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General
Why are there so few litters in this game?
There are a few reasons for this, but primarily it’s because we require full IC development of a relationship with another PC for a litter to be approved. There’s also the issue of each kit being an investment for a full TWO YEARS in RL before it’s even really eligible to be a warrior with our time-frame. I’d hate to have too many people with a lot of their PCs tied up in kits.
There is also a matter of balance to be maintained. We can’t have 15 warriors and 19 apprentices now, can we? We only approve litters when clans actually need kits to grow into apprentices.
Why can’t we pick what our kits look like?
Because CoSC uses a realistic system of breeding that provides true to life offspring based on actual genetics. When litters are rolled the Admin Team processes the genetic options based on the character’s registered genotypes and one is randomly selected for the kits. For details on litter rolling, see that section of this FAQ.
Why does it seem so hard to get a litter?
Because Kitsu consdiers litters a reward for players who have been with the game for a long time and put the effort into developing the relationship… and players who seem like they’re just out to get a couple of litters of kittens (a very long term player time investment) slapped into the game aren’t likely to get litters. Since kits are special additions to a clan (of which a clan has only a few at once) she feels it’s wrong for normal PCs development as characters to be sidelined for the express purpose of earning a “Plausible” or “Confirmed” relationship rating.
Also, Willow states that if you want to play a kitten, it might be a good idea to look through the adoptable characters. There might be kits up for adoption there. It doesn’t need to be your character’s kit. In fact, it can be much more fun if you play a kit from another litter, since you get more players to interact with.
Who names the kits?
The parents of the litter can name the kits, or they can accept applications before naming and leave the name selection to the kits prospective players.
Who plays the kits?
If the parents have open slots, they may. Or they may give them away privately, or they might offer them up for public adoption via the system. It’s the choice of the players of the parents.
What happens if no player can be found?
Then the kit can either be stillborn, or die shortly after birth. Just depends on when in the process the parents’ players give up on finding one for the kit.
Getting a Litter
How do I get a litter?
The first step is to realize that there is a time investment involved in getting a litter approved. It’s best to just let matters happen and if you have a relationship that hits a point of it becoming a real consideration, THEN beginning the process of getting it tracked and ready to yield kits. Once a litter is warranted, and there is room in the clan for kits, then you might EARN a litter.
How do I earn a litter?
Contribute interesting RP to the game as a whole, in addition to contributing a well developed inter-character relationship to the game. And have good timing (has to be room in the clan to accomodate the kits).
What’s this about having a relationship tracked?
This is done on the [Tracking] thread in the Family Affairs Forum. Players set forth relationships and they get rated. Ratings indicate the level a relationship is at. Prior to the point of Plausible, there is honestly no reason why a relationship even really should be tracked. Until a relationship is solidly developed they’re still subject to sudden and unexpected change as a result of Role Play.
How do you judge if a relationship is “well established” or not?
This is a difficult thing to quantify, but I will do my best. When I look at a tracking application I’m looking for two things:
- An existing relationship of some sort between the characters that demonstrates the way they relate to each other.
- A demonstration of commitment to playing the involved characters on the part of the players.
There is a great deal of subjectiveness involved. I don’t look for a specific number of threads, or a specific number of months/moons involved. I prefer 2+ moons of interactions between the characters, spread over 3+ threads per moon, but those are suggestions, not laws. And they don’t have to be planned out, exclusive “relationship building” threads. I prefer they’re more natural threads that just demonstrate the characters relationship, not the players choice to stuff them into a mating.
Type? I thought relationships had to be well established… Why is Friendly an option?
Actually, I never said that it had to be a romantic relationship, just a well developed one. Why couldn’t a she-cat who desired kits ask a friend to sire a litter? The books clearly support the idea that non-romantic matings not only happen but are acceptable (why else would the option not to declare the father be within a Queen’s rights?)
So, I’ve had it tracked, it’s Confirmed. How do I actually get this litter?
Proceed over to the Litters Approval Department, where full instructions on the application process are detailed.
Litter Rolling
What do you mean by ‘Litter Rolling’?
The following traits are randomized by the Administration to imitate the variability of life. The traits rolled in the litter: Number of Kits, Gender, Stillbirth Possibility, Genotype/Pheonotype, and birth Defect Chance.
How is Number of Kits Rolled?
The number of kits is rolled from 1 of 3 lists.
- Cats in poor condition or in possession of Poor Fertility will have between 1 and 2 kits
- All other non-domestic/semi-feral cats will be between 1 and 4
- Domestic cats or Semi-ferals in good condition will have between 1 and 6.
How are kitten genders rolled?
Then the genders of the kits are selected randomly based on straight 50-50 odds.
How is Stillbirth Possibility rolled?
From there the system decides if any of the kits are stillborn (using either 10% or 40% possibility depending on mother’s condition).
How is Genotype/Phenotype Rolled?
The administration compiles a list of possible genotypes for the litter, and then a roll is made to assign one to each kitten. If the kitten is white it is subject to a set of blindness/deafness rolls (60% possibility).
How is Birth Defect Chance Rolled?
The chance of Birth Defects for a kitten is 10%. If a kitten ends up with a birth defect the administration selects a defect that suits the situation of the litter. This defect can be as mild or as severe as the administration feels is fitting.