Kids, Families, Etc.

Children exist in the world, as they're all over Red Sector's flavor text and the advertisements, but player characters don't seem to have them. Is there a rule against it, or is there an IC reason I haven't stumbled across, or is it just that the game happens in real-time and no one wants to devote 9 RL months of RP to a pregnancy and then 18 RL years to raising a kid?

(Bear in mind that I'm coming to Sindome from a medieval fantasy MUD where families and noble houses were a big deal and central to a lot of people's roleplay, so maybe I'm the only one who even thinks it's strange that family ties aren't a thing.)

It's pretty clear in everything I understand about Sindome that if it isn't actually RP'd out, it doesn't happen. Does that extend to things like birth control and/or abortion?

And if the answer to every bit of this is "Find out IC," I'll figure it out. Thanks.

There have been young characters. I can't speak for them, but I think you'll find this is an adult oriented world. I would guess children are a novelty at best, and a nuisance at worst. They are not people of power, they don't hold jobs or amass wealth, and they don't hold massive sway over people. No one is going to hire a kid for an adult's job...

...and everything I just said about children is subject to being made completely false at any time. It already could be! Who knows who came before you, or what that 15 year old is scheming up in his cube? How you play your character is up to you!

We've seen unrelated characters form adoptive families.

And these child PCs are like every other immigrant: they weren't born in the game, they were already a child when they were char-genned.

The next poll I put on the website is going to be about how popular other people's child characters are. There are other places on the BGBB where players have made statements about how much they like role playing with a child character.

I appreciate the insight from both players and admins.

You can assume that a basic check up and birth control might even be done at this time.

I did RP a scene about it early on because I was curious and relatively new. But there are condoms, toothbrushes, shampoo and conditioner, soaps, etc that we use but don't necessarily RP getting. Why? It's boring, not needed and doesn't progress storylines (usually).

This is the time of Mr Studd's and Midnight Ladies and Xtra Sense condoms & birth control that won't last 5 years but can last 3 months.

People are selfish. It's hard to make money unless you're high up and been working for the company for near a decade or are some sort of celebrity.

Plus chance of not dying and cloning as a PC is slim. Can happen but is slim.

I figure that the whole family unit idea is the ambient population which you read in places or maybe will have a GM pop a random ambient population reaction depending on what you're talking about and where.

brb. Getting knocked up.

This April 1, it is the will of the Corps that all citizens of Withmore City carry offspring.

Yes, also the men. Synthetic uteri will be provided for this purpose. Unless you're in Red. If that's the case, just have somebody put the bag from some boxed wine inside a hole a ganger cut in you with a machete. It'll be pretty much the same.

Humans can be sensitive at times, and some people accidentally walk themselves into situations where they get emotionally scarred in RL from the RP they create around themselves.

Not allowing children is just one way we protect the player from a lot of grief for themselves outside of Sindome.

Never assume everyone is capable of making healthy choices for their own person at all times, providing some safe limits on some sensitive aspects of the game is the responsible and mature thing to do.