DragonLancer said:
Rule Zero, yes. What are the others?
Rather than retyping, I just cut and paste the sections you asked about directly from my player's guide. I will add a caveat to this: this is all from a guide meant for my players and these are all based on specific situations that have caused major problems in my gaming group in the past. Many of these may sound like rude vituperations, but they need to be said for my game. I game with a large player base of over 30+ people and there are three or four of us at any given time that run DnD games on the same world (Novare), so these are all things that we in the DM Pool have come up with. Enjoy.
A Few Considerations
This small section is presented in front of the guide so that each player will know what is expected and what general environment the game is being played in. This is not meant as an attack or a challenge to anyone, this is just a nice way of getting needless crap and baggage out of the way. As per usual, any individual DM has the right to ignore anything mentioned here.
The Rule of William
Charisma does NOT denote physical attractiveness. There is no stat in the game to record this, and quite frankly there is no need for one. Further more, if your character has a high Charisma score, and should you choose to play said character like a complete boob, your method of playing will be taken into account regardless of your character’s personal magnetism.
The Jiminy Clause
On another side of that coin, just because you are not the smartest person in the world do not take that to mean that you cannot play a smart character. If you think you are one of the smartest people on the earth (you probably aren’t), and you choose to play a character that has the mental capacity of a stick of butter, then you should play him like that. If you find that you cannot contain yourself from chiming in with your vast intellect, then find another player who isn’t as smart as their character and offer them advice.
The Synaptic Seizure Situation
If, for whatever reason, you elect to stop paying attention to the game, it will be assumed that whatever mental/neurological disorder your character is afflicted with, has come into play. You will work with what knowledge you have and any new facts that have been ignored by the newly retarded character will have to be learned at a later date. As an additional penalty, if this happens in combat and, after being told that it is your turn in the initiative (once), it will be assumed that you are flat footed while you are in the throws of your mental/neurological disorder’s fugue. This will hopefully prevent other player from having to behave in a CNN/Weather Channel capacity and give, players less inclined to pay attention, constant updates. In addition to the normal penalty that you bring upon yourself for not paying attention, if your character dies while in the throws of a fugue, the other players will put whether or not you get to create a new character to a vote.
Argumentum ad Verecundiam
It is highly irregular and often an exception that any given player will hold advanced degrees in the Physical Sciences, Theology, Philosophy or Mathematics. As such, any attempt to present oneself as an authority on any subject pertaining to any field which is not directly related to ones current employment/student curriculum will be disqualified under the Argumentum ad Verecundiam rule of logical fallacy. No rule would be complete with out a benefits/penalties side so…. If a possible theory is presented and dismissed by the DM, you may (not during game time) present a proof (empirical evidence required) to A) better yourself and others, B) gain credibility as someone who might actually know something and C) receive an XP award of up to 100 x your characters level. Conversely, if you waste valuable game time promoting a theory that, after being dismissed, the DM or some other enterprising player, bored with your postulating, goes to the trouble of disproving (empirical evidence required) you will be fined 500 x your characters level in XP.
Rule Zero
If ever there is any situation that cannot be easily determined by the application of the rules set currently being used, the DM is always right. This cannot be over turned. Not even the RPGA has the power to revoke, impede, or overturn any decision made by any DM anywhere. Ever. The DM also has further license to change, modify, or otherwise go against anything relating to the rules or setting that may currently be in print or that has been previously verbally mentioned by any source any where for any reason. If the DM decides to invoke this ability, the DM does not for any reason owe any one anywhere an explanation. It is assumed that the DM knows the ramifications and reasoning of making these decisions for whatever purposes the DM deems necessary.
If you, as a player see that your DM is misusing or abusing these powers, then you owe it to yourself and the DM in question to find a new game to play in. Just because a DM chooses to do this, doesn’t mean that you are forced to like it. It just means that you are forced to deal with it in whatever manner you choose. This author also strongly encourages anyone that sees a DM abusing the application of Rule Zero to wait until after a game session and try to reason with the DM.
Invoking 100 Bugbears
It is assumed by players that the DM will only send them on missions that they can relatively easily overcome. While the various tenants of DM style are up for debate, one thing should be kept in mind if you are going to play in Novare. Novare is a world where epic things can and do happen. Novare is a world where the smallest adventurers go on the largest adventures. Novare is a world that is drastically different for everyone who lives in it. In order to maintain suspension of disbelief, the DM will set down certain challenges that do not scale up or down as the players explore the world around them. This is called Invoking 100 Bugbears. This is something that each player should keep in mind. If your DM tells your character, through whatever means possible, that there are 100 Bugbears on the other side of the hill, when your character walks over that hill there will be 100 Bugbears there. When those 100 Bugbears kill your character and have their way with your mount, you should not be mad, nor should you expect the epic level character that you played in the last campaign to show up and save you. This is not to say that this has happened in the past, it is just something to keep in mind.
The Cardinal Sin of Gaming
The world that we play in is a fantasy setting. It is not real. There are facets of the world of Novare that strongly mirror our own. This is something that is often taken for granted. While these real-world parallels add to the over all verisimilitude of the game, each player and DM should be strongly cautioned to not allow this to jade their views of the game itself. In other words, please leave all baggage at the door. If, in the real world, you have strong issues with any particular religion or other social behaviors or lifestyles, leave it in the real world. On Novare, issues such as homosexuality, monotheistic religions, polyamory, and the like are not viewed the same as they are on Earth. Don’t bring your preconceived notions into the game, and more importantly to not allow your own personal politics to skew your view of what takes place in the game. To do so, is to commit The Cardinal Sin of Gaming.
)
