Joining the Game and Starting Out

Joining Shooting Stars is simple -- just join up and introduce yourself. Within this game, you -- yes, you, the person at the keyboard -- are an Agent. Agents are the movers and shakers of Shooting Stars, constantly discovering new talent and creating new Actors.

What does it take to be an Agent?

Surprisingly little. Every Agent has their own Client List, which, as you might have guessed, lists the Actors who are currently their clients. You can check out your Client List to get a quick handle on how your Actors are doing, and how well you're doing as an Agent. As your Actors acquire more Star Power, you gain special Perks that let you access additional sections of the Agent Office, recruit Actors with higher starting Star Power, and so forth.

So what are Actors?

Well, if the Agent is the player (you), Actors are the characters you control. Before you ask, all Actors in Shooting Stars are original characters (so, no, you can't play Arnold Shwarzenegger) who you (as the Agent) are hoping to get a job working on the various Shows produced by 4-D Studios.

How do I recruit an Actor?

You have two choices for recruiting Actors:

First, you can attempt to draft an Actor from the Amora Legal and Talent Agency -- this gives you an Actor with a name, pre-established traits and skills, as well as a certain amount of Star Power and Renown to their name. You do not have to audition for them, and can start attempting to get them Roles immediately.

Second, you can create a new Actor. To do this, you have to come up with an original name for your character, three skills they are particularly good at, a bad habit, a personal quirk, and a preferred genre. Then, you must play your Actor in a one-on-one conversation with The Director, who will determine your Actor's relative Renown and may offer Roles in current Shows depending on the Actor's listed and apparent talents.

So now I have an Actor. Now what?

If your Actor has been cast into a Role for a Show, be sure your Actor is on hand when the Show is filming, so that you can participate in the Episode! To participate in an Episode of a Show, your Actor must portray the Role assigned to them to the best of their abilities -- the better they do, the better the rewards and the more likely your Actor will be chosen to fill better Roles in the future (or expand their current Role!) For the most part, Actors cannot use knowledge acquired from outside of the confines of a Show when handling its problems -- although there are Perks that bend this rule!

Occasionally, Casting Calls will be announced for a new Show, or when additional Roles need to be added for an existing Show. Your Actor can apply for a particular Role (if they have enough Star Power), or just announce their availability to be cast. When the show's Director chooses their Cast, they consider Star Power, previous experience, and skills in deciding who gets which Roles. Remember that you should probably only worry about getting Actors as many Roles as you can reasonably keep up with!

Actors with sufficient Star Power can access the Actor's Lounge between filming shifts or whenever they feel like. This gives them a chance to unwind, talk shop with their fellow Actors, discuss future publicity stunts, and otherwise deal with life away from the riffraff and cameras. Lesser-knowns, also-appeareds, and paparazzi tend to be (rudely) escorted out of the Actor's Lounge by Security.

Can I play other people besides Actors?

Indeed you can. You create them similarly to Actors, with an original name, three skills they are particularly good at, and their general occupation. As a rule, these people automatically begin with zero Renown (and no Star Power), but they still require one Actor slot within your Agent's Client List -- as you are their player, you are effectively responsible for representing them should they become famous and powerful. A few examples of non-Actor positions:

Paparazzi: Someone has to carry the camera and catch Actors in compromising situations, and that's you. While you don't earn Renown from appearing in Shows and can't apply to appear on them (unless you're well-known enough that you're solicited to appear on one), you do earn Renown by coming up with interesting stories for the Press Box, especially if you catch an Actor doing something they shouldn't and write an interesting story about it!

Security: With crazed Actors, self-important Agents, troublesome paparazzi, and wide-eyed tourists everywhere, somebody's got to keep the peace, and that somebody is you. You can't apply to appear on Shows, and as a result don't generally earn Renown from them (unless some Director desperately needs an Extra and you happen to be perfect for the part). Your job is simple - keep the Actors (and anyone else) from destroying studio property, escort people out of places they're not supposed to be, and remove the paparazzi from the studio! It's a tough, often underappreciated job, but somebody's got to do it. Do a good enough job, and you just might find yourself in pictures -- or papers.

Janitor: Nobody's less appreciated than the lowly, lowly janitor. But they have access to the entire studio, which is something few others short of The Director himself can claim. While everyone else tends to make a mess in their daily activities - whether throwing cocktails in the Actor's Lounge or spilling too much 'fake blood' on the Studio's sets - the Janitor has to clean up the mess. It's not generally a very noteworthy job... unless you happen to find something that can embarrass an Actor, or stir up trouble for a Show, in which case your name just might be in papers someday. Anything is possible here on the Studio Lot...

Think you've got an idea for a new character type? Run it by the Directors and see!