Premise and Plot Expectations

Premise

if_we_lost is a dark, AU Harry Potter RPG. In our setting, Voldemort won the Wizarding world early in his campaign, and the infamous Halloween in Godric’s Hollow went very differently. As James Potter was imprisoned in Azkaban along with Sirius Black, no one was there to give Lily Potter the time to run to her infant son and protect him with her life. Lily and Harry were both killed by Voldemort that night, and with Harry went the Wizarding world’s single fragile hope.

Our game starts seventeen years later, when Voldemort’s grip on his kingdom is at its height, strong and unshakable. There are no “Mudbloods” at Hogwarts anymore; Muggleborns are not invited to an education in witchcraft and wizardry. As a result, new Muggleborn witches and wizards wander England without knowing what they are or what they can do; those who discover their power are instantly in danger of being tracked down by Death Eaters, and end up pawns in the war between Voldemort and the Order.

The Order of the Phoenix lives in hiding, weak and weakening further with each passing year as Voldemort wipes out all resistance. People who will stand and fight grow fewer, and the Order’s options are limited.

In every day life, the new caste system makes life good for some, and unspeakably hard for most. Purebloods are at the top of the list of course, and those who are loyal to Voldemort, whether members of his Death Eaters or not, have great power and influence. Blood-traitors are hunted down mercilessly and marked, then released in humiliation to know they can be hunted down again for nothing more than the sport. Half-bloods live under severe societal and economic constraints, while already known Muggleborns are slaves, with no rights and no freedoms.

Keep reading to determine if this is the game for you.

Plot Expectations

The overall plot concerns the ongoing struggle of the Order to survive, and defeat Voldemort once and forever.

Expected smaller plots include:

--Hunts for Unknown Muggleborns who have alerted the Death Eaters and Order to their presence with bursts of magic.
--Break-outs from Azkaban and Voldemort’s breeding camps.
--Individual missions given to certain characters on both sides, to be divulged only at that time.
--The search for spies on both sides.
--Any personal plots concocted by various players.
--Plots concocted by players after gameplay begins.

Several groups expected to plot have their own private communities: the Order, Voldemort’s Death Eaters, the Hogwarts staff and the Hogwarts students. These communities are OOC only, no playing allowed. Within these communities, the players can plot amongst themselves for events they would like to set against the other side (the Order against the Death Eaters, vice versa, and the Hogwarts students against the loyalist staff and vice versa). Each community will be moderated by one of the game’s mods. All plots discussed within the community stay within the community. The point is for each side to be able to plot against the other in true secrecy. Any plot discussed within these communities must be approved by the mods before being executed, and characters for the opposite side are expected to react appropriately.

Spies operating for both sides will have access to information for both sides, but what information they are allowed to use, and when and where, is completely at the mods’ discretion. No spy may use any information they have unless specifically told by a mod to do so; this keeps the information from being spread throughout the community and the Wizarding world willy-nilly.

Original Unknown Muggleborn characters are expected to have a high mortality rate due to being temporary characters only.

During certain plots, injuries and deaths will be necessary. Injuries will be at the player’s discretion, though we do remind all players that a player who goes too long without allowing their character(s) to be harmed in any way will be suspected of godmodding.

No character will be killed without the player’s permission; however, depending on the plot, the specific events, and after careful discussion and consideration on the part of the mods, sometimes players will be asked to consider the possibility of killing a character. Again, this will only be asked after lengthy discussion and careful consideration. It will never be done arbitrarily, always for a purpose. No player will be forced to say yes, and no character will ever be killed after a player has said no. However, we do remind everyone that this is a game set in the middle of a war—though it’s an underground war, and one side has a distinct advantage—and it would be utterly unrealistic to expect no casualties from the many battles and other events that will occur during gameplay.

For further information, please read our Character Guide.