Salem: Shifting Shadows [American Harry Potter Setting, Actively Recruiting]

[RegretNot]

Welcome or Welcome back!

Salem will be attempting to reopen it's doors to a fully Adult Game based in the Harry Potter Universe based around the new home of MACUSA in Chicago.  If you have never played in either imagining of Salem that's okay because there is plenty of information to read up on and plenty of room for new characters and new players to carve out their own place in the setting.  We will be trying to center it more much like it was when the game was centered around the Salem Institute of Magic and instead center it around those who work for or inside of MACUSA.  This will give the intrigue of government and civil service in a time of instability (to come) and the ability to write in a sandbox setting that has a metaplot those can choose to either dip their toe into or go for a full dive into.  Most scenes will be optional but guide players through the major things going on in MACUSA and the wizarding world of Chicago and America in general.  We encourage plotting and creating personal storylines to pull other characters into as well as long as you keep the GMs abreast.  Hope to see some good interest and from there we can start fully recruiting. 

Salem: Shifting Shadows

The Setting

The history of the American Wizarding World is very different when compared to that of Europe but it is much better told by the creator of this universe. 

Brief History of Magic in North America by JK Rowling

Though European explorers called it ‘the New World’ when they first reached the continent, wizards had known about America long before Muggles (Note: while every nationality has its own term for ‘Muggle,’ the American community uses the slang term No-Maj, short for ‘No Magic’). Various modes of magical travel – brooms and Apparition among them – not to mention visions and premonitions, meant that even far-flung wizarding communities were in contact with each other from the Middle Ages onwards.

The Native American magical community and those of Europe and Africa had known about each other long before the immigration of European No-Majs in the seventeenth century. They were already aware of the many similarities between their communities. Certain families were clearly ‘magical’, and magic also appeared unexpectedly in families where hitherto there had been no known witch or wizard. The overall ratio of wizards to non-wizards seemed consistent across populations, as did the attitudes of No-Majs, wherever they were born. In the Native American community, some witches and wizards were accepted and even lauded within their tribes, gaining reputations for healing as medicine men, or outstanding hunters. However, others were stigmatised for their beliefs, often on the basis that they were possessed by malevolent spirits.

The legend of the Native American ‘skin walker’ – an evil witch or wizard that can transform into an animal at will – has its basis in fact. A legend grew up around the Native American Animagi, that they had sacrificed close family members to gain their powers of transformation. In fact, the majority of Animagi assumed animal forms to escape persecution or to hunt for the tribe. Such derogatory rumours often originated with No-Maj medicine men, who were sometimes faking magical powers themselves, and fearful of exposure.

The Native American wizarding community was particularly gifted in animal and plant magic, its potions in particular being of a sophistication beyond much that was known in Europe. The most glaring difference between magic practised by Native Americans and the wizards of Europe was the absence of a wand.

The magic wand originated in Europe. Wands channel magic so as to make its effects both more precise and more powerful, although it is generally held to be a mark of the very greatest witches and wizards that they have also been able to produce wandless magic of a very high quality. As the Native American Animagi and potion-makers demonstrated, wandless magic can attain great complexity, but Charms and Transfiguration are very difficult without one.

As No-Maj Europeans began to emigrate to the New World, more witches and wizards of European origin also came to settle in America. Like their No-Maj counterparts, they had a variety of reasons for leaving their countries of origin. Some were driven by a sense of adventure, but most were running away: sometimes from persecution by No-Majs, sometimes from a fellow witch or wizard, but also from the wizarding authorities. The latter sought to blend in among the increasing tide of No-Majs, or hide among the Native American wizarding population, who were generally welcoming and protective of their European brethren.

From the first, however, it was clear that the New World was to be a harsher environment for witches and wizards than the Old World. There were three main reasons for this.

Firstly, like their No-Maj counterparts, they had come to a country with few amenities, except those they made themselves. Back home, they had only to visit the local Apothecary to find the necessities for potions: here, they had to forage among unfamiliar magical plants. There were no established wandmakers, and Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which would one day rank among the greatest magical establishments in the world, was at that time no more than a rough shack containing two teachers and two students.

Secondly, the actions of their fellow No-Majs made the non-magical population of most wizards’ homelands look lovable. Not only had conflict developed between the immigrants and the Native American population, which struck a blow at the unity of the magical community, their religious beliefs made them deeply intolerant of any trace of magic. The Puritans were happy to accuse each other of occult activity on the slenderest evidence, and New World witches and wizards were right to be extremely wary of them.

The last, and probably the most dangerous problem encountered by wizards newly arrived in North America were the Scourers. As the wizarding community in America was small, scattered and secretive, it had as yet no law enforcement mechanism of its own. This left a vacuum that was filled by an unscrupulous band of wizarding mercenaries of many foreign nationalities, who formed a much-feared and brutal taskforce committed to hunting down not only known criminals, but anyone who might be worth some gold. As time went on, the Scourers became increasingly corrupt. Far away from the jurisdiction of their native magical governments, many indulged a love of authority and cruelty unjustified by their mission. Such Scourers enjoyed bloodshed and torture, and even went so far as trafficking their fellow wizards. The numbers of Scourers multiplied across America in the late seventeenth century and there is evidence that they were not above passing off innocent No-Majs as wizards, to collect rewards from gullible non-magic members of the community.

The famous Salem Witch Trials of 1692-93 were a tragedy for the wizarding community. Wizarding historians agree that among the so-called Puritan judges were at least two known Scourers, who were paying off feuds that had developed while in America. A number of the dead were indeed witches, though utterly innocent of the crimes for which they had been arrested. Others were merely No-Majs who had the misfortune to be caught up in the general hysteria and bloodlust.

Salem was significant within the magical community for reasons far beyond the tragic loss of life. Its immediate effect was to cause many witches and wizards to flee America, and many more to decide against locating there. This led to interesting variations in the magical population of North America, compared to the populations of Europe, Asia and Africa. Up until the early decades of the twentieth century, there were fewer witches and wizards in the general American population than on the other four continents. Pure-blood families, who were well-informed through wizarding newspapers about the activities of both Puritans and Scourers, rarely left for America. This meant a far higher percentage of No-Maj-born witches and wizards in the New World than elsewhere. While these witches and wizards often went on to marry and found their own all-magical families, the pure-blood ideology that has dogged much of Europe’s magical history has gained far less traction in America.

Perhaps the most significant effect of Salem was the creation of the Magical Congress of the United States of America in 1693, pre-dating the No-Maj version by around a century. Known to all American witches and wizards by the abbreviation MACUSA (commonly pronounced as: Mah – cooz – ah), it was the first time that the North American wizarding community came together to create laws for themselves, effectively establishing a magical-world-within-a-No-Maj-world such as existed in most other countries. MACUSA’s first task was to put on trial the Scourers who had betrayed their own kind. Those convicted of murder, of wizard-trafficking, torture and all other manners of cruelty were executed for their crimes.

Several of the most notorious Scourers eluded justice. With international warrants out for their arrest, they vanished permanently into the No-Maj community. Some of them married No-Majs and founded families where magical children appear to have been winnowed out in favour of non-magical offspring, to maintain the Scourer’s cover. The vengeful Scourers, cast out from their people, passed on to their descendants an absolute conviction that magic was real, and the belief that witches and wizards ought to be exterminated wherever they were found.

American magical historian Theophilus Abbot has identified several such families, each with a deep belief in magic and a great hatred of it. It may be partly due to the anti-magic beliefs and activities of the descendants of Scourer families that North American No-Majs often seem harder to fool and hoodwink on the subject of magic than many other populations. This has had far-reaching repercussions on the way the American wizarding community is governed.

In 1790, the fifteenth President of MACUSA, Emily Rappaport, instituted a law designed to create total segregation of the wizarding and No-Maj communities. This followed one of the most serious breaches of the International Statute of Secrecy, leading to a humiliating censure of MACUSA by the International Confederation of Wizards. The matter was that much more serious because the breach came from within MACUSA itself.

In brief, the catastrophe involved the daughter of President Rappaport’s trusted Keeper of Treasure and Dragots (the Dragot is the American wizarding currency and the Keeper of Dragots, as the title implies, is roughly equivalent to the Secretary of the Treasury). Aristotle Twelvetrees was a competent man, but his daughter, Dorcus, was as dim as she was pretty. She had been a poor student at Ilvermorny and at the time of her father’s ascension to high office was living at home, hardly ever performing magic, but concentrating mainly on her clothes, the arrangement of her hair and parties.

One day, at a local picnic, Dorcus Twelvetrees became greatly enamoured of a handsome No-Maj called Bartholomew Barebone. Unbeknownst to Dorcus, Bartholomew was a Scourer descendant. Nobody in his family was magic, but his belief in magic was profound and unshakeable, as was his conviction that all witches and wizards were evil.

Totally oblivious to the danger, Dorcus took Bartholomew’s polite interest in her ‘little tricks’ at face value. Led on by her beau’s artless questions, she confided the secret addresses of both MACUSA and Ilvermorny, along with information about the International Confederation of Wizards and all the ways in which these bodies sought to protect and conceal the wizarding community.

Having gathered as much information as he could from Dorcus, Bartholomew stole the wand she had obligingly demonstrated for him, showed it to as many pressmen as he could find, then gathered together armed friends and set out to persecute and, ideally, kill all the witches and wizards in the vicinity. Bartholomew further printed leaflets giving the addresses where witches and wizards congregated and sent letters to prominent No-Majs, some of whom felt it necessary to investigate whether there were indeed ‘evil occult parties’ happening at the places described.

Giddy with his mission to expose witchcraft in America, Bartholomew Barebone overstepped himself by shooting at what he believed were a group of MACUSA wizards, but which turned out to be No-Majs who had the bad fortune to leave a suspected building while he was watching it. Fortunately nobody was killed, and Bartholomew was arrested and imprisoned for the crime without any need for MACUSA involvement. This was an enormous relief to MACUSA who were struggling to cope with the massive fallout of Dorcus’s indiscretions.

Bartholomew had disseminated his leaflets widely, and a few newspapers had taken him seriously enough to print pictures of Dorcus’s wand and note that it ‘had a kick like a mule’ if waved. The attention focused on the MACUSA building was so intense that it was forced to move premises. As President Rappaport was forced to tell the International Confederation of Wizards at a public inquiry, she could not be sure that every last person privy to Dorcus’s information had been Obliviated. The leak had been so serious that the after-effects would be felt for many years.

Although many in the magical community campaigned to have her imprisoned for life or even executed, Dorcus spent only a year in jail. Thoroughly disgraced, utterly shellshocked, she emerged into a very different wizarding community and ended her days in seclusion, a mirror and her parrot her dearest companions.

Dorcus’s indiscretions led to the introduction of Rappaport’s Law. Rappaport’s Law enforced strict segregation between the No-Maj and wizarding communities. Wizards were no longer allowed to befriend or marry No-Majs. Penalties for fraternising with No-Majs were harsh. Communication with No-Majs was limited to that necessary to perform daily activities.

Rappaport’s Law further entrenched the major cultural difference between the American wizarding community and that of Europe. In the Old World, there had always been a degree of covert cooperation and communication between No-Maj governments and their magical counterparts. In America, MACUSA acted totally independently of the No-Maj government. In Europe, witches and wizards married and were friends with No-Majs; in America, No-Majs were increasingly regarded as the enemy. In short, Rappaport’s Law drove the American wizarding community, already dealing with an unusually suspicious No-Maj population, still deeper underground.

Then, there was a change coming, in 1965 MACUSA finally took a note from the No Maj and their push for civil rights that was in a fever pitch around the time and finally repealed Rappaport's law.  No Maj and those of the magical community were finally able to fraternize as they showed more trust in their citizens to keep magic a secret while not being asked to keep such big things from those closest to them that they could trust (such as family members).  Those inside the congress that were against the repeal did not see as many cases needed for obliveration as they had predicted.  It showed marked progress for MACUSA and the American wizarding world. 

In 1979 MACUSA passed an appeals process on all execution verdicts rendered by the court, thus more people entering the magical detention institution Damcoles Spine rather than being put directly to death.  The usual multiple executions slowed to only one being carried out every few years over the next forty.   

MACUSA's Auror's would prove to work tirelessly for the next few decades combating the enemies to them that were not always clear to the masses but they made news of it when they could to show them that they were being kept safe from threats to their way of life.  The Scourers were thought to be defeated many times but have remained a constant villain even in current times as well as a few other groups that have been dealt with over the ages including the The Order of Black in 1996.  A flashpoint happened in September 2017 when the Salem Institute of Magic was coming back into session after the summer where the ferrys that the students took to the school were shrouded in a sudden storm and attacked by dark wizards and witches.  Four fatalities followed in the event with two being students and countless others injured or left with deep psychological issues that were not so easily mended.  It was all the news could talk about and the blame that laid fully with MACUSA.  Public sentiment turned to protection above all else and thus the nominees for the presidential election shifted considerably. 

In 2018, a new president was elected after the two terms of Vincent Fairstone, former Head of the Aurors Department, Lilth Burgess. The completion of the new MACUSA capital building now in Chicago was also seen only a few short months after Burgess' installment as president, it was the perfect time for a move to the city and more to the interior of the US.  With her first term she has brought back more traditional values.  The Aurors have more oversight within other departments  including The Department of Transportation, The Department of Education, and the Department of Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures (And Beings).  In her first year a bill was brought before congress that was called "The Unity of Magic", but the writing made it apparent that this was the reintroduction of Rappaport's Law.  It was struck down by a vote of 13 for and 11 against.  President Burgess remained quiet on her thoughts on it as she has worked to provide more security for the community citing isolationism as a ideal that MACUSA should strive to follow.  2019 saw a sharp increase in executions as half a dozen members of a dark magic coven were put to death for being the cause of multiple homicides inside the No Maj and magic community alike.  Burgess has found considerable support with traditionalists and won reelection in 2022. 

The president now in her second term has become more vocal in the threats that loom and having to hone magical law enforcement to keep all wizards and witches safe.  While the Ministry of Magic across the Atlantic saw less of a need for their Hit Wizards and Witches for almost a decade of lowering of crime America has expanded it's martial positions inside MACUSA by over thirty percent from many magical news reports.  Damacoles Spine, MACUSA's Max Security magical prison, once thought completely inescapable saw it's first escape in February of 2023 and with it brought a greater call to arms from Burgess and her Head of the Aurors Office, Weiss.  Active recruitment and a rise in magical crime has made this a turning point for America's magical community and it all starts in Chicago the hub of magic in America.   

The Factions

MACUSA	Council of Black	Order of Asylum (Antagonists, NPC at this time)
The Magical Congress of the United States of America (shortened MACUSA) is the magical body in charge of governing the wizarding population of the United States of America. It is led by the President of the Magical Congress of the United States of America, Lilth Burgess. More Unlike the No-Maj United States Congress, which is divided into a House of Representatives and a Senate, the MACUSA is unicameral.  The Department of Magical Law Enforcement is led by the Head of the Aurors, Gary Weiss, and handles protecting the citizens of the American wizarding world from all threats both foreign and domestic.  Weiss was put in charge by President Burgess as he is a legacy traced back to the original twelve Aurors, who helped all but eliminate the threat of the Dark Wizards known as the Scourers, through his leadership and the Madam President MACUSA can be stronger than ever.	The Council of Black was born in 1946 in West Covina, California with the original council members elected being Lucille Vero, Diana Unger, James Calvin, Roger MacNeil, Michelle Rodriguez, Grant Young, Micheal O'Grady, Victor Bray, and Speaker Thomas Davis.  There were thiry nine recognized members besides the council members present when the Decree of Black was signed by all present.  More "We, The Council of Black, do hereby declare that we, no matter of blood status or family pedigree, are equal in the world of magic.  Through this we are free of the unjust laws that governments pass that do not represent their own people.  We shall face this struggle of this false rulership and break the bindings that keep us from fully realizing our potential.  We together fight and struggle not only for ourselves but for all our other brothers and sisters that continue to be kept underfoot by corruption, oppression, ignorance, and fear.  The Council of Black is our political expression of the struggle that all those of non pure blood wizards and witches face and what must be done to deliver freedom for all to pursue a life full of liberty and happiness....	The Order was established in 1623 under the leadership of Benjamin Rutledge, a brave pioneer who was trained by the Auror's office of the Ministry of Magic.  Rutledge recruited others witches and wizards under the banner to stop the tyranny and fear that was caused by dark magic that had taken hold in the New World.  They landed in Jamestown and started in on the dark magic of the native americans that was used in the Indian Massacre of 1622 that took the life of over 300 No Maj and six witches and wizards, who were part of the community.  Banding together into families they spread out of the colonies and helped quell the dark magic users not only native american but those from Europe that had tried to take hold of communuties in America. More Even after the scandal of the Salem Witch Trails and MACUSA outlawing and hunting down their numbers with the Auror's Office the Order of Asylum remained underground helped by No Maj and their wizard families alike.  The Order in modern times has used the No Maj world to keep their secrecy and get information on MACUSA as they aim to free the wizarding community from their tyranny and make a world that doesn't have sides and such inequality all based on who is and isn't anointed.
The Views
MUCUSA Views The View from Within : "MACUSA was established for the wizarding community by the wizarding community of the United States.  We serve at the leisure of the people and protect the rights of all.  There have been threats for as long as we have existed but together the people of the Congress can prevail against anything we have proven that from my ancestor Helmut Weiss, one of the original Aurors, to now."  The Views from the Outside: Council of Black:  "What once was a proud idea of democracy had been compromised by favoristism and back door dealing.  It's a shell and the thing about hollow structures are they come down so much easier, one more shove and the whole thing will be debris."  - The Fenris, Council of Black Legend Scourers:  "They let us do the dirty work and when they realized it took hard decisions to get rid of evil, for that they made us scapegoats.  MACUSA told the world we were dead or dying out but our demise had been greatly exaggerated and for that they will never see us coming."  -  Carrie Monroe, Centurion of Order of Asylum	Council of Black The View from Within: "We see how the others have fought for centuries and neither is the answer, they both live the past of their own making, only we can bring the wizarding world into the future."  - Timothy Knight, Ex Speaker of the Council The View from Outside MACUSA: "Nothing but storys like the boogeyman, whatever this Order of Black thought they could do to terrorize the wizarding world they failed years ago, can we talk about something real?"  - Noah Flint, MACUSA Hit Wizard Scourers: "Not unlikely that another rogue faction exists that sees what is wrong with MACUSA but if the news in Atlanta was true they are young ignorant upstarts at best and ineffective at worst, and that is truly the worst kind of rebel." - Lord Commander Bragg of Order of Asylum	Order of Asylum The View from Within: "The Order has always believed that the No Maj could handle our world just as we handle theirs.  Through this we can be strong, stronger to fight against the real threats of the world, the true evils.  In the end history will show us to be on the right side all along and we will only ask those who see it finally to follow us to a better world."  - Stephanie Vincent, Trust and Respected Devotee of the Order of Asylum The View from Outside MACUSA: "They fought monsters and became monsters themselves, a sad and tragic story that ended with their kind's own rebellion and extermination.  Anyone who calls themselves as such anymore is living in the past and only earning themselves a red mark in our community, they are dark wizards or outsiders, sometimes even both in some cases."  - Michael Lawrence, Vice President of MACUSA Council of Black: "MACUSA thought they got rid of them but the truth is they are much harder to kill off than all that.  Truth is that dark magic is in their blood and couple that with fanatiscism and if you get in a fight with two, be prepared, three, get some help.  You find a whole mess of them, bombarda that place back to the stone age."  - The Fenris, Council of Black Legend

Chicago

"Chicago has a strange metaphysical elegance of death about it."  -Claes Oldenburg

Chicago, Illinois – the third largest city in the states – and home to almost 3 million people, No-Maj and Wizard alike.  The city has seen its fair share of ups and downs over the years, thriving as a metropolitan area, and even being considered Illinois’ true state capital instead of tiny boring Springfield.  Yet, and there is always a yet, along with its grand size, elevated rail station, and famous sports teams came violence, death, murder, drugs, crime.  There is a seedy underbelly to Chicago, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a No-Maj or a wizard, there’s just certain places you don’t want to be at late at night without something to protect you that’s for sure. 

Chicago, Illinois is a city that is comprised of not only the Metropolitan area but also many suburbs – connected by highways, byways, expressways, and the famous ‘L’ train. A person can get lost in such a place, either on purpose or by accident, and location spells do not always work out so well.  Too much interference they say.  Within the Central district precinct, buried on one of the many floors – there is a small group who work homicide cases as well as other unexplained/unsolved crimes.  These are actually Wizards, working under the direction of the Aurors department – but also separate.  These individuals are known as Hit Wizards, and have ‘detectives’ in almost every major metropolitan area in the US. 

In more recent years, as crime and scandal continue to plague the No-Maj, tensions have become higher.  Unions have begun to strike, more politicians are finding themselves facing jail time, and protests are becoming common place.  The tensions have carried over, and the wizarding community has seen an uptick in protests, uncivilized actions, and wizard on wizard crime escalating.  Yet for all of it’s warts and boils, cracks and fissures – Chicago is a strong city, a proud city, a beautiful city for No-Maj and wizard alike.



Character Creation

Witches and Wizards

Witches and Wizards that are a part of Salem need to live in or around Chicago and have a direct connection to MACUSA.  MACUSA has many departments and sections as well as consultants but all concepts need to have a connection to the organization.  The only factions that are playable are true MACUSA and those in MACUSA that are a part of the Council of Black.  Any questions can be directed to the GMs in the OOC or PM. 

Magical Beings

The world is not just witches and wizards and the No Maj but there are other magical beings and creatures present.  There are some that are very playable with their own magic abilities, for more information look here.

General Game Rules

The Rules

These rules are in place in order to maintain a civil and fun environment for players to relax, and enjoy a beloved setting. This is a hobby, a fun way to escape for some, and thus I want to keep this as drama free as possible for the enjoyment of everyone.

Respect your fellow writers! We do not take kindly to disrespect, bullying or harassment of any kind. Bullying is the only rule that if violated, will result in immediate removal from the Game. Be kind. Do not harass other players in OOC or in PMs.

1. Common Sense. -Use common sense when roleplaying your character, interacting with the world and dealing with other people. If you are in a room full of people and somebody starts screaming, it is logical that you will hear it. You do not live in a bubble, so don't write in one. Also, no God Modding. It's disrespectful.

1.5 Characters: There is currently a cap of three characters a player can have but if there begins to be a need for more or the game grows bigger the staff will discuss raising the cap. 

** It should be said, that just because you can, doesn't mean you have too. Please only create and bring in what you honestly feel you can handle.

2. In character vs Out of character - If you cannot separate your characters from yourself, this isn't the place for you. Our characters are not us and we are not our characters. We will not deal or put up with controlling behavior over other peoples creations, or other writers. It's not cool.

3. Comfort Levels. Everyone has limits, soft and hard on content and what they are comfortable writing. In most cases, scenes tend to go where they will, but if there is something potentially BIG or that might touch on something a person won't be comfortable with - Ask that Player first.  Also, we ask that everyone please respect the writers On/Off's and take that into consideration when plotting etc.

4. When choosing a face for your character, we require that they be real people. No anime characters, or realistic CG will be accepted or allowed.

5. Metagaming. Don't do it. Metagaming means taking advantage of what you, the player, know about game mechanics, plots, players and characters. What you know and what your characters know are different. Your character's access to information is necessarily narrower than yours; don't abuse your personal knowledge in order to place your character in a better position. It's poor gamesmanship and just plain boring. No one loves someone who wins all the time.

6. Real world always comes first. Always.

7. We follow the lore that Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts has laid out for us. While some things change here and there to reflect the AU nature or to handle a lack of information, as a whole we respect our source material. Given the lack of information, we've went ahead and created our own settings and additions. 

8. Posting - Every post should have a header tag information. The Header Tag will be made easily available.

9. Group Scenes. If you are posting with more than one person, establish an order or keep in mind that everyone should get a chance to respond before you go again. Having two people run ahead of everyone else is annoying and a little rude. No one likes being left out. So again, be kind.

9.5. Everyone posts at their own rate, and we want this to be a comfortable place for fast paced writers, and slower writers to come and enjoy fully regardless of style or time or RL commitments. We ask everyone to be considerate of each other, and if there is any concerns please do not hesitate to bring them to the GM team. We are here for you!

10. Posts are third person, past tense.

We also don't want to lay down a super strict word count and we aren't expecting every post to be a novel.  A good general rule is to make sure you give your partner something to work with. Include details, thoughts and actions in your post.

11. Let's talk Consequences. We are not out to kill anyone's characters. However, if your witch or wizard, good or bad does something monumentally stupid, or randomly decides to attack a village or something equally insane. There will be consequences for those actions, that may result in the character needing to be 'retired' AKA killed or imprisoned. So, please use common sense, and make sure to discuss big and potentially altering plots or story lines with the staff.

12. Triggering Material: While we allow darker, and more adult themes in our game, anything that could be considered triggering, such as extreme violence between characters needs to be tagged and spoilered. We want to offer our players as much creative freedom as possible in regards to interactions and personal plots. However, we require that everyone be considerate of others.

Right now we have two hard no's when it comes to questionable material. --- Non Consensual Sexual Acts. This is not allowed to be written in any of the threads, including the Broom Closet in detail. If you feel the need for this to happen, we now have a thread called GRIM for this purpose. Otherwise, you may imply it has taken place, or skip to an 'after' scene. GRIM

Incest between blood relations: Acts between blood related relatives of a sexual nature are not to be written in the game, it can be implied or referenced, but we'd prefer to keep it out of the game as much as possible.

13. Playing a character comes with a certain amount of involvement in plotting and roleplaying opportunities.  Some of the best character arcs and storylines aren't going to come directly from the staff but rather what you write in cooperation with your fellow writers.   

14. Like the above stated NPCs that are important to storylines or setting infastructure are played by the staff, all others can be handled by the players themselves with any guidance needed being questions asked to staff before proceeding.

15.4. Your adult doesn't have to had graduated. But understand that by not graduating, this can limit the careers and professions open to them. Including jobs within MACUSA.
 

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F.A.Q.S

F.A.Q.S

Can I make a character from the books?

Unfortunately you can't play Hermione Granger or Sirius Black's long lost daughter. We are an (AU) game, meaning that while we create our characters based on the books’ lore and canon, most characters or events which appear in the books themselves are not part of the games timeline or plot. You still may see some familiar names on Chocolate Frog Cards and in the Spellbooks.


What year is it?

We will be playing in the year 2023 - The game will most likely open around the middle of the year.

How does time flow?

We are starting 3 months In Real Life to 1 month In Game.

Can I reserve a face -claim?

Yes, we are allowing interested players to reserve fc's - We allow them to keep this reservation for ten days. We ask that players submit a character sheet within that time frame, otherwise they risk losing that face claim.

The No - Maj

In North America - Muggle's are called No-Maj which stands for ' No Magic'

Adult Specific FAQS.

The United States is a huge place! How are you handling that?

For the sake of our sanity. The game will focus primarily on Chicago and surrounded areas of the USA. Which is where  where MACUSA is located, as well as our American wizarding areas [ think diagon alleys american style] However, we will have a thread, where players can set up scenes in their personal residences.

I want to play the next Great Dark Lord / aka Voldemort. So can I?

No. We already have an established groups that have members with questionable morals Aka 'dark wizards'.

NO others will be approved. This doesn't mean you have to play a goody two shoes! Villains come in all shapes and sizes, fashions and flavors and you don't have to be a Dark Lord (or even be associated with our game canon groups) to cause a little chaos. All we ask from you is to keep it canon, keep it realistic and don't try to be the most powerful bad ass the wizarding world has ever seen.

My character just graduated. What next?

There are so many different options open to you and your character.  Obviously the most popular places for a character to work are MACUSA and there are many departments in it, you don't have to just be an Auror or Hit Witch, there are things are widely arrayed as any other government and civil service combined.

While we offer a story and plot-line, this is a game that is about what you make it.  It relies heavily on Collaborative Writing.

Is there any way to find out who my adult might have gone to school with?

Talking with your fellow players is key in this game. Collaborative writing. Character sheets are a good way to start, and so is simply asking about connections or ties to characters who have attended around the time as your character.

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Character Sheet:

Code Select Expand

[center][b][size=14pt]Character Sheet:[/size][/b][/center]

[center][size=12pt][i][b]The Basics[/b][/i][/size][/center]


[float=right][img height=250]http://*insert character picture link here*[/img][/float]

[b]Full Name:[/b]

[b]Nickname:[/b]

[b]Birthday/Age:[/b][Please list year of birth as well as month and day]

[b]Blood Status:[/b]

[b]Hometown:[/b]

[b]School Alumni | Year Graduated:[/b]

[b]Profession:[/b] [If applying as a member of one of the factions, there is an additional portion below the sheet]

[b]Faction:[/b] [They can be a part of any of the three factions or none, you can even put if they are just a recruitment target for one here\

[b]Wand: Wood | Core | Length[/b]

[b]Patronus:[/b] [ If yes, what form does it take?]


[center][size=12pt][i][b]Physical Appearance[/b][/i][/size][/center]

[b]Description: [/b]

[b]Distinguishing Features: [/b]

[center][img height=200]http://*insert character picture link here*[/img][img height=200]http://*insert character picture link here*[/img][img height=200]http://*insert character picture link here*[/img][img height=200]http://*insert character picture link here*[/img][/center]


[center][size=12pt][i][b]Delving Deeper[/b][/i][/size][/center]

[b]Personality:[/b] [[List traits - Suggestion would be a mixture of positive, negative and neutral traits, 4 to 10.] [http://ideonomy.mit.edu/essays/traits.html]

[b]History:[/b] [Tell me about your character, his/her family, details. At least 3  paragraphs. We want to have an idea on where your character came from, and what they've done to get where they are now.]



[center][size=12pt][i][b]Extras:[/b][/i][/size][/center]

[b]Family:[/b] [Who is in your characters family? - List name | occupation | relation | blood-status | Reputation if applies]

[b]Theme Song:[/b][Optional]

[b]Character Goals:[/b][At least two]

[b]Character Metrics[/b] [Optional, makes things easier for characters involved in conflicts]


[Flower]

I'm in this bitch.

[Crash]

I'm in this bitch.

*Snicker*  I <3 you Flower.

[Crash]

Wait....I can play a 1/4 Vampire?

[RegretNot]

Wait....I can play a 1/4 Vampire?

Certainly possible.

[RainyHigh]

*sees HP themed game* Ooooo... *places a flag of interest* Gonna read more info on this game soon. :)

[Praxis]

Yup.

In.

The character sheet gives me anxiety but in nevertheless.   


Great job on fleshing out some of the respective groups.

[RegretNot]

Few more bites and I will start recruitment and face claims

[Cosima]

I'm in this bitch.

Yep, this. haha

[Codexa]

Awesome to see this coming back!!!

[RegretNot]

I also will be reviewing and chopping down the sheet a bit so don't get too deep yet.

[Flower]

*Snicker*  I <3 you Flower.

Yep, this. haha

<3333

I also will be reviewing and chopping down the sheet a bit so don't get too deep yet.

*resists*

Also thankies! I recommend removing...patronus, apparation license, wand license, likes/dislikes, habits/mannerisms, strengths/weaknesses, and fears.

[Crash]

*resists*

Also thankies! I recommend removing...patronus, apparation license, wand license, likes/dislikes, habits/mannerisms, strengths/weaknesses, and fears.

Personality, Background.... 

[Chaosfox]

This does seem a bit interesting. Maybe.... we will see.

[Thera Regina]

I think I might be interested in this. I do have a Harry Potter Character that needs some airtime.

[Praxis]

Personality, Background.... 

You kid...but...

And I appreciate RN considering paring down the sheet and I have no concerns about having background and personality included but...



Would it possibly be better for characters to reveal their personality and their background through their posts and through scenes with other characters/writers?  It means more and it increases the likelihood of people reading it.


Again...I want to make it clear that I don't expect RN to remove background and personality, but this is the one thing humans are particularly good at.  We evolve. Just because something was done a certain way in the past doesn't mean we can't question why it was done and limit our ability to do something better.

I'm sure there was a good reason(?) at the time when people decided this sort of thing needed to be included in all character sheets in order limit surprises and "power gamers/writers".

I trust RN as a GM.

I trust the writers here.

Do we really need that sort of information included on a character sheet or can we leave it up to one another to flesh out their characters and introduce them over time through posts and scenes?

[Chaosfox]

You kid...but...

And I appreciate RN considering paring down the sheet and I have no concerns about having background and personality included but...



Would it possibly be better for characters to reveal their personality and their background through their posts and through scenes with other characters/writers?  It means more and it increases the likelihood of people reading it.


Again...I want to make it clear that I don't expect RN to remove background and personality, but this is the one thing humans are particularly good at.  We evolve.

I'm sure there was a good reason(?) at the time when people decided this sort of thing needed to be included in all character sheets in order limit surprises and "power gamers/writers".

I trust RN as a GM.

I trust the writers here.

Do we really need that sort of information included on a character sheet or can we leave it up to one another to flesh out their characters and introduce them over time through posts and scenes?

I have  a hard enough time doing backgrounds and personalities  when doing them on a character sheet. To  flesh them out as part of in game post may be a bit beyond me.  Well weaving the personality in not so much but weaving the background in most likely. Anyway just my two cents.... not saying it would not be interesting or fun but personally not sure how well I would do with that.

[Praxis]

I have  a hard enough time doing backgrounds and personalities  when doing them on a character sheet. To  flesh them out as part of in game post may be a bit beyond me.  Well weaving the personality in not so much but weaving the background in most likely. Anyway just my two cents.... not saying it would not be interesting or fun but personally not sure how well I would do with that.

Just my own agenda, man.  :)

I find it easier to layer in backgrounds and personality-complexity after having had the opportunity to bounce my character off another character(s) after a few scenes.

[Chaosfox]

Just my own agenda, man.  :)

I find it easier to layer in backgrounds and personality-complexity after having had the opportunity to bounce my character off another character(s) after a few scenes.

I can actually see the merits of doing it that way just not sure  how well I would do with that

[Codexa]

I think a simple sheet with the knowledge we could use immediately at a glance for connections would be useful - (name, faction, profession, alumni, etc) 

Instead of a whole personality description, maybe just some keywords. (Ruthless, Impatient, Sassy, Generous) etc. Just a general idea of what that character is like - and let the rest evolve/grow through in-game interactions. 

Could keep something like character goals/wishes and ax the history portion. If character trackers/notebooks are a thing, writers could include a tidbit about a character's history there if they wished.

Just my early morning brain fluffs. xD

<3 <3

[Crash]

I think a simple sheet with the knowledge we could use immediately at a glance for connections would be useful - (name, faction, profession, alumni, etc) 

Instead of a whole personality description, maybe just some keywords. (Ruthless, Impatient, Sassy, Generous) etc. Just a general idea of what that character is like - and let the rest evolve/grow through in-game interactions. 

Could keep something like character goals/wishes and ax the history portion. If character trackers/notebooks are a thing, writers could include a tidbit about a character's history there if they wished.

Just my early morning brain fluffs. xD

<3 <3

*snuggles Codexa and pats their early morning brain fluffs*

[Codexa]

*snuggles Codexa and pats their early morning brain fluffs*

*Puuurrrrrs*

[Praxis]

I can actually see the merits of doing it that way just not sure  how well I would do with that

Most assuredly you would do it far more capably and creatively than I would. 

[Crash]

Personality rarely survives the page but what Codexa suggested with the personality traits is a nice happy medium and doesn’t box anyone in if things change.

I say give people lots of leeway on background.  A paragraph at minimum and as much as a person wants as the upper end.  If your character has a particularly convoluted or special background it should be explained so the GM’s have enough information to approve or deny.

I often write a pretty long background but sometimes it is nice to play someone that is pretty average when it comes to backstory and having to hit a paragraph limit or the like is just tedious.

[RegretNot]

Honestly I noticed how I built my NPC sheets when we expanded into adult and likely to take a page from that:

Full Name, Nickname, Birthday/Age, Blood Status, Hometown, School Alumni | Year Graduated, Profession, Faction, Wand, Patronus, Description, Distinguishing Features, Personality (4 to 10 adjectives), History (can be as brief as three or four sentences for simple wizard/ witch characters and needs to be longer when getting in the special side / extraordinary abilities.  No books please, longest history I want to see is getting suspiciously close to a short story and even then that's only if you enjoy writing big backgrounds), Adding optional sections of: Family (helps if you are a pureblood line or your family so somehow heavily connected to MACUSA or another faction), Theme Song, Character Goals, and Character Metrics (mainly a rating system to help with conflict but another optional thing).  Further thoughts? 

I am officially opening up this thread as a recruitment thread and taking face claims that can be posted here.