All are welcome in Scatterstar Isles!
This group acts as a centralized location for the curio species related… well, everything! The group is free for anyone to join regardless if you own a curio or not. All you have to do as a member of this group is to treat your fellow members with respect and follow the rules of the species.
Here are some specific rules to get you on the right track:- Rules of the playground apply. Don’t be rude, don’t start fights, don’t rag on people’s characters/interests/art/writing.
- Guilting players or mods over RNG results, the outcome of contests, or buying designs is not permitted.
- Limited swearing is permitted in entries. Slurs are never allowed. Swearing directed towards other members is not tolerated. Try not to let cursing get out of hand or warnings will ensue.
- This is a SFW group and NSFW content is not permitted.
- If you’re experiencing dissatisfaction with the group or have ideas for ways we can improve, please check out our feedback options! We welcome suggestions and critique.
Those who decide to violate the rules of the group or species will be subject to a three strikes system. A third violation will result in being banned. If an offense is severe enough an owner can be banned without any other strikes against them.
What is Scatterstar Isles?
Scatterstar Isles is an Art Role-Playing Game, or ARPG for short. The basic premise is this: you write or draw your curio character's adventures in the world of Scatterstar, and are rewarded with experience, in-game currency, and more! Our game features an ongoing story with a rotating Monthly Event to participate in, or you can strike out on your own with whatever stories or exploration your heart desires with Expeditions. We also support a robust community of players ready to explore alongside your curio!
The story unfolds within the world of Scatterstar, inhabited by the inquisitive and inventive species of curios. All players will need a curio to participate with; if you don't yet have your own, you can use the community curio Malley and earn a MYO slot through participating with the group (more on that later).
You can learn more about the world, lore, and inhabitants on our website!
How do I get a curio?
Auction and Flatsale-raffle: Active auctions and sales by HEAVENDELUXE or approved guest artists will be posted to the group via bulletins. These designs will often be more complex and feature hard to obtain traits.
Make-Your-Own (MYO) Slot Sales: Make-your-own slots (MYO for short) are a special ticket to create one curio of your own design. These are sometimes offered for purchase in limited quantities. They can also be purchased at the Trading Post with tokens (in-game currency) at any time, and non-owners can receive a special discount there! Read more on how to earn a MYO slot with tokens below.
Customs: Occasionally, HEAVENDELUXE will offer opportunities to purchase a custom design. You'll be able to decide the look of your curio, with the traits and complexity of the design impacting the cost. These custom sales are separate from the group; follow Heaven for updates.
Raffles & Events: The group will host free raffles either for first time owners or all members. Occasionally designs will also be raffled off in the discord server. While you have to be a certain level to enter in the discord, it's easy to rank up through a bit of chitchat. Events will sometimes offer MYO slots or an existing design as a reward.
Trading: Sometimes curios will be put up for resale or trade! Check the discord server for marketplace listings.
I want to earn a MYO. How do I do that?
To play without your own curio or to earn a MYO slot, you'll be enlisting the help of our community curio, Malley!
Malley is available for all non-owners to use in Event prompts and Expeditions. Prompts submitted using Malley as the focus character are eligible to earn tokens and prize drops, just like every entry. The only thing Malley can’t earn is experience points (EXP). Non-owners cannot rank up in a Guild until they have a curio of their own to earn EXP with.
(Be sure to track your earnings in an inventory tracker--you can learn how to set yours up in the section "Make an Inventory Tracker" below!)
Keep in mind that as a non-owner, you are eligible for a bonus of +10 tokens (game currency) per entry! This boost is meant to help players reach their goal of obtaining a MYO faster, while also giving them a chance to earn items, pets, mounts, and traits through prize drops!
Once you’ve acquired the necessary funds for a MYO slot, head over to the group’s Trading Post to purchase. First-time buyers from the Trading Post can buy a MYO slot for a discount!
I have a curio. What's next?
Congratulations! If you already possess a curio, you're ready for the next steps!
Getting Started
Getting started in an ARPG involves a little bit of setup. If you're familiar with ARPGs, you probably already have a good idea of what comes next. If you're new, then it can be a bit overwhelming at first. Let's go through a step-by-step guide!
Register your Curio
All curios being used in the game will need a registration sheet filled out. You will link your character's registration sheet when participating in events and prompts. It'll also serve to introduce your character to other players in the group! You should use your own art or a commission/the official adopt art (if applicable) to represent your character. It's best to as permission if using another person's art on your reg sheet.
Your registration sheet also serves to track EXP, Rank, Guild Exams, and active pets/mounts for your character. You can find blank reg sheets and the tracker template here:
Registration SheetsIf you have questions about the lore/world, need additional help creating a personality/history, or want to seek relationships for your curio, the best way is to ask in the discord server!
If you are using Malley the community curio, you can skip this step until you get a curio of your own.
Make an Inventory Tracker
Now that you have a registered curio or are familair with our good friend Malley, you're ready to start earning tokens and prizes! Well, almost. First you'll need somewhere to track them all.
Your inventory tracker is a document where you track all of the currency you earn and spend, as well as any prizes, shop purchases, or craftables you acquire. Unlike the registration sheet, there is no specific place you need to keep this. Some suitable places are a google doc/sheet, a toyhouse profile, a deviantART journal, or a stash entry. Wherever you choose to keep yours, it needs to be accessible to others--this way you can trade items with other players, and moderators can check your tracker to confirm purchases from the Trading Post or approve recipes for the Crafting Workshop.
Here is a basic template for an inventory tracker: [template] / [live example]
Alternatively, acorncap has provided a more advanced tracker for use with google sheets: [fancy] / [minimalist]
And here are some examples of other trackers in use by our players! [examples]
Participating in Monthly Events and Expeditions
Now that you're all set up, you're ready to start making some entries! The main way to participate in the group is the core function of an ARPG: writing or drawing about your character in the world of Scatterstar. Besides being lots of fun, it's also how you earn tokens, EXP, and various prizes. There are two main types of entry you can make:
Monthly Events
Events serve to help build both the world and its characters. Scatterstar Isles has an ongoing storyline that is progressed through a new event each month, with prompts ranging from friendly collaboration to fierce battles for survival. They also offer special prizes you can apply to your character, such as mounts, pets, items, and traits! Participating in these is not required but can be quite rewarding. You can find the current Monthly Event linked on the group's front page.
Expeditions
Expeditions are a free-form entry, allowing you to tell any story you want (or none at all!). Want to make a ten-page comic detailing your curio's melodrama? That's ten Expeditions right there! Want to draw your curio staring blankly out to sea, head completely empty? That's an Expedition too! Expeditions have their own prizes and currency/EXP payouts, but have different requirements and information, so please read the Expedition page carefully.
Earning Tokens and EXP
When submitting an entry of any type, the form you will out when submitting it to the group will include a section for tokens and/or EXP. You can tally the amount you earn using the Payout Guide!
Payout GuideBe aware that Expeditions and Monthly Events pay out differently, and writing payouts are different per type. Read the Payout Guide and the current Event or Expedition journal carefully.
When submitting your entry, be sure to include the math behind your payout, both so that admin can double-check and you can refer back to your own work. Let's tally an entry for example:
This is a full body drawing with a mount, a simple background, shading, and no guests. It's a Monthly Prompt entry, so it earns both tokens and EXP. Our math looks like this:
EXP Tally: shaded fb (6) + simple bg (4) + mount (2) = 12EXP
Token Tally: shaded fb (12) + simple bg (8) + mount (4) = 24T
Once your entry has been submitted to the group and approved by a mod, you can record your earnings in your tracker. If you have questions on how many tokens or EXP you earned, you can send a note to the admin account (curiocabinet) or ask in the discord server for clarification.
When you're ready to spend your tokens, check out what's available in the Trading Post!
Using EXP
Spending tokens is nice and all, but EXP has its own use, right? Absolutely. Unlike tokens, which are cumulative across all curios you own and goes into one inventory tracker, your EXP is tracked per-curio. Remember that form we attached to the registration sheet? That's where the EXP goes! Once your curio has participated in enough entries and earned enough EXP, you can rank them up in their respective Guild through the Guild Exams. Completing these can unlock certain priviles for your curio such as exclusive Guild drop tables, a custom title, and a matching rank to your curio in the discord server!
Other Game Mechanics
While we've covered the basics here, there's more to explore within the Scatterstar Isles ARPG.
Weapons: Certain types of prompts will call for your curio to take up arms against an enemy. To better your odds of success (for which there are rewards!) you can craft and purchase weapon upgrades. Along with a chance at rewards there are cosmetic benefits as well, with each upgrade tier and add-on allowing for fancier and more powerful weapons.
Crafting: Materials dropped as Expedition/Event prizes can be used to craft cosmetic items, pets, and more through the Crafting Workshop.
Research: The Research Lab cycles through new projects as they're funded, unlocking exciting new traits, pets, and more.
Master Hunts: Curios who are ranked Master or higher are eligible for a special kind of Expedition called a Master hunt, involving a rotating seasonal prompt and rare prizes.
Custom Rank: Ranking up a curio all the way past Master rank unlocks the Custom rank. Completing a series of personalized prompts centered around a climactic moment in your curio's life will grant them a special custom title, as well as a matching title and colour for you in the discord server!
Art Gifting Center: Completed gift art can be submitted for a small token bonus at the art Gifting Center. While it's not a substitute for making entries, it can be a fun bonus on top of that sweet feeling of surprising someone!
Above all, we strive to offer a fun and exciting game for everyone. So have fun! Try not to take things too seriously and have a good time. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Thanks for reading, we'll see you around!