Original Characters

SRTMOO encourages Original Characters, or OCs! OCs can add texture to the world and take the plot in interesting directions that a feature character simply cannot.

OCs do not necessarily originate from any one theme. We've taken significant steps to make sure the world feels like a cohesive whole, and avoid a sense that a given character or theme has primary to exclusive claim on any one topic or area. OCs are simply OCs.

To help players focus their ideas, create a sense of fairness in OC development, and make it clear what we think would be beneficial to the game, we've set out a few expectations.

Guidelines

SRTMOO's universe is, from an OOC perspective, unique. Characters have been adjusted to fit a unified theme. This applies as much to original characters as it does to feature characters.

• OCs that closely mimic FCs from unintegrated themes will not be allowed. We will take an extremely dim view of attempts to "stealth integrate" a theme.
• Characters exist, for the time of their tenure, entirely within the scope of Super Robot Taisen MOO. Characters are not actively hopping to other RPs entirely and coming back with that content. There are a handful of feature characters who are dimension-hoppers in our theme; we'll work with their players on the details of previous universes they may have been in. While most concepts are available in equal measure to both feature characters and original characters, as of Phase 1 and 2, OCs who have directly and personally experienced other timelines will not be allowed.
• Characters should have their own unique hooks, within reason. Stealing another character's hook or tying it entirely around a single existing FC entirely cheapens both characters. Characters should form those sorts of powerful connections on-grid anyway.
• Characters should intersect with the theme and tone of the game. SRTMOO is fundamentally a hard-PG-13-to-soft-R anime mecha game. While there's room for a variety of takes on those key points, characters should actually be able to engage those key points.

Promises

This sort of thing can come off as diktat rather than collegial engagement. To that end, we want to lay out some guidelines for the game's engagement with OCs, just as we have OCs' engagement with the game.

• Just as original characters are discouraged from poaching feature characters' gimmicks, feature characters are discouraged from trying to invalidate original characters. If you're playing a mecha designer, for instance, Nina Einstein from Code Geass shouldn't OOCly scoop you on an exciting development along your own development tree. It's equally unfair to if you scooped her on FLEIJA and will be approached the same way.
• The actions of original characters have the same capacity to affect the setting as those of feature characters. There are admittedly some cases where feature characters have additional access to the levers of power initially, but having a leg up on touching the setting does not mean having a leg up on touching the story.