RP Channel Rules

These rules relate to the Discord RP (Role-Play) channels and can be found pinned in each of the relevant channels.

General Dangers of RP
It can take a lot of energy and time alike to participate in RP. Scenes often take hours to play out, and can even extend over multiple OOC (out-of-character) days, typically with a high level of engagement. Anyone can interact with scenes in the RP channels, which means it can be difficult to walk away at times for fear of missing something. The RP channels can also easily become addicting as you explore any number of facets of your characters and their lives.

Apart from this, when you spend a lot of time in a character's headspace, like in RP, you may experience some bleedover from the character's headspace to your own.

All of these are things to be aware of, and keep an eye on. We've looked into putting external limits on RP channels, but currently believe that such a solution would cause more issues than it solves. We suggest that you try t individually limit your own participation, such as only participating in RP channels 3 days a week, or only for 2 hours a day, or only for 3 scenes a week.

It might seem like you can do so much more than that, but it's very easy to end up overcommitted and burnt out, and we hope that this warning will help at least to catch that sooner, when it's still recoverable, if not prevent it entirely. If you've tried any particular strategy to mitigate these dangers, we welcome any and all feedback on how successful they were.

Types of Characters
There is no restriction on character alignment in WM. Some people play evil-aligned characters.

People have also played manipulative characters in the past. This sort of thing in particular should be prefaced with some sort of OOC notice/player-to-player check-ins to make sure everyone is comfortable. This is important because manipulative characters in particular are more prone to creating OOC drama, so we want people to be aware of and careful about this. Communication is key, and will allow everyone to tell a story they're interested in and happy with.

General Rules

 * 1) A player's Player Character (PC) cannot be used to mechanically benefit another of the same player's PCs.
 * 2) There is an assumed barkeep in the tavern at any time PCs are in the tavern.  No one is under any obligation to play this barkeep.  Players can assume that their characters are able to acquire drinks and food.
 * 3) While the physical space of the tavern is in New Gork, thanks to the assistance of the Adventurers' Guild's magic, it can be accessed from any of the guildhalls in Kanara, Kairos, or Freeport.  Any way you leave, you end up back in the city you were in.
 * 4) There are varying levels of Non-Player Characters (NPCs) in the world of West Marches.  Some of these NPCs may be controlled by players in RP channels, while others may not be.
 * 5) * PC Companions (Telepathic), such as familiars and found steeds, may be controlled by the player whose character summoned them.
 * 6) * PC Companions (Non-Telepathic), such as non-magical steeds and pets and the retainers from the Noble (Knight) background feature, may be controlled by the player whose PC has them as companions.
 * 7) * Town Service NPCs, such as the barkeep, shopkeepers, or hospital workers, may be controlled for vague interactions involving minimal to no dialogue, which facilitate PC interactions.
 * 8) **Example: The barkeep comes over and takes Annabeth's order.
 * 9) * DM-Created NPCs, such as a particular DM's guild member, require explicit permission from that DM on a case-by-case basis. If a player receives permission, it applies only to that singular instance, and the player may not go outside any explicit actions the DM has approved.  If you haven't asked, assume no.
 * 10) * Previous Season PCs may not be controlled by players under any circumstances.
 * 11) All combat is moved to PMs.  On an in-character level, if combat (or any amount of violence) starts in the tavern, it is assumed the barkeep will kick out the offending parties, regardless of reason.
 * 12) Roleplay in the jungle is not allowed.  If a character wishes to enter the jungle, they may do so, but may not RP there.  In this case, the player should let the DMs know that their character is entering the jungle, and a DM will adjudicate a jungle danger roll for them.
 * 13) Actions that affect another PC must always be confirmed by that character's player.
 * 14) * Players are encouraged to use open-ended action starters to leave it more explicitly open for the other player to confirm or deny the action. Example:  (Player 1) Annabeth moves to put her hand on Boris' shoulder.
 * 15) * If the action is not an open-ended starter, players should be prepared for other players to respond such that the stated action is not completed. Example:  (Player 1) Annabeth puts her hand on Boris' shoulder.
 * 16) ** Action confirmed: (Player 2) Boris blinks in surprise as Annabeth puts her hand on his shoulder.
 * 17) ** Action denied: (Player 2) Boris steps back before Annabeth can put her hand on his shoulder.
 * 18) * Over Discord, while we do have DMs available, we don't have anybody adjudicating every action. Therefore, Discord relies primarily on player consent to keep things going smoothly.  While at the table, one character might be able to steal from another character without the player explicitly consenting, but over Discord, you must obtain player consent before interacting in ways that seem like they might be objectionable.
 * 19) Players may click on spoiler-tagged text, regardless of whether their character has access to that knowledge.  However, if you as a player choose to read spoilertext your character wouldn't know, remember to keep the knowledge separated from your character mindset and don't metagame.
 * 20) In order to ensure full player consent, if your character is taking an action under spoilertext that affects a character who has a chance to miss that spoilertext, you must confirm with that player out-of-character.  Example:  (Player 1) (Perception DC 15) ||Annabeth attempts to place a ball bearing on Boris' head.||
 * 21) * In this situation, Player 1 must confirm with Player 2 that this is an acceptable action in such a way that it doesn't depend on Player 2 clicking the spoilertext even if their character doesn't pass the check. A player should be capable of refraining from gaining metaknowledge if they wish, without the risk of actions affecting their character that they aren't comfortable with.
 * 22) Roleplay that occurs in PMs is not considered official canon until every participant has explicitly said that they agree to that.  This check-in might occur at various points during PM scenes, but should also happen for the overall scene once that scene has been completed.  This goes doubly so for any PM roleplay that includes contests, fights, or other sorts of situations where characters are in conflict.
 * 23) Roleplay that occurs in public RP channels is generally considered canon; however, there are allowances for public RP being designated as non-canon.  When these instances occur, the posts in question should be marked by a strikethrough, rather than being deleted.  Such allowances include
 * 24) * Player misunderstanding: For example, Player 1 misreads what Player 2 wrote, which leads to a potentially problematic interaction for the characters.
 * 25) * Player lack of information: For example, Player 1 does not have knowledge that Player 2 assumes they or their character has.
 * 26) * Player veto: For example, Player 1 is uncomfortable with an action Player 2 has taken, usually which affects their character, and requests that it not occur.
 * 27) ** Player veto has limited capacity. For example, if Player 2's character claims to be from Kairos when they are from Kanara, that is generally considered to be a reasonable action which cannot be vetoed.  However, if Player 2's character impersonates Player 1's character without asking for permission, that is considered a vetoable action.
 * 28) The backroom RP channel is used for topics which other players might want to avoid, such as drunkenness, PDA, innuendos, or graphic or otherwise potentially triggering descriptions.  The backroom RP channel is rated PG-13, and should not include explicit, or even implied, sex.  However, topics such as nudity (for example, a game of strip poker), intoxication (for example, a drinking game), or other such things are allowed in the backroom RP channel.
 * 29) * In the case of a full scene taking place in the backroom RP channel, a note should be left in either the elsewhere RP channel or the tavern RP channel that the scene is taking place. For example: (this scene is continued in #wm_backroom_rp)
 * 30) * In the case of only a snippet being in the backroom RP channel, a note should be placed in the appropriate post. For example: (Player 1) Annabeth leans in to whisper something in Boris' ear.  (Boris or Perception DC 10) ||See #wm_backroom_rp||
 * 31) The X-card can be used on topics that make other players uncomfortable.  In the case of the X-card being used, the original poster should add a Content Warning to their post, put the post in spoilertext, and, if appropriate, repost it in the backroom RP channel.  Posts that are X-carded should not be deleted—context is important to keep.
 * 32) Discord RP is intended to be benign to canon, as are the weeks in between adventures.  As such, any player wishing to receive a lasting mechanical benefit from a spell, item, or similar by using it consistently during the interim weeks must consult with a DM.  In most situations, the mechanical benefit will either be denied, or the DM will work with the player to find a suitable downtime activity (for example, if the player wishes to gain benefit from casting a spell consistently throughout the week, the DM might suggest an arcana-based Work downtime).

RP-Only Characters
Any character who has yet to play in a game is considered an RP-only character. Players may create dedicated RP-only characters that are intended to never play in games. RP-only characters are subject to the following additional rules:


 * 1) Characters may resolve downtime before playing in their first game, but will not receive the benefits of that downtime until playing in their first game.  Note that RP-only characters gain downtime differently.
 * 2) The equipment of RP-only characters may not be given to any other characters.
 * 3) RP-only characters cannot be used to provide mechanical benefits to other PCs with effects lasting longer than that RP.  For example, Rachel the RP-Only PC can help Addy the Adventurer with Guidance on a skill check, but if Addy rolls a jungle danger that blinds her for three days, Rachel cannot heal her blindness.
 * 4) * The exception to this is if Addy pays money or favors equivalent to if Tabitha were a DM-controlled NPC. This money/favors is assumed to be used in the process of casting the spell, and Rachel does not retain it.
 * 5) * In the example of the blindness, Addy finding a person to cast Lesser Restoration to cure her blindness would be mechanically equivalent to her finding an NPC to cure it, flavored as if Rachel were that person.