Table of Contents

Style and Tone

Emporium is a game in which players play immortal Entities - strange god-like beings - who have come to an infinite supermarket called Emporium after waiting for many aeons to reach the front of the queue. However powerful or abstract player characters may be on their homeplanes, this is a game about their experience in a supermarket, where their manifestations are limited to physical, three-dimensional space, and where they relate to each other as fellow shoppers or recent employees.

Intention for the Game

When your character comes to the store, they will manifest in the supermarket for a limited period of time, in a physical form unlike the one they may occupy on their homeplane, to pursue new goals as an employee or customer, explore a plane that is alien to them, and make connections with people they have never met before, and may or may not see again once the shopping cycle comes to an end. You might say it's a little like a roleplaying experience for them: a short departure from their usual lives which nonetheless may leave a lasting impression. For Entities, a simple grocery run can be full of mystery, adventure, and self-discovery; far more impactful than a human shopping experience, and yet just as small within an infinite lifetime. We expect player characters to have a vibrant and busy experience in-store which may change them in meaningful ways, and look forward to seeing how each character will process this at the end of the game, when Eternity1) could really mean eternity.

Plot Design

Emporium is primarily a Player vs. Environment game, with exploration and navigation of the store being a main feature of the game. There is no single plot line, no 'main villain', and no cosmic or metaphysical evil to be fought. That's not to say there won't be antagonists and questionable groups and individuals, active in different corners of the game, but they'll be motivated by material factors, rather than universal malice.

For the most part, plot may develop in whichever part of the setting players choose to delve into. Whether your character has come to Emporium looking for a product, a solution, employment, promotion, purpose, meaning, or something else entirely, the store aims to offer them what they are searching for. In just this way, Emporium as a game has plot to offer wherever it is looked for.

Plot is intended to be personal to each player, developing in response to what their character chooses to explore, and which mysteries they attempt to unravel, although we intend for every character's story to take place within a cohesive setting: it's a small world in an infinite supermarket. The GM team has come up with products, places, and characters within the store that players may search for, discover, and interact with as a basis for their character arc and narrative. Plot is driven by character curiosity: anything might hold a mystery waiting to be unravelled, and much may be found within the setting that is not detailed on this wiki, as it is left up to players to investigate whatever catches their interest over the course of the game.

The GM team intends to pay particular attention to what each player is interested in engaging with, so that we can respond in a way that suits their personal playstyle and narrative preferences. At the same time, we will be considering everyone's turnsheet submissions as a whole to determine how the various plot threads within the game interact, and your actions in one part of the setting may impact others. Gameplay is by no means intended to be an isolated experience, and customers and employees alike are expected to form relationships and team up in their inquiry into the unknown.

Tone and Themes

Emporium is a game driven by mystery and exploration, as players are encouraged to delve into the depths of the store in search of whatever it may be that their characters are looking for. We aim to make Emporium a game of wonder, defined by the juxtaposition of the extra ordinary and the extraordinary, where even gods need to queue and a minor spillage may cause disturbances in the space-time continuum.

Emporium as a store is not a dystopian capitalist organisation, and not an oppressive or evil force to be fought, but a setting within which there will be opportunities for players to explore consumerism and labour relations. Emporium is a good, if not perfect, employer that provides meaningful compensation and real opportunities for advancement, and players will be able to apply for promotions and enact change if desired.

The overall tone of the game is intended to be one of upbeat curiosity, with the option to explore the strange and quirky, pursue the bittersweet enjoyment of the ephemeral, or delve into the horror of the uncanny. The GM team will do their best to consider where individual players fall on the tonal spectrum to provide them with the most enjoyable gameplay experience. We will be making use of playstyle quirks to aid in this, and to ensure that certain content, such as horror and mind-control, is strictly opt-in.

Multimedia

A core part of Emporium is the incorporation of multimedia elements in every aspect of the game, from videos and audio clips on the wiki, to PA announcements and interactive bots on the Discord server, non-written turnsheets in various digital formats, and even the option to receive something a GM has created in the mail if you live within the UK.

Although this game will be run online, we are keen for it to feel just as tangible, surprising, and vibrant as the supermarket itself, and would like to take this opportunity to showcase the varied skillset that exists across the GM team. To have a look at the talents behind the various multimedia aspects on this wiki, please see our credits page.

Just as the existence of multimedia elements is of key importance to our game design, the accessibility of such elements must be a central consideration throughout. It is our policy as GMs to ensure that any video or audio content we publish is accompanied with a transcript, and that accessible alternatives are made available for any other multimedia content, including the design of the wiki. For more details, please see our accessibility page.

Media Influences

Along with the many roleplaying games from which we have drawn inspiration, particular works of real-world media which have influenced the development of Emporium include:

Below are some examples of YouTube videos that influenced the creation of this game. Please note that external links on this wiki are not subject to Emporium's Conduct and Themes Policy and some of the following may contain unsettling or adult content.

1)
After the fifth and final session of uptime, players will be asked to submit an Eternity instead of a conventional turnsheet. The GM write-up for this will give an impression of how each character is affected by the aftermath of the game, rather than detailing a short term action.