Immies not all poor, weak and helpless
The way we talk about Immies ICly

Not all immies come in weak or lost or helpless. Not all come in poor (some PCs literally come in with money and clothes and limited gear). Not all immies are charity cases or need to be protected. Some locals in the dome for 40 years are far worse off than some immies walking in the gates.

What do you guys think?

If you're just looking at that average and not the few special immies who are PCs and know how to min/max in chargen or who have past char UE, I think it's fair to assume that anyone who's crawling, possibly malnourished and may have passed out when getting their SIC implanted, is absolutely not a rockstar.

The few who do walk into the dome not immediately needing to beg for a sandwich and a glass of water are the ones who aren't ordinary.

I can see the unconnected and lost bit but I think poor is arguable. I imagine plenty of local kids on curbs with needles in their arms would love that hundred chyen. And wile ICly there are very likely fewer 'corporate immigrations' than omega gate walk ins, there are a bunch of ambient corpie immigrations for every PC one.

I guess what jars my immersion is how this kind of assumption reinforces the meta view some take when comparing competency to time in dome. I also find the wording of these sentiments feels natural to me personally.

I can't imagine saying anything like this IRL. The closest I can think of is along the lines of, "Not from around here huh?" Or, "They're not from around here." I can't imagine talking about someone new in town like people talk about immies in game. Again, maybe just me.

Also, I would love that Wonderland!

For immersion’s sake, I think it’s important to keep in mind that a lot of these assumptions are built on the city's own biases and survival-driven worldview. Locals tend to see immies as blank slates or vulnerable because of their lack of connections or familiarity with the harsh realities of Withmore, even if some come in with skills, money, or gear. The way people interact with immies could be more about perceptions and less about a blanket rule, someone who stands out might not face the same assumptions.

That being said, there’s definitely room for balancing these assumptions with more dynamic interactions. For example, I could see a case where an immy who shows up with a strong personality or an in-demand skill might still be looked at with suspicion or dismissed as just another lost soul, but over time they earn respect or intrigue from the locals. Similarly, immies might be written off as “new” or “outsiders,” but not every character in Withmore is going to follow the same script, and that’s where the fun of storytelling comes in.

Ultimately, I think the game leans on that mix of assumptions and the potential for players to disrupt or break those assumptions with their actions and reputations. It's a balancing act between sticking to the gritty, harsh reality of the dome while allowing room for characters to prove themselves and push beyond the initial stereotypes.

I think this is a smart angle to approach it from, and probably something I could stand to do better myself. While I like characters coming out of the gate on the weak side because I feel it winnows out the Born Badass Marty Stu types, honestly sometime big talk does actually get backed up by some walk (and sometimes even big walk) so it's reasonable to give boastful characters a chance to show their potential.