Wonderland - Jags

People’s Shadows say and do deeply honest things that are still within an
acceptable range of the real person’s actions. A man’s Shadow may not
stand exactly where he does and won’t strike the same poses—but it’ll
be relatively close by and will be doing relevant things.
Third General Principle: Things Can Diverge
Greatly, but They Come Back Together
If you go shopping during an Episode on Chessboard One, chances are
your Reflection will go shopping too. If you pay for the food you buy,
odds are the Reflection will too—it might not hand over the right currency
until asked over and over. It might make a scene about some vagary
of how the groceries are packed. It very well may not buy the same
things you did—and when you return to Chessboard Zero you may find
that you still need to go out again!
However, let’s say you decide to just walk out without paying: after all,
these guys are all nuts—they may not (effectively) stop you. This does
not explain what your Shadow did.
When characters on a lower level of reality (Chessboard One or Two,
usually—beyond that, Disassociation is almost a given) their Reflections
may or may not succeed on Chessboard One. This is a matter of experience
(see the Mastery section) in most cases.
The issue, from a Translation standpoint, is that some things are just
simpler on the lower levels of reality. Shadows of human guards (like the
guy in the grocery store checkout lane who will complain if you just try
to walk out without paying) are less attentive, more easily distracted, and
more easily fooled. You also may have access to special powers (Twists,
Inspirations, Magic, etc.). On places like Chessboard Two, most places,
even “inhabited” and “sane” ones are pretty empty. If you need some
time alone to stuff that CD you want to steal down your pants in the
record store, chances are you’ve got it.
But in reality, on Chessboard Zero, the place might be packed!
So how do you know if you succeeded? How does the GM determine
if the actions your Reflection took on Chessboard Zero and the specific
circumstances of it’s attempt worked or not? Because if you walk out of
the Chessboard Two record store with the stolen CD but your Reflection
is busted, you might undergo Reflection Disassociation—or something
else might happen. How’s the GM know.
Elements of Success and Failure
Level of Understanding and Emotional State
A character who realizes that they are “on a lower level of reality” and
“is trying to be sneaky” will get more advantage than one who is just
wandering through an area they shouldn’t be in, looking around. A lot
will be up to the GM. If a character is thinking “I’m crazy—although
83
Deeper Mysteries - Overview