What is Wayward to Wilds?
Wayward to Wilds is a plot-driven, set-ending roleplay that will only have one opening with a limited number of members. Taking inspiration from sources such as The Cat Returns, Aristocats, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Breath of the Wild and other fantasy TTRPGs, WtW is a world filled with cats who can function on both four legs as well as two. Your character will have opportunities to impact and influence the story, as well as come up with creative ways to overcome obstacles and defeat monsters. We will be crafting each event to be fun and engaging while you uncover our story. Of course, you will have endless opportunities to roleplay with fellow members as well!
What does a set-end RP mean? How long will this campaign last for?
A set-end roleplay means that the group has a planned plot and ending; official group events will wrap up at that point, though members are free to roleplay amongst each other as much as they want after the group concludes.
Our plot will progress through what we call Expeditions, where participation is required. Characters will be sorted into teams and face various events ranging from puzzles, combat, to creative roleplay to progress the story. Guildmasters and Guild Leaders will post “checkpoints,” which reveals events, shows the results of player actions, etc. To remain in the group, players will have to post at least 7 times during Expeditions.
After Expeditions, we will have Rest Breaks. This is a time for both players and the staff team to recuperate and prepare for the next Expedition. While roleplay is optional at this time, our Rest Breaks will feature many creative prompts and events–with fun rewards–for players to engage with if they choose.
We plan for Expeditions to run for 1 month and for Rest Breaks to last 1 month to a month and a half. We expect the campaign to last a year or a little longer!
How will WTW be played?
Members will be required to have a Discord account for our official server. All Expedition roleplay will be hosted on Google Docs. Additionally, we will be hosting our own secure website through Lorekeeper that accepted members must create an account on. Here, members will upload their applications, artwork/literature, and experience some fun features we have planned!
If you’re unfamiliar with roleplaying on Google Docs, worry not! It’s straightforward: you will communicate with your teammates about when you are posting, write a post (feel free to paste one in rather than writing directly on the document), and your teammates will do the same! Guildmasters and Guild Leaders will post checkpoints on these documents for teams to respond to.
Further questions about Google Docs roleplay can be asked in our preserver!
What’s Lorekeeper? How will it be used for WTW?
Lorekeeper is a website framework frequently used for closed species and ARPGs. Players will be able to upload their character applications and biographies and submit artwork, similar to deviantART. It will also allow us to post prompts/events during Rest Breaks…and to have shops!
We plan to have a currency system in WTW. Players will earn currency automatically by participating in Expeditions, and Lorekeeper will allow us to distribute this and track currency automatically for both members and staff. Exceeding the post requirement during Expeditions and completing Rest Break prompts may offer extra currency, though currency earning may be tweaked once we launch the group.
During Rest Breaks, we will have purchasable items at shops. Don’t worry about falling behind or unfair bonuses, however! We plan to have the same items available for purchase every Rest Break, which will have in-character usage during Expeditions. They are intended to be used creatively for extra fun.
Does WTW have an age rating?
Players must be at least 16 years old to apply and participate in WTW. We will not tolerate heavy themes of abuse, trauma, etc. in character backstories; while they are allowed, characters should not revolve around these themes. Please read our character creation page for more detail (CTRL+F on Windows and Command+F on Mac "When creating" to find it). Violence should not be an intense focus or overly gory. Absolutely NO sexual themes or sexual assault are allowed.
This campaign is 16+ for potential slightly unsettling and horror related imagery, particularly to do with the Boundless. It is by no means a horror campaign but these creatures are meant to be unnatural and unsettling, and we will do our best to spoiler and tag any images that may be uncomfortable for general viewing.
When the characters obtain magic, can we level up our characters through prompts?
WTW will be straying from the usual level up system seen in set-end RP groups, and instead, every character will level up at the same time at the end of every Expedition. We will have something you can earn regarding magic with prompts, but we’re gonna keep that a secret for now! Rest assured that the opportunity will be equal for everybody, however, as it will essentially be the typical “create an art/literature piece about X” format many have come to expect.
Will there be multiple openings if I miss the first one?
We currently have no plans for a second opening, and this will not change unless a significant amount of the player base has to drop out early in the group.
How many characters can I play?
You will only be able to play one character, and you will play that character throughout the duration of the group! There will be no opportunities to create more characters. Furthermore, you can only apply with one character. One application, one character.
Is there anything I need to keep in mind when creating my character?
Yes! Read the character creation page thoroughly before creating your character.
Some basic rules of note, however, are that characters may be 16 years old at minimum and 65 years old at maximum. As for height, cats may be as small as 7 inches (~18 cm) and as tall as 14 inches (~35 cm) at the shoulder when on four legs, or 1'10-2'5 feet (~55-74 cm) when standing on two legs.
If you choose to make a teenage character, please refrain even more from the aforementioned themes of trauma, abuse, etc.
Can I have magic or a curse in my character's backstory?
Yes, but please take time to consider whether it is absolutely essential to your character concept. Magic will have a role in the campaign and every character will receive magic to wield, so characters do not need magic encounters or curses in their backstory to interact with it. From an in-character standpoint, it doesn't make much sense for a large number of catfolk in the Wayseeker's Guild to be cursed, have magic items, etc., as these are meant to be rare (especially curses).
Can my character have a mount or pet?
Yes, but only one, and they cannot have both. Please refer to our mounts and pets guidelines if you are giving your character one. Remember that they will have absolutely no role in expeditions (barring service animals) and no type of pet/mount will be relevant to the plot; they are simply for flavor.
How many players will be accepted?
We will not be disclosing this during the application period! We have a number, but we are keeping it private. Please do not engage in any speculation about this number in the WTW pre-server. Once applications are closed, we also will not be disclosing how many we received.
What season will the campaign begin in? Is there a specific starting date?
In character, the campaign will begin on Joone 12, 500 (June 12). A fresh summer start for the characters!
Out of character, the group opens on September 9 for applications, and the campaign will start in mid-late October.
For further explanation on the in-character starter date, WTW has its own calendar, but the names closely reflect the months in English! And rather than months, the characters call them “moons.” The names are as follows:
Janu, Febru, Mars, Aphril, Maai, Joone, Jouli, Augusta, Septra, Octobra, Nova, Desembra
So, for example, a character might say “I’m working through the whole moon of Febru,” or “I was born during the moon of Octobra.” This is all to easily distinguish in-character dates from real life ones to prevent confusion!
What are the activity requirements for this group? What happens if I need to take a break?
Players will be expected to post 7 times minimum per Expedition to remain in the group. If necessary, members can message our staff and take up to a one month break during Expeditions. This may only happen twice, due to the nature of the group’s pace.
As for the expectations for those 7 posts: there won't be any word count requirement, and even a few sentences will be okay! However, we expect posts to respond to checkpoints or interact with their teammates and not simply be fillers.
What is the literacy level? Will I need to write a lot? How much do you expect from my written application?
Nobody has to be an advanced writer to be a part of WTW! As long as your writing is grammatically correct and you feel excited to roleplay, come and apply! We aren’t here to judge your writing skill.
As mentioned, you will need to post at least 7 times during Expeditions, though more activity is welcome and highly encouraged.
Please refer to our written application format for more details on what we expect! We would appreciate applications to be full of depth yet concise due to the amount we expect to receive. A longer application will NOT increase your chances of acceptance, nor will a short application give you a disadvantage, so long as it’s well thought out.
How much art is expected?
As much as you’d like! Rest Break prompts/events will have artwork options, but literature will always be an option alongside that. Of course, we’d love to see folks feel excited enough about the group to create art, but there is no requirement or standard to meet!
Will there be a way for non-members to keep up with the story?
We will not be hosting a spectator space, and we are strongly requesting that nobody outside the staff hosts one either. We want WTW-affiliated spaces to be moderated by our staff. Our roleplay documents for Expeditions will also be kept private to members only. For the comfort and fun of our members, we will be a private campaign.
However, if time allows, we will be posting story updates on our Twitter! These would be focused purely on the plot and NPCs, without naming any player characters (aside from a non-specific “the Guild members took these actions to reach this point,” to explain the events during Expeditions). We’re aiming to make these fun to read, so we hope everybody can enjoy them if we create them. These will not be a priority above running the campaign itself, though–but we’ll try our best!