Aberrant: 200X - [Read This First] THE 200X BIBLE

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THE 200X FORUM BIBLE

SUMMARY

The 200X era is to be a re-imagining of the 2018 forum, using similar characters as often as possible. The excesses of 2018 are to be avoided. The setting will rely on the goodwill and the cooperation of the writers as a group, backed up by a small number of moderators who will have executive veto and the right to intervene in disputes or nascent disputes.

200X is not a game to be won. It is a storytelling environment in which writers may create stories and interact IC within an established framework. We are not players. We are writers.

THE THREE RULES

Rule #1: Participation in the 200X setting is voluntary. Those who are disruptive and uncooperative will be ejected and asked not to return.

Rule #2: We will cooperate with each other and watch over each other. Disputes are to be settled among the writers whenever possible. If necessary, the moderators will intervene. Moderators may intervene preemptively to what they see as a developing problem.

Rule #3: See rule #1.

MODERATORS

The existence of moderators must not preclude discussion among the group. A moderator serves the writers, and is there to ensure that the largest number of people possible are enjoying the site. It must always be that way. A moderator who does it the other way around is a tyrant.

The initial moderators are to be (in no particular order of precedence) Nova_OOC, Seph_OOC, and Mr. Fox. In any discussion among the moderators, the agreement of any two moderators will overrule the third.

The current moderators are Revenant, Einherjar, Kazuo, and Shae.

Absent Moderators:

If a Moderator is consistently absent, or if the players feel it is necessary due to lack of involvement, a vote may be called to have a given Moderator replaced. All reasonable attempts will be made to accommodate their real-life responsibilities, emergencies, and other unavoidable issues. Any unplanned/unannounced absence which lasts for more than two months and results in the inability of the Mod in question to perform their Modly duties will be considered sufficient cause for such a vote. Absence is defined by a lack of response to PM's and thread posts attempts to contact the moderator.

CANON SETTING

The 200X era is to use the contemporary calendar date and will move forward at the rate of one unit of real time = one unit of era time.

If you want to know the date and time in the 200X era, look at a calendar.

The Slider assassination and subsequent formation of the Aberrants are to be treated in a way similar to the real-world assassination of President Kennedy. There is an accepted official explanation, yet a tremendous number of conspiracy theories exist and are debated with almost religious devotion. Despite all this theorizing, nothing concrete is ever resolved and no government agency will comment on them. Behind the scenes, the shadowy organizations that secretly run the world are frustrating the Aberrants at every turn, but allowing them to carry on publicly as a kind of safety valve.

The Night of the Long Knives, the Aberrant War and the end of the world as we know it, as well as the Trinity future, are not necessarily destined to happen.

THE IC OPNET FORUM

The IC OpNet forum will be considered to be viewable by only novas. There will be one sticky thread which is visible to the public at large called "Ask a Nova" in which curious baselines may ask questions of novas. Participation in the "Ask a Nova" thread is optional.

NUMBER OF CHARACTERS

Each writer will be allowed to create characters of two kinds: "rebooted" OpNet 2018 and 2010 characters, and new characters created specifically for the 200X era.

There is no limit to the number of rebooted 2018 or 2010 characters who may be written into the 200X era. This is by design to encourage re-imaginings of the 2018 and 2010 characters.

Regarding entirely new, non-rebooted characters: each writer will be limited to no more than one new character to be created within the first thirty days of the new era, and a second new character during the first year. Additional characters may be introduced at the rate of no more than one per calendar year per writer thereafter. New character credits do not roll over into subsequent years.

Characters hastily created in the waning weeks of a calendar year to avoid "losing" a character credit will be looked upon with a baleful eye.

Example: The writer Nova_OOC could create re-imagined versions of her OpNet 2018 characters "Flicker," "Mithril," and "Flea" at any time. She could further create one new character within the first 30 days of the era's opening. Beyond that, at any point in 2008 she could create one more new character. The total number of characters Nova_OOC could have in play by the end of 2008 is five: three reboots and two new ones.

2018 and 2010

2018 and 2010 are to be left as-is. 2018 characters that are re-imagined in 200X may still be played in 2018 in their original form (2010, on the other hand, is now closed).

There is to be no attachment, cross-time movement, reality-shifting, or other mechanism for characters or IC knowledge to move from 2018 to 200X or vice-versa. 200X is an independent and separate reality.

NOVA POINTS

Characters created AFTER the 4th of March, 2009 are to begin with no more than 50 NP. A character may begin with fewer than 50NP and add NP up to the cap as justified by stories or IC interaction. All increases in NP must be plausibly justified by a supporting body of fiction or interaction.

Characters created BEFORE the 4th of March, 2009 still have the previous NP cap of 58. These remain even if not spent yet to aid character development in the future.

A 'Starting Pool' of Experience Points will accrue at a default rate of 3xp per month, starting with the month of March, 2009. Players who have been active during a given month (ICly, that is) will be awarded an additional 4xp. Players are expected to keep the log of their XP gains and expenditures in their character thread. Moderators will periodically audit xp logs.

CHARACTER CREATION

By the book: Limited to 7/5/3 atts, 23 abs, 7 BGs, 15 BPs, and up to 50 NP. No more than 8 dots of permanent taint may be taken at the time of character creation. Fractions of NP earned by taint are to be rounded AGAINST the character.

Quantum points will be handled differently in this setting than in the core rule book. Characters may have a starting Quantum of up to Q3 for no cost, but a score of Q4 or Q5 must be purchased with bonus or nova points. Characters created with a Quantum score lower than Q3 will receive extra bonus points (not nova points) which may be spent on attributes, abilities, specialties, or backgrounds. Five bonus points will be allotted to a character who is created with Q2, or ten bonus points for a character who is created with Q1.

Quantum scores will be limited to no greater than Q5 at time of creation. Advancement to Q6 will be available only by appeal to the moderators and must be supported by a compelling and robust justification. Submission of the request is not a guarantee of acceptance, and the submitter must be prepared for the possibility of a "no" response.

Note: Be sure to check HERE for a list of updated House Rules, accepted new Enhancements and Powers, etc.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Despite being almost universally despised in the rulebook form, they will be included with the following limits:

-No shift in the quantum minimum requirement of a power.

-No use of permanence, however a strength increase to duration upto 'One Scene' may be taken.

Weaknesses must not be used as a back-door way to get a level 4 power without having Q6. That would defeat the intended purpose of making Q6 available only through petition to the moderators. The Q4 powers, even just one technique of a mastery power, are overpowered for the setting at the outset.

MERITS AND FLAWS

Merits may be purchased with bonus points (BP). Flaws may be taken, but the points gained from Flaws may only be spent on Merits, up to the max of 10 points.

CHARACTER SHEETS

Character sheets for each character are to be posted and maintained accurately. No specific format is required, but the character sheet must be easy to read. Changes made to the character sheet should be explained in a footnote or closely-related post.

Moderator approval of character sheets is not required; however, moderators will occasionally audit character sheets. Also moderators may edit character sheets for xp tracking purposes.

TAINT

High taint or aberrations must incur a significant social penalty. This must not be forgotten, and will be strictly enforced.

Taint is a quality of inhumanity which communicates a sense of unease or dread. This makes interaction with baselines difficult. It may be temporarily overcome by high social skills or appropriate powers, but there will still be lingering consequences after the fact.

Body modifications which make a character appear inhuman are not to be considered in the same mechanic as taint-induced physical aberrations. While the nova is physically altered in both circumstances, only taint produces that specific unsettling and indescribable sensation of unease in others.

Addendum: The Taint Resistance enhancement for Mega-Intelligent novas represents the evolution of the brain to cope with the permanent taint caused by the M-R Node. As such, this enhancement can be purchased and it's effect applied at any time. Bear in mind that whilst the Taint levels caused by the Node background may go down (1 for every level of Mega-Intelligence), any Aberrations earned from the previous high levels of Taint remain. - Einherjar

SPECIAL EFFECT

Available to all nova characters is a body modification called Special Effect. This body modification has a cost of 0 NP. This body mod provides no mechanical advantages, no mechanical disadvantages, and is purely for visual aesthetics. The effect goes away when the nova dorms assuming the nova can do so, and writers may write appropriate reactions to the body modification as they desire.

Point is, small things like hair color are not going to freak people out, no need to discuss them if they aren't taint derived. If they are taint derived they aren't going to cause much reaction.

PUNY HUMAN RULE

The optional rule "Puny Human" is in effect. It is impossible to be kicked to death by spiders.

CONSENT AND COMBAT

Combat is permitted when the participants are willing. If you don't want someone to get the urge to smear your character into a fine red paste, don't kick him/her in the groin. See rule #1.

Moderator run storylines will have the consent rules for that storyline posted in the thread that outlines the storyline and asks for participants. Once a character has entered that storyline, they must abide by the combat consent rules they entered under.