Just like in Earth’s modern day theatres everything is larger than life, just ever so slightly more than reality, everything is the essence of what it is, not the actual thing, a lamp is not just a lamp, but rather what a lamp is. Nothing exists without purpose, and within a scene, as long as you aren’t looking to the audience, you find yourself within a small self contained world known as The Scene. You may find something needed suddenly in your hand or suddenly missing therefrom.
Due to it’s unique physics of Theatrics, things aren’t always quite continuous, there are bound to be continuity errors and (In)convenient plot devices cropping up from time to time.
The GM, upon whim, can have players act out any existing plays, or even stage adaptations of existing films or perhaps the players can choose to take a trip to The Stage to act out their favourite play, and if they succeed, The Stage may reward them with a unique Cypher or object having to do with the play they have just finished. Players will find such objects upon their person upon exiting the recursion.
GM assigns player race, based upon setting of “Play” being acted out by PCs.
The Stage is exactly that, players, upon entering will immediately notice the Audience, whether events turn out in their favour is entirely based upon how much the Audience likes them, if the audience loves them the players may find that quite suddenly everything is going in their favour, but beware Plot Twists (GM intrusions), which may pit friend against friend.
Whenever players need to visit a new location a Scene Change will take place, the lights will go out, there will be barely audible shuffling, and the players find themselves in a new location when the lights come back up.
If a player wishes to go “Offstage” they will simply disappear until they are needed onstage again, if they attempt to leave through the Audience seats they will find that the Audience has other intentions for them….
The Stage can also conjure up new villains and plots the characters will have to overcome before they can leave, as well as things for them to use and people they may need for the situations they are put in as well as simply taking over a character and absorbing them into The Cast.
The Cast is a gallery of NPCs belonging to The Stage itself, they represent the hands of an intelligent overseeing entity within the recursion (The Director). Any NPC in this recursion (Who is not a later part of the game) belongs to the Cast.
If the Audience likes a Player enough the Stage may choose to incorporate them into The Cast, the former PC will keep all memories but be unable to leave, nor will they want to, as they have become an extension of the recursion itself.
History:
Created by Fictional Leakage in the 1800’s The Stage is the metaphysical theatre brought to life, discovered by a young actor in 1925 when he fell through a mirror and into the recursion The Stage has since become a training ground for some of the most renowned actors in the world today.
The young actor, now an old man, named Robert Correll, can be found at Centre Stage, having long lost the original mirror he now transports his students to The Stage via his own method (Nobody is quite sure how he does it).
Having become a part of the recursion Robert Correll is also known as The Director within his home recursion.
He can often be seen as part of the audience, although sometimes he will disband the audience in favour of taking a more…direct approach. (A favourite is to sit in front of the stage with a Mouse Ear hat and a drum, banging on the drum to make things go faster).
Use in Campaign:
Just For Fun. Players cannot leave until play is complete.