Hisa's Microscope

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1Y5tZIJSdP4JPyB_0iFBS9vpiLUEQ91ziATYBN24RTVo/edit?usp=sharing

Hisa's Microscope is an Arc 0 world building exercise where we construct the world that came before whose shadows extend into the new virtual reality that the PC characters will be trapped in. (We might look back at this and go well that was pointless but hopefully we won't.) Aside from engine limitations, every other preconception about that game is hereby thrown out the window. Afterwards, anyone can keep their old character, make a new one or modify freely.

Rules

The Golden Rule
When it is your turn you cannot ask for help or input and other players must not give suggestions or ideas. Do not negotiate, discuss or poll. Other players can and should ask questions for detail and clarification and point out potential ramifications or contradictions but can never make suggestions, even small ones.

The Silver Rule
No one owns anything. Nothing is sacred. Once it's on the table, it can be destroyed, torn apart, warped, corrupted or whatever. However, nothing is removed from history. Just like Squenix, you can always go back and release something else involving Sephiroth.

Flow of Play

1) Declare Focus
One player, called the Lens, declares the Focus. The Focus is the unifying theme for the round and can be practically anything from a specific person to a group, an event or even an idea. Anything anyone creates for the rest of the round must be related, even if tangentially, to the Focus.

2) Open the Focus
The Lens creates a Period, Event or Scene or one of those things nested in another - up to two items. This lets the Lens get the Focus going for everyone.

3) Play the Focus
The other players go in order, (going down our list) each creating a single item revolving around the Focus.

4) Close the Focus
The Lens creates a Period, Event or Scene or one of those things nested in another - up to two items. This gives them the last word.

5) Choose Legacy
The person who was last during Step 3 (the person who was Lens previous round) chooses one thing that came up during Steps 2-4 and makes it their Legacy. Or they can keep their current one if they already have one.

6) Explore a Legacy
The same player creates an Event or dictated Scene relating to any Legacy in play (not necessarily the one just created).

7) -intermission- -repeat-

Guidelines

• Give a full description of the Period or Event before writing in the box - the box is tiny so what you describe is more important. Be detailed and vivid and speak with authority because you are the GM for the moment. The more interested other people are in the thing, the more likely they will build on it.
• Everything is light or dark in Tone. You are never wrong about Tone but you must explain your judgement. Items of differing tone are frequently nested within one another.
• Lower level items must be nested inside existing higher level items.
• Beware of OOC information during scenes.*

Foci

• When in doubt, pick a small and concrete one like a particular person or incident. Even narrow Foci expand naturally when players create tangential items.
• Don't worry if you have no idea why anyone would care about your Focus.

Legacies

• There can only be as many Legacies as there are players. In order to pick a new one (during Step 5) you must drop your existing one if you already have one. Having your name attached to a Legacy gives no other authority over it.
• Whenever one is dropped, another player may immediately adopt it by dropping their own.
• Legacies will linger into the next game somehow.**

Periods

• There is room between Periods for another Period so long as no established facts are contradicted. When doing such insertions, make sure it is very clear how this Period differs from its neighbours.
• If a Period feels like it must follow another Period, it is probably an Event within said Period.

Events

• Paint a clear picture. It is particularly important in Events to be concrete about what is physically happening.
• Even if you leave room for exploration in the middle (through Scenes) the outcome of the Event must be clear.
• If an Event feels like it must follow another Event, it is probably a Scene within said Event.

Scenes

• All Scenes have a Setting and are framed by a Question that must be answered. The Question can be as leading, incriminating and stacked as you like.
• A Scene can be Dictated or Played. A Dictated Scene is fully created by the creating player just like an Event. In a Played Scene, the author gives up absolute control and inviting the other players to roleplay and decide what happens together (because it'll be more interesting that way).