Frequently Asked Questions

What do you mean by "paranormal?" Is it like supernatural?
By paranormal, we’re talking about the kind of thing you might find in comic books like X-Men, or movies like Ghostbusters. Things will more likely be related to science than to magic or supernatural things. Basically, think science-fiction.

How much do I need to about 1950s USA?
You need to have a basic knowledge of what life was like in the 1950s and what types of attitudes and values people would have. You don't need to be an expert, most of us aren't, but you need to know enough to avoid things like having your character go out and buy a CD. For more information, you can check out our historical background page and our list of web resources.

Can I look at the boards before applying?
Sure! The Bloomsdale boards are found at http://tumbling-after.net/forum/.

Can I apply with a paranormal character, like an alien?
We prefer that all new players start out with a regular townsperson. Once you've been in the game for a while and we have an idea of how you play, there will be opportunities to pick up paranormal characters.

How much control will I have over my character?
You get to make choices about what your character does, but that the consequences of those choices might be decided by other players or the moderators. We definitely won't kill or maim a character without asking you first, and no one but you should control what your character feels or what actions they take (See our rules on godmodding/controlling other characters). However, we can't guarantee your character will be able to do exactly what they want as that hinges on what other players want too, as well as the potential consequences.

How does in-game time work?
One in-game day basically equals one week of real life time. We try to stick to a schedule of changing the day on Tuesdays, but if the moderators are busy or if there’s a scene that needs to be played out on that in-game day, it might be changed on a Wednesday or Thursday. In general, the first few days after the day switch(Like Tuesday-Thursday) will be morning in the game, the days after those (Like Thursday-Saturday) will be the afternoon and the following days until the day switch will be evening. Basically, the longer it’s been since the day switch, the later in the in-game day it is.
This is a loose system and it’s ultimately up to players to decide how much time has passed in between one thread and the next. For example, if you played a scene on a Wednesday and then you want to play something that happened about ten minutes later (like if your character left the first thread because s/he had to go tell someone something right away!), but don’t have a chance to play that scene out until Friday, you can still say those scenes are only a few minutes apart.

How does posting work? How do we enter and exit scenes?
Game play is done in third-person, past tense and format is the same as if you were writing a story. So, for example, "Joe walked into the room, looking around." or "Joe stormed out, slamming the door behind him." We prefer it if players can be sure to post their characters exiting public scenes if they have to get offline, to avoid confusion.

Are characters with disabilities (ie blindness, mental illness, missing a limb) allowed?
Yes, but you need to make it clear in your application that you have a knowledge of the disability and what life was like for people with disabilities in the 1950s.

Can my character be gay?
Since we’re not very focused on romance, Bloomsdale is not a game where sexuality is likely to come into play. If you want to play a homosexual character, you need to show that you understand what life was like for a homosexual in the 1950s and that you understand the potential consequences that being out could have for your character.
We’re also not sure how much fun someone playing a homosexual character would have, since the character’s sexuality would either have to be so hidden it would never come into play or the character would be left dealing with serious consequences caused by the homophobia of the period. These consequences can range from the character being losing their job and being shunned in town to being beaten up or even killed, which we don’t think anyone would have a very fun time playing out.