FAQ: Difference between revisions
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'''Which FCs have already been taken?''' | '''Which FCs have already been taken?''' | ||
A list of currently active canon (feature) characters is [[ | A list of currently active canon (feature) characters is [[Character_Concepts#Featured_(Canon)_Characters|here]]. Any FC not on that list is available for application! | ||
'''Can I play all the FCs?''' | '''Can I play all the FCs?''' | ||
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'''What kind of character should I play?''' | '''What kind of character should I play?''' | ||
Please check out our [[Character_Concepts]] page for an overview of what we look for when reviewing apps as well as concepts that are restricted or prohibited. Within the guidelines detailed there, we just want you to play a character you'll enjoy! | |||
'''Which faction should I join?''' | '''Which faction should I join?''' | ||
Which one you ''should'' join will depend highly on your taste in RP. We do not currently recommend creating a Friends of Humanity or other character likely to be openly violent/antagonistic to most other characters as your first alt on the game -- we love antagonists but characters who are likely to only have hostile interactions can make integrating into RP difficult for a beginning alt. Some factions like Xavier's, the Brotherhood, the Morlocks, or Prometheus have very built-in community hooks with other characters that can make integrating easy for a first alt, as they'll have a readymade group of people who ''have'' to associate with them, but ultimately you should join the faction that suits your RP style -- or no faction at all! | |||
'''Are there roles or powersets you are looking for people to fill?''' | '''Are there roles or powersets you are looking for people to fill?''' | ||
In terms of the actual specific powersets, we can't tell you what would be most fun for you to play. There's a place on grid for all sorts of different powers -- just focus on making a character that you're genuinely excited to play! We will be very happy to help you brainstorm on channel or during application review about how to make your ideas fit our theme. | |||
'''Where should my character live?''' | '''Where should my character live?''' | ||
If your character attends (or works at) Xavier's School, it's likely they'll have lodging at the mansion an hour outside New York City; members of the Brotherhood have access to housing on the Brotherhood's | If your character attends (or works at) Xavier's School, it's likely they'll have lodging at the mansion an hour outside New York City; members of the Brotherhood have access to housing on the Brotherhood's compound; the Morlocks have their habitat in the sewer tunnels under the city. Aside from these specialized locations, the majority of the grid is centered around Manhattan -- it certainly is not required that your character live in Manhattan (several characters do not!) but it will be far more conducive to RP if they have reason to be in Manhattan regularly, as that is where the bulk of PCs live and work. | ||
==Knowing the Lore== | ==Knowing the Lore== | ||
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'''Do non-X-Men Marvel factions/groups exist in this game?''' | '''Do non-X-Men Marvel factions/groups exist in this game?''' | ||
Some do, usually because enough players are interested in the characters in those groups and have decided to run plots around them! Currently we have S.H.I.E.L.D. and brand new (not quite fully assembled) Avengers. ICly the Avengers are the first "superheroes" who are known to the general public (though the X-Men are an open secret in the New York mutant community), and | Some do, usually because enough players are interested in the characters in those groups and have decided to run plots around them! Currently we have S.H.I.E.L.D. and brand new (not quite fully assembled) Avengers. ICly the Avengers are the first "superheroes" who are known to the general public (though the X-Men are an open secret in the New York mutant community). Check the sidebar for our current list of active factions, and feel free to brainstorm with us if you want to introduce one we do not have yet! | ||
'''What about X-Men: Evolution? With your name that one's gotta be canon, right?''' | '''What about X-Men: Evolution? With your name that one's gotta be canon, right?''' | ||
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'''Okay, I'm approved and good to go. How do I find some RP?''' | '''Okay, I'm approved and good to go. How do I find some RP?''' | ||
We have a find-rp channel for requesting RP! People will work with you to try and arrange a scene between your characters and theirs. Don't feel discouraged if you don't get an answer immediately! Trying again a little later might draw the attention of people who just came on. | We have a #find-rp channel for requesting RP! '''Please read the pinned post in the channel for an overview of our etiquette regarding asking for/answering RP requests'''. People will work with you to try and arrange a scene between your characters and theirs. Don't feel discouraged if you don't get an answer immediately! Trying again a little later might draw the attention of people who just came on. | ||
'''What if I just started my own channel to begin a scene and looked for RP that way?''' | '''What if I just started my own channel to begin a scene and looked for RP that way?''' | ||
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'''Wait, how ''do'' I contact staff?''' | '''Wait, how ''do'' I contact staff?''' | ||
We strive to manage our game non-hierarchically, and do not have a staff in the traditional sense | We strive to manage our game non-hierarchically, and do not have a staff in the traditional sense. | ||
All our server members have an equal say in many topics traditionally restricted to staff, and any member of the game may choose to take on a leadership role. Any player who has played on our game for at least two months ''and'' has at least eight scenes logged and posted to the wiki (vignettes and non-canonical/AU scenes do not count toward this number) will automatically be granted membership in the server unless an existing player has concerns about doing so. Membership allows any player to have an equal say in administration, including voting on rule changes and approving new applications. Players are not required in any way to participate in administrative business -- if you're just here to roleplay that is totally okay. | |||
If you do not feel comfortable explaining your question or concern on an open channel, you may ask a | We still have volunteer staff members if you have specific questions or concerns that you would like addressed in a timely fashion. Guides handle topics related to setting, character creation, gameplay, and conflict mediation. Type @Guide in your message from any channel on our Discord server to notify our volunteer guides. Wizards handle topics related to permissions, bots, roles, and technical issues in general. Type @Wizard in your message from any channel on our discord server to notify our volunteer wizards. Any member may take on or give up the Guide or Wizard role at any time. | ||
If you do not feel comfortable explaining your question or concern on an open channel, you may ask a volunteer to message you directly. | |||
==IC Universe== | ==IC Universe== | ||
'''What is | '''What date it is in Universe? Who is the President? Who won the Superbowl in-universe? Did [Genghis Khan's conquest / World War 2 / COVID / other historical or current event] happen in-world?''' | ||
The date in-game is the date in real life, although you are more than welcome to backdate scenes if your RP partners agree! | |||
''' | For most current events, our game tracks fairly closely to real life. In the vast majority of cases, you can assume that real-world events are also ongoing in game and feel free to have your character comment or react to, have opinions on, actual history or current events if it seems relevant. The introduction of mutants and other superpowered beings adds our own dimension to events -- please read [[Notable People]] for a list of the characters who exist in-game that your character would likely have heard of. We also keep track of ongoing in-character news in the #ic-news channel on the discord as well as on our [[Current Events]] page, and things that would be known / relevant to specific factions are posted in the relevant faction channels on discord. '''We do not expect new players to read all the history or know all the previous lore upon joining and are happy, when it's relevant, to give a tl;dr of past events that characters might know ICly that players were not here for. However, we DO expect active players to read new news when it is posted.'' Reading all the logs and channel chatter can be a lot to keep up with and we absolutely do not ask that, but the news channels provide a short, low-volume summary of things your char might know. | ||
'''Has [Dark Phoenix/DoFP/House of M/Genosha/Krakoa/my favorite comic arc] happened yet in-game?''' | |||
''' | We do not presume '''any''' comic lore as a backstory to our game. The only external media canon that we consider canon to our game is the 2000 X-Men movie. Outside of that movie, our players are free to propose and run plots that they enjoy, including borrowing comic ideas, reinterpreting them, remixing them, or making up something new altogether! This means that many significant comic X-Men events have not happened, and may never happen unless a player takes interest in making it happen! Other significant events may be introduced, but might not look exactly like they did in the comics. If you are apping a canon character, app review team will work with you to ensure that the backstory you give them fits with our game history here, and if there are particular elements you enjoy, we are happy to brainstorm ways they might be introduced to our setting! | ||
'''I want to [Be an X-Man/Avenger/Morlock/Brother/Agent of Shield/Hellfire Club Member], how do I do that? Do I need to RP it out or can I include in backstory that my char has been an X-Man for years?''' | |||
' | If there is a faction you are interested in joining, follow the relevant faction link on the sidebar. The faction page will give you an overview of how things work for that specific faction, and the "Recruitment" section on the faction page will give you information about how people in-universe are permitted to join the faction. For the majority of factions, you are totally welcome to include already being a member of the faction in their history -- we're happy to brainstorm with you how a char might have joined if you want them to already be part of the group! Having a preexisting group/community can be an easy way to jump right into the action. You are also welcome to create an unaffiliated character and roleplay out their path to joining. Keep in mind that if you are applying a character who is OOCly new but has ICly been around a while, you will need to talk to other players in the faction before you scene with them, to work out what kind of dynamic your characters might already have. Please do not make assumptions about what kinds of relationships your character has without checking in with the other player(s) first. | ||
'''My character is [a masked vigilante/a member of the Fantastic Four/otherwise a superhero]! Can they run around and fight crime?''' | |||
''' | In-universe, we currently have very few ''pre-existing'' superhero teams. The Avengers are the first public superhero team, and they were publicly formed in May of 2024. You are welcome to introduce new teams to the world -- just keep in mind when writing their backstory that the phenomenon of Costumed Superheroes is very new and the public is still feeling out how they feel about this. Additionally, any team of or including mutants will likely not be well received, given the overall social hostility to mutants. | ||
Your character is welcome to be an individual costumed vigilante, but, again keep in mind that this is not a very ''common'' phenomenon. They will probably be looked at as weirdos by ordinary people and criminals by the police. | |||
''' | '''Can my character be from another dimension?''' | ||
In | The [[TP-A Wrinkle In Time|first-ever rift]] to a parallel universe occurred in October 2020, in-game. This rift introduced some dimensional instability into the world we play in, and further rifts may open at any time! If you would like to incorporate this phenomenon into your backstory or current scenes, please read [[The Multiverse|this page about the multiverse]] to ensure your RP stays within our guidelines. | ||
'''What is mutants' place in U.S. society?''' | |||
''' | Generally? They're regarded as freaks. In the vast majority of communities, mutants are treated with suspicion at best, hostility at worst. They're a new enough phenomenon that people are still working out exactly ''how'' to respond, but as yet the government hasn't been responding pleasantly. Neither have ordinary people -- by far the majority of the population, though most people are likely to not even actually ''know'' any mutants personally, still have negative opinions of them. | ||
Some types of mutants tend to incur more highly negative reactions than others. It is ''overwhelmingly common'' for mutants whose mutations are visibly distinct (i.e. more monstrous mutations such as tentacles, fur and claws, bug-like eyes, etc.) to be treated with revulsion and disgust -- even by other mutants. It is ''overwhelmingly common'' for mutants with psionic powers like telepathy and empathy tend to be viewed with suspicion and fear if their powers are known -- often even from other mutants. Just over twenty percent of all mutants in the country are living in poverty, though for visibly identifiable mutants that number is nearly half. Mutants are four times as likely as the general population to experience homelessness -- twenty times as likely for mutants with visible mutations. The nuances of intracommunity dynamics and the different ways various mutants will experience discrimination -- from humans as well as other mutants -- is a strong factor in many social dynamics in our game. Please keep that in mind, particularly if you are playing a character with a very visible mutation -- or a character who has not been around many other mutants before and might not be used to seeing very visibly different mutants! | |||
''' | '''Are there any places mutants are accepted? Do mutants have any home of their own?''' | ||
Currently, there are no existing mutant homelands anywhere on earth. Smaller local communities will always have their own vibes, however, in ''most'' countries, mutants experience varying degrees of fear or persecution. Our [[Foreign Affairs|Around the World]] page has a small selection of established atmosphere/history for various countries and how mutants are treated there in their mainstream society. If you have questions about a country you do not see on the list or think a country needs updating/revision, please feel free to offer your suggestions on our #brainstorming channel! | |||
There have been some efforts in the past to establish land for mutants, most prominently, the [[Utopia]] project on a private island in the 70s-80s and the [[Freaktown]] mutant autonomous zone in New York City between 2020-2024. In our game universe, Krakoa does not yet exist, and Genosha is still run by humans as a land of severe mutant persecution. | |||
'''What is the legal situation like for mutants?''' | |||
In daily life, they are ''not'' protected from discrimination under U.S. law at any level. It is completely legal to be fired, denied housing or healthcare, kicked out of a store, etc. for being a mutant. In New York City, public voluntary displays of mutation are banned! Punishment for violations can be fines anywhere between $25-1000 '''and/or''' jail time of up to one year. This only SHOULD cover voluntary uses of mutation (i.e., if you're green and you can't stop being green they cannot ticket you for having green skin, but if you are a pyrokinetic and you light your cigarette with your hands, they can ticket that.) -- however, it being at the discretion of the (often overwhelmingly hostile to mutants) NYPD means that mutants can be ticketed for little to no reason and have to go to court if they want to sort it out; paying the fine tends to be less fuss. In actual practice, it is common to receive a citation (especially for mutants of colour) but rare that mutants are arrested ''solely'' for public displays of mutant powers -- however, it is extremely common for this charge to be tacked on on top of ''other'' charges if mutants have been arrested for a separate crime. | |||
''' | '''Just how common ARE mutations in the world?''' | ||
Even though the majority of PCs on game are mutants, in the IC world mutants are by ''far'' the minority. Under 2% of the living population even carries the X-gene. Of people who carry the gene, the majority of them have mutations so minor that they would never even know they were mutants without genetic testing. Under half of a percent of the population display mutations noticeable enough to impact their lives. New York ICly does have a far higher concentration of mutants than the general world population, but even in New York City, mutants with powers they themselves would be aware of only comprise about 7% of the population. | |||
'''What | '''What about superpowers that don't come from mutations?''' | ||
Mutates (superhumans whose superpowers come from some other source than the X-Gene) do exist in the world, but it is very uncommon and not a widely known phenomenon -- the most well-known public example is Captain America, and aside from him there are not many openly ''known'' mutates in the media, although there are a handful out there. Because they are so rarely seen openly, it's extremely common that even ''if'' someone happens to acquire powers through some ''chance'' method, they will still ''think'' they are a mutant -- testing for the X-Gene is VERY rare, so if you wake up with superpowers one day, "I must be a mutant" is the most logical answer. If someone acquires superpowers through some very obvious external means (deliberate scientific experimentation, for example, as in Steve Rogers's case) then for sure they themselves will know they are not a mutant -- but until it is proven, most of the world will still ''treat'' them as a mutant, with all the discrimination that comes with. | |||
'''What mutations are the most common?''' | |||
While most expressions of mutation are unique enough that it's rare to find two mutants with the ''exact'' same mutation, some broad categories of mutations show up with frequency! Mutants with psionic abilities (abilities that affect the mind -- for example, telepaths and empaths) together with people with augmented physical capabilities (e.g., anyone who can do things humans can actually do, but better -- heightened reflexes, increased strength, faster healing, etc.) are the two most commonly found classes of mutations ICly. Though ICly this fact is tossed around a ''lot'' by anti-mutant advocates when fearmongering, they often neglect to contextualize it with the numbers -- mutants with physical augmentations (even minor ones) by ''far'' outstrip psionics as the largest class of mutants in the world (making up approximately 60% of all manifested abilities) while psionic abilities, the next largest documented group, appear in only about 11% of the mutant population. | |||
''' | '''At what age do mutations start to appear?''' | ||
In the vast majority of cases, carriers of the X-gene will not express noticeable mutations until puberty. This is not a hard-and-fast rule; mutations tend to trigger at periods of heightened stress, either emotional or physical, and for most people this leads to initial manifestation of X-gene abilities at puberty. There have been some people who do not have their first manifestations of powers until later in life (almost always coinciding with some large life stress!) | |||
There are rare occasions where children manifest mutations younger than this. By far this is most common with mutants who are simply born with noticeable physical alterations -- i.e. a tail or purple skin from birth. It's ''extremely'' rare for children to manifest other non-physical powers (e.g. teleportation or pyrokinesis) at young ages. In most cases when non-physical mutations do manifest very young, these mutations are or will become extremely powerful examples of their type -- unfortunately this quite often also comes hand-in-hand with mutations so powerful they are dangerous to their bearer, and the vast majority of children who manifest mutations young also die of them quite young. (Though it has not been extensively ICly documented yet, the vast majority of fetuses ''conceived'' with the X-gene also never make it to term; evolution is not particularly ''smart'' and often the X-gene manifests powers without also manifesting ways to keep those powers ''safe''.) | |||
[[Category: Information]] | [[Category: Information]] | ||
Latest revision as of 01:04, 11 November 2024
Connecting to the Game
What is the address of this game?
We are located at https://discord.gg/ETSX7KE
How do I connect to the game?
Follow the invite link here! Once it connects, just come chat in the welcome channel and a guide can answer any questions you might have.
Creating a Character
How do I apply for a character?
Just login to the discord and fill out the application found in the application channel there! But you might want to click around the wiki first, just to get a feel for the characters. Check out the character page (here) for a place to start.
Can I app as Storm/Apocalypse/the Flash?
Certain character concepts are restricted (see here); characters from non-Marvel canons are not allowed. FCs (feature characters, also called canon characters) are allowed, so long as they fall within the application guidelines (here) and fit within the continuity established in the first X-Men movie. We may scrutinize certain FCs more heavily than others, particularly if they were prominently featured in the film or our game canon. We are happy to help catch up potential applicants on in-game history and connections for the latter on our Discord.
Which FCs have already been taken?
A list of currently active canon (feature) characters is here. Any FC not on that list is available for application!
Can I play all the FCs?
We have no limit on how many FCs one person can play. However, FCs who are inactive for over three months will be removed from the Taken Canon Characters list and made available to other players to apply for. If you are playing a canon character who is idle and nobody else has picked them up, you do not need to re-apply when you begin playing them again -- just add them back to the list whenever you start playing them again!
Does this game use actors to portray characters?
Yes, but it's not necessary. Fan art and official art (if you're playing a featured character) is also fine, or you can forgo posting images of your character entirely. You can find a list of taken faceclaims here.
Choosing a Character Concept
What kind of character should I play?
Please check out our Character_Concepts page for an overview of what we look for when reviewing apps as well as concepts that are restricted or prohibited. Within the guidelines detailed there, we just want you to play a character you'll enjoy!
Which faction should I join?
Which one you should join will depend highly on your taste in RP. We do not currently recommend creating a Friends of Humanity or other character likely to be openly violent/antagonistic to most other characters as your first alt on the game -- we love antagonists but characters who are likely to only have hostile interactions can make integrating into RP difficult for a beginning alt. Some factions like Xavier's, the Brotherhood, the Morlocks, or Prometheus have very built-in community hooks with other characters that can make integrating easy for a first alt, as they'll have a readymade group of people who have to associate with them, but ultimately you should join the faction that suits your RP style -- or no faction at all!
Are there roles or powersets you are looking for people to fill?
In terms of the actual specific powersets, we can't tell you what would be most fun for you to play. There's a place on grid for all sorts of different powers -- just focus on making a character that you're genuinely excited to play! We will be very happy to help you brainstorm on channel or during application review about how to make your ideas fit our theme.
Where should my character live?
If your character attends (or works at) Xavier's School, it's likely they'll have lodging at the mansion an hour outside New York City; members of the Brotherhood have access to housing on the Brotherhood's compound; the Morlocks have their habitat in the sewer tunnels under the city. Aside from these specialized locations, the majority of the grid is centered around Manhattan -- it certainly is not required that your character live in Manhattan (several characters do not!) but it will be far more conducive to RP if they have reason to be in Manhattan regularly, as that is where the bulk of PCs live and work.
Knowing the Lore
I know absolutely nothing about comics, the X-Men movies, or what mutants even are. Am I screwed?
Not at all! Many of our players have been unfamiliar with the movie / comics we're dealing with when they first joined. OCs (original characters) are deeply valued, and play a crucial role in pretty much all our plots. You will absolutely not be snubbed, passed over, or otherwise put on a shelf just because you're not playing Wolverine.
The only piece of Marvel media that we consider canon for our game is the 2000 X-Man movie, and if you haven't seen it, we're happy to explain the relevant bits of plot if you're apping a character who appeared in it.
Can I have my character be a superhero who fights crime?
Sure! But keep in mind that this game's continuity is not the comic book continuity; people wearing spandex fighting criminals on the streets is highly unusual and will (probably) be responded to with a mixture of bafflement, incredulity, and arrest warrants (vigilantism is against the law!).
Is X2: X-Men United or X-Men 3: The Last Stand part of the continuity?
X2 is not part of this continuity; nothing that happened in that movie should be considered canon for this continuity. Also, there was no third X-Men movie.
Are any other Marvel movies (Iron Man, Spider-Man) part of the continuity?
Nope! But that doesn't mean you can't make them part of the continuity (through apping a character and roleplaying it out!). But no one is under any obligation to follow any sort of 'continuity script'. If you want to app a Tony Stark who never builds an Iron Man suit, that is totally fine.
Do non-X-Men Marvel factions/groups exist in this game?
Some do, usually because enough players are interested in the characters in those groups and have decided to run plots around them! Currently we have S.H.I.E.L.D. and brand new (not quite fully assembled) Avengers. ICly the Avengers are the first "superheroes" who are known to the general public (though the X-Men are an open secret in the New York mutant community). Check the sidebar for our current list of active factions, and feel free to brainstorm with us if you want to introduce one we do not have yet!
What about X-Men: Evolution? With your name that one's gotta be canon, right?
Nope! We are not an X-Men Evolution game in any way; our game has a movieverse setting and does not look to Evolution, nor any other X-Men television series, for canon or theme.
I want to portray (Marvel character) as a mutant, even though they aren't in the comic canon. Is that okay?
Yep! Totally fine. We began life as a mutant-focused game, and even now characters with abilities derived from something other than mutation are quite rare in our canon. Several people have chosen that route for their character concepts and it is totally fine.
Okay, back up. What do you mean there was no third X-Men movie? I totally saw one.
No, you're just imagining things.
There was a third X-Men movie! Wolverine and Jean Grey were in it. Xavier was young, and there was this bitchin' scene with Magneto where--
Oh, I see where you're confused. X-Men: First Class was, in a sense, the 'third' X-Men movie, although it actually was more of a reset. It's not considered part of game canon (although Magneto is totally bitchin' in it).
Roleplay Culture
What is the roleplaying culture like here?
We value communication and narrative continuity in this community to a higher degree than some other games! On rEvolution we prioritize OOC communication and encourage players to freely discuss scenes both before and during RP to make sure that RP outcomes are enjoyable for everyone. Additionally, we strive to maintain a high degree of cohesion in our world-building and character development -- the actions your character takes will have a real impact on the shared world we create.
Okay, I'm approved and good to go. How do I find some RP?
We have a #find-rp channel for requesting RP! Please read the pinned post in the channel for an overview of our etiquette regarding asking for/answering RP requests. People will work with you to try and arrange a scene between your characters and theirs. Don't feel discouraged if you don't get an answer immediately! Trying again a little later might draw the attention of people who just came on.
What if I just started my own channel to begin a scene and looked for RP that way?
Most scenes are not happening 'organically' in channels; they are pre-arranged between players. If you stumble across people doing a scene already, you should definitely ask before joining in!
How does time pass in this continuity?
1:1 relation with real-time. In other words, a day passes in the real world? A day passes on this game. If this creates scheduling conflicts ("My character would totally have done X, but I had work"), you can 'backdate' scenes (just do the scene later, pretend it happened earlier).
Do you log scenes?
Yes! We keep track of all scenes that players are comfortable posting publicly here! This way, players can 'keep up' with events that are going on throughout the grid. For the sake of log-formatting, remember a few things: | symbols must be properly tagged so as not to break the wiki. Tabbing your posts in-game rather than just double-lining them makes it harder to format the log (you have to get rid of the tabs!). If you're unfamiliar with how to log a scene / it intimidates you, just ask someone to help - or log it for you!
Contacting Staff
Wait, how do I contact staff?
We strive to manage our game non-hierarchically, and do not have a staff in the traditional sense.
All our server members have an equal say in many topics traditionally restricted to staff, and any member of the game may choose to take on a leadership role. Any player who has played on our game for at least two months and has at least eight scenes logged and posted to the wiki (vignettes and non-canonical/AU scenes do not count toward this number) will automatically be granted membership in the server unless an existing player has concerns about doing so. Membership allows any player to have an equal say in administration, including voting on rule changes and approving new applications. Players are not required in any way to participate in administrative business -- if you're just here to roleplay that is totally okay.
We still have volunteer staff members if you have specific questions or concerns that you would like addressed in a timely fashion. Guides handle topics related to setting, character creation, gameplay, and conflict mediation. Type @Guide in your message from any channel on our Discord server to notify our volunteer guides. Wizards handle topics related to permissions, bots, roles, and technical issues in general. Type @Wizard in your message from any channel on our discord server to notify our volunteer wizards. Any member may take on or give up the Guide or Wizard role at any time.
If you do not feel comfortable explaining your question or concern on an open channel, you may ask a volunteer to message you directly.
IC Universe
What date it is in Universe? Who is the President? Who won the Superbowl in-universe? Did [Genghis Khan's conquest / World War 2 / COVID / other historical or current event] happen in-world?
The date in-game is the date in real life, although you are more than welcome to backdate scenes if your RP partners agree!
For most current events, our game tracks fairly closely to real life. In the vast majority of cases, you can assume that real-world events are also ongoing in game and feel free to have your character comment or react to, have opinions on, actual history or current events if it seems relevant. The introduction of mutants and other superpowered beings adds our own dimension to events -- please read Notable People for a list of the characters who exist in-game that your character would likely have heard of. We also keep track of ongoing in-character news in the #ic-news channel on the discord as well as on our Current Events page, and things that would be known / relevant to specific factions are posted in the relevant faction channels on discord. 'We do not expect new players to read all the history or know all the previous lore upon joining and are happy, when it's relevant, to give a tl;dr of past events that characters might know ICly that players were not here for. However, we DO expect active players to read new news when it is posted. Reading all the logs and channel chatter can be a lot to keep up with and we absolutely do not ask that, but the news channels provide a short, low-volume summary of things your char might know.
Has [Dark Phoenix/DoFP/House of M/Genosha/Krakoa/my favorite comic arc] happened yet in-game?
We do not presume any comic lore as a backstory to our game. The only external media canon that we consider canon to our game is the 2000 X-Men movie. Outside of that movie, our players are free to propose and run plots that they enjoy, including borrowing comic ideas, reinterpreting them, remixing them, or making up something new altogether! This means that many significant comic X-Men events have not happened, and may never happen unless a player takes interest in making it happen! Other significant events may be introduced, but might not look exactly like they did in the comics. If you are apping a canon character, app review team will work with you to ensure that the backstory you give them fits with our game history here, and if there are particular elements you enjoy, we are happy to brainstorm ways they might be introduced to our setting!
I want to [Be an X-Man/Avenger/Morlock/Brother/Agent of Shield/Hellfire Club Member], how do I do that? Do I need to RP it out or can I include in backstory that my char has been an X-Man for years?
If there is a faction you are interested in joining, follow the relevant faction link on the sidebar. The faction page will give you an overview of how things work for that specific faction, and the "Recruitment" section on the faction page will give you information about how people in-universe are permitted to join the faction. For the majority of factions, you are totally welcome to include already being a member of the faction in their history -- we're happy to brainstorm with you how a char might have joined if you want them to already be part of the group! Having a preexisting group/community can be an easy way to jump right into the action. You are also welcome to create an unaffiliated character and roleplay out their path to joining. Keep in mind that if you are applying a character who is OOCly new but has ICly been around a while, you will need to talk to other players in the faction before you scene with them, to work out what kind of dynamic your characters might already have. Please do not make assumptions about what kinds of relationships your character has without checking in with the other player(s) first.
My character is [a masked vigilante/a member of the Fantastic Four/otherwise a superhero]! Can they run around and fight crime?
In-universe, we currently have very few pre-existing superhero teams. The Avengers are the first public superhero team, and they were publicly formed in May of 2024. You are welcome to introduce new teams to the world -- just keep in mind when writing their backstory that the phenomenon of Costumed Superheroes is very new and the public is still feeling out how they feel about this. Additionally, any team of or including mutants will likely not be well received, given the overall social hostility to mutants.
Your character is welcome to be an individual costumed vigilante, but, again keep in mind that this is not a very common phenomenon. They will probably be looked at as weirdos by ordinary people and criminals by the police.
Can my character be from another dimension?
The first-ever rift to a parallel universe occurred in October 2020, in-game. This rift introduced some dimensional instability into the world we play in, and further rifts may open at any time! If you would like to incorporate this phenomenon into your backstory or current scenes, please read this page about the multiverse to ensure your RP stays within our guidelines.
What is mutants' place in U.S. society?
Generally? They're regarded as freaks. In the vast majority of communities, mutants are treated with suspicion at best, hostility at worst. They're a new enough phenomenon that people are still working out exactly how to respond, but as yet the government hasn't been responding pleasantly. Neither have ordinary people -- by far the majority of the population, though most people are likely to not even actually know any mutants personally, still have negative opinions of them.
Some types of mutants tend to incur more highly negative reactions than others. It is overwhelmingly common for mutants whose mutations are visibly distinct (i.e. more monstrous mutations such as tentacles, fur and claws, bug-like eyes, etc.) to be treated with revulsion and disgust -- even by other mutants. It is overwhelmingly common for mutants with psionic powers like telepathy and empathy tend to be viewed with suspicion and fear if their powers are known -- often even from other mutants. Just over twenty percent of all mutants in the country are living in poverty, though for visibly identifiable mutants that number is nearly half. Mutants are four times as likely as the general population to experience homelessness -- twenty times as likely for mutants with visible mutations. The nuances of intracommunity dynamics and the different ways various mutants will experience discrimination -- from humans as well as other mutants -- is a strong factor in many social dynamics in our game. Please keep that in mind, particularly if you are playing a character with a very visible mutation -- or a character who has not been around many other mutants before and might not be used to seeing very visibly different mutants!
Are there any places mutants are accepted? Do mutants have any home of their own?
Currently, there are no existing mutant homelands anywhere on earth. Smaller local communities will always have their own vibes, however, in most countries, mutants experience varying degrees of fear or persecution. Our Around the World page has a small selection of established atmosphere/history for various countries and how mutants are treated there in their mainstream society. If you have questions about a country you do not see on the list or think a country needs updating/revision, please feel free to offer your suggestions on our #brainstorming channel!
There have been some efforts in the past to establish land for mutants, most prominently, the Utopia project on a private island in the 70s-80s and the Freaktown mutant autonomous zone in New York City between 2020-2024. In our game universe, Krakoa does not yet exist, and Genosha is still run by humans as a land of severe mutant persecution.
What is the legal situation like for mutants?
In daily life, they are not protected from discrimination under U.S. law at any level. It is completely legal to be fired, denied housing or healthcare, kicked out of a store, etc. for being a mutant. In New York City, public voluntary displays of mutation are banned! Punishment for violations can be fines anywhere between $25-1000 and/or jail time of up to one year. This only SHOULD cover voluntary uses of mutation (i.e., if you're green and you can't stop being green they cannot ticket you for having green skin, but if you are a pyrokinetic and you light your cigarette with your hands, they can ticket that.) -- however, it being at the discretion of the (often overwhelmingly hostile to mutants) NYPD means that mutants can be ticketed for little to no reason and have to go to court if they want to sort it out; paying the fine tends to be less fuss. In actual practice, it is common to receive a citation (especially for mutants of colour) but rare that mutants are arrested solely for public displays of mutant powers -- however, it is extremely common for this charge to be tacked on on top of other charges if mutants have been arrested for a separate crime.
Just how common ARE mutations in the world?
Even though the majority of PCs on game are mutants, in the IC world mutants are by far the minority. Under 2% of the living population even carries the X-gene. Of people who carry the gene, the majority of them have mutations so minor that they would never even know they were mutants without genetic testing. Under half of a percent of the population display mutations noticeable enough to impact their lives. New York ICly does have a far higher concentration of mutants than the general world population, but even in New York City, mutants with powers they themselves would be aware of only comprise about 7% of the population.
What about superpowers that don't come from mutations?
Mutates (superhumans whose superpowers come from some other source than the X-Gene) do exist in the world, but it is very uncommon and not a widely known phenomenon -- the most well-known public example is Captain America, and aside from him there are not many openly known mutates in the media, although there are a handful out there. Because they are so rarely seen openly, it's extremely common that even if someone happens to acquire powers through some chance method, they will still think they are a mutant -- testing for the X-Gene is VERY rare, so if you wake up with superpowers one day, "I must be a mutant" is the most logical answer. If someone acquires superpowers through some very obvious external means (deliberate scientific experimentation, for example, as in Steve Rogers's case) then for sure they themselves will know they are not a mutant -- but until it is proven, most of the world will still treat them as a mutant, with all the discrimination that comes with.
What mutations are the most common?
While most expressions of mutation are unique enough that it's rare to find two mutants with the exact same mutation, some broad categories of mutations show up with frequency! Mutants with psionic abilities (abilities that affect the mind -- for example, telepaths and empaths) together with people with augmented physical capabilities (e.g., anyone who can do things humans can actually do, but better -- heightened reflexes, increased strength, faster healing, etc.) are the two most commonly found classes of mutations ICly. Though ICly this fact is tossed around a lot by anti-mutant advocates when fearmongering, they often neglect to contextualize it with the numbers -- mutants with physical augmentations (even minor ones) by far outstrip psionics as the largest class of mutants in the world (making up approximately 60% of all manifested abilities) while psionic abilities, the next largest documented group, appear in only about 11% of the mutant population.
At what age do mutations start to appear?
In the vast majority of cases, carriers of the X-gene will not express noticeable mutations until puberty. This is not a hard-and-fast rule; mutations tend to trigger at periods of heightened stress, either emotional or physical, and for most people this leads to initial manifestation of X-gene abilities at puberty. There have been some people who do not have their first manifestations of powers until later in life (almost always coinciding with some large life stress!)
There are rare occasions where children manifest mutations younger than this. By far this is most common with mutants who are simply born with noticeable physical alterations -- i.e. a tail or purple skin from birth. It's extremely rare for children to manifest other non-physical powers (e.g. teleportation or pyrokinesis) at young ages. In most cases when non-physical mutations do manifest very young, these mutations are or will become extremely powerful examples of their type -- unfortunately this quite often also comes hand-in-hand with mutations so powerful they are dangerous to their bearer, and the vast majority of children who manifest mutations young also die of them quite young. (Though it has not been extensively ICly documented yet, the vast majority of fetuses conceived with the X-gene also never make it to term; evolution is not particularly smart and often the X-gene manifests powers without also manifesting ways to keep those powers safe.)
