Roleplay Group Social Guidelines (Credit goes out to mithrandir138 for this) Purpose: The purpose of this Social Guidelines is to ensure that everyone participating is respectful to one another and everyone has a good time. We all want players to remain focused and to actively participate in the game during play (meaning: we want the story and shared environments to evolve as a result of player actions.) The Game: The primary goals of this game are to: 1. Have a good time. 2. Collectively create a memorable and immersive experience for all involved. The System and Setting: We will be starting the campaign using Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. The game will be set in the Forgotten Realms. If you would like a particular non-TSR deity or to bring in any other details from another setting, please present them to the GM. All details are subject to GM approval. It's best to assume that we will be playing a game “ In our own version of the setting ” but we do not want to make it a “kitchen sink setting.” Currently these are the only supplements in play: - Core Rule & Supplement Set: 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons (It is possible other elements from other Editions will be implemented) - House Rules Communication and Scheduling: We will be using scheduled Live Gaming Sessions on Roll20.net to communicate when game sessions or other “get togethers” are happening. We have agreed on a game starting time of ??:00 PM EDT or ??PM ET time (depending on season), every ????day evening. The GM will make a concerted effort to schedule events in advance. Please make a concerted effort to be timely in your planning and use the responses under “Are you going” (in this game simply post to the "Game Attendance: Are You Going to Be There?", thread or Message the DM), to communicate your intent to Attend or Not. Please use “Maybe” sparingly. The GM will use these responses to plan and prepare the session. If there is not a quorum of players who have responded “Yes” for a scheduled game night by the preceding Sunday (in this game you have until 24 hours prior to game-time so, 8pm Saturday), it is likely that the game will be rescheduled to another day or postponed. Please note however, that the game will go on even if only the DM & One Player wishes to play for any given session. This ensures that the game story continues to flow & that absentee-ism (or Trolling), will not hinder the game’s progress. If the Dungeon Master can not make a session due to an emergency, special occasion/holiday, vacation, natural disaster or power outage, another DM can take over that night’s gaming session if need be and possible. Style of Play/Goals (beyond just simple “fun”): 1.To create cooperative, a combined, “Theater of the Mind”-style play (which means, no miniatures/tokens) with Tactical Combat (Miniatures/Tokens and Maps used): Dice rolls aren’t just simple pass/fails. You should narrate what happens on the successes, the GM narrates what happens on the failures (or rolls on a table), or may ask you to describe the failure. Narrations should be as cinematic as possible, and humorous details are of course permitted regardless of the tone of the scene/game. 2. To strive towards a story- and character-driven game with the use of tactical-combat-driven game. 3. To ensure that players have agency: the GM doesn’t rule all aspects of the environment -- meaning: players are permitted to add things/aspects to the environment (within reason) to help scenes play out. (example: Good: “I grab a tankard of ale from the table next to me and whack the bard on the side of the head with it!” Bad: “Is there a tankard of ale on the table I am standing next to?”) Technical Requirements: (Since this is a Text Based game you do not need to worry about voice and video): • A broadband Internet connection is required, along with a camera (as you wish) and microphone (as you wish). • Headphones are required to prevent echo. (If using Voice) • A computer must be used to participate ( tablets, etc, can be used for displaying Character Sheet Information ) - Windows, Mac, and Linux are all welcome. Do Not use a Phone to try and Play on Roll20!!! • You need a roll20.net account (mostly for dice, maps, tokens, character sheets and handouts, as well as to see text posted area descriptions, & the various text posted character / npc role-play interactions) It is recommended you use Roll20.net’s own Video/Voice feature, if you also wish to to do that in game. However, players can agree to use Skype, C3, PalTalk, Zoom, Tiny Chat or Discord, as well. Guidelines to think about to ensure you are respectful to other players: • Be on time for the game. • Please make use of the mute function when you aren’t actively participating in a scene and there are other sounds occurring in your local environment. • Please avoid using your phone, texting, web browsing, reading, watching videos/TV/movies/etc. during the game. Everyone is here to play the game, you should be, too. • Please refrain from chatting/instant messaging outside of the group during the game. (Unless it is an emergency, of course.) • Please do not eat food unless you are muted. (Beverages are permitted.) This means: It is OK to be “ finishing a meal or having a snack ”, while the game is happening. • Give more than 24 hours notice if you are going to be absent. • If the normal, scheduled time no longer works for you, please say something. It’s unfair to the other players for them to expect you to be there and you aren’t. People understand that you have a life/job outside of the game, please let them know if your attendance should not be expected because of another obligation. • Communicate and be social (even metagame) with others players using our forum threads for the game, using the chatbox or via any means of Video/Voice Chatting such as Discord or even a FaceBook group. We should foster fellowship between players and not forget about the game when it is time for the weekly session to begin. • In conclusion: simply, don’t be an asshole to the other players in the game. (If you need a definition of what this means, feel free to ask.) Player Expectations: * New Players will be required to make a new Character sheet for themselves. This new character will then be introduced into the game when: A) The character you picked up (if it was needed), that is already live and active in the adventure group dies (Players come and go from the game on a weekly basis so there will be ABSOLUTELY NO POOFING IN & OUT of characters (i.e. Playing pieces/tokens/character sheets) from the game. All characters remain until they die. Period. B) If the new character you pick up is not to your liking, simply try to get them killed in some fashion. C) You will need to wait for situations to be right for the DM to be able to introduce a new character, i.e., the party returns to a nearby village or perhaps the DM can work in that the new character escaped from someone, or perhaps you are the survivor from another adventure group etc. Also, your attendance to the gaming sessions factor into this. D) This will ensure that the party will continue to have access to ALL of the gathered information, treasure and coinage found while adventuring because some link will be maintained. E) Everyone is expected to play and contribute to party decision making and help each other, as always and usual, and in a timely manner. There will be no 'Just Watching' the game, as you have Twitch for that! F) The Adventure Party Leader / Caller is rotated each week, going in Roll20 Nickname Order. * You must be cordially communicative to All Posts and Messages made by the DM and Players in game, and respond to them in a timely fashion. Failure to do so will result in getting booted from the game. This is being done due to trolling and people joining the game, making it look full and never responding to anyone or even playing the game! * You must actively participate in the game and interact with other players and make any actions and moves during your turn in a TIMELY FASHION. Not just watching it, or you will be booted from the game. * You should have your character sheet updated in the agreed upon format before the game session. * You must actively fill in all needed information into the character sheet provided and you must routinely update the character sheet as needed, such as the addition or depletion of food, arrows, spell components, spell use, etc. * DM’s provide a ‘Paper’ version of the sheet (under the Bio/Info tab), that you fill in and can then copy/paste into a program like MS Word to then print out and use during the game, which is helpful since you could readily update the paper sheet, then update Roll20's in game character sheet when time permits or after the gaming sessions. The main purpose of this game is to have fun. If you are not having fun, you should communicate this to the GM so that it can be remedied immediately. Any reason for discontent with the game is up for discussion, even items in this Social Guidelines. You should allow the GM a chance to remedy the situation before quitting the group outright. You should make a concerted effort to speak “in character” during play. Asking and answering questions, etc. should be done “in character” when it is appropriate. For example: PCs speak to other PCs and NPCs “in character,” and NPCs speak to PCs “in character” -- you should try to act as if the GM isn’t there, you should try to speak to him as if he is the NPC’s within the world. No Rules Lawyering: You should try to keep any debate regarding the rules, GM rulings, or any system details outside of game play (meaning: save them until the session is over.) However, questions “out of character” about rules you are unclear about are certainly permitted, because I think most of us are new to the system. You are encouraged to take notes. During the game, ask yourself the following questions: 1. If this was a novel, would I read it or recommend it to others? 2. If this was something I would be watching, would it keep my interest? Would I be a fan? 3. Is my character involved in the story? If they were to die would it have any consequence to the story? [The Following credited to Lady Gygax for calling out the trolling that goes on!] WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR: 1) Players that respond to their adventure within 18 hours of the DM's or Players' last post. 2) Players that respond to the DM's or Players' Personal Messages within 18 hours. 3) Players who want to Stay in a Long Term Campaign. 4) Players that respect the DM's Authority (which is Absolute). 5) Players that enjoy Roleplaying their character. 6) Players that enjoy Dungeon Exploration. 7) Players that don't mind if their Character Dies (as they will simply make Another). 8) Players that accept Encounters are Not Balanced. 9) Players that Look for Other Solutions than Fighting. 10) Players that are Heroes, not Evil Uncooperative Selfish Backstabbing Traitors. 11) Players that want their Character to Grow over Time from a Roleplaying Aspect. 12) Established Roll20 Profiles with Lots of Hours, Lot of Achievements, Lots of interaction with other players, and Meaningful Descriptions. WHAT I AM NOT LOOKING FOR: 1) Players who are so busy with their schedule that they cannot respond within 18 hours of the last DM's or Players' Post. 2) Players who don't respond to Personal Messages within 18 hours (or just flat out Ignore Them). 3) Players who just want to "Try It Out" and then Leave. Players who Leave Suddenly Without Warning. Players who have No Intention of Staying Long Term in the Campaign. 4) Players who like to argue with the DM, thinking they can prove the DM wrong by using the Rules as a Weapon (Rules Lawyer). Players who think they are Above the DM's Authority. 5) Players that Just Want to Fight, who Hate Roleplaying their Character. 6) Players who hate Dungeon Grinding, Killing Monsters, Solving Puzzles, and Evading Traps. 7) Players who Ragequit when the Dice Do Not Favor Them, resulting in their Character's Death. 8) Players who Demand Every Encounter be Perfectly Balanced for their Character. 9) Players that just want to Roll Dice to Kill Monsters Without Thinking At All. 10) Players who want to play Evil Characters who Hate being Part of a Party and Act Only for Themselves. 11) Players who think that a Bunch of Statistics on their Character Sheet defines their Character. 12) Brand New Roll20 Profiles with Barely Any Hours, Barely Any Achievements, and Limited Interaction with Other Players on Roll20. 13) Players that only want to watch and never play the game. (You have Twitch for that!). Everyone expects you to participate and give input, since you are joining to Play the Game!
