Playerbase poll! pretend this is a modjournal, okay

[implying]

Hello, Exsilium! Just a quick poll, here. We're considering a revision to the rule that disallows doubles of characters in game. Here's the phrasing as it stands now:

Only one incarnation of a fandom character can exist in Exsilium at a given time. For example, if someone were to play a canon AU version of a character (say, Communist Superman from Red Son), then the place for Superman would be taken and could not be applied for by another Superman.

Essentially, this means that there are no doubles of existing fictional characters, although exceptions are made for well-known characters in literature, such as fairy tales, gods in mythology, and most recently, various incarnations of Sherlock Holmes.

The proposed change would be to allow any and all canon AUs (not including characters from different points on the same timeline). That would allow things like Tony Stark of Marvel 616 playable alongside our current MCU Tony Stark, as well as Star Trek TOS Captain Kirk alongside our current 2009 Captain Kirk. Note: there would be no cap on the multiples allowed, here. If a canon has 4 fleshed out and appable versions of a character (to use Tony as an example again: 616, Ultimates, MCU, Noirverse, that one universe where everyone is a zombie, etc…), then we could potentially have all 4 in game.

Please only vote once/with one journal! The poll will be open for a week, until May 31st, and results will apply to this coming app round.

Poll #13505

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 91

View Respondents

Should we change the rule to allow multiples of characters, or keep it the same?

View Answers

Change it!
57 (62.6%)

Keep everything as it is!
34 (37.4%)

Comments

[fantasticforcefields]

I love doubles shenanigans, but you are probably going to want to cap the number of duplicates, or you run the risk of a couple media that have a lot of canon AUs (coughcomicscough) overrunning the game.

[implying]

For now, there won't be a cap in place. We'll revise that if it does turn into an issue.

[fantasticforcefields]

Now we just need to convince people to app from every single different Shakespeare adaptation out there. Macbeth! Macbeth from Gargoyles! Joe McBeth from Scotland, PA! Washizu from Throne of Blood!

...actually those are probably all appable simultaneously without a rule change, now that I think about it.

also holy shit it's 3am where i am. this is your fault somehow.

[implying]

i'm so on that gargoyles macbeth, you can't stop me

[fantasticforcefields]

dat coat

[noelleno]

OCH MAI NAYME IS MACBETH
EVERY TIME AH OPEN ME MOUTH
BAGPIPES LOUDLY BLARE

[gevurah]

I was just thinking about this. There's so many versions of iconic characters alone that I wonder if a cap should be put into place that way we don't have like ten Supermans? (Although they would be useful wouldn't they.)

[implying]

The thing is that if we're going to open the game to multiples, we're going to go all the way with it — ICly, if they begin pulling from all versions of a universe, it would make sense for it to be all versions. So essentially, it's an "all or nothing" type deal.

[commentboxtroll]

But this is an OOC rule change. While obviously you could still use the IC explanation of the transporter acting weird again, I was under the impression that the Initiative has trouble controlling who gets brought in (hence all the non-combatants and children). Why would implementing a cap OOC cause any IC problems, if that's still the case? There's no way for characters to know there's X amount of different universes they could potentially get doubles from, so it's not as though anyone is going to point it out.

[oldsoldiersneverdie]

I think my feeling is that while yes you could app like five different versions of Scott Summers under this rule.... nobody is actually going to (sob). I think even with super-popular characters from Marvel-verses it'd top out at MCU/616/Ultimates anyway.

[anothercoldwar]

Watch, someone will app AoA Scott, just to fuck with you. ;)

But yeah, I agree. And I think practically speaking, the number of people who are going to want to play the same character in the same game and can app an alternate like this is going to be pretty low.

[oldsoldiersneverdie]

I don't know AoA that well to know how hideous that is. Though if someone wants to app old cranky cyborg Scott from Bishop's timeline I am all for it :')

[highfrequency]

Just throwing in agreement here, for the reasons I outlined below which is that having more than two of the same supervillain could easily skew things.

I'm okay with playing with multiples, if that's what people want to do, it's just food for thought!