The Watchers of Night (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thewatchers) wrote2018-09-04 12:05 am
thewatchers) wrote2018-09-04 12:05 am
Entry tags:
FAQ - GAME MECHANICS
FAQs
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Daybreak Academy is an Alternate Universe (AU) game where canon characters have modified histories to live in a present-day Earth with a hidden supernatural element. Characters take on the role of students and faculty at the illustrious Daybreak Academy, a school meant to train people in their supernatural talents and prevent the extinction of humanity during the prophesied Nightfall, when the sun is blotted from the sky and fell creatures will engulf the world. A full Premise can be found here.
If you're looking to ask about lore or setting questions, you can find the faq here! This is a page specifically for asking questions about game mechanics.
HOW DOES THIS GAME TRACK TIME?
The game runs on roughly a 1:1 In-Character Day to Out-of-Character day, although events and logs can generally be set to certain dates within a month at the players' prerogative.
WHAT IS THE PLOT OF THE GAME?
The game's general underlying plot is preparation for and survival of Nightfall. Most events will center around the operation of the school and the training of the students, through missions and lessons. It will culminate with Nightfall, where all of the preparation and training will be put to the ultimate test.
WHAT WILL THE EVENTS BE LIKE?
Events will range between school-focused events and logs with a lighter tone, and mission-based events that can run more serious and plot-intensive. Players are welcome and encouraged to run their own plots, and Faculty are required to run some kind of log every month.
ARE THERE ANY MAJOR NPCS?
The most prominent NPC is Daybreak Headmistress and High Seeress Mila Duchene, who will give most of the general direction to Faculty members and set agenda when needed based on the plot. Beyond that, it can be assumed there are other students and faculty at Daybreak, who can be fleshed out and utilized by players if needed for their own plots. Other notable NPCs may appear over time as villains, allies and obstacles in logs and events.
IS THERE A NETWORK THAT CHARACTERS CAN ACCESS?
Daybreak students and faculty have access to a private in-school network through their student or faculty ID. This network functions as something of a combination of Blackboard, Discord, and DC++, students can freely share files between each other, there are open message boards for official and unofficial use by students and faculty which can be further personalized and moderated by the users, and online functionality for coursework is also managed through the network, as teachers can assign things and even post grades on it. Chat functions are available in both text and voice options and can be "locked" to exclude other users with the right settings enabled. Be warned, however! Some faculty members may have administrative access, which means they can look into locked posts and text logs if they have reason to do so.
Students may also use non-network functions on their cell phones such as texting or other apps.
WHAT FACULTY MEMBERS HAVE ADMINISTRATIVE ACCESS OVER THE NETWORK?
At time of application acceptance, Faculty members that fit a certain profile may be messaged privately by the mod account to gain administrative access. Teachers who accept this responsibility will be charged with keeping an eye on student communications to prevent bullying and rulebreaking. Teachers who are liable to gain administrative access are those who are deemed tech savvy, stable, and discreet at time of interview.
HOW DOES AU WORK IN THIS GAME?
All characters apped into this game must have an alternate history created for them as if they were born and raised on Earth in an allegedly mundane modern setting. However, hidden within the world are a number of powers and secret societies that your character may have acquired, been a part of or witnessed that lead them to enter Daybreak Academy, an elite private school that is in fact a front for training the supernaturally talented. The particulars of the AU are open and up to you, but the character you play should still be recognizable in general personality and core being, just with some differences based on their different upbringing and circumstances.
DOES MY CHARACTER'S AU HAVE TO MIRROR OR RESEMBLE THEIR CANON BACKSTORY?
While this isn't strictly required, it is encouraged and the setting is designed to allow a degree of freedom to create similar beats to canon for those that want to do so. Part of the fun of AU is coming up with new, interesting scenarios for a character and that is highly encouraged by the mod team.
This extends to character relationships, characters are able to create family units with characters from other canons so long as both players involved agree to it.
ARE THERE ANY TOOLS TO HELP ME COME UP WITH AN AU?
Every month there will be an AU meme posted which prospective players can use to figure out a good AU for their character. Players are also welcome and encouraged to make clans, families, and organizations within the Secret Societies that your character might potentially be a part of. Player-created families will have at least one listed "head" who can help you integrate your character into it.
HOW DO POWERS WORK WITH THE AU?
Characters should be able to generally select a powerset similar to their own canon abilities, although those from higher-powered canons will have the scope somewhat limited. There are a list of suggestions with each powerset present in the game, and players are encouraged to pick what most suits their character and concept.
DOES MY CHARACTER HAVE TO HAVE THE SAME POWER SET THEY DO IN CANON?
Characters are not required to have the same powers they did in canon, they can be shifted to something that might feel appropriate within the setting. This can even apply to canon characters who do not have or are not from canons in which powers are present, they could have powers in their AU, or characters with powers in canon could have no powers in this game at all, if desired. Players are free to craft whatever AU they find engaging within the setting.
WHAT IF MY CHARACTER DOESN'T HAVE POWERS IN CANON?
Daybreak Academy will certainly have ample opportunity for combat, but for characters who do not possess powers of their own, there will still be opportunities for them to take part in events through things such as diplomacy, research and tactical leadership.
MY CHARACTER'S LEARNED SOMETHING NEW!
Daybreak is a school full of many colourful characters and the world is full of new things. It's entirely possible your characters may learn new techniques or skills worth noting!
If you want to update your character's powers in-setting, head over to the applications page for instructions on how to submit power updates for mod approval.
DO CREATIVE WORKS FROM MY CHARACTER'S CANON EXIST IN SETTING?
You can assume there are equivalent works of fiction that follow the general themes of fiction in our world. Players are encouraged to make up their own titles and concepts to flesh out the setting.
HOW DOES LANGUAGE WORK IN DAYBREAK ACADEMY?
Daybreak Academy conducts classes primarily in English and French, and students and teachers usually speak at least one of the two languages. Characters who don't speak either languages will have tutoring available, and can play the learning of a language out in-character. Additionally, the Academy provides translation programs that can be run on a standard smartphone. With a headphone in one ear, the phone will detect spoken language and feed it back to the listener on a short delay to facilitate greater understanding.
Furthermore, it is not uncommon for many faculty members to speak other languages as well, and the school employs a large array of interpreters, generally able to accommodate every language spoken in the world.
WHAT IS DAYBREAK ACADEMY LIKE TO ATTEND?
Daybreak Academy in many ways fits the conception of a posh luxury school. It provides constant access to high quality food, drink, and facilities, and students often have a great deal of leisure with which to partake. The atmosphere as a whole is relaxed and supportive, with teachers and faculty forming personal relationships with their students as mentors and guides into the thorny world of adulthood. There's a certain familial atmosphere about it, all who enter the Academy are comrades, forging bonds greater than any obligation of blood and birth.
When missions arise, however, the Academy moves with military precision. There is a structured chain of command with experienced commanders on the ground guiding the action and barking short, succinct orders their teams obey without question. All Academy students are first and foremost here to learn to beat back the darkness, which means mandatory combat and tactical training so every student makes it back alive.
DO THE DORMS HAVE A FLOOR PLAN?
Yes they do:
(Image courtesy of![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
yumesukidesho)
WHAT IS THE TOWN OF SOLEIL LIKE?
Soleil has the look of a small provincial town that has met the progressive march of modernization. While much of it is built in old french architecture, like many other small but still connected towns there are strips of modern shopping and convenience integrated with the old. Residents are friendly and respectful of students at the Academy, although many private store owners can be a bit brusque with troublemakers. Soleil has its own police force that mostly serves to rein in unruly students, especially given the French drinking age of 16 and the preponderance of American students wholly unprepared to handle this responsibly.
Most residents are at least bilingual, speaking English and French, although German, Italian and Spanish are also common.
WHAT HAPPENS IF MY CHARACTER DIES IN-GAME?
Death is typically permanent in Daybreak Academy, and will only come about if the player has worked out a plot with the mod team in which their character is killed. However, there are a few methods to avert death that can be worked out with the mod team. While we are open to creative solutions, there are a few common methods. The character's soul may have been entrapped by a Daemon who returns them to life as a Contracted, exchanging a second chance at life for service to the Daemon's agenda. Fey might do the same, although in their case it is often more on a whim. Mages can summon souls back from the Outland through forbidden rituals and bond them to foreign objects such as golems, suits of armor, or even corpses (whether or not the soul used to inhabit said corpse). This also applies to Tamers, some of who create familiars around the soul of a dead friend or family member. Finally, a Vampire's embrace can return the dead to twisted unlife as a Vampire.
Other methods likely exist, but in general cheating death is exceptionally difficult and not without considerable cost, to say nothing of the return to life being often incomplete or dramatically changing a character's body and usually not for the better.
WHAT KIND OF CHARACTERS MAY BE APPLIED IN DAYBREAK ACADEMY?
Daybreak Academy allows canon characters, as well as Original Characters who must be tailored specifically to the Daybreak Academy setting. Characters must have enough canon presence to establish a defined personality and some semblance of a backstory, some minor characters or characters from plot-lite or plot-absent canons may not be acceptable on a case-by-case basis.
"Blank slate" characters such as Commander Shepard from Mass Effect or Ren Amamiya from Persona 5 are permissible so long as the player defines the character's personality based on a consistently possible in-canon presentation (Paragon Shepard, snarky Ren). Depending on the circumstances multiple iterations of a single character may be permitted so long as they can be represented as visually distinct and there is canon precedence for it (male and female Commander Shepard, Akira Kusuru fron the manga and Ren Amamiya from the game, etc.) These will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
IS THERE AN APPLICATION CYCLE? WHEN DO APPLICATIONS OPEN?
There is currently no application cycle and applications remain open while the game is open. This is subject to change should the game size warrant it.
HOW MANY CHARACTERS CAN I PLAY IN THE GAME?
You may have up to three active characters at a time, with a limit of one faculty character.
ARE APPLICATION AND/OR RESERVATION CHALLENGES ALLOWED?
We do not allow application challenges, applications are on a first-come first-serve basis.
HOW DO RESERVES WORK?
You may place a reservation at any time which will guarantee your ability to apply with that character for a week. If your reservation lapses you may not reserve the same character again for one week, but may still submit an app if nobody else reserves or applies with the character.
We will only accept reservations for canon characters.
WHAT ARE THE ACTIVITY REQUIREMENTS IN THIS GAME?
Activity requirements are fully outlined in the Rules, but are in summary, two threads of at least 5 comments between 2 different characters, or 1 post and 1 thread of at least 5 comments.
HOW DO HIATUSES WORK?
You may hiatus for a single month by declaring a Hiatus on the Hiatus Page. After taking a hiatus, you may not take another or a strike for the following two months.
WHAT HAPPENS ICLY IF I DROP A CHARACTER OR ARE SWEPT DUE TO FAILED AC?
In the case of a drop or failed activity, characters will default to being transferred to one of Daybreak Academy's satellite campuses, of which there are several worldwide. If dropped, you may specify with more detail what happens to them, such as they go missing, or remain on campus as an NPC. If you drop a character you may re-apply with them at any time, if you failed activity you may not re-apply for a month.
WHAT IF I WANT TO APP A PREVIOUSLY DROPPED CHARACTER?
While it is easier and encouraged to retain a character's established AU, we do allow the opportunity to reset the character, although we recommend against this if at all possible. If so, state you are doing so in the app. A thick vein of Outland Mist will run through the world and characters will have a vague sense that something is different than before, but will not know exactly what. The character will come in with their new backstory and all their former CR will not remember them, it will be as if they had never existed. All CR they had previously and deeds they had completed will instead be attributed to some "other" character who isn't around anymore, having been lost to the Outlands.
ARE HMD POSTS REQUIRED IN THIS GAME?
Daybreak Academy does not require any mandatory critiques although you are welcome to include them if you want that feedback. If the mods notice characters seem to be deviating wildly from the character as stated in the application, we will contact you directly with our concerns.
I HAVE A QUESTION THAT ISN'T ADDRESSED ON THIS PAGE.
If you have additional questions about game mechanics, setting, or other topics that were not addressed on the FAQs, please feel free to ask them in the comments below.
If you're looking to ask about lore or setting questions, you can find the faq here! This is a page specifically for asking questions about game mechanics.
HOW DOES THIS GAME TRACK TIME?
The game runs on roughly a 1:1 In-Character Day to Out-of-Character day, although events and logs can generally be set to certain dates within a month at the players' prerogative.
WHAT IS THE PLOT OF THE GAME?
The game's general underlying plot is preparation for and survival of Nightfall. Most events will center around the operation of the school and the training of the students, through missions and lessons. It will culminate with Nightfall, where all of the preparation and training will be put to the ultimate test.
WHAT WILL THE EVENTS BE LIKE?
Events will range between school-focused events and logs with a lighter tone, and mission-based events that can run more serious and plot-intensive. Players are welcome and encouraged to run their own plots, and Faculty are required to run some kind of log every month.
ARE THERE ANY MAJOR NPCS?
The most prominent NPC is Daybreak Headmistress and High Seeress Mila Duchene, who will give most of the general direction to Faculty members and set agenda when needed based on the plot. Beyond that, it can be assumed there are other students and faculty at Daybreak, who can be fleshed out and utilized by players if needed for their own plots. Other notable NPCs may appear over time as villains, allies and obstacles in logs and events.
IS THERE A NETWORK THAT CHARACTERS CAN ACCESS?
Daybreak students and faculty have access to a private in-school network through their student or faculty ID. This network functions as something of a combination of Blackboard, Discord, and DC++, students can freely share files between each other, there are open message boards for official and unofficial use by students and faculty which can be further personalized and moderated by the users, and online functionality for coursework is also managed through the network, as teachers can assign things and even post grades on it. Chat functions are available in both text and voice options and can be "locked" to exclude other users with the right settings enabled. Be warned, however! Some faculty members may have administrative access, which means they can look into locked posts and text logs if they have reason to do so.
Students may also use non-network functions on their cell phones such as texting or other apps.
WHAT FACULTY MEMBERS HAVE ADMINISTRATIVE ACCESS OVER THE NETWORK?
At time of application acceptance, Faculty members that fit a certain profile may be messaged privately by the mod account to gain administrative access. Teachers who accept this responsibility will be charged with keeping an eye on student communications to prevent bullying and rulebreaking. Teachers who are liable to gain administrative access are those who are deemed tech savvy, stable, and discreet at time of interview.
HOW DOES AU WORK IN THIS GAME?
All characters apped into this game must have an alternate history created for them as if they were born and raised on Earth in an allegedly mundane modern setting. However, hidden within the world are a number of powers and secret societies that your character may have acquired, been a part of or witnessed that lead them to enter Daybreak Academy, an elite private school that is in fact a front for training the supernaturally talented. The particulars of the AU are open and up to you, but the character you play should still be recognizable in general personality and core being, just with some differences based on their different upbringing and circumstances.
DOES MY CHARACTER'S AU HAVE TO MIRROR OR RESEMBLE THEIR CANON BACKSTORY?
While this isn't strictly required, it is encouraged and the setting is designed to allow a degree of freedom to create similar beats to canon for those that want to do so. Part of the fun of AU is coming up with new, interesting scenarios for a character and that is highly encouraged by the mod team.
This extends to character relationships, characters are able to create family units with characters from other canons so long as both players involved agree to it.
ARE THERE ANY TOOLS TO HELP ME COME UP WITH AN AU?
Every month there will be an AU meme posted which prospective players can use to figure out a good AU for their character. Players are also welcome and encouraged to make clans, families, and organizations within the Secret Societies that your character might potentially be a part of. Player-created families will have at least one listed "head" who can help you integrate your character into it.
HOW DO POWERS WORK WITH THE AU?
Characters should be able to generally select a powerset similar to their own canon abilities, although those from higher-powered canons will have the scope somewhat limited. There are a list of suggestions with each powerset present in the game, and players are encouraged to pick what most suits their character and concept.
DOES MY CHARACTER HAVE TO HAVE THE SAME POWER SET THEY DO IN CANON?
Characters are not required to have the same powers they did in canon, they can be shifted to something that might feel appropriate within the setting. This can even apply to canon characters who do not have or are not from canons in which powers are present, they could have powers in their AU, or characters with powers in canon could have no powers in this game at all, if desired. Players are free to craft whatever AU they find engaging within the setting.
WHAT IF MY CHARACTER DOESN'T HAVE POWERS IN CANON?
Daybreak Academy will certainly have ample opportunity for combat, but for characters who do not possess powers of their own, there will still be opportunities for them to take part in events through things such as diplomacy, research and tactical leadership.
MY CHARACTER'S LEARNED SOMETHING NEW!
Daybreak is a school full of many colourful characters and the world is full of new things. It's entirely possible your characters may learn new techniques or skills worth noting!
If you want to update your character's powers in-setting, head over to the applications page for instructions on how to submit power updates for mod approval.
DO CREATIVE WORKS FROM MY CHARACTER'S CANON EXIST IN SETTING?
You can assume there are equivalent works of fiction that follow the general themes of fiction in our world. Players are encouraged to make up their own titles and concepts to flesh out the setting.
HOW DOES LANGUAGE WORK IN DAYBREAK ACADEMY?
Daybreak Academy conducts classes primarily in English and French, and students and teachers usually speak at least one of the two languages. Characters who don't speak either languages will have tutoring available, and can play the learning of a language out in-character. Additionally, the Academy provides translation programs that can be run on a standard smartphone. With a headphone in one ear, the phone will detect spoken language and feed it back to the listener on a short delay to facilitate greater understanding.
Furthermore, it is not uncommon for many faculty members to speak other languages as well, and the school employs a large array of interpreters, generally able to accommodate every language spoken in the world.
WHAT IS DAYBREAK ACADEMY LIKE TO ATTEND?
Daybreak Academy in many ways fits the conception of a posh luxury school. It provides constant access to high quality food, drink, and facilities, and students often have a great deal of leisure with which to partake. The atmosphere as a whole is relaxed and supportive, with teachers and faculty forming personal relationships with their students as mentors and guides into the thorny world of adulthood. There's a certain familial atmosphere about it, all who enter the Academy are comrades, forging bonds greater than any obligation of blood and birth.
When missions arise, however, the Academy moves with military precision. There is a structured chain of command with experienced commanders on the ground guiding the action and barking short, succinct orders their teams obey without question. All Academy students are first and foremost here to learn to beat back the darkness, which means mandatory combat and tactical training so every student makes it back alive.
DO THE DORMS HAVE A FLOOR PLAN?
Yes they do:
(Image courtesy of
WHAT IS THE TOWN OF SOLEIL LIKE?
Soleil has the look of a small provincial town that has met the progressive march of modernization. While much of it is built in old french architecture, like many other small but still connected towns there are strips of modern shopping and convenience integrated with the old. Residents are friendly and respectful of students at the Academy, although many private store owners can be a bit brusque with troublemakers. Soleil has its own police force that mostly serves to rein in unruly students, especially given the French drinking age of 16 and the preponderance of American students wholly unprepared to handle this responsibly.
Most residents are at least bilingual, speaking English and French, although German, Italian and Spanish are also common.
WHAT HAPPENS IF MY CHARACTER DIES IN-GAME?
Death is typically permanent in Daybreak Academy, and will only come about if the player has worked out a plot with the mod team in which their character is killed. However, there are a few methods to avert death that can be worked out with the mod team. While we are open to creative solutions, there are a few common methods. The character's soul may have been entrapped by a Daemon who returns them to life as a Contracted, exchanging a second chance at life for service to the Daemon's agenda. Fey might do the same, although in their case it is often more on a whim. Mages can summon souls back from the Outland through forbidden rituals and bond them to foreign objects such as golems, suits of armor, or even corpses (whether or not the soul used to inhabit said corpse). This also applies to Tamers, some of who create familiars around the soul of a dead friend or family member. Finally, a Vampire's embrace can return the dead to twisted unlife as a Vampire.
Other methods likely exist, but in general cheating death is exceptionally difficult and not without considerable cost, to say nothing of the return to life being often incomplete or dramatically changing a character's body and usually not for the better.
WHAT KIND OF CHARACTERS MAY BE APPLIED IN DAYBREAK ACADEMY?
Daybreak Academy allows canon characters, as well as Original Characters who must be tailored specifically to the Daybreak Academy setting. Characters must have enough canon presence to establish a defined personality and some semblance of a backstory, some minor characters or characters from plot-lite or plot-absent canons may not be acceptable on a case-by-case basis.
"Blank slate" characters such as Commander Shepard from Mass Effect or Ren Amamiya from Persona 5 are permissible so long as the player defines the character's personality based on a consistently possible in-canon presentation (Paragon Shepard, snarky Ren). Depending on the circumstances multiple iterations of a single character may be permitted so long as they can be represented as visually distinct and there is canon precedence for it (male and female Commander Shepard, Akira Kusuru fron the manga and Ren Amamiya from the game, etc.) These will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
IS THERE AN APPLICATION CYCLE? WHEN DO APPLICATIONS OPEN?
There is currently no application cycle and applications remain open while the game is open. This is subject to change should the game size warrant it.
HOW MANY CHARACTERS CAN I PLAY IN THE GAME?
You may have up to three active characters at a time, with a limit of one faculty character.
ARE APPLICATION AND/OR RESERVATION CHALLENGES ALLOWED?
We do not allow application challenges, applications are on a first-come first-serve basis.
HOW DO RESERVES WORK?
You may place a reservation at any time which will guarantee your ability to apply with that character for a week. If your reservation lapses you may not reserve the same character again for one week, but may still submit an app if nobody else reserves or applies with the character.
We will only accept reservations for canon characters.
WHAT ARE THE ACTIVITY REQUIREMENTS IN THIS GAME?
Activity requirements are fully outlined in the Rules, but are in summary, two threads of at least 5 comments between 2 different characters, or 1 post and 1 thread of at least 5 comments.
HOW DO HIATUSES WORK?
You may hiatus for a single month by declaring a Hiatus on the Hiatus Page. After taking a hiatus, you may not take another or a strike for the following two months.
WHAT HAPPENS ICLY IF I DROP A CHARACTER OR ARE SWEPT DUE TO FAILED AC?
In the case of a drop or failed activity, characters will default to being transferred to one of Daybreak Academy's satellite campuses, of which there are several worldwide. If dropped, you may specify with more detail what happens to them, such as they go missing, or remain on campus as an NPC. If you drop a character you may re-apply with them at any time, if you failed activity you may not re-apply for a month.
WHAT IF I WANT TO APP A PREVIOUSLY DROPPED CHARACTER?
While it is easier and encouraged to retain a character's established AU, we do allow the opportunity to reset the character, although we recommend against this if at all possible. If so, state you are doing so in the app. A thick vein of Outland Mist will run through the world and characters will have a vague sense that something is different than before, but will not know exactly what. The character will come in with their new backstory and all their former CR will not remember them, it will be as if they had never existed. All CR they had previously and deeds they had completed will instead be attributed to some "other" character who isn't around anymore, having been lost to the Outlands.
ARE HMD POSTS REQUIRED IN THIS GAME?
Daybreak Academy does not require any mandatory critiques although you are welcome to include them if you want that feedback. If the mods notice characters seem to be deviating wildly from the character as stated in the application, we will contact you directly with our concerns.
I HAVE A QUESTION THAT ISN'T ADDRESSED ON THIS PAGE.
If you have additional questions about game mechanics, setting, or other topics that were not addressed on the FAQs, please feel free to ask them in the comments below.
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