======Start Here!======
> "Kapaak! Get back here! ...that little //fungus//."

> //A particularly lanky gibbon lopes through a pitch-black tunnel, watching as a shape scuttles away in the distance. A vast tube, encased in matte plastic, runs along the left side of the passage, looming from the darkness.//

> //The gibbon continues through the tunnel for several minutes. Thunderous footsteps echo behind him, and the recording's point-of-view lurches forwards with them. Then the shape reappears, a beefsteak mushroom sitting squat on the floor, looking up at where the tunnel branches into four.//

> "This is going to make things more interesting, don't you think, Sten?" //The mushroom asks the gibbon.//

> //Sten studies the junction carefully. He observes how the tube splits here too, parts of it breaking off down each of the four routes. He peers into the shadows, like he can almost make something out. Then he flinches back.//

> "Did you see that, Kapaak? Expanse? Did you see the eyes? Like... round, glossy discs, staring right at us?"

> //The mushroom turns to him, concerned.// "No?"
 — //A video recorded by the robotic [[...:gameplay:gms_crew#gm ben|Expanse]], documenting the first expedition into the Umbilical's maintenance tunnel. Features [[...:gameplay:gms_crew#gm bell|Kapaak]] and [[...:gameplay:gms_crew#gm fionn|Sten]].//


----

Humans have been gone for centuries. Before their disappearance, they created new peoples to roam across the Earth, sapient as they were, as clever and complex. Animals, plants, robots, and fungi, the four new Kingdoms of this world, all subsist now in the wasteland left by humanity's departure.

Rumours and stories, posters and signs... they've all led you to a place far from what was home. Communities come together in the Fourth Place, an abandoned theme park, standing tall against desolate and pilfered lands. Pipes and machines, rusted yet functional, were prepared for you, somehow. It feeds you, nourishes you, fixes you, in this wasteland oasis. 

But only a few days ago, your resources were cut short. The Umbilical that supplies food, water and power from deep inside the ruins was severed. The only way to fix it is to venture deep, deeper and yet deeper into the ruins of the unknown past. 

======Welcome======
Welcome to //Fourth Place//, one of the two in person [[https://oxfordrpg.com/|ORPGsoc Society Games]] for Michaelmas and Hilary Term of the 2026---2027 academic year, alongside [[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Pfw_to8H-6-rgjjYSqv3Q0teXHKOqNOP|The Rat Race]].

//Fourth Place// will be running every other week on Tuesday evenings during term time (beginning in Week 3). For more information, see [[.start:when_where|When and Where]].


====== Getting Started ======

If you are new to Society Games, or to roleplaying in general, [[.start:guide|Intro to Society Games]] and [[...system:intro_wiki|Intro to the Wiki System]] may be useful reads. 

For information on accessibility, including how to change the Wiki theme to 'readable', please see [[...info:accessibility|Accessibility]].

To get an idea of the game's tone and central themes, see [[.start:style_tone|Style and Tone]]. For an essential read on the conduct and acceptable themes in //Fourth Place//, see the [[.start:cat|Conduct and Acceptable Themes Policy]]. 

//Fourth Place// is set in a post-human Earth. To learn more about the game's setting, see the pages in the Setting section of the sidebar. Please note that you do not need to read every single page --- feel free to prioritise whatever interests you most. The [[...setting:fourth_place|Fourth Place]] and [[...setting:wider_world|Wider World]] pages contain broad details on the world itself, while the [[...setting:species|Inhabitants]] and [[...setting:organisations|Organisations]] pages are summaries of the people and groups that populate it.

===== Signing Up to Play =====

And finally, if you wish to participate in the game, you will need to sign up using [[https://forms.gle/zXJ56YjBkgbYvKuv9|this short form]], which will open for responses on **Saturday 17th October (1st Week) at 15:00** and close on **Tuesday 20th October (2nd Week) at 23:59**. Please note that to ensure a high-quality game and healthy work-life balance for those of us running it, //Fourth Place// will take a //maximum of 20 players//. In the event that more players sign up than we can accommodate, we will hold a ballot. More information about this is available on the [[...character_creation:character_creation#balloting|Character Creation]] page.

There will be an optional Character Creation event on **the 20th October** at [[.start:when_where|Balliol College's Jowett Walk site]], which will simultaneously run online on our Discord Server. We strongly encourage you to join the Discord Server if you are interested in playing //Fourth Place// --- it's a space where you can get help and ideas any time, and also socialise out-of-character with other players.

After ballot results are released on **Tuesday 20th October at 23.59** and your place in the game is confirmed, you will need to [[...character_creation:character_creation|create a character]], and submit it to us using the [[https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfMdVh0jpDMlcZZvQU_lExq3Sf52AeCkVF4SGLXEIY-MQv-yw/viewform?usp=header|Character Creation form]] by **the 23rd October at 23:59**.

There are also opportunities for you to remotely engage with the game, via online crewing. More can be seen [[...system:crew|here]].