pumpkinhollow

FAQ

A hub for all your questions! This ever-evolving page has the answers to any questions we anticipate being asked as a base with more being added as-needed!

SETTING QUESTIONS

What is Pumpkin Hollow? Pumpkin Hollow is a horror game with a comedy edge and an underlying mystery, set on a fictional island suffering from a terrible curse. Characters from other worlds come here after enduring near-death experiences as a form of purgatory, tasked with beginning a strange new life in order to try and find their way home. Earn a living, gossip with your neighbors, and deal with magic and monsters ranging from terrifying to benign!

What happens when my character wakes up? The premise tab on our home page is a great place to start, giving you all the context for how your journey begins! But to briefly sum up: you wake up in a strange room with a white-haired woman who offers you an opportunity. You aren't dead yet, but you've had a near death experience that could kill you. Take up a new life in a far away land and find your purpose there in order to return to the life you had, or decline and accept your demise. Accepting will take you to Marrow Isle and from there you will start fresh in the little town there while seeking answers on your new home, and how to return to your old one.

Do I have to play a character that has died canonically? Nope! You can play any character that is capable of dying, and can base their arrival here on a canon death, a canon near-death experience, or invent a non-canon event if you want to.

What if my character doesn't accept the white-haired woman's proposal for a new life? Game Over! Unfortunately characters who would decline the offer to come to Pumpkin Hollow just wouldn't go. In order to play Pumpkin Hollow, you should app in a character who is willing to accept the offer, however begrudgingly. Characters who would say no outright probably aren't a good fit anyway.

Where are we? Marrow Isle is a fairly large island covered in dense forest. It features a small mountain range, high cliffs, and a sizeable expanse of countryside. The lone town on the island is Pumpkin Hollow itself. It appears to be in the style of a European village, with Tudor-style architecture all piled on top of itself. For more details on the village and surrounding island, our Locations page is a great resource.

What is the village center like/layout of the island? How big is this place? It's a pretty big island and would take a few days to walk it from end to end on foot. Thankfully, there are boats, horses, a trolley system, and a small train circuit to help with travel. While early cars do exist in this world, their presence isn't common on a remote island like Marrow Isle.

What are the townspeople like? Tired, mostly. You would be too if you were dealing with various monsters of the week and starving to death, repeatedly, for the last handful of years. In general, they are welcoming, but a bit wary. Most are hearty folk with one trade or another, who came to this place to improve their lives. Of course that doesn’t rule out a surly villager or two who doesn’t take kindly to the strange new faces around the island. Feel free to sprinkle in villager interactions to flavor your threads, you don’t need to contact a mod for permission. This does include Yorick and the Mayor, as they’re simple mechanical npcs with a set purpose of either welcoming you or assigning you a job.

However, should you wish to interact with one of the played NPCs please contact the mod player in question!

Speaking of those played NPCs, who are they? For these characters, the term "NPC" is a bit of a misnomer. In reality, they are fully interactable original characters who are highly relevant to the game's plot! They're the leaders of the organizations that will form the basis of a loose faction-like system that we will gradually be implementing in the game. Degas Clayton is the preacher at the Temple of Sacred Roots of Our Four Earthly Mothers, and will gladly help you get settled and teach you about the local religion. Dahlia Leeds is the last surviving member of Pumpkin Hollow's founding family and a helpful research buff, whose Historical Society is great at digging up information. Neil West is the mild-mannered leader of the Ocularum, an occult interest group attempting to unravel the mysteries of Pumpkin Hollow's curse. And lastly, players will meet the elusive Elsie, an off-the-grid philosopher and pariah who knows the woods like the back of her hand. Each is played by one of your friendly moderators, so feel free to reach out to the appropriate mod if you're interested in chatting with any of them!

There are factions? Does this mean I have to pick a side? These aren't quite factions in the sense you might be used to seeing in Dreamwidth games, which is why we tend to refer to them as organizations. Joining one requires an initiation of sorts and comes with perks, and you are limited to one at a time. However that doesn't bar you from social interaction with members of other groups! The leaders of some of them do not get along but that's their business. Think of them as paths you can take on your adventure, rather than proper factions.

Wait… Do I have to get a job? Yes, but also no! Should you wish there’s a variety of options but also you can simply crash at the inn and collect a barebones paycheck every month. There are pros and cons to each, but you can change your job by having a chat with the Mayor easily.

What if my character is a workaholic? Can they get TWO jobs? Considering the level of technology in Pumpkin Hollow most jobs take longer than we're used to in modern times. Which is a long way of saying no, you can only have one job at a time, but you can change whenever you'd like!

Do I have to do math? A little bit, yes! But we have a ledger sheet set up that should help with the process and simple addition/subtraction for food and supplies and the like. Nothing gets into the minutiae of purchasing, just broad strokes to give you a framework to work in. Mods are also prepared to help with crunching numbers as-needed!

So we get a paycheck, does that mean we can buy rewards? Not in the traditional journal-based game sense. You won’t be able to gain additional powers through the buying might of coin. You can buy better equipment for your job, upgrade your home, get new clothes or trinkets, and much more at the shops! However be aware that there may be some limitations due to Marrow Isle being somewhat remote.

Okay, but there has to be a network, right? While this hadn't been the case for much of the game, this has recently updated! A demonic deal from a player now brings you Sending Stones, which can bring your voice to any other stone, all the way across the island! Beyond that direct connection, however, your best bet for wide-reaching communication is the Community Message Board.

So what’s the technology like in this world, then? Think cusp of the industrial revolution with a dash of steampunk. Most of the machinery runs on steam or good old-fashioned man-power, books are still printed by press or tediously by hand, streetlights in the village square are rudimentary electric, and houses tend to have a small amount of electric lighting along with oil-burning lanterns. Indoor plumbing thankfully has been invented.

I’m from a technologically advanced world, could I build something here as a substitute for the tech I'm used to? Fat chance, Tony Stark! But jokes aside, you can innovate to a degree but keep it within reason and relatively period appropriate. Nothing game-breaking either please! You'll have to keep your supersuits, flying cars, and video games in the future where they belong.

GAME MECHANICS

Is there an overarching plot? Hold onto your britches, because yes there is! A lot of secrets are hiding around the island that allude to what happened before you arrived and how the island got as bad as it did, so the first step will be to explore as you settle into your strange new world.

Is it possible to die in Pumpkin Hollow? Yes and no. Characters can die in Pumpkin Hollow an unlimited amount of times and return to life each time, but you are deeply inconvenienced for doing so. You may lose resources, are incapacitated for some time, often come back to life in strange places, and more. When you die, you will have to submit a cause of death and a resurrection plan which mods must approve (or you can ask to be surprised by us!) and may be subject to additional setbacks depending on the circumstances of the death. More details on death can be found here.

What happens to a character during hiatus or if they drop? You can decide any narrative excuse you like for a hiatus, as long as it makes sense. Prolonged illness or injury, depressive episode, demonic possession that caused them to run off into the woods and eat rocks for a month, whatever works for you!

A drop, however, will result in a specific event. In the middle of the night your character will feel an irresistible pull to wake from their sleep and return to the docks, where they are awaited by the ferry. Something about the status of their well-being in their original life has changed. Whether that be a miracle recovery or an untimely demise is hard to say, but whatever it is has rendered the white-haired woman's offer null and void, and the character must now return to their own world.

If a new player wants to pick up a character that was formerly played and then dropped by a previous player, they will have no memories of their previous time on Marrow Isle. The lore reason for this is that this person is simply a version of that character from a slightly different timeline.

If my character has powers, will they be nerfed or removed? Not unless their powers are game-breaking. If your character can shoot fire out of their hands, that doesn't impact the stakes, it just makes things somewhat more on fire. However, if your character can become completely invincible or is deathless, then they will probably need to have some adjustments made. Characters that can fly will also need limitations, as it would be game-breaking for them to be able to escape Marrow Isle.

What about non-humans? Will they need to be made human? Nope! No forced humanization. The locals are used to seeing all kinds of monsters and beasties. However, Pumpkin Hollow does take place in a period setting and so science fiction characters with futuristic designs may experience some cosmetic changes to help them fit in. For example, a robotic-looking individual may appear as an old-fashioned automaton. Oversized or undersized characters will also need to be made roughly person-sized.

How are Activity Checks handled? All that is required for Activity Check is a simple check-in to ensure that no one has disappeared off the face of the planet. Slow months happen to everyone, especially over the holidays, and we're no sticklers! Higher levels of activity are strongly encouraged and incentivized, however! More details on our Activity Check page.

How do I get activity bonuses and incentives? Our AC page covers this in greater detail but the gist is that for every unique thread that contains 10 tags (total, as in presumably 5 tags from you and 5 from your partner) dated within that month, you get bonus in-game currency. The more time you spend talking and adventuring with your neighbors, the faster you can Stardew Valley your way into your dream home!

How often can I use a thread for extra rewards? If a thread has at least 10 tags dated in one month and is continued and ends up with 10 tags for the following month, you can use it for both months. One super-long thread is still a lot of activity, so hey, credit where credit is due!

Can I bang these barbies together? Can my character be pregnant? Pumpkin Hollow is sex-friendly but not sex-focused, so any NSFW threads need to be warned for in a log or comment header. Threads of a violent or forced sexual nature are not allowed! Please see our Community Standards on the main page for additional details on disallowed or sensitive content, because we do take that pretty seriously.

Characters can certainly become pregnant, but it's not advisable. The island is dangerous and your objective is ultimately to return to your original life. Some characters may ultimately decide to stay in Pumpkin Hollow, but that's something to consider.

Can my character make protective charms or wards with their powers or by other means? They can but the charm or ward won't be 100% effective even if it might have been back home. Think of it more like rolling with advantage in terms of dice.

Are there any basic supplies my character can use/borrow? Yes! Town hall has some very basic weapons, sword, axes, shields, bows and arrows, etc, and very basic armor (think like heavy leathers, maybe some janky chain-mail if you're lucky). Characters are free to borrow these items but be aware that they'll break rather easily! You'll definitely want to save up and buy a good sturdy weapon if your character plans on hunting frequently. You do not need mod permission to borrow a set, just keep it reasonable.

Can characters working the same job (i.e. Fisherman, Enforcer, etc) pool their money for upgrades? No, they can't. However, money could be pooled for other items, or simply gifted. Just hit us up if something strikes your fancy.

Do invading monsters/plagues/curses/etc go away after awhile? In Pumpkin Hollow the curses seem to ebb and flow. For instance, the brutok invasion will start to taper off, but they can still be found in the deep forest. They might return as before, they might not! The same goes for most things on Marrow Isle, unless explicitly stated by the mods so feel free to have your character bump into a brutok later on down the road if you'd like!

What's the deal with the shady merchant? If you're interested in regaining an item from home, just reach out to the mods to discuss it. This may take some more doing if we're not as canon-familiar with something but we'll sort it out. We'll sporadically add new items in. Any canon-regains will be fairly damaged to the point where using them will prove difficult and generally be an outrageous price, but they don't leave the shop till purchased, which can be done via special purchase requests.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS

Who can I app into the game? Canon characters, original characters, CRAU from other writing games, tabletop/MMO characters created by you, canon AU characters, reasonably different series duplicate characters (i.e. different Marvel versions of the same character), fandom OCs with no direct connection to a canon character, and blank-slate characters (such as the Warden from Dragon Age). MMO protagonists such as the Commander from Guild Wars 2 are also accepted, provided no preconceived relationships are forced onto any other characters from the same canon without prior discussion from all players involved.

All characters must have a canon or headcanon event that led to their death or near-death at the time of their canon point in order to ICly be able to enter Pumpkin Hollow.

Are AU versions of characters acceptable? What about CRAU? Absolutely, but they need to make a reasonable amount of narrative sense. The details are laid out more specifically in our character claim post, but as long as you can figure out a lore reason for your character to be here that's more or less logical then it isn't a problem. The biggest concern is that all characters come from circumstances where they're capable of dying so that the stakes of our premise work as intended.

My CRAU character has special powers from their last game, can they use those? Same rules apply as other characters with powers. Game-breaking powers would be nerfed, but within reason, yes.

Can my character have multiple CRAUs? Yes, again with the stipulation that it make narrative sense and not be game-breaking.

How does apping in teenage or child characters work? This allowance was recently added (April 2024) by popular vote among players. Prior to this, only adult characters were permitted to app in. As such, please be patient with us as we work out the kinks in this new feature.

As it currently stands, here's how we're handling things: characters over the age of 18 (or adulthood for their species) will be readily accepted into the game, barring incident, while younger characters will be subject to somewhat more rigorous review by the mods to make sure they're a good fit. Age, independence, and life experience are the main things we look at. There are no hard and fast limits for any of these things, but we'll use the combined information to determine if they're a good fit. We're pretty lenient! We just want to make sure no one's throwing a helpless kid into a traumatic situation.

Additionally, there are some special rules for teenage/child characters. First off, all conduct between characters of differing age groups needs to be kept age-appropriate and relationship-appropriate. Romantic or sexual interactions between adults and minors is unacceptable (except between characters who are extremely close in age, such as an 18 year old and a 17 year old). Sexual conversation should also remain appropriate and non-graphic (i.e. "The Talk" would be okay but discussing sexual exploits in detail would not.) Older teenagers engaging in a sexual relationship with someone of similar age must fade to black. These rules are non-negotiable and breaking them, even off-comm, will result in disciplinary action proportional to the severity.

Finally, please be aware that many players find children in extreme duress or traumatic situations to be triggering. Please stay on top of content warnings in horror-centric threads. The younger your character is, the more this applies. My character is a 5000 year old mage in the body of a young– Do not pass go. Do not collect 200 Brass. Go directly to jail.

Jokes aside--- characters that are obviously adults (immortal or not) but look nebulously young can be treated as adults with regards to our rules about NSFW interactions/content. However, it's not hard to tell when a character is in this state for legitimate narrative reasons vs. just looking for loopholes for NSFW situations. You know who you are.

What kinds of characters are not allowed? Other people’s OCs, real people, author self-inserts, or any character that violates the above standards.

Can I app a character who was previously played here? If so, do they remember anything? If you drop a character and are returning, you can app in a character again if they were not taken while you were gone and they may retain memories or may be a completely new version of the character. If you are apping in a character that someone else previously played, they would not retain any memories.

How many characters can I play? Currently the hard cap is seven characters per player.

Can I play more than one character from the same fandom? Provided the characters are not close to each other in canon or wouldn't feasibly have interacted much. This is on a case-by-case basis and we can be more flexible with OCs than canon characters, so please reach out to us about it!

My character has a dietary, physical, or other special need. How do they deal with it? In the same way they would back home, with some time period appropriate adjustments! The market has plenty of food options, a reasonable amount of technology for mobility aids and medical devices exists, and Pumpkin Hollow locals love to help each other out. Feel free to raise any specific concerns to a mod if necessary, or just use your best judgement!

My character has a pet back home. Can they be brought over? Just like the clothing on your character’s back or any items they had on them at the time, characters will not arrive with anything from their home world. They can, however, buy a pet or two at the shops!

My character has an another character (human/animal/spirit/ect.) attached to them at all times. Can I bring them in as an NPC or play both characters as one? This isn't generally encouraged, but if it makes narrative sense then we may be able to work something out. Reach out to the mod team and we'll see what we can do!

Are there any cast caps? Not at this time, but we are trying to keep our overall game cast as diverse as we can and would prefer casts from just a few canons not become disproportionate!

Can characters be canon-updated? Unfortunately not in the traditional way, but you can use the lore behind drops to your advantage to canon-update in kind of a roundabout way.

As mentioned, this page is going to be evolving frequently as our lovely players give us more food for thought, so please refer back often! There's also space below for you to ask us any pressing questions you may have as well, so fire away!

CODED BY TESSISAMESS

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