Setting:InfiniCon

This article is about a homebrew that has been abandoned by its creators. Prepare for broken rulesets, links, and promises.

NOTE: Everything except for the very basic premise is completely proposed, un-"official" ideas and brainstorming. Everything is open to revision, criticism, or feedback. Just leave some comment in the "discussion" tab saying why you did so. Additionally, if you are looking for the mechanics section, it's been moved to /Proposed Mechanics

Also, any sort of Lore or story stuff should be put in the /Lore page.. It's for anything that's story related, whether it be Undercon encounters, the latest news about factions' betrayal, or the story about those Furries raping that narutard.

Welcome to InfiniCon, the Con that never ends. - The PA system at one of the many entrances to the city.

A Convention so large that it occupies its own city. Infinity City, the cleverly named home of InfiniCon is a relatively small, but densely packed urban paradise where fandoms of all kinds coexist in a year-round celebration of anime, video games, sci-fi, fantasy, LARP, wargaming, and just about any other kind of nerdy subculture you can imagine. With multiple conventions running all the time, each organizing their own large events and gatherings, the city has had to split into several distinct districts.

For some, InfiniCon is merely an event to attend once a year, like any other convention. You get some pictures of neat costumes, meet some popular celebrities from the industry, visit some panels, and that's the end of it. For many more, InfiniCon is home. It is a fan's Neverland, where they get to live the dream, fully immersed in a surreal world where fictional characters roam the streets and where you can go to the local café and find a Jedi, a Ninja, a Space Marine, and zombie, sharing a table and conversing over coffee.

Luckily, for those who wish to stay, there is always work to be done in Infinity City. The large events require organizers, security detail, technicians, craftsmen, janitors, and countless other little jobs to pay the bills and stay just a little longer. Even those who don't want to run the convention can find a job helping out the various vendors and stores dotting the city or even picking up a public service job like garbage collection or mail delivery. Many talented and entrepreneurial-minded citizens have even managed to form personal businesses repairing and sewing costumes, styling wigs, or building the complex and detailed props and armor that the costumed citizens cannot live without.

Now, you may be thinking that this all sounds too good to be true, and you'd be right. InfiniCon is not without its problems, though the people running the show do everything in their power to make sure that most don't hear about the darker side of the Con, but that doesn't stop it from happening. Like any other city on the planet, bigger problems lie just below the surface.

The biggest issues in Infinity City are often about property. There's an extensive list of eager fans who want to move in, but there aren't enough apartments to go around. Rumors persist of certain groups muscling people out of their apartments so their property can be sold at a hefty mark-up, while others say that there is a band of unhinged citizens who have been making lesser known attendees disappear to secure some extra property.

Vendors and businesses have to worry about getting their shipments on time as competing businesses make take it upon themselves to take them out of commission by sending other attendees to intercept and steal any incoming shipments. Crafters have to worry about being able to get enough materials to finish their next costume or prop, while still being able to make it look flawless.

Similarly, nerds are quite territorial to begin with, so amongst those who already own property, certain districts and bordering areas are always in disputes amongst different fandoms and whole factions. Little fights break out often over minor things, like which faction owns the local McDonald's or if people wearing a certain kind of costume can even pass down certain streets. In some cases, the results of these disputes aren't too vicious, but there are always those amongst any group who take things too far.

History

"We've all got to start somewhere." - A shop owner in Infinity City

The history of Infinity City is something of a mystery. Even long time citizens aren't quite sure when the place first popped up, though most agree that it has been around over a decade and much of the city was already built even when the convention first started functioning year round.

The most common theory is that the person who built Infinity City won a major lottery or contest or something that landed him with more money than they could ever spend in 100 lifetimes. Like any of us might do, they poured that money into the things they loved, like anime and comic books and games. When that wasn't enough they began to put all that money into conventions, which proved to be enormous successes. Soon, they were buying out entire city blocks and re-purposing them as property for their convention, which continued to grow faster and faster. Before long, Infinity City was born, owned and supported by it's own, everlasting convention.

There are a lot of unanswered questions from that explanation, but seeing as the Chairman of InfiniCon, the person running the whole show, is incredibly reclusive, no one is really quite sure what the truth is. The whole thing has made the Chairman something of an urban legend with some claiming he's just wandering the streets, just another face in the crowd, while others insist that he has to be some sort of investment super genius or maybe even a collective of the most brilliant minds from each faction. Others still will warn you not to go digging into the subject too much, because they knew a guy, who heard from another guy that trying to find the Chairman got some guy killed.

Presently, InfiniCon has existed and run continuously for several years straight without any major issue. Things are more or less stable, though there were times when certain groups couldn't stand being in the same city as one another, let alone sharing convention centers, hotels, and streets. This is part of the reason that the city began splitting into the distinct districts that it is known for nowadays. A sort of mutual agreement was reached where people agreed to keep most arguments and fighting to a minimum, at least enough to let the city function. This doesn't mean that people have given up on harassing each other, but in most cases, the hardcore capefag won't bother to call out and insult the animu kid on his way to work, just as long as they don't do the same. This is still rather tenuous, as many conflicts still break out, both between districts (comics vs manga) and within them as well (Kirk vs Picard).

The City Itself

A rough mock up of the layout of the city

Firstly, one of the largest details worth noting is the Infinity City is a complete city. Meaning, though it largely exists as an endless collection of conventions, there are hospitals, post offices, firehouses, police stations, and all those other little things you take for granted. Not only does this create more jobs for the citizens, but it helps the city run somewhat normally. The whole place is more or less self-sustaining, with its own infrastructure and utilities.

There are an abundance of apartments and hotels which make up the largest percentage of buildings in the city, but that is to be expected in most cities. The majority of most Hotels are kept open for the constant rotation of visitors and attendees, though some wealthy citizens have taken up permanent residences in some of the nicer suites.

Convention Centers - One enormous convention center dominates the center of the city, acting as the main hall for all large events, but several smaller satellite centers make up the regularly used meeting places for the smaller daily events and goings on. The areas bordering these centers are commercial districts, dotted with hotels, restaurants, and stores for the visiting con-goers. Each Convention Center usually has its floor space split into a few major areas to separate some of the different groups. There is the main floor which is often reserved for bigger companies and businesses to display their latest products. This section is often the most prestigious and attracts the most attention, but it is also the most expensive to rent. Then there's the vendors' hall which is a tightly packed flea market-esque side area for smaller businesses, shops, artists, and craftsmen to sell their wares. This area is cheaper to rent, but the crowding is a significant drawback in most cases. Lastly, you have the meeting rooms, often located on the upper floors, which are used to contain panels, workshops, meet-ups, concerts, contests, tournaments, parties, and other events. The scheduling of the usage of these rooms is controlled by a city-run organization who controls the approvals process that decides which events get in which rooms on which days.

Due to the frequent activity within these centers, regular scheduled cleaning days are set up for at least once a month. During those times, the city temporarily hires a large number of citizens to work as janitors for a small amount of pay. During this time the already existing Janitorial staff are promoted to Supervisors and are required of oversee teams of volunteers to clean specific sections of the Centers. Many citizens jump at the opportunity because it means more money, a chance to snag any left over swag or goods that may have been forgotten, the potential to scoop up some valuable materials for craftsmen, and the potential to sneak into the back hallways and secret areas for troublemakers.

Apartments - The most common housing solution in Infinity City. Most are rather standard, at least offering a couple bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom, but there are some higher end places that offer specialty apartments, designed around a certain theme or style. For the average citizen, a few roommates are absolutely necessary to make ends meet. Being able to secure a reasonably sized apartment usually means splitting rent so every can still afford all the comics and collectibles they so badly desire. Room cramming can be a problem, as it is at any convention, but most places keep a tight watch on such things, which unfortunately is part of the reason there is such a homeless problem in the UnderCon.

Hotels - Hotels are meant to house to constantly rotating slew of guests and con-goers. As such, most can be found bordering the convention centers, to keep the distance between attendees and event to a minimum. Only in some very rare cases are citizens allowed to keep a hotel room as their home, but this is mostly due to cost more than anything else. Most Hotels will offer some of their services and amenities, such as their in-house restaurants, pools, or gyms, to the public for a small fee.

Suburbs - As normal as Infinity City is likely to get, these areas are meant to house the younger citizens and families who would otherwise have trouble living in the city proper. Even still, many neighborhoods in the suburbs areas are built to resemble something out of a stereotypical anime, complete with a large high school with a clock tower, cherry blossom trees, and a rooftop area for moody meetings.

Districts

Infinity City is a very diverse collection of many kinds of people who all share the same kind of passion for different shows, books, games, and other things. Despite this shared interest, they don't really get along that well, so they've all more or less split into different districts that cater certain branches of pop-culture and media, keeping the fighting and arguing to a minimum.

Little Tokyo - Anime, Manga, and Japanese media and culture district. Has a large variety of import shops that carry just about everything you could imagine. Also offers a lot of cultural attractions, such as sushi restaurants, noodle shops, artificial hot springs, and apartments built like traditional Japanese castles. Unsurprisingly, Little Tokyo has the most Martial Arts studios in the city, offering classes in many traditional martial arts, as well as things like stage combat and Super Sentai styles.

Metropolis - The Comics, Cartoons, and Western media district. Modern city, most resembles a normal city. Pretty typical in appearance for the most part, though it contains a large number of comic shops, video stores, and theaters which only play animated films. Even more so than other districts, the citizens of Metropolis are known to police themselves, due to a large number of vigilante do-gooders patrolling the streets. It can be quite a headache for ConSec and the Enforcers to deal with, but most of the time, no one bothers to break any laws or cause any troubles for fear of a dozen righteous citizens leaping out to stop them.

Grimdark Forest - The LARP and Renaissance District. Rather than being any sort of city, this district consists of the public parks and open fields surrounding the city. Title aside, the LARP area offers a dense forest and expansive fields to house nearly any sort of organized Live-Action Role Play. Most differing groups know to avoid each other and often act as if the others don't exist, if only to keep the illusion of their own worlds in-tact. In some areas, the homes can range from a simple collection of tents to full blown medieval cities to scrap-built shanty towns in post-apoc territory.

Neckbeard Alley - Traditional gaming and Fantasy District. This district has a certain rustic charm to it, with many of the buildings being fashioned after old wooden taverns or stone castles. If there's one thing this place has an abundance of, it's taverns to gather at. In addition, they have numerous bookstores which carry both literature and rulebooks. Despite the old-world aesthetic, though, the gamers of this district couldn't survive without fast food, so there are a variety of restaurants disguised amongst the fake thatched roof cottages that will deliver pizza or Chinese food.

Neo Infinity - The Tech, Sci-Fi, and futurist District. This district is where some of the city's seedier inhabitants may find themselves working the odd job or two thanks to many tech companies having local branches here, all with their latest cutting edge tech perfect for leaking onto the black market. Also on top of looking more futuristic and shiny than the other districts, this area is the go to place for the latest gadgets, computer components, and the latest software. As such, this district is also home to the most computer savvy citizens, most of which help run and maintain the various networks within the city.

Industrial District - Further from the city lies the Industrial Zone, where the power plant, the water treatment center, the Recyclery where trash is sorted and re-purposed, and the shipping and storage warehouses where all of the incoming shipments arrive. Due to safety regulations and being further from the city, costuming and unusual behavior are less common in this District, though not completely absent. For the benefit of the bordering LARP fields, the city has erected a wide variety of pre-abandoned and faux-dilapidated buildings and factories dotting the outskirts of the district.

The UnderCon - Due to the large number of apartment buildings and hotels and high rises, most buildings have basements several floors deep with service tunnels connecting them and a vast sewer network below that. Con security and Organizers often use the most well-maintained service tunnels as shortcuts through the city, but all those forgotten and unmaintained back halls house the city's homeless con-goers who refused to leave. For others, the UnderCon is just another Some seriously shady shit goes on down there.

"Where is the _____ District?"

Keep in mind, Infinity City is a fairly large place as it is. Each district is an amalgamation of dozens of different fandoms of different genres and media, and in some cases, it just doesn't make sense to give one thing it's own district or distinct place in the city when it may not be large or active enough to call for such a thing. In other cases, the way these things overlap means that certain things are just as much a part of numerous districts as they are their own things. For example, Literature and Video Games are both fairly large, but they are actually representative parts of many large themes and genres. Nearly every district have their own forms of literature and games, so it wouldn't make sense to split those from the existing districts.

Life in the City

"Life here is simple - don't get squished." Shadowrunner

Citizens - Also known as Con-goers and Attendees. The citizenry of Infinity City is as wide and varied as any other city, though they are less shy about hiding their hobbies and fandoms. Like at any other convention, attendees let loose and walk about openly and shamelessly showing off their appreciation for different cartoons, shows, and hobbies. Most citizens are employed within the city, working for the various businesses, vendors, or public services that keep things running, while others are self-employed as costume and prop makers.

There are roughly half a million citizens in the known city, with another 100k estimated tourists.The people living in the UnderCon are mostly unaccounted. There are additionally the people who live in the Suburbs, and other outlying areas.

Employment - As mentioned above, the city functions much like any city anywhere else might run, with the exception of a variety of unique jobs that have cropped up to fill the needs of an everlasting convention. Most citizens within Infinity City work at the various stores, businesses, and establishments throughout the city, which may mean working at McDonald's or GameStop to make ends meet. Lucky for many others, there are also jobs to be taken in convention security, event management, janitorial duties, and many other public services.

For those who weren't lucky enough to land traditional careers in the city, there are the fringe jobs that came into existence as a part of the city's culture. Garbage picking for recyclable materials is rather popular amongst those who don't mind getting their hands dirty to make some extra cash. Things like aluminum cans and cardboard boxes and scrap wood are especially valuable to prop makers, while the city itself might offer a pittance as incentive for turning in things like petroleum-based products and batteries for proper disposal as a means of keeping Infinity City clean and safe.

Transportation - Like most densely packed cities, owning a car is almost entirely unnecessary for the average citizen. A tangled network of skyways between major hotels and apartment and public transportation in the form of buses, subway trains, and trolleys means most people can get around the city without much trouble. There are also the major tunnels that are kept well-lit and patrolled regularly that can be used as shortcuts, though many consider that to be skirting it too close to the UnderCon.

For most, walking is the preferred method of getting around with biking at a close second. In some cases, a bicycle may be nothing more than a prop for a costume, but it does make for a convention transport. For those who may not be able to afford a motorcycle, there is also the option to ride a bicycle with a modified outer shell to appear more appropriate for their costume. Space Marine Bike Squads, for instance.

Law Enforcement - Upholding order in Infinity City is a difficult endeavor. To make sure that the city operates smoothly and that major events occur without a hitch, the city has created two factions of law enforcement: Con Security (AKA ConSec) and the Enforcers.

ConSec is mostly made up of paid volunteers who mostly act as the eyes on the street for the Enforcers. ConSec operatives have some authority, but since they aren't trained they also aren't armed. And for this reason they are relegated to civil protection. There is some wiggle room regarding what ConSec is allowed to do when it comes to applying the law and punishing offenders, but mostly they are required to observer and report. For this reason, most carry some form of camera and walkie talkie to keep in touch with the Enforcers. For instance, ConSec may apprehend a thief, but it is up to the Enforcers to detain and decide punishment.

The Enforcers are akin to real Police Officers. They have full authority to enforce the laws of the city, which also give them the right to detain and deport offenders from the Con. To become an Enforcer requires some extensive training under an actual security and law enforcement specialist, employed by the city and acting as a Captains for the various branches of the Infinity City Enforcers (ICE? Sure, why not?). Rumor has it that each one was picked not only because of their backgrounds in law enforcement and private security, but also because they are secretly fans themselves.

The InfiniCon Registration Network - With as many people as there are in Infinity City all clamoring the attend the various events and panels, one of the first things the city was required to do was establish a more stream-lined and efficient registration system. Rather than rely on badges and registration lines, they built the InfiniCon Registration Network, which catalogs and stores basic info on all registered attendees and gives them an ID card which keeps track of various bits of information stored on a RFID chip inside the card.

Through the use of the ICRN, Attendees and citizens can pre-register for popular events, concerts, book-signings, photo shoots, and other organized gatherings for a small fee at local kiosks around the city. A quick scan of an attendee's ICRN card allows the Staffers to efficiently determine who gets into an event.

The ICRN is also used by the Enforcers and ConSec to keep track of repeat offenders. Certain key locations throughout the city have scanners built in that keep track of who has been where. It's a little Big Brother-y, but it is absolutely necessary at times to keep tabs on an offender who might be trying to disguise themselves by switching costumes. Additionally, anyone not carrying a card or refusing to show one only gives them more reason to detain and bring in a suspicious person for identification.

Despite the somewhat questionable nature of the ICRN cards, it is a necessary evil to most and a vital source of income for the city. Registration and renewal fees bring in a constant source of revenue.

The UnderCon

Numerous tunnels lie beneath the city for maintenance, transportation, utilities, and other strange, unknown reasons. These tunnels are uncountable, dark, mysterious, and are extremely hard to map. The tunnels themselves vary in appearance, as some tunnels are clean and industrial, with light fixtures and pipes running across the ceiling, and tile floors. Other portions are made from brick and concrete, with no light source whatsoever, and many dead-ends and dead corpses. Some parts of tunnels do not connect to others, and there are few entrances leading down to them. The UnderCon has become a sort of place for rejects of society to lurk, or people looking to bypass security checkpoints. It is very dangerous, especially since it is the only place a staff uniform will not necessarily scare people into obeying.

The main "faction" residing in the depths are the Furries, who tend to gang up on unsuspecting travelers and either mug them, rape them, or turn them into one of their ranks. Furries commonly have raves in secret catacombs, and non-Furries are lucky to get past one alive amidst the music and constant orgies.

Other crazies lurk the depths, such as post-apocalyptic LARPers, who after weeks of constant immersion, believe the world outside is irradiated and will mug and possibly kill people for their "rations" or supplies. It isn't uncommon to find these people having guns or other lethal weapons, and bodies are easily lost in the winding tunnels. Deep below there are also power substations and water pumps.

Runners, or people transporting contraband items such as weapons, drugs, rare rulebooks/collectables, and other illegal/rare goods, tend to use the UnderCon for bypassing security checkpoints or escaping authorities. It's an easy way past many security measures of the above-ground, but it is dangerous, especially when going into the lower levels.

The Plan so far

InfiniCon is meant to be a setting, first and foremost. The initial idea was to create and explore the concept, expanding and detailing the things that hadn't been touched on yet. What we want to create is a fully fleshed out setting with enough of the important details in place for anyone to pick up this setting and use it without having to write up too much content of their own. Something that can easily be used with most systems or interpretations. This may eventually lead to a homebrew system, but for the time being, that isn't high on the priority list.

Additionally, InfiniCon exists in a couple different flavors at the moment. Which version you end up using or how intense certain aspects are really depend on the author or the GM. While numerous aspects of InfiniCon may be firmly established, many others won't be, and a person is free to put their own spin on things. This may mean that things are a little silly and carefree or that they are brutal and gritty and lethal.

• The Low Fantasy - InfiniCon is slightly more realistic, though no less ridiculous and corrupt and dark once you get into it. From a player perspective, it's more like a film noir story with players often playing Mercenary or Hunter types who take up any work they can get that falls outside the normal spectrum of legitimate business. Players might be normals, working as the diplomats and negotiators between the different factions, being the neutral party that isn't sided with any one series or genre or they might be new arrivals, getting tangled in the drama and conflict of the different distracts and factions.

• The Batshit Insane High Fantasy - InfiniCon is not merely a gathering of cosplayers and dorks, there is something supernatural about it, something that alters the fabric of reality. Those who truly engage themselves in the fantasy of being a fictional character and immerse themselves in their fandom start to take on the powers and abilities of their character and series. Depending on how intense you feel like getting, this could mean a street-level supers type thing with people sporting enhanced agility and strength, or it could be a high end Exalted type rise to Godhood, where fully immersed characters warp the world around them, making it take on aspects of their fandom. This would be represented by an "Immersion" stat which grants more power the higher it goes, at the expense of losing touch with reality and your self.

• Delusions and Overreactions - There is a semi-supernatural phenomenon in Infinity City that allows playing pretend and getting into character to have some serious impact on its citizens. As a person drifts further into their delusion, it becomes harder for them to not react to roleplay and pretend as if it were reality. This becomes a bigger problem when the intense delusions of one person can start to drag others in, forcing everyone in the area into their fantasy, crossover hallucination where nerf darts are deadly bullets and the guy in the cardboard armor becomes a fearsome trained warrior. From an outsider's perspective, it's hilarious to watch, but it can be quite frustrating for Con Security when they have to waste time convincing kids that they aren't actually dead after some fight with another cosplayer. This is meant to be an alternate take on the immersion idea, still allowing for epic battles, but without the actual super powers and only a hint of psychic shenanigans.

Note: this setting works with any kind of system. You name it, we can use it! Writing "fanfiction" is encouraged, jut put it on the lore page though.

Original Threads

First:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/17597062/
Second:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/17603755/
Third:
http://archive.foolz.us/tg/thread/18452035/ --- http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/18452035/
Fourth:
http://archive.foolz.us/tg/thread/18468343/ --- http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/18468343/
Fifth:
http://archive.foolz.us/tg/thread/18515276/

Contributers

• InfiniCon OP !!eo4aiy7L/b7 / InfiniCon Chairman !!eo4aiy7L/b7 / ChrowX
• hungarian LARPfag
• Jarboot !!j4xjG8Gxyo4
• Anonymous