JumpChain is a solo roleplaying
game/choose-your-own-adventure/writing prompt about characters
(possibly, but not necessarily self-inserts) that travel between worlds,
usually worlds drawn from fiction. It stemmed originally from the long
culture of CYOA image macros on 4chan’s /tg/ board; it quickly outgrew
that general thread and was moved to its own thread which has been going
more or less ever since.
What’s a CYOA? Basically, an image macro with a few appealing
choices. You pick the choices you like, post them in the thread, then
discuss them. JumpChain is the extension of that — what if you imagined
the same character moving between multiple adventures, keeping the
choices they’ve already made and factoring that into how they choose in
future?
The base prompt is simple: a god-like entity offers to place you into
the world of Pokemon (or another fictional world) for ten years,
offering you 1000 points to spend as you will among a number of
attractive options; either enhancements to yourself (such as physical
fitness or supernatural abilities) called Perks, various useful items
called Gear, or people to join you on your adventure, called Companions.
If 1000 points aren’t enough, you can also take Drawbacks, which grant
you more points but hinder you in some way. With the points tallied up,
you (the Jumper) are sent on your way to adventure for 10 years.
Following that, you can choose to stay, go home, or go on a new
adventure in a new world, which follows the same rules; the “Jumps” in
the “Chain”. Your Drawbacks are revoked, but you get to keep Perks,
Gear, and Companions (the latter if they consent to stay). The price?
You have to entertain the entity that sent you. The definition of
“entertain” is very broad.
It’s fun to just think about what the best choices are and make a
chain out of that, thinking about the adventures you’d get up to and how
you’d survive for stints of ten years in increasingly dangerous worlds,
while also keeping your benefactor happy. For me, though, the
real fun comes from using it as a writing prompt. An inherent
element of danger is built into most settings, but introducing a Jumper
introduces chaos and uncertainty. The shenanigans almost write
themselves.
Where To Start
It’s best to just jump in (no pun intended) — this is a hobby that
benefits a lot from doing your own legwork.
The core currency of JumpChain is the Jumpdoc. This is a document,
usually a PDF file or Google Doc, that describes the world to be jumped
to and offers you 1000 points to spend among a number of enticing
options. There are some on this domain, but your best bet is to explore
the community drives:
If you’re lost, start with Quicksilver’s jumps in DriveAnon’s drive -
this
is a convenient bundle all in one document. The Pokemon Trainer jump
is the traditional starting point, as it contains an explanation of the
rules and many of the core assumptions.
I’m lazy, explain the rules to
me
Everyone interprets the rules differently, and this diversity is
prized by the JumpChain community. There’s no canon list of rules, and
even the basic rules set down by the original creator (Quicksilver) are
open to interpretation. The ultimate piece of advice is: “Fanwank
it.”
Here are the rules and assumptions I use, though.
Basic Mechanics
The Jumper’s adventure is a Chain of Jumps — stints of up to 10
years or more in different universes — hence, JumpChain.
They are sent on this journey by their Benefactor, with whom they
have a relationship of some kind.
The Jumper is subordinate to their Benefactor. If at any point the
Benefactor feels they are not entertaining or have otherwise failed in
their mission, the Jumper will chainfail (be sent home).
If the Jumper dies in a jump, they chainfail and return home.
Worlds the Jumper has previously visited (including their home) are
frozen in time.
In each Jump, The Benefactor offers Choice Points (CP) to spend on
Perks, Gear, and Companions.
The Benefactor offers more Choice Points in exchange for
Drawbacks.
At the end of a Jump (as standard, ten calendar years), the Jumper’s
Drawbacks are revoked, and they are given the choice to Go Home (return
to their home universe), Stay Here (stay in the universe of the current
jump), or go Onwards (jump again).
Powers or technology that should not work in a setting (such as
magic in a universe where magic doesn’t exist) work if CP was spent to
acquire them; this is referred to as Fiat.
Supplements
All Jumpers, unless stated by custom scenarios, gain access to the
Body Mod and Cosmic Warehouse supplements at the end of their first
Jump.
Otherwise, Supplements may be added whenever the author (i.e. you,
the player) feels is appropriate; usually granted by the Benefactor or
another entity.
Custom scenarios may be designed by the author either from scratch
or by using any of the many documents created for this purpose - the
ones I know of are:
The Atlas To Infinity (through worldbuilding & Benefactors)
Alt Chain Builder
Jumpchain Narrative Framework Supplement
Universal Drawback Supplement
The Excommunicado Challenge
Companions and Followers
There is a distinction in those that join the Jumper between
“Companion” and “Follower”. A Companion is someone who has had CP spent
on them, either by acquiring them in a Jumpdoc, or by importing them as
a Companion in a Jumpdoc that gives the option of importing companions.
A Follower is any old scrub that consents to follow the Jumper, but has
not had CP spent on them.
“Consent” to follow the Jumper does not require revealing the nature
of JumpChain to them at the time, just a normal expressed desire to
adventure with the Jumper.
Companions or Followers that consent are taken to the Warehouse at
the end of a Jump.
Any Companions or Followers not actively on a jump are in stasis in
a pocket dimension controlled by the Benefactor. They do not age, die,
get further along in pregnancies, make progress in cultivation, or have
any other effects of time occur to them while in stasis.
Companions do not age normally; they take the age of their
backgrounds as they are imported.
Followers age normally, i.e. their age increases in linear time
alongside time they are not in stasis.
Followers may be promoted to Companions by being imported and having
CP spent on them.
Companions may not be demoted to Followers.
Any Companion or Follower that does not consent to continue jumping
at the end of a Jump will be returned to their home universe.
Companions that die in a Jump return to the Warehouse after 48
hours. If the Jumper does not have or cannot access their Warehouse,
they instead are sent to the Benefactor’s pocket dimension and into
stasis.
Followers that die in a Jump die for real, according to the rules of
the universe they are currently in.
Worldbuilding
All possible worlds exist, in a complex infinity — an infinity of
infinities. Multiple multiverses exist. From the point of view of a
universe, the “local multiverse” is the cluster of universes similar to
it in some way. If characters in a canon setting travel through the
“multiverse”, they are in fact traveling within a local multiverse.
The Jumper is not the only Jumper in existence.
The Jumper’s Benefactor is not the only possible Benefactor.
“Legacy Patches”
Companions and Followers may enter jumps where there is no Companion
section or no import option for free, but they do not gain CP or
Companion status from this.
The Cosmic Warehouse’s Stasis Pod option is no
longer necessary due to how Companions now work.
The order of Jumps is not chosen by the creator (i.e. Quicksilver),
but by the author (i.e. the player) through either choice or random
chance.
Jumpers do not have to be self-inserts.
Pokemon from the Pokemon Trainer jump are Followers (because CP was
not spent on them), except the starter, who is a Companion (because CP
was spent on them).
Personal Rules
I must write at least 1000 words per jump, not including
epilogues.
I may fudge point totals by up to 100 CP if it serves the purpose of
the story.
The answer to the question “does this perk synergize with that
perk?” is always “yes”.
Further Reading
You will probably want to check out one of the many Jumpchain
communities. Many of them have their own FAQs and introductions that you
may find more useful than this one. As always, make sure to lurk to pick
up the local culture before you post.
