What'd you do?
What is an IBGA?
As the authors outline in the Nero 9.0 Rulebook on page 122,
“In the world of NERO, time passes in-game at the same rate as it does out-of-game. If a month has passed between NERO events, then a month has passed in the world of Tyrra.”
An In-Between-Game-Action (IBGA) allows your character to do things between events that affect the game world. However, IBGAs are not meant to act as additional events. IBGAs are great for gathering information, traveling from one location to another, and furthering personal plots. It is not the time and place to cast major formals, make/buy magic items, or kill the big bad/good guy. Please remember when doing IBGAs that travel is not instantaneous. Even Spirit Walking requires travel time. In order to help facilitate this, Border Lands has created a form to help streamline creating an IBGA.
This does not mean that you cannot still write a longer IBGA with a cool story about the inner dialogue your character is having while traveling between games or posting an online “Hype.” It just helps to clarify what your character is trying to accomplish. The following is a list of the actions players can take for their character’s IBGAs:
When writing your IBGA, you must consider the base travel time it takes to get from one place to another. As a quick reference, it takes 10 days by horse to cross the 270 miles of the Fissure or 2 and a half weeks on foot. It takes 4 weeks to travel from Lightwood Capital City to the city of Silverborough in Steele by horse, or 2 weeks by airship. It takes 3 weeks to travel by horse from Lightwood Capital City to Moarston Capital City. These are approximate and may be supplemented by in-game resourcefulness or magical means if included in your IBGA form.
The more time that you spend gathering information, the more information you are going to get. For example, someone looking for information on Celestial Magic in Lightwood who spends 2 weeks in 1 city studying is going to get more information than a person spending 1 day in 10 different cities looking for the same information.
The three main types of information gathering are:
○ Looking for Knowledge
○ Looking for People
○ Looking for Objects
This is where you can purchase mundane production, components, potions, weapons, alchemy, or most formal scrolls (any standard Formal Magic Scroll (except Obliterate, any Transform, Summon, Create Golem or Create Undead)).
If you are purchasing items, your tags will be available at event check-in, provided you turn in the amount of gold agreed upon by Plot at check-in. If you wish to have the coin amount removed from your character’s bank before the event, Plot will inform Logistics, and that amount will be removed, and you will receive your tags at check-in.
If you are planning on making a large purchase of mundane items of more than 500 gold during an event, please do so via IBGA. This allows Plot to make sure your tags are ready at the beginning of the event and prevents you from having to wait until Plot has time during an event to print them and get them to you.
Why spend your own Gold to buy formal components when you could just find them in the wild? This item allows you to spend downtime gathering and searching for your components so you can save a gold or 2! This allows you to purchase a set amount of “randomly” chosen formal components in between gatherings. You may suggest that you are searching for specific kinds of components in your submission, and this may sway what you find more in your favor.
This covers basic mundane things that your character does month to month. This can include, but is not limited to the following:
○ Taking care of lands, animals, family, and people.
○ Working on trade/crafting agreements with NPC characters
○ Basic training (craftsman skills, fighting, or a school for a specific study)
○ Arrange/request a meeting with a specific NPC
○ Copying standard formal magic scrolls, casting whispering winds, re-casting formal circles, and wards. If you cast a formal, a valid scroll, character card, and components must be presented to Plot at the beginning of the next event.
These are specific objectives your character is trying to achieve. Plot staff may tell you that these must be attempted at an event.
○ Attending a meeting with a specific NPC
○ Doing experiments (Magical, Alchemical, trying to create a new smithing technique, trying to create a new fighting style, etc.)
○ Other.
This can really be anything. Just understand that plot might tell you that what you’re trying must be done In-Game at an in-person event. Certain actions can only take place at live games.
So you did do something?
Sending an IBGA
IBGAs are submitted via the IBGA Form on our website.
Although Border Lands would like to provide you with a 24/7 game 365 days out of the year it is just not possible for our staff and plot teams. With that in mind each month a player can purchase and submit 4 IBGAs (per character, per month). All IBGA’s are typically required at least 14 days before the next event gathering.
“Paid” and “Unpaid” IBGA’s are evaluated by our Plot Teams and levels of importance are assigned. Paid IBGA’s are submissions that are accompanied by a $10 payment through our Paypal. These are given a guaranteed result based on what was submitted. Resource purchases such as weapons, potions, elixirs or traps, are given to you based on 1 day’s worth of Production value per submission. Formal components are randomly provided based on our generic item treasure distribution process. Anything else will be based on current proceedings of in-game status and otherworldly influences. However, you will always get a result and response from our Plot Team.
Unpaid IBGA submissions are typically recorded and tracked as ways a player wishes to convey his/her intentions currently in the game. These are not accompanied by a $10 payment and are marked as “Unpaid.” Our plot team will take this information and if deemed plausible, may use it in plot writing to help better develop the story. Some information may be discarded and not used based on the current story design. There is no promise of a response from plot with these types of submissions.
Your IBGA will not be complete without filling out the online form including a brief summary and recap of resources your character has gained access to, which might affect what they’re trying to do. It is important to include how your character is attempting to carry out a new activity, especially if it is something new to your character.
Remember that your character might not always be successful on the first attempt and that this can lead to a creative story arc that Plot might have in mind for you. Plot staff can always say “no,” “try again later,” “almost,” “yes,” or any variation, which can lead to a more captivating and realistic journey for your character.
You DID do something!
Receiving a Response
IBGAs can be answered in a variety of ways.
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Plot staff may address your IBGA in person during an event you attend.
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You may receive an email response from Plot sent to the address on file.
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You may receive a written response at check-in of your next event.
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As a player, certain events may have an extra option to purchase a personal roleplay session/request a video call from our Plot team via our Paypal.
If you submit an IBGA to a Plot team that is not currently plotting (ex. a staff member who is injured or sick, or out of the rotation for the plot), it’s possible that you may not receive a response until their next active event. If you are not actively attending the next in-person event at Border Lands, you are still welcome to submit monthly IBGAs, but might not receive a personal response until the next live event you attend.
Please understand that Plot sometimes misses parts of IBGA’s, especially in video calls. Friendly reminders are greatly appreciated if we missed something.
***If your request for anything is not addressed, this does not mean that Plot has agreed to it, or that it happens anyways.***
Unless Plot says so, it does not happen. If you need further explanation or have more questions about your IBGA response, please ask Plot in your second IBGA email, remembering that all IBGA emails must be received 7 days before the start of the next event, or ask Plot at an event. If you are asking for clarifications during an event, please be respectful of Plot and understand that they are running the event and may not have time to answer your questions immediately, but they will get your answers as soon as they can.
Feel free to reach out with any additional questions using our Contact Form and join our Facebook Group to chat with fellow adventurers.
