Our Story Began…
In late 2013, a group of university friends from the Philippines came about with a simple idea — what if they created a roleplay together and adapted it so that it could fit within their busy college schedules? They gathered a total of 24 players and started started Koi Koi High (2013), a slice-of-life and drama experience set in a highly-accredited academy that catered to scholars to exchange students from far-off lands. And it thrived, even without a cohesive plot. The interaction then were brief but it left lasting impressions.
The following year, they expanded their horizons with Gangyu University (2014). This time, they expanding the player pool to include both upper and lower classmen which led to a more vibrant tapestry of characters and hijinks. The events became more action-oriented and the community grew to over 70 people within the Facebook group. Friendships blossomed and creativity flourished.
This rapidly growing community kept scheduling new ones, synchronizing them with the academic semesters. Year after year, ambitions grew. Members started experimenting with different formats and styles, pushing the boundaries and production values with each subsequent iteration. Even after graduation, the desire to continue writing and collaborating remained strong, highlighting the need for a dedicated space beyond the university context.
In 2018, Lacie’s Box was founded.
Worlds Without Corners
The mission of Lacie’s box has remained the same since its inception — to host and organize community-run play-by-post (PbP) roleplays, bringing all sorts of characters and worlds to life.
Our past roleplays have explored various genres. We’ve dived into sci-fi thrillers and larger-than-life fantasies. We’re explored settings of supernatural horror and slice-of-life romances. We’ve fought wars using giant mecha robots and magically augmented historical figures. Every one offers a new lens in which we can develop and explore our characters. At the same time, they also feature distinct mechanics and themes, designed and tailored to enrich and augment the organizing team’s vision.
Our unique approach descended from our peculiar roots. For us, they are temporary experiences, each lasting for three months at a time. We aren’t simply a space for roleplays; just as Koi Koi High (2013) and Gangyu University (2014) inspired people to continue living in those worlds even after their conclusion, we want to cultivate everlasting memories that endure in the hearts of those who participated in them.
Those are the worlds we wish to bring to life.
The Lacie’s Box Format
At this point in the community, it is a little difficult to pinpoint on what definitely is our format is. Our community experimented and iterated over so many ideas that we have evolved a lot over the years. However, there seems to be four core elements that make up our unique style.
Play-by-Post
Our roleplays don’t require everyone to be around at the same time or place. Instead, participation is asynchronous — players can contribute to the world at their own pace. All narrative events are organized into different individual posts. Each player writes from their character’s viewpoint and puts them down as comments on those posts. This structure has helped keep our experiences organized and has allowed everyone to follow along easily.
We don’t expect you to immediately reply. You can reply at your own convenience, whether that’s a few hours later or even the next day. This means that we don’t have to worry about coordinating schedules or attend any live sessions. Instead, you can take the time to think about your character’s actions and responses even if you had a busy schedule.
Wide Playerbase
Our roleplays are designed to accommodate a diverse and large number of players. Our large ones could handle around 30+ concurrent players while the more intimate ones tend to have 4-10 active players at a minimum. Our secret lies in the power of parallel narratives.
By simply existing, every character is already contributing to the overall tapestry. Their story throughout the experience runs simultaneously with others. This interconnectedness allows players to weave their stories together even if they aren’t all completely united in the same narrative arc. This has created lively dynamic spaces where many different characters can interact — all by players with many different writing styles and techniques — which has inspired many players to steer their characters in new unexpected ways.
Limited-Run Narrative
All our roleplays are designed with a set duration. From the moment one is announced, everyone in the community is informed about how long they will last. By providing a defined timeframe, we sidestep the slow decline towards inactivity that challenge many play-by-post roleplays after the 30 day mark. Knowing when it will conclude has encouraged players to plan their character arcs accordingly and pace themselves so they can reach a satisfying conclusion to the plotlines they have invested in.
Tailored Systems
Ever since Through the Pages (2018), our first official roleplay, we designed mechanics and systems that were tailored specifically to the organizing team’s vision of the experience. These systems were made with the aim of enhancing the storytelling experience so it can match the world’s lore and themes. This means that no two roleplays are ever alike.
For example, Camp Caduceus (2019) incorporated demigod abilities in the style of Percy Jackson; Goliath (2021) featured heavy mecha customization where players can switch out parts between missions; and Heirs of Pirouz (2024) provided a keyword-based social system to complement its detective storyline.
By implementing tailored systems, the goal is to create a more engaging and immersive environment. These systems become the scaffolding that encourages collaboration and creativity, which we hope help them immerse themselves fully in the worlds we create together.
