Character Creation

Overview

The first thing you want to do is log into the game and create a character on the welcome screen. After you've completed this step, submit a +request to staff that summarizes your character concept in a few sentences. Please review the Concept Guidance pages for help in formulating your concept before you submit.

+request Character Concept (name)=<description>

If it looks good, you'll receive the password to the wiki and will be able to apply through the site. Staff will review your application within 48 hours. If no changes are required, you will see that your character has been made public and added to the Cast page. If changes are required, you will receive @mail from staff outlining these necessary changes along with further instructions.

To start an application through the wiki, type in your character's name (first name only) and hit 'Start Application'. When you've finished and are happy with the way it looks, submit a +request in-game to let us know there's an application waiting for our review.

Good luck!

Description

Your description is set in-game and won't appear on the wiki.

It's set using @desc me=<desc>

What does your character look like? What are their most prominent features? A character description is as long as you feel it needs to be, whether that's a few sentences, or a few paragraphs. As a general rule, you don't need to describe your character's clothes — you can describe them in your poses instead.

A good description provides the character with a strong impression of your character by showing, not telling. Comb through your description and pick out only the adjectives, then read the string aloud to yourself. If they evoke the sort of imagery you associate with your character, then you're on the right track.

Background

Where does your character come from? If Touched, how did they come in contact with the Gloom, and how long were they trapped there? What were the consequences of their encounter? How did they get to where they are today?

Although the game is set in London, the Watch has operatives all over the world, so it's feasible that your character can come from almost anywhere. We do prefer natives; if you are not a citizen of the UK, your background should explain whether and how you live legally in the UK.

We're looking for a few paragraphs here, but you are welcome to write more if it starts spilling out of you!

Personality

How has your character's background influenced who they are as a person? If they've had encounters with the Gloom, how have they changed from the individual they used to be? Some people prefer to write only a paragraph or two about their character's personality to give readers a rough idea about them — others enjoy going into depth when it comes to examining their character's psyche, but most players are somewhere in between.

Paranormal Abilities

If your character has any paranormal abilities whatsoever, you'll need to go into detail about what they can do, and what their limitations are. Most of the time, a character with paranormal abilities possesses them because they've been Touched by the Gloom, but it isn't unthematic to apply for someone who is a natural born psychic or medium, either.

For characters who have their abilities because they've been Touched by the Gloom, it's important to keep in mind that Gloom MUX isn't a superhero game, or a game about mutants with one or two specific powers; most of the time, people emerge from the Gloom with a unique package of abilities that all fit together in some shape or form.

An acceptable example would be someone who comes out of the Gloom and discovers he can:

  • obscure himself in shadows/transform into a shadow
  • take on aspects of other people's fears
  • control the subconsciouses of the weaker willed by implanting suggestions
  • intensify the negative emotions of others in his presence

The more power the Gloom has bestowed on someone, however, the more drawbacks go along with it. This same individual may also:

  • be compelled to feed on human blood and lose his sense of self and sanity if he does not
  • be unable to step out into the sunlight without suffering from scalding burns or bursting into flame
  • look and feel sick/tired most of the time

This is just one example of what the Gloom may do to a person; there are almost limitless possibilities and combinations of powers, but they should all be able to fit in a paranormal/horror setting. Please use full sentences, and remember to include a brief description of what your character might see in the mirror if he or she has been Touched by the Gloom (which is also what other characters who have been Touched will see if they look hard enough at him or her).

Skills

When you write up your character's skills, you want to select ones that are notable — it's assumed that most characters know how to do mundane things like reading and writing, although it's worth mentioning in your write-up if they can't, otherwise we want to know what it is they're really exceptional at. This helps storytellers tailor plots to your strengths (or your weaknesses, which can be just as much as fun) and understand what your character's limitations are.

One pitfall that some players run into is including personality traits like charisma as a skill; while that might work on stat-based games, where your success depends on the roll of a dice, it's more likely on Gloom MUX that your character's success will hinge on what they say if they're trying to convince another person of something, or how they approach a situation.

Another common error is assigning a high level of skill to a character who is very young. If you want to be a crack shot paranormal detective who knows judo, can pick almost any lock, and isn't easily shaken, he or she should probably be in their late twenties at the very least. We like to see a range of character ages on the game — don't be shy to make someone in their forties or older!

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