Difference between revisions of "FAQ"

Revision as of 21:12, 5 June 2014

Q: What is Unification?

A: Unification is the event that brings a universe (or world) into the Multiverse. Mass-unifications are usually significant events, but every world that becomes integrated into the Multiverse experiences Unification. At one moment they're alone in their universe, and the next they're quite suddenly not so alone.

Q: How does a world unify? Can a universe leave the Multiverse once it has unified?

A: Unification is achieved when a temporal tweak introduces an alternate timeline in which the target universe unifies into the Multiverse. It's not possible to leave the Multiverse, because there's nothing to go back to -- your timeline is here now.

Q: How much of my setting comes with me to the Multiverse?

A: Only the important parts. But, depending on setting that might be quite a lot. Star Wars is likely to bring the whole galaxy, while Fullmetal Alchemist will probably only bring along a single planet, or at bare minimum maybe just a few nations.

Q: What is a warpgate? Does my world have any?

A: A warpgate is an entry point to a sort of subspace highway. Each warpgate is a hub connecting to a limited number of nearby warp gates, permitting long-distance travel across astronomical distances. It is possible to make artificial warpgates, but the most commonly known warpgates are naturally occurring.

All worlds in the Multiverse have warpgates. Some fewer than others, but you can usually expect to have enough for every major region in your setting to have access to them.

Q: Can I destroy a warpgate?

A: You can destroy artificial warpgates, but natural warpgates are indestructible, and every world has at least a few of those. This is largely to prevent people from disconnecting their setting from the MUSH. This isn't a sandbox -- you're expected to participate with the rest of the MUSH!

Warpgates CAN be secured, and often are using crude devices similar to the iris mechanisms from "Stargate". Depending on the size of the warpgate, this might not be plausible. Some are large enough to allow even something colossal like a Star Destroyer to pass through.

Q: The news files say that everybody has to have a soul! What happens if the characters in my world don't have souls?

A: This is a non-negotiable facet of MUSH theme. Every sufficiently intelligent (sapient) being has a soul as a default assumption, and everyone with a soul has an afterlife of some sort. Most fictional settings have souls, and most of them have afterlives. Our rules were built to accommodate and encompass this common trait.

A sub-topic of this which comes up occasionally is the matter of atheism in the Multiverse. In summary, while there are universes that do not have deities directly attached to them, the MUSH setting is one in which the philosophy of atheism is objectively wrong. Everyone has a soul, afterlives are often directly observable, and so are deities.

Q: The news files say souls are retroactively indestructible across all settings. But my series relies a lot on souls being destroyed! What do I do?

A: Souls CAN be maimed to the point that they cannot be resurrected or reincarnated, and this can be hard to distinguish from actual destruction.

Q: If all of these settings are sharing with each other, does that mean I can get a lightsaber or a phaser as easily as a sword or a gun?

A: Yes! Keep in mind, rare or unique items from other settings shouldn't be obtained without significant RP and an upgrade application, and getting actual powers from other settings is its own can of worms. But, if something is common in any given world you can get it pretty easily. So yes, you could buy a phaser or a blaster pretty easily. Maybe not a lightsaber, but definitely a beam sword, or commercially available materia.

Q: What about heavy military stuff, like Star Destroyers?

A: Even very rich people usually can't purchase an aircraft carrier. Most people can't purchase a Star Destroyer. On the other hand, purchasing a YT-1300 Freighter (like the Millennium Falcon) or a Runabout from Star Trek, or a Firefly-class starship, is rather like purchasing an automobile or 18 wheeler.

Q: If I (as an off-worlder) buy a YT-1300 or Firefly-class starship, could they be better than the Millennium Falcon or Serenity?

A: This is a complex question. As a general rule, no, and definitely not right out of the gate. It's poor form to take something from another setting and try to pass it off as better than the big guns of that setting, and you probably wouldn't want that done to you. In the long haul, with a lot of RP and a character (or group of characters) competent in the relevant fields, this isn't completely impossible but it is still iffy. It's also a lot easier for those big guns to upgrade past you with much less effort.

Q: What stops General Zod from opening a Star Destroyer like a can opener and venting the crew into space, or Nightcrawler from teleporting into the cockpit of a mecha and taking out the helpless pilot?

A: This is a form of powergaming. It is a veiled attempt at an instant death/knockout effect, and even if the combat code dictates that a direct hit is achieved, the target player can pose receiving significantly less severe damage. This sort of thing isn't fun for anybody but the person who thinks they should be able to do it, so it isn't allowed.

Q: Why are settings assumed to be equal? My setting has better stuff in it than everybody else's!

A: The MUSH is not about any one setting, least of all your pet series. This wouldn't be fun for the people NOT in "your" setting, so the MUSH is set up specifically so settings do not have primacy over one another. Some settings have advantages over others, but mostly the playing field is level so everybody gets to have a good time. And yeah, that means settings like Warhammer 40k lose a lot of their oomph in the translation.

Q: Does that mean that I got nerfed when I came to the Multiverse?

A: No. This sort of thinking leads to a lot of OOC wankery and claims of, 'If the Multiverse wasn't limiting me, I'd squash you like a bug!'

To make it perfectly clear: It's possible for universes to interact with other universes pre-unification. It's rare, but it happens. Some comic book universes experience this quite a lot! When these interactions occur, basically the same thing happens as it happens in the Multiverse, albeit with a smaller range of bizarre interactions. Everybody's about equal, even when it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

In short, our setting just works that way. If by some chance of inattentiveness or good/bad luck your character gets passed with these kinds of nerfs laid out in your application, you can safely assume that it was staffer error/inattention and that it isn't actually a valid statement. Our setting just works that way, and for the most part that is to your (the player's) benefit. No matter how cool your pet series is, there's a pretty good chance we can find something that could stomp it flat.

Q: Which is better, Magic or Technology/Science?

A: Neither. Magic and Science are equal. One might be more contextually relevant than the other in some circumstances, but neither is better than the other. Using one to debunk or debase the other is OOCly bad form, and is ICly just wrong. They are simply different means to an end: Solving problems, and good role play.

In short, have fun with your toys, and don't deny people the legitimacy and flavor of their own.