• Come up with a name.

• Write a private bio for the GMs to read. We suggest a few paragraphs, though you may write more if you wish.

• Write a public bio for other players to read. This should be no more than two paragraphs.

• Choose an Ideal.

• Pick a Faction or two to be affiliated with (optional).

• Distribute 4 skill points between the four Skills in your Ideal, up to a maximum of 2 points invested in any single Skill.

• Pick one positive Quirk for free.

• Pick up to three more positive Quirks, each of which must be balanced by a negative Flaw (optional).

• For more of a challenge, you may pick more Flaws regardless of the number of Quirks you have taken, up to a total maximum of five Flaws (optional).

• Email your completed character to the GM team.

Your character in Work In Progress is a Muse who inhabits the Dreamscape of a human called Jo. The accepted role of a Muse is to contribute, in some way, to the creative processes which enable a human to produce creative works. In this case, Jo is a writer who is about to begin writing something. Whatever it is, they hope will be their Magnum Opus: a grand work to be praised by critics and audiences alike. Muses in Jo's Dream live in a place called Spindle, from which they may seek out Tropes, influence well-known stories in new and interesting ways, discover mysterious new Vignettes half-forgotten on the edges of Dream or engage other Muses in discussions of important matters such as the nature of inspiration, or what Jo ate for lunch today.

Since this game takes place in a world very different to our own, it is strongly recommended that you take a look through the setting and faction pages to get an idea of the kinds of things a Muse may do in their day-to-day life. You don't need to read everything, but every Muse should at least be familiar with their home in Spindle, the general function of Vignettes, and the importance and uses of Tropes.

Names of Muses in Jo's Dream are extremely varied. Some choose to go by human names (usually unique, pretentious, or with a literary or artistic connection); others choose names related to what they do in Dream, while others still choose things even more abstract, such as something relating to their Ideal, terms relating to an artistic movement or a few poignant words from a poem. Above all, wordplay abounds. Some groups within Dream have their own naming trends or conventions - not every Muse will follow them, but many do. Some examples (taken from NPC faction members) are as follows:

• Morta Lipwig: Conductor of the Ticket Office at the Academy of Thought.
• Reminiscer: Founder and owner of the Food for Thought café.
• Radio Dream: Operator of the Free Idea Forum's radio station.
• Brother JoSeph: A dedicated member of Jommunity.
• Pando Rasbox: A NFWS senior manager.
• Avant Garde: A struggling member of Pure Inspiration.
• Ursus: Head of security at the Sell-Out Syndicate's Trope Exchange.

While we expand more on our policy on real-world media below, oblique or referential nods to real-world figures and characters are generally fine so long as they are tasteful and character appropriate, and it is understood that any media they are associated with is not a part of the game world.

The GM team need to know who your character is. The private bio is the important details of your character's backstory, explaining who they are at the time of the start of the game. A good bio will provide some kind of hook for each of your Skills, Quirks and Flaws, and will give us an idea of the kind of thing you are likely to want to do. Please include any and all important aspects of your character here; the private bio will be visible only to you and the GM team so be sure to tell us all of your secrets!

Private bios should be a few paragraphs long at most; you may write more but we may ask you to cut it down if it's too much.

The other players also need to know a little bit about your character. This doesn't need to take any particular form, but should be a couple of paragraphs at most; just a line or two may be sufficient. It should include any information which is publicly known, rumoured or speculated about your character.

We won't allow player characters that are lifted directly from existing media. The Muses of Jo's Dream operate in a world of 'fictional fiction' - characters from existing real-world fiction simply do not exist in the context of the game. Muses themselves are also not the same as Impressions - Muses are more like actors and artists who may take many different roles and (while outside of a Vignette) do not embody any specific character other than themselves. They may copy some mannerisms from their favourite archetypes, but they are their own selves, with all the unique characteristics and experiences that go with that.

When engaging with Vignettes, a Muse may choose to create and play a character in that Vignette. Again, these characters should not be lifted directly from existing real-world media. While they may be heavily archetypal, and you may of course use characters you know as inspiration, the characters your Muse plays should be unique and fitting to the Vignette. Their abilities in the story will depend on the Skills your Muse has, and trying to adapt an existing character to that specific situation will inevitably lead to a mismatch between your Muse's character and the original, which would cause all manner of headaches. Besides, we think you'll have much more fun coming up with your own, original characters - both for your Muse and for the characters they choose to play within Vignettes.

Every Muse has an Ideal. An Ideal is less about what a Muse can do, and more about how they do it. A Muse chooses their Ideal based on their philosophy and outlook on life, and the Ideal in turn helps to shape the ways in which a Muse's powers manifest and the ways in which they may influence a story's narrative. While some Ideals lend themselves more easily to certain Skills or types of action, there is no invalid combination.

Several organised (and somewhat less organised) groups exist in Spindle. Some perform functions necessary to the maintenance of Spindle and Dream, while others help to keep Muse society in order. Others still simply act as discussion groups for like-minded Muses. Gaining status within any of these groups is a surefire way for a Muse to gain influence within Spindle. However, while a few of them may hold meetings or other activities open to all Muses, being an active member of any of these Factions naturally comes with a set of responsibilities and expectations, or at least an investment of time, which makes it difficult for any one Muse to be particularly active in more than one or two of these groups.

At character creation, you may choose one of these Factions to be affiliated with, or up to two as long as it makes narrative sense for your character. Depending on the group, this may give you access to an additional brief with further information or faction-specific Quirks. It is entirely possible to change which Faction(s) you are affiliated with, or attempt to join additional Factions, over the course of the game.

Skills describe what your character is personally capable of doing. In Dream, the more “mundane” skills that a human may conceive of simply don't apply; every Muse is just as capable as any other to carry out basic physical tasks, in as much as that even makes any sense for beings as borderline un-physical as Muses are in the ever-shifting Dreamscape.

What sets Muses apart from each other is their ability to channel their Ideal into each of four broad categories of action: Strife, Subvert, Seek and Sculpt. These powers can be thought of as a kind of magic by which a Muse may exert their influence over both Dream and the stories found in Vignettes. These skills are each split into four power levels. You can find examples of how each Skill may manifest under each Ideal, as well as an idea of what each power level entails, on the Ideal pages.

At character creation, you have four (4) skill points to distribute between the four skills. It costs one skill point to advance each level:

Unskilled (lv 0, can't use) → Weak (lv 1) → Moderate (lv 2) → Strong (lv 3) → Exceptional (lv 4).

You can have at most Moderate ability in any one skill (an investment of 2 points) at game start.

Every odd-numbered turnsheet, starting with turnsheet 1, you will gain one point to spend on character advancement. You can use this to raise any of your skills by one level, up to the maximum of Exceptional. This upgrade will take effect from the start of the following turnsheet.

Quirks and Flaws are interesting features about your character that can't easily be represented through skills. They represent things like social connections, personality traits and items which your character has access to, which have the possibility of affecting your game in a meaningful way. Quirks are positive things which you can choose to use to your advantage, while Flaws are negative things which may hinder you in certain ways and which may strike with or without warning. Quirks and Flaws may both be acquired or lost during the course of the game as a result of the actions of your character, but they cannot be added or removed as part of character advancement.

At character creation, you may choose one positive Quirk for free. You may then choose up to three more Quirks, each of which must be balanced by a negative Flaw, for a maximum of four Quirks and three Flaws. If you want more of a challenge, you may also choose to take additional Flaws up to a total of five, regardless of the number of Quirks you have chosen.

Playstyle Quirks are completely free Quirks which tell the GM team a bit about how we should handle your character and interpret their actions in case of ambiguity. You can take as many of these as you like, and can freely add or remove them at any point over the course of the game: simply write this under the “Minor Actions” section of your turnsheet, or email your GM if you are making the change between turnsheets. Unlike Character Advancement, this change will take place as of the start of that turnsheet (or however you wish to specify).

OC Name:
OC Pronouns:
Character Name:
Character Pronouns:
Faction:
Ideal:
Skills:
  Strife:
  Subvert:
  Seek:
  Sculpt:
Quirks and Flaws:

Private Bio:

Public Bio: