The game has a specific focus on memories and the consequences of a technology capable of copying, modifying, or deleting them. We are used to thinking of our memories as an inseparable part of us. What do we become once we can copy, modify and delete parts of ourselves?
Tracks
During the game, there will be memories extracted from the mind of a donor and recorded on a digital medium, so that they can be lived continuously. These memories are audio recordings that the player will be able to listen to if he has the medium on which they are recorded. In the game they will be represented by CDs and DVDs.
These memories are called Tracks. They are sold by the Zerobytes and represent the drug of the decade. Listening to memories is one of the few ways left to still feel human emotions, in a society that is turning more and more towards dehumanization. For some characters this practice has become a real addiction with deleterious consequences in case they fail to obtain the " right " .
Each CD / DVD has a specific code written on its main side, and the recording can be "relived" by any character. The same recording can be "relived" an infinite number of times.
To listen to a Track, simply scan the code on the media in the game app. Listening is always and only personal: in no case can you turn up the volume to let more people listen to the Track. We recommend that players bring headphones with which to listen to them.
While listening to the recording, your character will be immersed in the memory that will be "relived". Your characters will feel as if the events described have just happened before their eyes.
Immediately after listening to a Track, a character experiences the emotion described for a short period of time. A character in cyber-psychotic crisis experiences a (brief) moment of peace . After being heard once, a Track no longer affects that player for the remainder of the event. The player will therefore have to look for another one to feel a new effect.
During the event, memories are stored in physical media. Please, even if your character would have every reason to do so, always refrain from destroying a memory record. Most of the time, Tracks are plot elements: removing them from the game would greatly reduce the enjoyment of other players. Use the memory record to blackmail someone, sell it to the highest bidder, find creative ways to use it to achieve your goals, but please never destroy it, don't remove it from the game, and do not hide it in such a way as to make it difficult to find.
Removed / modified memories
Some storylines in the game involve some characters having undergone mnemonic alteration processes. Consequently some information on the character sheet is intentionally wrong (or missing). Some correct information will instead be distributed among the Tracks.
Each character will start the game by believing the information on the card to be true, treating it as real and true without a doubt, as this is what she remembers.
[NB. Some characters may have additional information on their sheet, indicating that the character is aware of losing his mind] .
Sacrifice memories
Your character may sacrifice important memories during the game.
We don't want this to cause you difficulties, such as keeping in mind the characters' memories and what they have forgotten. Nor do we want your characters to "forget" to do something previously agreed.
During the game, by convention, when characters "lose" a memory they only forget their emotional connection with that memory, but retain all other objective information.
Example: Netzen chooses to sacrifice the last happy memory of the dog she adored in her teens. The character will only lose the part of their memory related to the emotional connection, the joy she felt when she played with him. Even after the sacrifice, the character remembers perfectly having had a dog. He remembers his name, race, nature, and the funny black spot on his fur. He was just a dog, though. There was nothing special about him.
A memory, to be sacrificed, must be important to the character. We can call them "core" memories : moments in the character's past history that convey great emotional value or are character-defining moments. These core memories can come from:
- A total of FIVE core memories included in the character sheet;
- FIVE additional core memories defined by the player before the event according to his taste;
- Significant events that took place during the game .
Building memories
Before starting the event, you can create up to 5 memories for your character, in a completely free and independent way. This activity is not mandatory and it is not necessary to communicate the memories created to the Staff , just respect the following conditions in their design.
- You must be careful not to reveal details mentioned in your personal files.
- They can be freely agreed with other players, and it is important that all members involved are aware of the memory;
- They cannot be related to family ties (as this connection may be present at the event but the character does not remember it);
- They must be significant events for the character (representing a key moment, with a great emotional impact);
We suggest that you use these additional memories to define an aspect of the character that you would like to learn more about, such as why he made a difficult choice. Alternatively, you could contact another player to arrange a shared memory.
Black Room
In the game area there will be an area dedicated to sacrificing memories. It's called the Black Room, and in game it's not a "real" place. When a character enters it, he is metaphorically "entering his mind".
Only one player can enter the Black Room at a time. The memory sacrifice mechanics will be detailed within the room. It will be a very simple but also very dramatic activity .
Memory addiction
Some characters are addicted to the practice of constantly reliving other people's memories. Maybe they have forgotten their important memories, maybe they never had any. It doesn't matter. They would go out of their way to try something again. They are called Memory Junkies.
The risk of becoming a Junkie is always present in the society of the future. Anyone could become one, even if this is not indicated on the card at the beginning of the event.
Every Memory Junkie needs a particular type of memory and the emotions or sensations it can give them . Nothing is ever enough, though: as a convention, when a character finds a good memory, he can only enjoy it once. Reliving it after the first time will never give the desired "hit" again.
After listening, the only option left to him is to swap the memory he just tried with a new one, chasing the chimera of every drug addict: just one more, then I'll stop.
When you are declared WASTED your mind will be completely gone, all memories will be lost forever, your eyes will remain fixed in a catatonic state.