House Rules

This page covers some of the house rules I will be utilizing at the table for this campaign. They are few in number but important to know. I have a lot of experience with games mastering and like to think I know what works and what doesn't, but if the group agrees that one or more of these rules should change, they will be changed. In any case...

Role-playing
One of my biggest goals is to encourage role-playing at all points of the game. Getting "into character" is a lot of fun and the reason most people play these kinds of games anyway. With that said, there are a few things I want to cover in that regard to keep the experience fun and enjoyable for all players.
 * 1) DON'T BE THAT GUY. You know the one. That Guy steals from the party because "that's what his character would do." That Guy shoves a party member in front of a charging horse because "that's what his character would do." Please don't be That Guy. If you choose to be...your character will be dealt with appropriately. I'm not asking everyone to be a Lawful Good paragon of justice- this world is about characters with lots of grey areas morally- but running a party full of characters who are dicks to each other is not something that interests me. (Or anyone else, I'm sure)
 * 2) GOOD ROLE-PLAYING WILL BE REWARDED. If I catch you doing something awesome, or one or more players have a cool role-playing moment, I will distribute glory points. Great role-playing encounters enhance the enjoyment of the game for everyone and will not go unrecognized.
 * 3) THE HAT RULE. I wear a lot of hats, figuratively and literally. I will be wearing one during our sessions. When my hat is on, all talk is allowed. When the hat is off, everything spoken will be considered to be in-character.
 * 4) NOT EVERYTHING HAS TO BE ROLE-PLAYED. There will come times when your character will want to do something that involves speech. For example, charming a noble lady or intimidating a guard. You do not have to role-play these encounters, though of course you are welcome to. It would be unreasonable for me to force you to role-play these types of things when they are going to be decided by dice. To put it in perspective, it would be like forcing a player to barge open an actual door when his character is rolling to do so in-game. You're welcome to just roll and move on.
 * 5) ONLY DO WHAT MAKES YOU COMFORTABLE. If at any time a role-playing encounter makes you, the player, feel uncomfortable, ask to stop. I won't be an ass about this, I want everyone to have fun. We can skip to another part of the encounter or just forget it entirely, depending on what works best. There are some sexual and violent themes in this setting, but that doesn't mean they're going to be forced on you.

Table Ettiquette
These guidelines concern the physical aspects of the game.
 * 1) DICE ROLLED ONTO THE FLOOR ARE AUTOMATIC 0's. No exceptions. Roll carefully.
 * 2) NO OPEN BEVERAGES AT THE TABLE. Something with a cap on it is fine. I've seen too many soiled character sheets, books, laptops and other equipment in my day to permit otherwise, however. Please also limit alcohol consumption unless everyone's talked about it before we start the session. Since you've read this far, here's a passphrase if I ask for one: "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."
 * 3) COME TO THINK OF IT, NO FOOD EITHER, PLEASE. There's nothing more irritating than being in the middle of a tense encounter and hearing somebody crunch their way through some chips. We'll all eat together when we take a break.
 * 4) PLEASE LIMIT CELL PHONE USE. I am not forbidding cell phones (like some GMs do) because I understand the need to have one and keep in touch with people during the game. Sessions can take a long time and family/friends/partners want to check in with you, I understand, trust me. Just keep it to a minimum and don't distract others. And definitely make sure you're paying attention to what's happening at the table.
 * 5) LIMIT OUTSIDE TALK. A lot of times during games, the session gets side-tracked by a conversation about something or other, or somebody makes a joke which leads to a twenty minute conversation about something else. I know it's unavoidable- but please try to keep the outside talk to a minimum. We only have so much time each week to role-play, and I want to make sure we get the most out of it possible.

Thank You!
Thanks for reading the rules. I didn't make them to restrict your fun, but to enhance it and preserve it as much as possible. If we as a group decide that something isn't working, or there's something else that works better, we'll change the rules and I'll update them here. Also, one more important rule (the one people usually seem to forget...):

HAVE FUN!