House Rules

House Rules
These are a few things that I'd like done in my game. If you think I'm being unfair, restrictive or annoying, say so and give me an alternative. I'll listen and not take offense, and I'd rather you say something than give me the illusion that everything's fine.

Campaign Rules

Assumptions	I don't expect players to detail every little thing that their characters are doing, every time they do it. On the other hand, I don't want to make assumptions about what your character is or is not doing. To minimize this, I'll do two things. One, I'll assume that your character is competant and acts intelligently within his knowledge. I'll take his skills, professions and experience into account, and try to make logical decisions based on his motivations, observations and preparations. There won't be too many times that this involves a major decision, as those should be up to the player and I'll try to postpone them until you're present. Second, I'll encourage Standard Operating Procedures. These are lists of things that get done on a routine basis, but aren't worth mentioning every single time. For example, I won't expect every player to say "I'm cleaning and properly maintaining my weapons and armor," every game night. Instead, I'll expect the party leader to write down "When we make camp, our SOP is..." and list things like searching the immediate area for traps, preparing a smokeless fire, maintaining equipment and posting a watch. Marching order is another common SOP. There can be player and party SOPs, public ones and secret agendas. I'm attempting to strike a balance between realism, playability and enjoyment. I like having a good level of detail present and capable of making a difference, but I don't like having to deal with it on a regular basis. With SOPs I can streamline adventuring and keep the ability to say, "While you're setting up camp, the person searching the local area encounters..." because I know someone is exploring. It also gives the players the knowledge that I won't hit them with things like "Because nobody specificly said they were doing X, you get amushed." Oh - a hint. Never go off to search the area alone.
Extra Lives	I will not deliberately kill off characters except in situations where they truely deserve it, but sometimes your character may get himself into a deady situation with no way out. For 3 experience points you may buy an Extra Life that will miraculously save your character from certain death. They may be bought retroactive to the need for them but this raises the price to 5 points.
Experience Dice	I'm going to try out this idea, so if it doesn't work or people don't like it it'll be dropped during the game. Fortune favors fools, small children and ships named Enterprise, and the PCs aren't small children or starships. They enjoy an ability to survive and surpass opponents and obstacles that would reduce lesser men to steaming piles of digestive by-product, and this is represented by experience dice. Experience dice may be added to any roll the player makes. The player rolls the normal dice along with the experience dice, then removes as many of the dice as he put in. For example, if a player use one experience die with an attack roll he would roll four dice, then take out any one of his choice. The remaining three dice would count as his roll. An experience die may only be used once per game session. Every player character starts with one experience die, and may gain (or lose) them over the course of the campaign. They may not be bought with experience and are only gained by adventuring, role-playing and the successful completion of in-game quests in the service of beings of great power. Temporary dice may be awarded as a blessing or mark of favor, generally useable only for a specific purpose.

Assumptions

I don't expect players to detail every little thing that their characters are doing, every time they do it. On the other hand, I don't want to make assumptions about what your character is or is not doing. To minimize this, I'll do two things.

One, I'll assume that your character is competant and acts intelligently within his knowledge. I'll take his skills, professions and experience into account, and try to make logical decisions based on his motivations, observations and preparations. There won't be too many times that this involves a major decision, as those should be up to the player and I'll try to postpone them until you're present.

Second, I'll encourage Standard Operating Procedures. These are lists of things that get done on a routine basis, but aren't worth mentioning every single time. For example, I won't expect every player to say "I'm cleaning and properly maintaining my weapons and armor," every game night. Instead, I'll expect the party leader to write down "When we make camp, our SOP is..." and list things like searching the immediate area for traps, preparing a smokeless fire, maintaining equipment and posting a watch. Marching order is another common SOP. There can be player and party SOPs, public ones and secret agendas.

I'm attempting to strike a balance between realism, playability and enjoyment. I like having a good level of detail present and capable of making a difference, but I don't like having to deal with it on a regular basis. With SOPs I can streamline adventuring and keep the ability to say, "While you're setting up camp, the person searching the local area encounters..." because I know someone is exploring. It also gives the players the knowledge that I won't hit them with things like "Because nobody specificly said they were doing X, you get amushed."

Oh - a hint. Never go off to search the area alone.

Extra Lives

I will not deliberately kill off characters except in situations where they truely deserve it, but sometimes your character may get himself into a deady situation with no way out. For 3 experience points you may buy an Extra Life that will miraculously save your character from certain death. They may be bought retroactive to the need for them but this raises the price to 5 points.

Experience Dice

I'm going to try out this idea, so if it doesn't work or people don't like it it'll be dropped during the game. Fortune favors fools, small children and ships named Enterprise, and the PCs aren't small children or starships. They enjoy an ability to survive and surpass opponents and obstacles that would reduce lesser men to steaming piles of digestive by-product, and this is represented by experience dice.

Experience dice may be added to any roll the player makes. The player rolls the normal dice along with the experience dice, then removes as many of the dice as he put in. For example, if a player use one experience die with an attack roll he would roll four dice, then take out any one of his choice. The remaining three dice would count as his roll. An experience die may only be used once per game session.

Every player character starts with one experience die, and may gain (or lose) them over the course of the campaign. They may not be bought with experience and are only gained by adventuring, role-playing and the successful completion of in-game quests in the service of beings of great power. Temporary dice may be awarded as a blessing or mark of favor, generally useable only for a specific purpose.

Experience

Gaining	You earn a base 1 experience point per game for showing up on time and participating (and a minimum of 1 point, regardless of the modifiers below and extenuating circumstances such as having to leave early). +1 for significant role-playing & in-character actions (I plan on being generous here - just don't fall asleep.) +1 if it was a long, complicated adventure with lots of plot twists (Expect this to be a common occurance.) +1 if you made the entire group helpless with laughter (one award per session, general vote) -1 for significant out-of-character actions, contradicting character motivations, or ignoring circumstances that would activate a psychological limitation Roundtable: +1 point for joining the after-game conversation. Bluebooking: +1 point for between-game bluebooking. You're not required to write a lot, but a few paragraphs detailing downtime activities would be the minimum. Act 1: +1 point. Characters are low on the learning curve and find most things new (5-7 per game). Expect characters to range from 115-165 points. Acts 2 & 3: +0 point. Characters are experienced but still find things to learn fairly easily (3-5 per game). Expect characters to range from 160-220 points. Acts 4 & 5: -1 point. Characters are high on the learning curve and require unusual circumstances to learn things (2-4 per game). Expect characters to range from 210-250 points. Additional experience may be awarded in the form of abilities you pick up in the course of an adventure (usually Knowledges, Languages, Contacts and Favors, though I may give you points specificly on a skill).
Spending	Improving skills is pretty straightforward: practice. It takes about a day to 'spend' an experience point on a skill you already have, and time spent on an adventure counts. I may impose arbitrary limits on how high a skill can go without in-game actions and teachers (self-study only takes you so far), likewise with skill levels. Gaining new skills is also fairly easy: get a teacher. It takes about a week to spend an experience point on a new skill. Learning new spells takes about a day of uninterrupted study per point the spell costs assuming you have good study materials. If you're trying to figure something out on your own, expect to spend at least a week of trial and error with a lot of profanity. Learning combat spells on your own is a bad idea. Under unusual circumstances I will allow you to spend experience much more quickly. You shouldn't look forward to these opportunities.
You may spend experience to directly affect the game. This may only be done at an appropriate or dramatic moment where the desired result matters a great deal to your character. 1 point: Predetermine the outcome of a single die. This may be part of a 3d6 roll, the STUN multiplier die, or any other roll made by any player (not the GM). 2 points: Force a reroll. Any roll that has just been made must be made again, including ones made by the GM. 3 points: It works. Whatever you're trying to do, you succeed in the roll by one point. This is subject to GM approval.

Gaining

You earn a base 1 experience point per game for showing up on time and participating (and a minimum of 1 point, regardless of the modifiers below and extenuating circumstances such as having to leave early).

+1 for significant role-playing & in-character actions (I plan on being generous here - just don't fall asleep.)
+1 if it was a long, complicated adventure with lots of plot twists (Expect this to be a common occurance.)
+1 if you made the entire group helpless with laughter (one award per session, general vote)
-1 for significant out-of-character actions, contradicting character motivations, or ignoring circumstances that would activate a psychological limitation

Roundtable: +1 point for joining the after-game conversation.
Bluebooking: +1 point for between-game bluebooking. You're not required to write a lot, but a few paragraphs detailing downtime activities would be the minimum.

Act 1: +1 point. Characters are low on the learning curve and find most things new (5-7 per game). Expect characters to range from 115-165 points.
Acts 2 & 3: +0 point. Characters are experienced but still find things to learn fairly easily (3-5 per game). Expect characters to range from 160-220 points.
Acts 4 & 5: -1 point. Characters are high on the learning curve and require unusual circumstances to learn things (2-4 per game). Expect characters to range from 210-250 points.

Additional experience may be awarded in the form of abilities you pick up in the course of an adventure (usually Knowledges, Languages, Contacts and Favors, though I may give you points specificly on a skill).

Spending

Improving skills is pretty straightforward: practice. It takes about a day to 'spend' an experience point on a skill you already have, and time spent on an adventure counts. I may impose arbitrary limits on how high a skill can go without in-game actions and teachers (self-study only takes you so far), likewise with skill levels.

Gaining new skills is also fairly easy: get a teacher. It takes about a week to spend an experience point on a new skill. Learning new spells takes about a day of uninterrupted study per point the spell costs assuming you have good study materials. If you're trying to figure something out on your own, expect to spend at least a week of trial and error with a lot of profanity. Learning combat spells on your own is a bad idea.

Under unusual circumstances I will allow you to spend experience much more quickly. You shouldn't look forward to these opportunities.

You may spend experience to directly affect the game. This may only be done at an appropriate or dramatic moment where the desired result matters a great deal to your character.

1 point: Predetermine the outcome of a single die. This may be part of a 3d6 roll, the STUN multiplier die, or any other roll made by any player (not the GM).
2 points: Force a reroll. Any roll that has just been made must be made again, including ones made by the GM.
3 points: It works. Whatever you're trying to do, you succeed in the roll by one point. This is subject to GM approval.

Real Life Rules

Attendance	I understand that real life takes priority over a game, so as long as I know if you'll be absent then there is no penalty for not showing up. If you don't show up and there's a good reason (this is subjective, but "I overslept" just doesn't cut it), there is also no penalty. On the third unexcused absence (including being 30 minutes late) your character will become an NPC to be run as I see fit, and you'll either deal with the changes or make a new character. I will not intentionally destroy or humiliate your character, but I will involve him in plot elements that I would not normally use on a PC.
Whiteboard	I assume we'll be meeting at my place and I've got room for my full-sized whiteboard tabletop. I'll have markers, so feel free to scribble notes, BODY and STUN records, etc. on it. In fact, I'd like everyone seated around the whiteboard, partly to promote group unity, partly so you don't miss anything, and partly so we don't have to go hunting for you when it's your turn.
Figures & Counters	I've got paper figures, but you're welcome to bring your own and we'll use them on the whiteboard. Any questions about lines of sight, perception rolls, area effect damage and where missed shots go will be determined by what I see on the board.
Dice	All official rolls should be made on the whiteboard, after I ask for them and we know the target number. If there's any question about a roll, be prepared to make it again.
Critical Hits & Misses	In combat, a roll of 3 will always succeed and unless you needed a 3 to hit in the first place, double your damage. On an 18 you fail, and need to make a standard attack roll against some target you don't want to hit (my choice). Out of combat, if you roll a 3 or make your roll by 15 points (including all modifiers) it's a critical success and something really good happens. Rolling an 18 will be spectacular and exciting, at least for a little while.
Bribing the GM	For a cold can of Mountain Dew you can add a free experience die to a 3d6 roll. This counts only if I don't happen to have one, and want one. For half a pepperoni pizza you can predetermine the outcome of one die in a 3d6 roll. Again, I have to want one at the time. For $20 I cast your character as a central figure in a grand and glorious epic that will... wait, I'm doing that anyway. Never mind. For $50 we sit around and I tell a story about how great your character is.