What timescale is this game?Voidtrecker Express runs in 2:1 time. That means for every 2 days that pass out of character 1 day has passed IC.
Here is a calendar to help you keep track!
What kinds of characters does Voidtrecker Express accept?All kinds! OU (Canon characters), AU’s (both ‘canon AU’s’ and ‘Fan made AU’s’). CRAU’s are also allowed. OC’s are allowed including OC’s from ‘canon’ worlds with build-your-own characters such as D&D, Pathfinder, etc. For the latter we would expect as much personal history and depth of personality as any other DWRP character.
Characters from video games with player choices are allowed as long as they have sufficient personality of their own that we can see from how other characters act and in world descriptions (eg Shepard from Mass Effect).
What is the definition of an AU for this game?An AU would be a character who is placed in a different situation (be that setting, different fork in the road, different body, a what if? etc) in a way that is significant to the character or the story. For application purposes we would be looking for how the changes effect them. How it changes how they interact with their world or how their world interacts with them. They should be recognisable as the original character but also not just an excuse to play a taken OU character.
What about gender-swaps or other changes that don't have big story impact?They are also fine. We would still want to know how this changes the characters outlook or the way they are perceived. At the very least we would want to see what you are looking to explore with the AU. Why the swap? What questions are you asking/answering about the character or the world or the story? What themes are you exploring? Does this effect things? Why? Why not?
Your premise speaks of heroes. Does my character have to be heroic?Nope! The train is not being picky despite calling all those they grab ‘heroes’. Characters who are not traditional heroes, cowards, villains, people who would rather just
not~ all are welcome on the Voidtrecker Express.
Does this game nerf powers?Characters can keep their powers on board the Voidtrecker Express. There are some exceptions: Characters that have any ability to travel between worlds cannot do so here; characters with shifting abilities in general will find that while they can shift around inside the train they cannot get out. Likewise a super strong character can wreck the inside of the train as much as they like but the outer doors and windows seem unbreakable.
Some worlds may limit characters powers but that will be detailed in the event posts.
Is there an age limit on players or characters?Players have to be 16 to play. Potential players should bare in mind that some of the worlds and plot of Voidtrecker may be darker in nature. There is no limit on character ages.
What is the rating then? What are you policies on NSFW and violence or other graphic content?Generally speaking the game will be PG13. However higher ratings are fine!
NSFW content is fine as long as players involved are over 18, characters over 16, it is locked to the comm, under a cut with appropriate warnings. (Though bare in mind this train has little privacy!)
Any very violent or otherwise graphic threads should likewise be under a cut with the appropriate content warnings.
Can I canon update my character?No. Traditional canon updating is not allowed in Voidtrecker Express so choose your canon point wisely!
We would allow you to play an 'updated' version of your character but they would be starting anew. Your character would leave the train like they had been dropped and the updated character would board without any memories of their time on the train.
Do you allow duplicates of characters?Yes! We allow the OU (original universe) version and up to two AU versions of any character in game at one time.
Is there a character cap? A cast cap?There is no character cap on the game on a whole. To start with there will be no cast cap though that will be up for review as the game grows.
How many characters can I app?At a time: 1. One character per app round per player. In general you can have four characters in game at one time.
Can I challenge app?Nope! If a character is reserved then you must wait until the reserve runs out before you app.
When are reserves and apps open?Reserves open two weeks before the end of the month and close two days before apps close. Apps are open the last week of every month. For specific dates go
here and
here.
What is AC?To pass AC you need two proofs. These proofs must be a thread of five comments from yourself. They can be any mix of logs and network.
Can I post AC for someone else?In the case of an emergency when the person has the AC but cannot physically post it on time someone else may submit that AC for them. The person must confirm that AC by responding to the comment or speaking to a mod by the end of the calendar month.
What if I am new, do I need to do AC?AC and apps run on the same week of the month. Obviously if you app and are accepted in that week then all you need to do is make sure your housekeeping (taken, contact and passenger roster) tasks are up to date.
If you joined the app round before and have IC-ly been on the train since the 1st of the month then you should do AC as normal.
Do you have an additional AC?Yes we do! We have Team Points and they can be earned both during missions and on the train.
~ Characters get 3 Team Points on joining
~ If you successfully pass AC without ending up on the warned list you get 5 Team Points!
~ Characters that help out doing chores on the train earn a Team Point that month (this can be hand waved, it is a question on AC)
~ If your character takes part in a mission they earn 5 Team Points
~ Mission goals have Team Point awards. Event posts will ask for threads of ten comments where mission goals are being worked towards. You will earn 10 Team Points per thread.
~ At the start of every IC month (every two OOC months) there will be ‘thought of the month’ which will be linked to an ooc ‘roleplay challenge’ which will earn you team points (eg thread with new cr).
Team Points are calculated by mods and will be announced both OOC and update on character
tickets on ‘station’ days (new character intro time).
What are Team Points Spent on?There is an
on board shop. It is ever expanding so there is plenty to spend those points on!
The team with the most points each IC month will also get a reward! (It will be really dumb, don’t get too excited :P)
Wait! What are these teams anyways?When you app to Voidtrecker Express your character will be assigned a colour (one of blue, orange, red or purple). This is their team. Their clothes, sleeping bag, Safety Control Apparatus strap, etc will be in this colour.
Mission briefs will split missions into four tasks, each assigned to a team.
Does my character have to do the mission assigned to their team? What if I think they would be better at something else?That’s fine! The missions are assigned to the teams but there is no IC enforcement of this so if they believe they are better doing something else (or nothing at all!) they are welcome. Bear in mind there will be consequences if parts of the mission end up not being done by anyone at all.
Can my character change Teams?Not usually. It might be that character development leads into a character switching from one team to another.
In general purple team deal with general hero things- fighting monsters, helping people, saving the day. Red team tend to have a goal they have to complete- taking down a target, reaching a place, etc. Blue team tend to do more protective missions focussing on the people who live on the worlds they visit. Orange often investigate or deal with any technology or strange magic.
Because of how teams are chosen it might be that the tasks given are not quite suited to the character- that wouldn't mean a team change (they can do whatever missions they wish). However if a character has developed enough that you feel they fit another team better please come and speak to the mods- it won't always be granted but we will always hear you out!
How do characters understand each other/the people in the worlds they visit?I have a magical train that travels through reality itself!
In other words the train allows communication inside it and the Safety Control Apparatus allows understanding off the train.
How do events work?Here in Voidtrecker Express we have two types of events running alternatively on an OOC monthly basis.
Month 1~ A world based event. The train will end up somewhere and characters will be given their mission. World events last between 1 and 2 ooc weeks and are generally multi faceted.
Month 2~ A train based event. These are shorter/smaller in scale. They might be more Slice of life based events, the DWRP staples, player plots or events that hint at the meta plot.
My character would have trouble accessing this setting because of a disability. Anything you can do?Yep I have a magical train. It can make itself accessible. Please just note down what your character would struggle with in your app and we will let you know how the train modifies to accommodate them.
Can my character bring things from home? How about pets?Characters arrive with a rucksack containing the clothes and items they will need for their journey. None of this is what they owned before but instead a standard set of kit. For more information go
here!
However characters will find in their rucksack one item of their own. This can be anything as long as it feasibly fits inside a rucksack alongside the other items. Alternatively if a character has a pet or animal companion they would want instead they will find them next to them/on their person. This animal can be any size, provided they fit within the train and are not a mount, and must not be an app-able character in their own right!
What if my character needs something to live?If a character needs something to live, or it is medically important to them they will be able to bring that item AND another item from home. So a wheelchair, a pair of glasses or an item that houses their soul would all be something they could bring and it not take the place of their one item.
My character can access hammerspace/has an armiger etc. How will that work?If summoning a weapon/item or accessing hammerspace is part of a characters powers and items or weapons are tied into their soul/self (such as a Kingdom Hearts characters keyblade or Noctis' armger ability in Final Fantasy XV) then it will be function-able. If a character has a bag of holding etc then they will not have that item on arrival unless it is their starter item. If not they will be able to regain it through Team Points later into the game.
Any character with any kind of hammerspace type ability will find that this gives them access to up to
five items that they had in that space before the train. The space isn't limited outside that so they can put as much into it as they could before but these would have to be items they have collected on the train and worlds they have visited.
Do characters have inboxes on their journals? How does that work with AC?Due to the nature of the
network characters won't have traditional inboxes. You are indeed welcome to have an interaction post on your journal for smaller character interactions you don't want to put a full log up for. For example short roommate conversations.
These will be considered part of game canon and can be used towards AC. However it is expected that the
majority of your AC will come from threads on the game boards.
What about the Test Drive Meme? Does that count towards AC?No, unfortunately the test drive meme doesn't count towards AC.
Is the test drive meme game canon?In general the events of the test drive meme are not canon. However if you have a thread that could feasibly have happened (so one of the on-train prompts) and both you and the other person agrees then you are welcome to handwave it into happening sometime in your characters first few weeks!
What's the deal with the passenger roster?The passenger roster is an IC list of passengers on the train. You will notice that some of the names are not the names you may know the characters are. This name is also the name on their rucksack, ticket and belongings as well as the name shown outside their cabin.
The train uses characters full, true names. Even if they may go by something else or a nickname.
There are some exceptions to this. The most obvious being trans characters who will have their true name that is theirs
now, even if it is not the name they have used their whole lives- the mechanic is there to rumble secret identities not to dead name people. Likewise if a characters name has changed because of important events in their past (a spiritual awakening, a people who take on a new name at adulthood, other similar reason) then it will be the current name that is theirs and true that will be used. If you are unsure for your character just come and chat to a mod.
What is this I hear about mandatory sleep? What's the deal with time?Time in the void is weird and doesn't seem to follow a 24 hour clock at all. Instead as explained in
gameplay there is 12 hours of 'light' and 9 hours of 'dark'. After 9 hours of darkness characters find themselves 'waking' in their bed, no matter where they were before. To them it feels as if no time has past. This affects characters who do not sleep and do not need to sleep.
Through IC discoveries characters have discovered that this 'missing time' is about 6 hours. It doesn't affect sleep patterns (for example it doesn't mess up nocturnal creatures) and those who do need to sleep will still feel unrested and tired if they are pushing themselves through the entire 9 hours of darkness.
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