WHAT IS IMMERSION?
Engaging the 5 Senses
While some are easier to capture than others, we want a feeling of being fully emerged into the environment presented. This means actively reminding players of their surroundings and exploring how their characters respond to those sensations.
Living World Development
Actions have consequences, and even a pebble may cause large ripples in the pond. All NPCs have full lives, with a schedule and a home and their own preferences. The world breathes, and the characters therein are part of a larger mechanism. Cause and effect are heavy, and some outcomes may be entirely unexpected!
Player Character Focused Plots
The backgrounds, histories, alliances, and enemies…all play a part in the big picture for each individual. Where they are from and where they would like to be, with the journey in between, should be the spotlight. Each person will have their own needs, goals, ambitions…and greater intrigue follows when those intersect with other party members! There are certainly main and side quests in open world/sandbox-styled campaigns, but they are all seen through the filter of the characters, who may or may not have a stake in each particular outcome. No one player should have the spotlight every game session; nor should any player be kept from ever taking center stage!
Freedom, Autonomy
As mentioned above, a person will have things that they wish to accomplish outside of the aims of the party group as a whole. Whether together or apart, an open world means absolute free choice in actions, destinations, and explorations. This may be based in locations, or philosophical/religious concepts, and perhaps even a psychological dive into alignments and personality! Options should be limitless, of course within reason (see Rule of Cool below).
GM STYLE
'Try', not 'No' (Rule of Cool, Fun)
Despite what you may have heard, some things ARE impossible. But many things are merely improbable, and sometimes it is worth the effort to find out the hard way! Some ideas may seem so crazy, they just might work! Ultimately, we want to see creativity take the front seat, where players know that they are not bound by restrictive pseudo logic or a stuffy GM trying to confine them to a specific path. Instead, in almost all cases, we shall endeavor to say "Go ahead and try!" rather than an outright "No". Also, if something is cool and exciting, and the group is behind it no matter how wacky or unlikely, we should cater to the goal of the game…which ultimately is fun.
Not DM vs PC
While some Dungeon/Game Masters see their role as an aggressor and adversary, that is not the tone we want to set in our games. Rather, we want the players to enjoy the adventure through the eyes of their characters. The world can be harsh, yes, and the more powerful a character becomes, the greater their challenges must be to match their experience. But this does not mean that every session is an attempt to outwit or outshine or outmuscle the player group. Quite the opposite; this is collaborative storytelling, which puts us all on the same side regardless of what side of the screen we sit. Falling back on the rule of Cool and/or Fun above, it is rare that a player enjoys dying and creating a new character for every game session. That having been said, if the player group as a whole wish to raise the difficulty level of their adventures, we'll be happy to oblige!
NO DM PCs
This is a matter of some debate, but we take a very hard line on this issue. So much so that it bears repeating and highlighting. The game master controls the whole world…every laughing babe, every blade of grass. There is no reason to further hog the spotlight from players by making their own character with ambitions and needs to be fulfilled. Even in the instance of a gap in party roles, IE 'They need a healer'. No, they don't. If they did, they'd have made one. Instead, we may create an interesting shop where they can get healing potions or broken bones mended. Perhaps that kooky witch or shaman or doctor character is a semi-regular feature, but they are still an NPC.
THE GAME SPOTLIGHT IS FOR THE PLAYERS. NO EXCEPTIONS....NO DM PCs.
Romance - Fade to Black
In the interest of catering to the widest possible audience, as well as avoiding awkward situations and strange vibes, our games will not feature graphic depictions of romance and that kind of activity. We don't want to discourage creating these bonds with other NPCs or even PCs with mutual consent, those are great avenues to explore…however, there is nothing to be served by a play-by-play commentary of that which takes place behind closed doors. Some things are better left to the imagination. And there might be kids watching our sessions, let's keep things as appropriate as we would for our own families.
Crime: No domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault
While these things are dark aspects of the real-life we all share, many of us victims in one form or another, it is not the purpose of our stories to bring these topics to the front of consideration. Simply put, in our worlds, these things simply do not happen. There are plenty of dark crimes and intrigue and evil doings that will take place for our characters to overcome…some are just better left alone for other days and other discussions. Since we want to focus on fun primarily, we would rather not get into the darkest and most despicable aspects of humanoid existence. So to reiterate, spousal abuse, child abuse, and sexual abuse/assault of all kinds simply don't exist in our worlds.