chap
ΚΙͺα΄α΄ α΄ ΚΚΙͺΙ΄α΄sα΄α΄Ι΄α΄ α΄α΄α΄‘Κα΄Κ
Inner Sanctum Nobility
β Champion β
β€ WELL HOWDY
I'm chap. Some of you probably know me. Others, you've probably only ever seen me making increasingly dumb jokes in chat. Sorry about that. Today, I'm bringing you something just a little bit different. For the last few weeks, I've had this weird idea percolating in my head and... well, I decided I might as well try to get it out, non? I've ran a lot of group games in the past, but never one on Inner Sanctum. Truth be told, I miss it. I'm a sucker for worldbuilding and collaborative storytelling. So, I decided to dust off the ol' GM hat, put it on my noggin, and this is what I came up with.
It's called Elsewhere.
β€ THE PITCH
So, what's this all about then? The title of the thread probably gave away some of the themes: liminal spaces, emotional avoidance, stagnation; all wrapped up in a neat little horror bow. Heavy stuff, right? As weird as that all sounds, the actual concept is pretty simple...
You see, there's an island off the coast of New England that doesn't exist on any map. It's perpetually wrapped in fog. There's a lighthouse and a very small town filled with stilted, strange residents. There's a diner that serves burnt coffee and never closes, deep pinewoods covering most of the island's interior, and smokestacks in the distance that stand as industrial ruins. It's a strange, otherworldly place.
The characters don't set out to find it.
They remember packing a bag, booking a ticket, boarding a ferry... what they don't remember is choosing where they were going. They 'come to' mid-journey on the ferry to the island, already too close to turn back, with no real sense that anything is wrong. At least, not yet.
At first, the island is merely unsettling. Time behaves oddly. Conversations repeat. Familiar things feel wrong, like memories borrowed from a dream. The town offers the illusion of refuge and comfort, but the longer you stay, the easier it becomes to stop asking questions.
Then the island begins to push back.
Whatever is wrong with this place does not remain symbolic or subtle forever. The woods are not empty. The lighthouse is not just a landmark. The town is not as inert as it appears. The horror here manifests in very real, very dangerous ways. People get hurt, people go missing, and some encounters cannot be talked through or walked away from.
This is a horror roleplay that blends psychological unease with physical threat. It's about people who stalled in their lives, finding themselves quite literally drifting without purpose... until they arrive on the shores of this strange little island. There will be investigation, escalation, confrontation, and consequences. Survival is not guaranteed and comfort is a lie that wears thin fast.
The island is patient.
But it is not safe.
β€ THEMES AND INSPIRATION
Elsewhere draws heavy inspiration from the works of David Lynch and the oppressive, reality-fracturing horror of Silent Hill with additional DNA pulled from liminal horror, cosmic dread, and slow-burn psychological thrillers. At its core, this is a story about liminality: places and people caught between states. Between leaving and staying. Between knowing and refusing to know. The island exists as this in-between purgatory where emotional truth matters more than physical logic and where discomfort grows not from spectacle, but from recognition.
Expect dream logic and abstraction, basically.
β€ HOW THE GAME WILL BE RUN
I'm still sorting this out, to be honest, and I think a lot of it will depend on what sort of interest I get. Ideally? There'll be a main thread where group scenes happen, major events occur, and the characters can feel 'together'. There'll also be satellite threads where characters can explore alone or in pairs, personal horrors can manifest, and things can feel a bit more intimate. We'll try to tie everything together. The island wants separation, but the story needs convergence.
As the GM, I'll likely control most of the NPCs and have my own character. I'll also control the pace and general flow of the story, but that isn't to say that the players won't have input or control of their own. I truly believe that the best group games are a purely collaborative experience. Basically, my philosophy as a GM is that I'm there to facilitate, not to railroad.
I'll likely introduce a few 'mysteries' from the players to explore at their own pace/interest right from the start. Think of them as little plot hooks or story seeds that can grow into something else.
This is a story-based game, so there won't be much in the way of game mechanics like dice and such.
As far as structure goes, I always like the idea of building group games around the idea of a 'season'. Each season has a defined beginning, middle, and end. Think of it like a TV show.
β€ QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
How many players are you looking for?
To start off with? Probably like 4 to 8. We'll play it by ear, though.
Who can I play?
You'll be playing a grounded, human character. Someone ordinary enough to feel real, but unfinished enough to belong on the island. They'll likely need to be at a transitional or stalled point in their life to make sense with the theming; ie recently divorced, in a dead-end job, stuck in a place they were meant to leave, avoiding a difficult decision, or simply drifting without a clear next step. This isn't a game about experts, heroes, or chosen ones. No one arrives on Elsewhere because they were special.
Who can't I play?
To preserve tone and tension, some character concepts won't be a good fit for this game. These include: Supernatural beings or non-human characters, 'Chosen One' types with prophecies or secret destinies, characters immune to fear, trauma, or consequence, joke characters or overt genre subversions, or characters who arrive with full knowledge of what the island is, why it exists, and how it works. Basically, if your character would feel comfortable, confident, and in control in a place like Elsewhere, they probably don't belong here.
I'm interested, but I don't know if I'll be available for a full season.
Hey, that's cool! Life comes first. If you're interested in the game, but you're not sure if you can fully commit, I'm open to the idea of having players play minor, side characters. Think of yourself as a guest who can come and go as you please during open scenes. You won't be as involved in the main storyline, but you can write with us as time allows.
When will this all begin?
I don't know yet! I'm still in the sort've early planning stages and there's a lot of prep work to be done. This is mostly just to get an idea of whether or not all that work is even worth doing.
What about the smut?
This is, for all intents and purposes, a non-sexual roleplay. Sex can absolutely be referenced, characters can form relationships, and there can be a sense of intimacy between them, but any actual sex scenes will be fade to black. In other words, if you're just looking for a place to write sexy stuff about sexy people doing sexy things, this might not be the right fit for you.
β€ IN CLOSING
Welp. I think that pretty much covers most of it. This is just an interest check and I have no idea when things would actually kick off, but if you are interested or have any questions, feel free to ask down below or send me a PM! Talk soon, yeah?
I'm chap. Some of you probably know me. Others, you've probably only ever seen me making increasingly dumb jokes in chat. Sorry about that. Today, I'm bringing you something just a little bit different. For the last few weeks, I've had this weird idea percolating in my head and... well, I decided I might as well try to get it out, non? I've ran a lot of group games in the past, but never one on Inner Sanctum. Truth be told, I miss it. I'm a sucker for worldbuilding and collaborative storytelling. So, I decided to dust off the ol' GM hat, put it on my noggin, and this is what I came up with.
It's called Elsewhere.
β€ THE PITCH
So, what's this all about then? The title of the thread probably gave away some of the themes: liminal spaces, emotional avoidance, stagnation; all wrapped up in a neat little horror bow. Heavy stuff, right? As weird as that all sounds, the actual concept is pretty simple...
You see, there's an island off the coast of New England that doesn't exist on any map. It's perpetually wrapped in fog. There's a lighthouse and a very small town filled with stilted, strange residents. There's a diner that serves burnt coffee and never closes, deep pinewoods covering most of the island's interior, and smokestacks in the distance that stand as industrial ruins. It's a strange, otherworldly place.
The characters don't set out to find it.
They remember packing a bag, booking a ticket, boarding a ferry... what they don't remember is choosing where they were going. They 'come to' mid-journey on the ferry to the island, already too close to turn back, with no real sense that anything is wrong. At least, not yet.
At first, the island is merely unsettling. Time behaves oddly. Conversations repeat. Familiar things feel wrong, like memories borrowed from a dream. The town offers the illusion of refuge and comfort, but the longer you stay, the easier it becomes to stop asking questions.
Then the island begins to push back.
Whatever is wrong with this place does not remain symbolic or subtle forever. The woods are not empty. The lighthouse is not just a landmark. The town is not as inert as it appears. The horror here manifests in very real, very dangerous ways. People get hurt, people go missing, and some encounters cannot be talked through or walked away from.
This is a horror roleplay that blends psychological unease with physical threat. It's about people who stalled in their lives, finding themselves quite literally drifting without purpose... until they arrive on the shores of this strange little island. There will be investigation, escalation, confrontation, and consequences. Survival is not guaranteed and comfort is a lie that wears thin fast.
The island is patient.
But it is not safe.
β€ THEMES AND INSPIRATION
Elsewhere draws heavy inspiration from the works of David Lynch and the oppressive, reality-fracturing horror of Silent Hill with additional DNA pulled from liminal horror, cosmic dread, and slow-burn psychological thrillers. At its core, this is a story about liminality: places and people caught between states. Between leaving and staying. Between knowing and refusing to know. The island exists as this in-between purgatory where emotional truth matters more than physical logic and where discomfort grows not from spectacle, but from recognition.
Expect dream logic and abstraction, basically.
β€ HOW THE GAME WILL BE RUN
I'm still sorting this out, to be honest, and I think a lot of it will depend on what sort of interest I get. Ideally? There'll be a main thread where group scenes happen, major events occur, and the characters can feel 'together'. There'll also be satellite threads where characters can explore alone or in pairs, personal horrors can manifest, and things can feel a bit more intimate. We'll try to tie everything together. The island wants separation, but the story needs convergence.
As the GM, I'll likely control most of the NPCs and have my own character. I'll also control the pace and general flow of the story, but that isn't to say that the players won't have input or control of their own. I truly believe that the best group games are a purely collaborative experience. Basically, my philosophy as a GM is that I'm there to facilitate, not to railroad.
I'll likely introduce a few 'mysteries' from the players to explore at their own pace/interest right from the start. Think of them as little plot hooks or story seeds that can grow into something else.
This is a story-based game, so there won't be much in the way of game mechanics like dice and such.
As far as structure goes, I always like the idea of building group games around the idea of a 'season'. Each season has a defined beginning, middle, and end. Think of it like a TV show.
β€ QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
How many players are you looking for?
To start off with? Probably like 4 to 8. We'll play it by ear, though.
Who can I play?
You'll be playing a grounded, human character. Someone ordinary enough to feel real, but unfinished enough to belong on the island. They'll likely need to be at a transitional or stalled point in their life to make sense with the theming; ie recently divorced, in a dead-end job, stuck in a place they were meant to leave, avoiding a difficult decision, or simply drifting without a clear next step. This isn't a game about experts, heroes, or chosen ones. No one arrives on Elsewhere because they were special.
Who can't I play?
To preserve tone and tension, some character concepts won't be a good fit for this game. These include: Supernatural beings or non-human characters, 'Chosen One' types with prophecies or secret destinies, characters immune to fear, trauma, or consequence, joke characters or overt genre subversions, or characters who arrive with full knowledge of what the island is, why it exists, and how it works. Basically, if your character would feel comfortable, confident, and in control in a place like Elsewhere, they probably don't belong here.
I'm interested, but I don't know if I'll be available for a full season.
Hey, that's cool! Life comes first. If you're interested in the game, but you're not sure if you can fully commit, I'm open to the idea of having players play minor, side characters. Think of yourself as a guest who can come and go as you please during open scenes. You won't be as involved in the main storyline, but you can write with us as time allows.
When will this all begin?
I don't know yet! I'm still in the sort've early planning stages and there's a lot of prep work to be done. This is mostly just to get an idea of whether or not all that work is even worth doing.
What about the smut?
This is, for all intents and purposes, a non-sexual roleplay. Sex can absolutely be referenced, characters can form relationships, and there can be a sense of intimacy between them, but any actual sex scenes will be fade to black. In other words, if you're just looking for a place to write sexy stuff about sexy people doing sexy things, this might not be the right fit for you.
β€ IN CLOSING
Welp. I think that pretty much covers most of it. This is just an interest check and I have no idea when things would actually kick off, but if you are interested or have any questions, feel free to ask down below or send me a PM! Talk soon, yeah?
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