In reply to Game Master (msg # 1):
General rules of conduct apply, here. This is where the "Social Contract" things come in. If you don't like the sound of "Social Contract", then this game ain't for you, Hoss.
1) Heavily paraphrased from
Tasha's Cauldron of Everything...
The Gamesmaster (SCARY WIZARD!) is going to respect you by running a fun, fair game. Everyone's gonna get a moment in the spotlight. When you're talking, the Gamesmaster is listening. As an aside, the Gamemaster will listen if you have any sorts of triggers -- you can contact the Gamesmaster in a Private Message, if something is that important to you. Being scared can be fun, but being scared or upset by something that's traumatic to you is no good.
You'll respect the Gamesmaster by allowing the Gamesmaster to direct things, arbitrate rules, and settle arguments. When the Gamesmaster is talking, you're listening. The Gamesmaster might not settle things how you want them settled, but they will be settled nonetheless.
We'll all respect, support, and listen to one another. The Gamesmaster wants to see Tom, Dick, Jack, Jill, and Jane and the Gamesmaster working together as a team, even if they all hate each other. The Gamesmaster doesn't want to see people scoffing at a misunderstanding of the rules, or telling someone that their character is poorly made. Save that for your own private discussions with your friends.
Worldly chat, goes to any worldly chat sections of this website. You wanna talk about something other than contemporary politics in the Out of Character threads, go right ahead, but if bantering about
Maciste films or why Tuxedo cats are Always Lawful Good turns into something that could stir the pot, take it outside.
2) Three to five posts a week is reasonable, I feel... more if we're in the middle of a complex situation like a challenging thing or a combat. Once daily is unrealistic for me.
Boy, oh, boy, though, do I know all too well that Real Life can creep up and bite you in the backside! That said, if you're feeling all jumbled up, lemme know.
If you're going to be gone for an extended period of time or real life hits you, let me know! I'll understand. Heavens know, that's happened to me!
-If you're gone for a week in the middle of something complex, then I'll NPC you until you come back.
-If you're gone for a month, then as soon as your character ends up somewhere fairly safe, I'll drop them off there. If you come back, cool. If not, well, sad to see you go! I'm not gonna kill your character if I can help it, that's juvenile.
If you do come back after this, I'll see what I can do about getting you back into the game! And, welcome back.
3) Posts don't need to be ultra-elaborate, but if you want, that's cool. I used to haaate it when people'd post more words than are in
Anna Karenina to say that their elf dude laughed at the orc's jokes, but if that's how you roll, that's how you roll. Just the same, if you literally only say "Gildor the Elf laughs at Shagrat the Orc's funny joke.",
then that's how you roll, Hoss, and that's cool as hell. I'm not going to put someone rolling a social check on the spot by having them state exactly what they say, either. You wanna wax detailed, go right ahead; you wanna very broadly describe Shagrat the orc's plea to the heartless artificer as to why he needs his cat familiar's toy mouse fixed... that's acceptable, as well.
Pick a color for your character to speak in! That can also be for your Out of Character sections of posts, too.
-Now, a lot of Game Masters reserve
orange text for Out of Character sections of posts (where they share rolls/actions/et cetera). I happen to like orange a whole lot, like that musician called GAYLE, and don't wanna take that away from players as a text color for their characters!
Below, is an example of a post... For context, this mage is being taught a mighty spell during downtime,
by her familiar! Since she only somewhat understands Housecat, she has to make a Mage check (1d6+Mage+Thaumaturgy), and is assigned a Difficulty Level of 9 (Challenging) by her Game Master.
Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Aldara sat herself in her chair and readied her book and quill.
"Highborn, I'm ready. Teach me the spell!"
True to his word, Highborn, formerly an alley cat and now the familiar of an acclaimed mage, spoke to Aldara in a series of meows, chirps, purrs, grunts, and hisses, all emphasized with the odd gesture. This, that he might teach her how to spray acidic goo out of her mouth and at her foes. As cat dictated, mage wrote...
17:02, Today: Game Master, for the NPC Aldara the Enchantress, rolled 11 using 1d6+8, rerolling max with rolls of 3. Mage - Learning Acid Spray from Highborne.
After a little while, the ink Aldara used to inscribe her spell glows with a pale violet light. The inscription was a success! Both caster and cat give each other a knowing nod. Highborn stands up on his hind legs, holds out a forepaw, and is given a gentle high-five by Aldara.
"But do I have to cast this spell out of my mouth?" Aldara asked the majestic orange cat. In response, he only chirped.
I suggest rolling
before you declare your action, so you know what happens and can "go from there".
Just the same, this is also acceptable in my book!
Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Aldara wrote down the acid spray spell her familiar taught her.
17:02, Today: Game Master, for the NPC Aldara the Enchantress, rolled 11 using 1d6+8, rerolling max with rolls of 3. Mage - Learning Acid Spray from Highborne.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:03, Thu 25 Aug 2022.
