Players Manual
Version 1.3
New Players to TLoT
All probationary members will fill out a player application that must be approved by the Head Game Master before being eligible for full membership. Probationary members must meet certain criteria before becoming full fledged members and earning all of the benefits. During this time, they will be watched closely for knowledge of the game, role playing skills, interactions with other players, and overall personality.
Probationary members must be sixteen (16) years old, or older.
Probationary members must complete and submit a player application to the Head Game Master along with the $14 application fee. This fee covers the Taroson Patch.
Probationary members must play for a minimum of 3 months before being eligible for full membership.
Probationary members must not have any demerits on their file. Demerits can be handed out by the Head Game Master or any staff members. Demerits can also be cleared by the Head Game Master or any staff members.
Probationary members must play in a minimum of ten sessions.
Probationary members must be residents of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or New York.
Once all six of these have been met, a poll will be open for all active full members to bring the probationary member into the group as a full member. The poll must be have a positive result with 80% of all active full members. If that 80% is not met, the probationary member will be considered “Rejected” and will have to go through the recruitment process again.
Probationary Restrictions
Unable to host in person sessions.
Restricted to 1 character.
Ineligible for in game holiday gifts and in game birthday gifts.
If a vote results in a tie, the probationary vote will not count.
Character Creation
Before a new character can be created, the player must have an available character slot. All full members are allowed three character slots to use. If no slot is available, the player must choose a character to retire. Retired characters are essentially removed from play, and may only be brought back into the game as an NPC.
First a player must write up a character concept and post it on the forums under the "Character Submissions" section. This will include class, race, name, character history, and personality (goals, ambitions, fears, etc.). Players are encouraged to be as creative as possible when writing up their concept. Once the concept is finished, a staff member who is assigned to character creation will review it. That staff member may make corrections and/or give suggestions to the concept, or the concept will be accepted. Once it is accepted, the concept will be transferred to the Head Game Master for final approval. The HGM reserves the right to approve or deny anything about the character with the theme of Taroson in mind.
After receiving an approval from the Head Game Master, the player will create a second thread in "Character Sheets" section. The player will follow the format provided here:
taroson.proboards.com/thread/383/example-character-sheet. The player will then roll for stats with an HGM or GM either on roll20.net or in person. This will be done until the player has a pool of six numbers, one that will be placed into each stat. However, if the total modifiers are +3 or less, the player may choose to reroll all six rolls. This is to prevent any characters from being too average or below average, unless the player chooses to keep the low rolls. In addition, any rolls that result in a six or less will be rerolled until it is seven or higher.
If a player is creating a character for the first time in the group, the player may reroll their two lowest stats until they are higher than the original roll.
After rolling for stats, the player must roll for their gold, which is listed on the class’s page, or take the average gold for the class.
After all rolls have been completed, the player may then move onto creating the character sheet via myth-weavers.com. The player may choose to have a physical copy of their sheet for in person sessions, but the online copy must be kept up to date at all times. If the player chooses to keep a physical sheet, but loses it, the mythweavers sheet will be what is utilized.
On the sheet, it will be noted that the speed at which players will earn experience is “Slow”. Over time this has proven to give higher level characters a sense of power and more motivation for lower levels to work hard to achieve great things.
Once the character sheet has been completed on mythweavers, it will be submitted to a staff member who is assigned to character creation. They will help with any modifications to the sheet before approving it and sending it to the Head Game Master for the final approval. Upon final approval, the Head Game Master will assign the character to one of the players three character slots and it will be available to be used in the main campaign.
Weekly Sessions
Online sessions happen on a weekly basis unless there is a schedule conflict with the Head Game Master which will cause the session to be pushed back by a week. The Head Game Master will select 2-4 days that he is available for the next session and the members will vote on what day(s) they would like to play on. The date that has the highest amount of votes will be selected for the next session. In the event of a tie, the Head Game Master will choose one of the two dates.
Along with picking dates, a time frame will also be selected based upon the Head Game Master’s availability. The time of the session will vary based on the day of the week, the Head Game Master’s work schedule, and whether or not it’s a national holiday.
Roll20.net is the website used to roll dice and use a map.
Skype is used for voice. Webcam is optional and not required.
Weekly sessions typically last between 2-4 hours.
In Person Sessions
In person sessions typically happen once a month to once every other month. The process for choosing a date is the same as it is for weekly sessions. Dates are chosen and the group will vote on which date they want to play on, the date with the most votes will win. If any players wish to host the session they must voice their suggestion as early as possible. If more than one player wants to host the session, another vote will happen if a decision cannot be made verbally. If no player wishes to host, the default location will be the Head Game Master’s residence.
Food for the day will be discussed amongst members. In the past, a pot luck dinner has always worked the best (everybody brings a dish). Alcohol is allowed and sometimes encouraged.
In person sessions typically last 6-12 hours.
Experience & Rewards
The Land of Taroson is run with a game speed of “Slow”. All characters are awarded experience at a flat rate of 300 per play hour. All experience from combat, puzzles, etc. will be added together and divided up amongst each character. Experience will be rewarded once at the end of the session, or twice with one reward being mid-way through the session. Characters will only be given experience when they are involved in the session. At no time will characters receive any experience for a player not making a session.
On occasion, bonus experience will be given for exceptional role playing, and epic outcomes.
Gold will be earned in game depending on the situation. Gold will not be earned by level or given without being earned in game. The only exception to this rule is the session lottery.
Every player must submit their personal birthday to be eligible for in game birthday items. This is completely optional for everyone. Players will also be able to participate in various holiday events and receive in game gifts such as items, experience, or information as a result. The current recognized holidays are: Head Game Master’s birthday, Saint Patrick’s Day, Halloween, Christmas.
Head Game Master’s Birthday event: One character from each player may be chosen by the player to receive an experience boost.
Saint Patrick’s Day: During a session, a Leprechaun will make an appearance and ask the group several riddles. For each riddle answered correctly, a prize will be given. The group may then divide up the treasure as they see fit.
Halloween: During the month of October there will be one or two horror themed sessions.
Christmas: One character from each player may be chosen by the player to receive a magical item.
There will be a weekly lottery held either on the web forums or at the beginning of the session. Players will choose four numbers ranging from 1-12. The Head Game Master will then roll 4d12 and if the results match any of the chosen number sets, that player will receive what is in the pot. For every week that the pot is not won, it will increase in size and wealth. Gold, experience points, and items can go into the pot. It is at the Head Game Master’s discretion as to what goes into the pot each week.
A player who wins the pot may choose to divide up the items, experience, and gold any way they wish between their own characters.
Game Etiquette
All sessions will start at the designated time regardless of what players are not present. Prior to the session started, players are required to get all of their personal assets for the game ready. This includes: Dice, Skype, Roll20 (and any other reference websites), character sheet, any supplement sheets (familiars, animal companions, summons, etc.) and their laptop or equivalent device.
Players are expected to remove any distractions from the play area. Browsing social media, reddit, playing games, watching videos,etc. will not be tolerated. Players that are distracted enough to lose their place in combat or in a social interaction and have to be reminded will have their turn skipped and/or receive a demerit.
Players are expected to understand their characters inside and out. All skills, feats, abilities, spells, should either be memorized or the player should have some sort of quick reference handy in order to keep the pace of the game moving. Players will be given one minute per turn in combat to keep the combat fresh, quick, and exciting. Taking several minutes to look up a rule, spell, etc. will bog down the game time and cause other players to become bored and disinterested. Players who take too long to take a turn will have their characters turn skipped with only part of their actions taking place at the game master’s discretion.
Out of character (OOC) talk will be kept at a minimum during sessions. An ultimate goal of TLoT is to provide an immersive environment for the players and game masters. Too much out of character chatter will pull players from that immersive experience. These games are designed towards story development, not just killing monsters and leveling up as high as possible. There will be more emphasis on NPC encounters, character strategy, and creativity than any powerful sword. Without these elements, sessions would be nothing more than an old school dungeon crawl, and while dungeon sessions do happen, they will not be the center of attention.
The only OOC talk should be an important question in regards to a rule. A maximum of 3 minutes will be allotted to find the answer to this ruling, and after 3 minutes the Game Master will make a ruling on it. All rule challenges and discussions must be made in the Courthouse on the forums.
There will be no arguing at the table. Any differences that players may have must be settled out of game as to not disrupt the flow of play. Anything that happens in the game should not be made personal outside of game, and any outside issues should not be made personal within the game. If a player believes that his character would kill, maim, or betray another player’s character, it would be in everybody’s best interest to talk about it out of game first. This would help to prevent anyone from taking any attacks personal and keep the group as friendly with one another as possible. However, if a player’s actions are well within what their characters would do, they will not be penalized for taking appropriate actions.
Metagaming will also not be tolerated. Metagaming is when a player uses out of game knowledge in the game. For example: The player’s character would not know that an enemy is on the other side of the door. But another player at the table, whose character went through that door and died, has said at the table that an enemy is there. If the first player were to use that knowledge, that is considered metagaming.
Metagaming can be hard for many players to overcome, but a good role player will be able to overcome the situation. Metagaming cannot be overcome in all aspects every time, so due care must be taken by all players to ensure an immersive and fair experience can be had by all attending the session.
Leveling Up
Our game progression has been set to “slow”. Once a character has reached enough experience to earn a new level, they may begin the leveling process. A lot of this process is done on your character sheet post (CSP)on the forums.
Step 1: Roll for health. A player will roll 1dX+X on roll20.net or in person with a GM. The player will post it like this: “Level 2 Health:
DxhApv131dX+X”.
Step 2: Update character sheet and post ALL changes to the CSP. This is to make sure that there is no confusion later on about what skills were taken, feats added, spells added, etc. This does not have to be done whenever something other than leveling occurs (buying new equipment, swapping spells in slots, consuming a potion or scroll, etc.)
Step 3: Submit the sheet to a Staff member who is assigned to character leveling by posting in the “I have leveled” thread located in the Character Sheets section. A player simply has to post “I have leveled!” or some other variation, along with the name of the character and what level they are at.
Positions
Listed below are the five positions that can be held while a part of this group. They will be listed by the following: Title, how they are appointed, what their jobs are.
Head Game Master - There is only one HGM. The creator of Taroson and the overseer to all other creations in the world including, but not limited to, Characters, Continents, Towns, Monsters, Races, Religions, etc. The HGM also has the final say in any arguments or rulings that involve Taroson and anything within it. The HGM reserves the right to make any changes to the game, it’s rules, the world, the rules of the group, and anything else that involves role playing and Taroson. All arguments may be brought up in the Courthouse for discussion.
Game Master - Appointed by HGM. These members are able to run sessions of their own creation, or on special occasions be a substitute for the HGM. All sessions run by GM’s will be canon to the main campaign and will tie into The Land of Taroson. No campaigns, games, sessions, etc. will be run that are not of this world. GM’s are not allowed to use their own characters while running a session. GM’s characters will also not receiving any experience boosts like staff members, nor will they receive an extra character slot.
Staff Member - Voted in by members (Limit 2). Staff members are responsible for all of the extra work that involves the members. Staff will never be responsible for any game creation work, plot, etc. that is involved with the GM’s. Listed are a few jobs that will be assigned: Bi-monthly character sheet checks, session summaries, member guidance, session notes. Other jobs may be assigned by GM’s on a case by case basis.
Benefits: All staff members, for their hard work, will receive a stipend of a 25% increase in all experience awards. In addition, they will also be given a 4th character slot. If a staff member resigns or is removed from their position, they will lose the 25% stipend (but not lose any experience) and will have to retire one of their characters so that they meet the 3 character limit. Elections: Elections will be held every 3 months on the forums. At any time, a player may state that they wish to run for a Staff position on the forums. A week before the 3 month term is up, a poll will be created by a current staff member, GM, or HGM. At the end of that poll, the winner will be a new Staff member or the current player will remain in the position. There are no term limits. The HGM reserves the right to remove anyone from the position, unless there is a 90% acceptance from all other members.
Member - Members do not have any special privileges, jobs, or concerns. All they have to do is make sure that their character sheets are up to date, they understand their characters inside and out, participate in all polls, and try to be as active as possible. Members are responsible for voting in polls which determine staff members, session dates, etc. Although they are not responsible for Probationary Members (Probies), they are encouraged to help them out as much as possible.
Probationary - Probies are only responsible for completing everything that is necessary in order to become a full member.
Demerits
During the course of their time within the group, members are capable of being disciplined for actions that go against the rules of TLoT. The more demerits are earned, the more privileges that will be removed, experience revoked, removal of levels, until eventually the member is suspended or expelled.
Demerits can be given by the HGM and GM’s only. The HGM and GM’s can also take away demerits. Way to receive a demerit include but are not limited to: Verbally fighting (not arguing over a rule) during a session, continuous similar mistakes on character sheets over time, not appearing at a session you said you were coming to without notifying the HGM or GM, any form of cheating including “dice fudging”, physical fighting at a session, not adhering to group rules/policies/protocol, etc.
Because there has never been any issues in the past, there is currently no system for what demerits are worth in terms of violations. They will be added on a case by case basis.
Court
The court system is used for coming to the conclusion of Pathfinder rules that are either hard to understand, or written in a way that can be interpreted multiple ways. It will also be used to add, take away, or modify existing rules and houserules. Any member can make a thread in “The Courthouse” on the forums and bring up a topic for discussion. If a conclusion cannot be made, the HGM will make a final decision and close the thread out. The thread will then be locked and placed into “Court Rulings” on the forum. The HGM will also set a timeframe for when the topic can be reopened for discussion. The time chosen must be reasonable and will allow other members to gather information on the topic to present.
The Courthouse will also be where all demerits are officially handed out or taken away. Again, discussion can be made on the topic but the HGM will have the final say. Once a demerit is handed out, only the HGM can take it away if he deems the demerit to be unnecessary or if the member receiving the demerit can prove that they are not deserving of the demerit.
Inactivity
The HGM will keep track of attendance for every session held. These stats will reveal how involved members are in the group. If members miss too many sessions, they will be labeled as “Inactive”. Inactive members can become full members again by just playing, but if they miss too many more sessions they will be removed from the group. Members who are removed from the group have the option to return their Taroson Patch to the HGM. If the Taroson Patch is returned, they will be elligible to earn it again by going through the probationary period.
Members who miss 6 out of 10 sessions will be labeled as Inactive. This is, on average, only attending 1 session a month.
Inactive members who miss an additional 6 out of 10 sessions will be removed from the group. If they attend 6 out of 10 sessions, they will be brought back as full members.
Those who are considered inactive are ineligible for in game holiday gifts and in game birthday gifts. They may also not host in person sessions at their residence. Their characters will remain in the world, but will not be used in any plot line. Members who are removed from the group due to inactivity will have all characters either killed, retired, or used as NPC's by the GM or HGM. Characters lost this way will never be returned to the original player.
All members, not probationary members, must put this campaign ahead of any other role playing games that they may be attending (This corresponds to the signed application, stating that you will be able to be active in more than one large campaign setting)
Coffer
The HGM will act as treasurer for all game funds acquired by players. These funds will only be used for Role Playing purposes such as Roll20 membership, 3rd party programs, physical props, dice, books, etc. The HGM will keep track of the funds, who donated them, and what they were spent on, in a physical notebook and on the forums.
Currently the only way to acquire funds are by donation. There are no monthly dues and there are no rewards for donating any money.
Lottery
During every session, in preson or online, there will be a roll for the lottery. The lottery will consist of experience and gold, which will go up by 250 for experience and 500 for gold after every session. Each player will choose four numbers between 1-12. Once all players have entered their picks, the GM will roll 4d12, each die being a result. In order for a player to win the lottery they must pick all four numbers. The numbers do not have to be in chronological order to win. If a player picks all four numbers in chronological order, they will eacn the lottery x2.
If multiple players pick all four numbers, the lottery will be divided evenly amongst each player. If multiple players pick all four numbers in chronological order, the lottery will be divided evenly amongst each player.
Game Master Side Quests
Game Masters may run semi-cannon side quests inbetween sessions during the primary campaign. These sessions must be approved by the Head Game Master of the primary campaign in order to keep everything as close to the world and story as possible.
First, the Game Master wishing to run a side quest must submit an outline of the story/plot/arc for the side-quest. This information must include an objective for the players from A to B, giving as much detail as possible without knowing how the players will react. Main concerns for the Head Game Master will be where the sessions will take place, what kind of enemies/monsters/creatures will be utilized, what type of rewards could be handed out, and how much of an affect it will have on the world as a whole and the primary campaign as a whole. It is up to the Head Game Master whether or not to approve sessions that will have lasting effects on the primary campaign or the world itself. This can include the introduction or removal of NPC's, towns, etc. The purpose of these approvals is so that the Head Game Master can keep balance for the characters who are also involved in the primary campaign.
If the Head Game Master wishes to participate in these sessions, he may, but will not use any out of game knowledge during the session. The Head Game Master will have access to the approved side-quest outline, therefore he must utilize extreme caution when approaching any role playing or tactical situations that may occur.
Side-Quest submissions may be sent to the Head Game Master via proboards forum personal message or physical writing. Any other forms will not be accepted as a submission and will be ignored. Once the submission has been approved, the Game Master may then create a post in the "Official Sessions" section of the forums to post a poll for session dates. These posts will act in the same manner as the voting posts for the primary campaign, with the only difference being that the primary campaign will be put ahead of any Side-Quests in the case of a tie.
1dX+X