Since we have several new players, and the format of the game can sometimes be intimidating if you haven’t played before, here’s an introduction for new players.
Once you have your character sheet and contact list, how do you actually start to play Callisto?
The simple answer is: you send an email to another character.
But who do you send it to, and what should be in that email? Look at your character sheet. Read your name, what your role is, and what your immediate problem is.
Now look at your contact list. Does it sound like any of those characters will be able to help you with your problem? If so, that should probably be the first character you write to. If none of them sound likely to be able to help, go ahead and pick one that at least sounds like someone your character would like to talk to.
Now, write them a letter. Introduce your character. Use the details from your character sheet, and make some more up. Ask for help, or news, or for directions to the next town. Ask who they are, and what you can do for them. Tell a story, describe what your character has recently witnessed.
Sign it as your character. Put [Tower of Callisto] in the subject line, plus whatever you want the subject to be. Put their address in the “to” field, put towerofcallisto@gmail.com in the “cc” field. Send the message.
That’s the basics. Once you’ve sent the letter, the other player will read it, and may even respond to it. Don’t be too discouraged if they don’t write back right away. It’s nice to get a response, but just as importantly, the ref will read your email. As the ref, I’ll be checking to see if any of the things you said in the letter fall under one of your Narrative Authorities.
Narrative Authorities are the things in the fictional game world where you have control of the facts. If you say something that falls under your Authority, it is definitely True. If you say something that isn’t under your Authority it might be true.
When I read something that falls under your authority, I’ll write a news post about it. The news posts are public, so other players will eventually learn about what you’ve said, and you’ll learn about what they’ve said. You probably won’t know what other players’ narrative authorities are until after the game is over.