FAQ

[starlightmods]

Joining the Game


» Who is allowed to join the game?

Friends of JC (brbsilenthill, hellblazing) and friends of her friends. More info on that in the Rules post.


» What kinds of characters are applicable?

Characters from book, television, animanga, movie, video game, comic, and certain other miscellaneous sources are perfectly welcome. Original characters are also welcome, both those based in fandoms and completely original. Please no real people.


» What about non-humans? Are vampires/werewolves/animal characters allowed?

Certainly. Vampires and other characters who require some sort of out-of-the-ordinary nourishment/substance to survive still have access to their home worlds, after all (and you'll likely be able to find someone to nom on in-game). Animal characters are allowed, but must have some way of operating their Key. If they can normally shapeshift (or have opposable thumbs or something), that would work great. If not, you may want to think about making them AU and giving them a human form. All player characters must be able to use their Keys.


» How about characters who have died in their series?

You can certainly play a dead character, though for the most part this will mean you're playing them from just slightly before their death. Their home world will sort of pause to allow them to continue functioning—everything will still work like usual in their world, but any sort of "plot" that furthers them toward death will be suspended. If you have any more questions about this, feel free to ask!

Characters who are literally dead in their canon, such as ghosts, are fine too. They just need to have a way to manifest enough to use their Keys.


» Is it true you're disallowing certain fandoms?

Absolutely not, although I reserve the right to laugh at you forever if you app someone from Twilight.


» How many versions of a particular character are allowed in game?

Two, an OU and an AU version. CRAU's are also allowed, though they must take up the AU spot available for that character. Characters like Aerith that appear in more than one series (in her case, Final Fantasy/Kingdom Hearts) can be apped from all series. So there can theoretically be four Aeriths running around... although idk why anyone would want that.

Malleable protagonists (Shepard from Mass Effect, the Warden/Inquisitor from Dragon Age, the Dragonborn from Skyrim) technically have no OU, so I'm allowing two of these characters each, period. Two Wardens, two Shepards, etc. They must be significantly different from each other, however. I don't care how. Male/female, elf/dwarf, whatever. Just make them different.


» May I bring in a CRAU character from Route 47?

Shit yes, although that was seriously like five years ago man. But hey, if you're up for it, go ahead. Their recollections of Cicero itself, and especially of the Keys, will be hazy to start with, although any CR from the game will remain intact. Basically don't bring them in as a know-it-all and go blabbing how the Keys work to everyone in the first five minutes.


» Are there power limitations?

Y..e...es? Characters with god-level powers are asked to tone things down for the sake of NOT BREAKING MY GAME. I don't care if you're the most powerful glowy magical goober in your world, just don't break my game.

The only power that is specifically limited is flight. Because the premise of this game is so heavily focused on exploration, allowing characters free reign to fly over the whole map and check everything out ahead of time kinda defeats the purpose, no? That said, I don't want to completely screw over flying characters. Flight is allowed, however anything above 2x the character's normal walking pace or higher than fifty feet into the air will cause increasing fatigue, to the point where if the character pushes it they are going to fall into a deep sleep. Possibly in mid-air.


» How many characters can one person have at any time?

Character cap is currently four, with only two allowed from the same fandom (and those must not interact heavily in canon). Two characters may be placed on reserve at a time.


» What about app/reserve cycles?

Eff those, man. Apps and reserves are always open.




Setting/Gameplay

» So what the hell is this world actually called?

No one knows for sure. In lieu of a real name, most call it "The Last Sea," as all the action takes place on various islands in the Last Sea. The game itself is called "Starlight Isles" because that's the main island chain the characters will inhabit, at least for the first part of the game.


» How do languages work? Will our characters understand each other on the Last Sea?

Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Keyholders will always understand each other while on the Last Sea. Once they've gone back to one of the home worlds, Keyholders will understand any languages they knew previously, plus they will always understand the main language spoken by any other Keyholder. This doesn't mean that if their friend's main language is Russian they automatically know Russian, however—only that they'll understand when their friend speaks. Any other use of Russian, by NPCs, in print, on television, etc, will still be unintelligible if they didn't already know the language.


» Okay, my character's here now. How long before s/he figures out how the Keys work?

That's up to you! How long do you think it would take for them to start fiddling around with things?


» What exactly counts as a 'door' for the purpose of the Keys?

It has to be a solid, standing structure that can be opened and has a place to use the Key in whatever form the character's particular Key is in. If they're using a standard metal key for pin-and-tumbler locks, this just means there has to be some sort of keyhole. If the character's Key is in the form of a keycard in their home world, however, a keyhole isn't going to do them a lick of good. Doors may be freestanding and the locks do not necessarily have to work (that old door in the attic that's busted? Yeah that'll work). They can be of any size as well, as long as the Key will work and as long as the character can fit through.


» Just to clarify, can NPCs come through the doorways? If they're accompanied by a Keyholder?

Nope, sorry. The only sapient beings that can pass through the doorways between the Last Sea and other worlds are Keyholders. All player characters are considered Keyholders, even if their Keys have been stolen/lost at some point. Unintelligent animals/creatures can pass through freely if accompanied by a Keyholder, however.


» How do the characters get from one place to another on the Last Sea? I thought this was an island hopping game?

It is! However, there just aren't a whole lot of boats on Verdahl. After some exploration, characters will eventually discover that there are a few small rafts and canoes along the beach on the northwest shore of the island. They may need to be patched, but these will get the Keyholders across to Cristobal, the largest of the Starlight Isles. Once they hit Cristobal, everything changes. There is a larger city on that island, along with real ships capable of sea travel.


» So now that we're here, what is there to do?

What isn't there to do? You're in a brand new world, a jungley-tropical-islandey paradise with endless food and none of those bitches from your real life hanging around. Do you want to kick back in one of the grass huts and eat grapes all day? DONE. Want to poke around the islands and see what trouble you can get into? DONE. Feel like venturing out onto the water and trying to find some new islands? It's all good, baby. There are no npcs at present, so the largest focus of the game will be on exploration, but there'll also be plenty of mingling with your fellow Keyholders and slice of life too. Figure out what you enjoy and do it.


» Will there be any game-wide events?

Of course there will. Exploring a new, magic-filled world means lots of opportunities for getting in trouble. Curses will happen from time to time, probably because you poked that creepy-ass idol in the temple you just found. Congrats! There will also be strange natural and magical phenomena aplenty, at the very least. Keep an eye out!


» What about character death?

If it's one of the first two times your character has died, you don't even need to bring it to me. Characters die, the body disappears, and they regenerate 72 hours later in one of the huts in Arrival. After the first two times please come to me and let me know what you're planning, as there will start to be repercussions.


» How about property destruction/widespread destruction?

Unlike some games, the buildings/property in Starlight Isles do not regenerate automatically. If you use your magic to blast a hole in the middle of Katestown, the general store is still going to be a crater the next day. That being said, destruction is not automatically a no-go. If you're going to be destroying communal property, all I ask is that you clear it with the people involved and give me a heads-up. If you're going to be destroying a section of jungle or beach or some shit and it's just a tiny chunk of the island, go for it. If we're talking a mile radius... yeah, maybe poke me and ask if it's okay first. Just be courteous about your mayhem okay?


» What are Activity Checks like?

AC is going to be a simple check-in post once a month. If you're still around and playing, all you have to do is comment to the post and you're set.


» What about hiatus?

Hey, life is busy. Trust me, I know all about this. Hiatus may last up to a month, and if you're on hiatus for at least two weeks, the next AC's free.




The Journals and Logs Comms


» What goes on starlightisles and what goes on starlightlogs?

Starlights Isles is for journal entries ONLY. Because the journals only function correctly on the Last Sea, that means that this community should only be journal entries from anywhere on the Last Sea. If a journal entry devolves into action spam, however, that's fine. There's no need to move everything to the other comm.

Starlight Logs is for both traditional prose logs and actionspam. If you and your best mate are hanging around the beach on Verdahl and want to actionspam it, put it up here. If you want to do an open log the old fashioned way, that goes here too. Furthermore, logs may take place both on the Last Sea and in any of the home worlds of the characters. Obviously the home worlds will need to be accessed the correct way, and these won't be open to everyone, but if Harry and Sally decide they want to go visit Silent Hill this is the place to do it.




Have a question that's not addressed yet? Drop a comment below and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.