Summary and Design

The Citadel LRP game has the following features

Exploration

• Exploring the secrets of the Citadel: what secrets are hiding within, and what impact will they have on the wider world?
• Learning about Outlook and the wider world, and interacting with those from outside with different views of the world, specifically its direction for the future.
• Learning the secrets of mutations, and the AI, and what is capable using them.

Religion

• Choosing who and what to worship, and following their goals as far as you can discern them: some of which will be more difficult.
• Defining theologies in a world of differing opinions: choosing what to incorporate from other players’ worldviews, and what to oppose.

Politics

• Establishing order in the Outlook: from internal and external forces. This includes negotiating where to go and what to do next in the Citadel, and dealing with envoys from the forces from outside the Citadel.
• Negotiating with invading tribes and their claims to the Citadel: and also sabotaging their goals where needed.

Trading

• Working within a bartering commodity system, and defining the worth of both material goods and favours.
• Meshing your value systems with those of the AI who have very clear conceptions of the worth of what you are offering, even if that metric only makes sense to them.

Fighting

• Battling against creatures that have been hiding inside the Citadel, and things that exist on the edges of the Outlook
• Competing physically and mentally with NPC enemies

Linear Design

Almost all linears will happen happen within the Citadel itself. Most Linears will be chances to undertake specific quests, and will have direct impacts on the game world.

Linear choices

Linear choices will be introduced throughout the Interactive with the ability to choose and even create linear opportunities towards the end. Interacting with the linear choice framework will be formulaic and transparent and unlikely to change over the duration of the game. In the unlikely event that a linear choice for some reason does not happen in play and a linear group got together, final choice will go to the people playing that Linear.

Linear difficulty

Linears will be signposted according to the risk of death and IC consequences. Implicitly, the higher risk linears will carry more plentiful rewards and are likely capable of affecting the game world to a greater degree.

Most Linears, will have the option to run away, which keeps the player characters alive but means that they do not achieve their goal. Linears where this will not be the case will be signposted beforehand.

Simple

Players are unlikely to fail. Failure to achieve objectives will not have permanent consequences on the characters or the world.

Moderate

Players may fail this linear. Failure to achieve objectives may have a negative consequence on the world.

Difficult

High chance of failure. Failure will have consequences for the world and the characters including death.

Suicidal

The Doom Scenario. Very high likelihood of failure, death and other consequences. Success will likely require completion of multiple objectives in series. High likelihood the linear does not allow retreat.

Linear Content

Linears will also be signposted according to the primary game components required. Other components will be present in small numbers only.

• Diplomatic
• Combat
• Stealth
• Investigation

Going on a Linear

As usual for CLS, a degree of understanding with regards to linear attendance is expected, and if certain people have had a lot of opportunities to play, then it is expected they will give up their slot to those less fortunate.

Linear regularity

At the beginning of Michaelmas term, we will be aiming to run a Linear a weekend for the first three weeks. This is liable to change, based on ref availability and exhaustion.

Crewing

• You should not feel obliged to crew Interactives but it might be fun
• Crewing a Linear will grant your character an extra resource

Every week, players will have the option of playing NPC roles or monster roles instead of playing their characters. This applies to both the Interactive and the Linear. The refs will have a number of NPC roles that can be played.

You should not feel obliged to crew during the Interactives, but we will welcome players that do and the refs will attempt to give you roles that play to your personal strengths. Certain encounters may require specific NPCs and crew numbers - in such cases we may ask people in the interactive if they are willing to monster that encounter but there should never be any pressure to do so. We will always make sure that plot aimed at characters does not go in without them present, unless this is simply unavoidable. If you plan on crewing, and would like a particular role, feel free to talk to the refs about it.