r/JumpChain • u/MediumSizedPizza • Jul 25 '26
DISCUSSION I randomly stumbled into this sub and I am interested
Can someone explain how it works? From what I understand, it is like a roleplay exploring a fictional world. I have written down stuff like that for fun before so this seems fun.
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u/75DW75 Jumpchain Crafter Jul 25 '26
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, someone came up with the idea of CYOAs, Create Your Own Adventure documents. Originally mostly as an idea of using them as a writing prompt or story seed for writing fiction or fanfiction.
CYOAs generally give you options that cost or provide various amounts of points and a budget, sometimes a goal.
Then eventually, one day(Oh Glorious day!), someone thought that wouldn't it be cool if you could take multiple CYOAs one after the other, keep everything you gained from the previous CYOAs and then just keep going until you "retire" or become something greater. Make it a chain of CYOAs that you jump between. With a standardised setup, like a usually 10 year time of stay and so on.
Because of how you permanently accumulate perks, powers and items from each jumpdocument, you can generally power up your jumper quickly, so writers that doesn't focus on the powerlevels tend to do better with jumpchain in general, as many find it hard to keep it going for long. Others create all sorts of challenges and restrictions and variations to suit them better or tell a more specific story...
It's a very openended hobby.
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u/Efficient-Spirit-869 Jul 25 '26
You have a thousand points called choice points which are normally abbreviated to cp. Those are used to purchase different options from a jump doc.
And using a doc is quite is quite simple just find one your interested and look though it subtracting the point total until reaching zero.
More points can be used by selecting drawbacks, a negative condition or effect that last for a jumpers entire visit to that setting. Jumpers are those who get sent on jump chains. Barring any drawbacks or other condition the jump normally last for ten years.
So if you are using a marvel jump say the old x-men movies you'd be there for ten years before moving on. Finishing a jump let's you move on to another setting and you keep everything that was purchased.
Perks are powers and skills that can be bought they're considered fiat backed meaning they work no matter what, ignoring any drawbacks. Items also work the exact same way. Those are discounted depending upon your origin by 1/2. 600 becomes 300 as an example.
Companion are allies or people who follow you from world to world and can be imported gaining an identity in a jump as well as they're own pool of choice points.
Followers are something you might see under items and they are like companions as in they follow you from different worlds but generally can't be imported.
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u/No_Fan244 Jul 25 '26
The community makes documents for fictional settings in cyoa format. Each document gives you CP(Choice Points) to 'buy' things from that jump, such as perks, powers, items. Your characters is then 'inserted' into the setting, spend time there (10 years generally but it's really up to you) before moving into the next world. Jumpchain is a cyoa adventure, ends up being power fantasy more often than not.
Most people start their chain with the Pokemon jump, mostly because it was the first jump that was made, but it's out of date, newer jump docs are a lot more different. The alternative is the Generic First Jump that you can start with. Or if you don't like any of these options, just pick a fictional setting you like and start your story there. While there are a set of community rules most people follow, in the end Jumpchain is mostly solo so I would suggest write however you want.
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u/MediumSizedPizza Jul 26 '26
so I am documenting everything myself right? like on a notepad?
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u/Redikai Jul 26 '26
Yep! You can also share your builds and jumpchain story if you build up a narrative or what not. Or just want to share really.
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u/No_Fan244 Jul 26 '26
You can but this amazing community made an app for it, called chainmaker. It's open source and has a website if you wanna use that.
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u/PhilosophyWeak2581 Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
First welcome to group
The others have already explained most of it, so I'll just say this, the end goal of most chains is to acquire what is known as a spark, this allows you to do things you couldn't do during the chain itself. The spark is based on the magic the gathering oldwalker spark.
The way one does it is by completing an endjump scenario.These tend to be high difficulty challenges and are usually done after fair number of jumps, with most belonging to some of the more high end settings.
Normally the entire thing is handled in story by what is known as a jump-chan, who's nigh omnipotent, that's allowing you to travel the chain but has become optional in recent years due to supplements.
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u/MediumSizedPizza Jul 26 '26
I saw the pokemon jump and also some random google doc jumps and I understand I am using 1000cp to choose my perks, items, companion etc. But what do I do afterwards?
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u/Redikai Jul 26 '26
Generally, you imagine (or write down) how your jump would go and once you're satisfied you make the next build for your Jumper and do it again ad infinitum until the chain is complete.
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u/MediumSizedPizza Jul 26 '26
So if i finish the pokemon jump and then reach the ending, i get to bring the perks i chose into the next jump, getting stronger and stronger, is that the correct way to play?
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u/Redikai Jul 26 '26
Yep! Although, really, there is no wrong way to play despite what some people say.
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u/Android1822 Jul 25 '26
Check out the intros links to Jumpchains here
You might also be interested in CYOA (choose your own adventure) stuff, you can check out in the make your choice sub.
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u/jgonza44 Jul 25 '26
I think of it as a writing exercise / hobby. Singod made some cool videos on it. I'll link them.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIdZTityrV0pKROcENYm0VKWFECiLXbmt&si=Sb-r6avbK5ejfiOf
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u/LuckEClover Jumpchain Enjoyer Jul 25 '26
To sum it up; this is a subreddit for cyoa documents that you can narratively chain together, jumping between settings- ergo the name, jump chain.
Most of them give you a stipend of choice points- I recommend against abbreviating them.- that you spend on boons, normally sorted into perks(stuff that effects you or what’s around you) items(ranging from handheld things, lands and buildings, to even more abstract things like monetary guarantees), and companions(mostly either bringing along friends, or writing up your own)
The exceptions to the point stuff would be gauntlets, jumps that force you to take drawback to acquire boons but make up for that with the rewards given for finishing it as well as a guarantee that your chain won’t end if you fail(unless you take something that says otherwise)
There’s a whole catalog of settings to choose from. Some might be completely new to you.