[FAQ] Entry Items

[lucidChthonia]

NOTE:

Lucid's currently indisposed. By the time she isn't, she'll be busy for most of the rest of the session attempting to complete Denizen quests without maturity quests being complete first (yay sequencebreaking) and trying very hard not to have another breakdown.

Next session, she will roll Mind, and she will love it, and she'll turn out a big FAQ.

But this is a little FAQ, first, that goes on her sburb.org staff blog when she's well enough to start updating it again.

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Entry Object Prognostication, or: Sburb's Foreshadowing Strikes Again!

lucidChthonia (8)

Very little attention has been paid to the object which is created and used to begin one's session. However, the Entry Object is, through circumstantial recursion, often a valuable indicator of the potential events in your session. As such, it can be used to predict the later development of each player's storyline.

(Something something gathering information.)

Description of the charts:

====Name of object====
Frequency: How often the object shows up. Common, Occasional, or Rare.

Origin: This is where, as far as we know, the entry object gains its importance.

Associated Story: This is what the object generally implies for your session.

Actions: This is what you do with the object to Enter (also known as the trigger sequence). If the object is Occasional or Common, there will also be percentages of how often each approach works.
"Attack" refers to breaking the object with your chosen specibus.
"Break" refers to breaking the object by directly smashing it against an object or surface.
"Eat" refers to placing the object or part of the object in your mouth. (It tastes like putting your tongue to the contacts of a battery. Fortunately, the sensation lasts for less than a second.)
"Wait" refers to having the object sit undisturbed until it breaks open of its own volition.
"Use" refers to using the object in the same way as the object it resembles (spinning a top, knitting with string, tightening bolts with a wrench).
"Assist" refers to having your server player "use" the object for you.
"Other" refers to something that cannot be quantified in the above system.

Note: Any further comments on the object's trigger sequence.

[Warning]: This object may signal a possible instability in your session! Details will be provided.






====Apple====
Frequency: Common
Origin: The apple, in Abrahamic legend, was offered to the Innocent (most commonly Eve) by a Temptress (most commonly a snake), and the eating of the apple is said to have imbued the Innocent with knowledge and sin (i.e. original sin).
Associated Story: Losing your "innocence" (apples have an unusually high appearance ratio in first sessions and native reroll sessions); gaining knowledge, rising to your circumstances. Often associated with Heir or Ward.
Actions:
92% Eat
07% Attack
01% Wait
Note: "Attack" only works with blades - knifekind, razorkind, bladekind, and 1/2 versions of the above.

====Bottle====
Frequency: Common
Origin: Bottles are used to hold drinks. Bottles filled with champagne were broken over the bows of new ships to "christen" them on their first journey.
Associated Story: Departing on a long-awaited journey, eagerly leaving your past behind, often only to end up circling back to the beginning with a greater understanding of how much value your past holds.
Actions:
71% Break
23% Attack
05% Eat
01% Assist

====Bow/arrow====
Frequency: Rare
Origin: A weaponkind. Archers (those who use bows and arrows as their primary specibus) are generally associated with stoicism and intelligence.
Associated Story: Long-range planning. Decisions made calmly despite outside pressure. Strongly associated with Seers and Sages.
Actions:
Use
Note: Aim at the target provided. The closer the arrow to the bulls-eye, the more closely your session will adhere to your plans.

====Candle====
Frequency: Occasional
Origin: Provide light (both literal and metaphorical).
Associated story: Knowledge/power. Victory by scouting/reconaissance/intelligence gathering rather than a show of force. Finding a critical fact that saves the day.
Actions:
80% Use
20% Break
Note: Try to save the card/totem for the candle; cruxite candles burn indefinitely in lanterns, as the script that produces the flame is bugged and not connected to a script that would consume the fuel inside the candle.

====Dice====
Frequency: Common
Origin: Dice are small polyhedra with various numbers of dots on each side, used as a primitive random number generator. They are associated with luck and chance.
Associated Story: If the dice are rolled, the session will have heavy use of Light/Law mechanics. If the dice are attacked, it is likely that there will be significant gamebreaking.
Actions:
91% Use
09% Attack
Note: You may need to roll the die or dice several times to come up with the number(s) required to trigger the entrance script.
[Warning]: If your dice have been attacked, your session is bugged and it will be necessary to subvert game mechanics simply to proceed. This may stand for as little as a pendant transfer after a death, or as much as an Incestuous Frog Breeding event.

====Egg====
Frequency: Common
Origin: Reproductive receptacle for many species, sentient and non-sentient.
Associated Story: Patience - "cool your jets" - often associated with Rhyme players.
Wait
Note: No amount of attacking will put a dent in the egg. Back off. It'll open just in time for you not to die.

====Gun====
Frequency: Rare
Origin: A weapon. (That was pretty obvious.)
Associated story: Sacrifice of self and/or part of one's identity. Rejection. Possibly associated with Hope.
Actions:
Use
Note: With the gun, you /must/ shoot yourself. The object will not properly work unless it is aimed at your head. The cruxite projectile is propelled at a high enough velocity to injure you; it is suggested to shoot just to the top right of your head, where the hitbox will register a hit but you will not actually be damaged.
[Warning]: Co-players who roll Gun are often hiding severe mental disturbance. It is suggested that a Heart player inspect them closely, and correct anything found there.

====Mask====
Frequency: Occasional
Origin: Used to hide one's identity.
Associated story: Hiding from the world. Anonymity. If broken, represents discarding preface and going straight to the meat of the matter.
Actions:
95% Use
5% Attack

====Mirror====
Frequency: Occasional
Origin: Used to look at self. Connotations of bad luck if broken.
Associated story: Coming to terms with oneself and one's actions. If broken, watch out for Law - a stray Sentence may prove fatal.
Actions:
40% Use
35% Break
20% Attack
5% Other (Someone hauled out a cauldron and reenacted the "Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the finest one of all" scene from that movie about the girl and the poison apple. I have no idea how Sburb took it, but it worked.)

====Musical Instrument====
Frequency: Common
Origin: Used to make music.
Associated Story: Extremely broad. Can represent following your passion, or doing what you're good at, or finding where both intersect.
98% Use
1% Break
1% Other (one kid removed the strings from his cruxite guitar and put them on a regular guitar, for no reason I can see)
Note: The specific piece that you need to play will simply come up in your mind when you pick up the cruxite object; no sheet music necessary. This piece is probably from your Player Commands, but you will not know which command it is associated with until you play the piece (regardless of learning it the normal way). This may prove extremely useful for sequence-breaking or completely useless.

====Pinata/blindfold====
Frequency: Occasional
Origin: Children's party games in which one is blindfolded and must hit a pinata for it to explode and drop candy. So, kind of like imp-fighting while blindfolded and swinging wildly with a blunt meleekind, except in this case the treats should be edible.
Associated Story: Taking something on faith - "a shot in the dark". Trusting others.
Actions:
96% Attack
4% Assist
Note: Ranged weaponkinds will shoot a cruxite projectile instead of ammunition. If the cruxite projectile does not make contact with the large "pinata" cruxite object on first aiming, you may find and simply touch the projectile to the larger object, and it will shatter immediately - the Game checks only for contact, not for any velocity. Good luck finding the projectile while blindfolded, though. Melee weaponkinds may be used directly on the larger cruxite object.

====Puzzle====
Frequency: Common
Origin: Any of a great number of common puzzles and games, such as sliding tile games (like the 14-15 game), Sudoku, scramble color cube, etc. Oddly, the fetch modus selection of games is the same as the selection of games used as Entry objects.
Associated Story: Focus on intellect and strategy. Lateral thinking. Weakly associated with Mind players. If cheating was involved, strongly associated with Sand players.
Actions:
84% Use
12% Other (for example: popping the pieces apart, scribbling all over the puzzle, etc.)
4% Break

====Scales====
Frequency: Occasional
Origin: Used to weigh and balance items. Connotations of justice.
Associated story: Poise, justice. Requiring care in decision-making. Objects used may represent specific people/events/ideals/values that must also be balanced.
Actions:
80% Use
15% Break
5% Attack
Note: Some of the items cannot be put on the scales!

====Shoes====
Frequency: Rare
Origin: Protect the feet. See also "walk a mile in one's shoes".
Associated story: Stand tall and proud, live up to a legacy. Alternatively, understand the viewpoint of others; empathy.
Actions:
Use
Attack

====Spindle/wool====
Frequency: Occasional
Origin: In Greek mythology, the Fates (Moirai) spun a thread for every mortal's life, and then cut it at the mortal's natural lifespan.
Associated Story: Creation, order, prophecy. Often associated with Smith/Muse. If broken, associated with Dreams or (more rarely) Stage.
Actions:
89% Use
10% Break
1% Assist
Note: You get to keep the cruxite thread produced! It makes a good bowstring.

====Top====
Frequency: Rare
Origin: Speculated to be related to the movie Inception (Earth). Unknown if Sburb developers (if any) were actually making a reference.
Associated Story: Leaving a dream-world behind and entering a new world. Common for native Space players' second (i.e. nonspace) sessions.
Actions:
Use
Attack

[disasterAverted]

I'm assuming that since you're posting it in this part of the forum you're looking for feedback.

It seems kinda... light. Like, this really does strike me as an aspect of the game that noone would care about in-universe, except those people deeply entrenched in the act of trying to vivisect it (like spacetimeCounselor or the Seer Network). And even to them it'd just be a curiosity since you can't really do much about it.

The percentages don't quite make sense to me either. Are those the odds that that's the *right* thing to do or the odds that that's the thing that ends up being tried first by any given player, and whatever they pick to do first is probably going to be the most meaningful solution to them and thus the correct one? Like, if I'd read this guide and knew what both options for Dice meant and I preferred gamebreaking to luck mechanics, could I just choose to attack them or would I have only a ten percent chance of that working and a 90% chance that I've just botched my entry?

[spacetimeCounselor]

Well, I think it's hella fascinating (but then my character is a listed exception)- the percentages do strike me as a little soft, though. I'd imagine it'd be more interesting to go into detail on the entry procedures and potential complications thereof- or expounding more on the Associated Story bit.

I also went through a bunch of ideas when coming up for entry objects for my LP- things that "exist to be broken" or otherwise are memetically liable to meet that fate. Like, glassware, a shield or weapon, clocks or a vinyl disc (precedent in HS), a house of cards, a window, a turkey wishbone, or a padlock. Lotsa stuff. There could also be, like a category of [personally meaningful item]- something customized to a particular player's life, indicating a particular thing they'll have to lose- like Jade's Bec pinata.

Anyway this is cool and I can't wait to see it finished and fleshed out.

[disasterAverted]

I'd suggest that you devote at least a paragraph to what can go wrong with your entry item--ie what happens if you lose it, or if you break it and that wasn't allowed (assuming you CAN break them), or if you prototype it, or whatever.

[genesisArtificer]

Well, I think that is quite obvious. It will go exactly the same like in Alpha session: Your house gets into the medium when the countdown stops. It you are in the Non-Void session though... You and your house get destroyed by a meteor, so that means there is empty land from start, without a player or anything. Miscarriage, so to speak

[disasterAverted]

Actually I just got the hilarious idea for a session of first time players who are all, upon finding the community, shocked to learn that they weren't supposed to all prototype their cruxite item.

[genesisArtificer]

Hmm. Prototyping MAY count as doing something. It may even count as an activatioo. Why not?

[lucidChthonia]

Interesting. I did not think of prototyping as a thing that could successfully be done to cruxite object. I imagine that for it to succeed the session must be horribly bugged.

The percentages thing is which action successfully makes Entering happen, at least the way I saw it. I wonder how it is ambiguous...?

As to "why would anyone be interested in this" my suspicion is that Lucid has Sage-like tendencies (which is why she's never going to roll a tactician, oops).

Incidentally, this is probably not supposed to be a full-scale FAQ so much as a "mini-FAQ every week" kind of blog post because it is intended to be posted on the blog where that is a thing. I assume that would help explain it being a bit light, although of course with time shenanigans and the Game being what it is it's not like it matters.

[spacetimeCounselor]

The prototyped entry item thing is something that happened in my character's session- a cruxite rook prototyped by the Grace, which significantly buffed underling defense. It seems like a mistake that players would commonly make- they get a bunch of machines, an entry item, and a kernelsprite. A new player confused by the esoteric entry system would naturally want to try the adventure game strategy of "use all the things on all the other things" and end up prototyping game machinery like a dowel or the pre-punched card- or, since the kernelsprite has a predilection for the doomed or deceased, the special item whose purpose is to be destroyed. I'd imagine they'd catch this kind of thing, though, so the question becomes "is there a special mechanic for preventing this, or is it handled as a normal prototyping?"

[disasterAverted]

My problem with the percentages is that taken that way, you make it sound as if for any given player there's one thing that will work and any other choice will fail--and many of those other choices will permanently damage the cruxite item so they couldn't try anything else. Possibly the correct choice will seem intuitive to the player, but "follow your intuition or die" is only a good entry puzzle for Fate players. For anyone else that doesn't really seem like a logical state of affairs.

If you're attached to the idea of only one choice being arbitrarily correct I'd suggest you spell it out and also note that it'll seem intuitive to the player. But since sburb is, in some ways, a game about Making Choices and suffering the consequences (cough denizen cough), I'd suggest instead saying that any intentional action which seems "meaningful" to the client player will activate the cruxite item, and most just make an intuitive guess about which answer's correct and do it. And the action you choose has subtle or occasionally not-so-subtle effects on the session. So yes, that'd mean that breaking the egg would be an option if the player is of such a mindset that it seems like a solution to the puzzle, but would be an extremely ill portent (especially if it was given to a time player rather than Rhyme). The gun, for contrast, is pretty much hard coded to always fall into the lap of that special class of individual to whom the most poetic-sounding option is shooting himself in the head, so you could say you're aware of no cases that were exceptions. And accidentally dropping your cruxite bottle off the side of a building, even if you intended to smash it against the ground anyways, will screw you over because it was neither intentional nor meaningful.