Code Of Conduct
The core of the Code of Conduct is respect.
1. Respect for others (not just the DM, but for the fellow players and for others around us who are not playing the game) is expected from all gamers of this campaign. Without respect, the game is lessened, and that reduces the fun we all have.
2. Respect the Environment: Please clean up after yourself. If you bring food or drinks to the game, throw your trash away at the end of the night. Flush the toilet when you're done; that kind of thing. If it's my house, I'd prefer not to have to clean up after everyone. If we're gaming somewhere else, I'd hate for us to lose the ability to game at a particular location because we didn't give the host the respect of cleaning up after ourselves.
3. Respect your Fellow Gamers: Show your fellow gamers the same respect you'd like them to show you. When you're not in a scene, please keep your comments to a minimum. They interrupt the flow of the scene, and ruin the fun of potentially good RP. A good laugh is wonderful medicine, but a well-played scene is much more satisfying and memorable than a quick one-liner. Also, pay attention during the game, even if you aren't involved in the scene. Part of the game is enjoying the RP of your friends as well as allowing them to enjoy your own interactions.
4. Respect your Dungeonmaster: Keep your focus on the play of the game. Combat lags when people are reading books instead of watching the fight, and the quality of RP drops considerably when a player isn't paying attention. I easily put in twice as many hours into game prep as we spend playing, and running an enjoyable game is my only reward for it. Please don't remove my reward by finding your "Harry Potter" novel more interesting than the climactic battle against the Beholder Cult.
General Guidelines
1. The primary law for Face-To-Face games: Everyone's on their honor in the game. Many of the following suggestions are to help maintain player-player trust within the group, but in general, everyone's on their honor to track their hitpoints, spells, magic items, equipment, et cetera.
2. Non-PC Tomes: No player may reference non-player-oriented tomes (ie the DMG or the various Monster Manuals) during the game without express permission of the DM. It ruins the full impact of the scenario for you and for the DM.
3. Die Rolls: All rolls must be witnessed by at least one other player. No rolls may be made ahead of time, but only when the DM requests it. No warm-up rolls will be accepted.
4. Out-Of-Game Comments: Please try to avoid non-game conversations once the game has started. If you must do so, then I ask that you take non-game conversations away from the table. It disturbs the game.
5. New Members: Once the campaign has started, new members to the gaming group require unanimous approval of current group members, after one session to get a sample of how they roleplay.
6. Calling The Session: I will not run a session based in the current campaign if 50% or more of the players are not present.
7. Absenteeism: During periods where there is a waiting list to play in the campaign, any player that misses three sessions in a row (or three sessions during any rolling period of six sessions) is considered to have voluntarily resigned their seat at the table, and offers to play are extended to those on the waiting list. This automatic resignation can be overridden by unanimous approval of the current group.
8. It is the player's responsibility to create a character that can work and play well with others. If the character can't, then the player shouldn't be playing that character in my game. If the party has to split up, the amount of time each "side" gets will be proportional to the number of members in that group, modified by the importance of the group's activities as they relate to the group's goals. For example, rogues that are always going off for breaking and entering, pickpocketing, or other activities that are not in line with the party's goals will get very little "air time," compared to the rest of the group and their pursuit of the party goals.