Post by Bex on Jul 28, 2016 16:25:42 GMT -5
This post is largely borrowed from a chronicle that I used to belong to that was based on actual dice and a MUSH chat system. I've adapted it heavily to match this chronicle.
1. IF YOU DID NOT LOG IT, IT NEVER HAPPENED: You, as the player, are responsible for logging each and every role-playing session you take part in that is not moderated by me. This includes scenes specifically between yourself and other players in the chronicle (presuming I am not available). If you do not log a scene in which you participate in its relative entirety, then it never happened, period. You will not receive Experience Points for your endeavors, the storyline of the chronicle will proceed heedless of the occurrences in the nixed scene. I will allow more 'personal' sections of the record log to be replaced with the moniker "FTB," or Fade To Black, to protect your privacy and give you the appropriate freedom you deserve. Mistakes will happen, people will forget, the chats will crash randomly and you will lose your log, and this I understand completely and will even be sympathetic towards. But remember; you can always request a copy of the log from your fellow players involved in the scene. This logging is only being used for later reference if ever needed, giving me extra plot-hooks to utilize, and is a means of covering your proverbial tail.
2. STORYTELLER RULINGS ARE ABSOLUTELY FINAL: I consider myself to be a fair and knowledgeable Bex in general, and as a Storyteller, I endeavor consistently to be even more so. I do not tend to or enjoy running dice-heavy games, preferring to let the storyline take precedence. As such, there will be times where I might choose to ‘fudge’ certain rolls in favor of you, others, or even some of the NPCs. This is not a matter of favoritism, as I assure you, I will remain as impartial as possible, but rather a generosity on my part (for you), or a means of propelling the storyline forward (in the case of NPCs). Once a ruling is made, on either setting or system or anything else regarding the game, the ruling is final and iron-clad unless I rescind it personally. If you have a problem with a ruling I made, please take it up with me in private, preferably as soon as it occurs in a PM. We can discuss it, and you can make your case without concern of reprisal or argument. Though in the end, I still reserve the right to make the call, and when I do, the debate is over. That said, I despise rules-lawyering. The quickest way to make me rule against your argument is to come at me with the line. "But the book says..." I will also quote the book. My justification line comes from the very beginning: "Do what works for you." Period. End of story.
3. STORYLINE TAKES PREVALENCE OVER MERE CHALLENGES: As referenced before, though there will be challenges and the like, it is not going to make or break the game. Just because you had a crummy roll does not mean I’m going to let your character plunge to their death arbitrarily or something equally inane and disappointing. Mostly, challenges will only be used in combat situations, when resisting rolls or opposing rolls are necessary, or when the prospect of a failure would make the story significantly more ‘interesting’ in general. Remember, ‘interesting’ is a bit of a subjective term. This is not a video game, there is no ‘winning’ or ‘losing’, so get that manner of thinking out of your head. This chronicle is a Storytelling game, a role-playing game, and central to the idea of both is the concept of a storyline; as such, sometimes ‘interesting’ things will occur to your character or even be permitted to occur. ‘Interesting’ things can be good or bad, or even fall into that neutral gray area in between, but the question I always ask myself before initiating anything ‘interesting’ is whether or not this will make an intriguing and awesome storyline, something memorable and fun for everyone involved. If you are not having fun or feel I am stepping over the line, please feel free to PM me and discuss it. We will be able to work something out, I assure you. My number one priority as the Storyteller is to facilitate an amazing story and ensure that you, the players, are having one hell of a good time.
4. CHARACTERS TAKE PREVALENCE OVER THE STORYLINE: As imperative as a solid storyline in a chronicle can be, the thing that makes a storyline worth endeavoring upon is the players and their characters that are involved the storyline itself. As mentioned before, I will never administer some arbitrary death, either from your in-character actions or your crummy dice rolls. I know what it is like to pour so much time and effort into a character, to come to love them (or despise them) as one of your own, and then have them casually taken from you over some stupid nonsense. A chronicle without good players is like a sports car without wheels. It may be pretty, or well tricked-out, or even have tremendous potential…but it sure as hell is not going anywhere any time soon. As such, your character’s decisions will influence all manner of events, for better or worse, in the chronicle setting. Though play will begin here in Venice in the year of our Lord 1206, and will remain centered in this location for some time, your character will travel abroad inevitably; to the dark Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania to the blood-soaked sands of the Holy Land, from the German courts of the Holy Roman Empire to the Golden City of Constantinople, from the decadent city of Victorian London to the brutality of American Civil War New York City and beyond. So try to have fun, and let me know what I can do to make it even more so for you; if you have any suggestions or requests, do not hesitate to make them. I will do my best to accommodate your wants and needs into the game and the way it is run.
5. ACT LIKE ADULTS OR BE TREATED LIKE NAUGHTY LITTLE CHILDREN: Now, an unpleasant topic to breach, but a necessary one. As mentioned elsewhere, I have no patience for idiocy or drama out-of-character, nor will I tolerate it among my players. If your sole purpose in being here is to hog the spotlight from the other players, bed as many PCs and NPCs as feasibly possible, to start arguments and throw tantrums on a whim, to critique others endlessly and "rules lawyer" every situation, or to otherwise act like a complete and utter immature imbecile, then I kindly ask you to leave the game now (or not apply in the first place) to save us all a lot of headache and insanity. I know some of you are smirking right now because you know that by mentioning this, I am damn near taunting the aforementioned immature imbeciles, but I am hoping they will get bewildered by the vocabulary utilized and the extensive writing on this page and become discouraged. Hell, they probably would not even bother to read this. That said, if you force me to kick you out of the chronicle over this kind of behavior for the betterment of the other players and the storyline, it will not be pretty. I have poured extensive effort into this game and its facilitation, and I absolutely demand that you respect that by not casually trying to wreck my hard work and the enjoyment of my other players involved. Once kicked out over this sort of behavior, you will not be allowed to return for a period of 3 to 6 months or permanently at my sole discretion. You've seen me do it before and you know I'm not afraid to do it again.
6. YOU WILL GET AS MUCH OUT OF THIS AS YOU PUT INTO IT: The more effort you put into the game, the more effort I will put into you and your character in turn. If you are frequently unavailable or something of that nature, that is perfectly acceptable, but your character will need inevitably take a more back-burner position in the chronicle because I cannot rely on you or your character to be the fulcrum upon which the balance of the storyline teeters. If you put in hard work and diligence, it will be rewarded with both my thanks, excellent storylines custom-tailored to your character, their back story and current ambitions, as well as your own out-of-character preferences. I also reward small amounts of bonus Experience Points for excellent and above-the-bar role-playing, which should serve to incite a bit of competition among you; you are all exquisitely skilled players or I would not have accepted you into the group to begin with, and as such, you have some stiff competition to stand out. This does not mean you need to write a ten-page novel for every post, obsess over grammar and spelling, or try and dramatically one-up the other players and their characters. Just focus on your character; what they would think, feel and do, and then follow through on it.
7. GIVE ME AUTHENTICITY OR GIVE ME SOMETHING CLOSE ENOUGH: As this chronicle will proceed through the course of human and Cainite history to the modern day and eventually even the earth-shattering events of Gehenna itself, there will need to be a touch of research on your part as a player. Do not bother obsessing over minute details like who the King of Scotland was in 1521 AD or what color clothing was favored in Zara during the Fourth Crusade. This chronicle is meant to be authentic and bring both the mood, theme and atmosphere of any given period of history in the chronicle to life once more, like time-travel on crack. But it bears mentioning that nothing is perfect, and that there is a difference between bringing a bygone era of history to life and focusing needlessly on historical minutiae until one’s eyes cross. That said, enjoy the chronicle for what it is, my fellow history buffs; a fictitious take on historic events complete with supernatural creatures and an implacable thematic darkness that cannot be escaped. Whew...that was a mouthful.
8. INACTIVITY AND NO COMMUNICATION MAKES STORYTELLER SOMETHING-SOMETHING: Go crazy?! Don't mind if I do! Yeah, a cheap Simpsons reference. Sue me. I can't be funny all the damn time on my own! Anyway, this rule, incoherent as it is, is fairly simple to follow with a brief explanation. If you go inactive entirely and do not shoot me a PM or e-mail to inform me of lengthy absence (any more than 30 days or so), I have to assume you no longer are interested in the game. There is nothing wrong with that, of course. Life happens. Though if this does occur, I will likely try and shoot you an e-mail or two in hopes that you will respond and let me know why you are utterly absent from every game session for a month straight. If I don't get a response in a reasonable amount of time (another week or two at most), then I will delete you from the Chronicle Website and write you out of the chronicle. If your character was somehow crucial to the storyline, I may opt to use him/her as an NPC to further the game and present him/her with the respect and consistency due. No hard feelings, but I need people who are at least semi-reliable, or at the very least, capable of communicating their absences and when I can expect them back. Simple concept, and a common courtesy.
1. IF YOU DID NOT LOG IT, IT NEVER HAPPENED: You, as the player, are responsible for logging each and every role-playing session you take part in that is not moderated by me. This includes scenes specifically between yourself and other players in the chronicle (presuming I am not available). If you do not log a scene in which you participate in its relative entirety, then it never happened, period. You will not receive Experience Points for your endeavors, the storyline of the chronicle will proceed heedless of the occurrences in the nixed scene. I will allow more 'personal' sections of the record log to be replaced with the moniker "FTB," or Fade To Black, to protect your privacy and give you the appropriate freedom you deserve. Mistakes will happen, people will forget, the chats will crash randomly and you will lose your log, and this I understand completely and will even be sympathetic towards. But remember; you can always request a copy of the log from your fellow players involved in the scene. This logging is only being used for later reference if ever needed, giving me extra plot-hooks to utilize, and is a means of covering your proverbial tail.
2. STORYTELLER RULINGS ARE ABSOLUTELY FINAL: I consider myself to be a fair and knowledgeable Bex in general, and as a Storyteller, I endeavor consistently to be even more so. I do not tend to or enjoy running dice-heavy games, preferring to let the storyline take precedence. As such, there will be times where I might choose to ‘fudge’ certain rolls in favor of you, others, or even some of the NPCs. This is not a matter of favoritism, as I assure you, I will remain as impartial as possible, but rather a generosity on my part (for you), or a means of propelling the storyline forward (in the case of NPCs). Once a ruling is made, on either setting or system or anything else regarding the game, the ruling is final and iron-clad unless I rescind it personally. If you have a problem with a ruling I made, please take it up with me in private, preferably as soon as it occurs in a PM. We can discuss it, and you can make your case without concern of reprisal or argument. Though in the end, I still reserve the right to make the call, and when I do, the debate is over. That said, I despise rules-lawyering. The quickest way to make me rule against your argument is to come at me with the line. "But the book says..." I will also quote the book. My justification line comes from the very beginning: "Do what works for you." Period. End of story.
3. STORYLINE TAKES PREVALENCE OVER MERE CHALLENGES: As referenced before, though there will be challenges and the like, it is not going to make or break the game. Just because you had a crummy roll does not mean I’m going to let your character plunge to their death arbitrarily or something equally inane and disappointing. Mostly, challenges will only be used in combat situations, when resisting rolls or opposing rolls are necessary, or when the prospect of a failure would make the story significantly more ‘interesting’ in general. Remember, ‘interesting’ is a bit of a subjective term. This is not a video game, there is no ‘winning’ or ‘losing’, so get that manner of thinking out of your head. This chronicle is a Storytelling game, a role-playing game, and central to the idea of both is the concept of a storyline; as such, sometimes ‘interesting’ things will occur to your character or even be permitted to occur. ‘Interesting’ things can be good or bad, or even fall into that neutral gray area in between, but the question I always ask myself before initiating anything ‘interesting’ is whether or not this will make an intriguing and awesome storyline, something memorable and fun for everyone involved. If you are not having fun or feel I am stepping over the line, please feel free to PM me and discuss it. We will be able to work something out, I assure you. My number one priority as the Storyteller is to facilitate an amazing story and ensure that you, the players, are having one hell of a good time.
4. CHARACTERS TAKE PREVALENCE OVER THE STORYLINE: As imperative as a solid storyline in a chronicle can be, the thing that makes a storyline worth endeavoring upon is the players and their characters that are involved the storyline itself. As mentioned before, I will never administer some arbitrary death, either from your in-character actions or your crummy dice rolls. I know what it is like to pour so much time and effort into a character, to come to love them (or despise them) as one of your own, and then have them casually taken from you over some stupid nonsense. A chronicle without good players is like a sports car without wheels. It may be pretty, or well tricked-out, or even have tremendous potential…but it sure as hell is not going anywhere any time soon. As such, your character’s decisions will influence all manner of events, for better or worse, in the chronicle setting. Though play will begin here in Venice in the year of our Lord 1206, and will remain centered in this location for some time, your character will travel abroad inevitably; to the dark Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania to the blood-soaked sands of the Holy Land, from the German courts of the Holy Roman Empire to the Golden City of Constantinople, from the decadent city of Victorian London to the brutality of American Civil War New York City and beyond. So try to have fun, and let me know what I can do to make it even more so for you; if you have any suggestions or requests, do not hesitate to make them. I will do my best to accommodate your wants and needs into the game and the way it is run.
5. ACT LIKE ADULTS OR BE TREATED LIKE NAUGHTY LITTLE CHILDREN: Now, an unpleasant topic to breach, but a necessary one. As mentioned elsewhere, I have no patience for idiocy or drama out-of-character, nor will I tolerate it among my players. If your sole purpose in being here is to hog the spotlight from the other players, bed as many PCs and NPCs as feasibly possible, to start arguments and throw tantrums on a whim, to critique others endlessly and "rules lawyer" every situation, or to otherwise act like a complete and utter immature imbecile, then I kindly ask you to leave the game now (or not apply in the first place) to save us all a lot of headache and insanity. I know some of you are smirking right now because you know that by mentioning this, I am damn near taunting the aforementioned immature imbeciles, but I am hoping they will get bewildered by the vocabulary utilized and the extensive writing on this page and become discouraged. Hell, they probably would not even bother to read this. That said, if you force me to kick you out of the chronicle over this kind of behavior for the betterment of the other players and the storyline, it will not be pretty. I have poured extensive effort into this game and its facilitation, and I absolutely demand that you respect that by not casually trying to wreck my hard work and the enjoyment of my other players involved. Once kicked out over this sort of behavior, you will not be allowed to return for a period of 3 to 6 months or permanently at my sole discretion. You've seen me do it before and you know I'm not afraid to do it again.
6. YOU WILL GET AS MUCH OUT OF THIS AS YOU PUT INTO IT: The more effort you put into the game, the more effort I will put into you and your character in turn. If you are frequently unavailable or something of that nature, that is perfectly acceptable, but your character will need inevitably take a more back-burner position in the chronicle because I cannot rely on you or your character to be the fulcrum upon which the balance of the storyline teeters. If you put in hard work and diligence, it will be rewarded with both my thanks, excellent storylines custom-tailored to your character, their back story and current ambitions, as well as your own out-of-character preferences. I also reward small amounts of bonus Experience Points for excellent and above-the-bar role-playing, which should serve to incite a bit of competition among you; you are all exquisitely skilled players or I would not have accepted you into the group to begin with, and as such, you have some stiff competition to stand out. This does not mean you need to write a ten-page novel for every post, obsess over grammar and spelling, or try and dramatically one-up the other players and their characters. Just focus on your character; what they would think, feel and do, and then follow through on it.
7. GIVE ME AUTHENTICITY OR GIVE ME SOMETHING CLOSE ENOUGH: As this chronicle will proceed through the course of human and Cainite history to the modern day and eventually even the earth-shattering events of Gehenna itself, there will need to be a touch of research on your part as a player. Do not bother obsessing over minute details like who the King of Scotland was in 1521 AD or what color clothing was favored in Zara during the Fourth Crusade. This chronicle is meant to be authentic and bring both the mood, theme and atmosphere of any given period of history in the chronicle to life once more, like time-travel on crack. But it bears mentioning that nothing is perfect, and that there is a difference between bringing a bygone era of history to life and focusing needlessly on historical minutiae until one’s eyes cross. That said, enjoy the chronicle for what it is, my fellow history buffs; a fictitious take on historic events complete with supernatural creatures and an implacable thematic darkness that cannot be escaped. Whew...that was a mouthful.
8. INACTIVITY AND NO COMMUNICATION MAKES STORYTELLER SOMETHING-SOMETHING: Go crazy?! Don't mind if I do! Yeah, a cheap Simpsons reference. Sue me. I can't be funny all the damn time on my own! Anyway, this rule, incoherent as it is, is fairly simple to follow with a brief explanation. If you go inactive entirely and do not shoot me a PM or e-mail to inform me of lengthy absence (any more than 30 days or so), I have to assume you no longer are interested in the game. There is nothing wrong with that, of course. Life happens. Though if this does occur, I will likely try and shoot you an e-mail or two in hopes that you will respond and let me know why you are utterly absent from every game session for a month straight. If I don't get a response in a reasonable amount of time (another week or two at most), then I will delete you from the Chronicle Website and write you out of the chronicle. If your character was somehow crucial to the storyline, I may opt to use him/her as an NPC to further the game and present him/her with the respect and consistency due. No hard feelings, but I need people who are at least semi-reliable, or at the very least, capable of communicating their absences and when I can expect them back. Simple concept, and a common courtesy.
