SOCIAL CONTRACT

The Narrative Alchemist welcomes players of all experience levels, including beginners. Players are never expected to be perfect heroes, but they are strongly encouraged to make an active effort to understand the features and mechanics of the characters they make. While the game master can offer assistance and clarifications, routinely relying on them to explain a character's core mechanics can become burdensome. If it becomes evident that a player is not making an active effort to learn and improve, The Narrative Alchemist reserves the right to ask the player step away from the game to maintain the experience for the rest of the group.

 

Please regularly review your character sheet, and be ready to read any unfamiliar ability, feature, item, or spell aloud to the table.

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Please do not interrupt if the game master or another player has the spotlight, or if there is an active timer keeping track of player turns, unless it is to declare a Reaction or other system equivalent.

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Player-vs-Player (PvP) combat, betrayal, sabotage, or theft between player characters is not allowed. Avoid actions that may diminish another player’s enjoyment of the game.

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In-character disagreements are fine if they have a clear path to resolution and don’t disrupt the game. If a conflict stalls or causes real-world tension, it must be resolved out of character. Repeated unresolved conflicts may result in the game master's final ruling, including possible removal of a character or player.

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Do not make unprompted dice rolls. Always describe your intended action before making a roll, then wait for the game master to ask for a check. Rolls made without prior context or game master approval will not be considered valid.

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Always start with the fiction. If there’s something your character wants to do, be very clear with what your goal is with your action, and describe in as much detail as possible how your character is executing that action to support your objective. A check may or may not be needed, based on how you describe and/or roleplay this process.

 

​Be mindful of how long you have the spotlight outside of combat, or how many actions you are taking outside any turn-tracking process. When entering a new scene, only take one or two actions at a time and be intentional about swinging the spotlight over to another player character. Avoid rushing through multiple objectives without giving everyone a chance to participate, or before altering a scene dramatically.

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Be mindful of how long your turn is taking in combat. Even in modest-sized parties, excessive turn lengths can make a single round of combat take 20 minutes or more. Characters who take longer than 5 minutes to resolve combat turns may default to taking the Dodge action or other system equivalent, and may have to forgo any remaining movement, unresolved bonus actions, or other system equivalent.

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Splitting the party is allowed, but the game master reserves the right to handle split-party objectives by summarizing in-game events instead, and may or may not ask for a mechanical check from the player for quick resolution. Splitting for trivial reasons, like shopping or personal tasks, is not allowed during important objectives; personal pursuits should wait for designated downtime.​ Avoid pursuing isolated roleplay scenes that could leave other players inactive for extended periods of time.

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​Avoid general metagaming by only using knowledge your character would realistically know when not explicitly permitted by the game master. This can include:

• Reading ahead in an adventure module and using that knowledge to avoid or resolve encounters unfairly.

• Looking up monster stat blocks and using knowledge about a monster's vulnerabilities, resistances, immunities, powers, or even lore that your character wouldn't realistically know.

• Talking with other players to provide above-table information or to influence a character’s actions in scenes where you're not present.

• Deciding the outcome of an action based on the roll, without letting the game master describe the results.

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The game master commits to running a game's core rules as written for consistency and authenticity to the system.

 

Sincere rule corrections are appreciated, but debates regarding rule interpretations are unwelcome.​​

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For unusual or confusing moments, the game master shall make rulings, not rules. These rulings are specific to the current in-game situation and are not intended to set future precedents.

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Please do not interrupt to offer corrections or alternate interpretations of the rules if a ruling has already been made or action resolved by the game master.

 

If you would like to discuss an alternative solution for rulings in the future, please reach out to the game master after the session.

 

The game master reserves the right to adopt different game mechanics as necessary, provided there is a logical justification for the deviation from core rules, and the mechanic follows a predictable and consistent style of tabletop game design principles.