Frequently Asked Questions

[newcomod]

Frequently Asked Questions

Image Descriptions from left to right: First image is barren trees in a thick fog, second image is various human hands with various strings connected between fingers, third image is a human hand pulling out a leatherbound book from a bookcase of similarly leatherbound books.

Game Summary Game Mechanics Character Mechanics Application Mechanics

Setting Mechanics Arrival & Conditions Academics Locations

Taken Reserves Applications Full Navigation

Game Summary

Premise.

A meteor struck a world and ended it...Except for the sanctuary of Newcomb University which managed to protect itself within a time loop repeating the 31 days leading up to the collision. Every collision rips open time and space, pulling in characters and more from other universes, thrusting them into university life where they must fill the roles of students, teachers, and faculty alike as they solve the mysteries of Newcomb University.

Genre & Inspiration.

Dark Academia, Science Fiction, Cosmic Horror, Paranormal Investigation, Conspiracy Theory, Surrealism, Psychological Thriller/Horror, Extraterrestrial, Mystery, Metaphorical.

This game was heavily inspired by Bojack Horseman, the dark forest hypothesis, scientific paradoxes, films such as Arrival, Nope, and No One Will Save You, cosmic horror in general, and bizarre "stuck" realms such as Silent Hill.

Goals.

Characters will work to unveil the mysteries of Newcomb, survive meteor strikes and the chaos that ensues, thrive through academic life, and fight against the clock for their sanity and survival. Characters will work alongside the AI, Cassandra, to recover lost transcripts from the original scholars and attempt to preserve Newcomb's history and their own.

Content Warnings.

Time Loop, apocalyptic themes, cosmic horror, disaster, psychological horror, unknown of space, alien life forms, abductions, time loss, themes of extreme mental health including suicide and memory loss/dementia, mild themes of animal testing (non-graphic), human testing, substance abuse, existential dread, paranoia, survival, apocalyptic scenarios.

There will be many metaphorical events to reflect some themes above.

Game Mechanics

Playerbase.

Our playerbase is required to be 18+ to join the game. This is an open game. You do not need an invitation to reserve or apply.

Permissions.

We require all players to have a filled-out permissions page attached to their characters. You can find a variety of permission codes here. Please make sure your permissions page is filled out before you apply.

Events.

There will be one mod event per month. Events typically err more on the serious side with frequent themes of scientific theories, paradoxes, survival, and metaphorical horror. There will also be several academic events and prompts that focus more on campus life such as dances, competitions, and school festivals.

Test Drive Memes.

There will be one TDM per month. All test drive memes are open to current and prospective players. All TDMs are game canon. TDMs depict that month's meteor collision and serve as a potential precursor to the upcoming month's atmosphere and event. TDMs will have smaller prompts than events.

Cassandra.

Cassandra is a constant AI presence throughout the game's setting. She is present in the very makeup of the buildings and character phones. She occasionally may manifest as a hologram of an albatross. Cassandra can only manifest and be generated by character activity. The less character activity, the less "power" Cassandra has.

Cassandra will be the primary source of information and engaging with the environment. She is the only "present" NPC and may have personalized interactions with characters from time to time via Network posts or to private inboxes.

Transcripts.

Cassandra's primary goal is to recover lost transcripts from the archives. This is mostly a digital process, but some events may provide physical artifacts. Transcripts will be a unique part of the game structure wherein if events reach a specific number of comments, transcripts by the old scholars will be "released" and provide further information about Newcomb and the characters' circumstances.

Transcripts will be posted to newcombarchives and all characters will automatically be notified ICly through their phones. Characters can create network posts or generate in-person conversations about the information released through these transcripts.

Memes.

We will regularly host other memes such as character relationship memes. We encourage our players to post their favorite type of memes (such as heart meter memes) to our meme community newcombers.

You do not require mod permission to post memes, but please ensure another player has not posted the same meme recently.

Pacing.

The pacing of our game is intended to be medium pacing.

We do not operate on a 1:1 daily basis as the setting is in a time loop.

We generally encourage players to try and be on the same page for pacing their scenes and personal plots.

Activity Requirements.

10 comments per month between log posts, network posts, events, and memes.

Mod Contact.

You may contact us through a PM on this account or on this page.

Character Mechanics

Age.

All characters must be at least 18+ to join. You may age up characters to fit the age requirement.

Aging.

This setting is stuck in time and so is your character. Characters will not age except for unique events wherein you may have the option to temporarily or permanently age up/down.

Species.

Any species is applicable as long as they are capable of learning and developing. They will not need to be "humanized" through the setting. They can retain their original body. Characters must also be able to communicate in some way to one another whether through verbal, physical, written, or telekinetic gestures.

Size.

Large characters will automatically be shrunk to size as to not break the setting. They may be allowed to grow to their canon size per special events. Small characters are allowed and will not be required to change physically to fit the setting unless the player chooses to do so upon application.

Health.

Characters who are disabled or chronically ill in some way will arrive in the same health conditions. Since this game exists in a time-loop, their health can't "worsen" over time like it might otherwise. Cures for certain things may be found at the medical center (ie; antibiotics, treatments). Characters with healing abilities may be able to help heal anyone.

Just about every medication under the sun can be found in vending machines throughout campus.

Injuries.

Characters can get injured in game. They can rest up at the medical center. There may be special events that allow characters to be healed thoroughly and quickly. Characters who are healers may provide their skills as well.

Most characters will sustain some injury upon arrival. This can include injuries they had from their canon point.

Death.

If your character is dead from your canon point, they will be taken from a moment soon before their death. If your character is a ghost, you can either have them retain their ghostiness or bring them back to life.

Characters can die in this game. To read up more on death details, please check out our Newcomber Conditions page.

Pregnancy.

We do not allow pregnancy in the game. Characters who enter the game pregnant will experience a time intervention wherein their bodies essentially revert to pre-pregnancy state. Characters cannot get pregnant in this setting. They can, however, get STDs. Practice safe sex, folks. Thankfully the medical center is equipped to handle most STDs.

Diet.

Most diets will be met in the dining hall and at the convenience store. Unusual diets such as blood will need to be obtained the old-fashioned way or by accessing one of the many unique vending machines on campus. Cassandra will hook you up.

Language.

There may be occasional lapses in the language barrier. Characters will have to consciously want to understand/be understood. Characters will be able to comfortably speak their native tongue. For the most part, there is no real language barrier. Something about the atmosphere helps translate all languages.

Memory.

Upon arrival, characters will have somewhat disoriented and fuzzy memories. It will take a few days to a few weeks to remember exactly what canon point they came from. They will never remember the process of leaving their world and arriving in this world. Confusion and memory issues are common symptoms of this world, suggested to be side effects from Penumbra.

Permanent memory loss is optional and should only happen to characters who consistently die or are subjected to several memory loss/disorientation prompts. You can have memory loss be isolated to the arrival and leave it at that.

Powers.

For the most part, characters will retain their powers as is. The setting and specific events may nullify or nerf or contain certain abilities. Refer to our Newcomber Conditions page for more information.

Any attempt at "destroying" the time-loop or the apparent barrier surrounding the school will result in a violent backfire on the character. Characters may experience injury or death, and alternatively, they may even injure or kill others who might be in the radius of their attempts.

Characters will not be able to destroy any of the buildings around campus. Damage done to the grounds will repair itself through the time-loop so you can at least go batshit wild out in the fields to practice more extreme abilities.

Time & Prophetic Powers.

Characters with time abilities will be able to intently feel the time-loop around them, but will have absolutely no control over it. If they attempt to do anything about it, they will experience a violent "ripping apart" feeling that may lead to bodily injury or a serious lapse in memories. To some, it might be like experiencing several blackouts and appearing randomly on the other side of campus. Some may even die attempting to tamper with the time-loop.

If they attempt to manipulate time within the time-loop, they can still move forward and backward, but only in the span of the 31 days of the time-loop. These time movements will also take a serious toll on their bodies and minds, leaving them broken literally or figuratively for quite some time.

Seers and time travelers will not be able to access the future beyond the meteor strike. These parameters extend to special items/weapons that may aid in time travel or future predictions. Attempted future sight may result in extreme migraines and intense feelings of nausea and fear.

Reality Powers.

Characters who try to manipulate the time-loop or meteor will experience similar repercussions as time travelers with the addition of potentially having the manipulation backfire. This backfire may cause bodily injury or death, periods of blackout, extreme sickness, fatigue, or even short bursts of insanity.

Sitting by the Roko Clocktower will help reality manipulators, time travelers, and seers recover from minor side effects quicker than the medical center. These three groups will feel comforted by the presence of the Roko Clocktower in general.

Pets and Animal Companions.

Pets will not arrive with characters. They can be regained at a later date.

Any pets gained through the setting should not be applicable characters and need to belong to the actual character. For example, Ron could not obtain Hedwig.

If the animal companion is capable of communication and development, such as Iorek Byrnison (The Golden Compass) or Saphira (Eragon), then that companion will be considered an applicable character.

Parasites.

If your character is in some sort of parasitic situation, such as having another entity or character living inside of them, they will arrive with qualities of that parasite such as any abilities.

Parasites will be considered an addition to the host if the parasite cannot exist outside of their host or is deeply entwined in the character (ex: Parasyte, Venom).

If the parasite has a storyline that can exist outside of the host, such as Sukuna from JJK, then the parasite will be considered a playable character and thus will not be considered an addition to the host.

Weapons.

Characters will be able to arrive with some weapons. The rest of their weapons or ammunition may have to be regained at a later date.

Any weapons with abilities will have the same limitations as character powers. Weapons can be built or found in the setting or events.

Items.

Characters will arrive with some of their items, but most will need to be regained at a later date.

Characters will have multiple chances to gain new, unique items through the setting and events.

Application Mechanics

Schedule.

Applications open on the 1st of each month and close on the 5th. There may be some exceptions.

Applicable Characters.

Canon characters from published live-action, comic books, video games, webcomics, podcasts, musicals, anime, manga, etc. Minor characters are allowed as long as you can effectively fill out the application. We allow original characters. We allow original characters established from tabletop/RPG-style games. We allow aged-up versions of characters whether canon or not. We allow fandom OCs as long as they are not associated with any of the original franchise characters or major plot lines.

Non-Applicable Characters.

Real people including fictionalized versions (such as Hamilton), malleable protagonists, non-canon iterations, and any fandom OCs associated with major canon plotlines or characters.

Same Canon.

You may play characters from the same canon as long as those characters do not have a heavy impact on each other's storyline. We understand you may need to have some overlap in your play under these circumstances, but make sure to not do it in excess.

CRAU.

We accept CRAU characters. You can also update to a CRAU canon point at a later date.

Iterations.

We allow canon iterations of characters. Ex: different versions of Peter Parker from the movies, comic books, and video games. This includes characters who have a canon alternate version such as the Doctors from Doctor Who. Iterations will be considered different and thus applicable in addition to the "original" canon version of the character. Ex: Post-apocalyptic versions of the Supernatural cast would be applicable , in addition, to the regular version of Dean or Cas, etc.

Caps.

There is no current caps for anything. This may be subject to change.

Character Limit.

You can play up to 5 characters at a time. You can apply all characters at the same time.

Challenge Apps.

We do not accept challenge applications.

Reserves.

Reserves open the 25th of each month and close by the 1st of the following month.

Setting Mechanics

The World.

The world is referred to as Antumbra. This refers to the world post-Penumbra. The original name of the world is currently unknown.

The Meteor.

It is believed that a meteor named Penumbra struck Antumbra and caused the end of the world and engulfed Newcomb University in a time loop. "Penumbra" is also how the event is referred to. Ex: "After Penumbra, our school was never the same."

Every 31 days, the Roko Clock Tower bellows an eerie siren across campus to warn all characters of the incoming meteor.

University.

Newcomb University was founded by Roko Newcomb. The university sprawls across 1,700 acres. Newcomb University's primary function was to serve as an advanced research facility.

University Mascot and Colors.

A purple crocodile named Coco! The school colors are black and purple.

Seasons.

The season is perpetually stuck in fall: often rainy and a little chilly. The flora cycles rapidly through life and death, starting off strong at the beginning of each month and gold or barren by the end.

Weather.

Although the season is stuck in time, strange weather occurs regularly due to the meteor reset. This can include extreme weather such as blizzards.

Atmosphere.

Fog surrounds the entire campus, making it impossible to see beyond. There is a constant scent of burning wood and occasionally, ashes will fall like snow upon the campus, especially toward the beginning of each month as Newcombers arrive.

Astrology.

The astrology of this world is completely inaccessible due to the fog. You can enjoy the stars of various universes, including your character's universe, at the planetarium.

Fauna.

Domesticated animals such as cats, dogs, chickens, cows, pigs, goats, sheep, alpacas, and horses. Wildlife includes foxes, coyotes, small snakes, raccoons, opossums, badgers, owls, hawks, ravens, woodpeckers, field mice, moles, rabbits, and other animals often found in this type of biome. Unique fauna may arrive with events.

Flora.

From the greenhouses and crops: potatoes, corn, pumpkin, various berries, tomatoes, herbs, carrots, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, apples, lemons, wheat, cucumber, peppers, green beans, nuts, and more. Wild flora includes pines, maples, oaks, ash trees, poison ivy, wildflowers, weeds, ferns, and similar. Just about any plant can be found on campus due to the greenhouses, crops, and gardens. Unique flora may arrive with events.

Time.

The 31 days of the Penumbra disaster takes course throughout October. Obviously, we do not have 31 days every month, so this is not an exact 1:1-day ratio. We will not be moderating how players interpret this. The 31-day calendar will be easily tracked from character phones.

Time itself may behave strangely in the setting. It will not be uncommon at all for characters to randomly lose time. Some may lose only a few minutes or a few days. They may vanish at this time. Cassandra explains this as a glitch in the time-loop. This may also explain why some characters vanish through drops, hiatuses, or updates.

Time may also seem to go too quickly or too slowly. This is why it is detrimental for characters to keep a hold of their pocket watch.

Travel.

Walkable paths are throughout the campus. Bikes and horses are readily available for those who want to travel quickly. There are no cars or other motorized vehicles on the campus. There was once a shuttle bus, but it is now a rusted husk with no viable parts left to rot in the field by the Green Houses.

Economy.

There is no economy or currency in Newcomb, even at the bar and convenience store. Characters may trade skills, services, or goods for other things among each other.

Technology.

Although the school has an old-world dark academic appearance, most of the technology is up to par with what we have today in our world. There will be advanced, futuristic technology in events and information about the past. After all, this is as much a science fiction game as it is dark academia. Characters will be able to create and use high-tech on-campus as well.

Justice.

There is no true "justice" system present in Newcomb. Consequences will impact characters primarily through events or through the intervention of other characters (with planning & permission ahead of time).

Jobs.

While there is no economy, characters will feel strongly compelled to participate in the community by being a full-time student or faculty member or a mix of both. This includes a desire to work at the bar or convenience store. Even the laziest and most introverted character will feel a compulsion to contribute.

Escaping.

Escaping is, of course, impossible. The campus is wrapped by a time-loop and this time-loop also serves as a protective barrier against the meteor. Attempting to go beyond the barrier may result in severe injury, memory loss, or even death.

Magic.

Magic is nerfed in the same way that powers are. Magic does not technically "exist" in this world. Magic users will not be able to "sense" a source of magic, but they may be able to feel traces of it in the air coming from the rips in time and space that the meteor causes.

Player Characters.

Player characters are referred to as Newcombers in the setting. Characters make up the entire body of students and faculty.

Non-Playable Characters.

Most NPCs in this game are featured in past tense only. NPCs will function to provide context about the events that unfolded before and after Penumbra. The main interactive NPC is the AI Cassandra.

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Comments

Premise

[newcomod]

Ask questions about the premise in reply to this comment.

Re: Premise

[humantwo]

Could you elaborate on the content warning for "memory loss/dementia", specifically the dementia part? Will NPCs or player characters experience symptoms of dementia other than memory loss?

[newcomod]

Yes, we can!

Throughout the game, characters will have the chance to learn about the original scholars at Newcomb through transcripts and special events. Only one of the scholars develops dementia. This dementia will primarily be depicted through her memory loss and confusion.

No other NPCs or players will experience dementia. Any other memory loss in the game will be due to the game setting's influence.

If you have further questions about this, feel free to ask or even send us a PM if you would prefer a more detailed explanation.

[humantwo]

That helps a lot, thank you!

Location

[newcomod]

Ask questions about the location in reply to this comment.

[telecosmetic]

For the farm, are eggs and milk and things like that collected automatically somehow, or will characters have to collect them on their own?

[newcomod]

For farm fresh eggs and milk, characters will have to collect them on their own!

Academics

[newcomod]

Ask questions about academics in reply to this comment.

[pursuitofcappiness]

As far as academics go, if for instance a character has specialties that are irrelevant to the Newcomb setting (such as teaching Earth history), will they still be allowed to teach those? If not, is it possible to get a whitelist of applicable positions?

[newcomod]

They will absolutely be able to teach whatever they want! Teachers can set up shop at whichever center they think suits their lessons the best and go at it.

Powers & Magic

[newcomod]

Ask questions about power & magic in reply to this comment.

[johtaja]

Quick clarification about "reality manipulators" - is that in regards to manipulation of the situation, or does that also apply to characters who warp reality in minutia?

This guy has powers that are a little bit unclear in nature - but they revolve around film. He jump cuts himself around rooms, fast forwards and rewinds positions, and moves objects, mostly. (He's also seen moving another character around, but that's a matter for permissions and player communication most definitely) A lot of what he does in canon won't be so applicable in this setting anyway because it relies on his location, but I wanted to know just how bad a time he's gonna have.

(He is also seen evading death by editing himself to be alive - but this is something I hope to fuss with re: the pocket watch and nerf him on.)

[newcomod]

It pertains specifically to the situation of the time loop and certain aspects of the environment such as the school buildings.

He would absolutely be able to use these powers as is from what it sounds like!

[johtaja]

Fabulous!!! Thank you!

[telecosmetic]

Do characters also have access to powers they gained in CRAU games?

[newcomod]

Yes!

Re: Powers & Magic

[learnedfool]

If one is in a 'parasite' situation -- character shares his body with someone, the symbiote isn't appable as a second character because she can't exist without a human body and is heavily intertwined, should the application go into her personality as well as his?

Re: Powers & Magic

[newcomod]

You can make a small note of her personality and how it may influence him or his decisions, but it wouldn't be required!

[telecosmetic]

So this is a little complicated-the original forum RP I played this character on had a unique mechanic where to get access to HMs your character would have to find and defeat various mythical beasts as part of a quest storyline, after which they'd get tattoos that could be used to teach the HMs. She never did the quests when I was RPing her on the forum, but after her CRAU experiences she did go home and by that time I do think she could have handled most of the quests. Would it be okay to bring her CRAU self in with some of the HM tattoos? Mostly I just like the idea of the aesthetic, it's fine if the answer is no!

[newcomod]

Yes, that would be fine!

Applications

[newcomod]

Ask questions about applications in reply to this comment.

[telecosmetic]

Hi, I'd like a clarification on the "no fandom OCs" rule, since I saw another question on your interest check post saying tabletop characters are okay. This character is a Pokemon OC, but she's from a forum RP that's a completely custom region and has no connection to any canon Pokemon characters apart from some CRAU interactions. Would she be appable?

A more minor question - she usually has her Pokeballs on her, but since pets don't come along immediately, would she not have her Pokeballs when she ends up on campus, or would she have them but empty?

[newcomod]

Hello!

If the tabletop game is an actual licensed game that can be referred to canonically (such as Dungeons and Dragons, Call of Cthulu, Warhammer etc) then that would be applicable even if the tabletop game is based on another larger franchise.

She could have them but they would be empty presently.

[telecosmetic]

She's from a fan forum RP with its own system originally, not a licensed tabletop, since there isn't really a licensed Pokemon RP. I'm not sure where this falls for your rules? As mentioned, the forum RP was based on a completely original region and she has no connection to any canon Pokemon plots.

[newcomod]

We decided that this is completely acceptable. We updated this page to reflect that fandom OCs completely detached from canon characters or plots are acceptable.

Thank you for asking!

[telecosmetic]

Thank you for the response!

Re: Applications

[learnedfool]

The answer is probably 'yes', but to clarify because it isn't explicitly listed, prose books are allowed?

[newcomod]

Absolutely!

Re: Applications

[formallyintroduced]

I see that it says ghosts can either stay ghosts or be brought back alive, and I just want to clarify! Does this mean if my character is a ghost from the start of her series, I can bring her as she is but no longer a ghost?

For reference, she is from Ghosts (US), and I would be okay leaving her a ghost except that in her canon that means not being seen or heard or being able to interact with the living world in any meaningful way. And logistically, that could be a problem!

[newcomod]

Yes, if you like! She can just be an ordinary living human with all her prior experiences.

We could understand that! If you want, if you did want her to remain a ghost, we are completely find with the setting altering her so that she can be seen/heard/interacted with!

[formallyintroduced]

These are both such great options. I was giving it some thought/going back through some info pages in case I had any follow up questions, and I have one! But I think just the one.

If I were to go with the second option and brought her in as a ghost and I were to play her still mostly according to ghost rules, would this mean she could be seen/heard but perhaps still only physically interact with setting important items? (I'm thinking specifically about the id card, journal, pocket watch, etc., but other things may come up in events as well.) Or would she have total physical presence, only still be essentially playing by the rest of the rules (always in the same clothes, no need to eat, not many bodily functions to speak of, and so on)?

I just want to have things in order before I try to hit up the tdm.

[newcomod]

Perfect!

You can interpret it however you like, to be honest! She could definitely still be able to interact with those important physical items while maintaining other ghostly qualities.

NPCs & Transcripts

[newcomod]

Ask questions about the transcripts or NPCs in reply to this comment.

Items & Weapons

[newcomod]

Ask questions about items & weapons in reply to this comment.

Arrival & Conditions

[newcomod]

Ask questions about arrival and conditions in reply to this comment.

[pursuitofcappiness]

Quick question about the arrival - what information by Cassandra or the other NPCs will be made public? For instance, will the general premise of Newcomb being in a bubble due to the world ending, and being stuck on a time loop be readily explained? Or will the characters be left in the dark to find out for themselves?

[newcomod]

Yes, the general premise of the game will be accessible via Cassandra if any characters ask what is going on.

Cassandra would also clarify that valuable archives have been lost to time. She would explain that these archives can be recovered the more characters explore the world since Cassandra can compile data from character experiences and use it to recover old archives.

Anything on our game information pages will be accessible ICly for characters whether through Cassandra or public resources such as the library. More information will be revealed as the game goes on and transcripts are added to the archives.

[likethelight]

I'm trying to get a feel for Cassandra and how exactly she interacts with especially this first wave of characters who don't have other PCs to fill them in on the situation. Especially if they aren't tech savvy (or smart enough) to use their phones/journals right away, or would think to see if there's a Hey Google, does Cassandra have interfaces around the campus that she would initiate contact on her own to welcome them/explain the basics? Just voice through speakers? A holographic projection? etc.

[newcomod]

Cassandra is relatively all observing. Cameras are scattered throughout the campus both hidden and visible. She can project to characters as a hologram to explain things, especially if a character looks lost and confused.

Other

[newcomod]

Ask other questions that do not fit the above categories here.