Scheduling

Scheduling Process

Attendees to any given one-shot will change from session to session, so this sort of game structure does not allow for a consistent schedule. What we will have, however, is an established process to schedule events.

GM (Gamemaster) will post a one-shot brief in the Discord, describing the genre, plot, and system it will be using
When prepared to run the session, the GM will post a scheduling poll with the time slots they have available in the next two weeks
The players will respond to the poll, preferably within a day or so of its initial posting
The GM will decide a date for the session, posting it on the Discord as an Event, which can be referenced at any time.

Session By The Numbers

Frequency

As an initial goal, at least once a month, but potentially several times per month.

Day and Time

Fully dependent on the availability of players, but most often Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday. Typical start time as 6:30pm ET, running as late as midnight.

Typical Session Length

4 hours minimum, some sessions going up to 6 as long as all participants consent

Group Size

With the ebb and flow of players between any given one-shot, it's important to note that my general target for attendance is 3-4 players. A 5-player group is doable, but I would prefer not to, as it is hard to balance the spotlight equally with so many players over one measly session. A 2-player group is also doable, and far more likely to be run, though I expect both players to be sure they are able attend if we proceed with a small table.

Tardiness and Absence

When in doubt, letting me know ahead of time is the best case, but life happens. Let me know ASAP whenever you think you will be late or absent! I typically make reminder @Session pings in advance of the session at 5 days before, 1 day before, and the day of.

Lateness

If a player doesn't arrive on time or provides no warning for lateness, you are free to still come and participate in the session. I will delay upwards of 30 minutes after the session's start time, during which the present players can check over their character sheets, engage in RP, or just generally hang out. After 30 minutes, I will begin the session. Any content missed will be succinctly summarized.

Regrets Only

If you can't make a session, let me know through a discord message with as much advance notice as possible, at least one day preferred. Otherwise, I will assume you are available and attending.

Player Absence

In general, an absent player’s character will be narratively present but will not contribute to the session. If the player arrives after the start of a session, they can just settle in begin contributing from there as normal.

Drop-Ins

If there is adequate space for another player and you either have a character created or can create one quickly before the session, I'm more than happy to accommodate for last-minute additions. While I prefer them at least a day in advance, I'll let people know if there's still room for more players.

Cancellation

Given the nature of one-shot scheduling, as long as we have some people present and willing to play, we will continue as planned. It would be unfair to those who made the time to attend a specific time slot to cancel the session due to surprise absences.

A session may be cancelled under the following circumstances:

Two or fewer players are available, due to cancellations ahead of time
Two or fewer players show at game time, plus the Game Master (GM)

Table Rules

Player Expectations

Collaborative and selfless gameplay. I do my best to include all players in the game, give everyone their own moments to shine, but it is also the responsibility of the players to provide a “yes and…” when roleplaying, holding out a branch for other players to have their characters engage within the session.
Know your character. You should spend the time to understand how your abilities, features, and spells work. If we are playing in new systems that we are unfamiliar with, knowing your character means you have a greater ability to help catch other players up to speed.
No ‘lone wolves’. The assumption of playing a party-based game is that it is your responsibility to create and play a character who can find a reason to work well with others. Deliberately refusing to engage with the game grinds progression to a halt and wastes everyone’s time.
PC vs PC (whether combat or social) conflict is allowed, but must be agreed upon OOC by players involved

Conflict Resolution

I will privately contact you if you bend one of the above rules too far. Likewise, if you, the player, have a problem with something I or another player do, let me know directly and we will work it out and correct the behavior. Even if it’s just a concern, like not knowing whether someone’s in-character words were motivated by out-of-character ill intent, it’s important that everyone feels comfortable and engaged.

Logistics

Communication: Discord server for voice chat. No required video chat. Private DM-player channels for whispers

Platform: FoundryVTT, self-hosted

Session Framework

Setting: Variable depending on the one-shot, but often Itora, my homebrew world

Genres: High Fantasy, Cusp of Industrial, High Magic, Natural Magic, Politics (non-exhaustive list)

Tone: High Player Agency; the rest is dependent on the one-shot's genre

Content Focus: In order of importance: Roleplay, Player Character Story, GM Story, Exploration, Combat

Levelling: System-dependent. Usually one level-up during the session, but some might not have any.

House Rules

System dependent. As of now, none.

Lines and Veils (Content Consent)

Lines must be drawn to make sure that no player is made uncomfortable. If one player deems a topic as a line, it is a line for everyone. If it is accepted, it is accepted for everyone. This goes for both player roleplay and GM roleplay. When joining my table, I'll ask you to complete a consent survey to let me know what your lines and veils are, and this list will be adjusted accordingly.

Lines

Hard limit, something we do not want to cross. Lines represent places we don't want to go in roleplaying and actions/themes I will not be allowing.

Sexual assault
Self-Harm, Torture
Cancer, or other thematically similar afflictions
Systemic Racism, Sexism, Slavery
Abuse (against children or animals, between PCs, police brutality)
Transphobia, Homophobia

Veils

A "pan away" or "fade to black" moment. When we veil something, we're making it a part of the story, but keeping it out of the spotlight. These acts will be “veiled” as a statement of their existence, without actual descriptions of the acts (ex. “You can tell they were physically abused” or “the angry farmer hurls a racist comment at you”). There’s nothing gained by going into detail.

Sexual or intimate acts (consensual)
Romance between PCs (consensual)
Graphic gore, murder
Drugs/Alcohol
Spiders (no graphic descriptions or visual representations)

Slavery, Racism, Sexism, Discrimination, and Abuse exist in my setting, but if it ever manifests in the game, it will be in a situation where the players have the agency to exact their chosen degree of punishment. In most instances the offending party will be an individual or small group, not a large organization or government. A bigot can get punched and a fascist or a slaver can be killed without major consequence. The real world has too many terrible people who are too powerful and unreachable for true retribution. Sometimes catharsis is needed, and in my world, you hold the power to make things right.

Acceptable

Common potential veils/fears that are okay to explore normally.

Fears: Heights, snakes, bugs
Flirting and Romance between PCs and NPCs (I will say if/when lines are crossed)
Flirting between PCs (consensual)

Thanks

Thank you for reading this far, I hope we can make great adventures together!