History TabletopGame / JAGSWonderland

* EldritchAbomination: The Caretakers. [[spoiler:Somewhat subverted in that they are ''absolutely '''terrified''''' of us, since while it ''is'' possible for us to figure out their rules, [[HumansAreCthulhu it's impossible for them to figure out ours]].]]

->''"But I don't want to go among mad people." Alice remarked.''
->''"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."''
->''"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.''

''JAGS Wonderland'' is a tabletop setting for the free generic RPG JAGS. In it, a bizarre, inexplicably contagious mental illness known as Cyclic Psychoaffective Disorder is sweeping the world. The psychological community and most governments refuse to acknowledge CPD as [[TheSchizophreniaConspiracy anything more than normal Schizophrenia.]] A few conspiracy theorists insist there must be more to it, but nobody believes them.

* BreakingTheFourthWall: ''Wonderland'' starts with Alice introducing the game to you. In MindScrew way.

* DownTheRabbitHole: In-universe slang for a deep trip [[spoiler:to the lower levels of reality, where the Caretakers live.]]

* EarnYourHappyEnding: It's going to be hard, it's going to be painful, many are going to die. But in the end, [[spoiler:humanity's victory over the Caretakers and Wonderland is not just likely, it's predetermined, a mathematical inevitability. Humanity ''will'' find the Department of Works in Chessboard Seven, destroy it, and transcend as the true master of everything and nothing]].

* ForTheLulz: The Cheshire Cat will do anything for his amusement, never let things settle down if he can “turn the heat up”. He can be helpful, but his help usually sends you from frying pan into the flame.
* FullCircleRevolution: It's basically stated that [[spoiler: if the Deconstructionists win they'll be just as bad as the Caretakers - the StealthPun here is that they would pull a DeconReconSwitch.]]
* GovernmentConspiracy: Project Pilgrim, set up by the government to combat the spread of Infection, and Project Pagan, set up to [[spoiler: turn humanity into something the Caretakers can tolerate.]]

* HumansAreCthulhu: The inhabitants of the lower "Chessboards" have trouble understanding the concept of "math" and "physics", while Humans can understand the literary rules followed by the inhabitants of Wonderland... by basically going insane. Turns out, [[spoiler:mankind has the potential to master [[YinYangBomb both]], essentially becoming [[PhysicalGod gods]] even greater than the caretakers.]]

* LittleGreenMen: [[spoiler:The original "aliens" produced by Project Pagan. Very few humans were intelligent or megalomaniacal enough to be converted, thus the focus was shifted to turning people into TheGreys.]]
** The Field Martians of the Army of No, too. They actually don't claim to be from anywhere but Earth (the name is a reference to the [[WarGod god known also as Ares]][[labelnote:note]]Specifically, the Field of Mars, an area in UsefulNotes/AncientRome which has been used as a metaphor for any military area, or the many places named after it.[[/labelnote]]), but they are indeed green, [[MarsNeedsWomen and they are lustful]].

* BreakingTheFourthWall: ''Wonderland'' starts with Alice introduce the game to you. In MindScrew way.

** The Field Martians of the Army of No, too. They actually don't claim to be from anywhere but Earth (the name is a reference to the [[WarGod god known also as Ares]]), but they are indeed green, [[MarsNeedsWomen and they are lustful]].

* HumansAreCthulhu: the inhabitants of the lower "Chessboards" have trouble understanding the concept of "math" and "physics", while Humans can understand the literary rules followed by the inhabitants of Wonderland... by basically going insane. Turns out, [[spoiler:mankind has the potential to master [[YinYangBomb both]], essentially becoming [[PhysicalGod gods]] even greater than the caretakers.]]

Imagine Lewis Caroll meeting Creator/HPLovecraft.

In reality, CPD is not a mental illness. In reality, there are seven lower [[LayeredWorld layers of reality]] [[note]]called "Chessboards" individually and "Wonderland" collectively by those who know about them [[/note]] beneath the one we inhabit, and once in a while someone [[DownTheRabbitHole accidentally falls through the cracks]] becoming Infected. The Infected are also known as the ''Unsane'', because they are not losing hold of reality .. '''reality''' is losing hold of '''them'''. Once you've been sucked down once, it can happen again with very little warning, and creatures from Wonderland may be able to follow you back.

The further down the Chessboards you go, the looser reality gets. Chessboard One and Chessboard Two are still recognizable as reflections of the familiar world. Chessboard Three is connected to our world only through metaphor, and below that things are [[EldritchLocation strange]].

While someone is trapped on the lower Chessboards, a [[ADarkerMe Reflection]] is thrown back up to consensus reality which will try, clumsily, to imitate their actions deeper in reality. If it can't, it may have an epic freak-out called Disassociation, and when you finally return to reality you may find yourself in a padded cell.

However all is not lost. The remains of the agency that made first contact with Wonderland, called Project Pilgrim then and Project Puritan now, [[{{Masquerade}} crusades to keep Wonderland as hidden as possible]], in the hopes that if the Infection is contained, it can be controlled. Those Infected who survive for long enough and don't throw their lot in with the Caretakers wage a desperate struggle to get by. And most hidden of all, the Magicians, who learn to control Wonderland without entering it, and who each choose any of a number of different allegiances.

* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler: What will happen to humanity when (''not if, when'') they deactivate the Department of Works, the universe sized machine in Chessboard Seven that keeps reality going.]]
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever/ IncredibleShrinkingMan: A gameplay mechanic. It just wouldn't be Wonderland without it. PC's and NPC's can be anywhere from an inch to a hundred feet tall, made that way by various sources. [[spoiler:Specifically, the Typeist can [[EnforcedTrope enforce]] this on others.]]

* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: Inverted. By enforcing the notion that anything you see during an episode is [[AllJustADream absolutely one hundred percent not real,]] Underground support groups can slow or even halt the progress of infection. They believe themselves to be blunt realists who are DoingInTheWizard by refusing to embrace delusion; this belies the fact that Wonderland is [[DoingInTheScientist indeed very much real.]] Due to Infection originating from seeing and believing in an Impossible Thing, seeing and ''not'' believing weakens it. If it were possible to totally "unbelieve" in Wonderland, an infectee could be cured instantly.
** Ironically, this method is effective only as long as the support groups don't realize ''why'' it's effective -- if it were explained to them, they would know for a fact that Wonderland is real, and would be unable to disbelieve. And on it goes...

* EarnYourHappyEnding: It's going to be hard, it's going to be painful, many are going to die. But in the end, [[spoiler:humanity's victory over the Caretakers and Wonderland is not just likely, it's predetermined, a mathematical inevitability. Humanity ''will'' find the Department of Works in Chessboard Seven, destroy it, and transcend as the true master of everything and nothing.]]

* ShoutOut: Watching ''Music/{{TheWall}}'' is specifically noted as a good way for an infected individual to slip down a few levels.

* LovecraftianSuperpower: Like Alice, you may get a serpent's neck and loose sight of your feet. Or other things... [[spoiler:Unlike most examples, however, the Twists are not due to corruption of yourself, but exposure to Wonderland allowing you to manifest [[PersonalityPowers bits of your subconscious]] as mutations. They're actually vital to fighting the Wild Things, and they're quite temporary.]]

* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler: What will happen to humanity once (''not if, once'') they deactivate the Department of Works, the universe sized machine in Chessboard Seven that keeps reality going.]]

In reality, CPD is not a mental illness. In reality, there are seven lower [[LayeredWorld layers of reality [[note]]called "Chessboards" individually and "Wonderland" collectively by those who know about them [[/note]] beneath the one we inhabit]], and once in a while someone [[DownTheRabbitHole accidentally falls through the cracks]] becoming Infected. The Infected are also known as the ''Unsane'', because they are not losing hold of reality .. '''reality''' is losing hold of '''them'''. Once you've been sucked down once, it can happen again with very little warning, and creatures from Wonderland may be able to follow you back.

The further down the Chessboards you go, the looser reality gets. Chessboard One and Chessboard Two are still recognizable as reflections of the familiar world. Chessboard Three is connected to our world only through metaphor, and below that things are ... [[EldritchLocation strange]].

* BodyHorror: A common element, and frequent component of becoming Twisted. Upon entering Wonderland, people who feel powerless in life may become NoodlePeople. Gamblers and risk-takers may gain a prehensile neck. People who suffer from some form of self-loathing may be run through with metal blades and barbs. The list goes on.

** Ironically, this method is effective only as long as the support groups don't realize ''why'' it's effective -- If it were explained to them, they would know for a fact that Wonderland is real, and would be unable to disbelieve. And on it goes...

In reality, CPD is not a mental illness. In reality, there are seven lower [[LayeredWorld layers of reality (called "Chessboards" individually and "Wonderland" collectively by those who know about them) beneath the one we inhabit]], and once in a while someone [[DownTheRabbitHole accidentally falls through the cracks]] becoming Infected. The Infected are also known as the ''Unsane'', because they are not losing hold of reality .. '''reality''' is losing hold of '''them'''. Once you've been sucked down once, it can happen again with very little warning, and creatures from Wonderland may be able to follow you back.

In reality, CPD is not a mental illness. In reality, there are seven lower [[LayeredWorld layers of reality (called "Chessboards" individually and "Wonderland" collectively by those who know about them) beneath the one we inhabit]], and once in a while someone [[DownTheRabbitHole accidentally falls through the cracks]] becoming Infected (or ''Unsane'', because they are not losing hold of reality, '''reality''' is losing hold of '''them'''), and periodically being returned to Wonderland against their will. While on one of the lower chessboards, they throw a [[ADarkerMe ''Reflection'' (an irrational copy of themselves) up onto our world]] (''Chessboard Zero'') that tries to imitate their actions on the lower levels to the best of its ability. If it can't copy them, it freaks '''out''' (''Dissassociation''). Worse yet, once one finally makes it back up to reality (usually taking a few hours and finding their Reflection has done something embarrassing or illegal) the native creatures of Wonderland can follow them back up (''Notice''). While in Wonderland, one can be mutated (''Twisted'' or ''Damaged''). Most people who are Infected die or vanish into thin air within a year.

[[WorldOfChaos Chessboard One]] looks like the real world, for the most part, except that the people living there (''shadows'' who directly reflect one person from Chessboard Zero) act very strangely, going about their tasks in very roundabout ways, and all spoken or written communication expresses exactly what the speaker subconsciously meant, rather than what they said. Chessboard One also serves as the entrance to the [[InnBetweenTheWorlds Linear Maze, a strange environment that connects all the other Chessboards to one another.]]

On [[DarkWorld Chessboard Two]], there are still shadows, but only a fraction as many. The parts that aren't directly used by shadows tend to be nearly-deserted, twisted places that look like they came from [[Franchise/SilentHill a certain little resort town]]. The deserted areas are home to monstrous manifestations of the dominant impression of the area on Chessboard Zero, known as [[Literature/WhereTheWildThingsAre Wild Things]], that have no direct analogue above.

On [[CloudCuckooLand Chessboard Three]], the world is nearly unrecognizable, becoming a strange mix of Victorian cities, Medieval countryside, and representations of bits of the mass subconscious (for example, a shopping mall might become a cathedral dedicated not to any god, but the idea of Consumerism). The Wild Things are pretty common here.

On [[DreamLand Chessboard Four]], small suburban towns dot the confusing, dreamlike landscapes of the mind. Things like expectations and ideas are actual physical substances that can be pried from the land. Wild Things are everywhere.

At the [[EldritchLocation very lowest layers]] live the [[EldritchAbomination Caretakers]], some of whom Alice and Lewis Carroll met, others who they had the good fortune never to. The Caretakers really don't care for reality, because it operates on mathematical principles and they operate on literary ones. [[OmnicidalManiac They especially hate (or love, for certain values of the term) mankind]], the one thing that can actually understand the rules. In the 1960s, after extended [[FirstContact contact]] with a shadowy organization in the US Government, the Caretakers decided something needed to be done. They ultimately decided that the [[DriventoSuicide most effective way would be to simply tear apart humanity's will to live]]. This they accomplished by creating a series of projects that could go up to the levels just beneath Chessboard Zero and bedevil any shadows they find. Foremost among these are [[GovernmentDrugEnforcement Big Pharma]], the official initiative supported by most Caretakers, which seeks to pervert psychiatric medicine to [[DespairEventHorizon eradicate all hope and free will]], and [[TheMenInBlack Project Pagan]], a Caretaker-controlled [[GovernmentConspiracy conspiracy within the U.S. Government]] to twist humankind so thoroughly that they will become [[TheGreys something the Caretakers can work with.]] A few others try to make [[DealWiththeDevil Faustian bargains with the Infected]] [[TheMole in exchange for exposing]] [[ZombieInfectee more people, with the goal of infecting the entire world.]]

What they don't know is the very lowest level, full of machines that keep the other levels working, could render them [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence obsolete if humans ever understood what the machines were for.]] Which they will. Soon.

However all is not lost. The remains of the agency that made first contact with Wonderland, called Project Pilgrim then and Project Puritan now, [[{{Masquerade}} crusades to keep Wonderland as hidden as possible, in the hopes that if the infection is contained, it can be controlled.]] Those Infected who survive for long enough and don't throw their lot in with the Caretakers wage a desperate struggle to get by. And most hidden of all, the Magicians, who learn to control Wonderland without entering it, and who each choose any of a number of different allegiances.

On [[DarkWorld Chessboard Two]], there are still shadows, but only a fraction as many. The parts that aren't directly used by shadows tend to be nearly-deserted, twisted places that look like they came from [[SilentHill a certain little resort town]]. The deserted areas are home to monstrous manifestations of the dominant impression of the area on Chessboard Zero, known as [[Literature/WhereTheWildThingsAre Wild Things]], that have no direct analogue above.

* LovecraftianSuperpower: Like Alice, you may get a serpent's neck and loose sight of your feet. Or other things . . .[[spoiler:Unlike most examples, however, the Twists are not due to corruption of yourself, but exposure to Wonderland allowing you to manifest [[PersonalityPowers bits of your subconscious]] as mutations. They're actually vital to fighting the Wild Things, and they're quite temporary.]]

* PersonalityPowers: If you end up falling DownTheRabbitHole, you tend to walk away from the experience with powers that shape themselves to your personality and traumas. Getting the attention of the Caretakers can have this effect as well, but their rather warped perspective tends to make their alterations...[[BodyHorror unusual.]]

* ForTheLulz: The Cheshire Cat will do anything for his amusement, never let things settle down if he can “turn the heat up”. He can be helpful, but his help usually send you from frying pan into the flame.