9. Rumors and Requests

[Legion]

Rumor Threads

With all of the oddities transpiring around Lumen City and its surrounding areas, it's no surprise that people have started to take notice. Some are content to keep their heads down and let things play out, figuring if it doesn't get in their way it isn't a problem. Others, however, have a truly inquisitive mindset. Where some see danger, they see opportunity. Where some see anomaly, they see mystery. They keep an ear to the ground for whispered information, browse social media for suspicious happenings, and comb the internet for message boards dedicated to looking into the uptick in digital phenomena. For those who know where to find them, these rumors are everywhere. Some solve them for the sake of helping others. Some solve them for personal gain. And some just hope they'll be the key to understanding what's going on in Lumen City.

Rumors are one of the key types of threads here on Digimon: Future Shock. Think of them as a hybrid between player-run NPC threads and on-site mini-events. Typically they're rather freeform in nature, giving you a prompt about he Digimon that's been sighted and leaving the rest to your investigative ability. However, some rumors have a bit more of a concrete goal behind them, so if you're looking for something a bit more guided keep an eye out for these.

Investigating a Rumor

While it can take effort to discover and trace rumors in character, the process is a lot more streamlined out of character. All you need to do is head to the Rumor Board section, find a rumor that catches your interest, and post your interest in the thread. There may be requirements for joining, such as a certain Digivolution level, access to a certain kind of item, or even just a character trait the author wants focused on in the thread, so make sure you read closely before asking to come along.

Once you're along for the ride, please keep in mind that Rumor threads are higher-priority threads! Only so many members can join a single Rumor, so it's important that you match the listed posting pace. In addition, we want Rumor threads to go to members that are genuinely excited about participating in them. If you're just wasting people's time or constantly trying to go against the flow of the thread, the member running the Rumor has the right to ask you to leave. We're not asking for a railroad here. We just want the member running the Rumor and the other participants in their thread to have their time and effort respected.

Outside of those two requests, pretty much anything goes. The Rumor is more of a prompt than a command. Feel free to take on these threads in any way you'd like. All we can ask is that you be mindful of your human limits and not over-commit to too many rumors, while also being mindful of your fellow members and not taking too many spaces before they can express interest.

Posting Pace

Per the site rules, there is no mandatory posting pace on Future Shock. We typically believe that members should post at a pace that works best for them and communicate openly with their partners to ensure the thread is moving to everyone's liking. However, when you sign up for a limited-participation thread such as a Rumor, you're making an agreement with both the rumor host and your fellow participants. In order to respect both their creative efforts and their time, please respect the requested posting pace. This goes for the Rumor's host as well; while we appreciate being courteous and understanding, one member dragging their feet can hamper the flow and inspiration of others. There's nothing wrong with enforcing an already-made agreement, and we'd prefer that over just letting the thread die out.

At the same time, the Rumor's host should consider the size and pace of the thread. A rumor that drags out for too long can end up stalling out. While it's okay to have big ambitions, please consider how long a Rumor might take to investigate and how long the resulting thread may take. Consider your target postcount or pagecount, and remember that pages are ten posts on Future Shock.

Rewards

The rewards of a Rumor thread are proportionate to the level of complexity and danger that a rumor thread provides. A short, open-and-shut case starring a harmless, peaceful Digimon is going to have a smaller reward than a thread where you're being stalked through unfamiliar territory by a hostile, dangerous threat. The reward of a Rumor is tied to a rating, put together from a variety of factors:

• How long of a thread do you see this Rumor being? Is this a quick mystery that can be wrapped up in a page or two, or a longer, more intricate thread?
• How complicated is the Rumor? Is it fairly simple to look into, or is it going to need a lot of experimentation and investigation?
• What is the temperament of the Digimon involved? Is it cheerful and friendly? Cold and distant? Wary and prone to hiding? A mischievous trickster? Downright cruel and hostile?
• How high level is the Digimon being investigated? We are currently capping this at Perfect, but even brief appearances by Digimon at such a level are incredibly rare.
• Is the possibility of combat on the table?

Each Rumor has a code based on these ratings, of which currently three are known.

Code Green missions are nice, simple, and low-risk. Even a completely defenseless human could investigate these with little to no trouble, and tend to be more about mischief or oddities than actual dangers. Actually finding these Rumors tends to be more difficult than actually solving them. These are worth between 300 and 500 Memory, or a specific item worth up to 750 Memory.

Code Yellow missions are enigmas. They tend not to be as obviously safe as Code Green missions, but also lack the clear and present danger of a Code Red. They tend to be toss-ups, capable of going either way depending on the way they're investigated, and usually require a good bit of brainpower. These are worth between 500 and 1,000 Memory, or a specific item worth up to 1,500 Memory.

Code Red missions are the dangerous kind, the kinds of rumors usually prefaced with a "steer clear of these." These nearly always have an element of risk to them, if not outright hostility, and the Digimon on these missions will usually be above your weight class. Enter these at your own risk. These are worth over 1,000 Memory, up to a whopping 1,500. It can also be a specific item worth up to 2,000 Memory.

Theoretical levels of danger above this have been informally grouped as "Code Black", but so far these have yet to be seen. It'd take a truly incredible reward to drive a mission this dangerous, would it not? Perhaps even something truly unique . . .

Hosting a Rumor

Hosting a rumor is a big responsibility, but it can also be a truly exciting one. It's a rare opportunity to take the spotlight off of your character and instead give an NPC, story, or mystery of your own choosing the limelight, all while getting a chance to run a thread for some of your fellow members. To host a Rumor, please fill out the following template.

Name: The name of the Rumor.
Mission Rating: Is this Code Green, Code Yellow, or Code Red?
Posted By: If this is a direct request for help or information, please give the name of the character (NPC or player character!) making the request. Otherwise, this is optional.
Location: Where would this Rumor be taking place?
Premise: A brief premise of the mystery driving this rumor.
# of Members: How many members can join in the investigation?
Requirements: Do you have any requirements for the members who wish to join?
Posting Pace: How often would you prefer posts in this Rumor be made?
Reward: What is the reward being offered?

[b]Name:[/b] The name of the Rumor.
[b]Mission Rating:[/b] Is this Code Green, Code Yellow, or Code Red?
[b]Posted By:[/b] If this is a direct request for help or information, please give the name of the character (NPC or player character!) making the request.  Otherwise, this is optional.
[b]Location:[/b] Where would this Rumor be taking place?
[b]Premise:[/b] A brief premise of the mystery driving this rumor.
[b]Objective:[/b] If there is a concrete goal in mind, state it here.
[b]# of Members:[/b] How many members can join in the investigation?
[b]Requirements:[/b] Do you have any requirements for the members who wish to join?
[b]Posting Pace:[/b] How often would you prefer posts in this Rumor be made?
[b]Reward:[/b] What is the reward being offered?

In addition, if you're expecting combat to take place, please PM the moveset of any Digimon involved to a staff member so that we can approve it. We won't be as strict about these as we are actual in character movesets, so don't be afraid to get a little weird with it, but we do want to make sure that things are being kept fair.

Once you've filled these out, and your Rumor's been checked by a staff member, all you need to do is get some interested members and get the ball rolling! Just post in the thread again when the mission's complete so we can hand out rewards.

As a final note, don't think you'll go unrewarded for running this Rumor thread. For every member who joins the rumor, you get 30% of the listed Rumor reward upon completion. We know the bigger the thread, the more effort it takes to run, so consider this our thanks for taking on the responsibility of a big thread.