somapedia | Game Information

game information

This page is for more in-depth information on some of the more game specific concepts. Use the navigation to help hop to specific sections of interest. For more generic information about the game, refer to the FAQ page.

Somarium | Dreams | Dreamwalking | Moon Cycles | Dreamberry | NPCs & Nocatere

❦ somarium
Despite being called a "dream world" itself, Somarium is in fact only one part of the world, and it isn't made of dreams—it's just fueled by it. Whether or not it's part of someone else's dream, however, has yet to be proven. But regardless, one can say with great certainty that Somarium is very real and a part of a world called Hypnosia. People will say it's like any other planet in any other universe or galaxy and, in fact, although a bit strange now, they are not at all unaccustomed to people from other other worlds visiting Somarium.

Through certain channels called dream gates, people in the past have been able to travel freely to and from the world. These dream gates are basically special pathways created by something called "dream energy" and are what connect this world to other worlds. Every world emits some kind of dream energy, and the dream gates form that connection between the two worlds.

Dream energy is very similar to the concept of mana, or world energy. However, the dream energy comes off dreams, and like there are different types of dreams, there are different types of dream energy. This carries over to nightmares. The dream energy is used to help maintain the world and plays an important part in Somarium. It can be used and manipulated in various ways.

❦ dreams
Dreams play a heavy role in Somarium. Gameplay wise, players can write up dreams for their characters and post them so that others can comment to them. This can help further develop and expand a character as they may have to confront issues they would not have normally. These dreams are publicly broadcast over the Dreamberry, though it's by random selection. Not all dreams are broadcast and only the ones that are actually posted are considered to be broadcast. It is possible to set up a filter for dreams, but they don't always work.

UPDATE: In the recent change, dreams also hold the power to affect their own surroundings. Depending on how strong the individual is as well as any other circumstances at the time, it is possible for characters to dream up entire buildings to appear in Somarium.

Dreams can be either non-interactive or interactive. Non-interactive dreams are basic dreams where the characters can only watch and see the dream. They can then respond to the dreamer via the Dreamberry (or in person) to comment on it. Interactive dreams allow other characters to come into the dream and be a part of it. This is called dreamwalking. But in interactive dreams, everyone is usually aware of their surroundings, and the dream becomes its own environment. More information about this can be read in the Dreamwalking section.

Another thing to note about dreams is that they have a dream effect that affects those viewing or participating in the dream. These effects are usually emotional and usually reflect some aspect of the dream, such as the dreamer's emotions. These are optional, and some characters may not even feel such effects. They just add another sense of realism and provide a sort of connection between the dreamer and the viewer.

The world itself can also affect what a character dreams, and this is indicated through the Moon Cycle posts. Every post will mention a theme or type of dream of character may have. These are always optional, but they have interesting IC consequences as these themes usually relate to upcoming events.

❦ dreamwalking
There's an IC Guide available to the characters, and the information there mostly reflects what's written here. This is just a short run version of it with some things that players should know.

Dreamers can create a dream environment, either intentional or unintentional. Sometimes passive dreams can become interactive. However it's done, once the environment is created, the dreamer has the most control over it. Unlike in normal dreams, the dreamer is actually aware and can manipulate the surroundings and even change it—though this takes time and practice.

Small environments created by characters are called "dreamfields" and the larger scale environments that are mod event created are called "dreamscapes." As a tip, the name reflects the size of the environment. These environments can be anything within reason and we encourage players to be creative.

The act of entering a dream is called "dreamwalking" and characters will find that they can do this with little to no training. In fact, it can even be accidental. The only limit is they can only enter dreams that are designed (either ICly or OOCly) to be interactive. Otherwise it's like they're locked out of a dream. When a character dreamwalks, they will fall asleep wherever they were when it occurs. Even if it's sitting in a chair. It doesn't take too much effort—from idle curiosity or intent concentration. If viewing dreams through the Dreamberry, the Dreamberry itself acts a sort of conduit that helps send the viewer into the dream.

When dreamwalking, a character can talk, move, use their skills, and even be granted special abilities depending on the dream. They also have some minor ability to influence the environment, such as breaking objects or conjure up something small to help. They can even create their own weapon. However, they are still at the mercy of the dreamer, so it's basically like being trapped in another world (if you didn't think we were pulling an Inception before, you may be thinking that now—trust us, it was unintentional ~~and we were first with the concept~~).

Characters can also "learn" abilities depending on the dream. For instance, a character could learn some minor magic if the dream is set in Hogwarts. However, those abilities are restricted to those type of dream environments. Magic learned there would not carry over to a completely different dream.

All of this uses dream energy, and how much a character can learn and control depends on time, experience, and the character itself. Anyone can learn, we just ask players to be reasonable. But be careful! Use it too much and characters will feel sick—like a very bad hangover. It goes away after a few days or through special medicine that can be acquired from certain clinics throughout Somarium.

Also, the main game rules apply: no god-modding, no meta-gaming, no dream hacking, be reasonable, etc. Although characters will have access to their canon abilities, the game restrictions apply. If there are any restrictions from the dream, those will apply, too.

❦ moon cycles
The moon cycles serve as a kind of event calendar for Somarium. There are eight phases: 1/4 Wax --> Half --> 3/4 Wax --> Full --> 3/4 Wane --> Half --> 1/2 Wane --> New Moon. Large scale events occur during the Full and New Moon phases. The others are usually more low-keyed and may not even have much going on. They are usually posted every week, though they can sometimes last for varying extended periods of time. Each phase will also indicate what kind of dreams a character may have. These dreams can be optional, though they usually have some sort of relevance to the upcoming event.

During the Full Moon months, the events are usually more lighthearted and peaceful. Most of the celebratory type events occur during this time. In contrast, the New Moon months are darker as they focus on the nightmare aspect of the world a lot more. Most of the more disastrous and dangerous events occur during this time, and also when most of the plot driven events occur.

❦ dreamberry
The Dreamberry is the communication device that all characters will have upon arrival. It's basically a Blackberry ripoff. However, it's recently been upgraded to v2.0 and has touchscreen features. So not only is it a Blackberry ripoff, but it's also a smart phone rip off! The designs can vary and it's up to the player on how it looks like. It can take the form of any generic model or be a bit more specialized to the character. When not in use, Dreamberries can also take the form of portable objects, like charms or even larger like weapons or portable computers. So long as the character can carry it with them at all times. A manual was written and is available upon first start-up and again accessible at any time.

Dreamberries are pretty durable, but they can break, stolen, or get lost. Don't fret! After 24 hours, the Dreamberry will always find a way back to its rightful owner and fix itself.

The Dreamberry can make the following type of broadcast: Video, Voice, Text, and Dreams. When a call is made on the Dreamberry, it is broadcast across the network, which is called the Dreamnet. These are not played automatically, and a character can go see the broadcasts through a special inbox to browse them at their leisure. The Dreamberry also allows its user to use various filter functions. Dreams are also made public through the Dreamberry. A character can attempt to filter it out at the last second, but chances are pretty slim that they'll make it in time.

The contact list displays every character currently residing in Somarium. The names mirror the Taken Characters list and it updates in real time. When a character arrives into or leaves Somarium, the list will update. However, the contact list can also display canon aliases, and characters do have that option to change it. There is also a caller-id function that displays the identity of the caller as reflected on the contact list. However, this can be altered so that it displays "Anonymous" instead.

Characters also have a voicemail inbox at their disposal. Players are encouraged to use the voicemail posts for any private calls their characters may wish to make rather than making a closed post on the network community. Characters can personalize their voicemail or just let the generic "Leave a message after the tone" take its place.

The Dreamberry is also used for monetary transactions. Each character has a Dream Point Account and the Dream Points ("DP") are transferred directly from the Dreamberry to the register. Characters can also access their account to see how much they have.

There is a special card slot that most characters will not notice until it's too late. This is used to activate special cards that can be found at random or are event oriented. It's hidden and can only be found if the Dreamberry is taken completely apart.

Some other technical features the Dreamberry has includes: camera, recorder, GPS system, weather and moon phase indicator, time, translator, organizer, and even games (also ripped off from real world counterparts). Characters can use these other features however they wish.

❦ npcs & noctaere
There ~~are~~ used to be NPCs available for use in Somarium. However the recent update has removed all of the local population. More NPCs will come into Somarium to fill in the gaps, but it won't be a while. So until it, it's literally just the characters and a few key NPCs that are part of the organization REM.

There are also creature type NPCs, such as Nessie, the friendly lake monster who looks like a Liopleurodon—only much friendlier and less likely to eat anyone. Other creatures are the monsters out in the desert (giant desert sharks, desert wurms, crabs—whatever you can think of) as well as the local fauna that inhabit Somarium.

The last type of creature NPC to take note of are the noctaere. These appear only during certain events. The noctaere are nightmare based creatures and are rather resilient to attacks.

Dreams | Dreamwalking | Moon Cycles | Dreamberry | Barrier | NPCs & Nocatere

❂ index ❂