SOTG OCTOBER 2024

[expiationmods]

AC RESULTS

The following characters have been removed from the game:

WHAT'S NEW?

Mechanics:

-We’ve updated the game premise slightly to include the simulation elements that have been revealed over the course of the last half year or so. You can see the updated premise here.

-The world map has received a few upgrades–or more accurately, it seems as if players have uncovered more of the existing map.

-After some talks on Discord, we’ve decided to start putting a brief recap at the beginning of event posts and TDMs going forward. The idea will not be to provide new information so much as to highlight information that we’d like for everyone to be aware of. Our hope is that most of this info will be known broadly enough that players can assume their characters know these things as well.

- UPDATED CALENDAR IS HERE.

A NOTE FOR PLAYERS

We would like to remind players to be thoughtful and considerate about pacing and assumptions that may come with it. Expiation is a backtag-friendly game, and there are lots of players who keep vastly different paces: some who boomerang, some who take more time between tags, some who exist in the middle, etc. Please remember that these OOC timing differences do not always accurately reflect how characters are acting in-character. If you’re concerned about pacing differences, or want a more solid idea of what’s happening, we always encourage you to reach out to other players and get an idea of what their characters are doing, or will be doing. As a reminder, something happening (or not happening!) OOC does not always translate to the same IC. If this causes any confusion or concerns, you can always come to the mods with questions or to ask for tips.

As we said in the section above, we’re hoping to limit confusion about events by adding recaps/summaries into event posts going forward. Ideally, most of this info will be widely known enough that characters will be able to handwave knowing it, if they desire. At this time, we’re not planning to implement an IC mechanic for this (ie a welcoming packet), as that can become somewhat awkward and stilted. But if a player decides they would like to take that on as a project, please do come to us with a proposal if you want!

Below, we’ll be opening up and encouraging feedback, not just about this event, but in general. The players and characters of Expiation shape the game, and your opinions are extremely important to us.

Finally, to better take time with upcoming story arcs (and because somehow, the holidays are already approaching), the TDM/mingle posts and event happenings from the mod team will be much more chill through the end of the year and into January/February 2025.
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THIS MONTH IN ALDRIP

EVENT WRAP-UP

The OOC poll has closed for this event, and boy, what an incredible range of answers. Thank you to everyone who participated! The majority of players favored resetting the AI, with minimal tampering or sabotage. Many characters attempted to troubleshoot problems or find alternate solutions that would not result in a system reset. In the end, at least five characters attempted to make a system backup before, ultimately, the decision was made to reset the AI.

Side note: if anyone made a system backup, please make sure you let us know what sort of tech that backup is stored in, if you haven’t already!

So what happens from here?

RESET INITIATED…

After maybe 2-3 hours of processing time, results of the elected system reset become very, very apparent. The sky goes dark, just for a moment, and then…almost as if everyone has fallen instantly asleep, the whole world darkens.

Characters wake in their own beds, wherever they happen to be staying, as if nothing happened. That’s not truly the case, of course: they wake still clothed in whatever they were wearing during travel. Anything they picked up on the way has come home with them. Their gear, still packed, rests at the foot of their bed. How odd.

Those who created a backup of the AI will find that the data they retrieved seems to be dormant for now, inaccessible but very much still there.

Those who got corruption results for RNG will find that the black marks have completely gone away. Good news, right? Except…something still doesn’t feel totally right. The marks are gone and corruption can no longer spread, but for the next 3-7 days, corrupted characters will find themselves feeling more volatile, and prone to mood swings that range from verbal temper tantrums to all-out brawls. Impulse control may be more difficult. These effects will taper off gradually, and one week after the system reset, they feel totally normal again..

At first, the biggest effect Chosen will notice is more like a lack of effect: the glitches have ceased entirely, bringing normal weather and a lack of peril back to Aldrip. As for other effects…there is nothing immediate, but there may be some gradual changes that affect Aldrip and the world of Expiation as time goes on. We’ll provide updates on the reset and the backups in the months to come, but there will be no immediate, sudden changes. We’re hoping to approach future plot points a little more slowly from now on!

One thing that the Chosen will notice: their memories of Jerry, and of City Hall, have returned. Their memories of its absence will remain. How could they have forgotten something as major as that? How weird…

Weirder still: City Hall has not returned. In its place, a large courthouse has appeared where it once stood. Locals don’t seem to make note of the difference. The Council has always run things from the courthouse. What “City Hall” could you possibly be talking about?

CITY UPDATES

The glitches have disappeared. The Chosen seem to have saved the world of Expiation. But the locals seem to be acting…colder toward them, for some reason. Some locals may be rude or downright hostile to them, but most will simply give them a wide berth and a wary eye. They may watch Chosen carefully as they shop. They may walk into Chosen-run businesses concerned that they’re going to be ripped off.

Who pissed in their Cheerios? Is it part of the reset? Who knows. But they’re definitely not friends anymore.

The weather this month will be pretty average. Fall is in the air–though there may be one or two days of extreme cold or extreme heat. Those instances will be brief, thankfully, as everyone carries on with their everyday lives.

Also, if there are any minor changes to businesses and things of that nature that players would like to do, now’s a great time to do it. Don’t forget that the flora and fauna page exists as well, and we always like to see new entries to make the environment more immersive OOCly and ICly.


SENTENCING


So, since City Hall was destroyed, you all may be wondering: where will Sentencing take place this month? Will it take place? The short answer: yes! The long answer is that there will be a few changes:

Instead of City Hall, a courthouse has appeared where it used to be. It may look a bit intimidating, but don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it looks. It’s fine. Please note: the courthouse cannot be vandalized, attacked, or broken into. Weirdly, when approached, it almost seems like it doesn’t quite exist. The area is there, and you can see it, but it almost appears like an illusion: you pass right through it, as if there’s nothing really in the space at all.

Also! Since we skipped Sentencing last time, we are opening it to ten players this time. There’s no automatic pool this month, so the people who want to get involved can get involved. If there are more than ten characters for Sentencing, we will RNG them to pick who does and doesn’t get to do it. When you’re signing up for Sentencing, please make sure your character’s crime is somewhere visible in their info pages.

Last but not least, the process is getting tweaked! Jerry will no longer fetch characters who are chosen for Sentencing. They’ll be automatically summoned to the courtroom at their appointed time. We’ll have further details on that process when we pick characters for Sentencing!

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

The ending section in our SOTG posts has always been a soft ask for thoughts, feedback, questions, etc., but we’re starting to worry that we haven’t been clear enough about that. Let’s restate: we are always interested in hearing what you guys have to say! Whether it’s in this post, the FAQ, or the mod contact page, we really value player participation and thoughts. Like we said before, this game has thrived because of not only us, but because of you as well. It’s probably easier to not speak up at all, but the fact that you all take the time to be so open with us is so appreciated.

So, let’s be real. The recent event came together in a way that was less than ideal for everyone, including us. That being the case, we wanted to use SOTG this month to have a more straightforward call for feedback and thoughts. What have you guys liked about Expiation during your stay here? What have you not liked? What elements of the game really speak to you, and what do you want to see more of from here on out? Any mechanics you’ve been particularly fond of, or maybe didn’t like very much? Expiation is a huge world and a big concept, and in many ways, it’s continually driven by what you guys are interested in exploring. So let us know what speaks to you!

We really, really appreciate everyone’s patience during this crazy summer. Your continuing feedback, ideas, and communication with us means so much. We really love you guys, and let’s wrap up 2024!





code credit.

Comments

[computation]

More things with crime/punishment theme please! I see that's already cued up, too! I also really like things that take advantage of the malleable setting and would like to propose a dreamscape event at some point, where characters can visit each other's dreams. I prefer events that change the setting or give characters things to do over events that change characters directly (the AU event, Gnosia, etc) but that's my two cents.

I think events with clearer interaction points (organization, tasks, places for characters to participate) could be helpful as well. I'm happy to assist if that's helpful. Individual characters being able to have a direct impact on the setting/plot would be amazing, like in an immediate way -- for example, STEM team's initial terminal hunt plot could've led to a direct change in how this past month's went down. In other words, more cooperative / collaborative plot-building with players would be awesome.

I love the flexibility and openness of the game overall and don't want that to change, but I think having some traction in direct setting impact would boost engagement significantly. Even if it isn't impact on the simulation itself - the older plots with Ketsora etc. are a good example.

[expiationmods]

Yes, we do have crime/punishment themes coming up!

That's what we would like to happen, though through time and poor planning on our part it didn't come across as we intended. We would like to get back to our "roots" so to speak on that!

If you have any other ideas on how to implement this, please let us know! Thank you so much for your feedback!

[computation]

I have a few concrete suggestions:

1. I don't think event conclusions need to always be a surprise -- that is definitely fun and RP standard for a reason, but if there's a direction you want the game to go or end up at, you could open it up to cooperative plot-building with the players. That really lets certain characters take initiative and shine on their own because they can drive the plot direction where you want it to go. People feel they have impact if their character got to do something important.

2. Similarly, maybe consider deputizing players sometimes to run events, similar to how player plots are run but for game plot events. Essentially, being DM for a month? For example, someone could develop a whole worldbuilding setting for a new town and a plot there and run that for a month or two. Someone wants to run a Krampus plot for Christmas (actually, can I volunteer for this... I'm joking) and you work with them to use the game setting rather than it having to be something a character would do ICly.

3. Plot centric roles or the opportunity to do #2 here could maybe be an AC award to ensure the player taking that on is an active participant in the game.

4. The impression I have right now is that the simulation is a bit "shallow" and the NPCs / in-world locations are a bit false or off. Not sure if that's actually the case or not but it's the idea I've ended up with, and I would really love if the world felt more independently "alive".

For example, in previous games I've written in background reoccurring NPCs for my characters' lives (Toph had a tea shop owner she referenced a few times here, for example, but now I have no idea if she exists anymore??) and I think supporting players in fleshing out the setting as it exists would be great. They can start businesses, but can they get a job at a local place? Can they go to school? Enter a training program? Randomly decide there's going to be an art exhibition? Can they make friends with NPCs and be upset that they're now all suspicious of them post-reset? And so on.

Not sure if this is what you were looking for but these are my thoughts 🙃

[feintofhart]

+1!!

I would love these! I think what I'd really love is a stronger sense of place and community, if the setting is going to remain the same -- I find it more difficult to play when I don't get a sense of what daily life is like around events, and having a firm setting (and NPCs) with lots of flavour can do wonders for giving people ample material to play with in-between events. Them not being 'real' makes the stakes seem lower if they don't seem real anyway, and I'm not sure if that unreality is something you guys want to play with as long-term goals, but I find it makes characters less willing to get truly invested in the setting, and it's very useful to have them get attached and form communities regardless. I think it would also be nice for a sense of cohesiveness between events where when things may feel like they're just happening one after the other, but it having a real impact on setting and NPCs in ways other than just their attitude towards the Chosen (or more specific attitudes; hey guys, what was up with that murder spree? maybe instead of just negativity, they're afraid), etc. etc.

This wasn't in Liv's comment, but my other suggestion would be a different spacing out of events. I don't know how anyone else feels about this, but I really love earlier events; posting the AU event early in the month meant I got way more play out of it than I usually do! I find once the months turn over, people are more prone to dropping event threads to play with the mingle/okcindr, and having breathing room to really sink our teeth into it all month for that event was fantastic. If we look at the last event, you can see relatively little play happening vs the hot spring mingle, and I wonder if it being posted & established a little earlier on would have encouraged more play.

Thanks, gang!