General Rules
-Do you remember high school? Did you like doing homework and sweating over word counts and designs for your projects? No? Neither did I, so I don't require either. What I
do require, is effort, and enough information to make a reply, be it a few sentences or a few paragraphs. I also give no fucks if you want to add some flair to your posts, so long as the actual RP part is easy to find and read.
-If you would like to join, either post here in OOC, or in the Discord chat (
discord.gg/SMaaC6p). The chat is a private sub-chat to that one, so ask for the Disney game, and you will be redirected there. We're all pretty active, which is good because it helps to prevent breaking the next rule:
-Don't godmod. Godmodding is primarily defined as controlling another player’s character or severely altering the story without permission. It is also defined as never letting anything bad happen to your character. This is my ultimate berserk button, and I will only be nice once if I catch it in-game. That said, I understand there are times where players get comfortable with each other and have trust/camaraderie where they let small shit slide and will keep that in mind. I will therefore attempt to be clear in my examples, and would also like to state I will not be like, scanning every word in a post looking for a godmod (ain’t nobody got time for that). It probably won’t even get my attention unless it’s egregious. I just want to be sure everyone’s on the same page based on past experiences.
- Phrases like “[Character that isn’t yours] saw/felt/did/etc. [XYZ thing]” are completely unacceptable. So, if Belle’s player posted something like, “As Belle came down the steps, the Beast saw her in her ballgown, and was all aglow with her regal beauty as he bowed to her,” it’s a godmod simply because Beast isn’t her character, even though that’s an accurate assumption of how he would react. Belle does NOT get to decide how the Beast reacts to her, physically, mentally, or emotionally.
- There are two exceptions to this rule:
- I, as the GM, may need to take temporary control due to plot reasons, and in a way a PM may not suffice. I will use this power responsibly and as minimally as possible to guide a character if/when needed.
- Player A has given Player B permission to control their character for any reason.
- A reasonable assumption is not a godmod. A reasonable assumption utilizes all of the following:
- Something that is in-character for your character to do
- Does not harm the other player’s character
- Allows the other player a choice/opportunity to react
- Examples:
- Godmod: “Hercules punched Hades, and Hades fell into the River Styx.” While this is fine in the movie, in an RP, this harms another character and doesn’t give the other player a choice. It is therefore a godmod, and will be called out.
- Reasonable Assumption: “Hercules threw a punch at Hades with the intent of knocking him into the Styx,” or simply, “Hercules threw a punch at Hades.” This lets Herc get his shot in, but it also allows Hades an opportunity to either take the hit or dodge. It’s more than likely Hades will take the fall solely based on his position combined with Herc’s strength (hence being a reasonable assumption), but Hades can still try to dodge, or at least get a one-liner in before taking the fall.
- “Cheat" words are fine, and even encouraged. Things like, “attempted to,” “tried,” “hoped that,” etc. are all easy ways around a godmod that get your move in, but also allow the other player a choice to accept or deny.
- Using OOC text/chat to ask another player to do something that affects their character is also fine and greatly encouraged, along with the Discord chat. Just let the GM know if another player may have temporary control of your character.
- Rule of thumb: if it was discussed beforehand, it's not a godmod, even if it looks like a godmod in-game (i.e., if Player A mentions in a chat, "Hey, I wanna do this, we cool?", Player B goes, "LMAO, do it!" and Player A's post is, "My character did XYZ to Player B's character," it's not a godmod because it's permission from Player B to take temporary control).
- Going into player camaraderie, small, insignificant actions that don’t affect the story or characters drastically aren’t going to ping my radar. So, if Pocahontas playfully takes John Smith’s compass, whatever. If Aladdin and Jasmine’s players have developed enough in-game characterization that one occasionally makes a small choice for the other, like Jasmine speaking for the both of them for something Aladdin more than likely would have agreed with anyway (like what to have for dinner), fine. If, however, the compass was made to be of significant plot importance, and there's no clear indication that John Smith will get it back in a timely manner, or if Jasmine decides to barge into a fight and drag Aladdin along with her, you may be treading a fine, dangerous line if the actions were not discussed with the other player first. Just use common sense.
- Going into the second definition of a godmod, conflict is going to arise. Characters ARE going to get hurt, physically, mentally, and/or emotionally. No one is immune. I am going to trust the players for the most part that they will allow logical consequences to befall their characters and determine how conflicts go, but if I see someone handling their character with kid gloves, not letting them get hurt at all, getting all the wins, and essentially being perfect, untouchable beings, we will have a talk. If it continues, I will boot you.
Long story short, godmodding is easy to avoid. Don’t do it, or I’ll godmod your ass right out of my game.
-Respect your fellow players. While I would hope everyone likes each other and gets along outside of the game, I acknowledge that's not always the case. You don't have to like other people, but I expect common courtesy and civility in and out of game. Players who become hostile in-game (i.e., their character, without any justifiable, in-game reason, is a dick to another character at every opportunity simply because they dislike the character's player) or OOC (obvious) will be booted.
- I am going to further define a specific expectation here: I don't tolerate players who push their limits to annoy/antagonize other players, but technically stay within the rules, and then go, "tee-hee, it was just a joke/oh, I didn't understand/they're overreacting/etc., you can't boot me because technically I didn't do XYZ, so it would be unfair--" No. If I see a common pattern with a player that says/does things that toe the line with the rules and/or frustrates other players, I will boot them. I don't tolerate that bullshit, and guess what? I just defined it right here, so there actually IS no excuse for this.
- Similar to the above, I will NOT accept a character (or character interpretation) whose basis is, "dick just to be a dick" to try to get around the above expectation.
- Example: I have Lock, Shock, and Barrel. Anyone going into the game has the expectation that they are going to be obnoxious at times, because that's in-character for them. That said, there's a CLEAR, distinct line between, "occasional hindrance/practical joke on a member of the party" and "constantly antagonizing the party, hindering the plot, and being a bane to other players to the point of frustration, then hiding behind the, 'tee-hee, they're just troublesome children, and it's iiiiiiin-chaaaaaaracteeeeeer!' excuse." No. Fuck off. I see what you're doing, and it will not fly here.
-That's it. Have fun! <3
