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FAQ
FAQ
Welcome to Well! Well is a memory-loss game focused on identity and connection. Characters find themselves in the game with very few ideas about who they are except their names and the memories, skills, or relationships that you choose to apply with. Memories are regained through memory points, which are available in your application, and will be granted through various events throughout the game.
This game experiments with mechanics, and new mechanics may be introduced as the game progresses.
I have questions that aren't addressed on this page.
Please read this FAQ page first. Use control + F to search for an answer. If a question isn't answered here, consider the following before asking:
The mods trust players to make most decisions relating to their characters and how those characters interact with the setting. Feel free to ask, but know that we may ask you "what's the most fun outcome?" in response.
If you have a question about if something is available at the General Store, know that the answer is mostly likely "yes, but the novelty version of that thing". Use this power wisely, and feel free to ask if you believe something might not necessarily be appropriate for a General Store.
I have feedback or concerns.
Drop us a line on the mod contact page. Comments are screened.
What kind of game is this? What sorts of events can I expect?
Is there an overarching plot?Well is a memory-loss game. Events will often be horror themed or adjescent, since we find that horror events are the best as encouraging character development and relationships. Characters are encouraged to find who they are when they are tested.
Events will often have prompts that cover person versus self, person versus (or working with, usually) person, and person versus environment. We're trying to have a range of events in each bucket each month, and there will often be events that affect characters' mental state (encouraging friendliness, anger, etc). You can always opt-out of prompts if you want to.
Yes, there is a light overarching plot that guides the game. It more defines the shape of the game, rather than any deep lore or plot that requires whodunit sleuthing. A lot of this game is being along for the ride.How does time work in the game?
Time works 1:1 with our time. One day in our world is one day in-game. However, months don't line up with our months because Well works in a time loop, where time repeats.Will my character age in-game?
No, characters don't seem to age in this setting.How long will this game last?
We plan to run the game for around 2 years. If it's going great, we may extend it, but the overarching story and structure currently are planned for just over two years.Is there a network in this game?
Yes, sort of. There is an ICly created network of walkie talkies, that function like walkie talkies, meaning it's only audio and only in-real-time (ICly). There is also a bulletin board in the lobby of the Staywell Manor where characters can exchange post-it note comments. You can find both of these on theWhat is the game calendar?wellcomms community.
Well works in 3 month cycles. Events will be labeled for the cycle: 1.1 is the first cycle's first month. 1.2 is the first cycle's second month, etc. Applications will be open for the last five days before the 1st of X.1 and X.2, and AC will run for the first five days of X.3. Players get one invite per cycle, unless stated otherwise.What is AC for this game?
Check out the game calendar for information about the current cycle.
AC is quarterly (every three months). Check out details of AC on the AC page.The premise saying you're experimenting with mechanics. What can I expect?
Part of this experiment is only introducing mechanics, both ICly and OOCly, when they make sense in-game. Please keep an open mind! The goal of this game is to have fun. Feedback is always welcome, and the mods are open to improvising if our decisions aren't working out the way we intend.
How do cycles in Well work?
The cycles, or time loop, occurs every three months.
This isn’t a traditional time loop, since all the characters will remember the previous loops, and the events won’t repeat exactly. The cycles have broken down as the game progresses, and are looping less, aside from the touch points of:
- The mini events in the middle of the first two months, which often center on similar themes
- The storm, which always ends the cycles
When the town resets, it will reset to how it was at the beginning of the previous cycle, unless stated otherwise. Any damage caused in past cycles will be gone. Any changes to the town will also be gone, with some exceptions. For example, anything on your characters’ person or in their assigned hotel room will remain, if you so choose (you can also take it away if you want to).
How many cycles will happen?
Stick around and find out!
What kinds of characters can be applied for?
Any canon characters or OCs are applicable. Canon-AUs and CRAU are allowed. Maluable protagonists and fandom OCs are not allowed. Basically, you can apply for anyone except for characters' whose existence or choices could majorly change other characters' canons.
Can I apply for AUs or duplicates of a character?
No, we don't accept AUs or duplicates of characters who are already in the game. Canon AUs are allowed.
Is there an age limit for applicable characters?
No, there is no age limit on characters.
Is there a cap on number of players who can be in the game?
Yes, there is a cap of 30 players. Each player can play up to two characters. This may change depending on interest and the vibes.
Are there cast-caps?
Yes, because of the character cap, casts are capped at a 10th of the game, or 6 characters, per series cast. Series like MCU and Marvel comics will be considered separately. There is no cast cap for OCs.
Are non-human characters allowed?
Yes, any type of character is allowed, and non-humans will not be human-ized. If anyone is too big to fit in the setting, they will be sized down to fit.
Can I apply for a character from post-death?
Yes, dead characters are allowed in-game, and you can choose their condition on entering the game (ie. still grievously injured, or completely healed, or somewhere in-between).
This applications looks a little different. What gives?
The mods don't like reading apps, so we asked for the least possible information that's relevant for the game.
If I don't allocate all my memory points in my app, do I get to keep them?
Yes! If you don't use all 10 app memory points, note them in your comment on the Memory Mechanics page. You can use them in the future.
Why is this game invite-only? How do I get an invite?
Well is invite-only to create a safe, intimate atmosphere. To get an invite, you'll need to know someone in the game, or you can reach out to the mod account. Each player gets one invite per cycle, until the character cap is filled. We may reject invites with cause.
Are there reserves in this game? Are there app challenges?
There is no reserve system for this game. Apps are on a first come, first served basis. We don't accept app challenges.
Why was my character brought here?
Why indeed! You, and they, will have to find that out.
Are my characters' powers nerfed?
No, powers are not nerfed. However, your character's memory of the power and the skill to use them will be lost unless you choose to regain it. This means that if a power is part of your character, like a firebender in the Avatar universe, the firebender will still be able to bend fire, but will not have any memory that they can bend fire, or any skill of how to do it, unless it's regained. If the power is not inherent to your character (ie comes from an item), the power isn't accessible.
My character has a special diet and/or requires unique medication/etc. They have chronic health conditions/issues. What do I do about that?
Your characters' needs will be able to be met through food or medicine found in the location.
How do language barriers work in this game?
Inexplicably, everyone understands each other, but they are all speaking their original language.
Can my character get pregnant in-game?
No, characters can't get pregnant.
Can I canon update my character?
Yes, you can canon update your character. However, this will not give you any additional memory points. Your character's body and mental state will update, but their memories will stay the same as they were before the update. For example, they may have new scars, or physical or mental conditions after the update. You can submit your canon update on the drops/hiatus/update page.
Read more about memory mechanics.
What does my character remember upon arrival?
Characters remember basic skills (walking, talking, etc, if they already had that skill) and they remember their names. Anything else they remember must either be through memory points, or happen in game. This includes non-magic special skills. A master chef may still remember how to make a sandwich, but their vast cooking knowledge will need to be regained. The same stands for physical skills like martial arts, dancing, and swordsmanship.
How does my character regain memories?
Characters regain memories through memory points. These points are gained at application, and can be gained through events in the game. Memories cost anywhere from 1-3 memory points, depending on the impact of the memory. For example, a penchant for cooking would be 1 point, while a memory of a near-death experience would be 3 points. We recommend keeping track of your gained memories on the memory point page.
How do I allocate my memory points?
You can allocate them however you like. You can apply with five major memories, or ten minor memories, or a combination of skills, relationships, and memories. Examples of memories and skills are listed on the memory points page. Use your best judgement about what is a major or minor memory or skill if it isn't listed.
Does my character remember anything outside of the points I allocate?
You can choose to play your character as a blank slate, however many players prefer to play characters with a general sense of how the world works, and some ideas about who they are (without being rooted in specific memories). We call this the Vibes. The Vibes could encompass ideas about how the world works (if your character is space faring, they can think that traveling to different planets is normal), or ideas about themselves (if they have terrible self-esteem, they can have a general sense that they're a terrible person). They may also have an idea of their age and general status in life. You can decide what's most fun for you for the Vibes, just make sure that the Vibes aren't connected to actual memories (ie actually remembering the ship tey were on in space, or a memory of a birthday). They can regain memories later that give them more information about why they feel that way.
What happens if my character dies in-game?
When a character dies in-game, their body stays where it was, until it is not being looked at. When one looks back at the body, it is a bone-dry skeleton. The skeleton becomes permanent, and can be buried.
After death, your character loses a memory point. You can record this on the memory mechanics page.
Characters can be dead for as little or as long as you'd like. Characters generally wake up in their own bed in the hotel when returning to life, or can come back somewhere else if you prefer.
General
What does my character have with them upon arrival?Characters are clothed in an odd mixture of old western clothes, and outfits that would be at home at a modern renaissance fair. Think a medieval dress, but it has fringes on the arms. A brocade stetson hat. A denim doublet. Or, they can have a fully renaissance inspired outfit, or fully old west.What's the weather like?
The weather will be specified in each month's event. The town's weather changes, but follows the patterns of a desert: very dry, with sudden periods of intense storm or wind. Generally, it's incredibly hot during the day and very cold at night.What happens if my character causes property damage to the town?
Property damage is permanent in Wellstone. Be careful what you destroy. However, damage will reset at the time loop, so each three months it will be as if the town is "new" again.What's the level of technology available in Wellstone??
Technology is a bit strange in Wellstone. Most technology looks to be from roughly the 1700s, but there is a jukebox in the pub, anachronistic knick-knacks in the general store, and a bulletin board with helpful sticky notes. There is indoor plumbing with hot steamy water, but there is not electricity, except as needed to power the jukebox. Strange!How big is the town?
The entire town is roughly the size of a small town's town square. There are 6 buildings still standing, and the rest are in various states of crumble and disrepair. It's hard to get away from your fellow characters, here.
The Staywell Hotel
Where will my character sleep?Upon arrival, your character is ICly assigned a room in the manor by the receptionist/butler. Your character does not have to sleep there, but that room is theirs for the duration of their time in Wellstone.Are our characters assigned rooms?
ICly, yes. OOCly, no. Feel free to decide what your characters’ room is. The hotel has 4 floors, but the room numbers don't have to correspond to the floor they're on.What happens if my character breaks into a room that isn’t occupied?
They’ll find an old, rundown room that looks like it hasn’t been touched in decades. It’s dusty and decaying.Does the Staywell have central air? Vents? A basement? Plumbing?
The manor sure doesn't have central air. It's solid stone to keep the heat out. There isn't currently an accessible spooky basement.Are there books available in town?
The windows in your room do open, and lets in nice cool air when you do, and you can scuttle on out of those! There's also indoor plumbing for your pipe-related needs, with showers and such.
Yes, books started showing up in cycle four, mainly in the parlor of the Staywell Manor. However, these aren't just any books. The books seem to center on the romance and self-help genres, and they're all a little bit... off. There sure are words on those pages, but the grammar is strange and the plot lines or advice never quite make sense. Think running each sentence through Google Translate about ten times, repeating for 200 pages, and then just slapping that in a book and calling it done. More books appear each month or so, all of them in this same, strangely written style. There are a lot of books oddly about yetis.
Some examples of the romance novels:
"Whispers on the Frontier"
"Yeti Tracks on the Dusty Trail"
"Karma in the Canyon"
"Sourdough Sweethearts"
Some examples of the self-help novels:
"Sarcasm as a Second Language"
"Confidence in Pajamas"
"DIY Psychic Powers"
"The Potato's Guide to Inner Peace"
Food & commerce
How does my character eat in the town?There's a restaurant in the hotel where characters can eat three meals a day. These meals are charged to their room. If your character has special dietary or medical needs, they will be accounted for by the hotel staff.How does my character buy things? Is there currency?
Your character can charge things to their rooms. That's the only currency! Will the bill ever come due? Nope, but the NPCs will still say that they're charging things to their room.What can my character buy? How many can I buy? Can I buy weapons? Can I buy tools?
The General Store is the main place of commerce. You can "buy" anything that you could buy at a Cracker Barrel gift shop. Anything kitschy, a little weird, pretty useless, will be available.What happens if my character tries to steal?
You can’t buy weapons, and tools are limited to things like glasses repair kits or squeaky toy hammers, unless stated otherwise in an event.
The store restocks every day, so you can buy as much as you want.
Nothing at all. If a character tries to steal from the General Store, the Owner will just tell them that it's charged to their room, same as if they go through the charade of "purchasing" items.
NPCs
Who lives in this town?There are a small handful of locals. These are NPCs, and their dialogue can be found on the NPC page.Can my character interrogate an NPC / is there an NPC contact page?
They sure can try! The NPCs do not say anything outside of their standard dialogue, unless specified otherwise in events. There is no NPC contact page because they only say those things. Think an NPC in a video game, that's what the interaction is like.What is the emotional state of the NPCs, if read by an empath?
The NPCs' emotions are astoundingly neutral. Noticeably neutral, like they don't experience highs or lows, but just a gentle contentment that is unchangeable.
Outside Town
Can my character leave the town?If characters try to leave town, they walk through the forest and then into the seemingly endless sere desert. It is possible to die of exhaustion, hunger, thirst, or by wild animals. When they die, follow the death mechanics. If your character can't die of exhaustion, hunger, or thirst, they will simply black out after a week of walking in the desert and you'll follow the death mechanics.Can I explore the dead forest? What’s out there?
Yes, there are a lot of dead trees. Big trees, old trees, small trees, young trees. Tree trunks and limbs as far (short) as the eye can see. They grow sparser together the further into the forest you go, and eventually fade into flat desert. There's nothing notable out there, unless you look closely.If my character examines the town / surroundings, what will they find?
Found so far:
- The Vibes of the town are astoundingly neutral
- The rocks in the graveyard aren’t as old as you’d assume: they’re only a few centuries old, and their age seems to change when you re-look at them. They’re all different from one another, too.
Feel free to ask if your character wants to investigate anything specific.
What kind of lore do characters know so far?
Updated: 1/17/24
The door
In cycle 3, Darin investigated the foundations of the Staywell and discovered a strange staircase to nowhere. In cycle 4, he revisited the staircase, which was now covered by a door. After busting through the door, and through the supply closet behind it, he and a team of characters found the staircase again, this time following it all the way down to a strange place: a vast underground cistern that's seemingly under the entire town. The water in the cistern burns like acid, making it difficult to explore further.
The wall behind the supply closet was also strange: beneath the drywall, it's made of living flesh.
The ghosts
Cecelia and Palamedes have been performing seances in town since cycle 1. They have learned that there are ghosts in town, and that the ghosts are trapped in the town much like the characters. The ghosts are unable to communicate easily, but do attempt to respond when reached out to by friendly forces.
In an event in cycle 4, the ghosts seemed to make another appearance, this time with voices that were heard through an aurora that came to town. Singular voices came through the walkie talkies, sometimes asking for help, sometimes speaking as if to someone else, and sometimes ruining said walkie talkies.
The doubles
At the end of each cycle, doubles of the characters appear in town and attempt to kill and replace the characters. The doubles appear to come from the graveyard. Killing a double seems to have repercussions.
The NPCs
The NPCs each have their own personality, and some seem somewhat more aware than others. When characters mess with the NPCs, if they go too far, a force seems to take control of the NPC and fight back. This happened to Alec in cycle 4, when he manipulated the Receptionist, and his control of the Receptionist seemed to be wrenched away from him and he was bodily forced back.
How do we learn more lore?
Have your characters interact with the setting, ask questions, fuck shit up! See what happens, and you may just learn something interesting.
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That's very generous! Just for clarification's sake (and I don't know entirely if this will come up, but I'm trying to get my eggs in one basket/ducks in a row/some other aphorism that has to do with farm animals) -- if the thread itself was cited, but I'm not counting any tags that were counted for prior AC (since either way the applicable tags wouldn't have existed yet), is that kosher or no?
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