PLAYER CODE OF CONDUCT

1. Be Respectful: Differences in opinion, viewpoint, tone, and ideas of appropriateness will happen. A lot of subtext is lost in online text only communication. Please respect each others opinions and when in doubt, PM me and/or the other player privately to work out any disagreements.
   
   
2. Be Honest: I plan to keep the focus on the narrative as opposed to rules and minutiae. I want to tell a good story, and I don't want to worry about whether you are following the rules or cheating or metagaming. It will be your responsibility to keep track of your stats and dice rolls accurately. Don't ruin the fun for everyone else.
   Also NO METAGAMING or moving another character without permission. If you feel like there could be a really cool dramatic moment between your characters that you’d need their specific reaction, PM them/me first and arrange it before posting IC.
   
   
3. My Decisions are Final: As I've said, rulings and technicalities will not be terribly important to me, and I will probably allow you guys plenty of flexibility to be cool and rule in your favor. However, I don't plan to argue with you. If I've made a ruling and you don't like it, and you are belligerent about it or just ignore my decision, you will be removed immediately.
   
   
4. When in Doubt, Talk it Out: Please be as expressive as you need to be in this game. Don't worry about double posting OOC or asking me as many questions as you need or having me help you mediate any situation with another player. I want the game to survive PbP attrition and the more interactive you are and less you retreat into silence, the more likely that is to happen.
   
   
5. Keep up with the Game: It's your responsibility both to post IC at least 2 times a week and to follow along with what's happening in the game. If you ever need clarification or something else is stopping you from posting, ask about it, and I'll work to resolve it with you.
   Ideally I'd like to game to move at 3-4x posts/week from everyone, but there will be wiggle room so the limit is 2x/week. I'm pretty busy myself.
   Due to the nature of combat in PbP, when combat starts, you MUST post once a (week)day or I will keep moving without you. Most of the time, your character will just not do anything, but if the need calls for it, I will NPC your character to avoid danger, etc.
   If you ever plan to not post for a week or more, make sure to post in the Leave of Absence thread and state whether you'd like your character NPC'd or just to fade to the background for a bit.
   Never let this game make you feel stressed out. Feel free to take a step back whenever you like; just let me know first.
   If there is no communication from you for longer than 2 weeks, I will take steps to keep the game going without you.
   
   
6. X Card, Lines, and VeilsThis is a General Rated game, so I originally deleted the Lines and Veils House Rule, but after consideration, I want to put it back up and talk to you all about it. If you ever feel uncomfortable with certain events or actions or ways the narrative or other players is/are involving your character, you can post a capital X in the thread and everyone needs to stop posting in that thread until we work things out. Similarly, if you have any Lines or Veils you'd like to mention to me in PM, please do so. We will definitely not be including anything graphic in this game, but if there are other subjects that are just sensitive to you, we can still stay away from it.
   
   
7. Follow the Posting Guidelines: The guidelines will be in the next post. Basically keep things looking neat and clean and easy to read. I'm basically following the same posting rules as every other RPol game but MAKE SURE BELOW if you have any doubt.

This message was last edited by the GM at 20:11, Sun 06 Feb 2022.

When making an IC Scene Post, there is no minimum paragraph count but try to write well and enough to be narratively cohesive. Compose the message in the following format:

---

Use a past tense, third person limited viewpoint.

Speech should be colored, bolded, and properly punctuated with quotation marks. The color is not a substitute for the grammar. Choose a color that will be unique to your character when you post.

Thoughts should be colored and italicized, no need for quotes.

Orange will be used for OOC game info.
My NPC speech will always just be Black and Bold.
Olivia Winter Rose has chosen Aqua
Apple Fynn has chosen Purple
Phena Cenn has chosen Periwinkle
All other colors are available.

Use [Language <group name>: <text>] when speaking in a non Common language.

Label your actions clearly as Action 1:, Action 2: or Action 1-2:

If you prepare or have reactions ready, list them out and their respective triggers so I can plan accordingly. I will probably roll for you for things like attack of opportunity, etc.

When you roll, declare what you’re rolling for in an OOC line first (attack, skill check). Dice Rolls must be placed in a SPOILER or it does not count and I will roll for you. I will roll secret dice rolls. If you choose to roll them, the result will be ignored. You’ve been warned.
Always roll attack and damage rolls. I will not be posting enemy ACs unless you’ve figured out the info through Lore checks, but it’s always nice to be hopeful.


This message was last edited by the GM at 19:04, Sun 06 Feb 2022.

• Momentum Bonuses and Momentum Damage
  This is PbP, and long combats kill games, so I am implementing rules stolen from some other rpg to speed things up.
  
  After the first round of a combat is over, all players will receive a +1 bonus to all offensive attack rolls and to spell DCs in the second round. After the second round, this increases to a +2. After third round, a +3, etc, for a maximum of +6. This is a Momentum Bonus.
  This bonus will offset multiple attack penalties and the like in the hopes that as combat goes on, you will be able to offset bad luck and finish the fight quickly, choosing bolder and riskier actions than you may have before.
  
  However, your enemies will also get more dangerous as time goes on as well. They will get an equal damage bonus to all their attacks against you as the rounds pass as well. This is their Momentum Damage. Momentum Damage is not ever doubled or halved, it is added onto the total damage after all other variables are calculated.
  
  After 7 rounds, I will forcefully resolve the combat depending on whether you were winning or losing. Maybe the enemies surrender, run away, or you dispatch them with ease. Or you are disarmed, knocked unconscious, or are routed.
  During boss battles, this may be extended to 10 rounds, but never more than that.
  I expect most battles to be done in 3-5 rounds.
  
  
• PbP Initiative and Movement
  Combat’s already tricky without worrying about posting order, so everyone can post at any time. However, everyone will still have an initiative score rolled and assigned to their character at the start of combat. Whenever there is a conflict between allies or enemies in terms of order, the characters will compare their initiatives for precedence. The rest of the actions will be compiled by me to fit your intentions best.
  
  Therefore, especially when declaring a movement, try to illustrate your intentions as clearly as possible. Instead of saying I move 30ft towards the goblin, you say I move behind the goblin so I flank it with Jim. Or instead of I move 15 ft to the north, I move to take cover behind the massive oak tree.
  
  
• Rewards
  In order to give everyone a sense of their progression, the party's XP will be tracked in a Treasure and Rewards thread. XP will primarily be rewarded based on a completed task or quest. For example, a quest giver is asking the party to find a lost treasure in a cave full of goblins. The XP will be rewarded when the party reports back to the quest giver with the treasure or reports their failure or resolves the situation in some way. XP will not be rewarded after combat, and the amount of combats will not factor into the XP at all. IF you sneak or talk your way past the goblins, the XP will remain the same. The amount of XP is the same for the whole party; when the group reaches 1000, everyone levels up.
  Hero Points will be awarded during play. Everyone starts off with 1 point, and I will award extra points when I spot excellent roleplaying or cool gaming moments. When everyone levels up, they will also receive 1 point.
  Any monetary treasure will be listed in the Treasure and Rewards thread, along with how you decide to distribute them.

This message was last edited by the GM at 17:22, Tue 18 Jan 2022.