TLDR: You can pick an origin (if any are available) during character generation. This will give your character something special. That something special might be small, large, positive, negative, or just a roleplay prompt to base the character on.
HELP FILE:
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ORIGINS
Origins are a special starting option that flesh out the background of your character before you finish character generation.
ORIGIN AVAILABILITY
There are a number of different origins, but not all are available to everyone. The origins you have available to you are based on the following considerations:
- How long you've been playing (brand new, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1-5 years)
- Origins you've played before are unavailable (you can only pick an origin once)
- Some origins are unique; if there is already a player (or players) with that origin, the origin may not be available
- Restricted origins: these are origins that you need to be approved for in order for them to show up. Examples of this type of origin are corporate immigration and super-secret ones
There is no way to see what origins are available except in character generation. Origins are live-updated when you enter chargen based on which ones are available to you at the time.
PICKING AN ORIGIN
You can view the available origins during the origin step of character generation. You can read the origins and see if they are something you'd like to play.
Once you've picked, that origin is locked in. You can still restart chargen and pick a different origin if you like. However, once you've finished character generation and entered the city, you CANNOT change your origin. You will need to perm, and you will lose access to the selected origin forever. No exceptions.
When you leave chargen, your origin may provide you with some additional items, or money, or a different starting location. If this is the case, it'll specify in the origin description.
UNAVAILABLE ORIGINS
The admin do not have the ability to grant access to origins that are not available due to being in use, or due to your lack of eligibility. What's available, is what's available.
DISCUSSING ORIGINS
We want origins to be a fun and unique surprise, not something everyone knows the intimate details about prior to going through character generation. At the same time, we need to provide you with the full details of an origin before you select it so that you can decide if it's something you want to play.
Please do not OOCly discuss your origin or any origins you are aware of. You will only see origins that are available to you. Other players may get a different subset of origins based on what is available to them at the time.
Keep what you know about them to yourself.
BENEFITS OF ORIGINS
Some origins are purely roleplay prompts that help you better define your character or skip some of the steps of being a newbie. These origins may allow you some additional information that your character would otherwise not have. For example, there is an origin where you are from Withmore. Thus, you don't have to play as if you know nothing about the city.
There are also origins that provide deeper background, challenges, or perks that you wouldn't otherwise get. For example, there are origins where you are deeply in debt, origins where you are a smuggler who lost your cargo, and origins where you are owed or owe a favor.
And then there are origins that offer you benefits, such as corporate immigration or starting with more UE or money. Many of these origins come with specific roleplay requirements and penalties.
WHY ORIGINS?
Sindome is not a tabletop game where every character can be a secret princess, the best mage in the world, or the head of a mega-corporation. At the same time, we want to empower players to have a character that feels special.
Origins are a way to give your character that something special. This might be an additional challenge, a head start out of the gates, a long-term goal, a specific direction for your character, or in some cases, something truly wild that will likely be unique to them.
Some origins are very unique and may only appear once. Others are semi-unique, such that there will likely only ever be one person with that origin at a time.
How you play your origin is, in part, defined by the roleplay restrictions and guidance in the origin details. Some have heavy roleplay requirements or stiff penalties that will definitely make the game more challenging.
VIEWING ORIGIN INFO
You can view your origin information with the '@origin' command if you ever forget the specifics.
ORIGINS ARE SELF DIRECTED
Origins are, for the most part, self-directed. However, there are several that require GM assistance or additional notes in order to drive your origin forward. You're responsible for these. Origins are intended to help create unique characters with interesting backstories that are varied and, at times, intense.
Staff MAY remind you of things from your origin, but we are relying on you, the player, to stay on top of any origin requirements. This is your character, your story, and we want you to drive it.
ORIGINS ARE NOT A GUARANTEE
In most cases, having an origin doesn't guarantee a specific outcome. There are exceptions to this, such as the origin where you cannot ever clone or be corpse cloned. The specific outcome there is that if you die, you're permed.
ORIGINS ARE OPTIONAL
Origins are entirely optional. You don't need to pick one, and not having one will not prevent you from pursuing whatever you want ICly.
ORIGINS ARE SPECIAL
Some origins give access to things that other player characters will likely never get. This is intentional. There are very few origins where someone without the origin, who invested a lot of time and was successful in their RP, would not be able to get the same thing, but they do exist. Again, intentional. Some people get crazy shit that gives them an advantage in specific circumstances. Just like some people are born with better twitch reflexes or in a better social situation (rich parents) than others.
The vast majority of origins are open to everyone who meets the minimum requirements, but again, some origins can only have one person at a time playing them.
ORIGINS AND PEOPLE WHO DON'T PLAY
We do make exceptions to the rule of only having 1 person playing a unique origin. If someone hasn't logged in for 6 months and they are not reaped, their origin will become available again. This could mean that if they return, there are two people with that origin. That's OK.
ORIGINS AND VACATION CHARACTERS
Your available origins on a vacation character (or your primary character) are the same. We base it on the older character's age, and we track origins you've played across your primary and vacation characters.
SEE ALSO:
@newbie
help expectations
help @add-note
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Now that we're all on the same page, let's talk in a bit more depth about the type of origins offered.
First off, corporate immigration will now be done through this system. Full corporate immigration w/ a job waiting for you requires GM approval before you'll see the origin.
However, there are unrestricted origins that will start you topside. You'll go through topside immigration, but have no job lined up.
There are also origins that give you a head start with joining a gang, put you in debt to the syndicates, offer a coded advantage, start your character with a favor owed by someone powerful, and much more.
These are intended to be things you discover during chargen and that help you decide the direction your character wants to go.
For the most part, only one person can have an origin at a time (the exception are ones relating to gangers, and corporate immigration type stuff where we allow multiples).
Not all origins are available to all people at all times! It's based on how long you've been playing, because some of these origins require a depth of knowledge about the game that newer players will not have.
New players will typically not start with an origin.
Existing characters do not get to opt into this system. It's only for NEW CHARACTERS (that existing players create).
There are currently 27 origins defined. And a total of 67 instances of those origins available. Some origins are unique, as I said, and only 1 person can have it. Some (like corporate immigration and ganger ones) allow for multiples (hence how we get 67 from 27).
We've got ideas for more, but I wanted to release the system since there are plenty to pick from right now, depending on how long you've been a player.
I want to whet your appetite so I'll give a few examples of origins that you might see. Remember, these are examples and you might not have these available to you in chargen. This is all governed by the system and the admin can't just give you access to an origin that isn't available:
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ORIGIN NAME: Artery Ganger from Another City
SLUG NAME: ARTERY_GANGER_FROM_ANOTHER_CITY
BACKGROUND:
You were a low-level member of the Arteries in Las Vegas. This chapter is known for running protection rackets in Casino Real, the gigantic mega-casino that has subsumed Las Vegas. It is one of many chapters of the Arteries in other cities. You can make up names for low-level gangers. They were based out of an abandoned casino.
The Arteries are all about business.
ROLEPLAY REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS:
- You can tell people you were a member of the Arts in Vegas.
- You can make up names and adventures for low-level members.
- Your character does not have to be from Las Vegas, but they must have spent time there.
- Your history must explain how you joined the Vegas Arteries.
- Your history must explain why you left for Withmore.
- You were NOT sent here by the Arteries on a mission.
- You will start with a higher faction score with the Arteries.
- If you encounter another player who has the same origin, you can roleplay as if you knew some of the same people, but your characters never met prior to coming to the city.
DISCLAIMER:
- You are not guaranteed membership in the gang; your roleplay will dictate how it goes.
- You will still need to be vetted by the gang, which means pledging, though the period of time you pledge for may be reduced.
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ORIGIN NAME: Burn Bright
SLUG NAME: BURN_BRIGHT
BACKGROUND:
Unlike others in this world, you have only one life to live. You were born with a rare genetic disorder that prevents you from getting a clone. You know this because you tried. At first, Genetek was very helpful, and they did some studies, intent on trying to figure out the problem. They were not able to figure it out. They wouldn't tell you exactly what the issue was, but it had something to do with a mutation in your DNA that you were born with. Genetek didn't want any of this making the news, so they bought your silence with chyen. You received 250,000 chyen, which you are able to collect after opening a bank account in Withmore City, at which point Genetek will transfer it to your account.
ROLEPLAY REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS:
- You literally cannot obtain a clone. And you cannot be corpse cloned. If you die, that's it.
- You signed a non-disclosure agreement with Genetek, so you can't go public with your story.
- You can still tell people, but if it gets back to Genetek, they can enforce the non-disclosure by having you killed. Legally.
- It's in your best interest not to tell many people, but it wouldn't be fun if you couldn't tell anyone ever, so use your best judgment and try to keep it to close allies.
- Your history must cover, at least briefly, how you went to get a clone and found out you couldn't.
DISCLAIMER:
- You do NOT start the game with the 250k. We don't want you walking through the gates with that kind of cash. You need to get to a bank, open an account, and xhelp and ask an admin to deliver you the money so you can deposit it. If you can't get someone on xhelp, put in a service request and we'll get it transferred to your account.
- This is Sindome on VERY HARD. You might die the first day. You might live months or years. But someday, you will get killed, and that's it. If you can't handle that potential for loss, this is NOT the origin for you.
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ORIGIN NAME: Code of Giri
SLUG NAME: CODE_OF_GIRI
BACKGROUND:
In Japanese, giri means duty, obligation, or responsibility. At some point in the past, something happened, and it led to you owing giri to the Yakuza. Under the Code of Giri, you owe what is essentially a blood debt. You have vowed to repay this debt. The Yakuza can call upon you for one favor, asking anything, and you must do it. To fail would be to dishonor yourself and your family, and there would be steep consequences.
ROLEPLAY REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS:
- If a high-ranking Yakuza calls upon you to repay this favor, you must do it, no matter what the ask is.
- Members of the Yakuza who are aware of your debt may treat you differently. This could be positive; it could be negative.
- Members of other Syndicates who are aware of your debt will judge you for this. This will likely be negative.
- Successfully repaying this debt may act as an in with the Yakuza if you wish to join them in the future.
- Your history must explain the situation that led to you owing this giri to the Yakuza.
DISCLAIMER:
- This is a good origin to take if you might want to attempt to join the Yakuza in the future.
- Failing this favor will likely prevent you from ever joining a syndicate.
- Failing this favor likely means being on the Yakuza shit list and, at the very least, losing several fingers, if not much more.
- There is no knowing what the favor will be. You might be asked to betray your best friend of 5 years. Whatever it is, it won't be easy.
- Succeeding is not a guarantee of getting into the faction right away; it just acts as an in when your character is deemed ready.
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ORIGIN NAME: Terminally Ill
SLUG NAME: TERMINALLY_ILL
BACKGROUND:
You have a terminal disease that will kill you in 2 months. The doctor that informed you of this told you that there is no known cure. You may still have hope of finding a cure if you can get doctors to help. Or, at the very least, you might be able to prolong your life for a few months. Every clone update means that if you die, your disease will take you that much sooner the next time you clone.
ROLEPLAY REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS:
- You were given the bad news about your terminally ill status some time in the past. You must include when, how, and what the disease is in your history.
- You must exhibit symptoms of this disease. These are on you to pose, emote, and roleplay. You get to choose how it presents.
- You can roleplay this as your character having given up and just looking to live out the rest of your days having as much fun as possible. Or causing chaos.
- You can also pursue a cure in character. You will do this by finding doctors (player doctors, please!) that you can push to examine you, take blood, and run tests. You can OOCly instruct the doctors to put in a service request asking for the results of the tests.
- It is possible you can find a cure, or at least postpone your death, but it won't be easy and it might not be cheap.
- You can have arrived in Withmore, where there is cutting-edge medical technology, in hopes of finding a cure. If it's to be found anywhere, it'll be here.
- Your character needs to take this seriously. They are either serious about finding a cure or serious about living out the rest of their days doing -something-.
- You get to choose how the news of being terminally ill impacts your character, but there must be an impact on them.
- If you do find a cure, this experience of having come close to death should follow your character for the rest of their life.
- This is a good choice for a vacation character if you don't plan to seek a cure very hard.
DISCLAIMER:
- This is a self-directed origin for the most part. You need to seek out solutions to keep you alive. Perhaps drugs, medicine, or something else will extend your life.
- We aren't going to monitor your time to live down to the hour. It has some flexibility, but if you hit your 2 months, you need to xhelp and let us know. Or put in a service request asking to be killed.
- You can get a clone, and you can clone, but you are responsible for leaving a note when you update your clone stating how much time you have left, should you clone out.
- Cloning DOES NOT cure your disease. If you update your clone 1 month in and then die, you have 1 month to live. If you update your clone with 1 day to live and die, you have 1 day to live when you clone.
- YOU MUST tell us when it is time for you to die, and we will knock you out and kill you. You can then clone normally. You don't get to choose the specific moment this happens. It will probably happen at the worst possible time, because cyberpunk.
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ORIGIN NAME: Degenerate From The Start
SLUG NAME: DEGENERATE_FROM_THE_START
BACKGROUND:
Your life has not been all sunshine and roses. You've died more times than you care to count. So much time lost. And now you've woken up dead again, but this time, you've got Degenerative Clone Disease. You went to Virii-Soma to see about a cure, and they told you there is no cure, only treatment each time it flares up. And the treatments are expensive. They tell you that you can get them a bit cheaper (though still fairly expensive) in Withmore City, so you figure that's where you're going to live moving forward. Virii-Soma also told you that every time you die moving forward, you've got a higher-than-average chance of catching it again, a situation that is only going to get worse as time goes on. And every time your DCD flares up on a new clone, it takes more treatments (and more money) to get it cured. Fuck.
ROLEPLAY REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS:
- You start the game with 300 bonus UE on top of what you would have normally gotten. This UE is delivered after chargen finishes.
- You will start the game with DCD. Your chance of getting DCD each time you clone will be at 'Seven Ecks' levels, which is to say, as if you have died over 100 times. Meaning, there is a very good chance you get DCD when you clone, every time you clone. DCD really does get more expensive to cure as time goes on.
- Your history must include plausible reasons for how you have died so many times. Perhaps you were a solo, or a ganger, or a pit fighter to the death, or had some other dangerous profession.
- Your character can know they have DCD when they enter the city.
- Your character can know that Virii-Soma has a clinic where they treat it, but not where that clinic is or how much it costs.
- You are expected to RP your DCD (when it isn't in remission). You get to decide how it gets represented, but if you do a good job, it may become the canon symptoms!
- You can seek out a real cure for DCD, but one may not exist.
- You do NOT start the game with a clone. You just died recently, remember?
DISCLAIMER:
- DCD is no joke. It will continually reduce your stats regularly until you get it fixed.
- This is a -hard- origin. Keeping up with treatments each time you contract it is really expensive and hard to maintain, even for established characters, which you will not be.
- This is likely a slow spiral toward madness and death.
- This is NOT an origin for people who have long-term plans for their character, or who don't want a constant stream of difficult situations for which there is no real solution.
- The staff are NOT going to treat you any differently because you took this origin. No reprieves. This is the RP you are choosing.
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