House rules

House Rules and Gameplay
 This game will be played primarily over the forum, meaning that players will write out their character's actions, post them, and then other players and the ST will write out how their characters (and NPCs and the environment) respond. Ideally, dice rolls will be few and far between; most scenes will be narrated. You all know what your characters are good at, what they're bad at, and what they're so-so at, and I expect you to roleplay accordingly; I will also have copies of your sheets. If dice rolls are necessary because there is a reasonable chance of failure (or because the number of successes is important), you are on your honor to report them accurately. If there is a PVP conflict (player character vs. player character, for those unfamiliar with the lingo), or an important combat, or any other circumstance where visible dice rolls may be necessary or requested (and any request will be kept anonymous), I will set up an IRC chat room with a built-in dice roller.

Schedule permitting, once every month or so I would like to have a live game either over IRC or Skype or Google Talk or something similar. You are not required to play in these games, although I expect they will be fun! Generally a live game will either be a standalone plot, or the culmination of a plot that has been building for a while, and I will let you know in advance which it is so you can make an informed decision. If you do play, whatever level of "being there" you can manage is fine. If you have and would like to use a webcam, great - I love seeing faces! If you only have a microphone, that's fine; if you have neither and can only type your responses, that's fine too - we will still be happy to have you there!

Forum games require some common courtesy, which may not be so common to those who've never played one before, so here's the basics: Whew, that's a long list! Most of it, however, basically boils down to Wheaton's Law: Don't Be A Dick. (Alternately, Fred Clark's First Rule: Try Not To Be An Asshole.)  Characters can be assholes; characters can be assholes all the live-long day. But players are all supposed to be on the same side: the side of having fun together and telling a compelling story. Be nice, be responsible, don't cheat, and don't step on anyone's toes :)
 * Do not metagame.  In a forum, it's easy to read other character's backstories and see conversations that you're not involved in.  Some scenes may be marked *Private* in the topic, and you are asked to stay away from those unless you clear it with the ST beforehand, but even then, we can't really stop you from reading them.  However, there needs to be a clear distinction in your mind between what you-the-player knows, and what your character knows.  Do not use out-of-character knowledge in-character!  Doing so is frowned upon; doing so in a way that harms or kills another PC or seriously disrupts another player's enjoyment of the game is a good way to get booted from the game.
 * Do not "god" other characters.  Meaning: only write your actions, not other people's reactions.  They get to decide those.  Even if using a power that says that the other person HAS to respect you/run away/fall in love with you/explode with rage/whatever, it is still up to the other player to decide how their character interprets that.  (And they may have something to counter it that you're not aware of!)  This rule does have some grey area - if you're pretty sure you know how the other character would respond, and it's not a significant response, it's not a huge deal.  If you were wrong, just write a correction.  In most situations, though, it's a no-no.  If you really don't want to wait for someone to write a response (i.e. you just want to get through the scene quickly), it is ok to contact the person privately and ask if their character would agree to something, or if it's ok to write their character's (brief) reaction.  Now you have PERMISSION to god them, and it's all good!
 * In general, don't just write a one-line response.  Similarly, don't write a huge wall o' text.  You want a thought-out, well-written response - usually a paragraph or two - that describes your character's reaction, action, and/or dialogue, and lets the reader really visualize what is happening in the scene.  Remember, we can't see body language, so you kinda have to tell us if the character is saying something angrily, happily, or if they're being deliberately ambiguous.  (I say "in general" because there are times when it's totally appropriate to break this rule, but this is the general guideline.)
 * Similarly: your character doesn't have to have good spelling/grammar/syntax, but you should - or at least you should try.  I understand that dyslexia is a thing, typos are a thing, and American schools are terrible at teaching English grammar, but please make the attempt.  I don't expect anyone to be perfect, but I should be able to at least understand what you're trying to say!
 * Avoid out-of-character drama.  Don't get upset at a player for a character's actions; keep it in-game.  Don't take in-character actions based on out-of-character issues.  If there is a serious problem between you and another character and you can't work it out between yourselves, come to the ST for mediation.
 * If your character kills another player character, apologize to the player afterwards.  If you know them in real life, buy them a beer.
 * Don't leave players hanging.  When possible, try to check the forums at least once a day (some of y'all will check much more than that, I know!)  If you're going to be afk for several days, let your fellow players know, especially those you're in a scene with.  If you want out of a scene for any reason, don't just stop posting - tell the other person you want out of the scene, and summarize the rest of it, so that their character can move forward!  (And if you know you're going to be leaving town for a month and won't be able to post much, if you're sitting on the one single clue to solving the plot, for the love of god pass that clue on to someone else before you go!)  On the flip side of this, if someone says there is a Real Life reason that they won't be posting much, please don't bug them or make them feel guilty! Real Life Comes First.
 * Respect stated boundaries.  Changeling is a pretty dark game sometimes; this particular game is on the lighter side, relatively speaking, but it may still go to some dark places.  I ask players to be aware of this before joining.  However, if someone expresses to you a sensitivity about a certain topic, or discomfort about doing a certain type of scene, please respect that.  (Again, Real Life Comes First!)  Additionally, if a scene contains general-issue squickiness (graphic depictions of rape/torture, especially if another player character is potentially the target; graphic depictions of harm to animals or children; graphic depictions of hate crimes, etc.), use your common sense and check with the player beforehand.  Many people (myself included!) are fine with these sorts of super-dark scenes as long as they know they're getting into them ahead of time, but would not be ok with it at all if taken by surprise.  (And some people are just not ok with it period, and would appreciate the chance to opt out!)  NB: I do NOT expect much of this to come up in this game, as again, I'm striving for a relatively light tone.  But if it ever does come up, please exercise common sense and common out-of-character decency!

Books and Rules Used
The ST has access to the following books: World of Darkness/Mind's Eye Theater Core Book; Changeling: the Lost; Winter Masques; Autumn Nightmares; Rites of Spring; Armory. You can use Kiths, Courts, Contracts, Entitlements, and Merits from any other Changeling books except Equinox Road (and non-restricted Merits from any other White Wolf New World of Darkness book), but I will need either a pdf of the book it's from or at the very least a screenshot of the page(s) where it's discussed. I will attempt to obtain this myself, but your assistance is expected if you want to use the mechanic!

God-Machine mechanics are not in play, with one exception: if anyone is familiar with the God-Machine rules regarding Virtues and Vices and wishes to use them, I am open to it if it is discussed with me first.

Talecrafting is NOT in play and will not be in play unless and until someone can explain it to me well enough that it no longer seems ridiculously complicated (and even then, it's not guaranteed.)

With the possible exception of Entitlements, the book Equinox Roads is restricted; do not use it, and I'd prefer if you didn't read it. (Not because I'm necessarily going to use it for plot, but because I the ST don't agree with all of it and therefore large swaths of it may not apply to my game.)

Basic Mechanics
I am using the LARP/Mind's Eye Theater rules at 8/3. Translation: any time you need to make a roll, you add up whatever stats you're using (usually an Attribute+Ability, possibly +Wyrd, though not always), and add that number to whatever you get from rolling one 10-sided die. (Or using a random number generator for numbers 1-10, or drawing one of ten cards, or any of several other ways of getting a random number between 1 and 10!)

If the total is less than 8, you fail. If it is at least 8, you succeed. For every three numbers above 8, you get another success: i.e., 11 is 2 successes, 14 is 3 successes, etc. If your roll/card draw/whatever produces a 1, you automatically fail no matter how high your stats are. (On the plus side, if your stats are super high I may not make you roll for it, unless it's contested.)  If it produces a 10, you draw/roll/whatever again, and add the second result to your total. (If the second result is also a 10, keep going.  The "draw/roll again" applies to results of 9 if you're using an ability with the "9-again" rule, to 8 if you have 8-again, etc.)

Please keep in mind that you ARE on your honor when reporting dice rolls! Ridiculous results do happen - I myself once got seven successes at once doing card draws, because I kept drawing the 10 - but they're rare. If they start happening on a regular basis, we WILL have to ask you to do future rolls in an IRC chat room where we can see the results, and that's just a pain for everyone, so please don't cheat! '

LARP rules (as opposed to tabletop rules) have no exceptional successes or exceptional failures - you don't automatically have something terribly bad happen (other than failure) if you roll a 1, and you don't automatically get an extra bonus good thing happen if you get five or more successes. However, as ST I reserve the right to do something special with very high rolls or automatic failures if I think it would be appropriate.

Character Creation
For character creation, you will need a filled-out character sheet, an XP expenditure log, and a write-up of your character's personality, appearance, and backstory to post on the website. (And possibly a second one for me if there are things you don't want made public knowledge!)  I recommend using this person's excellent character sheets.  All characters are subject to ST approval before entering play.

Character creation is: base character creation from World Of Darkness/Mind's Eye Theater Core Book, plus the Changeling template from Changeling: the Lost, plus starting experience points.

When it comes to starting XP: I am more interested in having interesting, well-rounded characters who work well together and make up a good group than I am in having everyone start at the exact same level. Some characters WILL have different amounts of experience coming into game. Starting XP will be determined based on the player's experience with Changeling and with gaming in general, and on the character's history and backstory. The minumum starting XP will be 100, with more being possibly granted after talking with the ST about character concept and backstory.

ALL Entitlements must be extensively discussed with the ST beforehand. Some are just flat-out disallowed; for any of them, I want to know how you see the Entitlement working with your character concept and how you want to see it come into play. I reserve the right to disallow any Entitlement for any reason up to and including "I just don't like it," so PLEASE, if you are planning on working towards an Entitlement, talk to me about it WELL in advance so that we can get on the same page and you're not horribly disappointed if the answer is no.

I reserve the right to add things to your character sheet without making you pay the cost for them. On the one hand, yay free stuff! On the other hand, I'm probably giving it to you for a reason. Be afraid.

Please do not spend Build Points or experience points on Court Mantle or Court Goodwill - these merits will be granted by the ST based on your roleplay and your backstory!

Players are also encouraged to form in-character ties with other players and possibly even create motleys together - pledges can provide certain merits and skills for free, and buying a Hollow as a group is FAR, FAR cheaper than buying it alone.

Clarity vs. Morality
The Changeling system uses Clarity, a stat that combines one's morality with one's ability to accurately perceive reality. Drops in Clarity can also result in Derangements, i.e. actual mental illnesses, described in game terms, applied to your character.

For a lot of reasons, I don't really like this.

So I am decoupling the two. They are now two different stats.

Clarity refers to a Changeling's sense of stability and reality, already on shaky ground after their time in Arcadia. Things that disrupt that sense - staying too long in the Hedge, losing a job, getting mundanely kidnapped - can cause a roll on the Clarity table. At low Clarity, your sense of reality is fractured. You can no longer tell for sure what is real and what isn't; you might see things that aren't there, or mistake your friend for a hobgoblin, or think a horribly unwise course of action is the best plan. At extremely high Clarity, your sense of reality is so strong, it may be uncomfortable for you to spend time in the Hedge or see obvious magic, as your internal sense of reality tells you that such things shouldn't exist. All Changelings start out at Clarity 7, which is comfortably in the middle (although you can buy it higher at character creation or voluntarily lower it if you choose.)

Morality refers to your sense of right and wrong. Immoral acts can cause a roll on the Morality table; a success means you realize the act was wrong and feel remorse over it, failure means you've managed to justify it to yourself and you move further down the table. A low Morality Changeling may commit heinous crimes - murder, torture, kidnapping (considered one of the worst things a Changeling can do, given their history) - without a twinge of guilt, whereas a very high Morality Changeling may feel deeply ashamed at telling even a harmless white lie or running a red light on an empty road. All Changelings start out at Morality 7, which is comfortably in the middle (although you can buy it higher at character creation or voluntarily lower it if you choose.)

Note that some acts (killing your Fetch in front of his screaming wife and kids, for instance) may require two separate rolls, one on each table.

A drop in either Clarity or Morality MAY result in a Derangement, but not based on a dice roll - rather, it will only happen if both player and ST agree that it would be thematically appropriate and that the player can portray it well.

Gaining Experience
Experience is gained on a monthly basis. The minimum is 1 XP; the maximum is 12 XP. You automatically get 1 XP per month simply for being part of the game; past that, you gain 1 additional XP for each post of 3 sentences or more that you make during the calendar month, up to a maximum of 12. (If you make more than 11 posts in a month, that's awesome, but you don't get extra XP for that!)  Live games will get their own XP, not subject to the cap.

'''**Note** If you began the game with less than 200 XP, your monthly cap is 20 XP until stated otherwise. ''' Which means your character is less powerful to start with, but can potentially improve faster if they are very active!

At the end of each month, please send the ST an email or private message of some kind stating how much XP you earned, how much (if any) you are spending and on what, and what your current balance of usable XP is. (I.e.: if you had 6 left over from last month, you earned 10 this month, and you're spending 15 to get Manipulation 3, you now have 1 XP left over!)

You are required to keep track of your XP expenditures and send notice of all expenditures to the ST!

Multiple Characters
You are allowed to have as many characters as you can keep track of - it's encouraged, in fact, as it keeps the ST from having to create a million and a half NPCs! However, you can only play one character at a time in live games ("at a time" meaning per game - no switching characters halfway through!)  Whenever possible, however, try to keep your characters from interacting with each other or getting involved in the same plot.

If you are new to the system or the setting, I recommend only having one character, at least to start with, as it's much easier! More experienced players may want to have two characters; some may even have three, but while it's technically allowed to have 4, 5, 200 characters at a time, I've personally found that having more than three makes it difficult to really do justice to any of them.

Useful Resources
The ST is Kristy Griffin Green, and she can be reached at mariposakitten@gmail.com - please send new character sheets, notifications, questions, etc. there!

Mr. Gone's Character Sheets - interactive character sheets, VERY handy!

Character Sheets for Excel and Open Office - more user-friendly than the above, and contain a handy XP log as well. The downside is that they were created to be used with the global Cam game, and so there will be some things on the sheet that just won't apply in this game (like MC). If you are using this sheet and see something wonky, don't panic, just reach out to the ST.

The Unofficial White Wolf Wiki - some good basic info on Changeling, helpful if you're planning out a character and trying to get a feel for concepts.

Another World of Darkness Wiki - more detailed information, including mechanics and the book and page where the information was originally found. Lacking in fluff and flavor, though, and the mechanics are simplified, NOT comprehensive! (You still need the book, in other words - this is just a cheat sheet.)  Pages include:

And many more!
 * The Big List of Seemings and Kiths
 * The Big List of Contracts
 * The Massively Ridiculously Huge List of Merits

The Subnet Portal, which includes very detailed instructions on character creation as well as a WEALTH of information on everything from Entitlements to crafting Pledges. It isn't entirely comprehensive, but there's a lot of information there and what there is is really helpful.