Freedom Of Information

Characters in Bellum have fairly complex backstories, with lots of twists and turns. Some of those backstories can be dug up via public records, if your character has the wherewithal (or the position in law enforcement) to find them. There are, however, some simple rules to follow when you plan to have your character seek out information about another character's backstory.

1. Talk to the player. Check with them to see whether or not they're okay with your character learning whatever information you want them to pick up. They may have objections because it doesn't make sense for your character to be able to procure that information (it's in confidential files, the character went through witness protection or has covered up their past) or because it would have in-game ramifications they're not comfortable with. They may also be all for it—but the only way to be sure is to talk to them directly.

2. Make sure to also talk to anyone else who might come up in the information—particularly relatives. We have several groups of siblings in game, and information dug up about one sibling's family history will obviously also apply to their brother or sister. So you'll also want to check with that player before, say, having your character air their familial dirty laundry to the community. Often the players of siblings collaborate on creating a family history, so it's always good to check with both.

3. Private information is not posted anywhere in the building. There is no buzzer list, for instance. So to learn the names or occupations of various tenants, you'll need to either talk to the player or have your character simply find out through in game discourse. The only information posted publicly about each tenant is the apartment number attached to their posts, which does not list a name.

4. Check the public records here on the wiki. For instance, the police reports page has a list of all the crimes that have occurred in the building that have had official police reports filed for them. The unsolved murders page details, well, unsolved murders—murders that a character could find out about through research. These items are approved for people to discover with some digging.

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