oocinthenight | Feb. 1st, 2020

CAT HERD #1

Hello, wonderful players, and welcome to our first Cat Herd! Given the progression of the plot, we figured it'd be a good time to bring everyone together to touch base and recap what you've all managed to accomplish in the past few months. We'll do cat herding posts in the future as we see a need for them.

Fair warning: This post is gonna be long. Feel free to bounce around at your leisure or to take your time in reading things! Stuff moves quick around here sometimes, but this post is intended to be a touchstone for the next few months. It's not something you need to read top to bottom before you get into tagging, even for you new folks!

the plot

Before we get into the plot details, we want to take a sec to explain some stuff on the meta level. In the Night's plot is intended to happen in 3 acts over the course of 2 years, and we're currently approaching the transition into act 2. We're expecting April to be our transitional month, and then act 2 will formally begin in May. At the player level, this doesn't mean much! The game won't change radically once act 2 begins; it'll just signal the next phase of the story.

Act 1 is meant to be the info gathering phase, which you've all done exceedingly well at! We have a little list behind the scenes of stuff that needed to happen in order to set up for the next act, and though some reveals are still in progress, you've ticked almost all of the boxes. In fact, ICly all of the wheels have already been set in motion for the remaining Big Reveals to happen, huzzah! We'll talk more about the plot-specific stuff in a minute.

Once the major plot reveals have happened, act 2 can begin. Act 2 is the planning phase. The World Eaters are coming, and if you want to avoid a reset, you'll have to come up with a plan to deal with them. What that means is entirely up to the playerbase! As act 1 wraps up, we'll introduce some potential avenues to take toward either facing the World Eaters head on or maybe... not doing that! But, even though we have some premade paths to follow, the execution of those plans will be determined by you all. On the other hand, you can just ignore us completely and come up with your own ideas, too. That's what act 2 is for, weighing options and debating with each other and probably some existential crises. Once the characters have settled on a plan, we can begin act 3.

Act 3 is, uh, pretty nebulous right now, given that it relies entirely on what happens in act 2! It's supposed to be about executing the plan you came up with in act 2, though. Don't worry about act 3 right now, though. It's a ways away!

And finally, speaking of things to not worry about: the 2 year timeline isn't a hard rule. Our priority is telling a good story, not hitting an arbitrary deadline, so if the game isn't finished at 2 years, that's fine. We've allowed an extra year of wiggle room for ourselves, so please don't be fooled by the IC stress of "we only have 2 years". OOCly, we're not gonna rush it.

•••
Okay, here's the big thing, though: The entire known plot of the game so far. We wrote this up in a separate entry because it's, well, the entire known plot. It's intended to be the broad strokes, highlighting the elements of the plot that we feel are most critical to moving forward.

That said, it's very possible that we missed something! If there's a plot detail or an ongoing mystery that you feel should be added to the write-up, let us know below! Depending on what it is, we may not add it, but hey, posting it still lets everyone know about it.

Unless otherwise noted, all of the information in the plot write-up can be considered common knowledge from this point forward. It's fun to thread out info sharing and puzzle solving, but you don't need to do that with every detail. If it's more fun for you to assume your character gets caught up offscreen so that you can focus on exploring new things and solving new puzzles, go right ahead!

Also, please note that some of the information was discovered quite recently! It's likely some characters haven't had a chance to share those discoveries ICly yet. We've included these recent discoveries in spots where the additional context helps to knit major plot threads together, but characters are still more than welcome to reveal their discoveries ICly! That's what the IC cat herd meeting on the intro log is for (or there's always the network).

Finally, we've pointed out some lingering mysteries on the write-up itself! The mysteries range in magnitude, but none of the ones we've pointed out are dead ends. They may not solve everyone's problems in one fell swoop, but they will contribute to the game plot in some way. If you're looking for a way to get involved with the plot, these loose threads are a great place to start. Consider having your character tackle some of the lingering questions about the forest spirits, perhaps, or maybe take another look at that Fire Snatcher play... This is a great way to foster new CR too, as many of the loose threads we've pointed out have been tugged at already!

moving forward

Now that we're caught up, what's next? In character, there's a driving incentive to keep progressing in order to avoid a reset. We're going to have Robin address this in game soon, but in the meantime, let's talk about what constitutes "progress" on an OOC level. What should you be focusing on at this point in the game?

First and foremost, we want you to be doing whatever you came here to do. That may mean engaging with the plot in a significant way, or it might not. Maybe you're just here for the setting or your CR, and you're happy to let the plot happen around you. If you're happy, we're happy. Do your thing!

But many of you are totally here for the plot, so! At this point in the game, these are the goals that we mods feel players should be focusing on in order to push the story forward:

Flesh out the community. This is the absolute best way to contribute to the game at large, and it's something any player or character can do. Plenty of characters have already left their mark on the game through community building efforts, such as Javert's combat training, Rosinante's mural painting project in the Invincible, various building projects such as Rosalind's lab or Riku's renovations in the museum, Midge serving dinners in the Invincible, Jason's Capture the Flag games, Daylight's forest spirit translation efforts, Remington's tree ornaments denoting forest spirit homes, Eleven's Secret Santa, the torch markers placed along town paths by Sora... The possibilities for getting involved are endless, and projects don't need to be huge and complicated to be worthwhile. On top of that, community building does influence the game plot. The town's reputation with the forest spirits and various NPCs is important, and it'll become increasingly important as the game progresses. Individual player efforts won't always have a direct cause and effect when it comes to the game plot, but the overall "temperature" of Beacon's residents is very important.

Explore the undiscovered parts of town. If you're not sure how to get involved, exploring the map is a great place to start. There's never a shortage of stuff to find out in the woods. We do want to stress, though, that the game's entire plot is intended to take place within the town as portrayed on the map. The mountains and the lake are intended to be "invisible walls", as is the stretch of forest separating Beacon from the lighthouse, which is why pretty much everyone dies immediately upon messing with that stuff. That said, we still allow exploration into those off limits areas because sometimes, if a plan is clever enough, it will actually work. A great example of this is the recent attempt to send a character to the lighthouse. Good bit, guys. Anyway, our point is that sticking to the undiscovered areas of the map while exploring is your best bet for a successful venture, especially if you aren't setting out with a particular goal in mind. If you have a specific plan and goal for messing around on the lake or another off limits area, by all means, give it a shot!

Interrogate NPCs. The game's NPCs are tools for you to use, so don't be shy about asking them questions and probing them for information or ideas. This includes the forest spirits! You can interact with those guys through explorations. When it comes to NPC threads/interactions through explorations, we know that timing stuff in a plot-heavy game can be tricky. If you start an IC interaction with us and would like to hash out the plot-relevant details OOCly to keep gameplay moving, just let us know! We're happy to work with you.

Develop your character. Focusing on your own character's arc in the game does have bearing on the story! Similar to the community building goal above, individual efforts may not have a direct effect on the plot, but trust us, character mental states, ideologies, and morals are going to become more and more relevant as the story progresses. As act 1 wraps up, consider what your character's ideal resolution looks like. If it were up to them, what would they most like to happen with Beacon and the World Eaters? Would they opt to destroy the World Eaters, send them to another world, let them destroy this world, assimilate with them and become their leader, or something else entirely? Do they want to pass on to another world or would they be content to live in Beacon permanently? Do they care about fixing this world or do they just want to find their own happy ending? Have they accepted their death or do they cling to the hope of returning to their old life? How much are they willing to sacrifice, if anything, to save this place? The people here? The people in other worlds who may be afflicted with World Eaters in the future? There's a lot to think about, so having your character start to wrestle with these tough questions is a great way to prep for act 2, where the town at large will be forced to come to a consensus on some of these things.

We hope that helps to provide a clearer trajectory for you all! We'll talk about a whole bunch of nifty tools you can use to facilitate this stuff in the next section, but first...

Since In the Night is a plot-heavy game that's reliant on player-led discoveries, we want to ensure you all that handwaved and/or OOC info sharing is totally fine with us! In fact, we encourage both of those things. OOC info hubs are wonderful resources for acquainting new players with the game and serving as a reference for older players, and handwaving that your character has basic plot knowledge can allow for more creative freedom in threading. We trust our players to respect the game/follow the rules when it comes to IC/OOC divide and infomodding, and we want engaging with the plot to be a fun thing, not a slog. You don't have to stress about tracing everything your character knows back to its origin (unless that style of play is fun for you, in which case, go off!).

To make this easier, please keep in mind that resources like the game history page and the weekly bulletins are all IC! On top of that, all NPC interactions that happen in public (such as a network post by Robin or chatting with Pluto at the Night Market) can be "overheard" ICly. If you want to assume your character heard so-and-so asking Pluto about the Helix station so that they can ask her some questions branching off of that, go right ahead! We only ask that you respect player permissions and limit your overhearing to plot-relevant stuff.

resources

Our game has a ton of super helpful resources, both mod- and player-created, to help you along as you play! Thing is, they're scattered between a lot of pages, so we figured this would be a good opportunity to round some of them up for you! Many of the resources on this list were cited by current players as their go-tos for staying in touch with the game, with a few extras sprinkled in. If you think of a resource we haven't listed here, please let us know below! It's very possible we've missed some.

SETTING PAGE & TOWN MAP
According to a very impromptu player poll, this page is the most referenced page in the game! Between location discoveries, player-led alterations, and plot updates, Beacon's setting is vast and constantly growing. If you're ever at a loss for generating toplevel/tag-in prompts, the setting page might have some cool hooks for you to capitalize on.

GAME HISTORY PAGE
The game history page gets updated once a month (usually; monthly updates will resume now that we've cat herded!), and all of the info on that page is considered public knowledge by way of records mysteriously appearing in town hall. Don't read too much into that—it's just the IC mechanic to keep everyone up to date on plot things.

LOG BOOKS
The log books began as a player project, and they serve as a more concretely IC version of the game's history! The log books are in a google doc that players can freely edit to ICly add information their character wants to share with the town at large. Not only is it fun and cute, but it's a great resource, especially if you're a player who enjoys attention to detail when it comes to what your character knows/doesn't know. There are links to the log books on both the game history page and the player projects page. ICly, the log books are located in the Invincible and town hall.

EXPLORATIONS
The bulk of major player discoveries happen on the explorations page. If you ever want a quick peek at what people are getting up to these days, checking out the recent explore comments is a good place to start. We know of some players who track the entire page to 👀 at everyone, but if you don't want to overload your inbox, there's an option to just track toplevel comments made on an entry (which is what I would track if I were a player, says mippins). Or just checking the page every so often is fine too. A lot goes on here.

CALENDAR
The calendar is another favorite resource according to some of our players. The schedule for the month can obviously be found there, but it's also a good place to reference the weather and the newly-relevant parade route. You can click on events on the calendar to learn more about them!

PLAYER PROJECTS
This is a great place to check for player-managed resources and projects! Be sure to submit any projects you're starting up, too.

TABLETS & NETWORK
This page will be getting a facelift soon, but there's a bunch of useful stuff to note here! In particular, there's a list of currently available tablet apps/functions, as well as an IC network directory. Both tables are ICly available. Checking out the notes on the IC directory is a great way to seek out new CR, too.

NPCS
This page will also be getting an update soon, but the NPC list is a good first stop if you're looking to interact with any of the NPCs! Once the update happens, you'll be able to quickly navigate various methods of contacting each NPC. Deets on the prominent townie forest spirits is also available here.

MOD CONTACT
Need to get in touch with us for any reason? This should be your first stop! We've got detailed instructions on how to get a hold of us there, and if you're still unsure, you can always just drop us a line on that page.

LANTERN MALFUNCTIONS
Hey, look! A new game page! This is the permanent home for our recently-introduced lantern malfunctions mechanic. That event we just had? This is the same thing, just in perma-page form. If you're looking to spice up your character's life with some player-led horror, this is the page for you.

DEATH
If your character dies at any point in the game, don't forget to report it here! Deaths not reported to this page won't be considered game canon, as we have stacking death consequences. Also, if the lantern malfunctions page didn't scratch your horror itch, consider murdering your character! Then they'll come back with a fun(?) new challenge. :)

FOREST SPIRIT LANGUAGE INSTRUCTIONS
This is an app that's automatically downloaded onto every tablet, and it contains a list of the currently available translations for basic phrases/ideas in forest spirit language. Specifically, the app includes instructions for ocarina melodies (ocarinas can always be found in the general store).

TORCHES & ITEMS SPREADSHEET
This spreadsheet is linked on the item requests page, and it contains a bunch of useful info! There's three sheets in total (you can switch between them via the tabs along the bottom): a list of checked-out torches and their locations, a list of items currently available in Beacon's various shops, and a list of active item requests (this last one is mostly for mod use, but hey, you can look at it!).

PATROL ROUTE ROSTER
Recently, bulletin boards have been added to the Invincibe and the Landmark, and on them, characters can find the patrol route roster. Similar to the log books, the roster can be edited to include IC information about characters' patrol routes throughout town.

THAT ONE INFOGRAPHIC
The one about how fire and light function in the "real world" versus in Beacon. This is linked on the FAQ, but it's easily the most useful resource going by how often folks bring it up, so... Behold, the MS Paint doodle that took all of five minutes but still has the highest reviews on Yelp.

Finally, we want to let you all know that you're always welcome to contact us if you'd like some help getting situated in the game! This goes for both old players and new—finding a niche to call your own is absolutely something we can help you with no matter how long you've been in game. We shouldn't necessarily be your first stop as you may be able to find what you're looking for by checking out the above resources, but if you've gotten acquainted with the game and still aren't sure where to start, hit us up! We frequently work with players behind the scenes to help them do cool stuff in game, so please don't be shy about reaching out.

•••
A NEW RESOURCE APPROACHES... In the spirit of getting our ducks in a row, we're introducing a tiny new mechanic that will only be available on cat herd posts like this one: underneath the GAME HINT header in the comments, you may ask one (1) OOC question about the game plot, and we'll give you a hint as to how to find the answer to that question ICly. But, hold up! There are some rules you should be aware of first.

Don't expect a full answer, as these are intended to be hints. What fun would a mystery/exploration game be if we solved stuff for you? The point of this is to set you off in the right direction so that you can solve the mystery yourself. Unlike the Night Market's Hint-o-Matic and it's weird, vague answers, we'll be straightforward with you. This is an OOC resource meant to genuinely help you out.

You can ask anything you like, but specific questions are more likely to get a specific answer. For example, "how do we kill the World Eaters?" would get you an incredibly broad answer, but "how do I use this item I found?" would get you a pretty clear "consider xyz! try abc!"

One question per PLAYER per cat herd. You only get one question, so think it through and do your research before you post! No do-overs or take-backs. You'll be allowed to ask another question on the next cat herd.

You may ask a question for another player. Team efforts are totally acceptable, but please make sure you don't have a question of your own before you take up the reins for someone else. Whatever question you ask counts as your question.

You have until the next cat herd to ask a question on this one. When's the next cat herd? Dunno! In a few months, at the earliest, so you have plenty of time. If you happen to think up a question in April, for example, you could totally scurry back over here to ask it, so long as you haven't already asked a question. We'll give warning before we post the next cat herd so that folks can double back to this one, too.

getting involved

Hey, it's the end of the cat herd! You made it! Unless you read it out of order, which is fine too! Anyway!

To wrap things up, we have one last method of getting involved to present to you: the BATON PASSING header, under which you players can suggest ideas for resources and projects to one another. Would you like to see a snowball fight happen in game, but the character you play would never organize it? Have an idea for a neat OOC resource, but executing it takes coding skill beyond your ability? Did you find a cool plot hint that you'd be willing to pass along to another player that's looking for a foothold in the plot? If you have an idea that you would like to hand off to another player, post it to that header and then feel free to hash out the details amongst yourselves! Alternatively, if you're looking for a way to get involved but aren't sure how, check out that thread to see if anyone's got cool stuff to pass along!

Please do note that the BATON PASSING header is not for suggesting mod-run stuff. To do that, head over to the suggestion box.

•••
Thank you so much, dear players, for joining us on the journey thus far! We've had a blast in telling this wild story with you all these past few months, and we're so looking forward to seeing what happens next. We hope that In the Night feels as collaborative to you as it does to us! Though the overarching plot was loosely designed by us mods, the game has definitely taken on a life of its own. We love writing with you, watching you come up with ideas we'd never considered, playing with the setting and premise in ways we'd never expected... The community you've helped us build here pushes hard for positivity, respect, and inclusiveness, and we appreciate you all so very much for those things. We're proud of this game, and we're proud to have you all as players. You inspire us. Thanks for helping us do something cool.

•••
And finally, feel free to use this post for exploration/project planning! Here's a form that you may use to get started:

player: (feel free to put your contact info here if you like!) character(s): areas of interest: (what elements of the plot are you looking to get involved with?) notes: (anything else worth mentioning, like permissions/opt-outs/hiatuses/etc.?)

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