TABLE CONVENTIONS
In-Character Expectations
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Roleplay is defined as "interacting with an imaginary world as a character that exists within that world." It is about inhabiting the headspace of your character and making decisions based on who they are, rather than performing for an audience. Clear and acceptable roleplay involves three elements:
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LOCATION. Say where your character is. Describe your character's relationship to the current space. Instead of just standing in the "middle" of the scene, describe where and how your characters moves.
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ACTION. Say what your character does. Use specific, physical details that exist within the game world rather than declaring mechanics. In TTRPGs, your description is your "game controller," not your character sheet.
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SPEECH. Say what your character says. You don't need to be a voice actor, you just need to state your character's inner thoughts or dialogue.
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TTRPGS are collaborative storytelling games. Players will be primarily responsibile for narrating their character's successes and failures from dice rolls, and the game master will moderate as needed.
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Do not ask for permission to do things in game. Roleplay your character's actions, and the game master will moderate as needed.
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Do not make unprompted dice rolls or ask to make specific checks. Roleplay what actions your character takes in order to achieve your desired outcome. The game master will ask for a roll if your description requires one.
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Do not test drive your character's turn. All actions have consequences. If your character's actions lead to an unfavorable outcome, that is part of the game.
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Do not take your character's turn by committee, i.e. polling the other players for what you should do. It is your responsibility to roleplay your character and decide what they should do.
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The responsibility of telling a character's story belongs to the player, which they achieve through actively roleplaying. Elements such as backstories, key NPCs, and personal goals are only relevant to the degree that players choose to express them during play.
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All player character actions, moments, and plot points must adhere to an 🔗open roleplay environment, meaning these moments must be able to be witnessed and explained out of character. Players should always be willing or able to articulate why they are doing something to their entire party and game master.
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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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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.
Out-of-Character Expectations
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Players are expected to read and understand their character's abilities in advance. Players may reach out for clarifications between game sessions, or may ask clarifying questions at the beginning or end of a game session. Stopping play for everyone to ask about how one of your character's core mechanics works in the middle of a session is unwelcome.
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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. Players who take longer than 5 minutes to resolve a combat turn will default to taking the Dodge action or other system equivalent, and must forgo any remaining movement, unresolved bonus actions, or other system equivalent.
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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, players should 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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Avoid coaching or critiquing other players unprompted. Not everyone wants help or external opinions unless they explicitly ask for it.
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Do not interrupt the game master or another player unless it is to declare a Reaction or other system equivalent. Keep side-chatter to a minimum, particularly about other games and irrelevant topics.
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Your campaign is not a group therapy session, and the game master is not a therapist. Practicing self-management and self-awareness at the table and within the community is inherent to a socially collaborative hobby. Sometimes this means skipping sessions or briefing your tablemates upfront if you are having a tough week.
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While not prohibited, over-indulgence in recreational substances can create less-than-stellar experiences for your GM and tablemates, please use your best judgement or you will be kicked from session for the night without refund.
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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:
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Reading ahead in an adventure module and using that knowledge to avoid or resolve encounters unfairly.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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If you would like to discuss an alternative solution for rulings in the future, please reach out to the game master after the session.
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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.
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