Etiquette and Expectations

Social Conduct

• The use of derogatory language or general harassment will not be tolerated within the server. Examples of derogatory language is any racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. language directed towards other community members.

• Remember most channels are available for all to see, so make sure you consider what you post or say for everyone to see. Especially when it involves other members of the server.

• While this server is an 18+ community remember that everyone has their own comfort levels in terms of content. We ask that you keep content PG-13 for the most part with more mature or explicit content being put under a spoiler tag. Additionally if others ask you to stop posting or discussing mature, contentious, or explicit topics, please respect their request. Discord has a multitude of options such as DMs or Threads that you can utilise in order to continue your discussion in a more private setting.

• Please keep distractions to a minimum when in voice chats. If you have excessive background noise please mute yourself when you're not speaking to avoid excessive distractions to other players.
  

Conflict Resolution

• The end goal of conflict will always be de-escalation, though what this will look like will vary depending on the conversation. Such as reframing the conversation in a more passive and less hostile tone, taking a conversation to a more private status or simply ending the conversation overall.

• If you are unable to resolve the conflict or it continues to escalate a moderator will likely have to step in and end it for you

Communication

• Everyone should strive to have open and honest communication with others on the server, as long as it adheres to the social conduct expressed in this document. In other words, claiming that you’re being honest will not absolve you of being rude.

• Some communications will be better served in private than on the server, additionally for particularly sensitive or important matters we strongly advise communicating over voice rather than in text as tone and intent is often lost in the mix.

• If you decide you need to step back from the server, please let someone know. We strive to create a caring community, which means that when players disappear, we get worried.

Safety Tools

• All players must complete the safety and consent form. Please give this form the consideration it deserves and be as thorough as possible. If at any point you need to update your responses, you can resubmit the form or contact one of the Admins to update your safety information. 

• Players are expected to be familiar with  the X-Card and use it as appropriate. This is a powerful safety tool that allows a player to speak up when they are feeling uncomfortable. The expectation is that the player will communicate with the gamemaster running the session to determine an appropriate way to move forward, whether that is changing the scene, allowing the player to step out of VC and pinging them to come back in when the scene is finished, etc.
  
  

The expectations of each role are divided between duties and etiquette. Duties represent the responsibilities that all members within that role adhere to. Etiquette, on the other hand, represents what conduct is expected of the role socially. While all roles have a list of duties, etiquette is only provided for roles that have a distinct social presence on the server.

Admins

Duties

• Tracking Paperwork: Admin’s main duty is to make sure all ‘paperwork’ on the server is up to date. Such as keeping the Holoterminal up to date, tracking non-rolled downtime items and updating the wording of documents

Gamemaster

Duties

• Activity: Gamemasters must run one game every two months to retain this role. This rule can be temporarily mitigated when you’ve informed the team of taking a hiatus.

• Player Safety Responses and The X-Card: Gamemasters should review the safety responses of players that respond to their session and make sure that the content is appropriate. It is up to the gamemaster's discretion to either contact players on safety items or amend their session plan. Gamemasters must respect the X-Card of any player in their session.

• Adhering House Rules: Gamemasters should not actively ignore or change house rules that have been set up by the server.
  
  
• Session Report: It is the GM’s responsibility to find a player that was on their session to do the report. If the player is unable to finish the report in a set period of time (how long is to be determined) then it is up to the GM to finalise it and hand it in.

• Confirm Player Intent: Make sure players understand the in narrative consequences of their PC’s action before resolving said action. If the action is Conflict worthy, make sure the player is aware if it isn’t clear that they are.

Etiquette

• Hosting the Table: Gamemasters should remember to communicate with players during the session, such as checking in with quieter players and getting them involved in a moment you know their character can shine. Always communicate honestly; do not meta-manipulate the players.

• Flip That Destiny: We recommend keeping the flow of Destiny Points going by flipping often, even if that means doing so to enact plot points you’d already planned out.

• Respect Player’s Time: Do not plan a single session to be longer than five hours from the get go. If the story you wish to tell feels like it will require more time, simply make it a two parter from the beginning so players are aware of what they’re signing up for. If by the two hour point, your session’s pacing is clearly not going to fit in the original time frame, check with the players if this can be made into a two parter or begin shortening/cutting scenes.

• Setting & Resolving Difficulties: GMs need to engage in good faith with the campaign system so the PC’s XP spends have value. Remember that the Difficulty die are the innate difficulty of the action (and that simple and easy are difficulties that do exist), the Upgrades are the risk of the action, and Boosts and Setbacks are contextual factors that make it easier and/or harder. When bending rules, be careful not to bypass PC spends and thus make them worthless.

• Don’t Threaten with Threats: When spending Threats, be thoughtful and cautious with spends. Avoid reversing player gains and progress with Threats, and remember that just as lots of Threats can equal a major consequence, a small amount should equal a minor consequence. And avoid Threat spends that humiliate a PC or player. Feel free to occasionally “throw away” Threat spends on otherwise harmless narrative details; e.g. spilling a drink.
  

Lorekeepers

Duties

• Maintain The Wiki: Loremasters must make sure to keep the wiki updated and an accurate reflection of the game's narrative and mechanics. This may include reworking character entries with new information, adding new locations or updating house rules that have gone through a change. Significant updates should ideally be added in a timely manner to avoid important details of the game being left outdated.
  

Moderators

Duties

• Maintain The Server: A moderators most important duty is to ensure the server remains a safe and healthy enviroment for all those involved. Moderators must be ready to resolve, deesculate or otherwise disarm any disputes that occur within the server. Early prevention is key to ensuring situations do not escalate to a degree where punitive action must be considered, and proper ‘use of force’ is paramount to ensuring we retain the trust of the community.

• Report Major Incidents: Disputes that become overtly aggressive, toxic or hostile should be reported to the Head Admin or Server Owner as soon as possible. This should include reporting the names of those involved within the despite and the subject matter. You need to also state any corrective actions you or another moderator has taken in relation to the dispute. You should also provide objective evidence of the dispute, such as screenshots or a link/way to view the dispute in full.

• Be Available: Nobody is expected to be around all the time to fulfill your duties, but please do your best to be avaliable during your "normal hours of operation". Perhaps that means low activity during the week but a higher activity on the weekends. As long as the team knows when you're typically around and you honour that, you'll be fine.
  

Etiquette

• Accountability: Moderators must be willing to take accountability for their actions to ensure any mistakes made do not reoccur in the future. This is vital for ensuring the health of the server and trust between moderators and other roles.
  

• Be Professional: Moderators have a unique position that comes with certain privileges and authority that other roles may not have. Abusing these privilges granted to you, even for the sake of a joke, will not be tolerated. Moderators must remain professional when presenting themselves publically on the server, regardless of who they are interacting with.

• United Front: Moderators work as a team, meaning individual moderators cannot go around undermining decisions or their fellow moderators publicly. Support the course of action and decisions decided by the team publicly and, if need be, conversations can happen behind closed doors about any concerns individual moderators may have.

• Conflict Will Happen: There are bound to be disagreements on the server and when things get overly heated or unproductive it's often the job of the moderator to interject and find a resolution. Moderators have to be comfortable with this and not shy away from resolving conflict, as long as they do so in a professional manner.
  

Players

 Duties

• Tracking XP: Players must track their character’s XP and what they choose to spend it on with the following spreadsheet JONE XP Log.
• Character Notes: Players are required to complete character notes for each session they play in. Notes are required no later than 72 hours after session end, but best etiquette is to complete them as part of session wrap up. 

Etiquette

• Conflict with GM: Disagreements with the GM over rules or narrative moments should be dealt with after the session or during a moment within the game where there is space to do so. If the disagreement crosses a boundary or comfort of yours do remember that the use of the X-Card is valid for these occasions.

• Players Helping Players: If another player is being quiet during a session or is often talked over or overlooked make sure to get them involved when you can. Give them a moment to shine, ask their character a question or simply involve them when you wish to do something.

• IC and OOC: Please keep In Character (IC) and Out of Character (OOC) separate. Players are not their characters and vice versa. This is especially important when there are controversial IC decisions. Do not assign IC displeasure to OOC interactions. Players are encouraged when needed to take a moment to discuss OOC to make sure that everyone is on the same page and to minimize OOC conflict.