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utopique is now closed
thank you for playing
FAQ
If you have a question that isn't answered on this page, please direct it to the mod email or contact page. Application info is on the app page. Activity policy is covered both under rules and on the AC page and again on the hiatus/drops page.
► What is Utopique? Give me an overview.
Utopique is a panfandom roleplaying game with a jamjar format. Our focus is CR building and player-generated world and plot expansion. Characters enter an underdeveloped area of an established world and are given the opportunity to shape it as they like, with monthly events and light, player-affected metaplot to keep things interesting. As a twist, incoming characters find themselves changed, adapted to their new world by attaining mild animal features, a trait native to the residents of this world. They'll find themselves subject to a society that, while generally friendly, judges its people based on the animal whose traits they display. Characters will be placed into groups called "alliances" on entry, and some will receive more aid than others. Different alliances will have access to different NPC groups and their resources, and will be able to work together to improve their communal living spaces and contribute to the game as a whole.
As a player in Utopique, you'll have the ability to work with the mods to decide what sorts of events you encounter. The game will have a balance of light-hearted and serious mod events, and we allow player plots of all kinds. The overarcing metaplot will be slow, entering the game quarterly to keep things flowing. Players always have influence over the direction and pace of the game, with a mod team dedicated to proactive communication and keeping things fun, and a points system that rewards players for plotting and being active.
► What is the setting? How do my characters get there?
Utopique is set in Arden Grove, a small town in a fantasy world with a vaguely late-Victorian technology level. The natives all have "kemonomimi"-style animal features, and most of them are gifted with a single magical "Talent". These Talents are usually very mundane magics, such as a supernatural ability to cook especially tasty food, or to always be able to find misplaced personal items. Some rare cases are flashier or more impactful -- firestarting, talking to animals, healing. One such case is Crepe, a young woman with the ability to "connect doorways". While originally this served to turn any doorway into a temporary portal to any other door Crepe had been through and could remember, it has now spiraled out of control, opening Doors to all sorts of places -- even other worlds!
At some point, somehow, your character goes through a doorway, or something resembling one. Instead of the intended destination, they'll find themselves stumbling into this new world through one of Crepe's Dimensional Doors. As these doors are only open for a moment, and can't be controlled, they can't be sent home at will, and will have to make the best of their situation here in Arden Grove. For more information about the world and the metaplot therein, see the setting & plot page.
► What happens on arrival?
New characters walk through any door or door-like entryway between spaces in their world, and suddenly find themselves somewhere inside a large, fancy house. They may quickly notice that their body has been modified -- new ears and tail, perhaps, a change in the senses. Any injuries they had may or may not be healed, by player discretion. Their clothes may be automatically modified to account for their new features, or may not, also at your discretion. Maybe they'll look for a mirror to check in, or search for information on their new location? Regardless, they won't have long to wander, before uniformed staff, in grey and navy with shiny gold buttons, find them and usher them along to an immaculately clean and comfortably arranged sitting room. They may be alone, or they may find themselves waiting with other new arrivals, as clueless as they are.
Soon, the town clerk will arrive, with information and a small suede case, emblazoned with one of five alliance emblems, for each new guest. The basic circumstances (Doors, alliances, major locations, etc) will be explained. Inside the case, characters will find a folded paper map of the small town in which they've landed, and a thin metal communication device, the functions of which the clerk will be happy to explain. All questions settled, the clerk will accompany the new characters to their alliance HQs via horse-drawn carriage ride, and then leave them to explore on their own.
► What does my character get to bring with them?
Characters come in with their powers and any items they had on or immediately near them at the time of entry ("bag of holding" abilities are allowed within reason). Players are asked to inventory their items in their app, and to be reasonable about both items and powers. If a power is particularly game breaking (read: would allow the character to leave the game at will or completely destroy it/the mechanics in some way), it will be inaccessible on arrival. ICly, this will be explained by the change characters go through in order to be "anchored" to the world.
Pets and vehicles are both allowed provided they are reasonably small. Any pet smaller than a large dog and any vehicle smaller than a moped are acceptable. Anything larger will not have made the jump. Pets/items that have both an acceptably small and unacceptably large form may come provided they are always stuck in the smaller form. You can bring two pets, but no more. Please be considerate of the game and other players when making your inventory!
► What's with these animal features?
Upon entering the world, player characters are "anchored" -- becoming part of the world as their souls and bodies shift to match. To those with the ability to sense such a thing, that means that player characters don't feel magically or spiritually "out of place". Characters whose existence/abilities are conditional on being in their own territory will find themselves feeling at home in the game. Outwardly, this connection shows as gaining animal features.
All natives to the world in which the game takes place have "kemonomimi"-style animal features. They appear human, except for the addition of animal ears (in addition to or in place of human ears), tails, horns, and/or wings, different eye appearances and possibly fangs and/or claws. Changes to player characters must also fall under these limits. For example, a character with cat features might have a cat's ears and tail, slit pupils, sharp nails and teeth. A sheep might have curled horns and a short wooly tail. A crow will have the appropriate wings. The exact details are up to each player, so you don't need to do exactly what another person using the same animal as you has done, as long as everything fits within the rules and limits.
If appropriate, these changes may come with a slight heightening or dulling of senses such as eyesight and hearing. However, characters will not gain significant strength, speed, or other abilities (with the exception of, optionally, flight for those with wings), nor will they suddenly gain animal instincts (a dog character will not feel the urge to eat raw meat or chase a cat character). As a whole, we expect players not to worry too much about physiological reasons and affects of features, and to suspend disbelief or "blame magic" in the name of aesthetics. Feel free to ask the mods if you need clarification!
► Are there any restrictions on feature types?
Just a few! First, any changes that remove/replace limbs or otherwise include major physiological changes won't be approved. Centaurs for example are too extreme a change, as are true anthro-style furries. If you can't represent it on your character without disallowed changes, you'll have to choose something else. By default this also excludes aquatic animals, as anything that leaves a character needing to live in the water cannot be reasonably accommodated. Aquatics may, however, be accounted for in later metaplot, so this rule is subject to change in the future.
Second, be aware that reptiles and amphibians are not common in Butterwick, the nation in which Arden Grove is located. You are welcome to use them if they otherwise fit the rules, just be aware that they'll be perceived by natives as especially "foreign". You can learn more about this on the setting & plot page.
Third, you must choose an animal that exists in our real world. Mythical creatures such as unicorns and dragons won't be allowed, as they wouldn't be able to be placed in alliances. The features you choose must be in line with the animal you choose as well -- your bear ears can't be hot pink, even if that's your character's natural hair colour.
And lastly, for plot reasons, players must ask the mods before apping a character with lion features. As the royal family in Butterwick has lion features, any PC with them will have unique reactions from NPCs and may qualify for special roles in metaplot at some point in the future. For that reason we ask that anyone considering it be prepared for the extra mod involvement and potential responsibility. Again, you can learn more about this on the setting & plot page.
► What if my character is already inhuman in some way?
Inhuman characters will stay in whatever form they were before coming into the game. Animal characters, robots, etc, will continue to be animals, robots, etc. For those who don't already have animal features, they'll get them the same way as any other character. For those who already have them (fully animal or anthro characters or characters who already had kemonomimi), it's up to player discretion whether to leave the character unaffected or put extra features on top of or in place of the ones they had for a chimera sort of effect. Chimera-like characters will still be sorted into the alliance of their new adopted features. Feel free to ask us if you need help with your particular circumstance!
► What if my character was dead, sick, or injured before arriving?
Dead characters are allowed! You may consider their entry to death as a doorway, or assume there were doors in the afterlife. If your character was injured, their injuries may be healed on arrival or not by your discretion. For a character with a terminal illness, it's up to you whether to have that condition stalled or cured on entry, or whether to find a way within the game to treat it.
► You mentioned a communication device. Does this game have a network?
Utopique does not have a network! The main community is exclusively in-person, and will consist of both closed logs and open mingle posts. However, characters do have a communicator powered by magic, which is more of a "dumb phone". It includes a mediocre camera, and the ability to send text, still photos, and voice calls to anyone else in game. Each communicator is emblazoned with the emblem of the owner's alliance and has a 6-digit serial number that also serves as an ID number for the owner. The contact list shows only ID numbers and is automatically updated as characters come in and leave.
To facilitate the use of these devices, we ask all characters to have an IC inbox, which will be linked on the taken list. ID numbers can be handwaved, and NPC PSAs may be part of events. IC inbox threads count towards AC, so feel free to use them to supplement your in-person play as much as you like. However, IC inboxes are the only "network" type communication available to characters. They are simply magical phones, and there is no internet or IC journaling system.
► How do we tag our participation?
Character tags for the main comm are generated by the mods when a character is accepted. Players have the ability to add existing tags to entries, but not to make new ones, just to avoid duplicate and typo tags. If you get into the game and you need a character tag made, just ping a mod informally and we'll get one for you asap!
► How fast does time pass in game?
To begin with, Utopique ran on "flex time", with IC time being advanced by posts in the main comm. However, due to some problems adjusting to that, as of December 2016 the mods have tentatively switched to 3:1 time. This means 3 OOC days will pass for every IC day. You can find the current day on the calendar, along with info on the month's plans.
If you need to backdate a post, you're always welcome to! Just make sure to note that the time is noted as backdated. If the post before yours was backdated, make sure your post is set at the current time. You're also welcome to take advantage of an overflow post in your journal to help you with pacing. If you know a thread is going to take a long time to play out, you can play it in an overflow and then insert it into the timeline when it's done. You can also play backdated fallout in overflows. Overflowed threads do count for AC.
► What's an alliance?
For organization purposes, the locals have decided to separate their strange visitors into five different groups, each with their own emblem, colours, and dorm. These groups are assigned on entry based on feature type and are called alliances. Your character's alliance will determine how much aid they receive from the native government and donors, and which elements of native society will favor them with access to information and resources. In order from most to least "prestigious" the alliances are Holly, Birch, Willow, Cypress, & Sweetgum. You can read more about each alliance and the pros and cons of membership on the setting & plot page.
NPCs will be able to identify a character's feature type on looking at them even if they're an unusual colour variation. Chalk it up to a long culture of doing so and don't worry about it too much ICly. If your character wants to hide their feature type, they'll need to do so with makeup and clothing. Please note that NPCs aren't part of the alliance system, with the system based on existing social biases instead of an actual grouping of NPCs.
► What will events be like?
Events in Utopique are monthly and can range from lighthearted effects and creature invasions to serious disasters and metaplot. Overall the game is meant to be more light than dark, with the metaplot creeping in quarterly, and players will be able to influence the direction of the game at all times.
Most monthly events will come in the form of Door Events. In this case, a Dimensional Door will open and bring forth some sort of creature, weather, or effect from another dimension. For example, one month there might be a horrible storm that causes floods. Another may be an invasion of creatures that read characters' minds and expose their secrets, or a mist that causes illness in only a certain group, for which the others must find an antidote. These Doors can be to canon worlds, so players are welcome to suggest things from their characters' worlds or other fandoms for events.
In between major events, players are more than welcome to use Dimensional Doors for their own plots. While anything game-wide needs to be discussed with the mods, individual incidents are both allowed and encouraged. We're happy to work with you to make your ideas happen, so if you're not sure if something is allowed or how far you can go with it, don't hesitate to contact us!
The mods are always taking suggestions and will hold plot jams in the OOC comm, so make sure to give us your best ideas!
► Is there a regular schedule of events?
Events in Utopique are at the same time every month. We also have a monthly prompt post, OOC meme, etc! The schedule for these relies on our Saturday announcements posts and is as follows:
Week 1: Monthly Things to Do in Arden Grove (our monthly list of playing prompts), resrves close, apps open, and an OOC meme is posted. We'll be posting the friending meme bimonthly and some other OOC meme for fun in the off-months.
Week 2: OOC plot announcement, apps close and the monthly intro log goes up. Quarterly, there will also be a "how's the game" post. The last HTG can always be found here.
Week 3: IC plot kickoff and enablemeplz want list gathering.
Week 4: EMP, and reserves open. Quarterly, there will also be a test drive meme.
If there are 5 Saturdays in a month, EMP will be on the 5th, and the want list gathering on the 4th. If there are any questions or concerns about this, please let us know!
► What about the language barrier?
All characters in Utopique will find themselves magically able to speak and read the common language of Butterwick. It will have replaced their native tongue as the language that "feels" most natural, and that comes first to their minds. However, they may speak their native and secondary languages if they make the effort to.
► What happens if my character gets injured or dies?
Characters who get injured in Utopique can report to the infirmary in Crepe's House for NPC healing, or be healed by fellow player characters who have the ability to do so. However, death isn't to be treated lightly. Characters who die in Utopique lose their connection to the world, and can't be revived. They can only come back from their world again, as if for the first time. OOCly, a character who dies must be dropped for a full month before they can be reapped, and will not remember their previous stay.
If a character is immortal, or has the ability to revive someone from death, that ability can be kept. There will be a roughly 5 minute window before a dead character "disconnects" in which revival can happen. However, if the mods notice these abilities being used to excess this rule may be changed.
► I can think of a starter. What resources do you have to help?
Utopique provides a short-list of 5 monthly prompts in the form of a "Things to Do" list. The monthly prompts can be found in the announcements for the first Saturday of the month. The monthly event is on the third Saturday and usually lasts a week or two OOCly. If you need other ideas, we have an IC request board in the form of the chapel. You can also find a list of player-run organizations or player-occupied NPC businesses on the player organizaton page. We encourage everyone to freely use these resources to make posts and toplevels and find new CR!
► Can we play mature content?
You can play whatever sort of content you like! Sex, violence, and PVP are allowed in Utopique. However, we ask that everyone be considerate of other players when playing anything objectionable. Use content warnings and/or move especially mature content to an overflow post in your character's journal, and always make sure to ask for consent before springing things on another player.
To make sure we're all on the same page, Utopique does not allow players under the age of 18. Additionally, a permissions post is required on all characters' journals, and will be linked on the taken list.
► Is there an HMD?
We do not have a scheduled in-game HMD for players. However, we will have a quarterly moderated discussion post for the game at large, in which players are welcome to bring up issues involving the mods, the game, or the playerbase as a whole. It does not however allow for crit of individual players, so we also encourage but don't require HMD posts in journals to facilitate communication. Bullying in HMDs won't be tolerated, so don't be afraid to be open in either direction!
► Is there a character cap?
Yes! Utopique has a total character cap of 150 characters and caps individual casts at 10 characters. Characters who are apped into a capped cast or into the game as a whole when the cap is reached will be placed into a queue. Queued characters are accepted, and cannot be apped by anyone else, but also won't be added to the taken list or allowed to play until a slot opens. Players with characters in queue can always withdraw their apps, or request the mods hold off on placing them during a certain period (for example during a vacation, family emergency, or other time when they wouldn't be able to play if they were added to the game). If you place a reserve for a character who is likely to be queued, we will let you know in advance!
To see a list of currently queued characters, see the taken page. To see a list of casts that are at or near cap, see the applications page.
► Can I canon update?
You may! Canon updates happen when a character enters a Dimensional Door back to their home world, and then another back to Arden Grove in a short time. Essentially you're dropping and reapping from a later canon point, without going through all the OOC trouble. However, characters do need to be out of play for 1 IC day, while they're gone. You can canon update via the hiatus form on the hiatus/drops page.
► I have a canon-specific concern!
You can always contact us if you're worried about a canon-specific mechanic and how it'll fit into the game. A few things we've already discussed that might help:
►Vampires will have to bite to feed. If they want blood pills, packs, or other supplements, they'll have to develop them in-game.
►Fate/ servants will receive just enough mana to continue existing in the game. They may form contracts to use their powers more/survive more solidly, but these will follow canon rules such as being limited by the Master's magical ability.
►Items from home that a character needs to replace or maintain in order to live (such as grief seeds for Puella Magi) are not easily found in-game. Players can choose to either find their condition stalled on entry to the game, or can work with other player characters' abilities or the locals to find a substitute. You could also spend your OOC points to obtain them. The mods will be happy to work with you!
►If your character is an adult stuck in a child's body for some reason, you may have them show up in the game in adult form if you wish. This is optional and is only applicable to mentally adult characters who canonically have both an adult and child form.
► What are "points"?
Points are an OOC reward system for especially active players. You earn points when you suggest or run a plot and when you are active beyond the requirements for staying in the game. Learn more about this on the points/suggestions page.
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