MISSION CONTROL
BASICS 01 - Premise 02 - Rules 03 - FAQ 04 - Taken List 05 - Applications 06 - Reserves OOC 07 - Calendar 08 - Mission Control 09 - CR Meme 10 - Test Drive Meme 11 - Hiatus/Drops 12 - Player Contact 13 - Mod Contact WORLD 14 - History 15 - The Matrix 16 - Reality 17 - Zion Defence Grid 18 - ZDG Fleet 19 - Uploads 20 - Recruitment 21 - NPCs COMMS 22 - Info 23 - Network 24 - Logs 25 - Memes 26 - OOC |
▶ OVERVIEW This page is a resource for RP hooks of different types and characters (crews, civilians, unplugged and Native, etc.). Some are designed to require minimal GM/mod contribution, whereas others will capitalize on or even result in the IC acquisition of new information about the metaplot or setting. In general, what is offered here are not essential throughline scenes for the metaplot, but they can create extremely significant changes for the game. It is our hope that all of them constitute exciting opportunities for roleplay. APPROVAL NOT REQUIRED ▶ PLAYER-RUN OPTIONS ▼ THE SIM STATIONS There are two sim stations in Zion, competing businesses. The Sleeping Sphynx is a rough-looking, 10-chair unit lit by erratic neon, operated by a former Irkallan who immigrated at age 15 but nonetheless carries the stigma, a sharp businesswoman. Mirage is better-furnished, better-lit, and surfaced in stone, operated by a former Zion Defense Grid defense corp specialist. However, both serve the same essential purpose: to run simulations for the unplugged as well as operators, using limited world maps. Unlike jacking in to simulations on ships such as The Shangrila, these worlds have more failsafes (less lethality). There are a wide variety of potential objectives and offerings. Some 'maps' consist of no more than a long white strip of sandy Bahamian beach with a single umbrella, having sea tides changing over the course of a recursive month. Others may draw directly from a character’s canon, highly detailed down to storefronts and television programming, but these are almost always limited to a single city and a single repeating day. Some of these canon scenarios are fraught with Agents to evade, for training purposes; others are geared to teaching the basic use of magic. Should a character become overpowered by one of these sim-Agents, or other catastrophes occur within the sequence, the exercise shuts down and the character is auto-extracted. All sims are designed based on matrixes that have previously been visited, such as for extraction. The mods strongly recommend playing only in simulated matrixes from canons on the Taken List. Both businesses charge by the hour, and offer running tabs; the Mirage offers a discount to ZDG crew, whereas the Sleeping Sphynx is more likely to accept whimsical offerings such as stories, songs, or performances-- clearly a public relations effort. Both facilities will also give time generously if you offer to help develop their simulations via software artefacts and programs harvested from canons you have visited (for example, a spell book downloaded from a Matrix and uploaded onto their servers, or a piece of unique technology). Apart from these exceptions, a single three-hour simulation will cost half a unit of bread, spices, or dried vegetables, a morning’s manual labor (e.g., helping to clean and repair equipment). A piece of clothing or well-articulated jewelry or rare items may buy off as much as a dozen hour-long simulations. More information about the business-owners will be available on the NPC page. For now, please PM the mod account to establish off-screen interaction with them. ▼ LOW-CLEARANCE MISSIONS These are player-run missions that do not require mod approval. To participate in these missions, operatives travel in groups of two or larger, with the expectation that they look out for each other, as well as providing sparring partners and test subjects for relevant experiments. They are given flimsy but passable false identities. Generally, at least one character in the team should have previously visited the specific Matrix before (i.e., have familiarity) or should be from that Matrix. The Zion Defense Grid prohibits violence and injuries to others whenever possible. Not only do these incidents increase the likelihood the Agents will come, but there is a high probability that it is other humans, not yet extracted, who will die. Dead programs are less their concern. Note for new characters: Newer characters who have not yet signed onto a permanent hovercrew position can still participate. They can access the Matrix from the Shangrila, with an NPC set of operators and Captain to steer them. The Shangrila often engages in these types of missions, which are seen as an important part of training. The individual must seem generally fit for duty. Here are some common low-risk mission types:
Other guidelines to keep in mind are the following. Note that not only should this be the characters’ IC best effort, but also what the players will bear in mind.
If you would like to pursue a mission that deviates from these guidelines in a big way, that is fantastic and we would love to help you out. This includes accidental or reckless errors made in one of the above low-risk missions (e.g., detected as extracted by programs), as well as flouting the rules, such as trying to kill a “dreamer” (i.e., not extracted) in revenge. Just head down to Player Proposals. ▼ HIGH-CLEARANCE (MOD-APPROVED) PROPOSALS We invite you to propose plot that require mod-approval. Such plots include missions into the Matrix where Agents will feature. We may suggest alterations or additions to integrate your proposal more fully with the metaplot. We encourage plots that focus on the Real as well as on Matrixes. For example, Irkallan pirate raids, fires, political protests, or major structural accidents may all fall in this category. For more Matrix-focused missions, extractions and intelligence-gathering may qualify. Please see the comment thread below for the submission form. ▶ MOD-RUN OPTIONS Please see our catalogue of plot options that require mod attention for some aspect of resolution. This may mean GMing on a more rigorous schedule, but will also include story options that will be resolved in infodumps (via PM). Not all of these are essential to the metaplot, but may strongly influence Zion and your character’s position in it. Please use the attached form under each comment in order to sign up. In the interest of egalitarianism, characters and players who have not previously received this opportunity will have priority. |
(frozen comment) APPROVED
Thanks for signing up! We look forward to making this story happen.
Plotting is underway via Plurk. Your primary mod for the timebeing will be Chinatown.
This thread will be frozen for the timebeing, as the plot is at capacity as of April 6, 2015!