PDF updates here: Hawkes Tabletop RPG Code of Conduct Draft 20130224a

Hawkes-Tabletop-RPG-Code-of-Conduct-Draft-20141005b.pdf

Worlds of Beru Code of Conduct for The Spartan Show 20150126a

Below is Revision: 20130224a

Participants join together to share the unique and enjoyable experience of role-playing. In order to maintain a fair and fun game environment all players are expected to honor the Code of Conduct. Please read the Code of Conduct carefully, paying close attention to each point.

Be Respectful

The Game Master will treat you with respect by default, and it is expected that other players will treat you with respect as well, so you have no reason to mistreat them. Disrespect in any fashion is grounds for disciplinary action.

Arguing

Take it to GM. Intelligent debate is welcome, but when your emotions take control of your actions, you are in violation of this rule. Please do not kill the “suspension of disbelief” and the flow of the game by bogging it down with frequent arguing. If you can address it briefly for a ruling by the GM, that is fine. Otherwise please ask to speak with the GM in private, or pass a note asking to discuss the topic during a break or the end of the session so that the GM may hear you out in full. Please always keep it civil and considerate of others.

Respect All Other Players and Their Right to Have Fun.

Tabletop role-playing is a collaborative effort. It only really works if everyone is working together, not just in the game, but outside of it as well. Contribute to everyone's fun and not just your own. So let's put aside our pride, vanities, personal fantasies, tell a good story together, and have a good time doing it!

As part of being contributory, one must keep things like the following in mind: if your character is starting to cause resentment in the other players, it might be time to either make a new character or find an in-game way to alter the character in some way. We want to make sure everyone is having fun.

Please remember that the session's fun is not all on the GM, it's on you too! Even a bad GM can still end up running a fun session if the players are working with them rather than simply expecting perfection. Show respect toward all property and possessions. Damage or theft of a Player’s or GM's property is not tolerated.

Out-of-Character physical abuse, discrimination, or verbal abuse is not tolerated. Everyone is to maintain common sensitivity. Out of consideration to others, public intimacy is discouraged. Descriptions of sexual acts in (or out) of the game is not allowed. If someone says “No” or “Leave me alone” and you don’t listen, that is harassment. Hate speech is any speech, gesture or conduct, writing, or display which may incite violence or prejudicial action against or by a protected individual or group, or because it disparages or intimidates a protected individual or group. Out-of-character racist, bigoted, or excessively vulgar or distasteful language is strongly discouraged. Do not harass, bully, threaten, harm or cause discomfort for other persons. considers harassment to be a pattern of unwanted contact, attention, or behavior. For example:

• Use hate speech or racial, ethnic, sexist, homophobic or religious slurs

• Harass a specific person (repeated flaming or personal attacks)

• Troll or bait the participants in general with inflammatory statements, such as ones designed to elicit a negative response from the participants.

• Violence, threats of violence, or any other action or gesture that compromises the safety of participants.

• Harassment or hate speech of any kind.

Excessive in-character racist, bigoted, or excessively vulgar or distasteful language is discouraged, but may in moderate amounts be allowed if appropriate to the character and circumstances of the campaign, for example racial comments about orcs, or orcs vulgar threats to the Free People of Middle-earth might be allowed if appropriate to the circumstances and the predefined characters.

No pornography or otherwise rated "X" material is to be displayed. Do not use, post, distribute or link to obscene, pornographic, sexually explicit, graphically or gratuitously violent, derogatory, demeaning, malicious, defamatory, abusive, offensive, hateful or discriminatory language or content. This includes "masking" language by using alternative characters/spelling /spacing to get around profanity filters or claims of profanity filter “testing."

Players are prohibited from making final rules calls or chastising others for improper role-playing. Players should instead politely call the rule or player actions into question and let the GM sort the problem out.

If a rule or player’s behavior is called into question, said rule is to be reviewed by the Game Master to determine its legality. Respect the authority of the Game Master.

Hygiene, Allergies, Dress Code, Alcohol, Drugs, & Smoking

Please be considerate of all the other participants. Some participants have strong reactions from allergies, asthma, and other sensitivities to strong chemicals, perfumes, or excessive body odor. Please avoid excessively poor grooming, noticeable body odor, or excessive perfumes out of consideration to everyone else. Severe body odor isn’t just unpleasant — it can irritate medical conditions like allergies, asthma and migraines, and is highly disruptive to the enjoyment of the game for everyone else. No participant shall have an odor generally offensive to others when attending a session. An offensive body odor may result from a lack of good hygiene, from an excessive application of a fragrant after-shave or cologne or from other causes.

No alcohol or illegal drugs are to be brought or used at gaming sessions. Smoking must comply with Washington state laws (25' distance away from entrances and windows), Since some participants are known to have allergies and asthma, if you do need to smoke, please refrain from smoking until after the game session is over. No smoking is allowed at the gaming table.

Props are allowed, but no brandishing of naked steel is allowed. Please consult with the GM before bringing any prop-type weapons to the gaming session.

Though you may wear costumes and props, when not at a convention setting, this group is not expected to dress in any costumes at all. All attire must be appropriately modest and considerate of others. Determination of “appropriately modest” is to be decided by the GM.

Be Respectful of the GM

You are free to do whatever you want (that is not evil, of course) so long as you're taking the GM's scenario seriously and following the GM's lead, at the very least in spirit. The GM works very hard to design a scenario to be exciting and so all that is asked is that you not make any sort of attempt to break that work.

Tabletop role-playing is about working together: the GM provides you with a scenario and runs it for you, in return please give the GM what is your reasonable service: your sincere cooperation.

The Game Master may arbitrate debate about the game rules or other such. The GM takes the approach of “beneficent dictator”, he will hear the concerns of those that wish to speak about an issue, but in the end all rulings by the GM are final.

The final word on game rules and house rulings are left up to the Game Master.

Story First, Rules Second

Rules are tools. Use them, but don’t let them trap you. If the GM chooses to make the odd change here or there to encourage the flow of the story, do not let the flow of the game be ruined by frequent rules debate. If you have a concern then, please write a note about your concerns and pass it to the GM, then the GM can opt to adjust then, or decide to discuss the topic at the end of the game session to make an official decision for future sessions.

The Consequences of Violating a Rule(s)

This is only an example progression, and does not represent all cases. Additional punishments

may be given, and the severity of any individual case may escalate the punishment. The

punishment is usually at the Game Master’s discretion.

1^st Level Offense: A verbal (or passed note) warning.

2^nd Level Offense: Verbal reprimand (GM will try to speak with the player discretely away from the group if possible), and potentially a loss of turns or control of character for a given time

period.

3^rd level Offense: kicked out of the day’s session up to being banned from a number of sessions.

4^th Level Offense: Banned from future participation in this group.

Player Character Campaign Guidelines

Since this is a Tolkien-based HEROIC campaign, The character must be good at heart. It is okay for player characters to be flawed, have eccentricities, and struggle with difficult moral decisions and actions, but in the long run they must be well-intentioned towards the greater good of The Free People. Boromir is an example of an heroic character that gave into temptation and a moment of evil action, and paid for it in the ways of the Song of Arda. If your character commits too many evil acts, the PC will increasingly acquire “shadow” points. To many points, as determined by the GM, will lead to the PC increasingly losing self-will. At the GM's discrestion, if the PC performs too many evil or questionable acts, the player will no longer be allowed to control the PC, and relinquishes control of the PC to the GM.

The player character must work as much as possible as part of the group. The player must be able to actually role-play the character. The character must fit the campaign style.

Attendance

All players are expected to attend every scheduled session. It is important for the flow of the campaign that everyone does their best to be consistent in their attendance. If a you believe you will be unable to attend an upcoming session, you must inform the Game Master with as much advance notice as possible, prior to the next game session.

An absent player’s character is to be controlled by the Game Master unless the Game Master allows another player to control the player’s character given said player’s permission.

This is why it is the policy of the GM to retain all character sheets between sessions.

GM Contact information:

Hawke Robinson

(509) 481-5437 (SMS text is okay)

hawke@rpgresearch.com

http://www.spokanerpg.com