Important Info to Remember.

Ok guys, just wanted to go over a couple of things.

As I stated before, we aren't planning on having any "House Rules". That being stated, it will be important to note that we do have very specific interpretations of some hot-button rules. I want to preface the following with one simple idea: when rules questions or debates pop up (as everyone who's ever played this game KNOWS will happen), we will try to adjudicate these situations as logically and as fairly as possible. We are not in the business of screwing anyone over, nor do we wish to play favorites with any player. We can all hang out on our own time and slap each others backs for how individually awesome we are. When we are running this game though, we are here to tell a story with all of you as the central focus. If it seems silly and illogical to you, we will listen to your issue and try to accommodate your needs. Anyways, let's get down to brass tacks.

1. In many games, the staff will require a storyteller or narrator to be present during combat. We don't personally agree with this concept. We feel that combat should be a last resort when role-playing has failed, and the parties involved should be adult enough to adjudicate the scenario amongst themselves. To that end, as long as the parties involved are satisfied with the outcome, we don't care how you choose to do it. Now, if an issue arises where someone thinks they've been taken advantage of, or perhaps cheated by their fellow player, this issue needs to be addressed immediately. Often times, people will wait hours or days, stewing about their perceived injustice, harboring anger or ill will, perhaps leaving a game because it goes unaddressed. If something like this occurs, remain calm and immediately find a Storyteller. We will hear both sides of the issue and come to a mutually acceptable decision about the scene. If we find that the rules were followed in the scenario in a way both players agreed upon, we will follow the rules of Mind’s Eye Theatre first. It’s very sad when characters die or players lose something they were trying very hard to gain, but it does happen. Try to remain mature about these things.

2. Consistency. We will make ardent strides to remain consistent with our rules and scenes. In many other games, consistency has been a major issue among staff, in regards to how rules are handled. Often times, players will find this to be bothersome and generally distracting from game-play. Our goal is to provide an immersive and challenging environment for players to enjoy, not arguing arbitrary rules and systems. There is nothing more distracting than seeing 6 people off to the side engaging in a debate with storytellers about the difference between two random disciplines. There are acceptable times and places for these debates, but the middle of in-game role-playing is not one of them. We, as storytellers, are going to adjust the rules, at times, to better fit the scenario. If the storyteller makes a call, another storyteller will NOT overturn that. Aside from extenuating circumstances, we will try to remain as close to the agreed-upon rules as possible.

3. Combat. I won’t overly dwell on this particular issue, but I will state, we will be using Dark Epics for our combat system. We do not want to spend a great deal of time involved in the same drawn out, boring, epic combat scenes that most but a few find utterly boring. We may, at times, request that the parties involved try a more cinematic approach, or try to advance the combat at a more rapid pace to forward the scene. If an agreement can be met, we will use this method. If not, we will use a more conservative approach. Some Disciplines allow for additional retests in combat. These retests can be canceled. Only retests from the same category allow for canceling retests. For example: One person with Might can cancel another person’s Might. In addition, that same person with the dodge ability could cancel someone’s dodge ability. He could not use his Might to cancel his opponent’s brawl ability. The only exception is Willpower. Willpower can never be canceled. Order of combat is very simple: At the beginning of the round, the person with the highest trait score in any category (Mental, Social or Physical) declares first. The declarations descend from highest to lowest trait score, keeping in mind that each player can only be targeted by one Mental, Physical or Social challenge per round (Barring Celerity actions. This differs from Dark Epics because, well, it’s Celerity and that particular inclusion seems illogical). Up to 5 combatants can take part in a physical action against one player, and the intended victim must declare a trait in defense of each individual attacker. Celerity rounds, for a mob combat scene, will be considered “separate rounds” for this scenario, and treated the same as the base round for the intent of declaration and defense. It is important to note that DEFENDING IS NOT AN ACTION. All players may defend against an attack and declare an action in the same turn. Thus, you may dodge or “soak” an attack, since your goal is not to be hit or damaged, as well as declare an action as well. With that said, in a non mob combat scene, it is totally appropriate for two characters to agree upon speeding up combat by taking their respective actions at the same time. Instead of the age old “You go, then I go” mentality, the players could both declare their desired outcome and then make the challenge. The winner of the test is the victor, and is the one that does damage or what have you. For example: Falco’s character wants to punch Chris Knuth’s character in the face. Chris, feeling he’s superior in skill opts to also punch Falco’s character. To save time, they’ve agreed to act in unison. Falco bids that he’s brutal enough to punch Chris and Chris declares that he’s Potent enough to smash Falco. They go through the standard tests, and Falco pulls out the victory in the end. Chris’s character would take the damage, while Falco’s character remains unscathed by the flying fist.

4. I almost forgot. In-game vs. Out-of-game. Many people come to game to socialize and talk about all the stuff they did during the week and play catch up with friends. While this is acceptable in most games, or at least mildly frowned upon, we would prefer the OOC chats to take place before 7 or after 11. If you drop character, or have OOC conversations during game, it's very distracting. It ruins people's suspension of disbelief and destroys ambiance. We believe people should be prepared to play their character, dressed in a costume of their choice and indulge in the fantasy we've agreed to create when they arrive to the site. It is your responsibility to stay in-character. As such, if you become disruptive, we may take you aside and inform you that you're being a disruption to the game. Beyond that, we are willing to take more extreme measures if a particular character continues to be disruptive. We understand that some level of OOC conversation is bound to occur, especially in side -scenes or during combat. That is totally acceptable. What is unacceptable is sitting on a side wall, waxing about how stupid your customers are at work. Please reserve those conversations for before 7:00 PM or after 11:00 PM. The storytellers will be happy to listen and even join in.

In the end, we intend to try to keep things as simple as possible. Our goal is to focus on role-playing and not all the negative aspects that games of the past have suffered from. We are more than willing to hear out any opposing viewpoints or constructive criticism. In the end, we don’t care what you as the player decide you want to do; we just want it to make sense. Sometimes, murdering that neonate for accidentally scuffing your shoes, or even calling you a crusty bastard, simply doesn’t make any sense. Think things through, come to an agreement with your fellow gamer, be mature and have fun.