Our discord server (or servers, to be accurate) is an active place where people from our community communicate about the game, talk about off topic stuff, role play, and more. STs, Narrators, and Moderators work hard to make sure that discord is a safe place for our community and that it is a healthy part of our game. This page is our best attempt to consolidate our formal policies and best practices in one place.
There are three important roles that you need to be aware of. All of them are “staff,” so if you see that term, know that we’re talking about everyone on this list.
Lead Storyteller (LST). The LST is the person who has the final authority in our game. All staff work hard to tell stories collaboratively, but we will occasionally need someone to make a decision or end a discussion.
Storytellers (STs). The STs know all of the plot, write the downtimes, control NPCs (sometimes called SPCs for “storyteller played characters”), make announcements, and organize events. They make rulings on rules, run fights, and try to add structure to the game.
Narrators. Narrators help STs by running fights, answering rules questions, sometimes adjudicating lore throws, and sometimes adjudicating other throws with PCs. You will frequently see the answer questions in our help and rules questions channel on the server. Narrators all also have PCs, so STs ask them to recuse themselves where they might have conflict of interest.
Moderators (Mods). Moderators keep an eye on public chats, nudge discussions toward the appropriate channel, notify STs when they think STs need to intervene, and model etiquette. They help the rest of the staff stay aware of what’s happening on the server.
Be kind to people. It's pretty basic, but it works. We have a fabulous community and don't expect this to be a problem for anyone. But since we might get random drive-by's from time to time, more specifically:
Don't attack people based on their gender, sexuality, ethnicity, disability, or any other aspect of a human being that is just an inherent part of who they are. Don't deliberately deadname or misgender people. Don't make shitty jokes that punch down at people who already have enough problems. That's tasteless, cruel, and will get you booted from the server.
Do not try to verbally intimidate or threaten physical or emotional violence. You're better than that. We all are.
Don't judge what you don't know. We're all on different paths, and trying to shame someone for their lifestyle choices just makes you look like a dick.
Do not post anything that you damned well know is illegal. We won't argue about it…we'll just boot you off the server and from the game.
Do your best to adhere to general, public, and private channel etiquette.
Keep written IC communication and in-person IC scenes with your character on the server.
If you feel any of these guidelines have been violated, please contact the STs immediately and be assured we will address it.
When beginning a scene, please establish setting, whether it's in person at a particular location, over the phone or telepathy, or via text or other method of written communication.
When completing a scene, write a scene summary and @Storytellers. It’s not always easy to know when a scene is ending, but please do your best. Summaries are one of the most important ways of making sure that STs know what’s happening.
If there is an obvious plot point being discussed (e.g., Praxis overthrow, murder plots, solving a riddle, etc.) please @storytellers. This helps STs be prepared for big moves.
If you are doing PVP, even if everyone is consenting and/or throws are being relented, @storytellers so that they can intervene if necessary.
Limit editing and deleting of posts as much as possible in private and in-game channels. And if you do need to edit or delete a post, adding an OOC explanation of what has been changed or why it needed to be deleted is appreciated.
Do not post screenshots of IC conversations in IC channels with other players. Faulty memories and miscommunications are part of IRL interactions, and they should be part of your characters' interactions, as well.
Do not have concurrent scenes where your character could not be in two places at once. You can write letters, text, or telepathy anyone at any time, but if your character is physically talking to someone in one scene, they cannot be physically talking to someone in another scene.
Spoiler anything that crosses commonly held phobias and anxieties, such as insects/spiders, transphobia, homophobia, etc. (with a label, so others know whether they want to engage). A list of all current game-wide lines and veils is below, and you can check the who’s who for player-specific lines and veils. Also…even if it's not on this list, please use common sense and spoiler anything you know most people will find upsetting.
Keep things relevant. Look at the channel name, and keep things on topic. Players mute channels because they don’t want to see things on that topic, and you keep them safe by posting sensitive messages in the correct channel.
Check in with one another to ensure that the scenes are not moving in unsafe directions.
When you start a thread, @storytellers otherwise STs cannot see it. STs may mute it so that they only see when they are mentioned, but give STs that choice.
Character intimacy of various sorts is allowed in private channels, with the explicit and stated consent of all involved parties--do your check-ins before you go there. This consent can be revoked by any party at any time.
Also recognize that if you're gonna get frisky in a private channel we won't stop you…but the STs may read it.
Your character might want to do certain things between games, and you might want to engage with other characters or the rules between games. We’ve created a helpful list of what’s ok, what’s not ok, and what we allow only in certain situations so that you can get the most out of your experience on the server(s).
ST clarifications. If you're confused about something that's public info, please drop it in your channel. We might go, "yeah, it's IC confusing," but we might also clear up a misconception.
Lore/Academics checks. Sometimes, questions of "do I know this?" come up between games. We cannot promise a fast response, but we allow you to drop requests for lore in your channel in moderation. Treat this as "this came up, do I know this?" rather than a "I want to investigate this, can I get information?" Searching through ancient tomes for esoteric answers is better done in a downtime. Note that we do not allow willpower rethrows on the server.
Powers of the blood/rituals/abilities. These can be used in a downtime or at game. These can be narratively described in scenes, but using your powers to unearth plot information or affect another PC in a hostile or plot relevant fashion cannot be achieved without a downtime or being at game. If you are going to use Disciplines in a way where all players are consenting, please @Storytellers so we can keep an eye on it.
Information gathering merits. Merits like Malkavian Time, Oracular Ability, Parley, and Method to the Madness can only be used at game or as part of a downtime. That said, if you know you are going to use a merit like this as soon as game starts for something, please tell us in your channel ahead of time so that we can prepare. We may in this case in order to streamline game give you the answer in your downtime to save at-game stress. In this case, treat it as if you used the power the moment you stepped on field.
Backgrounds. You cannot use influences, contacts, allies, or resources (to produce an item that requires an item card). Please put these in your downtimes, or use them at game.
Investigating plot. Look into things in downtimes or at game. Between games is a time to share information, not gather it.
Communicating with NPCs. Correspondence with an NPC outside of WNC requires both having a means to contact them IC, and a downtime. Spending a downtime does not guarantee you will get the response you want. Additionally, even a one-sided update to someone outside WNC will require a downtime (this is to enforce the theme of Isolation). That said, local NPCs in the WNC area can be communicated with by dropping a message in your storyteller channel, just like you could message or have scenes with PCs. We reserve the right to respond or not respond according to both the NPC you are messaging, and ST time and resources. We have a lot of channels, and will tend to be honest about whether we have the spoons to have an NPC scene with someone local, or whether we need bullet points. We also reserve the right to say a major happening with local NPCs, such as a cross-sect summit, will require a downtime, even if all the NPCs are in the local area.
Scenes played out on discord are meant to deepen and explore relationships, develop themes (especially personal and political horror themes and our setting themes), and share information. A light RP scene will do some or all of these without getting into throws, mechanics, or consequences. Do you want to meet up and plot to overthrow the Primogen? Go for it! But if the scene would involve making throws to get someone on your side through disciplines or similar, if the scene would involve mechanical consequences to characters such as taking damage or spending willpower, or if the scene would involve consequences that might lead to players’ Status or standing changing, then it’s not OK.
Scenes at game are the best place to make throws, interface with the mechanics, or risk consequences for yours or another character. If you are in a scene where this is happening on discord, work to find a way to push that scene to game where STs are available to help, other players will have an opportunity to react, and players do not have the luxury of second guessing character decisions.
In a game of personal and political horror, it’s easy to delve into the tough stuff and go hard on discord. Choosing which moments of the game can happen on discord and which must happen at game is tough, but it leads to a better experience for the entire community. Additionally, it allows staff to prioritize preparation and community building throughout the month.
Also, please note that while our World of Darkness is in many ways a reflection of the Real World…it is not an exact duplicate and you should not assume that Real World events are necessarily represented in game (natural disasters and politics may be mitigated, for example).
Some types of formatting have become customary over time to differentiate what is happening in a scene.
Scene Description: Bracket with asterisks (*), resulting in italic. Example: *Tucker leans down to watch the ants crawl across the flower.*
Things said in character: Bracket with quotation marks ("). Example: “But I can't eat ice cream!”
Things said out of character (such as player check in's or any other player to player communication during a scene): Bracket with double parenthesis (()). Example: ((Hey, I just did a thing…are you good to continue?))
Things said in telepathy: Bracket with hard brackets [ ]. Example: [Are you sure we're safe here?]
For text messages or written communications, “code blocks” can be helpful. To use a code block, use an accent grave (`) three times before and after your message.
For things that someone might want to think twice about clicking on, use two “pipe characters” on either slide ||like this||. Remember to include a warning about what’s in the spoiler.
Here's what they look like in action (the spoiler is not clickable like it is on Discord, but this will give you the idea).
Sounds good. On my way. See you soon.
At the appointed time, Jenny walks into the bar and looks around speculatively. She raises her pistol in the air.
“Stick ‘em up!"
She lets two bullets fly into the air while grinning like a maniac. ((Content warning: rats)) ||Two rats scurry away at the sound of the gun.||
[Hey, are you about at the back entrance? I'll be there in less than five minutes.]
((OOC: I know you're busy right now, so no rush.))
We love that so many of you are so eager to engage in online RP, and we encourage this! But to be clear, real world considerations always take precedence, and a lack of response in any channel should not be taken as an in-character offense or being left on read. It's fine to poke someone after a week or so and ask if something is being left on read IC, but this should NEVER be an assumption.
Further, if you've been posting a bunch in a group chat, it's worth taking a break sometimes and giving a chance for someone else to post. This is less a concern in 1-1 chats with someone, but make sure everyone has a chance to have their say. Online play is fun, but ultimately, optional.