FAQ 4

X-PROJECT DOES NOT ACCEPT APPLICATIONS FOR ORIGINAL CHARACTERS.

Applicants are expected to have read the Rules before applying. Also, the FAQ is extremely useful for applications, so please use it. ;)

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Applying to the Game

Choosing a Character

How do I know who has already been in the game?

By going to the Character page and taking a look at our current roster. Additionally, you can use the Wiki's Search function (over there on the top left of the page) to see if a character has ever been referenced or appeared as an NPC or Villain.

There's a lot of characters in the game who didn't appear in the movies and vice versa.

While XP is based in the movieverse, we allow characters from a range of Marvel titles.

See here for a list of all Marvel characters.

There are also characters who were in the movies who don't appear in XP because no-one has applied for them or they've been dropped by the player. If there's someone you'd like to play who fits the guidelines, feel free!

There are comics characters whose backgrounds aren't anything like their comics canon! Isn't that OOC?

The 'gimmick' of X-Project is that it's a movieverse game, meaning we take comic concepts and characters and adapt them to the more 'realistic' universe of the movies. Our criteria are that we adhere to a certain degree of realism in the game, as instituted by the movies - mutants in a society much like ours - and that for the most part, mutants be the only super-powered beings in the universe - no aliens, no radioactive spiders, no time travelers. We are flexible, however, if there are exceptional circumstances. Or you can make non-mutant heroes into mutants, like Amanda Sefton, Karolina Dean, Janet Van Dyne, Clinton Barton, Crystal Amaquelin and Medusa Amaquelin. Time-travellers, clones and inter-dimensional versions of existing characters need not apply as they are considered too 'unrealistic', but can be tweaked to fit (for an example, see Cable's and Rachel's backgrounds).

There is also no particular canon used as the default starting point for a PC application. Many of the characters are from Marvel 616, but we accept adaptations from all Marvel properties, provided they fit our guidelines and game canon.

How much can we deviate from canon, though? Can I just grab the name of an obscure Marvel character and recreate them however I want?

While there are no specific rules in place regarding how far someone can go from the character's majority canon in adapting them for a PC application, it is up to the mods to determine how much is "too much". If your character is essentially an original character with a canon name tacked on, with no actual similarity in powers, personality or history, then your application will tend to be returned with a request to edit things.

What about in cases where game canon messes up my character's comics/movie history?

Game canon, since it's been created by us, takes precedence, but there are always loopholes and ways around things. In the case of Amanda Sefton, there had already been mention in-game of Kurt's younger sister Jimiane, in a fashion that completely negated the proposed application history. So, rather than scrap the application, the applicant simply created - with the permission of the mods - a second sister for Kurt, who became Amanda Sefton. Likewise, the XP version of Rachel Summers, rather than being an alternate-universe daughter of Scott and Jean, is the daughter of Nathan Dayspring and Moira MacTaggart - Rachel Kinross-Dayspring. Her powers remain the same as canon, however.

(This is also why we try to limit how much background is made for appable characters and NPCs!)

Banned Characters

Is there anyone I can't apply for?

'Banned' characters fall into the following categories:

• Original Characters: X-Project will not accept applications for any original character. We believe there are more than enough Marvel characters out there for the picking, and will accept most variations on backgrounds in order to fit a character within the game universe. There has been one OC in X-Project, introduced by one of the early mod team to fill the need left by Jean's death for a school doctor. Dr. Madelyn Bartlet has now been permanently retired from the game to avoid the precedent for OCs she set.
• Clones, time travellers, aliens or "doubles"/people from alternate dimensions: The players have agreed that these sorts of characters are to be discouraged, as per the applications policy, for a number of reasons, the primary one being that as a movieverse game, we try to avoid some of the more unrealistic parts of comics canon. Also, characters with these elements in their backgrounds constitute a large amount of world building, which impacts on everyone and would require game-wide discussion to settle. Of course, you can apply for characters with these canon backgrounds if you follow the XP policy of making them a mutant/removing the forbidden elements of their history. For example, Korvus Rook'shir is a mutant with connections to the Indian Shiar family and Nathan Dayspring is not Scott's son from the future. Rachel Kinross-Dayspring appears to be from an alternate dimension, however there is more to her than first meets the eye, to be revealed in a future plot.
• Retired: These characters were formerly played, and were permanently retired at the end of their 'run' by permission of the mods, as an acknowledgment of the contribution the players had made to the game and the difficulty entailed in a new player picking up a character with an extensive, complicated history and/or distinctive voice. The characters have been written out of the game: Alison Blaire, Jamie Madrox, Kitty Pryde, Nathan Dayspring.
• Modsocks: These characters are official modsocks, due to the influence their character has in-game: Professor Charles Xavier, Dr. Moira MacTaggart, Cain Marko, Medusa Amaquelin, Illyana Rasputin, Dr. Nathaniel Essex
• Referenced In-Game As Fictional: The following Marvel characters cannot canonically appear in X-Project as they have been referenced as fictional characters by people within the game: Peter Parker/Spiderman; Elektra. (note: there is a human Peter Parker in game as well - a graduate student at NYU and former TA to Kitty Pryde.) However, if efforts were made to a) make such characters mutants, b) divorce them completely from any kind of reference to the movies they appeared in and c) explain the 'coincidence' of them having the same names/powers as fictional characters, applications might be considered in exceptional circumstances. An example of this is Matt Murdock/Daredevil: the Daredevil movie was only referenced by title - not actual content - so the details are taken as having been anything, with the hero named anything other than Matt Murdock. It is something of a running joke in-game. (This is why we prefer to avoid mentions of Marvel properties in-game. If you need to reference something comic-y/superhero-y as fiction, stick to non-Marvel properties like DC.)
• Crossover Characters: Again, because there are in-game references, we will not accept characters from anywhere other than Marvel. This includes DC, Heroes, Buffy: the Vampire Slayer, Angel or anime/manga.
• Villains: You will see there are some characters in play that are villains in the comics (such as Emplate), but they are not villains in-game. We will allow for applications for characters that are villains in comics or movie canon, but they cannot remain villains in-game - there must be a reason for them to have reformed. This is because a villain will have no reason to interact with the bulk of the game on a day to day basis, and thus a player's gameplay would be severely limited.

Previously-Played Characters

Do I have to app for a previously-played character?

No. While our preference is to see all our orphans adopted, we do also welcome apps for new characters, especially students.

How do I know who has been played previously?

Check out the Unplayed Characters page, or this list which includes NPCs that are available for application.

I want to apply for a previously-played character. How well do you expect me to know their previous history?

If you're thinking of applying for one of our unplayed characters, we recommend you research. Start with the character page. Check out the plots they've been involved in, both via the Wiki write up and by using the link to x_logs provided to read the character's role. Check out their journal, and the tone of their entries to get an idea of how they've been played before. The mods will expect you to summarise the character's in-game history on the application to show you understand it. Copying and pasting of the wiki history will not be accepted.

We don't expect you to know every little detail - what we're looking for is an understanding of the formative events and relationships in the life of the character as portrayed so far.

The character I'm interested in has a "Contact the Mods" label on it. Why?

Characters marked with the Contact The Mods template may have additional issues which the mods will want to talk over with an applicant or direct the applicant to talk to other players. In some cases, it's complicated personal histories with PCs or relationships. In others, it's because we're aware of upcoming plots or events that might impact on them. Others might need some changes made to power levels in order to reflect changes to the game policies over time. In all cases, you shouldn't let that frighten you off - we're just as keen to find these characters a home as you are and will provide whatever help we can to make that possible.

Click on the Discussion tab at the top of the page for the reasons why the label is there.

I don't like what was done before. Can I just retcon their history?

No. With the advent of the Wiki as a repository of game information, it's just too difficult to alter a character's entire backhistory. It's also too much of a stretch for characters who previously associated with the character to suddenly treat them as a whole different person, or have significant history for them suddenly retconned out of existence. If you want to play the character differently, what you can do is fill in pre-game gaps left by the previous player, and in most cases, since the character has been unplayed for a time, give them off-screen experiences that might have changed their outlook.

So, I have to play the character exactly the same way as the previous person?

Not at all. We're aware a previous player's interpretation of a character might not gel with what a new player might want to do. As long as there is in-character justification for the change, we have no problems, and in fact, if you're interested in a character and want to bring them back without bringing back a part of their previous history, the mods and the players are happy to help brainstorm possibilities with you. Marie D'Ancato is a good example - her second player didn't want to continue the relationship with Logan established by her previous player, and so an IC explanation was worked out between her, the mods and Logan's new player.

The previous player is still in the game. What happens there?

In the case where we receive an application for a previously-played character whose original player is in the game still, we will give them a head's up and encourage discussion between the two of you. Same with players of characters with significant personal relationships with the character where the application indicates there's some gaps in how the applicant sees things.

This doesn't mean those players get right of veto over applications. The idea is to work together towards a mutually-agreeable position.

The character I want has already been used as an NPC/Villain. Does this mean I can't apply for them?

All canon mutant NPCs are available for application. Their previous in-game history must be factored in, the same as with a previously-played PC, and the socker/creator of the NPC will be notified of the interest so they can discuss possibilities, especially if there's a strong relationship between the NPC and their PC.

With Villains, because of the "no player character may be actively an unreformed villain" rule, there are more limits on who can be applied for as a PC. Magneto and the Brotherhood of Mutants, for example, cannot be applied for as they are the primary antagonists to the X-Men and there's just no logical way you could explain a change of heart, or explain them being accepted into the school or onto one of the teams. Also, it would remove a primary source of plots.

Some of the more minor villains, however, provided the application explains their change of status in a way that makes sense, could be applied for.

PBs

What's a PB and where do I find who's been used already?

PB stands for 'played by', and is basically a face chosen to represent your character. Think of it as the actor/singer who 'plays' your character. The list of previously used PBs can be found here, or, since the list isn't always up-to-date, use the "Search" function.

There are no 'banned' PBs, although we encourage people to be as realistic as possible. Try and stick to within 5 years of your character's age, try and get the correct ethnicity, try not to use someone who has been frequently referenced in-game as a celebrity or use non-iconic images, etc. We'd encourage people not to use MySpace, etc. images of non-celebrities, and using yourself is strongly discouraged as it blurs the IC/OOC line. Also, people may laugh at you. ;)

Can I change the PB of a previously-played character or NPC I'm applying for?

Yes. Just add a note to your app as to who you intend to use, preferably with a link.

The PB I want to use is already being used by an NPC!

In that case, you can still request permission to use it, especially if you have a character who is difficult to find a face for and the NPC one fits perfectly. The mods will ping the NPC's socker and see if there's any extreme objections to the face being picked up for use by a PC.