reverse it.
● Alternative arrival option:
Players who are bringing in a character beyond their first have the option to introduce them in ways besides the portal arrival. This is a very open and flexible option which would effectively allow players to bring their character in virtually anywhere in the world in a way that is in keeping with the weird and unexplained nature of Lovecraft’s stories. A character might, for example, crawl their way through a seemingly endless tunnel only to emerge, eventually, into a wholly foreign landscape in some remote region.
Because this option places the onus on the individual player to justify things like why the character can’t just turn around and go back the way they came, what they will find on arrival, and how they will become integrated in the game overall, it is obviously not a route for everyone. It will require plotting ahead with another player so that the new character meets either an established character in the game, or else meets another new character so that they will have someone to interact with, and it could potentially mean that quite a lot of time might pass before the new character can begin interacting with the majority of others in-game. We encourage players considering this option to talk to the mods so that we can help facilitate getting these characters integrated.
● AU and native OC character arrivals:
Obviously those characters native to the world will not be arriving via portal. For those characters, the application will include an “arrival” section in which the player proposes how the character gets in touch and becomes integrated with others in the game. They might, for example, be contacted as a consultant as part of a plot or meet other characters on a mission and choose to return with them. Again, we encourage players who want to bring in characters native to the world to talk to the mods so that we can help get them integrated smoothly.
The “Keepers” who are providing for the outlanders’ needs won’t usually be able to offer accommodation or living expenses for characters native to the world (though native characters can pay a fee to live in the residence hall if they wish).
● What happens to my character's powers?
Characters' supernatural, superhuman, and magical powers will be reduced, though not muted completely. Some powers might not work at all while others might just result in fatigue. These power reductions will all be handled case-by-case, and when you apply you will have the chance to propose what kind of power reductions you'd like to see for your character. In processing your app, the mods will probably make some suggestions/adjustments as a counter-proposal, and we will give you some options to choose from to make sure that powers will come out as balanced in-game. We feel that asking players to simply reduce their characters' ability by a certain set amount/percentage does not attend to issues of power imbalance between characters, which is why power reductions are being handled in this way. Please see the application for more details and examples.
● What happens to my character's stuff?
Anything that your character had in their possession or on their body that's small enough to be carried can come with them. However not all technology will work on arrival. Devices and weapons from more technologically advanced worlds will cease to function.
There is the possibility that your character might find someone who can adapt their gadgets to the tech level of this world though. This means finding another player with a character who will devote time and attention in-game to effectively inventing a version of the device based on available technology (a quasi-steampunk version, if you will). The inventing of new tech cannot simply be handwaved. (i.e. You can't just assume that your character ran into someone who agreed to take on the project and a few weeks later have a steampunk version of a Star Trek phaser.) For these kinds of IC projects please give the mods a heads-up so that we can give guidance on the kind of timescale/difficulty of converting a particular item to a functioning state in this setting.
● What about NC-17 content?
While this is not a sex game, we will not prevent players from writing sexual material. If NC-17 content is posted then it must be locked to members, placed behind an LJ-cut, and warnings for the kind of graphic content within must be provided. Alternately, players may place such logs on their character journals, though in this case the logs will not count towards AC requirements.
We request that players who are under the age of consent in their local jurisdiction not post NC-17 material in the game comms.
Also please note that we strongly discourage character pregnancies. We do not bar them from happening, but we remind players that, given the rate of game time, it would take three years of play to bring a pregnancy to term. Also please remember that characters who get pregnant out of wedlock in the era when the game is set will likely face a substantial degree of social censure and prejudice.
Activity Checks, Hiatuses and HMD
● What are the activity check requirements?
Please see the AC info page here.
● What are the hiatus rules?
In normal circumstances, players may hiatus for up to one month. Hiatuses of less than two weeks do not reduce that month’s AC requirements. Those who are on hiatus during AC must complete the AC upon their return. Hiatuses must be posted on the official hiatus page in order to be considered in the AC.
● What is "How's My Driving?" (HMD) and is it mandatory?
"How's My Driving?", or HMD, is an opportunity for players to tell each other how they think they are doing with their characters in game. Mysterium Tremendum will hold an in-house HMD which is mandatory. It will take place every other month, coincident with the AC. HMD posts will be f-locked to current players, which means they will not be anon-enabled. Players are welcome to include links to anon-enabled HMD posts on their character journals, and may of course use hmd-me if they wish to participate in more public/anon-friendly HMDs, but participation in the in-house HMD is part of the game’s “good citizenship” requirement. The mods will maintain an anon-enabled HMD page as well as posting to the in-house HMD with the mod journal for general feedback on the game and its runnings.
Specifics About the World and Arkham, MA
● What and where is Arkham, Massachusetts?
A creation of Lovecraft’s often named in his stories, Arkham is a fictional town in Massachusetts located north of Boston and near the Atlantic coast. It is the main location in which the game is set. More information about the town is available here. (Please note that neither the town of Arkham nor its sanitarium have any relationship to the “Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane” of the DC Universe.)
● Where do characters live?
The primary residence hall is a Victorian mansion on an abandoned estate, which will be adapted for the purpose of housing the "outlanders". Details and floorplans for the residence can be found here. Your impromptu “hosts” are members of the Miskatonic University faculty and staff, and they weren’t expecting you to turn up! So things aren’t all prepared at the outset. They’re pulling your accommodations together with the help of some (secret) funding help from the University administration, but they’re effectively dusting off the furniture in a building that’s been vacant for most of the past decade. There’s bound to be some housekeeping and refurnishing that needs to be done, and you may not have clean linen for the first week or so.
There is a communal kitchen and a couple of common room sitting areas on the ground floor with bedrooms on the second, third, and fourth floors, each of which also have shared bathroom facilities. Some of the bedrooms are singles and some are doubles (with two single beds). Keep in mind that if your character is alone in a double room, they might find themselves with a roommate they don’t expect somewhere down the line. After all, your hosts’ resources are not endless, and there are times when space might be at a premium.
Characters are free to move out of the residence hall at any time, whether into a house or apartment of their own in the city (they’ll have to pay their own way, of course). In the case of AU and native OC characters, they might also live somewhere in the city that’s been their long-term residence. Extravagant or exceptional living arrangements should be cleared with the mods ahead of time. (i.e. Your character can’t just happen to own the Bates Motel outside of town.)
● What about languages?
Whatever mechanism it is that’s brought you here has apparently done one favor: it has given you the ability to understand and speak the most common tongue of the natives, i.e. English. It hasn’t taken away your ability to speak whatever languages you knew previously, and you may still use those with anyone who understands them. Some characters may find their new language ability comes with a bit of an odd accent which tips off the locals that they’re "not from around here," others may find the words a bit uncomfortable in their mouths and have to spend some time adjusting to their new manner of speaking, and some will feel no effects at all. We leave decisions of how characters will or won't be affected by suddenly knowing a new language to players' discretion.
● Can my character leave?
Well, yes and no. They can leave the city. They can leave the country. They just can’t leave the world...or, at least, no one knows how to leave the world. Of course since they’ve already turned up at one of the world’s prime centers for knowledge about mysterious and occult happenings, if they do want answers and a route home, they’re probably already in the place they need to be, so there’s perhaps less of a cause to go gallivanting off trying to find someone who can explain it all. Besides, travel takes money, and finding an alternate funding source could be a challenge.
● What happens to dropped characters?
Dropped characters are presumed to have left the city-they might have said their goodbyes and left word where they were going, or they might have just packed up and gone one day without a peep. It’s up to the player who is dropping. What happens to them then? Well, no one is really sure. Attempts to contact them will all fail, and no one will be able to identify their whereabouts. After all, the world is a big place, and it’s easy not to be found in an age long before modern information technologies. It’s possible that some of these people die…or maybe they’ve found a secret that has sent them back to their homes. Whatever it is, no one knows.
● So then what happens if a dropped character is re-apped?
If the character is apped by a new player, they will arrive through the portal with a clean slate. Other characters might be confused by their sudden appearance this way, especially if they believe said character to be living happily in Pango-Pango, but since the original version will have vanished, there won’t be any clear explanation. (OOCly, players should be aware that there is only ever one version of the character in the world at a time.)
If a dropped character is re-apped by the original player, they can either take the clean slate option or they can simply have the character return from their globetrotting adventures...with one catch. Returning characters won’t be able to remember anything about the intervening time, about where they went or what happened to them while they were there. Effectively, during the time that the character was dropped, no history or backstory can be handwaved. It’s all a fog in their mind, an inexplicable gap, spanning from the time they departed until the time they returned.
● What happens if a character dies?
Except in extraordinary circumstances (which would have to evolve as part of a game-wide plot) death in game is permanent. A character who dies must be re-apped from scratch and will not retain any memories of their previous time in the world.
We encourage players to take character death seriously: there are plenty of things out there that can kill you! The mods will warn you if your character appears to be heading down a route not conducive to long life. We’re not out to kill your characters, but the onus for keeping them alive is on you! This is a setting where stupidity often can and will get you (and all your buddies…and possibly everyone on the nearest continent) killed.
● What other bad things might happen to my character short of death?
The biggest risk that encountering Cthluhu Mythos presents to characters isn’t actually death, it’s insanity. And this is where the concept of the mysterium tremendum really comes in. We’ve made a page devoted to this topic. Please see here.
● Can I canon update my character?
Since there is no way back to the characters’ original worlds, there is no way for them to literally return home for a canon update per-se. However there are ways for elements of their world to reach them here: canon updates will work as a particularly vivid dream or series of dreams, from which the character awakes feeling an absolute visceral certainty that what he or she has dreamed really happened. Of course no one can be sure, but a character’s canon-mates can perhaps confirm what they saw in their dream...or perhaps confirm having a dream exactly like it themselves.
This means, however, that canon updating in this game won’t confer any new powers or abilities, nor will it allow a character to gain possession of an object they didn’t have on arrival. If you want them to get an object which they come into possession of in canon, please speak to the mods and we’ll try to find a way to accommodate.
● What is the date in-game?
The game begins on October 1, 1928. The timeline of events prior to the game’s beginning generally follows that in Lovecraft’s stories, but some liberties have been taken. You can find the current in-game day by checking the !day change tag on the main community. We will also provide a synopsis of key events as the game progresses. This should be used for OOC knowledge only, unless your character has an IC way of knowing.
Miskatonic University
● What is Miskatonic University (M.U.)?
Located in the center of Arkham, Miskatonic University is another of Lovecraft’s creations, a prestigious private university housing an impressive library with an extensive collection of rare books. It is not a university for the study of the occult...at least not on its surface. For all appearances, it is like any other well respected New England university. There are, however, a number of notable faculty members with expertise in exceptional and unique fields, which makes the school a de facto hub for knowledge about the occult and the paranormal.
More information on M.U. will be revealed soon. For now, just know that characters’ de facto hosts are well-respected members of the university’s staff.
● Can my character enroll at M.U.?
Characters cannot enroll immediately upon arrival, but as the game progresses those who wish to may be able to apply to attend the university. Several hurdles will need to be overcome in-game: first, they must have a way to fund their studies. This could come in the form of paid work (either legal or illegal) or it might mean securing a benefactor who will pay their tuition for them. Then they will need to apply for admission. Miskatonic is a very prestigious ivy league institution, so not all who wish to attend will necessarily be offered a place. If you want your character to attend, the mods may be able to help come up with ways to justify their acceptance, but if your character lacks a basic education in their canon, it’s unlikely that they would realistically be offered a place.
● Who is who at M.U.?
Extensive details about important names and faces at M.U. will be available soon on the both the M.U. information page and the NPC page.
Lovecraft Mythos Specifics
● Can my character run into Cthulhu in a dark alley?
No. In fact your character is unlikely to ever actually see (and certainly not directly or fully see) any of the Great Old Ones. And more to the point, you should hope that they don’t because to see them is likely to be shaken so wholly to the core that few people could emerge with their psyches intact.
● What is the Necronomicon (and can my character get/read a copy)?
The Necronomicon is a fictional book which is mentioned frequently in Lovecraft's stories. It is such a popular element of Lovecraft's world that many people don't realize the book was, in fact, made up by the author.
In the Lovecraft stories, and in this game, the Necronomicon is perhaps the most famous tome of dark magic and lore in the world...which is not to say that its existence is common knowledge in any form. Only those with specialist knowledge of the occult will ever have heard of it (which means your character likely will not have.) It was written by the Mad Arab, Ahbdul Alhazred in the early 8th century, and is not available in translation. There are only five known extant copies of the book, one of which is held in the Miskatonic University library and kept closely guarded, not available for public perusal. Your character will not be able to read it unless they manage to convince someone in-game that they should gain access, and even then they will be allowed to read only a few pages. They cannot walk into a bookshop and buy a copy, nor (except in the case of a game-wide plot) can they simply find one on a mission or adventure.
● What about magic?
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that not all magic is Mythos magic. Characters who are magic users in their canons have, effectively, learned how to manipulate some elements of the material reality of their own home worlds. Of course they’re no longer in their home worlds, which means that though their magic may function to greater or lesser degrees, it will never be at its full effectiveness, and certainly never be as powerful as Mythos magic.
For the purposes of this game, think of each character’s canon world, each dimension, and each galaxy as a sort of island “universe” ruled by its own natural laws, its own physics, its own rules of space and time. (The 1920s earth on which the game takes place, our solar system, and the Milky Way, are just one of these island universes.)
Unlike “local” magics, Mythos magic represents the true and unifying magic of the universe, the bedrock from which each of the “island universes” has emerged. Mythos magic would never be used to light a candle or fit more books into your bag than it should logically be able to hold. Rather, Mythos magic is comprised of long elaborate rituals and chantings, often taking hours to complete, which summon (or sometimes attempt to bind or control) malevolent and otherworldly entities. It involves manipulating the true underlying fabric of the universe--not the local portion of the known universe which is within any one individual’s ken, but the universe in all its incomprehensible vastness and multiplicity--and this is why it so threatens the sanity of those who would attempt to understand and use it.
Other
● Holy shit! Why is there so much to read?!
Primarily it’s because there’s so much texture and complexity in Lovecraftian fiction, which we’re trying to adapt here. Lovecraft was writing almost a century ago, and in the past 70+ years, many other authors have worked to deepen and expand upon his Mythos.
But players are not expected to have each and every detail about the world-setting for this game memorised, and players certainly aren’t expected to become Lovecraft scholars! Instead we want to provide a good reference tool for players and hope that you will read selectively when new information becomes relevant to your characters’ experiences. We want to create a rich local area for characters to explore and we want there to remain some elements which are mysterious enough that there’s always something new still waiting to be discovered.
The other reason for there being so much to read is that there are some themes--to do with insanity, trauma, and the numinous, for example--which are vitally important to the overall atmosphere and ethos of the game. We’re trying to make something a bit different to the many jam-jar style LJRP games that are out there, but we don’t expect you to read our minds or to know what we’re thinking unless we say it. We have done our best to be clear, but are happy to try and clarify anything that’s confusing or ambiguous.
●Jeeze, is this place just dead or something?
What we are cultivating here is a game where even people with demanding real-life schedules can take part in on-going, in-depth plot and roleplay without feeling left behind or lost if they don't/can't check the game every single day. The game is set-up to be back-tag friendly and plot-heavy, these things don't work well in a fast-paced or rigid game.
But in short, no, this place is not dead at all. It's just a bit different to most games out there. We do not judge the 'life' of our game by the number of posts generated in a day or even in a week; we judge it on player interest and plot-progression.
● I have a question that is not answered here. What do I do?
Ask us! As mods we strive to answer any questions you may have and will try our best to clear up any confusion, so if you leave a question for us here we will try and get back to you as and when we can, please be patient. Alternatively, if you do not feel comfortable asking a question here then there are other, less pubic ways to contact us here.
Basics
Jump to...
● What does “mysterium tremendum” mean?
● Who is H.P. Lovecraft and what is the Cthulhu Mythos?
● Do I have to have read Lovecraft's stories to play?
Applications, Reserves and Character Specific Questions
Jump to...
● Reserves, applications and challenges.
● When are reserves and applications open? When are they processed?
● Is there an age restriction for players?
● How many characters can I app/play?
● What kinds of characters can be apped at this game?
● Can I app a character that features in several different canons?
● Can I app an Alternate Universe (AU) version of a character?
● Do you accept OCs?
● Can I app a character who has died in their canon? What about one who’s mortally wounded?
● My character is dead in canon (e.g., a grim reaper, ghost, vampire, etc.), can I still app them?
● Can I app a character who is a robot?
● My character consistently takes part in Fourth-Walling in their canon, can I still app them?
● I want to app a character who is a God/dess in their canon, can I do this?
● Can my character bring their animal/non-human pet/sidekick with them?
● Can I app Cthulhu, one of the Great Old Ones, or a character from one of Lovecraft's stories?
● Can I play a character from an adaptation of a Lovecraft story?
● My character’s canon is set during the 1920s. Would they be an AU or an OU here?
Gameplay
Jump to...
● What kinds of plots can I expect to see in this game?
● Which community do I post to and what kinds of posts can I make?
● How do characters communicate?
● Are there any other ways for characters to communicate?
● How does time pass in this game?
● What is the tagging system here?
● How do characters arrive?
○ Alternative arrival option.
○ AU and native OC character arrivals.
● What happens to my character's powers?
● What happens to my character's stuff?
● What about NC-17 content?
Activity Checks, Hiatuses and HMD
Jump to...
● What are the activity check requirements?
● What are the hiatus rules?
● What is "How's My Driving?" (HMD) and is it mandatory?
Specifics About the World and Arkham, MA
Jump to...
● What and where is Arkham, Massachusetts?
● Where do characters live?
● What about languages?
● Can my character leave?
● What happens to dropped characters?
● What happens if a dropped character is re-apped?
● What happens if a character dies?
● What other bad things might happen to my character short of death?
● Can I canon update my character?
● What is the date in-game?
Miskatonic University
Jump to...
● What is M.U.?
● Can my character enroll at M.U.?
● Who is who at M.U.?
Lovecraft Mythos Specifics
Jump to...
● Can my character run into Cthulhu in a dark alley?
● What is the Necronomicon (and can my character get/read a copy)?
● What about magic?
Other
Jump to...
● Holy shit! Why is there so much to read?!
● Jeeze, is this place just dead or something?
● I have a question that is not answered here. What do I do?
---
Basics
● What does “mysterium trememndum” mean?
In short, the term names an experience of visceral and preternatural dread brought about by an encounter with the divine or supernatural. Because the concept is so central to the game and its atmosphere, we have devoted more space to a full explanation here, on the premise page.
●Who is H.P. Lovecraft and what is “Cthulhu Mythos”?
One of the major science fiction and gothic horror writers of the 20th Century, Howard Phillips Lovecraft wrote more than 65 stories in his lifetime as well as a massive correspondence of letters, and dozens of essays and poems. Primarily writing during the 1920s and 1930s, his greatest popularity came after his death in 1937.
Lovecraft created what others since have named the “Cthluhu Mythos,” a term which describes recurrent elements of the theme, plot, tone, and world in which his stories were set. It is this notion of a unifying mythos--a mythology of alien horrors inextricably interwoven with earth’s most ancient past, constantly threatening to return in the present--which most recognizably marks Lovecraft’s writing. Great Old Ones, Outer Gods, Elder Gods, and all manner of servitor races are parts of the Mythos, as are the alien architecture that marks their presence on the earth. Beings like Yog-Sothoth and Nyarlathotep, as well as, of course, Cthulhu are all part of the Mythos.
Since the end of Lovecraft’s life, other authors, inspired by his creations, have taken up and expanded upon the fantastic and otherworldly elements he envisioned. This game draws both on the writings of Lovecraft and on some of those contributions which came after him, in particular the tabletop RPG Call of Cthulhu by Sandy Petersen and Lynn Willis.
● Do I have to have read Lovecraft's stories to play?
No, but you might want to familiarize yourself with one or two to get a feel for the tone of the world. There is a free audio book of The Call Of Cthulhu available here for anyone who would like to hear a sample of the style and tone of Lovecraft's writing.
Applications, Reserves and Character Specific Questions
● Reserves, applications and challenges.
Players may reserve and app one character at a time.
This game does accept challenge reserves and apps. The challenge reserve must be posted before the initial reserver's application is submitted. The challenger will then have one week from the date of their reserve in order to submit their application.
Unfortunately, we cannot grant extensions on challenge reserves.
Please note that a reserve does not guarantee the application will be accepted. Also note that after the opening round of apps, players will only be able to reserve one character at a time. (This page will be updated to reflect that change when it takes effect.)
● When are reserves and applications open? When are they processed?
Currently, reserves and apps may be submitted at any time and we will be processing applications once a month to allow the mods to facilitate in-game events and plots between new arrivals.
Please check the applications page for the next projected app processing dates.
● Is there an age restriction for players?
There is no arbitrary number that we have assigned to measure players’ maturity levels or their ability to conduct themselves as adults for the purposes of the game. Suffice to say that the game contains horror, violence, strong language, and adult themes. Players are left to assess for themselves whether the content will be suitable for them, but please keep in mind that the mods do expect players to conduct themselves as adults and will treat them as such.
The expectation of player maturity is also reflected in the use of language in descriptions of the game. These are written with a mature and literate audience in mind and do not attempt to simplify or make overly transparent that which should necessarily remain mysterious, ambiguous, or “slippery.” This may be particularly true of the page on insanity. If you find the material on that page to be too uncomfortable or too challenging, then it may be an indication that this game isn’t the right fit for you.
● How many characters can I app/play?
Initially, you may reserve and apply for one character. After that, players who have maintained activity with their existing characters may app one additional character per application cycle to a maximum of four. That number may be reduced in future if it becomes necessary to control the growth of the game.
● What kinds of characters can be apped at this game?
We accept OU and AU versions of characters from any published medium, whether it be anime, manga, movie, TV show, videogame, or book.
Characters from most canons can be applied for with a few exceptions: while there are no age restrictions on what characters can be apped, keep in mind that this is a game with mature and adult themes and not a setting geared towards crack or silliness. We strongly discourage the apping of crack characters or those who the player sees as functioning solely as comic relief. For this reason, we do not accept characters from MS Paint Adventures (for the tl;dr on this particular point, please see here). We reserve the right to turn down applications from characters that we feel would be disruptive to the game’s overall atmosphere and feel.
At this time, we do not accept non-humanoid characters, regardless of sentience. This means that at this time characters such as My Little Ponies or Pokémon are not acceptible. Humanoid characters with some animal features or attributes (dog boys, cat girls, etc.) are acceptable, though please keep in mind that they are likely to be viewed as freaks and oddities by those native to the world and may be met with hostility from them.
Please be aware that characters with limited canon information will be judged on a case-by-case basis. If there is not enough information or history in canon to judge your character’s personality and motivations then the mods may inform players that the character is not suitable.
In general, we expect characters to have some degree of narrative in their canon text that is coherent enough to provide a basis for characterization and background. (Hence, Vocaloid characters, for example, are generally not appropriate, and Hetalia characters must have at least one strip devoted to them in the webcomic; simple visuals and character design are not enough.)
If in doubt about whether we’ll allow a character, please do contact a mod for clarification ahead of time.
● Can I app a character that features in several different canons?
Yes, but only one version of any character may be present in the game at any given time. For example, if someone in the game is already playing Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII, Cloud Strife from Kingdom Hearts can not be apped, and vice-versa. However if there is an unambiguous physical difference between two characters who are considered to be the same person (e.g., Persona 3’s Male Main Character and Persona 3 Portable’s Female Main Character) we may allow it. If specific clarification is required please speak with a mod.
● Can I app an Alternate Universe (AU) version of a character?
We allow AU versions of characters who are native to the game setting only. AU characters who are native to the game world can be apped provided there is no OU version of them already present in the game (and vise versa--if an AU version of a character exists in game, an OU of the same character is not available). In short, there may be only one version of each character, regardless of what universe they come from. If there is some ambiguity as to whether two characters constitute different versions of the same, we will generally defer to visual elements of character.
AU characters will be subject to a common affliction of selective amnesia which will render the names and faces of castmates in their personal histories hazy and just out of reach, as though those particular memories have become out of focus to them. This is done to avoid boxing in any players who may app into the cast later on, and will apply to all castmates of the AU character no matter how important or influential they may have been in the character’s past. The exception to this rule will be if two (or more) players have planned a specific AU background together which is reflected in their apps. If we are in any doubt we may check to make sure that all players involved have consented to each others' AU plans.
AU characters meeting OU castmates may experience a strange kind of deja-vu or unplaced familiarity as though they have met before but can not quite put their finger on where or when.
If an AU character is dropped and another player wishes to app the same character again as an AU this is very possible. The new player will not be expected to pick up where the previous AU left off. The new version of the AU character will once again experience the strange sense of unplaced familiarity and deja-vu when meeting castmates (OU or AU alike) and they will not remember anything of their previous incarnation in the game. IC confusion between characters is expected and can be played out with whatever kinds of impacts and repercussions players wish to explore.
Please note that we do not accept genderswapped characters as AUs or non-humanoid characters in human bodies. The visual representation of an AU character must be substantively consistent with their canon source. The AU interpretation of the character must also demonstrate a logical adaptation of the character’s canon personality and history--they must be recognizable in more than just appearance. An AU version of a character is not carte blanche for OOC behaviors and attitudes. AU versions must remain true to the spirit of the character in their canon text.
Additionally, only players with at least one character already in the game may apply for AU versions of characters. This is because we want those who are playing characters native to the game world to have a solid understanding of the world and the game dynamics before picking up a character native to the setting.
If you have previously dropped and want to come back to the game with an AU character, please talk to a mod. We will handle this on a case-by-case basis.
● Do you accept OCs?
We will be allowing existing players the option of apping OCs who are native to the game world. However this option will not be available until players have a solid familiarity with the game world setting.
● Can I app a character who has died in their canon? What about one who’s mortally wounded?
Yes, characters who have died in canon can be apped. These characters will not have memories from any kind of perceived afterlife and they will never experience their own death with absolute certainty. That is to say, characters may think that they are dead, or may have a sense that they must have died, but they will never be sure. They may hear about their death from castmates, but this does not translate into the character’s literal experience of their own death. As such, characters who have died in their canon will have a lingering sense of ambiguity about their state of morality and may be more susceptible to trauma/insanity as a result.
Wounded characters do not automatically get healed on arrival. NPCs will make every effort to prevent characters who arrive wounded from dying and to offer them medical attention, but this will, of course, be at a 1920s standard. If you wish to plot out a method for healing with another PC before your wounded character arrives, that is fine. The main thing is to treat injuries like real injuries--a broken arm is a broken arm and will take something like six weeks in game to heal. Because of this we advise players to carefully consider the point in canon they take their characters from.
● My character is dead in canon (e.g., a grim reaper, ghost, vampire, etc.), can I still app them?
So long as your character is corporeal and solid (i.e. mortals can touch, hear, see, smell and taste(?) them), then there should be no problem. If the answer is more ambiguous then we would suggest talking to a mod. We will handle this on a case-by-case basis.
● Can I app a character who is a robot?
Yes, but robot characters will only be acceptable if they are humanoid in size and appearance. For example, Aigis from Persona 3 would be acceptable because she is humanoid in size and appearance, however Transformers, in any incarnation, would not be acceptable.
Additionally, please be aware that the technology needed to sustain a robot of any kind would not be readily available, as such there would be no quick access to a means of repair, systems back-up, or an easy way to recharge any internal power source. Think of unplugging a laptop and how it effects performance and lifespan, or else a glitchy electrical connection maintained by a frayed cable--that is the kind of thing we are talking about with robot characters. Your robot character may struggle with their battery energy draining each day from their point of arrival, or they may find particular systems and circuits momentarily cutting out or freezing up before coming back online. For robot characters this will be a part of their power reduction to maintain fairness throughout the game.
A means to restore their energy or smooth out their operation could become an on-going project for tech-savvy characters ICly, but to have something up and running would take many months in game to accomplish and there would be bumps along the way.
● Is Fourth-Walling allowed?
To a limited degree. As noted on the rules page, under no circumstances may your character have Fourth-Wall knowledge about the Lovecraft universe.
Other kinds of fourth-walling should be dealt with responsibly by getting other players’ express permissions before hand.
Please keep in mind that not breaking the fourth wall in direct conversations with one character, but then breaking it in conversations about that character with others, undermines and circumvents the permissions process. Thus if a player says no to fourth-walling with their character, that also means that fourth wall information about that character is off limits for discussion with any other characters in the game. In the event that two players from the same canon have different preferences on fourth-walling, players must defer to whichever request is more restrictive.
● Can my character bring their animal/non-human pet/sidekick with them?
Unfortunately, no. Because animal/non-human pets/sidekicks can come in a range of shapes, sizes and colors and potentially with varying kinds of magical abilities/powers, at this time we are unable to allow them to enter the game with your character.
● I want to app a character who is a God/dess in their canon, can I do this?
Yes, but please be aware that your character will become mortal upon their arrival and will be subject to the same power reductions and restraints as other characters. Encounters with elements of the Mythos will be as traumatizing and horrifying as they would be for any mortal: their past experiences as a God/dess would not, for example, allow them to view any of the Great Old Ones as their equals.
● Can I app Cthulhu, one of the Great Old Ones, or a character from one of Lovecraft's stories?
No, sorry. All of Lovecraft's characters--both human and monster/demi-god/god--will be treated as NPCs in the game. They are not available for players to app.
Players with at least one character already in the game can, however, app an OC native to the game world. Such characters must be human and cannot have any kind of mixed ancestry with non-human creatures from the Cthulhu mythos. Being related to a character from Lovecraft's works or to any of the game's NPCs will require mod approval before hand. More details on OCs will become available when OC apps open.
● Can I play a character from an adaptation of a Lovecraft story?
We understand that, because Lovecraft's fiction has been so influential, there are a lot of series which are themselves effectively AU adaptations of his work. In fact Lovecraft’s fiction has been so influential that there’s a whole genre named for it. While we welcome characters who are from that genre of cosmic horror, at this time we cannot accept characters from canons that are specific adaptations of Lovecraft's stories. Basically, if your character’s canon says anywhere that it is “based on X story by H.P. Lovecraft” we cannot accept them.
Our guideline for cases in which the line between genre work and adaptation is ambiguous will be whether the character would know about specific places, people, and artifacts of Lovecraft's creations from their own world. Would they recognize the name Miskatonic University, for example. Would The Necronomicon be a real tome of power where they come from? Was a clay bas relief with the inscription Cthulhu Cult recovered after a local young artist had several nights of bizarre and vivid dreams? If the answer to those questions is yes, we'll probably have to say no to the character.
As noted on our rules page, there can be no fourth walling with regards to Lovecraft's creations. Any knowledge of Lovecraft's creations must be treated as having been expunged wholly from characters' minds. We don’t mean this as a form of memory loss (since memory loss leaves traces, or at least evidence of gaps and erasures). We mean that those elements which make reference to Lovecraft’s creations would not have existed for the character at all, and this would hardly be reasonable for characters whose whole world is effectively Lovecraftian.
● My character’s canon is set during the 1920s. Would they be an AU or an OU here?
The short answer to that is that it’s very much up to you--you have the option of apping them as an OU character who will be transported into the world and thus considered one of the “outlanders,” or else (if you are a current player who qualifies to app an AU character) of apping an AU version of them native to this world. For some characters the differences between these options may be relatively subtle, not so much a matter of fundamentally different histories but of different experiences of the game setting and different ways of encountering it.
For our purposes, any series or text that is not itself simply an AU or offshoot of Lovecraft’s stories will be treated as a distinct canon universe with its own distinct world. The Untouchables and The Great Gatsby, for example, would be treated as two distinct canon universes, each separate from the universe of the game setting. The events of The Great Gatsby do not already simply exist in the game world; Jay Gatsby never lived here. Keep in mind that this game world is not simply a conglomerate of all stories set in the 1920’s era.
So if someone wanted to app Jay Gatsby, he could arrive through the portal from his own world. He would, of course, find the world into which he stepped to be strikingly similar to the one he left in many ways, but the differences would still be undeniable. None of his friends exist here, he has no mansion in New York in which to throw lavish parties, and he would have to cope with the shock of having come through this portal into a world where there’s no record at all of his existence. On the other hand, he’d likely have an easier time than some assimilating to the world, its technology level, and its social expectations.
Alternately, if someone wanted to app an AU version of Gatsby, they would be dealing with a different set of character dynamics--not the shock of entering a new world, but perhaps the shock of learning that forces are at work in the world which he would never have imagined. Gatsby would also not clearly be able to the names and faces of other members of his canon, so he’d never clearly recall Daisy Fay Buchanan, even if he remembered his passionate adoration for a mysterious woman from his past.
Gameplay
● What kinds of plots can I expect to see in this game?
The game doesn’t have a single overarching plot so much as it has an overarching conflict. Think of this as the conflict with wholly profane and alien Others, already secretly an ancient force in the cosmos all around, now threatening to re-appear through multitudinous little eruptions across the world. The plot of the game is one in which sinister forces are always plotting and conspiring, aspiring to act as mysterious and hidden harbingers of destruction.
This means that we will be offering an array of plots that will range in length, tone, intent and risk. In some cases, the threat will be on the characters’ doorsteps, and the plots game-wide. In others, the threats will be more local, and individual groups of characters can elect to go on missions together to conquer them. Characters may be asked to investigate particular strange happenings, sometimes in distant regions, and sometimes the threats will prove more real than others. Not every strange or supernatural-seeming occurrence will necessarily have to do with the Mythos.
There will also be opportunities for plots to develop as the product of routine interactions with townsfolk NPCs over time. It might turn out that the waitress at the coffee shop your character goes to every day tells a strange tale that sparks the discovery of a whole mystery you never knew existed.
What players should not expect to find here is weekly ‘curse’ style plots (i.e. “Your character wakes up and for three days will be the opposite sex/a child/unable to lie/etc.”). That is not to say that there won’t be strange short-term events that will have particular effects on your characters, but please don’t expect these to be the standard.
The mods will also do all that we can to facilitate player led/player generated plots, and we wholeheartedly encourage any suggestions for plots--small and/or game-wide.
● Which community do I post to and what kinds of posts can I make?
The main community, mysterium_rpg can be used for any of the following:
Phone call: All
Phone call: [Character's name(s)]
Telegram (or Cable): [Character's name(s)]
Letter: [Character's name(s) | Date of mailing]
Action
Please keep in mind that sending letters through the post takes time. For any mail sent within the state or in those immediately bordering it, you can assume next day arrival. For longer distances, please use your judgement. Please also remember to note the dates when answering letters are sent. It is acceptable to forward date (within reason) some letters in an exchange in order to keep threads moving.
Because of the time it takes for delivery, letters and telegrams might not be appropriate for long threads. Please keep the medium of communication and its necessary limitations in mind. Sending a message by telegraph requires a trip to the Western Union office in town and will cost 60¢/10 words. Telegrams can only be sent, received, and delivered during normal business hours. (The Western Union office is open on Sunday afternoons.)
mysterium_logs is for prose logs written in the third person (past tense is customary, though not required. Please do be consistent with the verb tense being used by other players in the log though.) You may use this template for easy posting:
Who:
What:
Where:
When:
Rating and Warnings:
● How do characters communicate?
For now? The old fashioned way: if not face-to-face, then by phone, telegraph, or letters sent through the post. Phone calls to an outside line go through the switchboard operator and may connect either individual speakers or a whole group. Inside the residence, you may phone someone’s room directly by dialing their room number, or else, by dialing 404 will open up the lines throughout the residence, ringing everyone in the house simultaneously. There are no video or texting options, and it is not possible to switch a group call to a private one. You must instead hang up and dial back on a private line (i.e. make a new post to one individual alone.)
The game-wide communication system may change if some industrious character gets it in their mind to invent some sort of communication device (or improve the existing one). Certainly there are those at the university who would be fascinated by the challenge. But this remains a possibility that would have to be pursued and developed in-game.
● Are there any other ways for characters to communicate?
We will be maintaining an in-character notice board. Located in one of the common areas of the residence hall, this is basically a place for leaving notes or messages to others in the residence.
Approximately every two weeks, we will post an image template with a few basic notes. Players may then add any notes/scribbles/graffiti that their characters want to leave using the Goggles add-on for either Firefox or Chrome.
These missives and notes are in character and game canon, not intended as a meme. They are, however, optional and not a requirement for play (and cannot count towards AC). These posts will, from necessity, be locked to community members. We will take a screencap at the end of each fortnight so that anyone not using Goggles can read what’s been said.
● How does time pass in this game?
Ideally, game time will pass at 1/4 the rate of real time, so one in-game day = four days in real life. That means that roughly six hours of game time pass in each real-life day.
In practice, however, game time is organic: we respond to the apparent needs of the game and of players. If players seem to need more time to focus on a given event or log, we will delay the day change until the timing seems more appropriate. This is particularly the case during game-wide plots. Game time will never be faster than the 1:4 ratio, but it may at times be slower. Our goal is to facilitate time for logging and not to have anyone feeling left in the dust.
Day-change announcements will be posted to the main community. Additionally, we encourage backtagging and back-dating of logs where needed.
● What is the tagging system here?
Posts in the main comm should be tagged by the original poster in the following format: [canon] character name. Additionally, every character who comments should add a comment style tag: + character name. It is the responsibility of the commenter to add comment tags to every post s/he comments on, but the original poster should also check to make sure that all the tags on their post are correct and no one is left off. Please do be diligent about tagging your posts and comments as the tags are our best record of the game’s history.
● How do characters arrive?
There are several possible options for characters' entry into the game; however some are only available to players already in the game.
Unlike most LJRPs, character arrival is one of the more fluid and changing aspects of play here. Specifics and nuances will be given in the intro log for each new group of arrivals, and the treatment they initially receive will reflect recent developments in game. (For example, if a character has recently gone on a killing spree or tried attacking people, new arrivals might well be divested of their weapons until such time as it's believed they can be trusted not to run off skewering the townsfolk.)
The majority of characters (and the first character of all new players) will arrive through a portal that can be accessed through the cellar in Old Dixon House. They will initially be very groggy, some to the point of semi-consciousness, feel queasy and generally disoriented. Those who greet them (generally NPC's, but this might at some points include players' characters as well) will bring them to a sitting room where they can recover from the shock of their arrival and hear an explanation...of sorts. What the NPC's will themselves know, and how much they'll be able to explain, will depend on game developments and events. (Expect, initially, that they will be as confused as you are.) They'll offer characters a place to stay and provisions for their basic needs while they all try to figure out what has happened to send them there and how to stop/reverse it.
● Alternative arrival option:
Players who are bringing in a character beyond their first have the option to introduce them in ways besides the portal arrival. This is a very open and flexible option which would effectively allow players to bring their character in virtually anywhere in the world in a way that is in keeping with the weird and unexplained nature of Lovecraft’s stories. A character might, for example, crawl their way through a seemingly endless tunnel only to emerge, eventually, into a wholly foreign landscape in some remote region.
Because this option places the onus on the individual player to justify things like why the character can’t just turn around and go back the way they came, what they will find on arrival, and how they will become integrated in the game overall, it is obviously not a route for everyone. It will require plotting ahead with another player so that the new character meets either an established character in the game, or else meets another new character so that they will have someone to interact with, and it could potentially mean that quite a lot of time might pass before the new character can begin interacting with the majority of others in-game. We encourage players considering this option to talk to the mods so that we can help facilitate getting these characters integrated.
● AU and native OC character arrivals:
Obviously those characters native to the world will not be arriving via portal. For those characters, the application will include an “arrival” section in which the player proposes how the character gets in touch and becomes integrated with others in the game. They might, for example, be contacted as a consultant as part of a plot or meet other characters on a mission and choose to return with them. Again, we encourage players who want to bring in characters native to the world to talk to the mods so that we can help get them integrated smoothly.
The “Keepers” who are providing for the outlanders’ needs won’t usually be able to offer accommodation or living expenses for characters native to the world (though native characters can pay a fee to live in the residence hall if they wish).
● What happens to my character's powers?
Characters' supernatural, superhuman, and magical powers will be reduced, though not muted completely. Some powers might not work at all while others might just result in fatigue. These power reductions will all be handled case-by-case, and when you apply you will have the chance to propose what kind of power reductions you'd like to see for your character. In processing your app, the mods will probably make some suggestions/adjustments as a counter-proposal, and we will give you some options to choose from to make sure that powers will come out as balanced in-game. We feel that asking players to simply reduce their characters' ability by a certain set amount/percentage does not attend to issues of power imbalance between characters, which is why power reductions are being handled in this way. Please see the application for more details and examples.
● What happens to my character's stuff?
Anything that your character had in their possession or on their body that's small enough to be carried can come with them. However not all technology will work on arrival. Devices and weapons from more technologically advanced worlds will cease to function.
There is the possibility that your character might find someone who can adapt their gadgets to the tech level of this world though. This means finding another player with a character who will devote time and attention in-game to effectively inventing a version of the device based on available technology (a quasi-steampunk version, if you will). The inventing of new tech cannot simply be handwaved. (i.e. You can't just assume that your character ran into someone who agreed to take on the project and a few weeks later have a steampunk version of a Star Trek phaser.) For these kinds of IC projects please give the mods a heads-up so that we can give guidance on the kind of timescale/difficulty of converting a particular item to a functioning state in this setting.
● What about NC-17 content?
While this is not a sex game, we will not prevent players from writing sexual material. If NC-17 content is posted then it must be locked to members, placed behind an LJ-cut, and warnings for the kind of graphic content within must be provided. Alternately, players may place such logs on their character journals, though in this case the logs will not count towards AC requirements.
We request that players who are under the age of consent in their local jurisdiction not post NC-17 material in the game comms.
Also please note that we strongly discourage character pregnancies. We do not bar them from happening, but we remind players that, given the rate of game time, it would take three years of play to bring a pregnancy to term. Also please remember that characters who get pregnant out of wedlock in the era when the game is set will likely face a substantial degree of social censure and prejudice.
Activity Checks, Hiatuses and HMD
● What are the activity check requirements?
Please see the AC info page here.
● What are the hiatus rules?
In normal circumstances, players may hiatus for up to one month. Hiatuses of less than two weeks do not reduce that month’s AC requirements. Those who are on hiatus during AC must complete the AC upon their return. Hiatuses must be posted on the official hiatus page in order to be considered in the AC.
● What is "How's My Driving?" (HMD) and is it mandatory?
"How's My Driving?", or HMD, is an opportunity for players to tell each other how they think they are doing with their characters in game. Mysterium Tremendum will hold an in-house HMD which is mandatory. It will take place every other month, coincident with the AC. HMD posts will be f-locked to current players, which means they will not be anon-enabled. Players are welcome to include links to anon-enabled HMD posts on their character journals, and may of course use hmd-me if they wish to participate in more public/anon-friendly HMDs, but participation in the in-house HMD is part of the game’s “good citizenship” requirement. The mods will maintain an anon-enabled HMD page as well as posting to the in-house HMD with the mod journal for general feedback on the game and its runnings.
Specifics About the World and Arkham, MA
● What and where is Arkham, Massachusetts?
A creation of Lovecraft’s often named in his stories, Arkham is a fictional town in Massachusetts located north of Boston and near the Atlantic coast. It is the main location in which the game is set. More information about the town is available here. (Please note that neither the town of Arkham nor its sanitarium have any relationship to the “Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane” of the DC Universe.)
● Where do characters live?
The primary residence hall is a Victorian mansion on an abandoned estate, which will be adapted for the purpose of housing the "outlanders". Details and floorplans for the residence can be found here. Your impromptu “hosts” are members of the Miskatonic University faculty and staff, and they weren’t expecting you to turn up! So things aren’t all prepared at the outset. They’re pulling your accommodations together with the help of some (secret) funding help from the University administration, but they’re effectively dusting off the furniture in a building that’s been vacant for most of the past decade. There’s bound to be some housekeeping and refurnishing that needs to be done, and you may not have clean linen for the first week or so.
There is a communal kitchen and a couple of common room sitting areas on the ground floor with bedrooms on the second, third, and fourth floors, each of which also have shared bathroom facilities. Some of the bedrooms are singles and some are doubles (with two single beds). Keep in mind that if your character is alone in a double room, they might find themselves with a roommate they don’t expect somewhere down the line. After all, your hosts’ resources are not endless, and there are times when space might be at a premium.
Characters are free to move out of the residence hall at any time, whether into a house or apartment of their own in the city (they’ll have to pay their own way, of course). In the case of AU and native OC characters, they might also live somewhere in the city that’s been their long-term residence. Extravagant or exceptional living arrangements should be cleared with the mods ahead of time. (i.e. Your character can’t just happen to own the Bates Motel outside of town.)
● What about languages?
Whatever mechanism it is that’s brought you here has apparently done one favor: it has given you the ability to understand and speak the most common tongue of the natives, i.e. English. It hasn’t taken away your ability to speak whatever languages you knew previously, and you may still use those with anyone who understands them. Some characters may find their new language ability comes with a bit of an odd accent which tips off the locals that they’re "not from around here," others may find the words a bit uncomfortable in their mouths and have to spend some time adjusting to their new manner of speaking, and some will feel no effects at all. We leave decisions of how characters will or won't be affected by suddenly knowing a new language to players' discretion.
● Can my character leave?
Well, yes and no. They can leave the city. They can leave the country. They just can’t leave the world...or, at least, no one knows how to leave the world. Of course since they’ve already turned up at one of the world’s prime centers for knowledge about mysterious and occult happenings, if they do want answers and a route home, they’re probably already in the place they need to be, so there’s perhaps less of a cause to go gallivanting off trying to find someone who can explain it all. Besides, travel takes money, and finding an alternate funding source could be a challenge.
● What happens to dropped characters?
Dropped characters are presumed to have left the city-they might have said their goodbyes and left word where they were going, or they might have just packed up and gone one day without a peep. It’s up to the player who is dropping. What happens to them then? Well, no one is really sure. Attempts to contact them will all fail, and no one will be able to identify their whereabouts. After all, the world is a big place, and it’s easy not to be found in an age long before modern information technologies. It’s possible that some of these people die…or maybe they’ve found a secret that has sent them back to their homes. Whatever it is, no one knows.
● So then what happens if a dropped character is re-apped?
If the character is apped by a new player, they will arrive through the portal with a clean slate. Other characters might be confused by their sudden appearance this way, especially if they believe said character to be living happily in Pango-Pango, but since the original version will have vanished, there won’t be any clear explanation. (OOCly, players should be aware that there is only ever one version of the character in the world at a time.)
If a dropped character is re-apped by the original player, they can either take the clean slate option or they can simply have the character return from their globetrotting adventures...with one catch. Returning characters won’t be able to remember anything about the intervening time, about where they went or what happened to them while they were there. Effectively, during the time that the character was dropped, no history or backstory can be handwaved. It’s all a fog in their mind, an inexplicable gap, spanning from the time they departed until the time they returned.
● What happens if a character dies?
Except in extraordinary circumstances (which would have to evolve as part of a game-wide plot) death in game is permanent. A character who dies must be re-apped from scratch and will not retain any memories of their previous time in the world.
We encourage players to take character death seriously: there are plenty of things out there that can kill you! The mods will warn you if your character appears to be heading down a route not conducive to long life. We’re not out to kill your characters, but the onus for keeping them alive is on you! This is a setting where stupidity often can and will get you (and all your buddies…and possibly everyone on the nearest continent) killed.
● What other bad things might happen to my character short of death?
The biggest risk that encountering Cthluhu Mythos presents to characters isn’t actually death, it’s insanity. And this is where the concept of the mysterium tremendum really comes in. We’ve made a page devoted to this topic. Please see here.
● Can I canon update my character?
Since there is no way back to the characters’ original worlds, there is no way for them to literally return home for a canon update per-se. However there are ways for elements of their world to reach them here: canon updates will work as a particularly vivid dream or series of dreams, from which the character awakes feeling an absolute visceral certainty that what he or she has dreamed really happened. Of course no one can be sure, but a character’s canon-mates can perhaps confirm what they saw in their dream...or perhaps confirm having a dream exactly like it themselves.
This means, however, that canon updating in this game won’t confer any new powers or abilities, nor will it allow a character to gain possession of an object they didn’t have on arrival. If you want them to get an object which they come into possession of in canon, please speak to the mods and we’ll try to find a way to accommodate.
● What is the date in-game?
The game begins on October 1, 1928. The timeline of events prior to the game’s beginning generally follows that in Lovecraft’s stories, but some liberties have been taken. You can find the current in-game day by checking the !day change tag on the main community. We will also provide a synopsis of key events as the game progresses. This should be used for OOC knowledge only, unless your character has an IC way of knowing.
Miskatonic University
● What is Miskatonic University (M.U.)?
Located in the center of Arkham, Miskatonic University is another of Lovecraft’s creations, a prestigious private university housing an impressive library with an extensive collection of rare books. It is not a university for the study of the occult...at least not on its surface. For all appearances, it is like any other well respected New England university. There are, however, a number of notable faculty members with expertise in exceptional and unique fields, which makes the school a de facto hub for knowledge about the occult and the paranormal.
More information on M.U. will be revealed soon. For now, just know that characters’ de facto hosts are well-respected members of the university’s staff.
● Can my character enroll at M.U.?
Characters cannot enroll immediately upon arrival, but as the game progresses those who wish to may be able to apply to attend the university. Several hurdles will need to be overcome in-game: first, they must have a way to fund their studies. This could come in the form of paid work (either legal or illegal) or it might mean securing a benefactor who will pay their tuition for them. Then they will need to apply for admission. Miskatonic is a very prestigious ivy league institution, so not all who wish to attend will necessarily be offered a place. If you want your character to attend, the mods may be able to help come up with ways to justify their acceptance, but if your character lacks a basic education in their canon, it’s unlikely that they would realistically be offered a place.
● Who is who at M.U.?
Extensive details about important names and faces at M.U. will be available soon on the both the M.U. information page and the NPC page.
Lovecraft Mythos Specifics
● Can my character run into Cthulhu in a dark alley?
No. In fact your character is unlikely to ever actually see (and certainly not directly or fully see) any of the Great Old Ones. And more to the point, you should hope that they don’t because to see them is likely to be shaken so wholly to the core that few people could emerge with their psyches intact.
● What is the Necronomicon (and can my character get/read a copy)?
The Necronomicon is a fictional book which is mentioned frequently in Lovecraft's stories. It is such a popular element of Lovecraft's world that many people don't realize the book was, in fact, made up by the author.
In the Lovecraft stories, and in this game, the Necronomicon is perhaps the most famous tome of dark magic and lore in the world...which is not to say that its existence is common knowledge in any form. Only those with specialist knowledge of the occult will ever have heard of it (which means your character likely will not have.) It was written by the Mad Arab, Ahbdul Alhazred in the early 8th century, and is not available in translation. There are only five known extant copies of the book, one of which is held in the Miskatonic University library and kept closely guarded, not available for public perusal. Your character will not be able to read it unless they manage to convince someone in-game that they should gain access, and even then they will be allowed to read only a few pages. They cannot walk into a bookshop and buy a copy, nor (except in the case of a game-wide plot) can they simply find one on a mission or adventure.
● What about magic?
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that not all magic is Mythos magic. Characters who are magic users in their canons have, effectively, learned how to manipulate some elements of the material reality of their own home worlds. Of course they’re no longer in their home worlds, which means that though their magic may function to greater or lesser degrees, it will never be at its full effectiveness, and certainly never be as powerful as Mythos magic.
For the purposes of this game, think of each character’s canon world, each dimension, and each galaxy as a sort of island “universe” ruled by its own natural laws, its own physics, its own rules of space and time. (The 1920s earth on which the game takes place, our solar system, and the Milky Way, are just one of these island universes.)
Unlike “local” magics, Mythos magic represents the true and unifying magic of the universe, the bedrock from which each of the “island universes” has emerged. Mythos magic would never be used to light a candle or fit more books into your bag than it should logically be able to hold. Rather, Mythos magic is comprised of long elaborate rituals and chantings, often taking hours to complete, which summon (or sometimes attempt to bind or control) malevolent and otherworldly entities. It involves manipulating the true underlying fabric of the universe--not the local portion of the known universe which is within any one individual’s ken, but the universe in all its incomprehensible vastness and multiplicity--and this is why it so threatens the sanity of those who would attempt to understand and use it.
Other
● Holy shit! Why is there so much to read?!
Primarily it’s because there’s so much texture and complexity in Lovecraftian fiction, which we’re trying to adapt here. Lovecraft was writing almost a century ago, and in the past 70+ years, many other authors have worked to deepen and expand upon his Mythos.
But players are not expected to have each and every detail about the world-setting for this game memorised, and players certainly aren’t expected to become Lovecraft scholars! Instead we want to provide a good reference tool for players and hope that you will read selectively when new information becomes relevant to your characters’ experiences. We want to create a rich local area for characters to explore and we want there to remain some elements which are mysterious enough that there’s always something new still waiting to be discovered.
The other reason for there being so much to read is that there are some themes--to do with insanity, trauma, and the numinous, for example--which are vitally important to the overall atmosphere and ethos of the game. We’re trying to make something a bit different to the many jam-jar style LJRP games that are out there, but we don’t expect you to read our minds or to know what we’re thinking unless we say it. We have done our best to be clear, but are happy to try and clarify anything that’s confusing or ambiguous.
●Jeeze, is this place just dead or something?
What we are cultivating here is a game where even people with demanding real-life schedules can take part in on-going, in-depth plot and roleplay without feeling left behind or lost if they don't/can't check the game every single day. The game is set-up to be back-tag friendly and plot-heavy, these things don't work well in a fast-paced or rigid game.
But in short, no, this place is not dead at all. It's just a bit different to most games out there. We do not judge the 'life' of our game by the number of posts generated in a day or even in a week; we judge it on player interest and plot-progression.
● I have a question that is not answered here. What do I do?
Ask us! As mods we strive to answer any questions you may have and will try our best to clear up any confusion, so if you leave a question for us here we will try and get back to you as and when we can, please be patient. Alternatively, if you do not feel comfortable asking a question here then there are other, less pubic ways to contact us here.