Memory in Soulbank

In the Hello, World core rulebook, "memory" is a commonly used word which may cause some confusion due to the myriad meanings that can be attached to it. This article will attempt to clarify the differing uses of the word as it is commonly used in Soulbank.

Core Memories

These are the memories and skills represented by your character's "built in" abilities, functions, and playbook equipment as well as the basis of their personality, preferences, and the like. While these have the most influence over your character's daily life, they are also the most vulnerable to corruption by deresolution, resulting in Drift. Upon gaining a full track of Drift, a character is obligated to undergo Reiteration, where their new self is constructed from their Recall.

Recall

Your character's archived memories are referred to as their Recall or recollection. The memory written in the "Recall" portion of a User's character sheet stands for the most precious of these memories. Throughout most of their waking life, characters rely on summarized versions of their cherished memories, and need to access a Recall Terminal to relive the fuller experience. Without regular recall, Users become forgetful as their avatar's code gradually overwrites their day's memories. Because of this, public Recall Terminals are available nearly everywhere in addition to a User's private terminal, which traditionally takes the form of a bed. Most Recall Terminals are functionally interchangeable, as most User memories are accessed using their UID as credentials.

Agenda and Mantra

Users may decide to maintain an agenda that they update when they access their Recall that ensures they can stay on a task upon waking. Some go so far as to have their Recall Terminals networked to keep their crew efficient and on the same page. Innocent Users have a Mantra that replaces their Recall and Agenda, which is usually summarized as a desire to have fun and not worry about anything. Some pseudo-crews of Innocents, such as Neon Server's Revelers have a collective culture by sharing an elaborate Mantra with rituals and traditions.

MEM or RAM

This is represented by the memory slots on character sheets for loadouts and using special abilities. These slots are an abstraction of how much free memory and extra processing power your character's avatar has access to during a score. Equipment takes up this portion of your character's MEM to operate. Character abilities that spend MEM represent the extraordinary calculations done to perform a feat or resist consequences, as well as the learned information from exercising their talent. Using a Recall Terminal to clear stress is represented by keeping an archived memory "in hand" for the day to reassert your sense of identity. The accumulation of Drift reduces the effectiveness of the process.

Memory Token

Disposable copies of memories, experiences, media or other entertainment shared or sold by Memory Purveyors, usually paid for in Coin by the recipient. The Administration sometimes provides additional incentive to this entertainment by awarding Coin to influential individuals.

Coin and Reputation

Coin is the major currency of Soulbank, minted by the Administration or trusted Moderators. Though some question its actual value, it is supposedly backed by priority access to memory and RAM. The exact process for redeeming Coin is often arcane and bureaucratic. The Administration sometimes awards Coin to individuals who "drive User engagement" but usually leave Users to manage their own economies. Though not as hard a currency as Coin, a crew's reputation partially represents Administration acknowledgement, eventually allowing access to Authority functions and the implicit allocation of memory towards whatever they Compile or Format.