Zaps and Gems explained

Frequency's game is called The Quest: a light, seasonal game that rewards real community. There are two currencies, split by where the activity happens. The simple rule: anything you do in the real world earns Zaps; anything you do online earns Gems.

Zaps: the real-world currency

You earn Zaps for getting out into the world: going to gatherings, inviting someone new, hosting, outreach, and logging your practices. Zaps are your seasonal score. They convert into Gems when the season ends and they feed your lifetime Amplitude. Your rank is a separate thing, earned by finishing Journeys, not by piling up Zaps. Logging a practice never hits a cap; a few other actions have a sensible daily limit so the day stays about showing up, not farming.

Roughly what things are worth (the biggest rewards live off the screen):

• Found or start a Circle: 100
• Finish a Journey: 75 (plus a Trophy)
• Host an event: 60
• Expression Challenge, in person at a Circle: 50
• A verified event check-in: 25
• An outreach task (a flyer or QR code): 20
• Log a practice: 10, 15, or 25, set by how often the practice is meant to be done (daily, three times a week, or weekly)

Every practice you log earns Zaps, whether it is tied to a Circle or it is just your own. The practice is the real-world doing; the log is the record of it. Zaps reset each season, so every season is a fresh climb.

Gems: the online currency

You earn Gems for keeping the community warm between gatherings: welcoming newcomers, posting, replying, reacting, and showing up day to day. They are small and capped per day so they cannot be farmed, and they are the currency you spend in the Vault on titles, cosmetics, and more. For example:

• Welcome a newcomer: 5, once for each newcomer you welcome
• RSVP to an event, or join a Circle: 5
• Post: 3 (up to 5 a day)
• Comment or reply: 2 (up to 8 a day)
• Share: 2 (up to 5 a day)
• Daily presence: 2 (once a day)
• React: 1 (up to 8 a day)

Unlike Zaps, Gems never reset. Two numbers track them: your earned total only ever goes up, and your spendable balance is that total minus whatever you have spent.

Make something others use

When you publish a Journey, an event, or a practice, you get a small Gem token right away. The bigger reward comes later: when another member actually uses what you made (adopts your Journey, logs your practice, or RSVPs to your event), you earn the real payout in both Zaps and Gems. Publish a Journey and you will see "you'll earn when a member uses this." When it happens, the reward lands as a notification.

See exactly how you earned

Your Vault keeps a running Zaps, Gems and streaks log. Open it from the Vault ("How you earned") to see every Gem and Zap you have banked, what earned it, and when, plus your live streaks. Even finishing a challenge or a Journey pays you in the currency that matches what you actually did.

How they connect

At the end of each season, your Zaps convert into Gems at a flat 5 to 1, the same rate for everyone. So the real-world doing (Zaps) turns into the durable, spendable reward (Gems) over time.

Your Zaps also feed Amplitude, your lifetime total. Season Zaps reset; Amplitude never does. Hosting-class acts (hosting an event, running a program, founding or activating a Circle) count double toward it. You will see it next to your rank, like "Adept · 14,200".

The one thing to remember

The Quest is not the point; it is the nudge. Everything of real value rewards the same thing: showing up for your people in the real world.