WN Lore - Frequently Asked Questions

[TheDeNuke]

Willard Networks Lore FAQ
(This is subject to change whenever new frequently asked questions are established)​

Player Section

Q: What is the Lore Team

A: The lore team is a team that was established with a focus on ensuring that this edition of Willard Networks has a stable base of lore to ensure that content creation efforts are not completely making up things that have no contextual sense (consistency). Additionally, the lore team can provide lore articles (either entirely new lore or formalizing Partial Canon) along with establishing a set quality and tone for what is considered approved or Soft Canon.

Q: Who is in the Lore Team

A: The lore team is made up of a small group of content creators who are willing to actively support and provide for a stable base of lore.

Q: What is Canon?

A: Canon in WNHL2RP can be put into one of four categories:

1. Hard Canon - Basically HL1, HL2, EP1, EP2, HLA, HLX (eventually) which represents what is seen in the games. Newer entries are allowed to contradict older ones. There are a few areas where we ignore the hard canon with the most notable being the time period between the Black Mesa Incident and the Seven Hour War. Contradictions are approved by Management Only.

2. Soft Canon - Any approved canon by the Lore Team or Management is considered Soft Canon or “Server Canon”. Contradicting this without approval will result in being labeled Non-Canon.

3. Partial Canon - Any lore that is not approved by the Lore Team or Management which is not opposed by the Lore Team or Management due to not contradicting or conflicting with anything currently in Soft or Hard Canon. Player generated lore is automatically considered Partial Canon and considered official canon unless there is a contradiction with Soft or Hard Canon.

4. Non-Canon - Lore which would be opposed by the Lore Team or Management due to contradicting with Soft or Hard Canon or Lore that was determined by the Lore Team or Management to be Non-Canon.

Q: How can I submit Lore?

A: For the current edition of Willard and for the foreseeable future, at this time only Donators and Content Creators can submit lore for approval. However, the actions of players in-game and the discoveries made during main gameplay, events, expeditions and other various activities can allow new lore to be submitted and/or generated (which is the reason for Partial Canon). This is entirely based on the actions of the players with the player-driven design and world for this edition going forwards.

Q: Are timeskips present and how do they affect me and my characters?

A: Timeskips are to be expected in all forms of roleplay eventually, as for how they affect you and the characters is entirely up to the player in question. Anytime a skip is about to occur, a fair warning will be provided in-game and within Discords to inform players a timeskip is approaching and by how many X days, weeks or months will be provided. This allows you to think of what would happen to your character in that time or just continue as you were.

No actions are forced onto players.

Q: What basics do I need to know to get started in regards to Lore in Willard Networks?

A: There are a few basics that you will need to understand before joining and fulfilling the Whitelist requirements.

Here is the key notes:
1. Timeline/Era:
We are currently in the year 2008, just four years after the Seven Hour War. The Combine is currently in a state of oversight and humanity still has some level of control over its world in a era known as Early Occupation. This means you can expect a less oppressive Combine during this era. Take note however, that as Willard Networks moves forward in time, eventually you will experience Mid Occupation and Late Occupation (For context, HLA is set 2016).

For further context see: WN Occupation Eras (link not currently active)
2. History Basics:
- The Resonance Cascade occurred on May 16th, 2001
- Portal Storms ravaged the planet for three years between 2001-2004, in which the Seven Hour War occurred at its end (2004) leading to the fall of the world as it was known. This is our main divergence from the Hard Canon to allow for a longer period of collapse.
- Breen enters the United Nations as a representative under the Combine. Cities slowly turn to Urban Centres, converted into sites and citadel construction zones are established.
- The Suppression Field activates around 2005-2006. While distrust of the Combine is high, propaganda pieces and the fact the Human leaders are still familiar to the people help reassure the Civil populace that everything is mostly still okay.
- Vortigaunts are still new to Humanity, thus Vortigaunts have EXTREMELY little trust from humans

3. Factions:
Currently all of the classic HL2RP factions exist, such as the Civil Medical Union, Civil Workers Union and of course Civil Protection. The Combine Civil Authority is also present but the CCA is now representative of the Combine as a whole (the term “Universal Union” is generally not used here). The administrative faction is now known as the IGA (Interim Global Authority) at least during the events of Early Occupation.

You will also notice other new factions such as the Overwatch Provisional Arm, which during the early occupation will replace the Overwatch Transhuman Arm (OTA do not presently exist).

There are other factions present such as the Union Bureau of Credit and of course the initially rare but very much present Vortigaunts.

4. Expected Gameplay:

Unlike classic HL2RP, the feeling of endless oppression and lack of freedoms is NOT to be expected. Given the early occupation setting, you can expect the Combine to be taking a backseat role, leaving the IGA and the respective cities to “sort themselves out”. This means that generally the players in-game control the state and feel of the world they play in. Civil Protection is still relatively new and thus far more humanized, as the lack of MMR means they are still retaining all their memories, but are still subject to the Combine's own expectations and standards. You can join a faction, run a store, operate as a freelancer and pick whatever clothing you want to wear. No jumpsuits required ever at least until the Mid to Late Occupation.

Q: How much of the Lore as a player do I get a say in?

A: A great deal! Players are granted considerable freedom to shape the world through their characters, factions, decisions and in-game storylines and events. The direction of the world is not dictated solely by Staff or the Event Team; rather, it develops through the actions and consequences of player-driven RP.

The Event Team’s role is to support this process and build on top of the players actions, introducing new narratives and/or helping move things forward when necessary. They facilitate the story, but not dictate every outcome. The Lore Team documents all events that take place, producing lore reflecting the outcomes.

This means that IC events should unfold naturally. Faction Leaders can be challenged, removed or even replaced outright and significant characters can face consequences without OOC interference. Event characters are restricted from appearing without approval, ensuring players driving the story aren’t overshadowed by staff-controlled characters.



Content Creators Section

Q: What is the point of the Lore Categories?

A: Consistency.

The Lore Categories are needed to prevent lore inconstancy. Willard needs to maintain a specific set quality and tone when it comes to lore and the intent of the lore categories is to set parameters and a baseline regarding the quality of the lore being presented.

Q: I am part of the Short Stories / Event team and want to create an event that may change lore. Can I do this?

A: Go ahead, but if the Lore Team determines that your lore is heavily contradictory then we have a right to either retcon events in retrospect after the conclusion of the event or outright determine the events Non-Canon in the worst case scenarios. Alternatively you can collaborate with the Lore Team and prevent such conflicts from occurring in the first place.

Q: What happens if I make an event without any prior Lore team interaction?

A: Just like the first, you can go ahead and do this, but you cannot burst out in anger or frustration if the Lore team decides to retcon and throw your event into the Non-Cannon category. You should also be aware that players may lash out at you in anger as a result, to avoid this, you should warn them prior if you have had 0 talks with Lore Team as a retcon means that any loot collected is erased without warning and the players backstories never include the event.

Q: Are there any specific guidelines that must be followed regarding Lore?

A: Apart from just generally understanding the lore before creating anything it would be preferable if you understand the era that your content is taking place in and abide by the limitations of the era. WN Occupation Eras (link not currently active) is the guide for this.

Q: I want to skip to a later time period because I’ve had enough of this era!

A: Not without the approval of Lore and Management since this can cause an untold amount of issues on every level from Lore, to Faction Setup and even the general gameplay of the server.