Gameplay
The story runner code of conduct has one aim, to ensure SRs are
concentrating on helping make and run great RP. As an SR you are subject to
immortal oversight, that means that unlike a player you do not have to
clearly break any rules for immortals to intervene, if we feel like you are
using your SR in a way that is bad for the game we will take it away from
you.
1) Do not grief players. This means using your SR in any way to make
player's lives unpleasant unless as a direct and necessary part of the
story. Using NPCs to pick on players, having monsters go after one in
particular for no real reason, using hurt/injure excessively etc.
2) Do not coddle players. This means using your SR in any way to inflate
player's egos unless as a direct and necessary part of the story. Using
NPCs to flatter players, designing fights and scenarios that they can't
possibly lose or letting them win the situation even if you think they
should lose etc. In general a good success rate is about 75%, if players
succeed about 75% of the time in your stories you're probably at a good
level.
3) Never attempt to influence a player to increase your trust level. While
you may tell a player you don't want to run RP for them because their trust
is too low you may not ever harass, plead or pressure a player into raising
your trust. This is to protect you more than them, if they are unhappy with
something you've done the fact that they completely voluntarily raised your
trust high enough to do it is your best defense.
4) Do not use your SR to prop up or help your characters. Your characters
can be involved in rooms and stories that you run but they should never
profit from it. For instance if your players have to solve a puzzle, your
character should never be the one with the answer. They should be one of
the group and in no way gain any possible advantage because you are also the
SR.
5) Do not allow your SR to give any benefit to your PC. Most overt examples
would be offering to run RP for people who're nice to your PC more than
others, but even if you're not doing it deliberately you can be held
responsible. It's very strongly recommended that you do not tell people who
your PC is where possible, as if it seems like people are treating your PC
differently because of that knowledge you may well lose your SR, even if you
aren't encouraging them to do so.
6) Do not play favorites. It is fine to run RP for your friends or people
you like more often. However when setting up a story you should accept
players based on the merit of their reasons for being involved and that is
all, additionally once in a scene you must treat all players equally and
respond only based on the merits of their IC actions.
7) Keep the scope of your stories confined to those who wish to play with
you/trust you. You should not under normal circumstances run a story that
involves/threatens the entire town/world, or people who aren't volunteering
to play in it. This includes making the consequences of your plot so dire
that PCs will be unable ICly to avoid getting involved. It also includes
creating lore that will effect others. It would be fine for instance to
create a cult for your PCs to deal with, but not to create the oldest
vampire in the world. Since there can be only one of them. If you want to
run a plot that involves the whole game, or involves lore creation you'll
need to be deputized and have a staff member be briefed on the plot to ok it
all. This rule is in place to prevent SRs stepping on each other's stories
and to prevent players from being pushed into participating in plots with
SRs they may not wish to.
8) Keep the scale of your stories reasonable. While it's an understandable
urge to get players involved by making your plots more and more epic it can
very quickly degenerate the reality of the world and the characters if
they're saving the universe every weekend, and can put SRs in competitions
to make their plot more epic than the last one. Most stories should be
small scale, something well suited to small groups of players who've trusted
you to play with. The occasional epic story is fine, although you'll
generally need to pass it through staff and be deputized as mentioned above,
but it's the smaller things that bring the world to life.
Story Runner Code Of Conduct
The story runner code of conduct has one aim, to ensure SRs are
concentrating on helping make and run great RP. As an SR you are subject to
immortal oversight, that means that unlike a player you do not have to
clearly break any rules for immortals to intervene, if we feel like you are
using your SR in a way that is bad for the game we will take it away from
you.
1) Do not grief players. This means using your SR in any way to make
player's lives unpleasant unless as a direct and necessary part of the
story. Using NPCs to pick on players, having monsters go after one in
particular for no real reason, using hurt/injure excessively etc.
2) Do not coddle players. This means using your SR in any way to inflate
player's egos unless as a direct and necessary part of the story. Using
NPCs to flatter players, designing fights and scenarios that they can't
possibly lose or letting them win the situation even if you think they
should lose etc. In general a good success rate is about 75%, if players
succeed about 75% of the time in your stories you're probably at a good
level.
3) Never attempt to influence a player to increase your trust level. While
you may tell a player you don't want to run RP for them because their trust
is too low you may not ever harass, plead or pressure a player into raising
your trust. This is to protect you more than them, if they are unhappy with
something you've done the fact that they completely voluntarily raised your
trust high enough to do it is your best defense.
4) Do not use your SR to prop up or help your characters. Your characters
can be involved in rooms and stories that you run but they should never
profit from it. For instance if your players have to solve a puzzle, your
character should never be the one with the answer. They should be one of
the group and in no way gain any possible advantage because you are also the
SR.
5) Do not allow your SR to give any benefit to your PC. Most overt examples
would be offering to run RP for people who're nice to your PC more than
others, but even if you're not doing it deliberately you can be held
responsible. It's very strongly recommended that you do not tell people who
your PC is where possible, as if it seems like people are treating your PC
differently because of that knowledge you may well lose your SR, even if you
aren't encouraging them to do so.
6) Do not play favorites. It is fine to run RP for your friends or people
you like more often. However when setting up a story you should accept
players based on the merit of their reasons for being involved and that is
all, additionally once in a scene you must treat all players equally and
respond only based on the merits of their IC actions.
7) Keep the scope of your stories confined to those who wish to play with
you/trust you. You should not under normal circumstances run a story that
involves/threatens the entire town/world, or people who aren't volunteering
to play in it. This includes making the consequences of your plot so dire
that PCs will be unable ICly to avoid getting involved. It also includes
creating lore that will effect others. It would be fine for instance to
create a cult for your PCs to deal with, but not to create the oldest
vampire in the world. Since there can be only one of them. If you want to
run a plot that involves the whole game, or involves lore creation you'll
need to be deputized and have a staff member be briefed on the plot to ok it
all. This rule is in place to prevent SRs stepping on each other's stories
and to prevent players from being pushed into participating in plots with
SRs they may not wish to.
8) Keep the scale of your stories reasonable. While it's an understandable
urge to get players involved by making your plots more and more epic it can
very quickly degenerate the reality of the world and the characters if
they're saving the universe every weekend, and can put SRs in competitions
to make their plot more epic than the last one. Most stories should be
small scale, something well suited to small groups of players who've trusted
you to play with. The occasional epic story is fine, although you'll
generally need to pass it through staff and be deputized as mentioned above,
but it's the smaller things that bring the world to life.