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The Details of Our Escape Solarpunk FediRP
To celebrate 1 year of #SolarpunkSunday on #Fediverse, I’m hosting a Fedi play-by-post RPG from a Solarpunk rpg game!
Who Can Play:
Use any #ActivityPub enabled account to respond to the questions and writing prompts from the book I’ll be posting once every two days. Your responses can be in short or long form, pictures, video clips, or whatever helps you express your creativity, and can be in any language (my native language is English, but all languages are welcome to play too). You can be on #Mastodon, #Friendica, #Pixelfed, #Loops, #Peertube, #Wordpress, #Ghost, #Bookwyrm, #Piefed, or any other Fediverse place that can receive and respond to my Friendica posts.
What We’re Playing:
I’m running an adaptation of the RPG “The Details of Our Escape” by Possible World Games. I’ll be re-interpreting the book’s rules to facilitate playing together on Fediverse.
I chose this game because it was the first time I’d seen an RPG with story conflict and resolution that isn’t centered in tragedy nor a return to status quo. Instead, it’s about finding a better or new way forward. It’s also unique in that instead of us each playing an individual character, we are each telling the story of large groups, because the game is focused on the concept of community.
Welcome to “Session 0”
This post is “Session 0”, the preparation post where you learn the rules, make some initial decisions, and prepare for playing the game.
This game is usually played using dominoes and randomized tables in the book. I will handle that for us. I’ll post results in domino format (example: 0:6 to represent a domino with a blank side and a side with 6 pips) Every 2 days, I will post up the next part of our journey using #OurEscapeDeets. Simply reply to that day’s thread with your response. Use the Spoiler functionality or #DeetsCW for people to filter on if your response will include sensitive subject matter or common phobias. Use text descriptions or closed captioning if you're planning to include images or audio.
The core concept of the game is that we are each portraying a large group of people, and each of our stories end not due to loss, but “when our group has found what they are seeking”. The dominoes will determine the encounters we’ll have along the way, and there will be times when you must decide whether your group continues, or remains behind for a good reason as others continue on without them for their own good reasons (that means this game is also great for casual play if you need to take a break or feel like dropping out before the game is finished). Your responses may include individual characters from your larger group, such as spokes people or characters of note performing certain tasks, but usually the emphasis should still be on your community at large.
And now, let’s get started!
The Details of Our Escape Book wrote:
“You’ve all heard of The Caravan. Thousands strong, they’re diverse in their needs and desires, but unified by two core beliefs: there is safety in numbers, and a better future is possible. Your city is their latest stop. Your people have decided to join with The Caravan, but who are you, how many, and where do you come from?”
The first domino is 0:6, so the book says our story themes must be in a “Science Fantasy” setting. In Science Fantasy, magic can be technology and myth is a fact of life rather than a bedtime story. You should try to include Science Fantasy elements in your responses (though the lines between it and Science Fiction are blurry, we won't judge).
The next domino is 2:5. The book rules say that means you may choose to play as a group of one of these sizes: 200 people, 500 people, or 70 people.
The last domino is 0:4. That means your group’s thematic identity is that they are “Officials”. (If you don't like that though, you may use one of these alternate options: Herders, Introverts, Rebels, Riders, Extroverts)
Story Framework for our game:
Our story will take place in a world where each of our people’s exist in a parallel universe, all a different version of the same city. It is known that there are peoples of other universes who are somehow perceptible through The Veil. It is not known what The Veil is, but it is well understood by all to be the delineation between parallel existences. It was only the advent of The Caravan forming that revealed to what extent other universes existed.
As more and more people joined with The Caravan and traded information, it became clear that some travelers among The Caravan were not truly “there”. Somehow, there were people who were somewhere else, held apart from your universe by The Veil. Some peoples were even capable of interacting through The Veil with the other universes, and it is said that there are those who may have figured out how to traverse between them. Further, as information was passed between universes, it became clear that certain key events were taking place at the same time across each universe. Yet the outcomes were radically different.
Your people have chosen to join up with The Caravan as it exists in your universe. It can’t be a coincidence that since the arrival of The Caravan in your city, your people became more aware of the fact that the city you call home has copies of itself across the universes. The city may look different, have different history, and be filled with different people … yet deep in your heart, you somehow can sense that it is definitely the same city expressed in each universe, despite these many differences.
Your people are aware that there are peoples from other universes who are also a part of The Caravan, all on the same journey yet not always doing so from the same dimension or experiencing the same consequences from the same events. Your people may have ways to know about or even interact with the beings in the other dimensions (aka, the other players on Fediverse if someone’s post catches your eye as you’re playing), or they may choose to ignore the other dimensions even though they know that they exist (aka you don’t have to play with the other players if you don’t want to). Trying to freely purposefully communicate through The Veil is difficult, and there may be times when, try as your people might, the other beings perceived through The Veil just can’t seem to be reached (aka another player declines to reciprocate your gameplay or their instance is having trouble receiving posts from your instance). The physical appearance or behavior of The Veil differs across existences (aka, in your universe it’s up to you how The Veil appears and what your people think of it or how they do – or don’t – interact with it). The following 3 facts about The Veil are known by everyone who travels with The Caravan:
1. No one knows how or when The Veil came to be. It has existed since long before The Caravan formed.
2. No one knows “what” The Veil “is”. Is it natural? Super natural? Artificially created? Sentient? Divine power? No one, anywhere, knows.
3. That which originated in one existence cannot freely cross The Veil into another … but can be called to cross it from the other side. (example: A dragon or a spell gun cannot casually stray into your universe, but some power on your side of The Veil may be able to summon it across.)
Your First Post
For your first post of the game, respond to this Session 0 post with the following details:
Size – What size of group will you portray, 70, 200, or 500 people?
Theme – What is the thematic identity of your group: Officials, Herders, Introverts, Rebels, Riders, or Extroverts?
City Name – Even though all our groups come from the same fictional city, the city is called by a different name in each universe. What is the fictional city called in your universe?
What Stands Out – Describe one aspect of your universe’s version of the fictional city that someone could see, hear, or feel. It could be architecture, infrastructure, the populace, or any other element you’d like to focus on.
The Downside – Describe one negative aspect of your universe’s version of the fictional city. This can be beyond something you directly perceive, it could be more intangible such as an emotion felt or a negative social aspect.
The Reason - Why did your group decide to leave the city?
The Search - What is your group searching for?
Thanks for joining in! The next post will be on 12/30, where we’ll discover what The Caravan next encounters with your group now among their numbers. See you then!