If you've never played the DS game before don't sweat it. We're only loosely basing the SB on its concept.
Hit me up with any questions, and comment if you would like to join.
WFP link: https://coffeecat.writerfeedpad.com/1
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What You Know: The Setting
As you should be aware, your character has woken up on an early 20th century cruise liner. In this ship, all of the external doors and windows have been sealed, and many of the internal doors are locked. This means that any outdoor areas and a lot of inside rooms are completely inaccessible to the characters. Additionally, when the ocean water gradually starts to rise inside the ship from the bottom, it will close off many lower rooms and levels.
There are five main ship levels: Bottom Deck, E Deck, C Deck, B Deck, and A Deck. Here is a simple picture of the levels:
The characters can access the top four levels, but Bottom Deck is (thought to be) off limits due to it already being flooded once the characters wake up.
There are various facilities and sections on the ship. I have included a mix of rooms from the official DS game along with some new ones. The following is each area or room according to the deck they are located on:
Rooms & Locations
Spoiler! :
There is also a series of Central Staircase rooms that connect decks A through to D. After waking up and escaping their individual cabins, the characters will all gather together for the first time at the C Deck Staircase room, where Zero will announce the Nonary Game to them.
What You Know: The Game
This is a quote from the official Nintendo DS game dialogue during Zero's announcement:
At that moment… A speaker crackled to life, and a cold, eerie voice filled the room… “Welcome aboard. I welcome you all, from the bottom of my heart, to this, my vessel.”
The seven companions had heard the voice as well, and many of their faces had gone pale. They looked around frantically, desperate to locate the source of the voice. At last they found it… A speaker set in the ceiling.
“I am Zero… The captain of this ship. I am also the person who invited you here.” The voice was harsh, obscured occasionally by the crackle of static… “I mean to have you participate in a game. Some of you, I know, are familiar with this game. The Nonary Game. It is a game… where you will put your life on the line. The rules of the Nonary Game can be found upon your persons.”
Silver reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small slip of paper. Junpei followed suit, and dug into the pocket of his pants.
“It would seem Zero has seen fit to grace us each with a letter,” said Lion. “Would you mind terribly reading it to us, young man?”
Junpei read: “On this ship, you will find a handful of doors emblazoned with numbers. We will call them the numbered doors. The key to opening these numbered doors are the numbered bracelets that each of you possess. Should you total the numbers on your numbered bracelets and find that the digital root of that number is equal to the number of that door, the door will open. Only those who have opened the door may pass through.
Let's take a moment to pause. Before you get overwhelmed, let me assure you that I will be handling all the technical details, such as digital roots. And obviously who the characters are and what they say will be different. So you don't have to think about that stuff. Okay, let's continue...
"There are, however, limits. Only 3-5 people can pass through one numbered door. All those who enter must leave, and all who enter must contribute. The purpose of the game is simple: Leave this ship alive. It is hidden, but an exit can be found. Seek a way out… Seek a door that carries a 9.”
Zero spoke again, “There is one last thing I must tell you. As you have no doubt surmised, this ship has begun to sink. On April 14th, 1912… the famous ocean liner Titanic crashed into an iceberg. After remaining afloat for 2 hours and 40 minutes, it sank beneath the waters of the North Atlantic. I will give you more time. Nine hours. That is the time you will be given to make your escape.” The voice finished, and the speaker went silent.
The sound of a bell tolling echoed through the hall. It came from the dance hall adjacent to the stairwell.
It took the assembled on the stairs mere moments to trace the sound to an antique clock embedded in the wall.
7… 8… 9…
The sound of the 9th bell faded away. The 10th never came. That meant the time was 9 o’clock. Most likely 9 o’clock in the evening. When Junpei had peered out the window of his cell, he’d seen nothing but blackness. It had to be nighttime. If that was the case, then they would need to escape by 6am the following day…
“Now, it is time,” came Zero’s voice again. “Let our game begin. I wish you all the best of luck.” The speaker went silent, and did not speak again.
All this will happen, more or less. What Zero says and what is written on the game rules letter will be exactly the same, word for word. The clock tolling after will also happen.
Once all this basic setup information is covered in the storybook, we won't need to go over any more of this. So feel free to relax your shoulders and breathe a sigh of relief.
There's one last dump of game info. This part concerns the numbered door bracelet scanners (from a second note Zero provides the characters):
“I shall tell you of the function of the RED, the DEAD, and of the bracelet. The RED is the Recognition Device. It will verify your number. Beside every numbered door, you will find a RED. The DEAD is the Destructive Device. It does exactly what it says. Once you have passed through a numbered door, you must use the DEAD to stop the detonator in your bracelet.
“But perhaps you are wondering… What does this detonator detonate? I am afraid this may be something of a surprise. I have placed a small bomb inside of you, and the people whom you are about to meet. You swallowed it while you were unconscious. I have no doubt that by the time you read this note, the bomb will have passed your stomach and found its way to your small intestine. In other words, you will be unable to regurgitate it. I suggest you do not try.
“As I mentioned before, the bracelet on your left hand contains a detonator. Think of it as a remote fuse, or timer, for the bomb in your body. There is only one condition that will cause it to detonate. That condition is that you enter a numbered door. Once you have done so, the timer will activate, no matter who you may be. You will have 81 seconds. If, after that time, the detonator has not been deactivated, it will send a signal to the bomb in your body, instructing it to explode.
“In order to deactivate the detonator, every person who verified their number at the RED must also verify their numbers at the DEAD. Once all numbers have been verified by the DEAD, you need only pull the lever at its side, and the countdown will cease. Anyone who does not verify their number at the RED will find themselves unable to verify their number at the DEAD. You must also keep in mind that the numbered doors will close automatically after 9 seconds have passed. So long as the door is open, the DEAD will not function. You would do well to remember this.
“Lastly, let us discuss how to remove the bracelets. There are only 2 ways to do so. One: You escape from the ship. Two: Your heart rate reaches zero. It will shut down automatically. If you attempt to force it off, or disable the detonator, the bomb within you will immediately explode.
“This is all the information which I can impart to you. How you choose to use it is for you to decide. If used wisely, you can eliminate those who might be a danger to you. For a time, you would be able to control your fate. I wish you the best of luck.”
That is it. Those are the game rules, exactly how they were explained in the official game.
Now please don't hurt me for making you read all that.
What You Know: Zero
Zero is the captor of your character, and is the one controlling the Nonary Game. Zero's identity is unknown, since Zero wore a gas mask with a big trench coat when kidnapping your character, and always speaks through a voice changer.
Where and when Zero abducted your character depends on you, but the method is the same for everyone: while your character was alone, Zero knocked him/her unconscious with a Soporil gas bomb. That was your character's last memory before waking on the ship.
What You Know: The Truth
If I haven't stressed the word "secrets" enough, I will now. Think of it this way: The Truth is the big, ultimate plot mystery at the end of the storybook, and each character is holding a piece of it to themselves. The pieces will only join at the end, when all the character secrets are revealed.
It won't be the end of the world if you accidentally reveal your character's secret early on, but if everyone knows The Truth already, the story will get boring pretty fast.
However, hinting at secrets in your posts is very, VERY good! Hinting lets everyone know that there is something being hidden, but doesn't explain what it is. Please do this abundantly.
There are two universal goals in this 999 storybook:
1. Escape the ship (i.e. find Door 9) before the nine hours is up.
2. Discover The Truth (all the pieces of the mystery).
Within these two goals, you will have a tone of freedom to decide where your character explores, what they find, who they interact with etc.
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