MUG:How To Play

Basic Concept

MUG uses a collaborative storytelling system. The game works best when everyone works together, and the rules below are set up the keep everyone on the same page.

How To Play

During each story segment (the time between one storyline update and the next) each player gets a set number of actions. This number is based on the number of people playing and the number of characters available. It can be found on the Actions page, which is also where you go to post your choices.

Actions

What makes an action good or bad for the game? Follow the guidelines below.

• An action is an attempt at doing something, not the doing itself.

GOOD: Spider-Man attacks Doctor Octopus

BAD: Spider-Man beats up and arrests Doctor Octopus

Why? The results are up to the writers of each segment. If the results are predetermined, it's harder to make everyone's actions fit together. It also puts too much control in any one player's hands.

• An action may build on someone else's, but should not advance time in the process.

GOOD: Daredevil sees Spider-Man & Doctor Octopus fighting and joins in to help

BAD: After finishing off Doctor Octopus, Spider-Man attacks Venom

Why? Collaboration is the spirit of MUG. However, time should only advance when storyline updates are posted

• An action uses existing heroes in the game, not introduce new ones.

GOOD: Angel joins the X-Men

BAD: Warren Worthington III discovers he's a mutant and seeks out others of his kind

Why? New characters all always introduced when a new chapter begins. See below.

• An action never kills anyone.

GOOD: Punisher goes on the hunt for criminals

BAD: Punisher shoots Shocker in the head

Why? Deaths only occur in conclusion rounds, to keep them from happening too often. See below.

Conclusion Rounds

Whenever the story reaches a natural high-point, a conclusion round will occur. This will bring all current plots to a close. For that reason, actions will not be used. Instead, a poll will be put up on the action page. Fill out the poll to play. The option that gets the most picks for each action will occur (in this round, the players make the final decision, not the writers). During this round, there will also be two special questions:

Will anyone die? You may suggest how one character may die in the course of this conclusion round. The writer may pick one or two of these suggestions if they make the most sense in the arc of the story. Try to avoid killing off major characters unless it's a really great moment for the story. Character death will be taken more seriously here than it tends to be in the comics.

Do you want to add any new characters? You may suggest an origin for one new character to join the game. Any that make sense will be accepted by the writers, and the activation of the character will take place after the conclusion round is over. Certain characters are not allowed for now because they represent large chunks of story which should be handled all together. For now, those limits are: No Gods, No Aliens, No Time Travelers. Those characters will be introduced in special storylines to come later.

When you write an origin for a character, the aim is to have the story explain how he or she just received their powers (or how their mutant power has just manifested). Origins that imply people have been around with their powers for a while gets us into retcon country.