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Game rules may be subject to change.

SECTION I. PLAYER QUESTIONNAIRE

In the past, I would have asked for potential players to answer a laundry list of questions, submit a writing sample, et cetera. However, I've found that this doesn't really filter for the players I want to play with. So rather try to be selective, I'm going to accept everyone who applies into the game.

I only ask that you answer the following questions:

• Why do you want to play in this game?
• What are your expectations for this game?
• What do you expect in your own version of a "successful game?"

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Here are some answers to some questions you might have.

What is the Big Picture?

This game is about the acolytes of the White Tower. As apprentices to a powerful Wizard, they are plunged into a war with an ancient, implacable Enemy.

Most of the time, the game will revolve around a sort of slice of life of living within a magical place of learning, exploring the secrets within the environment, and interacting with your fellow apprentices. Sometimes, however, you will be required to venture out into the perilous worlds beyond in order to complete some vital quest, armed with the knowledge gained from the Mysteries.

Who are the players supposed to be?

The players are of the apprentices to a powerful Wizard. Given the nature of the setting of the Countless Worlds, they can come from any sort of world imaginable. What this means for the player is that they can have their character come from their favorite fantasy campaign  setting or book series and port it over into this game, though the setting should resemble some sort of medieval fantasy world. Some exceptions may be granted for especially creative characters!

I want to keep characters in their late teens to early twenties, or their equivalents for any long-lived characters. This is a game about journey and discovery, finding who you are, and so forth.

Also, consider how long your character has lived within the White Tower. Are they a newly arrived acolyte fresh from the Long Road? Or have they been studying beneath the tutelage of the Wizard for many years now?

As a game about magi, secrets will be an important theme: how much does each apprentice know, how much have they learned from the Wizard, how much of that knowledge do they use as currency against their fellow acolytes, so on and so forth. Additionally, each acolyte harbours a secret deep within their hearts that may threaten their standing with the Wizard and each other should it ever come to light.

Here are some ideas to spark your imagination:

• The Novice. You’ve only been studying with the Wizard very recently, and there’s so much you don’t know.
• The Apprentice. You have studied with the the Wizard over many years, neither the prize pupil nor the very worst.
• The Journeyman. You are one of the more experienced students, but there are secrets even the Wizard keeps from you.
• The Familiar. You are the Wizard’s companion, but before that you were a simple animal when the Wizard gifted you with greater intelligence.
• The Construct. As part of the Wizard’s great work, you were summoned or created into being and given a will of your own.

What kind of powers can I choose?

I personally have no problem with any power whatsoever. Whatever you decide, I can roll with, for the most part. Now, other people may have their own opinions, so if there's a power you personally would feel uncomfortable being in the game, let your preferences be known as soon as possible. For example, maybe you don't like the idea of a power to induce torture, like the Cruciatus Curse in Harry Potter.

This is a Mature game, so that means there's not to be any explicit or graphic sex or violence and such, and any power you selected would have to fit that scope. And we definitely want to respect people's boundaries. Just know that I have very few that don't already fit within the constraints of a Mature game. :)

Tricky to adjudicate powers will be handled with care, but they should certainly be doable. If you want to be able to travel in time or read minds, I will make accommodations for those powers. One thing I think might be tricky is if you have a Rogue or Peter Petrelli like power to copy other people's powers. Ensemble stories are all about making sure you have your own way to shine that other people can't mimic. If you can do it all, there's no point in making this a story about a group of characters, but more about one particular main character. That wouldn't be fun, I think, for the other players, but we can discuss it, if that's what you want to do. We can see about adding some fictional constraints to make it more interesting as a story.

Take this as my stance on any quote-unquote "problematic" powers. If there's an interesting story there, I'm willing to work a little harder, exert a little more effort, to make it work in the story we're all telling together. But remember that we are telling a story together. Be open to feedback from other players as well as from me. :)

Something I want to explore in this game is how surreal, weird, strange, and frightening magic can be. How beyond our own understanding it is. How it plays with our perceptions of reality. To that end, there are certain things that magic will not conform to. For example, I want to avoid concepts like magical elements, like fire, earth, water, and air powers. If you must have fire or water powers, make it strange and interesting!

What is the minimal RPG system?

The minimal RPG system is a system I devised over the course of many years, specifically for running games in a play-by-post format. It's more about getting out of the way of the players and the GM, in order to run any sort of game imaginable. It uses a simple resolution mechanic that's easy to understand to facilitate play, and the players can play any sort of character they put their minds to.

What about game balance?

I take a more nuanced approach to balance than is espoused in D&D and other game systems. Remember that this game isn't about combat per se. As long as every character has something interesting to do, I don't see a really huge problem. Often in stories you have an ensemble cast of characters with widely differing skillsets.

Style

I expect players to think about their characters' inner life and thoughts and feelings and be descriptive about such in their posts. Some players have only posted their outward physical actions, which is fine for some games, but not the ones I run. I'm interested in character arcs and narratives and emotional pay-offs and so forth.

Lay out your character's backstory gradually. The tendency of most players is to get it all out at the beginning, sometimes in the first post. I've had some players whose first posts were their entire backstory, with 1000 words or more.

Don't do that.

Not only is it contravention to the posting guidelines, but we're just getting to know the characters, the world, the story. The less you spill, the more that is retained. Leave us wanting more, instead of wanting to skim.

Collaboration

I expect players to be open to collaboration in the fiction. I'll rein you back if I feel you come up with something that contradicts the world, but players should generally be open to suggestions from other players and the GM. We're all in charge of the fiction together. You can write for another NPC, just as much as I can. Someone else can even chime in and move other characters around if their idea makes for a more interesting story.

I'm even okay with player characters moving other player characters, with each other's permission, of course. Comfort levels may vary, but if I was playing Doc Brown, and another was playing Marty, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for me to move Marty in such a way:


If you do move another PC or NPC, be sure to be open to making edits if someone says you're doing something to make them go out of character.

Regarding Romance

I'll leave it up to the players whether they'll engage their characters in a romance. Personally, I prefer for romance to arise organically in the story, as opposed to something that is forced or the "point" or the main driver of a game.

Nice as romance is, my aims and interests do not revolve around romance, but instead are concerned with the overarching narrative and the character arcs I'm trying to build in complicated webs between the characters. Romance can play its part, and maybe even a vital part for some arcs, but keep in mind that it's only one part amidst many others. o