Main Community

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Behavior & Conflict Resolution
You are expected to show a basic level of respect for your fellow players. Be courteous, be cooperative, and communicate. Any interpersonal issues that you can't politely resolve on your own should be immediately brought to the attention of a mod for mediation or other action. Problems with thread dropping and hiatus abuse will also be taken seriously.

Respect the privacy of other players - while you're welcome to add each other on Plurk or the social networking site of your choice, there's nothing in this game that requires you to do so. If you don't like someone's personal conduct outside the game, don't follow them.

Any type of harassment, discrimination or bullying will absolutely not be tolerated. All players are entitled to their opinions, beliefs, preferences and identities.

Metagaming, Godmoding, Infomoding, Powergaming, Fourthwalling, Etc.
Since this is a conflict-heavy game, there are likely to be many confrontations of both a physical and verbal nature. There will be villains, there will be spies, and there will be betrayals. So, it's especially important to avoid breaking the IC/OOC divide in this game.

In general, most meta issues can be easily avoided by communicating with other players. If you're unsure what your character would realistically know about another character's background and motivations, just ask! If you're doing a battle scene, you can chat with the other player and determine the course of the fight and eventual winner ahead of time. In general, you should always ask permission before doing anything that will physically damage another character or potentially interfere with their future plans.

Players of characters with powers that are especially prone to metagaming (such as telepathy) should maintain a permissions post.

Gameplay Style and Tags
This is a prose game. Prose roleplaying has become rare in DWRP, so I'd like to support it in the interest of promoting more variety. Please be willing to adhere to this style in your face-to-face logs. You're welcome to use either present tense or past tense prose, but past tense is probably the more widely used of the two.

There's no gamewide "network" in this game, but there are methods of long-distance communication: telephones, letters, telegrams, radio, notice boards, and magical communication devices that function something like cell phones. However, there are no universal devices that allow for automatic mass communication to all player characters in the game, and there's no network community. All logs, regardless of whether they're face-to-face or long distance, go in the main logs comm.

Tag your posts with the names of all characters involved, the in-game date, and any other relevant tags as specified in the Post Templates section.

Content Warnings
Anything not safe for work due to violent or sexual content needs to be hidden behind a cut with appropriate warnings. Also try to be aware of and warn for content that other players may find objectionable or disturbing. This includes (but is not limited to) mentions of sexual abuse, consent issues, traumatic death, gore, drug abuse, domestic violence and torture.

Adult content of all kinds is allowed in this game and does not need to be locked, but do keep in mind that this isn't a sex game. If your logs frequently involve sexual material that isn't directly relevant to plots, it's probably more appropriate to play those scenes in a musebox.

Game Size
This is intended to be a small, closely plotted game. For that reason, and to make modding easier, the maximum number of players will be capped at 25. Players can have as many characters as they like, provided that they're able to keep up with activity checks. OU characters should be no more than 50% of the total number of characters.

Activity Checks and Thread Dropping
Activity checks will be at the end of each month. Participation in a minimum of one finished threads per character with a reasonable number of comments (based on tagging style and length) is required. Activity check also requires participation in the monthly plotting meme, which will take place on the OOC community. Plotting memes allow you to quickly inform other players about your character's recent activities and to collaborate on plans for the future. Other gamewide plots may involve plotting posts or chats, too, so please keep an eye on the OOC comm.

This game is slow-paced and backtag friendly, but thread dropping is still a serious issue given the involved nature of the plot. If you need to drop a thread for whatever reason, you will be expected to inform other affected players. Together, you can work out a handwaved resolution to the thread, or you can agree to backtag it at a later date. However, if you don't make an effort to contact the other player and the thread has been abandoned for longer than three weeks, the other player can ask the mods for permission to handwave any necessary plot without your input. Chronic unexcused thread dropping with no communication may be grounds for expulsion from the game.

Drops and Hiatuses
Planned hiatuses of longer than a week should be announced on the OOC comm. You're welcome to announce "slowatuses" and shorter hiatuses if you're involved in active threads, too. If you know you're going to be unavailable for a significant amount of time, then please, please be willing to either backtag or handwave the resolution of your open threads, depending on how critical that thread is to current plots. Abandoned threads can become a huge inconvenience.

Dropped characters and those who have gone on long-term hiatus without making prior arrangements will be assumed to be injured, imprisoned, on vacation, or missing in action. The mods and any affected players will work out the details as necessary.

Reserves last for two weeks, and can be extended for one additional week if necessary. To reserve a character, reply with your name, the name of the character, and their canon. Please make a note of whether you're applying for an AU or OU version of a canon character.

Current Reserves
Character Name (Series Name) reserved by Player, expires 00/00/00
Character Name (Series Name) reserved by Player, expires 00/00/00
Character Name (Series Name) reserved by Player, expires 00/00/00

Applications Received
Character Name (Series Name) reserved by Player
Character Name (Series Name) reserved by Player
Character Name (Series Name) reserved by Player

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The World
-eisenreich is the german empire/prussia, only bigger.
-other countries are up to players, but the time period is roughly late 1900s-ish. so think victorian england, gilded age america, meiji japan, tsarist russia, qing china, etc. but historical accuracy is less important than general old-fashioned atmosphere.
-airships, boats and trains used for relatively quick international travel.
-eisenreich is pretty diverse and open to foreigners.
-the bulk of the game will be set in the capital of königsberg, but characters can go elsewhere and be from other places.

The Imperial Capital Of Königsberg

City Center
Altstadt Castle and the surrounding Old Town of Königsberg are located on an island connected to the rest of the city by several bridges. The Old Town, with narrow streets that date back to medieval times, is home to many small cafes and shops. The dark and winding alleys make pursuit difficult, so this area is popular for secret meetings between revolutionaries and other outcasts.

South District
The seat of the military government lies just across the river from the castle. Several large government buildings surround a plaza that's used for parades and public demonstrations. Eisenreich National University and the National Library are located nearby, as is the Imperial Military Academy, a training school for army officers. South City Hospital, the largest medical facility in Königsberg, is located to the southeast.

East District
The eastern quarter of the city is home to the train and airship stations, as well as the main barracks for Imperial Army soldiers stationed in the capital. Many low-ranking officers and military technical personnel reside in apartments nearby. The local shops cater to both professional and amateur inventors with many technological wonders, some imported from other worlds. Along the river, there are many large factories.

North District
Local landmarks include the Königsberg University of Engineering, the Royal Concert Hall, and the City Park. The North District is home to many of the capital's wealthy residents, including government officials, top Army officers, and what little of the old nobility survived the anti-mage purges twenty years ago. Towards the outskirts of the city, sprawling estates quickly give way to farmland and forest.

West District
The West District is the poorest area of the city, and the only quarter in which mages can legally reside. Some mages make a living selling magical items and magitech goods, but others struggle to survive. Although there are many factories in the area, most won't employ mages. The Charity Hospital provides low-cost services from magical healers.

Outside the City
Königsberg is surrounded by the farming towns of Grunwald, Pregel and Mansfeld, and several small villages. The other major cities of the empire can be reached within a day or two by train or airship. Travel to foreign countries can take days or weeks, depending on the distance covered.

Player Created Locations
Since this game owes a lot to the "Ruritanian romance", a genre of 19th century adventure/political intrigue novels set in imaginary European monarchies, players are encouraged to create their own locations, from fantasy countries and cities to small businesses in Königsberg itself. Although the setting is roughly late 19th century, you don't have to worry much about textbook accuracy because this is all magical-historical fantasy anyway. If you want to add a minor element (such as a business), just comment here to add a description. If you want to add a major element (like a city or country), it's probably best to ask first if it wasn't included in your application.

The technology level is roughly similar to that of the early 20th century, with a few steampunk elements. Cars and other relatively modern vehicles exist, but the average person is more likely to travel by train, airship or public streetcar. Electric lighting is present in most urban homes and streets. Modern digital computers have not been invented yet, but mechanical calculation machines allow for data storage and complex mathematics. Most technological innovation goes into weapons and gear for the military, which maintains a large research and development team.

Magitech - fusions of magic and technology - also exist, but due to society's low opinion of mages, things like flying cars and enchanted robots are very rare. The only socially acceptable form of magic are universal translation charms that are usually cast on small, cheap, wearable items like jewelry. Characters who arrive from other worlds or other in-game countries can easily obtain these. Magically enhanced weapons also exist.

There is no gamewide "network" in this world, but characters can still make use of various long distance communication methods, including telephones, radio, telegrams, and snail mail. There's also a magical equivalent to the cell phone - mages can take two or more pieces of wood from the same tree and craft them into small beads or figurines. When held in both hands, they allow for audio or silent telepathic communication to be sent to anyone who owns a wooden item from the same tree. Characters might carry several of these (one for every person or group of people they wish to speak to privately), but non-magical people generally shun them.

Alternate Universe
AU characters are born in the game world, and have lived their entire lives as members of its fractured society. Their canon backstories are adapted and rewritten to fit the setting. A good AU character should be very close to their canon counterpart in terms of personality and general life history. You may find that playing a character as an in-game AU allows you to preserve their canon job and social position, which is usually lost when characters are apped as OUs (as in most jamjars). You can integrate your character with the setting and with characters from other canons. You can even seamlessly import aspects of your character's canon, such as organizations or important items, into the game - the setting is very open to player embellishment. Since AU games have become something of a lost style of gameplay in DWRP, you're encouraged to give it a try. It's not as hard as it sounds, and it allows for some plots that you just can't do with OU characters.

Original Universe
OU characters are magically brought into the game wold from their own canons. This game is a bit different from most jamjars in that there's no way to "go home," so OU characters are expected to settle into their new lives. The gateway between dimensions has been active for twenty years, so you're welcome to play an OU character who has already been living in the game world for a weeks, months or years if you'd prefer to skip their arrival. OU characters arrive in the form of a meteor that lights up the night sky before crashing to earth, so existing characters usually have a fair idea of where to look for the newcomer. Come morning, a very confused offworlder will be found wandering in some farmer's field outside the capital city. What happens next is up to the player, so you're encouraged to have some fun with it and plot out your character's arrival scenario with other players. Or, you can just handwave the arrival scene and jump right into the game.

New OU characters are often picked up by military patrols. If they have no magical abilities, or if they (wisely) keep their magical skills a secret, they'll be offered a job with the army. Joining the army (or its associated noncombatant support services) is the easiest way for a new arrival to make money, obtain housing, and gain information about the world. Average NPC citizens are very sympathetic to the plight of innocent offworlders who were kidnapped from their home dimensions - its one more crime they can blame on the mages.

If a freshly arrived OU character demonstrates magical ability when they encounter soldiers, they might be let go, or they might be captured, or they might fight their way to freedom. They might have to figure out how to fend for themselves. A new OU character may also encounter a native mage, who will probably take them to a safehouse. Be creative! The idea is to plan out an arrival that's suited to your character, and to start plotting with other players from your very first thread.

Both AU and OU characters who have no powers in canon can be apped as mages (on a limited basis, so long as it doesn't lead to an imbalance in the game). Likewise, characters who have powers in canon can be apped without them.

Original Characters
OCs are welcome in this game. If your OC already has a very well-developed backstory, you can bring them into the game jamjar-style as if they were an OU character. Or, you can adapt your OC to the setting as if they were an AU character who's been there their whole life.

Can characters die? Can a dead character be re-apped?
Yes, but death is permanent in this game and dead characters can't be re-apped by anyone else. For this reason, any character death must be cleared with the mods. You're welcome to have characters get badly hurt, though - NPC magical healers are available if your character then has to make a quick recovery.

What about drops? Can a dropped character be re-apped?
Dropped characters are not considered dead and can be re-apped. A dropped character may be assumed to be injured, imprisoned, on vacation, or otherwise unavailable to explain their absence from the game. A new player can choose to keep the previous player's CR and general background (minor retcons are fine), or they can choose to bring in a different incarnation of that character and start fresh.

Can OU characters leave? How do you handle canon updates?
OU characters can't leave until the endgame. The idea is for OU characters to quickly integrate into the game world, and they can't do that if "going home" is always the first thing on their minds. So, characters can't leave for canon updates. However, if you are playing a character from an ongoing canon and some big, important revelation comes up, talk to a mod and we can probably work out a retcon to your original application.

There's an endgame?
Yes, the goal is for this game to eventually wrap up all of its major plots and come to an end. However, the endgame is flexible and will depend on the flow of the game and the interests of the players.

Can there be doubles of characters?
Yes, but only if there's a significant difference between them. There can be an OU version and an AU version of the same character, for instance, because they'll have different (but similar) backstories and motivations. You'll need to ask a mod. The natives are aware of the existence of parallel universes and they know that "doppelgängers" sometimes occur, but they're still seen as a bad omen.

Are canon AUs allowed?
Yes, a canon AU can be apped following the procedures for a normal OU character... if there's a very significant difference between the canon AU and the OU version. That's something that will be up to mod discretion, so ask before you app.

Are fandom OCs allowed?
Yes, as long as they're not stupid and they don't introduce significant elements that would affect canon characters. Once again, that's up to mod discretion. They would be apped following the procedures for normal OU characters.

Can I play an NPC?
Sure, if you need to create a non-player character for a plot, you can log into the NPC journal (password is in the locked Player Contact section), add an icon, and post.

What can my OU character bring when they arrive into the game?
They can bring personal possessions, weapons, devices, pets, and anything else that was nearby when they were sucked into the game world. Of course, there's no guarantee that extremely high-tech items will work. Items such as vehicles can be no larger than a car, so giant robots are a no-go. The vortex that brings characters into the game world may scatter their possessions over a large area.

OU characters who summon mythological creatures as weapons (including Pokemon and Personae) can only have a maximum of five summons. AU character summons will have to be cleared with the mods - in general, this world has few magical creatures, and summoning a giant dragon or something like that in the middle of a city wouldn't be very practical.

Are non-human characters allowed?
Maybe. In general, all characters should be at least visibly human, because the setting really isn't designed to support talking ponies and the like. An intelligent non-human character would cause so much alarm that they'd probably be immediately captured and studied by NPCs. They would not be able to have normal interactions with other characters. If you're dead-set on playing an obviously non-human character and you can deal with these limitations, then go for it... but you'll probably find it to be a very restrictive experience.

However, you can app a non-human character as either an in-game AU or a canon AU that's always been human.

As for characters that look human but aren't... that's a case by case matter. A vampire or demon would probably be fine as an OU character, and as an AU their condition could be explained as some sort of magical ailment. But a character who is a god would probably be greatly depowered as an OU character, and a normal human as an AU character. Talk to the mods and we can try to work out something that will allow you to play your special character while preserving the integrity of the setting.

Can canonically non-magical characters gain magical abilities?
Yes, but only when they're apped. Your OU character may realize upon arrival into the game world that they suddenly have new abilities, or that they've lost old powers. An AU character can likewise be apped with new or different abilities. This will require mod permission, because we want to maintain balance and in general you should play your character as close to canon as possible. This game has plenty of options for non-magical characters. Non-magical characters can even use magical items (such as enchanted weapons).