Character Creation

In order to play, you will need to ballot, which is being done in a joint process with the other society game, Happy Campers. More information can be found at the end of this page.

Once you are ready to submit your character, please fill in this google form. If that isn't possible for you, you can email your answers instead.

The deadlines to ballot and submit a character are listed here.

In order to help with Character Creation, we will be hosting an online session from 19:00 BST on the 8th of July. This will run on our Character Creation Discord. This is an opportunity for you to ask us questions, meet and plan links with other players, and get excited for the game. Attending this session is not required to submit a character, but you may find it useful in clarifying issues you have with the creation process or in coming up with an idea. Furthermore, joining the server will allow you to ask questions outside of this session window.

Outlined below are descriptions of each section in the character creation form.

• The Player Information section: for out-of-character information, such as your real name, real pronouns, and so on. (See the Glossary for an explanation of socgame terms like “OC”.)
• The Post-Reactivation section: for your Mind's name and pronouns, and the role they will fulfil within the Contingency. See an explanation and list of Modules here.
• The Pre-Deactivation section: for your Mind's past occupation, and for describing the physical form they were used to, before joining the Contingency.
• The Bios section: for your Public Bio, which will be displayed, alongside your Mind's name and pronouns, on the Wiki for players to read before game-start; and for your Private Bio, where you can tell us anything and everything about your character. Some prompts are provided as suggestions.
• The Mechanics section: for selecting 3 Modules to indicate your character's mechanical strengths, between 0 and 4 Gameplay Quirks to give your character some special IC qualities, and an unlimited number of Playstyle Quirks so the GMs can see how to make the game as comfortable as possible for you.
• The Anything Else? section: you won't believe what this is for – it's for anything else! Any notes you might have on anything not otherwise covered by the form. Accessibility notes can go here.

So that we know who you are, can contact you, and can invite you to the Discord server, we need to know some information about you. Please let us know your OC name and pronouns, Discord account name, and preferred email address to use.

For a full description of the information we collect, see the Privacy Policy.

These details concern your character waking up as a Mind in the future: their name, pronouns, physical form and skillset that made them successful in joining the Contingency. Let us know your character's name and pronouns, and the unique reason why they were recruited to the Contingency.

Pick a name and pronoun set for your character! The names for Nassigussa and Nassoids differ very little, so naming advice is given below. Additionally, in training, some Minds pick up nicknames which they take on as callsigns.

The Nassian language is a very sibilant one, with very few hard sounds. 'T's and 'P's are softened into 'th' and 'ph', 'd's are softened to 'v' and every 's' is doubled. Nassian first names are composed of three syllables: one long one at the start (e.g. 'Thei', 'Zass' or 'Phin'), followed by two shorter ones, (e.g. 'va', 'ro' or 'ni'). Example names include Ssreniya, Mossrune or Lathressi.

Nassian last names, however, are traditionally formed from two of the long syllables ('Callrais' or 'Furssen'), although recently some Nassians have started constructing last names as they would first names.

The callsigns acquired in training have a range of etymologies, some lauding (e.g. 'Hotshot' for a pilot who aces their simulations), some descriptive (e.g. 'Whip' for someone known for being smart and fast), some demeaning (e.g. 'Flycatcher' for a Nassigussan known for standing around with their mouth open). Most importantly, these names are descriptive, and give an indication of the character and personality of their recipient.

Most Nassians retain their name and pronouns after undergoing the process to become Minds, though many choose to change. Let us know if this is the case!

What physical form does your character have upon waking up? Normally, they will know this months in advance, and have been training to build the skillset required for this. The forms range from vast underground databanks to huge industrial complexes to an orbital satellite installation. What purpose is your character trained to have, and how do they achieve it?

Everyone who made it through the Contingency training and vetting process had a particular reason for their success. It may have been a keen mind, a large pool of knowledge, or the willingness to make difficult decisions. What was your character recruited for?

These details concern elements of your character before they were copied: whether they were a Nassigussa or Nassoid, and what their place in society was.

Mythhaler is inhabited by both organic and synthetic people, and it is possible to have been either before being copied. For more information on the inhabitants of Mythhaler, see here.

Before joining the Contingency, there were a wide range of backgrounds your character could have come from. Soldier or civilian, criminal or celebrity: people from all areas of life were recruited.

Your bios contain information about your character: their history, personality, ideals, and any other details.

The public bio is a few sentences (max 100 words) describing what people would know about your character: their physical form, initial pieces of their personality, or any notable aspect of their history. All players will be able to see this.

The private bio is a more detailed description of your character's backstory, including facts that might not be well known. Only you and the GMs will be able to see this.

Some things you could consider include:

• Why did your character choose to join the Contingency?
• What, or who, have they left behind to do this?
• How do they feel about taking on this responsibility?
• How do they feel about making sacrifices for the greater good?
• How would they describe “home”?

Finally, this section contains an optional question, where you can give us notes on the intentions of your character immediately before being imaged, which will be used to help determine the actions of other versions of you.

Your Mechanics describe the strengths and special qualities of your character, as well as ways that we can make the game as comfortable as possible for you as a player.

Modules indicate your character's specialisation as a member of the Contingency. Each Module represents an asset they have, tangible or intangible, designed to help with Crisis Mitigation.

Select three Modules and list which category they come from (Relations, Oversight, Transport, Construction, Miscellaneous). You cannot have all three of your Modules from the same category.

When choosing a Module, give a brief description (a few words to a short sentence) of 1) what it corresponds to physically, and 2) why it emotionally resonates with your character. The full rules for choosing Modules can be found on the Modules page.

Gameplay Quirks reflect features of your character, such as their history, personality traits, and available resources.

Select between zero and four Gameplay Quirks. Most Quirks ask you to provide extra information when you choose them. The full list of Gameplay Quirks can be found on the Quirks page.

Playstyle Quirks are a way of letting us know how you, OC, want to engage with the game, and don't affect your character directly. You may take any number of these. A list of these can be found on the Quirks page.

In this part of character creation you can let the GMs know anything important not covered by the form. If you have accessibility or health related requirements, or if there are particular players or themes you'd like to avoid, this is the place to put them. You can also describe what experience you'd like from your character and ideas for their personal journey, or just use this question to be excited at us. Feel free to fill this, or leave it blank.

In order to be able to run a high quality game and maintain a healthy work life balance, if more than 24 players express interest in Contingency we will be forced to ballot. The ballot will be done in combination with Happy Campers, so that not having a place in one game makes you more likely to have a place in the other (and choosing to play in only one game does not hurt your chances of getting in to a game). The ballot will proceed as follows. Players will be ordered randomly within the following groups:

1. Oxford University students who have not played a Society Game before.
2. Oxford University students who have played a Society Game before.
3. Non-Oxford University Students.

Then will be assigned to a game from highest to lowest above, according to their preference between the two. If a player's preferred game is full, but the other game has space, they will be given the option to switch preference. Players without a preference will be assigned to a game in whichever way allows the GMs to fulfil as many preferential ballots as possible; if it makes no difference, they'll be able to choose.

For example, if we have 10 OU players who have not played a society game before, 16 OU students who have played before and 5 Non-OU students all expressing a preference to play in Contingency, all the new players will be admitted, 14 of the 16 OU students who have played a Society Game previously will be admitted and none of the Non-OU students will be admitted as players.

We will ask players to declare their status on submitting a ballot form, which will be taken on good faith. Players who would not like to take part in balloting if it occurs are able to indicate this. There will also be a waiting list that you can optionally join if you are not successful in the ballot.