Residents & Regions
We currently are on the 4th version of the ruleset and it plays more like our existence's Dungeons & Dragons. In other words, it still takes multiple steps to get items out of boxes, but they may be boobytrapped so you'd better be a thief or have nimble fingers not to get poisoned when you're acquiring your new suede suit out of da box!
Avatars unfortunately aren't as customizable. Once you pick your character and a class, you're set on that path for (Second) Life and can't turn yourself into a giant colorful boxy monster. However, ratings have been turned into hit points, and we can now cast spells to enchant regions (hence the name) so that they crash less.
The rulebook is thick and out of date but a lot is learned at the Town Hall, what we know as the Welcome Area. And in this reality, Town Halls are called Pub Brawls, where the Lindonians (Lindens of this AVR) laugh at us and taunt us with quarterstaves, prodding our chops and occasionally lobbing beef and assorted trinkets.
Instead of notecards, we have scrolls. They are prone to deterioration, and after reading one a few times, you either should have eidetic memory or it'll crumble into the quagmire.
Lord Lindonian is the king of the realm of Avatara, and he wears a gunmetal tiara and carries a big staff which can shoot lightning bolts that will overwhelm any Resident by virtual of firing 16,777,216 particles at once, give or take a few. He also has a mighty throne which is improbably invulnerable to bad region crossings and not only can fly, but can traverse into the metametaverses, known as the Outhouselands.
There is a vile race called the Greefarians, and they resemble a cross between Harry Potter and Hermione's bastard troll-kin. They sometimes carry great sticks and arquebuses and are content to meddle in circuses and bread. Sometimes they will interrupt a RenFaire.
Gridmonkeys? NO! They are Regionmasters, and they carry many dice with them. Some of them have two sides, like coins! They are also called "dice" singular in this realm of enchantment. Sometimes they will turn regions into ale to liven up the residents, and they can also create tunnels of treasure which are filled with wicked lag monsters.
Partial to these forums, there is also an equivalent in Residents & Regions called YE OLDE TROUTSKIP and it is overseen by a Yeskaesque Lindonian. She carries a Stick o' Flogging-for-Offtopic +8.5 and can levitate threads into the rubbish bin, which she does judiciously on a regular basis. It is rumored she is offspring of a thunderclap and a babbling brooke. She also has a familiar which is a monkey, and tells her secrets!
One of these secrets is... nagrhrrgrhhhhhhhhhhh I'M BEING BEATEN BACK INTO THIS UNIVERSE. NOOOOOO!
