Sburb/Homestuck

The Focus of the Jump, Sburb.

The Medium

 Overview

**Sburb** is the human name for a sandbox-style game that takes place superimposed over the real world, rather than in a virtual space. The game is known as **Sgrub** to the trolls. In the game, the server player is able to manipulate the client's environment in real time in a manner reminiscent of The Sims. The client of the game has no need to interact with the computer and can freely roam around completing objectives. Computers are only necessary for interacting with other players and performing actions like downloading Grist with GristTorrent.

The game begins when two players make a client-server connection. The server player gets a viewport through which they can observe the client and their house, and they have the power to interact with their environment in a way resembling that of The Sims. The first server gets a relatively small amount of build grist and a Phernalia registry with a selection of items, which they can place in the client's house. As more client-server connections are made, each new server player gets a broader selection and ten times more grist.

One of these items, a Cruxtruder, must be hit on top with a heavy object, at which point it will open and release a Kernelsprite, and will begin to display an ominous countdown: generally until the arrival of a meteor that will destroy the player's house and possibly the surrounding area, or some similarly destructive threat. Although it initially appears as if this meteor is triggered by the opening of the Cruxtruder, in reality the meteor's arrival is inevitable and the game has already begun regardless of the player's actions.

The player now has a limited amount of time to save themselves before the threatening event takes place. They must use the items in the registry to alchemize a unique Cruxite artifact, and utilize it in some way. If they succeed before the threat occurs, their house and surrounding area are excised from the physical plane and transported to their planet within the Incipisphere-- where the real game begins.

Before entering the Medium, the player had the ability to prototype their Kernelsprite with an item - virtually any item. After entering the medium, they can prototype it again, ideally with a sentient or formerly sentient being. The sprite will now be able to speak, and will serve as the player's guide to the game, offering cryptic advice and explaining what to do. Although this is the ideal prototyping procedure, it *is* possible for the player to prototype twice after entry, twice before entry, or only once.

Electrical power still seems to be available in John's house when it is excised and sent to the Medium, though the source of this power is unclear. Apparently fumbling about in a dark house while trying to complete game objectives would not be within the intended spirit of the game.

Upon the client's entering the Medium, their server player is supposed to build up their house. Since building requires significant amounts of grist, the client player can harvest that grist by defeating monsters that will begin swarming their house. They can also use their Alchemiter to create useful items, such as portable computer or more powerful weapons for themselves, improving their fighting abilities. (Players tend to alchemize a bunch of useless shit as well).

The purpose of building up is to allow the client player to reach the gates above their house, which are portals that will take them to other locations in the Medium. The First Gate will take them away from their house, to some location on their planet. There they must find the second gate, which will take them to the second gate above their server player's house. Ideally, their server player will have already had their house built up to their second gate by this point, so the player doesn't fall to their death if they cannot fly. The player then builds up their server's house to get to the third gate above it, which takes them to a random location on their server's planet. There they look for the fourth gate, which takes them to the next player's house, and so on. If every player in a session does this at similar times, each will progress to a house that's built up to the current gate they enter through.

Over the course of this progression, the player can explore their land, meet the consorts living there, and learn about their mythos. They may also find out their own personal quest, which generally has to do with fixing a wrong committed by that planet's denizen: John must unclog the oil in the pipes on his planet and clear the overcast sky, releasing the fireflies his denizen trapped there; Rose must restore underwater life to her planet after her denizen had eaten every living thing, etc. Their denizen will be awoken at some point over the course of this quest.

Once a player reaches the seventh gate above their own house, it will lead them to their denizen's palace. The point of progressing gate-by-gate is to steadily gain the powers and abilities necessary to be able to fight and defeat the denizen, which guards a huge hoard of grist. This grist is meant to be used for the Ultimate Alchemy, and complete the game's true purpose.

Over the course of the game, players gain levels on their echeladder by defeating enemies, and may ascend to god tier by dying on their Quest Bed or Sacrificial Slab.

While the players carry out their quests, a battle takes place on the Battlefield within Skaia between the forces of light and dark. Inevitably, dark ultimately wins, and the Black King, using the defeated White King's scepter, then initializes the Reckoning - a 24-hour event that results in a rain of meteors upon Skaia. Although Skaia tries to defend itself by redirecting meteors through defense portals, it will eventually be destroyed if the Reckoning is not stopped. These are the same meteors that initially barrage the players' home planet and urge them to enter the game. It becomes the job of the players, then, to fight and defeat the Black King before the 24 hours are up.

This is the generic template of a game, however. The player's actions determine whether or not they will complete any or all of their quests, and they may choose to deviate from the rules entirely.

Certain players also have specific tasks in the game. One player must perform ectobiology, creating paradox clones of the players and their guardians, paradoxically ensuring their birth. These paradox clones are sent back to the home planet on some of the meteors from the Reckoning. Other players, usually a Hero of Space and a Knight, must breed frogs, ultimately creating the Genesis Frog, which is essentially a new universe.

## Major Dangers

* Dersian Nobility: The main threat in this game. In addition to gaining powers based on what the players Prototype, they also have the Red Miles attack via the Black Queens Ring, with unlimited range and the ability to destroy planets, which is increased to universes with First Guardian Powers.
* First Guardians: Omnipotent and Omniscient (Not really, just incredibly powerful and intelligent) beings that exist to protect their planet and "facilitate the planet's ultimate purpose", with the purpose being the next Sburb Game. During the session, the First Guardian of your world will be created via Ectobiology at some point. Don't worry though, they're unlikely to cause any issues unless you take a certain drawback.
* Sea Hitler: A powerful Alien Empress that has taken over your planet and flooded the surface, and then proceeds to get into your session, take over Derse, and generally try to hijack your session. She has incredibly powerful psionic abilities, along with an army of powerful robots.

### Endgame Exclusive

* Doc Scratch: The First Guardian of Alternia.
## Interesting Locations

The Veil

Ruins