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FAQ
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Please note that information on this page is subject to change in response to feedback or otherwise, so check back on this about a week before reserves open!
Antumbra is a short-term murder mystery style murdergame set within a deserted Polish city immersed in perpetual night. Characters appear on a wide, empty street with the full moon looming above them, given no other guides save the flickers of flame that come from the lamp posts lining the road. Greeted by a mysterious pair with unknown motives, it’s up to the characters to survive and investigate if they don’t want to be left in the dark... literally.
Setting-wise, the game will have all the trappings of a present-day city with historic facades converted to upscale cafés, well-stocked souvenir shops and the occasional fast food joint. However, the lack of electricity leaves most buildings devoid of lighting and modern amenities, which is just as well considering a distinct absence of human presence. Combining that with the perpetual night and unpredictable weather probably makes it an inconvenient place to be trapped in, but the one saving grace is that the stores will have more than enough to live off of. ...Just don’t look inside the fridge.
As a murdergame, please be aware that your character may die during the course of the game. However, the dead will have their own role to play, so don’t think that there still won’t be plenty to do! The game will also contain elements of body horror, so please keep that in mind when apping in. Furthermore, please be aware that achieving a golden end is not guaranteed, and that permadeath is possible (although we still have a graveyard, so no need to worry about permadeath if you’re rolled).
How does the game work?
Good question! The game alternates between weekday mingles and weekend murder mysteries. The game runs on a 1:1 IC:OOC day ratio, and the weekly schedule looks like this:
Monday-Thursday: Mingle (Tuesday motive at 12:00 PM)
Friday: Investigation
Saturday: Trial
At the start of every week, the mods will post the mingle log on the game community where characters will have the chance to build CR, explore the setting and find plot threads. The motive for that week will also be posted on Tuesdays, within the weekly log. When Friday rolls around, characters will investigate the murder of their fellow abductee(s) in preparation for Saturday’s trial. During the course of the trial, characters get to discuss the case and cast their votes for whoever they deem responsible for the murder(s), who will then be executed.
This will go on until the final week, which will be murder-free and will be focused on wrapping up the game’s plot.
Speaking of endgame and final weeks... when will the game start and when will it finish?
The game will start on Saturday, January 4, 2020 and is set to run for 6 weeks, ending on February 16, 2020.
How do I apply?
Good question! First of all, reserves are mandatory for apping in, and they will open at 12:00 PM EST on Saturday, December 28. Reserves will stay open until the end of the app period or until we hit our cap. At this time, reserves are only open to those on the mods plurklist (Limon
The application post will be opened at the same time as reserves and will close on Friday, January 3 at 11:59 PM EST.
Speaking of caps, what is it? And are there any cast or canon caps?
Yes and yes. We have a character cap of 25 slots (although we won’t be counting mod-played PCs within this limit!), and a cap of one character per player. As for cast caps, we’re limiting it to 3 characters per canon. Series which take place in the same universe (e.g. Persona, Trails) will share the same cap while series with individual continuities contained within them (e.g. Tales of Symphonia and Tales of the Abyss, Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy VII) will have separate caps.
Who can I app?
Characters must be 16 or over, with a mentality to match. Allowances will be made for cases where the character appears 16 or over and has the mentality despite it not being their actual age (e.g. for robots like 9S from Nier Automata, clones, etc.). Characters also need to be alive at the canon point that they are being taken from.
In addition, large characters will be shrunk so that they can make use of human-sized facilities, although you can still have your 8-foot tall person bump their head on the ceiling or something; we’re thinking more along the lines of Transformer-sized characters that wouldn’t even fit into a building.
Furthermore, we do not take OCs, AU versions of characters or customizable protagonists.
Finally, if you aren’t sure that your character(s) fit the applicability guidelines, please contact us and we can discuss your choice(s) in more detail!
What happens to my character’s powers?
Can’t use ‘em, unfortunately! Characters will come into the setting instinctively understanding that they can’t use their own powers. But in exchange, they’ll at least get some other neat ability, so it’s not all bad. That one won’t come with much of an IC instruction manual though, so your character will just have to do a little experimenting on the side if they want to figure out what they can do with it, along with the strengths and weaknesses of their power. OOCly, you will get a bit of a rundown of what can be done with their new powers, but feel free to drop us a line if you have any further questions. In addition, note that characters do not get to choose what power they get ICly, although your OOC preferences will be noted when we assign them.
Is there an Activity Check (AC)? What does it look like?
Yes, there is! AC will be due every week on Tuesday at 6:00 PM EST, and should be submitted under the appropriate week header on the Activity Check post. Keep in mind that only threads that take place within weekly posts and afterparties can be used; comments from Investigations, Trials and Private Conversations (including those with the Masterminds) will not count towards AC.
For those on the living side, AC consists of 20 comments from your character, which should be spread over 2-3 threads (all with different characters). Comment spam also only counts as 1 comment when it used in a thread. For those who are dead, you only need to comment to the AC post just so we know you’re still around.
If you are unable to make AC for a given week due to extenuating circumstances, please contact us privately just so we know what’s going on!
For more details on how to submit AC and to see a sample of the format, please refer to our Activity Check page!
What about AC rewards? How will those work?
Good question! We’ll be using a hybrid between a shop system and a gacha, with set prices for particular items. ICly, characters will receive currency (Skala) that they can leave at the post office with an order for what they want to purchase. One such purchase will be a gacha roll that can net you character regains. OOCly, we will have a shop post with the list of available items and their cost in Skala, where you can also put in requests and link the relevant threads.
The exchange rate is 1 Skala = every 10 comments. However, the comments need not all be in one thread, but threads must have 5 comments or more from your character before they can be used for this purpose. So for example, 2 threads with 5 comments each will net you 1 credit, but 2 threads with 3 and 7 comments respectively will not get you anything because the 3 comment thread is too short to count.
Threads from PCs, investigations and trials cannot be used for AC rewards. Threads can only be linked once when redeeming for rewards, but there is no time limit towards how old they threads can be, so feel free to backtag and save up those Skala!
Incidentally, the living may not be the only ones who can make use of this...
Are there any limits to what can be put as a personal regain?
Yup, there are. Magical items will lose all of their supernatural powers and electronics won’t be able to function. Living things are a no-go as well, so no Pokémon or mascot characters, sorry! We will also be limiting it to objects that are small enough to be carried or worn by the character, so a backpack full of textbooks is fine and giant-ass JRPG sword is also fine, but no vehicles and the like. And of course, when in doubt, please ask us about it!
The victim(s) and culprit(s) will be rolled on Saturday (with the exception of the first week) and they will be contacted via Plurk/Discord. The players will then be put into a plotting Plurk with the mods where they will get to work out the details of their case.The motive for that week is due on Monday night (11:59 PM EST) so that we can prepare a post for it on Tuesday. A draft of the case will be due on Wednesday night (11:59 PM EST) so that we have time to check it over and provide feedback, with Thursday night being a hard deadline for the final draft of the case. You may still make some last minute changes if needed, but please give us a heads up if you do so we can make sure the correct evidence is distributed.
Incidentally, there will also be no peace week at the start of the game, so victim and culprit will be rolled on Sunday upon game start and we will have a case on week one.
Lastly, if you have been rolled for a particular week and are not available to work on a case, please inform us ASAP. There is no opting out of a case entirely, but we can work with you to slot you in at a later week.
What will the investigations be like?
Every Friday at 3:00 PM EST, the mods will post up an investigation log where players can tag in with a location to search for the victim(s). Once the victim(s) have been found, a mod-posted body announcement will go up with a brief autopsy file (a là Danganronpa style), and location top-levels will be posted to help streamline the search.
Once the location top-levels have been posted, players are free to divvy up the investigations ICly and OOCly. Incidentally, evidence will be missable since mods will not be posting a “location clear” note to indicate that all evidence in the area has been found, so search carefully!
Tell me a little more about the trials.
Trials will take place every Saturday starting at 12:00 PM EST and will last for 7 hours maximum, although we will end early if all votes are in and discussion has finished. At the start of the trial, the mods will post a top-level where all evidence can be declared, and additional top levels for NPC announcements and interactions. After that, characters can freely discuss how they thought the murder was carried out and by whom, culminating in a vote for who gets to be executed for the deed. Any living character can be voted for and scapegoating will be permitted. Incidentally, voting isn’t strictly mandatory, but things might not end well if everyone tries to abstain...
In regards to the NPCs, they are around in case any clarification, privacy screens or heckling is needed, so feel free to bother them. Furthermore, we will be introducing a hint mechanic which will be provided by the NPCs; further details will be elaborated on during the game itself. But one thing that’s always good to keep in mind is that nothing in life is ever free.
Can I volunteer to be in a case?
Of course! Feel free to contact us through the mod journal, Plurk or Discord and we can work things out with you!
You said that characters can explore the setting, so how does that work?
It’s pretty easy! During the weekly log posts, you can include an exploration prompt in your top level; just make sure you specify where they will be exploring and/or what they will be doing as they explore. And most importantly, please remember to add “Exploration” or something similar in the subject line so we can easily see it; we do not guarantee that we will be able to get back to you promptly if that’s missing from your top level.
Lastly, please try to limit yourself to exploring only 1-2 locations a week and during the earlier parts of the week (i.e. Monday to Wednesday); this is primarily for logistical reasons because it gives us more time to spend on each investigation and ensures that we can finish up the threads.
Beyond that, please feel free to ask us questions about the setting on Plurk or Discord if you don’t think it warrants a more involved investigation!
I have another question that hasn’t been mentioned here!
No problem, you can always leave a comment on this post or contact one of us (Limon