====== Style and Tone ======

//Reference II// will vary in tone during the course of the game, with each [[..:setting:stories|Story]] having its own distinct tone. Themes and questions that will persist throughout the game as a whole are described below. For a list of sensitive themes that may occur during //Reference II//, please see the [[.:cat|Conduct and Acceptable Themes]] page.


====== Key Themes ======
The following are central themes that will be touched on during //Reference II//. This is not an exhaustive list of what may become possible to explore during the course of the game, though other themes may not be explored in as much detail by GMs. 

===== Innovation and Responsibility =====

The events of //Reference II// centre around the [[..:setting:bookworm|Bookworm]], a technological innovation which has pushed the boundaries on what can be experienced, so imagination is the only limit. **Do the potential gains of technological development outweigh the dangers?**

Frequently, those who create a product knowingly sacrifice the quality or safety of their product. When people make decisions that will negatively impact wider society, **how do they justify this to themselves?**
Often, these decisions are made by corporations with internal power structures, meaning blame can be shifted both up and down the chain of command. **Who is ultimately responsible for ensuring corporations make ethical decisions?**


===== Reality and Escapism =====

The worlds that the Bookworm Stories take place in are distinct from the Out-of-Story world that the player characters come from, and only exist as a simulated experience. **Does knowing that your experiences are simulated make those experiences not real?** If these experiences are judged to not be real, **can they still be valuable?**

For the characters from Stories that the player characters meet and can interact with, the world created by the Bookworm is the only one they have ever known and they have no way of reaching the Out-of-Story world. Even if the In-Story world is not real for the player characters, **can the In-Story world be considered real for the characters of that Story?**

The Bookworm offers an opportunity for someone to escape whatever struggles they have going on in the Out-of-Story world in favour of an In-Story world which can, in theory, be anything they want it to be, provided they can describe it in written form. **Is it worth leaving the Out-of-Story world for the promise of the In-Story world?**


===== Identity and Belonging =====

When someone uses the Bookworm to enter a Story, the Bookworm creates a version of the user within the Story, and gives the user the experiences of the In-Story version of them. The In-Story and Out-of-Story versions of a user share the same memories and experiences, but are distinct incarnations. **Is the In-Story version of someone the same person as the Out-of-Story version of them?**

The PCs in //Reference II// will find themselves asking **"Do I belong here?"** in many situations during the game.
For some PCs, the events of //Reference II// will be the first time in a long time since they have been outside of their home [[..:setting:world#history_and_culture|Commune]], and they may be struggling with the change. The Bookworm offers opportunities for users to explore places and worlds that are unknown to them, which may leave users feeling that they have ended up somewhere that they do not belong.

====== Inspirations ======

//Reference II// has drawn inspiration from many sources, with the following being direct inspirations for some parts of the game.

  * //Anarchy, State and Utopia//, Book, Robert Nozick, 1974
  * //Ascent//, ORPGSoc One-Shot, 2025
  * //Behind the Veil//, ORPGSoc One-Shot, 2025
  * //Charlie and the Chocolate Factory//, Book, Roald Dahl, 1964
  * //Fool Time//, YouTube Documentary, Secret Base, 2025
  * //Pokémon Ultra Moon//, Video Game, Nintendo / The Pokémon Company, 2017
  * //The Future is a Dead Mall - Decentraland and the Metaverse//, YouTube Documentary, Folding Ideas, 2023
  * //The Rise, Lies and Demise of Jan Hendrik Schön//, YouTube Documentary, BobbyBroccoli, 2020
  * //The Ramblings of Harry W//, real-life conversations, Harry Wright, 2025-2026
  * //Time Heist//, //Doctor Who// Series 8 Episode 5, TV Episode, 2014
  * Various previous ORPGSoc Society Games