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monsterdata2022-12-18 10:15 pm
ryslighelpers) wrote in monsterdata2022-12-18 10:15 pm
Frequently Asked Questions - General FAQ
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We have done our best to answer the most commonly-asked and most obvious questions about the game on this page. Our Settings FAQ page answers questions dealing more with details about the world and the people of Ryslig.
Please be aware that as of August 2023, our official policy is that the mod team will not provide lore drops on request. We encourage players to take the initiative in creating their own lore and mythologies.
If you don't see your question answered here, you can also check the player-made FAQ database (thank you, Nico!) to see whether someone else has asked it in the past.
If you still have a question that hasn't been answered, you can always ask it using the comments on this post. However, we do ask that you check the FAQ database first, to avoid confusion and extra work for the mods. Thank you!
◉ MEME◉ OOC ◉ NETWORK◉ MAIN◉ NAVIGATION▲
We have done our best to answer the most commonly-asked and most obvious questions about the game on this page. Our Settings FAQ page answers questions dealing more with details about the world and the people of Ryslig.
Please be aware that as of August 2023, our official policy is that the mod team will not provide lore drops on request. We encourage players to take the initiative in creating their own lore and mythologies.
If you don't see your question answered here, you can also check the player-made FAQ database (thank you, Nico!) to see whether someone else has asked it in the past.
If you still have a question that hasn't been answered, you can always ask it using the comments on this post. However, we do ask that you check the FAQ database first, to avoid confusion and extra work for the mods. Thank you!
What kind of game is this?Ryslig is a character-driven horror game inspired by mid-20th-century speculative fiction. Characters must deal with the process of becoming less (or more?) than human as they change irrevocably into man-eating monsters. Ryslig is primarily a body horror game, with elements of science fiction, fantasy, and other forms of horror. I've never been in a Dreamwidth game before. Do you have any advice?We understand that joining a new game can be a bit intimidating, especially if you aren't used to Dreamwidth roleplay as a culture. While we have every faith in our players' ability to learn as they go, there are several resources available to help you get into the swing of things if you're new here. This 2009 FAQ post covers a lot of the basics and the terminology commonly used in Dreamwidth roleplay. Given when it was made, obviously some of it is a little out-of-date, but it's still a good starting point! This Google document is a pretty thorough walkthrough for people coming to Dreamwidth from other roleplaying communities. Finally, this Tumblr account collects a range of advice and information on roleplaying more generally, if you're completely new to the hobby. You can also ask the mods or your fellow players, if you're feeling lost. We don't bite, we promise - even if our characters do! What can I do here?Characters in Ryslig can interact with the setting in any number of ways - whether they align with one of the gods, look for a way out of their situation, or simply settle into their new life eating people. Ryslig is a fairly relaxed game, and players are free to do things like set up businesses, buy new locations or powers, or have their character throw a party or event. However, things are frequently thrown out of their normal order by plot events or the coming of the Fog, which brings monster changes and adds to characters’ unbearable hunger. Don’t get too comfortable! What happens when my character arrives here?How your character arrives in Ryslig will vary, but a few things are constant:
What happens once my character is here?New characters will remain human for one month after arriving. During this time, they will find that they experience a range of reactions from the human population, who are generally very good at picking up on who is an outsider. Many humans will treat new arrivals generously, hoping to win their favour and protection when the changes occur. It is usually easy for new arrivals to find food, shelter, and information. However, other humans will respond with hostility to the newcomers, and may even attack or try to kill them. Of course, monsters have been coming into Ryslig for a while now, and many monsters have set up their own systems of support! New characters may find themselves directed to the Lighthouse, Hestia’s Place, or Crowe Clinic, all of which are god-neutral and provide support and shelter to newcomers. This includes information packs which can be assumed to include all information in the Settings FAQ, as well as a map of the peninsula. At the end of their first month, when the fog rolls in, the monster changes will begin. How long does it take for characters to change?Once characters arrive in Ryslig, they have four months to complete all mandatory changes. Optional changes may take place during this time too, but can also be extended beyond the first four months. Monster changes can happen in any order, as quick or as slow as you like within the first four months. Do you want to delay all changes until month four? You're living on the wild side. Do you want to give your character insatiable hunger without the body parts or powers that will help them to feed? Also valid. The mods will always provide a 'change log' one month after a pool of new characters enters the game. This will signal the in-character start of monster transformations for your character and the start of your four-month mandatory transformation allowance; this always takes place during a fog cycle. After this initial log, players are free to write out monster changes at any time and aren't limited to foggy weeks. To see what changes are mandatory for your monster, and what changes are optional, you can check the Bestiary. What monster will my character be?That depends! Would you like a monster that fits your character's personality or conflicts with it? Would you go with either fits or conflicts, whichever has the strongest match? Or would you prefer to roll the dice and get a completely random match? Our application has a section for you to choose which you prefer. We also ask you to list your character's key personality traits, which we would like you to flesh out and justify in your personality section. By matching these traits to our top-secret monster chart, the mods will sort your character into one of the 23 currently available monster types. This information will be released all at once by updating the Taken list to reflect monster assignments a week or so after arrivals. The announcement date changes a by a day or two every cycle, so keep an eye on the mod plurk for monster reveals. Please note that not all characters will get the most obvious choice, particularly if more fitting monsters are opted out. It's also important to note that the application traits are expected to fit the character, and revisions will be given if they don't line up (don't cheat because you really, really want a manticore, is what we're saying). So I don’t get to pick my monster? What if I don’t like it??You don’t get to pick your monster, but since we are aware that there will be monster types which people really do not feel able to play, you have the ability to opt out of up to six monster types on your application. (If you have other characters in the game, you may also opt out of their monster types without it counting towards the total) Once your monster type has been assigned, it is fixed - please do not appeal to the mods for a change of monster, as this is not something we do! However, characters can collect Mana coins through extra game activity, and these can be used to purchase temporary or permanent changes to their monster type. Can returning characters get a new monster?If a new player apps a character who was previously played in Ryslig, they will be treated as a new app and will be given a fresh monster assignment. However, if you have dropped a character and then reapplied later, they are not eligible for a new monster. One monster per character per player. The exception to this rule is characters who initially joined the game before the bestiary changes in 2017, and did not take the optional re-sort when the changes were brought in. (This includes all characters who were dropped before 2017) How will my character change?Monster changes can be anything you like, as long as it fits the criteria in the Bestiary! We encourage creativity in how you apply the traits and changes for your monster, and players are welcome to draw inspiration from their character’s canon, the natural world, or versions of their monster present in myth and legend. These changes can be purely physical, but you are also welcome to give your character new instincts and urges, psychological changes, and so on. You’re also welcome to go above and beyond the listed traits of your monster, as long as these changes are purely cosmetic and do not provide the monster with an added advantage. If you’re unsure whether an additional change is allowed, ask! We have a specialised Monster FAQ page available to help you out. How will people know what my character looks like now?When you join, you will be asked to add a Monster Info page to your character’s journal. (An updated code for this, which can be less buggy, was also produced by one of our players - thank you, Talloran!) This post can be updated to include descriptions (short or long) of your character’s changes as they happen. Many people also find this a useful place to put any artwork or reference images for their character’s monster form. Please be proactive in checking other characters’ info posts when tagging them! In terms of icons, you are welcome to continue using your existing icons or to add new ones as your character’s monster changes take hold. How powerful are monsters? What abilities do they have?Regardless of monster type, or of how they look, monsters are physically stronger than untransformed humans. An average monster can take on five humans with ease. Different monster types have different strengths, weaknesses, and abilities, but as a rule of thumb, all monsters are roughly equivalent in strength. This is not a game focused on stats or power levels or who can beat up whom. All monsters have the ability to speak when transformed, regardless of their form. This applies to fog forms as well as to regular monster forms. What is a fog form?All monster types have the option to include a fog form. This is an optional secondary form for your character, which they can only change into at times when the fog is active - you can see when the fog is active on the events calendar. Fog forms are a more horrific, exaggerated version of your character’s usual monster form, and offer the opportunity to go all out with the body horror. A character can develop a fog form at any time. Okay, but about the hunger…?All fully-transformed monsters, without exception, have to eat people in some form in order to survive. What this means may differ between monster types (some monsters have to eat human meat, while others feed on blood, souls, energy, or the water in the body) but nobody is exempt. This is a crucial part of how monsters survive and get their energy, and the hunger will get stronger when a character expends more energy – for example, if they use their powers or abilities, or if they die and have to come back. A monster's cravings can be anywhere from once each week to a month or two. More than two months will require extreme willpower and no use of powers or healing. Beyond this point, the monster will go mad with a desire to feed off humans and will attack both friend and foe until they are satiated. Can monsters eat each other?Yes. However, bear in mind that this will count towards death totals (see Game Mechanics), and may cause loss of memory for the monster who gets eaten. Because monsters lose energy and gain hunger when they die, this is also not a sustainable solution for everyone! Eating a recently-resurrected monster who hasn’t fed yet will give less energy than eating a living human. Can monsters share kills?Yes. It is absolutely fine for characters to arrange to share out the parts of a kill. However, the soul is indivisible, so only one monster can eat the soul – no sharing it! What happens if my character dies?If your character dies outside the usual fog days, they will come back with the next fog. If your character dies while the fog is flooding the peninsula, they may either come back during the next fog week, or in this current one. However, please keep in mind that unless a character has received sped-up resurrection through a god, it will always take at least 4 days to be brought back by the Fog. They will resurrect either where they died, where their body is, by Lake Dala or in the graveyard – this choice is up to the player! They may have scars from their death, or they may be resurrected entirely healed, depending on player preference. Characters who are pledged to either of the gods can resurrect much faster (see the God Boons page for more information) and in the domain of their respective god (i.e., Dyster if they are pledged to the Fog, or the Arcade if they are pledged to the Fourth.) However, death is not cheap, and resurrection is not easy! After resurrecting, all characters will find that they are weakened for at least a few days, and will also have increased hunger as their bodies try to get back the energy that was used. Death also causes characters to lose one memory for each time they die. This can be a memory from home, or from Ryslig, and what they forget is entirely up to player discretion. If a character dies enough times, they will slowly start to forget who they are. The exception to this will be the first and second time a character dies, when the player will have the option to leave them with all their memories. This is up to the player - if you want your character to start losing memories immediately, or to lose memories on their second death, that’s fine, too! We recommend you keep a death tally somewhere in your journal, so that you can refer back to it to see how many times your character has died, and what memories they have lost. However, this is not mandatory – just helpful! What if my character kills someone?Murders happen all the time in Ryslig – killing to eat is, after all, a core part of the setting. You do not need to ask mod permission to kill minor NPCs, and you are welcome to go into as much or as little detail as you like when it comes to killing native humans. Note that Ryslig natives are not resurrected when they die. No take-backs! Monsters may also kill one another. Hey, sometimes it happens! All we ask is that you make sure you have discussed this with the other player beforehand, as they will have to deal with the death added to their character’s count. What happens when a character drops?If you want to drop your character, please comment to the Hiatus/Drop post so that we know to take your character off the list. Otherwise, even if you have told the mods through another channel, you will be considered to have idled out, and will be unable to re-apply for an additional 2 months. ICly, characters who drop will simply disappear. Their names will appear on a gravestone in the graveyard. Are they buried there? Who knows. They’re gone, and the most information you may be able to get is that they have been returned to the Sea of Stars. Any Mana purchases, businesses, locations, or other goods they have in-game can be inherited by other characters, provided you have discussed it player-to-player beforehand. If this includes a major location or business changing hands, please make sure to comment to the linked pages to let us know! What if I need to hiatus?If you are going to be away or busy for a while, and you know you may struggle to make that month's AC, comment on the Hiatus/Drop post, using the form, to request a hiatus. You must be hiatused for at least two weeks out of the AC period to be exempt from Activity Check. In terms of what this looks like ICly, you are welcome to handwave any activity your character might have been up to while you were away! Alternatively, if you would prefer, your character may fall into a deep sleep, waking up when you return from hiatus. They will remain present in Ryslig throughout. Can I change my character's canon point, or update them to include new canon?Yes! Canon updates are handled through the applications page. Canon updates are for record-keeping only, and do not go through a formal approval process. Players can canon update at any time (not just when applications are open). Once submitted, there is no need to wait for a mod response, and you’re welcome to begin playing from your updated canon point immediately. If you drop and then later re-apply with a canon-updated character, please include a link to your canon update information with your application submission. Characters who are canon updated will not leave Ryslig or return home, and they will not change physically as a result of the update. They will fall into a deep sleep, which can last for as long or a short a time as you choose, and will dream a vivid dream of everything that has happened between their canon points. When they wake up, they will be able to remember everything that happened in canon, as well as their Ryslig experiences up to that point. Can my character start a business?Absolutely! We encourage it. If your character has set up a business in Ryslig, please head over to our Player Businesses page to give us a little information, so that people can be aware of the new business. When do applications open?Applications run on a two-month cycle. You can place reserves from the 22nd of an application month, and applications themselves are open from the 24th to the 30th. What characters can I apply with?Ryslig is open to both canon and original characters. However, you cannot apply with the following:
If you are applying with a canon character, we would ask that they have enough canon to work off, and that no more than fifty percent of their application is headcanon. You are welcome to app characters who are dead in canon, as well as characters who are non-human or magical. All characters will revert to living, unpowered humans when they arrive in the game. Can I re-apply if my application is rejected?You can re-apply a total of three times with the same character. This is to allow players the chance to adjust their applications and act on any issues raised by the mods. Remember, you can always contact the mods following a rejection to ask for an explanation! If your character's application is rejected three times, you will not be able to re-apply with that character. However, if more than three years have passed since the last rejection, you can contact the mods to ask whether you are allowed to re-apply. Do I need to reserve?You do not need to reserve in order to apply to the game. However, we will give priority to applications with a reserve in place if we get two applications for the same character. Is there a character cap?Each player is limited to playing a maximum of four characters at any one time. Currently, there is no cap on the total number of characters or players in the game, and we do not place a limit on the number of applications in an app round. What is activity check like?The minimum activity check requirement is 10 comments over the month. In order to count for basic AC, threads must:
If you have more than 10 comments, you can use these for bonus AC! When you join the game, you will be required to post a top-level for your character to the Permanent Activity Check post. Follow the instructions on the page to post your AC every month. A reminder to post your AC will go up a week before it is due, including the dates of the AC period. It is important that you follow the format given for AC, as we use an automatic checker – if you change the formatting, it can mess with the process of checking. A post will go up once the AC has been checked every month, listing players who have not responded or who have responded incorrectly. If you are listed on this post, you have five days to fix your AC. After that point, people who have not responded will be considered to have idled out. How does bonus AC work?Bonus AC comes in the form of Mana coins, an IC currency which characters can use to trade with Mana for perks such as powers, monster changes, locations, or things from home. For each 10 comments which you have accrued in addition to your basic AC, you will earn one coin. Please check the information on the Activity Check post to make sure you understand what counts for bonus AC, as it is slightly different to the requirements for basic AC. Mana coins cannot be traded between players or spent anywhere except with Mana. What is the difference between a hiatus and a strike?If you know you are likely to be away from your computer or otherwise unable to tag, you can ask for a hiatus by going to the Hiatus/Drops page. Then post to your Activity Check comment, linking to the comment where you took your hiatus. There are no penalties for taking a hiatus, but you must have been on hiatus for at least two weeks out of the month in order to claim an exemption from AC. If you didn’t see the disruption coming, or didn’t have a chance to post to the Hiatus page, don’t panic! You can still take a strike. In order to do this, just comment to your Activity Check saying that you are taking a strike. The main difference between a hiatus and a strike is that a strike has consequences for your future activity. If you take a strike, you must complete your full 10-comment AC for the next two months – you cannot take a hiatus or another strike in this period. The mods may also speak to you privately if we feel you are abusing the strike mechanic. If you need to hiatus for an extended period, or need to hiatus retroactively, please contact the mods directly. We try to be sensitive to personal circumstances, and will do our best to accommodate health problems or real-life crises. What happens if I drop or idle out?If you drop through the Hiatus/Drops post, then you can re-apply with the same character at any time from the next application round. They can keep all their monster changes and memories of Ryslig, or you can choose to start them from scratch. However, you will lose any Mana coins you might have accrued. If you idle out, you will not be allowed to re-apply for a minimum of two app cycles. Otherwise, the process is similar to a properly-processed drop. In either case, please note that your character will be eligible for anyone else to apply after they are dropped. Will there be an HMD?We post a game-wide How’s My Driving meme on the OOC community every other month, and we encourage players to post to it wherever possible (in fact, as an extra incentive, players can claim one extra Mana coin for one of their characters if they post to the HMD!) We also strongly encourage players to have a private HMD and/or opt-out post on their character’s journals, or to link to one somewhere on their journal. Please use all HMDs in the spirit intended. Any use of either game-wide or private HMDs to harass, bully, or personally insult another player is unacceptable, and the mods reserve the right to warn or ban players as needed if they are misusing HMDs. Should I warn for triggering content?We do encourage players to warn where possible for content that is outside the normal scope of the game, but which may be triggering or sensitive for other players – for example, discussion of abuse, sexual content, severe illnesses, etc. We also maintain a database of common and player-specific triggers, if you would like more guidance on what things should be warned for. Please be considerate, and use cut-text if you are writing a long toplevel or one which contains potentially triggering content. I have an idea for a plot!That’s great! We encourage player plots here at Ryslig, and will do our best to work with you to develop any ideas you have for large-scale game events. You can share your idea with the mods here. Please be aware that, while we love player plots, we are also wary of overloading players, so we will usually only run one game-wide plot (player-led or mod-led) per month. As a result, you may need to wait a while before your plot can be put into practice. |
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HERE WE GO
Second; The V3 update, at least from Noa's end, is strictly Software based. This means that the laptops themselves will not change shape and form. From here on, the text will be put in a 'text box' as well, so that it's easier for you guys to grab and alter it as desired. So let's crack in!
NOTE: Due to the push being software based, two major side effects will occur;
- The first side effect is that certain applications and visuals may fail to reflect the update- or even degrade to the level of the V1 laptops. This is to allow players to choose how 'crusty' their technology becomes.
- The second, more notable side effect, is that posts on the network may not actually appear on character laptops. This is to allow players an easier method of avoiding network posts, when their character would otherwise actively seek information As It Is Posted and/or a way to avoid dramatic posts that attract attention quickly.
Now then, Noa's software updates!PRIVATE GROUP CHATS - Private threads can now involve more than two people. ICly this function is activated the same way one would trigger a private message, but the option to add multiple names in the send option now exists. Notably, characters must do this for every message- so there can be some leeway to play around with people not getting all of the thread!
NEW BASE PROGRAMS! - You've heard of MoonNote, now get a load of MoonPresent, MoonTable, and more-! (There is not more.) New productivity software along the lines of early spreadsheet and slide presentation programs have been made, and you can even post them to the network! ...Maybe? Maybe. Sometimes the slides go missing, or the spreadsheet format skews off. It's a work in progress.
SCREENSAVERS - Want your character to leave your screen unattended? Or need an excuse to suddenly drop a thread cold? Screensavers are now a thing, but they don't necessarily activate when you want them to. Most disappear with the tap of the key, but some might simply loop through their animation cycle for a few minutes instead. (Note; the example screensavers can be seen within the first 30 seconds of the video) And of course once that news gets out, who can possibly prove that your screensaver DIDN'T turn on in the middle of your heated argument??? It's Fine.
Updated Visuals...? - The most faulty of the update; the laptops have improved their visuals once again, now on par with the crusty Windows 95. They'll be more capable of running little games and things other characters make, and- Uh oh! Not all the laptops seem to be successfully running this update! In addition to visuals remaining the same as before, some are even regressing- and in other cases, programs are simply crashing outright! But at least now you can have a cool pattern as your background right?
....Chompy? - Some laptops seem to have a...strange, bulldog clip shaped little friend on the screen. There's an 'x' to close them away, but it seems to show up anyway, 'helpfully' introducing itself as Chompy, the Laptop Assistant. Unfortunately Chompy's help tends to not be very helpful, and when pressed, the Laps will remark that Chompy wasn't even supposed to be released this patch! Good luck, Ryslig! Chompy will eagerly offer to send off a post for you, test your screen reader, and more! (Players are free to come up with ways for Chompy to be helpful or unhelpful suffice to say.)
Over all, Noa will of course be very disheartened when it looks like the Labs' latest update was largely a joke- sure, some people can enjoy the perks, but what about everyone! In the end, he and the technology team will be forced to remind Ryslig that the laptops are one part technology, and one part magic, and sometimes, that stuff just doesn't cooperate.
(And of course, Mods are free to nix points of this that they feel are too advanced. I will note that Chompy was inspired by the V-Pet programs that already exist on the laptops however!)
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