FAQs

[vivalamods]

FAQS

GENERAL GAMEPLAY

What kind of game is Viva La?
Viva La is a mission-based game about a rebel group fighting back against an oppressive Empire that lords over the world from its floating islands. Characters will make plans, spy on the Empire, negotiate with it, and in many cases fight against it over the course of the game.

What kind of content should I expect in this game?
Outside of the monthly missions, characters will also have the opportunity to run and participate in their own side plots, meet gods, face off against villains, and explore the world which will slowly open up as the rebellion gains in strength.

How often will events happen and what types of events will there be?
Events will occur every month, consisting of a planning phase for the first 14 or 15 days and a mission phase for the last 15 or 16 days of each month. The planning phase will involve characters getting ready for the mission, with the mission phase being the execution of the plans. All events will be geared toward giving characters in the four roles (Combatant, Supplier, Negotiator and Infiltrator) something to do every month, although characters will also be free to make their own plans and responses to the mission as it occurs.

Are adult themes and smut allowed in this game?
Viva La is not a sex game, but it is an 18+ game that will feature some heavier adult content. Adult themes are allowed, but all logs containing them should cut the content and feature warnings as needed.

Are there any themes or topics in this game that may be upsetting or triggering to some?
Viva La will feature heavy themes of violence, slavery, oppression, colonialism, and murder/mass killing, all of which will be opposed by and fought against by the players. Many characters may (at the choice of the player) have been subject to all of these things personally, especially slavery at the hands of the Empire for any characters coming in from Original Universes.

What is the IC to OOC time ratio in this game?
Viva La works on a 1 IC day to 1 OOC day system.

What is the activity requirement?
Characters will need to post at least one thread of at least 5 comments by their character in order to make activity each month.

Villains and gods will have different activity requirements. Villains are required to run at least one thread in the mission log every month, with at least 5 comments in order to make activity each month. Gods are required to run a player plot log every month that pertains to their godly duties, with at least 5 comments in order to make activity each month.

Can threads that started the previous month be used for activity?
Yes, so long as the date of the comment matches the activity period it is being used for.

When is activity due?
Activity must be posted on the Activity Check page by 11:59 PM Eastern on the last day of every month. Activity can be posted at any time during the month.

Are there any activity rewards in this game?
Yes! Mechanically, we reward players through our Notoriety system. A full breakdown can be found here on the Notoriety and Rewards page.

When do applications open?
Application cycles begin at 12:00 AM Easter on the 5th of every month, and close at 11:59 PM Easter on the 9th. This application cycle covers normal characters, villains and gods.

Villains and gods?
Villains and gods are special characters that can be apped by players who have been in the game for at least 3 months (this requirement is waived for the first 3 months of the game). Villains are servants of the Empire who can show up and wreck house during missions, whereas gods are old divine beings who have lost power due to the Empire removing their worship and are desperately trying to regain followers and patch natural disasters they’d normally take care of with the help of the Crimson Corsairs. A player may only play one god or villain, and they have extra AC requirements in order to continue playing them.

Is there a set time limit for how long someone can play a villain or a god?
Gods may be played indefinitely, but villains have a time limit of around 3 months and must submit a planned villain plot with a defined end in order to be played. We may look to extend this if the demand for being able to play a villain ends up lower than anticipated.

Are there character or player caps for this game?
The current player cap is set at 30 players, with a character limit of 90 characters or three characters per player. The current villain cap is 5 characters, and the god limit is 8 characters. We will assess what our potential incoming player count will be during every reservation and application period, and, if we feel we are able, we will adjust our player limit accordingly. This information will be updated on the reservation and application pages, and posted on Plurk.

While we do not require you to put in a reservation in order to apply, we recommend doing so, as this will give us an idea of how many extra new player slots we may need and if we are able to accommodate.

What about cast caps?
The cast cap is currently 8 characters from a single cast.

What types of characters can I app into the game?
Canon characters: Characters from a published series that has been out for at least a month.

Original characters: Original characters must be from their own universe and not be based from a preexisting canon, or made specifically for this game's setting.

Non-human character: Depending on what form this character takes, their appearance and form might shift to match the setting. For example, characters like Catra from She-Ra or Undine from Undertale.

Silent Protagonists: Or other malleable characters, as long as they have a clear personality within the canon. For example, protagonists from the Persona series or the Warrior of Light from Final Fantasy XIV.

OU/AU character doubles: If an AU version of this character exists within a canon. Examples include Link from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Link from Twilight Princess, as they are two distinct characters. Additionally, we do allow the same version of a character to be played as OU and AU, with permission of whichever player apped that character first. For example, if someone were to app Joker from Persona 5 as AU and someone was interested in playing his OU version, they could reach out to the Joker AU player. If that player were to give permission, they could then proceed to app the OU version. The original player is not required to give permission, and refusal of permission is not an excuse to harass or otherwise demean said player - they are free to proceed as they wish since they were playing the character first.

CRAU characters: We permit CRAUs for characters hoping to carry over certain relationships from other games. CRAUs must be opt-in; you cannot impose prior CR on characters from the game if the character in this game doesn't consent up-front. CRAUs only retain their relationships and knowledge, any additional powers or items they may have gained in other games cannot be carried over.

What types of characters aren’t allowed in the game?
Fandom OCs: OCs created for a specific, published canon. Note: We will allow one WoL in this game at a time.

Characters with little/no screen time: As well as characters with no distinguishable, distinct personality. Characters that require extensive headcanon to fill in the blanks will not be accepted.

Real people/Historical figures: Historically recognizable figures, even those dramatized for biographies or semi-biographical productions such as the musical Hamilton are not permitted. Fiction that uses historical figures as a basis for their own characters such as the Fate series are permitted.

Is there a character age limit?
While there is no technical age limit, characters under the age of 16 will require a suitability entry to ensure they will fit into the setting. Since there is a lot of mature content, some characters of younger ages may not be appropriate for the setting.

When do reserves open?
Reserves open at midnight on the 1st of every month at 12:00 AM Eastern and close at 12:00 AM Eastern on the 5th of every month, when Applications open.

What is the benefit of reserving a character?
Reserving a character helps the mods assess the expected population for the game. If we see a lot of players and characters have been reserved, we will assess our population limits and look into raising it if needed to ensure everyone can get a spot.

How often will a TDM be posted?
The TDM will be posted on the 1st of every month at 12:00 AM Eastern.

What is an AU Workshop?
There is a static AU Workshop that will be re-linked every month when the TDM goes up.

Tell me about this whole setting AU thing.
This game allows for characters to AU themselves into the setting. Basically, you take your character and play them as someone who was born in and has lived in the world the game takes place in. AU characters are re-imagined versions of their canon counterparts that work within the setting of Viva La.

ARRIVAL AND MECHANICS

How does my character arrive here if they aren’t AU’d into the game’s setting?
OU characters are brought through the Servant’s Gate, a tool the Empire developed to solve their manpower issues due to all the constant killing of commoners. In most cases, characters are brought into a containment room, subdued immediately, and enslaved by the Empire, only to be liberated later by the Crimson Corsairs. However, the Servant’s Gate is not perfect, so it’s possible for some characters to appear outside the containment room. In these cases, the character must have found a way to escape and make their way to the Eternal Ocean, which players can expound upon when they are apping the character.

Why was my character brought here?
Labor, plain and simple. The Empire purges far too many of its lower classes, so they’ve tried to make up for that shortfall by bringing in more bodies from other worlds. It just so happens that most of these people don’t tend to appreciate that too much.

Do they arrive with any items or other things from home?
Characters will arrive with whatever they had on them at the time. If they are pilots of a mecha, battleship, or other vehicle they might arrive inside that vehicle as well, although they are commonly stripped of their possessions immediately. Characters who weren’t immediately captured and instead had to escape themselves will need to have found places to stow their belongings to avoid detection since magical items, mechs and other ships are heavily regulated by the Empire and would draw too much attention. These items can be reclaimed via Notoriety, although it may require a player plot to reclaim it from its hiding place depending on the item.

My character has a familiar/pet or something similar. Are they brought here too?
Generally, yes, either to be played as a separate PC by someone else or played in conjunction with your character. Familiars or pets that are considered part of your character are governed by the Notoriety rules on Monsters, and will need to be regained just like normal possessions but they will exist in the setting, they’ll just have to start either hidden or in possession of the Empire.

My character has a magical item with them, is that brought over too?
If it’s reasonable for them to have had it on them then yes, that will be brought over but will be confiscated or have to be hidden and will need to be regained by Notoriety.

My character is sick and/or was injured before arriving here, does that transfer over?
All general illnesses and injuries usually carry over to a character when they’re brought over. Characters who utilize specialized prosthetics will have those stripped and replaced with more basic functional ones (the Empire wants you to work but doesn’t want you to rebel), or will need to be hidden or repurposed when escaping. Long-term illnesses or injuries will be treated enough to keep the character alive and healthy enough to work, but no more. If you wish, you may elect to have them not carry over due to some strange happenings with the Servant’s Gate, that is up to players to determine.

My character is dead.
Cool, they aren’t anymore! Or maybe they are! For those who want to go with the latter, you have the option to have them arrive in the land of the dead and fight their way out of it and return to the land of the living. We leave that choice up to you.

My character is a vampire or some other being that feeds from other people or creatures in order to live. Is that retained?
As with illnesses and other issues, vampirism and other such conditions are usually retained although you may elect not to retain them if you wish. If you do choose to retain them, you’ll need to figure out how to work around it.

My character isn’t human and/or doesn’t have a humanoid body. Will they be given a humanoid form upon arrival?
Characters will not be given humanoid forms, they will come as they are.

What happens if my character dies in game?
Characters who die in game are sent to one of the three underworlds and are typically dropped and no longer available. However, if desired, a player may elect to have a character sneak, fight, or negotiate their way out of said underworld and return to the land of the living. If there is currently an active god for that underworld the player is encouraged to log the escape with that god’s player, but in general if a player wants the character to escape the underworld they will always succeed at doing so. Eventually.

Is there a communicator or network for this game?
The Crimson Corsairs have developed a specialized communication network known as the Ethernet that utilizes somewhat bulky flip-phones to access (similar to the ARCUS units in the Trails of Cold Steel series). This allows near-instantaneous video, audio and text communication either to the broader network or privately to specific recipients. All Ethernet Transmitters (ENTs) have a unique 9-digit ID, so if characters want to message each other privately they’ll need to either find a directory (currently managed by the Vault) or exchange IDs with a person directly.

What if my character doesn’t speak the same language as other characters in the game? Can they still use the Ethernet to communicate?
Yes, kind of. They’ll be taught to use the Ethernet as best as the Crimson Corsair members can communicate to them, after that it’s up to them to figure it out.

Will my character understand the language of Esthere?
Nope! Esthere uses a form of Old English that can still be seen today in old texts like Beowulf. If your character does not speak that form of Old English specifically, they won’t be able to understand the people of Esthere (although characters who speak German will probably be able to get by sort of). Characters who come in under the Empire are expected to learn fast and punished harshly if they do not, characters who escape and make their way to the Eternal Ocean and get picked up by the Crimson Corsairs will be instructed, but players can determine the rate and proficiency the character learns the language.

Where will my character live? Is there housing for outlanders and other resistance members?
All three factions of the Crimson Corsairs provide housing to their members. There are small dormitory spaces in Elysium, Flotsam, and the Vault for characters to live in, but if they want something better they’ll need to use Notoriety to earn it themselves.

My character has powers in canon. How does that work in universe?
Characters can generally retain their normal abilities, but they will find them abridged to fit the setting. Some of these parameters will slowly increase over the course of the game as characters in general grow in strength. In general, all characters will be considered equalized, and characters without active magical abilities will find they can perform physical feats that keep them in line with magical characters.

Information on powers and how they function in the game can be found here on the Supernatural Abilities and Power Levels page.

EVENTS AND MISSION FLOW

How long do you expect the game to run for?
The game is expected to last somewhere between one and two years with a continuous forward-moving plot.

What types of events/missions will this game have?
Every month will follow a basic format, splitting the month generally into 15 days with longer months extending the latter part of the month and shorter months shortening the former part of the month. The first half of the month will be used for prep, where characters have freedom to prepare and play out their own personal plots while getting ready for the next mission. The second half of the month will be the mission, where characters will work together to obtain objectives.

So monthly missions?
Yes. Missions will be announced on the 1st of each month, with the planning phase taking place during the first half of the month. The mission is announced during this period, and this is the time where the Crimson Corsairs can prepare for their next operation. There will be some mission-critical log requirements for planning teams, but characters can also work on developing Gambits (more on that further down) they think might come in handy for the mission.

Who are the Crimson Corsairs?
The Crimson Corsairs are representatives of the three factions within the rebel alliance, who are in charge of loosely dividing their members into four major roles. Members are free to select any role or roles they feel best suit them, and this determines the kinds of missions they will be given by the Corsairs.

Roles? Factions?
Every role will have some part to play during a mission cycle. While these roles are acknowledged ICly, they’re pretty fluid and things are left up to the individual character as to what jobs and missions they want to take on. More information can be found on this post !--Link to Factions & Roles–!

Will factions ever be pitted against each other?
Not directly, but typically indirectly through competing mission priorities. The Factions are allies and are committed to a cause, but they don’t always see eye to eye and have different secondary goals which can create conflicts.

What is the general flow for missions?
The Planning Phase takes place during the first half of the month. It is when Infiltrators and Suppliers are most active. The mission is announced during this period, and this is the time where the Crimson Corsairs can prepare for their next operation. There will be some mission-critical log requirements for both teams, but characters can also work on developing Gambits they think might come in handy for the mission.

The Mission Phase takes place during the second half of the month. It is when Combatants and Negotiators set the plans into motion to achieve the month’s objective for the rebellion. This phase tends to be more focused where a majority of the participants will be dedicated to core objectives.

What are Gambits?
During the Planning Phase, characters not taking part in the main mission can work on creating Gambits, special plans and preparations that can be utilized during the Mission Phase. Some Gambits may be considered Mission Critical and achieved during the Mission-related planning logs, but others can be created independently as player plots if they think it might be helpful.

How do villains factor into missions and events?
Villains are required to run a log during missions every month. In general, it will be them confronting a group of PCs and fighting them over some kind of objective. During the initial Mission postings, Villains will be able to sign up for the mission log they want to participate in and will be assigned a group of about 4 players to thread with.

Does this game allow for player plots?
Yes! In the case of gods, running regular player plots is mandatory for their activity requirements but players are able to run their own player plots at their own discretion. During Activity Check, player plots may be submitted for additional Notoriety, and depending on the nature of the player plot mods may even elect to give additional rewards if they feel it is warranted.

PLAYER SUBMITTED QUESTIONS

COMING SOON

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Comments

[peasantofmanyfaces]

Fellow shapeshifter high five! Though this one can take on humanoid forms.

[generaltraitor]

o/ Always love a shapeshifter, although I was asking on behalf on a different character (Celes cannot turn into anything, unless kappa status effects count) (it does not).