Welcome to Xavier's Institute a PBeM Sim
Welcome to the Xavier Institute Game (XI for short). We’ve had the game going for over six years now, and have developed the universe pretty deeply. We encourage new characters, but recommend they fit into the universe we’ve created. While we don’t object to unusual characters, things that are so foreign that they would hurt role-playing are discouraged. We recommend reading the concepts listed below and use them as guidelines for creating your character. Character Concepts: Our primary inspiration is the X-Men as written by Chris Claremont. The primary X-Men (Cyclops, Jean Grey, etc.) are the teachers at the school, and the students are teenagers who have developed mutant abilities. The world as a whole does not trust mutants, and treat them with a combination of fear, awe, and mistrust. That’s not to say that every mutant fears for their life… out-and-out violence is uncommon, though it has happened. But being a mutant is not something that is celebrated. Most of the students here are ‘X-Men in training’. You are not required to, but people who do want to try and join the main team and given a chance to shine more than those who don’t. Remember that you will be writing a teenager (the typical student is 15-18). Concepts that are completely foreign to the idea of being a teenager are a bad idea. “I was raised an army brat” is great; “I was raised in a lab to be a human nuclear bomb” is not. Having a police record for taking a joyride is good; having a body count before you’re 14 is bad. We’re trying to encourage role-plays between you and the other students, who are also teenagers from various walks of life. If you write a character that cannot interact with other people, it’s a bad character. We do encourage people to play shy and quiet characters- people who have problems dealing with large groups, or get nervous, or are not sure of themselves. What we do not encourage are people who sit in the corner and wait for others to approach them. Please be proactive- start threads for people to join, come up with ideas for your characters. Joint Posts (JPs) are encouraged- and we suggest going to the other players to start JPs offlist and posting them afterwards. No aliens. We’ve had bad experiences with aliens. Besides, the goal of XI is to learn about being a mutant; being an alien instead (or an alien as well) is an unnecessary complication. The bottom line is this- if you are writing a character that does not want to or need to interact with the other students as equals, you have a bad character for XI. Power Concepts: The power levels for XI students are relatively low- nowhere near on par with the students. They may have the potential to be as powerful as the teachers, with time and training. But anyone who wants to be on the same level as Cyclops, Storm, etc. will find that this is not the best game for them. XI is about the journey as well as the destination. If you arrive at the school with full capabilities of your powers, what’s the point of even showing up? XI is a place for your student to learn- learn to control your ability; learn to work together as part of a team. If we like the character but find the power too much, we will offer suggestions to put it in range. But it needs to be on the same level as the other students.
If you have found your way here you likely know what a PBeM sim is, and what role-playing is.
That's all well and good, but what about Xavier's Institute I hear you cry, what marks this sim out from the hundreds, nay thousands of others available out there? Time for a quick FAQ I think...
Q: What genre is Xavier's set in?
A: Modern Superhero, specifically Marvel Comics X-Men series of comics.
Q: How long has the game been running?
A: The game has been running since December of 1999, and has a very committed group of very talented players.
Q: Do I have to be familiar with the comics to play and enjoy this sim?
A: Short answer, no. Long answer, the game world here differs in a lot of ways from the comics. There are a lot of students in this game that are 'Homebrew' characters for a start, also there are a lot of events that have happened in the comic world that have not in ours. If you have any specific questions regarding what has and hasn't happened in our gameworld please don't hesitate to contact the GM, who will be able to answer those questions for you.
Q: Is adult content allowed in this game, does this game have any kind of rating?
A: We do allow adult content, and we do like to know that all of our players are at least of the age of consent in their respective countries. Though you do have to worry about countries like the UK where its okay to have sex at 16, but not to watch people have sex in films till you are 18... There are certain themes that we will not be happy to see explored in the game. There are sims elsewhere that cater to more, er, refined tastes in adult interactive fiction, so folks interested in animals, rape, and other extreme pleasures should apply elsewhere.
Q: Can I play one of the existing comic characters?
A: Yes, though most of them are teachers, and not all of them are currently available to play. To request one of teachers please don't hesitate to contact the GM.
Q: Are you using any kind of rules system in this game?
A: No. This is a Sim, an interactive storytelling effort. The GM will present certain situations, goals, and difficulties, and as players we react to those challenges in character. This format should be familiar to most PBeM gamers.
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