TheRedStranger Posted May 27, 2016 Share Posted May 27, 2016 Guidelines for GM’s Ratings 1. Character Development and Narrative Arcs Plan ahead in the campaign for unique character development opportunities. Communicate with players on how they want their character to develop aside from the RP in a PM dedicated to the game. Be sure to bring up surprises both good and not so good to keep the predictability down. No Pet Characters; No Petty Bullying. Do not randomly insert characters you have previously made to bully and punish characters. If this character is not subject to any form of achievable defeat and gains more of the GM's focus than the players, this will double the offense. If you are found inserting "god-mod" pet-characters then you will be ranked rather sourly by an Admin as such. Do not expect to be respected in the RP section if such behavior continues. General Behavior Make it enjoyable and fun first and foremost. Never forget this. You are in a competitive creative environment. You might be making the game but on a larger scale you are competing with other GM's to be the best you can be. Your GM skills will be highlighted and ranked for better or for worse based on how much traffic you bring into the game section, how dependable and prolific you are, and how much fun players have in your game. We award great GM's. If you do a half-hearted job then expect a half-hearted reception of your work. When an RP is started make sure you have decided on the lore and universe you will be playing in and communicate it clearly to your players Communicate constantly with your players when they start character creation; this insures character creation goes smoothly. Make sure players abide by set rules to avoid future issues. Make a set of rules and stick to them; be consistent in all situations and with every player. Show no favoritism. Make sure your rules are clear and concise and understood by all players. Always keep an out-of-character line of communication open for all players via PM. Don’t let the players boss you around; you are the god of your realm. Absences and Admissions Show up to your own game. You are the GM, that means you have to make sure the game goes on. Players are counting on you to keep the game going, so don't quit on them. If you commit people to a game then bail out on them then you will be demerited accordingly, and possibly suspended from the RP section. You have exactly 48 hours, two days, to post for each players' turn. If you have a personal issue and can not continue your sessions, please inform an admin or mod as soon as possible. They will allow you an extension on the basis of the severity of your exigent circumstances. After this time-limit is exhausted and there is no new post, the the thread will be removed from the on-going RP's section. You can temporarily transfer control to another person if you so choose, with Admin's consent. You are not allowed to transfer control of your RP to any persons banned, suspended, or of an unacceptable rank. Admins and Mods are very accepting of your candidates because it is your game, but if this person is of low standing in the community expect to negotiate with moderators for better terms for the sake of the players. Anti-Obstructionist Eminent Domain Policy - A GM will be treated equally as an obstructive player when it comes to abandoning their RPs. If an RP is deemed significantly popular by petition to a mod or admin yet the GM has abandoned his responsibilities, continually, refused to negotiate, and has been warned accordingly, he/she will be relieved of us his/her duties and will forsake creative control of the material given. The concepts and narrative strictly within the context of the RP will be considered eminent domain and public intellectual property of SoM. A new GM will be appointed by players' vote and administrative consent. Consider this your only warning if you wish to maintain control of your creative material specifically pertaining to the RP's you wish create. The game will go on, with or without you. This is your world and game, you have the final say if a player is allowed to join or not. Don’t be afraid to enforce your gamerules with punitive action, especially if someone will be a miscreant and steal the fun. Don’t be afraid to break up people who are “buddying” and breaking immersion for the rest of the players. If players start to go off into left field and pull the RP off course don’t be shy about cracking the whip to pull them back. You have the final say as to what characters and types to be used However, don’t be too heavy handed when it comes to this; again, fun is the prime objective. GMs withhold the right to make their RPs invite-only and establish submission process for their threads. A GM has the right to deny a character and player ideas. A player has two days to perform a move. If not, players are obligated to make an arrangement with the GM if they are to keep control of their character. If this is not done then the GM reserves the right to temporarily take control of the character within reason. The character automatically falls into the GM’s care and the RP moves on without the original player’s interaction. A player cannot stop the game; it will keep on going with or without that player. After a player is warned by the GM about his/her continual uninformed absence, the GM can remove or write-out the player’s character from the RP. This is done by the GM’s full discretion to the extent but not limited to "permadeath." Of course if a player is having problems with his/her schedule or internet then the player should be able to make an arrangement with the other players and the GM. Someone else can be then permitted by the absent player to take control of the characters or have the GM perform a quick, temporary "writeout" until the problems pass. If a player is found to be an obstructionist, willfully abandoning RP’s that he/she has become crucially involved within then he/she will be subjected to denial from future RP’s. If that player is found to joining RP sessions to just “troll” anyone then he/she will be automatically suspended or banned by the GM from the RP. The player will be then reported to SoM Administration. Posts and Turns: A non-combat turn will be measured by every post done by the GM (which will be specifically marked.) Each action is a post unless redefined by the GM. However be considerate and do not cut anyone out. Time and/or continuity will progress accordingly. 1a. A combat turn is a single post action or (depending on the character’s stats) maybe be two or more actions, which based on a character’s position in combat, speed and/or method of attack; i.e. a marksman with rifle or someone in close range will go before a person with a clubbing weapon who is at distance; characters with greater speed, dexterity, and less encumberance will get an action earlier than slower characters carrying more equipment. Guidelines for Players: General Behavior 1. Have fun, but more importantly make it fun for everyone. 2. The GM’s word is law in his/her RP, but he/she should be flexible, though he/she takes the opinions of majority in account over a single person’s enjoyment/wants; please keep this in mind. Overall, be respectful, even if you must protest something with him privately. 3. Be respectful to the person behind the player/GM. Your characters can be at each others throats in the game, but you can’t turn this into a real shouting match. Settle all your real world disputes outside the game please; don’t ruin the fun for others.4. Try to avoid micromanagement, canon-based pedanticism, and statistic-blabbering. All the stats are sent privately to the GM for a reason, so you don’t have to worry about that crap. If there are rolls, they are done for you by the GM. You just need to focus on making your part of the story exciting. That means good prose. Don't be straying from the established story; stay in character, and don't be afraid to write your actions and reactions like they were a story. Sparseness will be forgotten, creative writing will be rewarded by the GM.5. If somebody is ruining the fun. PM the GM. He’ll take care of it. But if this turns out to be a wild bantha-chase, then you will be the one that gets taken care of…. Absences and Admissions Please do not try to post in RPs you are not yet accepted in. If proven to be doing this to ruin an RP or disturb players you will be reported to an Administrator. Administrators hold the right to ban or suspend accordingly for disturbing the peace. Please ask to join an RP and follow the rules given by a GM for submission. Please refrain from any RP’s that you can not invest your time and effort within. This can affect your rank in the RP section negatively. GMs withhold the right to make their RPs invite-only or establish submission process for their threads. They have the right to deny your character and your ideas. A player has two days to perform a move. If not, players are obligated to make an arrangement with the GM if they are to keep control of their character. If this is not done then the GM reserves the right to temporarily take control of the character within reason. The character automatically falls into the GM’s care and the RP moves on without the original player’s interaction. You can not stop the game; it will keep on going with or without you. After a player is warned by the GM about his/her continual uninformed absence, the GM can remove or write-out the player’s character from the RP. This is done by the GM’s full discretion to the extent but not limited to "permadeath." Of course if a player is having problems with his/her schedule or internet then the player should be able to make an arrangement with the other players and the GM. Someone else can be then permitted by the absent player to take control of the characters or have the GM perform a quick, temporary "writeout" until the problems pass. If you are found to be an obstructionist, willfully abandoning RP’s that you have become crucially involved within then you will be subjected to denial from future RP’s. If you are found to joining RP sessions to just “troll” anyone then you will be automatically suspended or banned by the GM from the RP. You will be then reported to SoM Administration. Character Development and Narrative Arcs 1. All pre-existing characters are controlled by the GM as NPCs, unless told otherwise in private message or public announcement [in brackets].2. The GM will give you a simple character sheet to fill out. GM may allow or barr previously established characters from other RP’s in his work on the basis of his own discretion. Expect to start at an equal level as other beginning characters if this done, unless there are exigent circumstances. 3. Characters are all novices in a general sense. Don’t expect a massive unfair advantage over other players. The GM will leave you the opportunity to develop your abilities as you continue.4. Character/Character Relationships have to be approved by both players. You can't just decide that your character was or is your brother/sister/parent/lover/whatever without consent of the other player and the GM. If relationships are forced one can appeal to the GM. 5. Character/NPC relations must be approved by the GM. Do not expect to be a long lost secret family member of a Freedom Fighter, divorced couples, etc. However you can appeal via a PM to the GM if you really believe that will work in canon and context, yet you will be respectful if it denied.6. Mary Sues and their Male Counterparts are not allowed. All characters start out with a few select skills they specialize in from their given backstory. Specific character aspects allotted by the GM can determine how fast they progress in certain areas. GM’s have the full right to equalize a player that attempts to bend the rules to become overpowered and/or dominate the others characters to the point where the game no longer fun for them. 7. The GM encourages original characters. The more inventive and original the character the more the GM has to work with in order to enrich your playing experience. If your character is a transparent rip-off from a series, media, or other player’s character, then your recruitment sheet will not be accepted. If it is found to be plagiarism from another player it will also not be accepted and the player may be excused from the RP at GM’s discretion. All characters designs are the full property of their respected players.8. There are no static characters; they should be treated as living entities and not a trope. Your characters must progress as persons in all aspects to some degree or another. Alignment, skills, and character traits can and will change based on behavior.9. Keep within continuity. If you start pulling out lightsabers and secret aqua-maroon sol-emeralds out of your bunghole… the GM will reprimand.10. All the non-improvised spoiler material for your character is given to the GM. PM with the desired player as well when asking consent for such things (example relationships or killing off the characters). This way deaths and big plot twist come off as a shock to the other players and watchers of the story. Characters can scan and investigate certain hidden character traits, which the GM will roll for if there clue-hunting is successful. 11. You have full, complete control of your character unless forfeited through mistake or willful action. The GM cannot, without your consent, change key aspects of your character, his past, or his present and future actions/development. However, if your character has been possessed, mind-controlled, addicted, or dominated through any exigent circumstance he can resist it each turn. Under such circumstances, however, your character will not suffer any alignment penalties or gain any negative “karma.” 11a. You can appeal to the GM if you feel the treatment is unfair after repeated unsuccessful attempts to gain full control over your character. If your character is somehow taken over without a long-term release or if there is no success in your repeated resistance after protesting to the GM, one may lodge a complaint with a FUS administrator. If nothing is done to alleviate this predicament and the administrator agrees with your case then you may forfeit the game without any marks for or against your rank in the RP section. 12. Be consistent. If you wrote out your character as a 7.0 tall and you are suddenly crawling in a two-inch hole, the GM will wrist-slap you accordingly. To change your character most follow a transition relevant to the story. 13. If your actions lead to consequences involving penalties you must role-play accordingly. For example, do not expect to run around if you have just recently severed your leg. 14. The micromanagement and statistics will not be shown unless deemed necessary by the GM. It is recommend to make such meta-game commentary as subtle and unobtrusive as possible. All such factors will be expressed qualitatively while in the narrative not quantitatively. Posts and Turns:1.Turn: A non-combat turn will be measured by every post done by the GM (which will be specifically marked.) Each action is a post unless redefined by the GM. However be considerate and do not cut anyone out. TIme and/or continuity will progress accordingly. 1a. A combat turn is a single post action or (depending on the character’s stats) maybe be two or more actions, which based on a character’s position in combat, speed and/or method of attack; i.e. a marksman with rifle or someone in close range will go before a person with a clubbing weapon who is at distance; characters with greater speed, dexterity, and less encumbrance will get an action earlier than slower characters carrying more equipment. 2. If your character talks aloud you will be heard. If your character talks too much during a dangerous event you can alert an enemy and be hurt. When using your actions be aware of your environment, make sure to check your environment from time to time. The GM will inform you accordingly. 3. The GM will determine the success or failure of an action through the methods described within his own set of rules. For example if it is roll-based, rolls will decide the success of an action. If you see the GM not keeping his own rules, petition him first and if nothing changes an admin accordingly. All questions, comments, and suggestions concerning the rules should be posted here. __________________________________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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