ANOMALY BOX is a 20+ art roleplay group inspired by SCP, Severance, Portal, and Mickey 17. Characters work as 'detectors' sent to find and report on dangerous anomalies. Rendered temporarily immortal thanks to their work, their bodies become disposable fodder for the company. Horror, supernatural, and soft sci-fi elements. Tone is something of a dark comedy.Various activity levels are acceptable. Play consists of mainly player-led rp sessions and building personal/group narratives together, with large mod-led events occurring every so often.
CURRENT EVENT: NOW HIRING!
New Millennium Tech is currently in the process of hiring new detectors! Prospective players are encouraged to read over our character creation guide before applying. We will be accepting as many people as the mod team feels equipped to take on. If all goes well, there will ideally be a second round of applications in the future.Currently, our timeline looks something like this:
- Preserver opens 12/28
- Applications close 01/15
- Invites sent out by 01/20
We look forward to your application! Please refer to our FAQ page if you have any questions, or hop into our server to ask us directly.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
This page may be updated if we're asked a particular question enough times!
How do applications work? Applications are a Google Doc & visual template submitted through a matching Google Form. We'll contact accepted players after the deadline. Updates on this process will be posted in our pre-server.Do I need fully finished art when I send my application in? Goodness, no! That would be a tight turnaround to expect from everyone. A colored sketch/etc. will do for the application, and you'll have time to complete it after your acceptance if you so choose. We just want to see your character pitch!Do I need to be an artist to play? Technically no! Game play is primarily done through writing. You could use commissioned art/etc. with proper credit as your character reference, but keep in mind that our group is oriented at artists so there will be art prompts in each event and a culture of drawing. We encourage everyone to try their hand at it, even if you don't consider it your forte! All skill levels are welcome.How many applicants will be accepted? As many as we feel we can handle taking on / are interested in taking on.How many applications can I submit? Just one! Please apply whoever you'd be most excited to play. If there's a small issue with an otherwise interesting character pitch, we'll happily work out a solution with you, so please don't sweat it. There may be opportunities to have a secondary character in the future.Can I play a character I'm already playing in another server? If the other server permits it, then of course! Simply adjust them to fit our setting.Can I play my Anomaly Box character somewhere else? Of course! We're not here to limit anyone. It's your character, not ours. We simply make the setting and facilitate the fun.Will there ever be another round of applications in the future? Potentially! We're focused on the present.Is there a set end date in mind for the group? Not currently! If/when one is decided, it will be clearly communicated. For now the intention is to see where the group takes us, so let's all have fun writing together!What advice do you have for applications? You're pitching a character to us, not handing in an essay to be graded! We're not very harsh. Please have fun and let your character's heart shine through. We're drawn mainly to interesting personalities and concepts, not length or art quality.What's the tone of the rp? There's no set tone IC. We describe it as a dark comedy, but it really shifts from moment to moment. Constant misery with no breaks can get exhausting, but so can too much slice of life. We try to strike a balance, and it can vary from player to player, event to event, etc.What are player-led jobs? Jobs are one-off scenarios run by other players. You send us your idea, reserve a time, and we make dedicated channels for you to play in. These are completely hosted, planned, and narrated by server members, meaning the contents, tone, and group size can vary heavily. Depending on the DM, they could be simply finding an anomaly, helping an NPC, a light-hearted game, or an intense "saw trap" for the characters involved.What are mini-events / open threads? They are little prompts and simple sessions anyone can host at any time that all players are welcome to join! Such as a party, an IC game, etc. you don't need to reserve a slot for something small, but you can schedule in advance with other players to maximize turn out.Do I have to be familiar with every detail of the setting / lore to participate? Nope! We're flexible with the world. Generally speaking, we'll allow almost anything fun / interesting enough as long as you meet us halfway by fitting it into the basic elements of our setting (near-future, anomalies, global recession). We're happy to accept new ideas or have players pitch new elements of the world. Roleplay is a collaborative, improv experience!Can I apply with my friend / Are duo applications allowed / Can I have a ride or die / etc.? Sure! Please denote this on the 'other' section of your application, and let us know if you're willing to be accepted separately or if you two are a 'package deal'.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
This page may be updated if we're asked a particular question enough times!
What sort of characters are you looking for? We're open to any type of character! From rays of sunshine to toxic manipulators. Variety is the spice of life, no? The mod team does tend to prefer nuanced personalities, though. We're drawn to characters with a clear 'why' behind their actions. Shyness and sweetness are fine, but why are they like that? If they're bitter and angry, why? Nice people who still make enemies, brutes with a weakness, people who hold grudges, have odd worldviews, so on. Basically, don't overthink it, we don't prefer any one type of trait over another! We just like fleshed out personalities and beliefs.Are there any restrictions placed on characters? Characters must be 20+ and working as detectors for NMT. Everyone is human, but that's about all.Are robotic / supernatural / etc. characters allowed? Nope! The setting is a soft sci-fi with occasional supernatural elements, but every character is required to be a normal human.My character has (triggering topic) in their backstory, is this allowed? Anything handled tastefully, properly warned for, and treated with care is allowed. We trust you to understand the limits of what is acceptable to show strangers and discuss in public. We're all adults. Child abuse, substance use, etc. are bound to happen in character backstories. This is fine. Just show the subject respect, please.Can my character have encountered an anomaly in their past? Yes, of course! As long as they don't have powers because of it, almost anything goes - and on the off chance there is an issue with the anomaly you've written (not likely) in an otherwise fine character, the mod team would be happy to work with you!Can my character work a second job? Yes! Detectors have (relatively) flexible work schedules, and it's fairly common to have multiple sources of income due to the recession. Your duties as a detector must come before your side gig (perhaps not emotionally, just logistically) but it's feasible to have another job.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
This page may be updated if we're asked a particular question enough times!
What's the current state of the world? The year 21XX is much like the current day. There's been technological progress, but a lot of it has been wrapped up in legal tape and remains inaccessible to the average person. For the sake of ease, pop cultural references will be 1:1 with the present day. You could have a Labubu, for instance.Beyond anomalies, reprinting, etc. the biggest change may be that, in America, Chicago has become an economic powerhouse as global warming and eroding coastlines have made places like New York City, Los Angeles, etc. harder to live in.Eroding coastlines? What if my character is from a coastal state/city? Please refer to this map:
> The blue dot represents Chicago.
> Light grey regions are about as you'd expect.
> Blue regions experience worse weather (storms, heatwaves, etc.) but are mostly hospitable, just less ideal than they used to be. People with the means are beginning to move elsewhere.
> Dark grey regions are underwater for approx. a third of the year (spring, early summer). Some people still live there and have their ways of working around the water. It's also common to live there solely during the dry seasons like a vacation home, assuming you have the income to do so.
Where is the roleplay set? Chicago, year 20XX. Your character does not have to be from Chicago. It's entirely plausible that they moved cities to find a new job amidst the recession.What is day to day work like for a detector? For detectors, coming into the office is largely optional. Detectors have desks but very little responsibilities - it's mostly just busy work or a place to kill time sequestered away from people doing actually important things. They're considered 'on call' and must show up to locations when requested. What they do when they're not out detecting is up to them.Can detectors travel to different locations/regions for jobs? Yes! If you'd like to send players to a different location, that's your call as DM.Why don't detectors just quit? Many reasons. The pay is good, the housing is free, mortality is scary, you can find community amidst your coworkers, etc. It's up to you to find meaning in the absurd and decide why your character wouldn't just quit!What exactly is an anomaly? They can be almost anything! Due to the nature of anomalies being just "things which shouldn't exist in our reality" they're difficult to define, and have been left purposefully vague so players can have flexibility when coming up with their own for jobs, backstories, etc.Could an anomaly be humanoid/have human-like feelings or sentience? Sure! Anomalies are very open-ended. Ideally, they'd never be a clear-cut, straight up human, but having humanoid traits or feelings is acceptable.
PREMISE:
It’s 21XX. Coastlines continue to erode, temperatures rise, and the global economy has lapsed into yet another recession; the same problems as ever.In the past few years, a new threat has entered public consciousness: Anomalies, violent fractures in reality which put everyone’s safety in jeopardy. To keep people calm, the United States government contracted New Millennium Technologies (NMT) to research and classify anomalies. In order to do that, however, the company must first find anomalies - which is where you come in!NMT employs what are called ‘detectors’ to track down and lure out potential anomalies, and you’re being recruited as one.Leveraging a recently developed resurrection process dubbed ‘reprinting’, detectors possess conditional immortality through their employer, allowing them to work without worrying about lethality. If you die, you’ll simply be reprinted. Your biological data is stored in your NMT-issued wearable black box, so you’ll come back exactly the same as before.... Right?
WHAT ARE DETECTORS?
If it’s a detective’s job to solve mysteries, then it’s a detector’s job to find them. They’re used as living bait for anomalies and aren’t actually expected to contain or even understand the threat. That's someone else's job. Rather, detectors are only sent to arrive at a scene, confirm an anomaly is present, document it, and return to HQ in enough pieces to explain what happened - or die trying.Often, recruitment tactics for detectors are coercive. New hires are lured in by benefits like free housing, healthcare, and debt relief - or perhaps more personal promises such as a potential shot up the corporate ladder or a sense of belonging. It’s rare for someone to know exactly what they’re in for, but everyone is assured they’ll be unable to die in the event something goes wrong. Your wearable black box is proof of this.Thanks to the recession, mostly desperate, down on their luck people are drawn to this job. You wouldn’t choose to die over and over if everything was going well in your life, would you? Not unless you possess a personality defect or are just plain stupid, which is entirely possible in this line of work.
WHAT IS REPRINTING?
Held under a strict patent by NMT, reprinting is a controversial technological development. It allows for living replicas of anyone to be made so long as the company has their biological data. Despite its vast potential, legislation currently restricts its application to active detectors until a consensus is reached about its inherent ethical issues.NMT doctrine assures detectors that, upon being reprinted, their body will be exactly as it was before. The truth isn’t so simple. Reprinting errors are common. People wake up with discrepancies in personality, health, or appearance - incorrectly colored eyes, sudden chronic pain, memory gaps, etc.Although it's a modern miracle, some detectors avoid reprinting at all costs. There are multiple reasons. Some are scared of death, others find the process uncanny, but it’s mainly due to an incentive structure set by NMT: If you return from a job alive, you receive a cash bonus on top of your usual salary. If you have to be reprinted, however, the cost is deducted from your next paycheck.But isn’t it nice to have the safety net, haunting as it is?
WHAT IS NEW MILLENNIUM TECH.?
Originally a Silicon Valley pharmaceutical research start up, New Millennium Technologies has grown to integrate AI-driven data brokering and surveillance into their business thanks to generous government contracts. This new direction, they say, is solely to further the cause of understanding anomalies - but it's really about profit and control.NMT maintains a mostly clean public reputation.Landing a STEM job in their newly formed Anomaly department is seen as a ticket to financial security. It's the most coveted job by recent college graduates. Similarly, their stock price is viewed as an escape from the current economy, as it trends high despite the global recession. Investors are quite pleased with the company's growth.There is a small political opposition to NMT due to their poor treatment of workers, involvement with the U.S. government, and ethical concerns with reprinting. These protests haven't amounted to much as most people don't think about government contractors too often.Currently, they are based in Chicago due to America's coastal states becoming increasingly inhospitable.
WHAT ARE ANOMALIES?
Anomalies have always existed, but they haven't always been understood. They can be just about anything - from a seemingly impossible creature to an entire pocket dimension. Their incomprehensible nature has made research challenging; they possess powers we can't fully picture, making them dangerous.Often, they are the true force behind unexplained tragedies. For most of history, people rationalized them through the lens of religion, folklore, or ghost stories; some choose to deny their effects altogether.The United States government first became aware of anomalies a couple decades back. Believing they could utilize them for their own gain, they began researching them in private, conducting highly unethical, invasive experiments that left participants scarred. For years, tax-payer dollars were secretly funneled into this program - but a targeted FOIA request brought the truth to light relatively recently, forcing the government’s hand.In a cynical move masked as an effort towards transparency, the government contracted all future research efforts to New Millennium Technologies.
CHARACTER CREATION GUIDE:
Interested in working as a detector for New Millennium Technologies? By all means, please ready your application! Our server requires both a written and visual component when applying. You can find guides for both on this page, as well as a link to our application form.Player characters are newly recruited NMT employees. They can have varying levels of knowledge and experience; some may be completely clueless to the world of anomalies, while others may have encountered them in the past. Keep in mind that recruitment tactics for this role tend to be coercive. Your average detector is just some run of the mill sucker who got roped into this mess.Characters must be 20+ and cannot have any supernatural powers/etc.
VISUAL GUIDELINES:
While most NMT employees are required to dress formally, detectors are allowed flexibility. This is partially because the company cares less about them, but mostly because they know freedom of expression is necessary for those expected to throw their lives away. The dress code is simple: A white button up & dark-colored bottoms are all that's required.
Each of these would be perfectly acceptable work wear for detectors!
Any outfit that meets the two requirements is allowed, both formal and casual. Please express your character's personality through their clothing! It's meant to be open-ended, but still keeps everyone visually linked by a couple unifying elements. Some may wear full suits, but others may show up in sweatpants with the button up thrown on as a mere obligation. The only unacceptable attire would be something like a dark-colored button up or light wash jeans.For appearances, anything within reason is allowed, too! Unnatural hair or eye colors, etc. are free game. Just understand that characters are supposed to be human and should look like, well, humans. No tails, no elf ears, no fangs, no powers, nothing like that.Optionally, you can include your character's company-issued wearable black box in their design. If you don't, it'll be assumed they keep it on their person anyway (perhaps under their clothes) but you're encouraged to integrate it into their outfit.
Examples of wearable black boxes.
Employee black boxes are small; they only need to record audio, track your location, and store biological data. In 21XX, we've learned to do more with less circuitry than before. They're the height of a USB-C port and about 1x1 inches on either side like a flat square. Imagine a slightly thicker SD card. Because of their size, they can easily be worn in the form of earrings, necklaces, ankle monitors, etc.Once you have your design, simply fill out our visual template! We have .CSP, .PSD, and .PNG versions of it available for download.
Example visual template! The ID # is flavor text
and you may choose any number you'd like for your OC.
A full body, visual reference is required to apply. Colored sketches are perfectly acceptable! An additional bust is encouraged, too, but you may crop and re-use the full body art for the application's head shot.Don't sweat art quality. No one will be judged on technical skill, nor does "good" art alone guarantee acceptance. All levels are welcome! We just want to see what your character looks like. You're welcome to re-draw your reference art at any time. Design tweaks are also easily explained by reprinting errors.
WRITTEN GUIDELINES:
Here's all the information contained on the written half of our application with some things you may want to consider while filling it out. What we care about most is an interesting character pitch!
Name: [Including aliases]
Gender / Pronouns:
Age: [20+]
Height: [Ft & cm please]
Date of Birth:
Blood Type:
Stats:
| WIT | CHA | STR | MVE | DUR | LCK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | # | # | # | # | # |
You're given 30 initial points to distribute among these stats. Base stats cap out at 8. There will be opportunities to adjust and raise your stats in the future. Assume 5 is average, 10 is exceptionally skilled, and 0 is genuine incompetence.Please refer to our stats page for elaboration on what each stat means and how modifiers are determined!
Personality: You must have three positive traits & three negative traits written out. The descriptions for can be short. Questions to consider: How do they treat peers? How do they treat themself? What's their worldview? What behaviors do they exhibit?Keep in mind that negative traits are still required for 'nice' characters. Maybe they're nice but quick to turn a blind eye when others are hurt, etc. Similarly, toxic characters still need positive traits. Perhaps they're harsh with others but intensely loyal to a small few. We like nuance here!Don't feel pressure to list every personality trait. Simply the major ones will do! Whatever you think would get their vibe across.
Why do you want to work as a detector? It's an odd job to pick. Motivations like needing money or simply seeking free housing during the current recession, etc. are all perfectly acceptable - but it may be fun to think of something more unique, too!
Previous Work Experience (Backstory): Your character's past. Questions to consider: What's their relationship with their family? How was their childhood, and how did it effect them? What have they been doing as an adult? Did they go to school, have a previous job, etc.? What circumstances led them to working as a detector? Where are they currently at in life?We recommend keeping backstories written in bullet points, so the mod team can parse it easier. You will not be judged on length. Sensitive content is allowed, but please treat topics with respect and TW appropriately.
The application will also require a writing example. There are prompts provided if you'd like to write something based on the character you're applying, but you may also copy/paste something you've already written (from another server, personal project, etc.) using a different character.Our standards for writing aren't exceptionally high! We only want to get a sense of what players would be like in action so we can visualize your character in our world better. Even just a paragraph or two would suffice. Don't sweat this, you won't be graded or anything. Mod team is ESL & dyslexic friendly (and generally understanding of typos) so a couple errors won't kill your chances.
STAT SYSTEM:
You're given 30 initial points to distribute among these stats. Base stats cap out at 8. There will be opportunities to adjust and raise your stats in the future. Assume 5 is average, 10 is exceptional, and 0 is genuine incompetence.
💡 WIT / Wittiness - Your character’s knowledge, problem solving skills, & ability to make complex deductions or come up with ideas. Covers booksmarts and critical thinking; social knowledge is covered by charisma.✨ CHA / Charisma - Your character’s charm, public speaking, and ability to win others over; also covers their acting skills, ability to remain outwardly composed when emotional, or lying.💪 STR / Strength - Your character's strength. Covers manual labor, endurance, and combat. The higher your character’s strength, the better they would be at lifting heavy objects or throwing punches.👟 MVE / Movement - Your character's movement abilities. Not just their speed but their agility & dexterity, too. With high movement, your character would be quick on their feet or adept at navigating difficult terrain.🛡️ DUR / Durability - Your character's mental and physical durability. Detectors cannot die, but they still endure pain and anguish; the higher this stat, the better equipped you are to handle it. May also cover resistance to mind altering effects from anomalies.🍀 LCK / Luck - A set amount of points representing your character's luckiness. Unlike other stats, you don't roll for Luck. Instead, it's an additional pool of modifiers you can add to other rolls if you want to increase your odds.To use Luck, add any or all luck points to individual rolls (on top of your other modifiers) until all your Luck has been used. For example, with 4 Luck, you could add +1 to four rolls, or +4 to one roll. Make it clear when you're using Luck so others can keep track of this stat's usage. Once you're out of Luck, you can't use any more for the rest of the current RP session or thread! (Luck is replenished to max after the session or thread ends, so use it as much as you like.)
Stats determine modifiers. For every point below 5, you subtract a point from your roll. For every point above five, add one. Meaning, if you have a 0 for a stat, you’d subtract 5 from your total. If you have a 10, you’d add 5. Here is a chart for determining modifiers:
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| -5 | -4 | -3 | -2 | -1 | 0 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +5 |
With our system, it's almost impossible to clear a roll if you have zero for a stat; conversely, success is very likely with a ten. Please take your character's strengths into consideration. To be good at something, you have to be bad at something else. To put it in perspective, with zero in a stat you'd only have a 50/50 shot of clearing a DC of 1. With a ten, you'd have a 100% chance of clearing any DC below 6.We encourage min-maxing and not fearing failure. You can always befriend characters who are strong where you are weak & vice versa. Please, play risky! Play fun! Failing a roll should never be a punishment.Finally, note that this is a homebrew system. We've used it in other, smaller roleplays, but nothing like this - there may be some hurdles to work out! We're willing to make adjustments if necessary.
DICE MECHANICS:
Taking inspiration from the Cyberpunk TTRPG, our server uses exclusively d10s & d6s when rolling.For most actions, you roll a d10 with the modifier of whichever stat is called for. Optionally, you may use luck points to increase your odds. Including modifiers, the absolute maximum you could ever roll is 25; the worst possible roll is -4. Keeping this in mind, here are general difficulty levels:
| <5 | A simple task you could pass without experience. Best shot you'll ever have. (>60% odds without modifiers.) |
| 6-7 | Easy work for those adept at the task, may be harder for those with less skill. (50-40% odds without modifiers) |
| 8-9 | Almost impossible for some, but a fair challenge for those with experience. (30-20% odds without modifiers) |
| 10 | Equivalent to needing a 20 in a d20 system. (10% odds without modifiers, but a 50/50 shot with a maxed stat.) |
| 11-15 | You cannot succeed unless you’re adept at this task or especially lucky. (Impossible without modifiers) |
| >16 | Requires luck and skill - you better pray, the odds don't look good. (Needs luck points on top of modifiers) |
| 25 | Passing this DC would require rolling a nat 10, having 10 in the stat, AND using a full 10 luck points. Just to put things in perspective. Could be the ultimate Hail Mary. |
In a way, it all comes down to your stat modifiers. We believe that if you're extremely skilled at something, success should be almost guaranteed for basic tasks; conversely, if you're extremely bad at something, success should be rare. If you want to leave it all to chance, being perfectly average at everything is acceptable, too! The d10 system helps accomplish this.Meanwhile, d6 are mostly used determine damage severity after sustaining an injury. Since death isn't permanent, we don't typically track player HP. Mostly, our server has players keep track of specific injuries they sustain and trusts them to act accordingly. Players should be able to understand that a broken leg, for instance, would hinder their character significantly and write as such. If an injury is fatal, you should be willing to die. It's only temporary, right?This allows everyone to focus on writing and creative play rather than numbers. During some contexts, HP may be implemented. This would be clearly communicated if so.Severity levels are as follows:
| 1 | The least amount of pain possible given the type of damage; a stab would still be dire, but punches might not bruise. |
| 2-3 | Moderate pain & bodily harm. It’s probably going to leave a mark, but the likelihood of standing your ground is decent. |
| 4-5 | Good amount of damage. Hurts like hell and may knock you over; depending on the attack, this could do a number. |
| 6 | Critical hit, as bad as possible for the attack. If this was a stab wound, you'd need immediate medical attention. |
(It should go without saying that Luck cannot be added to severity rolls.)Generally speaking, when you sustain an injury, it will be clear which part of your character's body was affected. If you'd ever like to leave it to chance, however, or feel like it was unclear, you can roll a d6 and consult this table:
| 1 | Head |
| 2 | Left arm |
| 3 | Right arm |
| 4 | Torso |
| 5 | Left leg |
| 6 | Right leg |
That's basically the system! It's meant to be simple and adjustable, as to not be obtrusive - but it may take some getting used to for those used to standard d20 systems.Additionally, when DMing a player-led mission, you may create your own systems as needed (for new mechanics, HP tracking, etc.) We encourage you to used d10s & d6s to avoid confusion, and to please clearly explain all new mechanics being introduced for the session.
RESOURCES:
There are a lot of pages tucked away within our carrd! To make it easier to find what you're looking for, we've organized every link. "New Player" links are things like character creation/premise info, while "Current Player" links are things like specific server mechanics.
- Premise
> On New Millennium Tech
> On detectors
> On reprinting
> On anomalies
- Character creation guide
> Visual info
> Visual template link
> Written info
> Google doc link
> Example application
> Application form
- Stat system
- Frequently asked questions
RESOURCES:
There are a lot of pages tucked away within our carrd! To make it easier to find what you're looking for, we've organized every link. "New Player" links are things like character creation/premise info, while "Current Player" links are things like specific server mechanics.
- Dice mechanics
- Death & reprinting mechanics (TBA!)
- Current event
> Past events (TBA!)
- Mini event / open thread info (TBA!)
- Running a job (TBA!)
> Job listing (TBA!)
> Anomaly guidelines (TBA!)
> Logging a job (TBA!)
> Google calendar (TBA!)
> Past missions (TBA!)
- Currency / shop info (TBA!)
(Please forgive the TBAs while we sort out our last mechanics during the application period! While you work hard on your apps, we'll be working hard on our server ^_^)