Storyteller Policy for Discussion
Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 12:13 am
Please read the below proposed Storyteller Policy and let me know what you think, what changes you'd suggest, and what information was left out.
Remember: Storytellers will be pretty powerful when running a story, right down to having access to a lot of staff commands, so we need to think - what was our worst DM like? What fears do we need to counter? Other than that, general comments would be great!
Thank you for your feedback!
POLICY
General
- Public areas belong to players on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Thus, a Storyteller may not move their story into the RP scene of
other players without their permission. Players who are playing
and come upon a story they do not wish to join are required to
leave if an agreement cannot be reached about the use of a
location.
- Players are encouraged to work consensually with their fellow
players for a good story. Poor behavior, rudeness, acting out,
etc, are reasons for a ST to remove or discipline a player.
@
Players
- Players playing a story agree to acknowledge the ST's RIGHT to
control all aspects of the story during the course of the story.
Complaints may be brought to policy for review, but the ST is
to be obeyed. Players who find the ST is being unreasonable agree
to simply leave the story and scene with no further complaint.
- Players engaging in a story who discover information about another
character that they would, in normal course of play, use to harm
that character, must:
1) Explicitly warn the player sharing the information in
question that revealing the information is dangerous to
either themselves or someone else; and
2) Allow the revealing player to choose if they wish to reverse
sharing that information ICly during the story. If the player
chooses to reverse the release of information, that the info
is now deemed to be OOC, and instantly nulled. Thus must
be immediately handled, and the decision may not be
reversed later.
3) Alert the Storyteller that this has happened.
- All Players playing in a Story session must still take desc notes
and follow other usual policies.
- Players must not collude with their storyteller to harm another
player or gain in-game advantage based upon the story. In specific
instances where a story does provide a player with a specific
advantage, it must be fairly available, or the staff must approve
the matter.
Storytellers
- STs are to use their approved stories as the basis for their events,
and may not run significantly different stories. They also may not
use a single approved story to continue to access the storyteller
system when they are no longer an acting storyteller.
- STs have total control of scenes they own with the following
restrictions:
> All PC death, maiming or permanent loss within the story must
be consensual with the PC in question. A character cannot be killed, maimed,
or otherwise permanently harmed without their explicit
consent. Additionally, where reasonable, a storyteller will
conscientiously attempt to prevent their story from causing the
same to others outside the bounds of their story.
> PCs refused entrance to a ST scene are entitled to know why.
STs must supply an explanation on rejection.
> PCs may leave a scene at any time if they are not enjoying
themselves, dislike the ST's style, have a conflict with
someone else in the story, or any other reason that comes to
mind.
> STs must not seek retribution against PCs that they have a
conflict with.
> Storytellers may not give out long term rewards such as
equipment or stat bonuses directly. These things must be
pre-approved by staff as a reward for their quest/story, and
their dispersal must not be knowingly biased. These items
should be requested in the "Notes" section of Story Preparation.
> STs may not implicate other PCs or organizations without the
approval of those PCs and said organizations (place approvals
in the POLCA.) GLs may provide approval on behalf of their
guilds, PCs must approve their own personae being used.
- Impact to the game structure outside of the scene is to be as
minimized as possible, meaning no improvement to stats, handing
out superb equipment, and venturing into unapproved RP plots.
Story events *are* allowed to be treated as canon, but may not
change the contents of any help files without staff approval.
- STs may not give special benefit to their own characters through the
scenes they storytell. Please use STing as an opportunity to facilitate
others having fun rather than self-agranding. Eg, using ST to further
individual PC goals is a conflict of interest and prohibited (eg, an
ST with a plot to overthrow the Queen on their alt must not run a scene
about a mob revolting in Church Square against the Crown).
- STs must outline all objects and mobs they want/need loaded for the
quest, as well as any special favors from staff such as giving a
player a permament stat increase if they defeat a boss, etc.
- STs may not use stories to circumvent the approvals or authority of
players or institutions. For example, a ST shouldn't be created to
help someone elope when the Order has refused the marriage, help
someone join a guild when they've failed at seeking, etc. However,
stories CAN be used, when proper approvals have been given, to
run events related to these.
- STs must alert the staff to any issues that may affect people or
situations outside the story. This includes instances where
may have nulled information sharing.
Remember: Storytellers will be pretty powerful when running a story, right down to having access to a lot of staff commands, so we need to think - what was our worst DM like? What fears do we need to counter? Other than that, general comments would be great!
Thank you for your feedback!
POLICY
General
- Public areas belong to players on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Thus, a Storyteller may not move their story into the RP scene of
other players without their permission. Players who are playing
and come upon a story they do not wish to join are required to
leave if an agreement cannot be reached about the use of a
location.
- Players are encouraged to work consensually with their fellow
players for a good story. Poor behavior, rudeness, acting out,
etc, are reasons for a ST to remove or discipline a player.
@
Players
- Players playing a story agree to acknowledge the ST's RIGHT to
control all aspects of the story during the course of the story.
Complaints may be brought to policy for review, but the ST is
to be obeyed. Players who find the ST is being unreasonable agree
to simply leave the story and scene with no further complaint.
- Players engaging in a story who discover information about another
character that they would, in normal course of play, use to harm
that character, must:
1) Explicitly warn the player sharing the information in
question that revealing the information is dangerous to
either themselves or someone else; and
2) Allow the revealing player to choose if they wish to reverse
sharing that information ICly during the story. If the player
chooses to reverse the release of information, that the info
is now deemed to be OOC, and instantly nulled. Thus must
be immediately handled, and the decision may not be
reversed later.
3) Alert the Storyteller that this has happened.
- All Players playing in a Story session must still take desc notes
and follow other usual policies.
- Players must not collude with their storyteller to harm another
player or gain in-game advantage based upon the story. In specific
instances where a story does provide a player with a specific
advantage, it must be fairly available, or the staff must approve
the matter.
Storytellers
- STs are to use their approved stories as the basis for their events,
and may not run significantly different stories. They also may not
use a single approved story to continue to access the storyteller
system when they are no longer an acting storyteller.
- STs have total control of scenes they own with the following
restrictions:
> All PC death, maiming or permanent loss within the story must
be consensual with the PC in question. A character cannot be killed, maimed,
or otherwise permanently harmed without their explicit
consent. Additionally, where reasonable, a storyteller will
conscientiously attempt to prevent their story from causing the
same to others outside the bounds of their story.
> PCs refused entrance to a ST scene are entitled to know why.
STs must supply an explanation on rejection.
> PCs may leave a scene at any time if they are not enjoying
themselves, dislike the ST's style, have a conflict with
someone else in the story, or any other reason that comes to
mind.
> STs must not seek retribution against PCs that they have a
conflict with.
> Storytellers may not give out long term rewards such as
equipment or stat bonuses directly. These things must be
pre-approved by staff as a reward for their quest/story, and
their dispersal must not be knowingly biased. These items
should be requested in the "Notes" section of Story Preparation.
> STs may not implicate other PCs or organizations without the
approval of those PCs and said organizations (place approvals
in the POLCA.) GLs may provide approval on behalf of their
guilds, PCs must approve their own personae being used.
- Impact to the game structure outside of the scene is to be as
minimized as possible, meaning no improvement to stats, handing
out superb equipment, and venturing into unapproved RP plots.
Story events *are* allowed to be treated as canon, but may not
change the contents of any help files without staff approval.
- STs may not give special benefit to their own characters through the
scenes they storytell. Please use STing as an opportunity to facilitate
others having fun rather than self-agranding. Eg, using ST to further
individual PC goals is a conflict of interest and prohibited (eg, an
ST with a plot to overthrow the Queen on their alt must not run a scene
about a mob revolting in Church Square against the Crown).
- STs must outline all objects and mobs they want/need loaded for the
quest, as well as any special favors from staff such as giving a
player a permament stat increase if they defeat a boss, etc.
- STs may not use stories to circumvent the approvals or authority of
players or institutions. For example, a ST shouldn't be created to
help someone elope when the Order has refused the marriage, help
someone join a guild when they've failed at seeking, etc. However,
stories CAN be used, when proper approvals have been given, to
run events related to these.
- STs must alert the staff to any issues that may affect people or
situations outside the story. This includes instances where
may have nulled information sharing.