- "The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the Galaxy together."
- — Obi-Wan Kenobi
Luke learns about the the Force from Yoda
The Force is a metaphysical and binding, ubiquitous power that is the object of the Jedi and Sith monastic orders. Described by Obi-Wan Kenobi as "an energy field created by all living things," some think of the Force as a sentient entity that may be capable of intelligent thought – almost as if it were a sort of deity – while others simply consider it something that can be manipulated and used as though it were a tool.
Definition of the Force[]
The Force was divided into four aspects: The light side (often referred to as "the Force"), the dark side, the Unifying Force, and the Living Force. The first two aspects were concerned with the moral compass of the Force in its various manifestations. The light side of the Force was the facet aligned with good, benevolence, and healing, while the dark side of the Force was the element aligned with fear, hatred, aggression, and malevolence. The latter two aspects were defined by prominent Jedi philosophies. The Unifying Force essentially embraced space and time in its entirety. The Living Force dealt with the energy of living things. To some Jedi, "The Force was life, and life was the Force." Though the force was categorized in this way, there were no specific abilities or powers that were only usable by a follower of a different path of the Force; the Force partially existed inside the life form that used it, and drew energy from their emotions.
Some beings, especially the Sith, believed that the dark side of the Force was more powerful than the light, though it was possible that the dark side was just more tempting to those who used it (or desired to use it). Others thought of the Force as an entity capable of intelligent thought, almost as a sort of god. Anakin Skywalker, who was believed to have been conceived by the Force itself, gave credit towards the view of the Force as a sentient entity.
Though the Force was thought to flow through every living thing, it could only be harnessed by a minority of beings described as "Force-sensitive". Force-sensitive beings were able to tap into the Force to perform acts of great skill and agility as well as control and shape the world around them. Sometimes this ability was sometimes described as having a strong Force "aura". Some Force-sensitive people who have yet to be discovered, or who have not declared fealty to either the Jedi or the Sith are called Force Adepts.
Force on the MUSH[]
If you are interested in becoming a Jedi, you must first meet the following criteria.
1. Your creation date must reflect that you've had a character on the MUSH for no less than three months, and you must have been active for the last 3 months regardless of your creation date. You must remain active and involved. Your activity and involvement level will be determined by the wizards and admin.
2. You must have a good OOC reputation among players and admin.
3. You must be able to create and start plots all on your own and not be afraid to roleplay with people not in your personal playgroup.
4. You must have been consistently nominated by your peers for +nom awards, and be considered by players and admin to be a good roleplayer and writer.
5. Your personal roleplaying philosophy must be consent and story based. You must be in it to tell a story above all.
6. You must not play a Feature Character on the MUSH. Features cannot also have Jedi alts.
7. You must agree with the overall story dynamic that is typical to Star Wars: The Good Guys lose in the beginning, finally overcoming overwhelming odds and personal tragedy to defeat the Bad Guys. No matter which side you are on, you must be willing to 'lose' at the dramatically appropriate moment.
Jedi are chosen by invitation of the Force Admin and Wizard Staff. When a position is open, an announcement requesting applications will be made to the announcements bboard along with instructions for submission. A Jedi position is similar to a Feature character, in that the Jedi slot is on loan to the player currently in it, and they must adhere to some rules governing their behaviour, activity levels and character concept. Jedi are very powerful and have the potential to disrupt balance on the MUSH, so good writers and mature roleplayers are expected to fill these slots.
Information on how to write an application can be found at RPA.
All new Jedi characters start out at 2D in all of the relative force skills (Control, Sense, Alter) unless explicitly approved by the Force Wizard. Increases will be handed out as deemed necessary by the Force Wizard as the new apprentice proceeds through his or her training.
Asking to be a Jedi OOCly will not increase your chances of being tapped. In fact, it may actually decrease them. However, you are encouraged to discuss your character concept with the Force Wizard ahead of time. The best way to get chosen is to simply roleplay actively and consistently, get +noms from your peers and start plots. Make a name for yourself on the MUSH as someone who is mature, is the type of person who begins and sculpts roleplay instead of just being a mere observer or bit player in someone else's plot. Putting a link to roleplay logs in your +finger note is also helpful, as the admin may wish to read them if they have noticed you are getting a lot of +noms and starting a lot of TP's. The Force Admin or Wizards may also wish to roleplay with you, using an alt, to gauge your writing ability, interaction with others, and character consistency. If you have any questions about this, please contact the Force Wizard.
Jedi Death[]
There is a consensual policy on the MUSH regarding player killing/death which has to be adhered to at all times, whether it's a PC, a Feature Character, or a Force User/Jedi. In the same way that a PC cannot be killed simply because someone else wants them dead, a Feature Character or Jedi cannot be killed simply because someone wants to do it.
In addition, because Feature Characters and Force Users are positions that require someone being 'hired' through application to perform specific duties relating to roleplaying a specific character (be it Feature, Dark Sider or Light Jedi), the Force Wizard is the only one who may offer consent for a Feature or Jedi to be killed. The RPAdmin and Judge Staff do not have the authority to make that decision, neither do the players of Features.
The very nature of Feature Characters and Force Users often puts them in positions where there is conflict. Dark Jedi in particular are hired to cause mischief and mayhem, while certain Features are more prone to taking risks in the face of danger than others.
There should be allowances made for a player of a Feature or Force User to play their characters true to application and the position they were hired to fill without it encroaching upon the MUSH consent policy regarding their own death (or permanent injury).
In return for being granted the benefit of the doubt, Features and Force Users are expected to behave in a way which does not abuse that trust put in them. Should a Feature or Jedi behave in a way that one might consider infringing on that trust, the Force Wizard may be contacted and consulted.
Policy[]
The MUSH has high expectations for its Force Users, who should be among the best of the best in terms of player quality and RP generation for the game. This brief news file exists as a touch stone for Force Users and as a reminder of their basic responsibilities and privileges.
Force slots are filled by a competitive process that begins with the Force Wizard notifying the player base that a slot is open. The Force Wizard will provide application information at that time. Slots are for "Dark" and "Light" Force users; that is, does this character attempt to avoid the Dark Side in their interaction with the Force or do they embrace it? Nothing is all black or all white, but there are no permanent "gray" Jedi on this game.
Once a player is selected for a slot, they will begin by adapting their existing character or by creating their new one.
1. Activity. Be active and involved in things. RP with various people and RP regularly with new players and players outside your normal play group. Be around and visible to people. Extended periods of inactivity will result in losing your slot, period. Don't take it personally. The rest of the game and the rest of the Force Users expect you to be active. You are required to submit one (1) clean and edited log per month to the Force Wizard via e-mail. Pick a good one! The log will be used as a basic tool to verify that you are in fact RPing, for the Force Wizard to keep up with what you are RPing, and to share (with your permission) logs with potential Force applicants when they are looking for good examples of Force User caliber play. A "month" is the same time period as the nom period (about the 15th of each month). If you do not turn in a log for a month, contact the Force Wizard along with a reason.
2. TPs. Create, write, share, and support TPs. Come up with some ideas and get people involved and get them going. Tell the story of your character through interlinked TPs and interesting on-going backstories. TPs don't have to be elaborate; indeed, the simple ones that are fast moving but give other people things to develop from the TP are very beneficial. Keep the Force Wizard in the loop.
3. RP quality. Noms and Znoms aren't the measure of quality, but are one way that your progress and involvement are examined. Develop your character over time, don't stay static (change is interesting), and be a good writer. Spelling counts. You are a representative for the game in your RP quality.
4. Cooperate. For Force Users, the game must be more of a cooperatively written story and less of a simulation. With your powers you are able to do much more in the IC galaxy than most, an aspect that is easily overdone. Be willing to lose often and make the story about the other players in the scene most of the time. Never powerpose and keep a good OOC rep, even if you're an evil player.
Probationary period: you'll be watched very carefully for a period of four months from the time you get your slot, but these responsibilities are yours from the time you get the bit. Not everyone gets to play a Force User during their time on Star Wars MUSH, and not everyone can keep their Force powers. The responsibility is significant but the privileges are also great.
1. TP and RP coordination. Force users have their own channels and OOC communication methods they can use to coordinate their RP with one another. Additionally, it is the Force Wizard's responsibility to introduce and create some opportunity for Force-related RP for the cadre of players with this focus. Linking your individual plots and character stories can be a great benefit if you will look to the Force Wizard for this type of help.
2. Skills. Skills are a fairly minor aspect of Force Users, as it relates to the RPG aspect of the game. Force Users should be some of the most willing to lose but also some of the most willing to "risk it" (in regards to consent) on the game. That said, skills are an important way that Force Users can measure their relative strength and to offer other players an idea of their character's power.
2. Skills, continued. Force Users begin at the 2D level in Control, Sense, and Alter. They also have access to a number of powers (see +f/help) that are useful as RP tools. The appropriate use of these powers will be explained as they are awarded to the Force User. Skills are increased by a partnership between the Force Wizard and the player.
There are three levels of Force User, each of the three tiers allowing players to apply their advancement points toward raising their Force skills. There are three Force skills and one special skill. The three skills are Control, Sense, and Alter. Dark Force Users should always be heavy in alter and Light Force Users will always be heavy in control. The Force Wizard has the final say on your skill distribution, and no one power can be more than 1D out of range of the next closest power. Skills cost different amounts of advancement points depending on what level you are in:
Beginner: 2D to 4D 2x regular advancement points
Intermediate: 4D+1 to 8D 1.5x regular advancement points*
Advanced: 8D+1 to 12D 1.25x regular advancement points*
* fractional points are rounded up.
For example, a Jedi in the Beginner range can freely modify their Force powers from their starting 2D level all the way up to 4D. It normally costs the number of advancement points before the "D" to raise a power one pip, but in this category it costs 2x the regular points. To raise Control from 2D to 2D+1 would therefore cost 4 advancement points. A Sith with 9D+2 alter could raise their alter to 10D with 12 (9 pts x 1.25 = 11.25, rounded to 12) advancement points.
Force Users move from category to category by receiving a promotion from the Force Wizard. Promotions are based off of fulfilling the responsibilities above and for story reasons. Promotions only raise the ceiling for you and don't give you new skill points, just the ability to further them yourself. Your promotion may also include new Force powers (not skills) that will be explained at the time of the promotion.
The final Force power is Lightsaber. This includes in-theme light weapons (staves, etc.) as well as traditional lightsabers. Lightsaber is a Force related skill but begins at the same level as your Dex skill. Its ceiling, however, is determined by your Sense skill, and will not be increased more than 2D past Sense without a good reason. It is increased at the same rate as the other powers at the cost explained in the above chart. Past 12D advancement points are spent at a 1x ratio. The construction and possession of the lightsaber itself is a Force Wizard decision and will not be granted before a character has at least 3D in the Force skills (Control, Sense, and Alter) as well as least 3D in the Lightsaber skill.
If you lose, retire or resign your Force powers without losing your character (due to inactivity, removal of the bit, and so on) you are eligible for refund of the advancement points you earned and spent on your powers. You aren't eligible to receive a refund of any bonus points.
You must @mail the Force Wizard with the skills you would like to increase and have the advancement points available on your character at the time of your request. Please explain the skill you would like to increase, the reason for the increase and the number of points you have calculated it will cost.
Advancement points are earned with noms, though the Force Wizard will also grant advancement points that can be used only to increase Force powers. These bonus points can be earned by organizing and concluding a successful TP, receiving Force training, RPing with a Force teacher (not necessarily Yoda-Luke type sessions, but being in the learner's role) and for other good behavior, activity and innovation. It's bad form to ask for bonus points but it's very encouraged to point out when you are doing these things.