We have very few policies in our games, but we take them very seriously. If a storyteller or player violates one of these policies, we reserve the right to take action ranging from mediation to immediate expulsion from the game, depending on the severity of their actions. These policies are intended as a shield for players against other players or against storytellers; they are here to make sure that as many people as possible enjoy the game.

We have never had to ask a player to leave before. We hope we never have to do so -- but we always reserve the right.

How do I make a complaint against a player?

• If you have a minor dispute with another player, we will ask that you try to resolve it out-of-character between yourselves, mediated by a storyteller.
• If you have a serious problem with another player, you can go to any storyteller to get help. When at all possible, we ask that you immediately come and get us, regardless of how little you want to bother us. If a player is being disruptive, we would rather know sooner than later. This does not mean that you cannot come and get us well after the fact. We always take player complaints seriously, especially if safety or harassment is involved.

How do I make a complaint against a storyteller?

• If you are having a minor problem with a storyteller that is not your own, we ask that you find your personal storyteller to mediate the issue for you.
• If you are having a major problem with a storyteller, you can find either the Assistant Head Storyteller or the Head Storyteller to handle it for you.
• If you have a problem with the Assistant Head Storyteller, you can go to the Head Storyteller.
• If you have a problem with the Head Storyteller, you can go to the Assistant Head Storyteller.

Rules

1. No drugs, alcohol, or realistic weapons at game. Do not show up to game intoxicated.

We do not allow drugs or alcohol at our games. From a legal standpoint, we may have minors in attendance. From a player standpoint, neither our storytellers nor our players expect to have to deal with an intoxicated player, and we will not force them to do so. If you are intoxicated when you show up to game, we will ask you to leave.

Realistic weapons are both a legal concern and a safety concern. You may bring obvious toy weapons, foam or latex weapons, or wooden weapons (if con policy allows). If your weapon is too realistic, we will either ask you to take it back to your room or car, or else confiscate it for the duration of the game.

2. Do not touch storytellers or players without their explicit permission.

We have a firm no-touch policy at game, unless you explicitly ask permisson out-of-character and get permission from the subject first.

• When you ask a subject for permission to touch them, you must specify what manner of contact it is you want permission for.
• If someone gives you permission to touch them once, it is not considered permission to touch them again later without asking permission again.
• If someone gives you carte-blance for the duration of the game, but later revokes that permission, you are expected to respect that.
• People cannot give permission to be assaulted. If you physically assault another player, you will be removed with the appropriate amount of force.

3. Do not bully storytellers or players. "I was just playing my character" is NOT a valid excuse.

Our games are primarily cooperative in nature; in fact, our storytellers are very uncomfortable running player-versus-player scenes where player character death is considered a possibility. If you are doing something to ruin another player's night, you are doing something wrong.

Some storytellers or players cannot handle being yelled at. Others cannot handle being cursed at. Very few people enjoy being hit on, even in-character. If you make a genuine effort to stay aware of other people's emotions, this is unlikely to become an issue. 

• If a storyteller or a player looks uncomfortable during a scene with you, we encourage you to go out-of-character to make sure there is nothing wrong.
• If we find that multiple people have complained that you are too aggressive, frightening, or suggestive, we will pull you aside to discuss the matter. If the complaints continue, you will be removed from the game.
• If you are worried about violating this policy by mistake, all you have to do is make sure you continually ask out-of-character: "Are you okay with this scene?" If someone says no, back off and find an alternate way to play the scene.
• This policy applies to storytellers as much as it applies to players. If your storyteller looks uncomfortable with the direction that a scene is going, please be considerate and ask if everything is still okay.

4. Storytellers do not work for you.

Storytellers do not give up their rights when they come to game; they are all volunteers, and while they do receive renumeration, it is not enough for them to break even on getting to game. Many of our storytellers do nothing but run this game, and they do not get to enjoy the rest of the con; they are essentially spending their own money to storytell.

• We take all legitimate complaints against storytellers very seriously, but this does not give you leave to intimidate, yell at, or demean your storytellers. If you are rude or abusive to a storyteller, we will not hesitate to give your money back and ask you to leave.
• Our storytellers will not always run the most perfect game possible. We ask that you maintain some patience with your storytellers if they are overworked or having trouble juggling everyone's enjoyment at once. If you have a problem with a scene or are feeling frustrated by a storyteller decision, you are absolutely allowed to say so. We just ask that you maintain your cool and be polite in the process. We want you to have fun; we wouldn't be here otherwise.

5. Respect your fellow storytellers and players. Do not use slurs, do not make fun of political or sexual orientations, or the "wrong" kind of geek.

We are an inclusive group, and our players span many sexual and political orientations. If you feel the need to complain about identity choices or use slurs, we will not hesitate to ask you to leave, even if the words in question were "just in-character" and/or not directed at someone in particular. If you cannot handle treating such matters with the minimum amount of respect for the short time you are playing our game, this is not the game or the group for you. We will give you your money back and we will ask you to leave.

6. Other reasons.

This set of policies is not a comprehensive rulebook. If we find that you continually walk up to the edge of a policy but avoid it by technicalities, we will still discuss troublesome behaviour with you and/or ask you to leave.

Our main goal is to make sure that all of our storytellers and players feel safe and have fun. If you are endangering that goal, it is incumbent upon us as responsible event organizers to protect the people who have placed their trust in us.

Thanks for continuing to show up to our games. We hope that we will continue to earn the trust that you have placed in us as storytellers.