Remæus wrote:

Master's Guide to the Multiverse
Lessons Learned from 20 years of Wrangling Writers

Long before the dawn of time, the Multiverse unfolded from the most mysterious of origins. Riddled with purple prose and cantankerous conflict, tens of thousands of authors have crossed the boundary into the 'verse. Where will the adventure take you?

Master wrote:Welcome to the 'verse, traveler. From whence do you venture?

Draft Your Response »
What is the Multiverse?
Originally a catch-all for the digital world of text-based roleplay, the Multiverse has grown into the single largest cohesive collection of player-driven story on the Internet. Players participate by contributing their own writing, typically describing the actions and responses of their character to the environment and other players.

Most text-based roleplay takes place in a specific Setting — carefully crafted by the creator, settings provide context for their players, giving them a framework for creating characters of their own. In the Multiverse, anything goes.

This is so overwhelming! Where do I begin?
In response to this common concern, I've written up a simple series of steps you can follow to find your own home in the Multiverse. Read on to learn more!

Prologue: Basics First
Several locations have been set up in the Multiverse to guide new players into plot hooks, which have been distributed across the Multiverse and are maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers known as The Wardens. While the Wardens might not intervene immediately, patience will always result in a response.

Some basic guidelines for participation in the Multiverse:

• Always preserve the fourth wall. The Multiverse is a storytelling experience, and other new players depend on your ability to create the mood and context for their own contributions. Play the role of your character!
• Leave actions open-ended. As other players are following in your footsteps, they'll need something to respond to as they explore on their own. Leave them something to respond to!
• Nothing is too old to ignore. Even if the last post was over a decade in the past, incorporate the content in your response anyway. This can create new relationships, and in some cases even unlock special quests.

Now that we've covered the basics, let's get started!

Getting Started
Part 1: Choosing a Setting
To get started, the first thing you'll want to do is browse the public settings. It's a huge list, so don't miss the Search Box in the top right hand corner!

Settings form the backdrop for your character's story, so take some time to read over the description of your chosen location. Think about how your character came into being, what motivations they have, and how you'd like their story to begin.

Here's a selection of worlds you can choose from (but don't limit yourself to these — check the full list of places for many more!):

Blackrock

Blackrock serves as a haven for all manner of societal dredges. Chances were if you arrived on this rocky moon you were either in a lot of trouble or looking to start some.

Origin

Nestled in this system, this planet known as "Origin" is a melting pot where one can live and resides, able to utilize the wonders of magic as well as the elaborations of technology. It can also experience a strange phenomenon known as Magus Weather.

Gaia

A planet within the Sirius System that orbits the dead star; Eras. However, Gaia is not lacking light. Two other stars orbit the planet itself; Atargatis and Sagittae. Three moons provide temporary night when eclipses take event, otherwise Gaia is always bathed in sunlight. It is only due to the magical nature of Mother Gaia which provides the necessities for fantastical life to grow, the planet always ever watching over her beloved children who roam her earth.

Terra

Terra is home to billions of diverse beings (indigenous, transient, and migrant) of infinitely varied species and backgrounds. An enigmatic world of adventurous (and often perilous) enterprise, Terra is as aberrant and peculiar as it is unique.

Misrana

A planet where the lines between magic and technology are blurred. A place where one cannot exist without the other. Mages summon their magic through machines, spirits possess vehicles, and magic itself can become as toxic as nuclear waste.

Aberash

A planet that, at first sight, is simply barren. With closer inspection, however, one can observe a growing, developing planet and all its wonders.

Note: while a special group known as the Builders have the ability to edit any location, new players must either earn sovereignty from existing sov-holders, or use the Requests for Sovereignty form to request the creation of a new location.

Factions, Guilds, and Nations
The Multiverse allows characters to declare their allegiance to groups, which can be used to build Families, Clans, Gangs, and even Nations. These Factions are good shortcuts for creating backstory and motivations, extremely useful for new characters. As each Group has its own dedicated homepage, you can browse the the Faction Leaderboard to explore!

Once you've chosen a birthplace for your character, let's move forward.

Part 2: Create a Character
Once you've picked a location, use the Create a Character Here » link in the top right-hand corner of the page. This will guide you through the character creation process!

Can't decide? Try Genesis!
Genesis is specially-crafted for new players, including a writing prompt designed to help you explore and better define your character's identity. Good characters have backstory, so be creative and respond as if your character were reacting to what you see!

Part 3: Use the Explorer
Every character in the Multiverse has their own custom Journal, an interactive tool for writing your character's story. If the character creation process didn't automatically take you to the Explorer, you can browse to the "My Characters" page by hovering over your username (typically in the top right hand corner) and selecting the "My Characters" dropdown.

After reading the prompt, think about how you might control your character's movement in this environment. There's a hint in the on-screen text, so experiment for a few minutes before moving on.

Still can't figure it out?

Spoiler: show

Try the /west command.

Mastering Navigation

The Multiverse is organized geographically, oriented by the same familiar cardinal directions you might use in the real world — north, south, east, and west. While not every location has its own map, all settings within the Multiverse are a part of a labyrinth of puzzles, quests, and adventures.

Basic Directions (available as commands):

• /north
• /northeast
• /east
• /southeast
• /south
• /southwest
• /west
• /northwest

If you followed the previous step, you'll already know how to move your character through the map. If you're in doubt as to which directions are available, you can always use /look to "look" around at your surroundings.

Special Dimensions
In addition to the traditional compass rose above, the Multiverse has additional dimensions. These are split into 3 different categories, each behaving slightly differently.

Up and Down (the Z-axis)
On occasion, you might encounter a ladder, a scalable wall, or even a staircase. These kinds of obstacles can be navigated with /up and /down, the simplest of the special dimensions.

In and Out (Doors, Rooms, Containers, and Radial Movement)
In instances of doors and portals, /in and /out can be used to enter and exit a location, respectively. Sometimes, when things get really weird, you might orient yourself towards a specific target — such as a star — and moving outward in relation to the object might be warranted.

Ascend and Descend (the 5th Dimension)
The 5th dimension is accessible via /ascend and /descend — useful for "climbing" up the Multiverse towards the higher realms, or perhaps descending onto a particular planet. This is the most unique of all dimensions, as there can only be one /ascend target, but /descend often requires a selection:

Master runs the /descend command, but forgets to specify his destination.

Game Master (GM) says: You need to specify which location to descend onto. Available: Wing City Spaceport, Academia Everia, Eastern Seaboard

Conveniently, running /descend without a target will provide you with a list of options! Simply append the name of the destination, as follows:

Code: Select all

/descend Wing City Spaceport

Game Master (GM) says: Wing City Spaceport comes into view as you descend. [...]

Building and Worldcrafting
Try the /help command on this one. We'll share more details later — for now, it's word of mouth!

Going Above and Beyond
The Multiverse has always depended on the players — without their creativity, there'd be no story to tell! If you find yourself excited about contributing, we have a few tips for you.

Tip #1: Leave No Post Unacknowledged
With a world as large as the Multiverse, it's easy to get lost — so as you explore, be sure to read other players' posts and determine if there's an opportunity to engage! New players depend on active engagement, so use Character Tagging to notify the previous author of your follow-up post. The sooner you get to it, the better!

Tip #2: Follow Interesting Characters
On every character profile, a "Follow" button exists in the top right-hand corner. Once followed, you'll automatically be notified of any post that character is tagged in. Use this to avoid missing any posts!

Tip #3: Ask Questions!
Using the Footnotes feature, you can comment on a post without altering the scene! Use this to ask questions of the original author, give your personal reaction, or add context to a post that leaves things unclear!

That's all for now...
This post now covers the basics of exploring the Multiverse — but we'll update it based on your feedback below! Please comment with your suggestions for improvement or ask any questions left after your read-through. We'll edit this post to contain the latest as it happens!

Master wrote:Ah, that does it. I look forward to seeing you around!

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Addendum: Combat
At the heart of any engaging story is conflict — the tension between two well-written characters' conflicting intentions. If you've chosen (and committed to) a robust backstory, it's inevitable that your character will come at odds with someone else's. This is a good thing! Now that you are presented with the opportunity to tell the story of how the conflict is resolved, let's walk through the basics.

Note: there are a number of well-documented formalizations of rules for text-based combat, most notably "T1" and "T2", but the official name for the style the Multiverse adopts is known as collaborative freeform. If any dispute arises, a Game Master can be summoned to make a judgement, potentially "voiding" one or more posts in the scene.

Combat Mechanics
Battle is open-ended, always allowing the opportunity for a defending player to respond to an attacker's actions. Posts in the Multiverse are written in past-tense, but can only be finalized after the next post from the author.

Before Combat Begins
Before any physical altercation begins, it's recommended that you set the scene & stance. Anything left undefined once the fight begins can be written by the opponent, so it's best to describe exactly where your character is, their surroundings, and their level of engagement.

Master slid his right foot back before lifting his left knee slightly, drawing his arms upward into the Form of the Mantis. His leering red eyes burned fiercely into his opponent, carefully monitoring for any sign of movement.

As combat can begin at any time, it's encouraged that you include as much detail as you feel comfortable with in every post in the Multiverse. Aggressors can and will use gaps in your posts against you!

An Example
Here's an excerpt from a sparring match between two characters, who demonstrate a typical attack, a defense, a grab attempt, a trap, and a connection.

---

Not one to wait around, Master leaned forward momentarily before launching himself towards his opponent with such blistering speed that a shockwave emanated outwards throughout the dojo. As he approached, his right leg launched itself towards his foe's chin in a traditional leaping front kick, aiming carefully to place the ball of his foot on the very point of his target's jaw.

---

Dante smirked, knowing the old man's tricks. He leaned to the left, sliding his right foot back and out of the path of the explosive attack from Master. He reached out with his left hand, now leading, to grab at Master's outstretched leg, maneuvering to grab him by the ankle.

---

Master blew past Dante, his kick having been fairly avoided. However, as the shockwave collided with Dante's form, it blew him back and out of range from the attempted grab. As he landed on the other side of the room, he looked back over his right shoulder to see Dante knocked backwards.

---

Dante had been caught again, his larger body resulting in an increased surface area for the shockwave to knock him out of range. As he landed on his back, he tucked and rolled across the floor before sliding into a defensive crouch.

---

Here, Master launched an attack (the kick) in his first post, with a clever trap left behind (the shockwave). While Dante successfully defended against the attack, he failed to acknowledge the trap, resulting in Master's ability to connect and determine the outcome of his action.

Post Orders
Post order is not enforced in the Multiverse — but out of courtesy, it's polite to wait for a response before continuing the scene! Some player groups do encourage the adoption of a specific posting order, and we encourage you to follow them. However, if the opponent is spotted in another location, it can be considered an avoidance and an automatic follow-up post is permitted!