Silver Laws

When your character is ready and the introductory scene in #new-arrivals is done, you can look up scenes to join in #looking-for-scene. If none suits your taste, you can create your own scenario with the provided template and see if other people are interested in joining. You can request the help of an ST (ST Scene) or just be with other players (Player Scene). Then the person requesting the scenario will create the Threads in #scenes and #ooc-chats following the guidelines below. When the Scene is over, beats are tallied (for Player Scenes you can @Storyteller). Then you can write in bluebooks or make a new scene.

Player Scenes must not upset the current setting, but they can start a chain reaction that has consequences. For example: blowing up a faction storehouse or assassinating a faction lieutenant is fine. Blowing up a faction HQ or assassinating a faction ruler is not. If you are unsure about what you want to do, you can ask in questions-and-ideas if they are allowed in Player Scenes.

To open a Scene, post its title in ooc-chats (with OOC after the title) and scenes. Then you create a thread under those posts and play there.
Dicecord does not work in threads and can be rolled in #dice-roller; Dicemaiden can be used in threads with the commands pinned in the same channel.

When you create a scene, remember to ask the players their Aspirations (and splat specific aspirations like Obsessions for Mages), language and equipment if it's relevant in the OOC thread. Players can customize their short term Aspirations for any scene, even concurrent ones. Also remember to cross out (a pair of ~ at the start and end of the post) the Scene post to indicate that it's closed.

You can use the following template for aspirations, or make your own:

Name:
Languages:
Aspirations:
Short set by scene
Short set by scene
Long whatever your current long term asp is
Splat specific Aspirations (i.e. Obsessions): These don't change per scene

Conditions on Character:
Notes Anything like merits, prepped spells, etc.,

During scenes with multiple player characters present, posting order will be decided by common sense. This will avoid both useless waiting for replies that weren't all that important for the continuation of the scene and ease time bottlenecking for people with different posting schedules. No one will be left behind, but we try to be swift and efficient for everyone's sake. Fight scenes follow Initiative order as soon as Initiative is rolled until the fight is over.

PvP is allowed. When it's initiated, all participants post their PVP templates (seen in #homebrew) to declare intent and set danger levels. When the opponent surrenders, is Beaten Down, or cannot achieve their goal anymore, PvP ends. Defeated characters that are unconscious will be protected from further injury by ST fiat.

PvP can be initiated without consent from the other player (who may declare "Escape" or "Surrender"). Non consensual PvP is a good distraction and decent tool of coercion in a pinch. If the non consenting player decides to accept the challenge instead of fleeing or surrendering, they get a beat. Whoever bests the other gets another beat.
When all participant players agree beforehand to the PvP, they all get a beat for initiating willing PvP and the victor(s) gains another one. The loser(s) gains a condition reflecting their loss. Declaring "Killing/maiming my enemy" is only allowed in consensual PvP, and scenes

Social PvP is done with Dispute rules, outlined here. Beat gains are the same as physical PvP. 

A player may participate in more than one scene at the same time, and is expected to manage their individual character’s timeline and resource expenditures. When a scene ends, all spent resources get synchronized with the present. If a character goes into debt (because multiple scenes end near each other) there are consequences that can range from frenzy to conditions.

Scenes and PvP templates post danger levels to make sure players are on the same page. They are as follows:

None: the kind of Scene with no risks involved. Usually meet and greets, touchstone activities or puzzles. All participants should be friendly with each other as default.

Low: the kind of Scene with little risk involved. If damage is dished out, it's bashing at most. Usually street brawls, martial arts tournaments, little social spats, or investigations.

Medium: the kind of Scene with a normal amount of risk, for a creature of the night. If damage is dished out, it's lethal at most and some short lived Conditions might be applied, like a scar that will need some time to heal properly, or being forced on a wheelchair for a while. Usually dangerous mercenary work, duels that involve supernatural powers, or little political spats (reputation might be at slight risk).

High: the kind of Scene with an elevated amount of risk. If damage is dished out, it can become aggravated and produce permanent scars or Persistent Conditions, even death to those that don't play their cards right. Usually any kind of situation where people are willing to die to achieve their objectives, duels to the death, or major political spats where one's reputation is on the line.

Deadly: the kind of Scene that would be called a suicide mission in movies. Damage is always dished out, one way or the other, and death can come even to the most prepared, if the dice are against them. Any kind of wound or Condition might happen, death included and with little warning. Usually the kind of Scene where you want your character (and their friends) to either go down in a blaze of glory or barely survive and be recognized as a "problem solver" by their peers, 1 vs 100 scenarios, or going against an entire political court in the hopes to sway them on your side from a point of hostility.

These are guidelines for STs (or other Players in Player Scenes), but if someone starts to act erratically, even in a "Danger None" Scene, the danger level can change.

Between scenes, characters can and should write something in bluebooks. It can be as short as a sentence, like "I stay home and rest for 3 days" or as long as you want. If you want to buff yourself in the safety of your own home, go on a hunt for food or sport, or do anything else that's relevant mostly to you, you can do so in bluebooks. A bluebook scene can last up to an in game week, but you can write in it as much as you want within reason.

The first time you post in bluebooks in a week, you gain a beat and roll for an interrupt; this is a chance die. If the die succeeds, you're interrupted by something/someone else midway through your task. You gain the beat, but cannot post in bluebooks until you finish an interrupt scene or until next week, whichever comes first.

If you are a Deviant, roll for Surveillance on an interrupt as well; if that succeeds, you butt into your Conspiracy per Surveillance mechanics. If it fails, proceed as normal.

Conditions that resolve in bluebooks count as expired and give no Beats.

You should also log your XP gains and spending somewhere. There are multiple XP trackers linked in #tools-lexicon-and-approved-materials, or you can mark your gains and losses in your character thread. If an ST notices that you have things you did not spend XP for, your sheet can be reviewed and those gains retconned.

Any variation of power or bonus giving equipment, even stuff taken for free, must be at least bluebooked (even a 1 second bluebook of "power increased (+1 Variation)") that you then link to your character thread for posterity.

Honestly, as soon as you finish your introductory scene in new-arrivals , you can go in looking-for-scene and you can create a scene for other players to enjoy and for you to ST. You'll get 1STXP at the end of one of your ST Scenes. You can exchange it with normal XP or splat specific XP (like Arcane XP for Mages). The moment you gain your first STXP, you can request to be tagged as a @Storyteller. If the Scene is very short, like 2-3 messages per user, the reward is 3STBeats.

You can choose your own workload. If you prefer to only do some kinds of scenes, or anything really, you can. Any help is appreciated.

You get 3STBeats for scenes in new-arrivals. They usually require a mentor figure of sorts (usually the NPC that invited the character in the City) and some action to shake things up a bit that the player should resolve. Nothing too dangerous, but otherwise go wild. Using members of the-current-powers as antagonists/allies is strongly advised. They aren't that long, usually. The equivalent of a single scene, or between 12 and 50 messages total.

You get 1STBeat for tallying XP in a Player Scene when they ask.

You can't bring your character(s) in your ST Scenes, unless they're relevant (i.e. players robbing their house), but only as NPCs that are definitely not the center of attention (they gain no beats).

No world changing actions may be taken by STs, but you can ask in questions-and-ideas what happens if you do certain actions to properly ST the scene. Maitreya can answer in private if you want it to be a surprise for your players, just say so in the question.
A single rule for ST tuppers is pinned in bot-commands, please follow it for the aesthetic. Thank you and have fun!

If you've been here a while, you can sign up to become an @Approver. Approvers check out and approve character sheets in new-characters to speed up the process. If you're checking a new sheet, remember to write so in its thread, so that other Approvers know to not check it out too.

When you're done: post the character picture, name, concept, languages, faction and a link to the sheet in character-repository. Then update (or ask the new player to fill) the Census (pinned comment in character-repository).

Then put their NPC/Place/Wonder ideas in ideas-bin. If they are a Deviant, tell them to add their Conspiracy (or Node + attributes, if they're joining one) into the Web of Pain.
Then you can give them the roles @Player and @ their specific splat and faction.
Finally, ask them to create their thread in new-arrivals, up until they meet the NPC that invited them into the City, then @Storyteller.

You get 2 ST Beats per approved sheet.

Approvers also do maintenance, checking the census for Protected and inactive characters that need to be retired. You get 1 ST Beat for checking/posting Protected, 1 ST beat for checking for inactive characters, and 1 ST beat per retired character.