Revision 8 | Sept. 3, 2024 |
Added TOC |
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Revision 7 | July 24, 2020 |
Markdown test |
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Revision 6 | July 24, 2020 |
Amended by Johnson-2 Bill #3 |
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Revision 5 | Sept. 10, 2016 |
Amended by Bayes Bill #1 |
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Revision 4 | March 24, 2005 |
Revised by Rouse-Deane-2 Edict #7 |
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Revision 3 | March 3, 2004 |
Revised by Dugan Edict #12 |
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Revision 2 | March 30, 2003 |
Revised by Rouse-Deane-1 Edict #26 |
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Revision 1 | Nov. 8, 2001 |
Created by Scott Dale Robinson Edict #23 |
This is the most current version of the Omnibus Gamemaster Department (GMD) Revisions Edict Bylaw, commonly referred to as OGRE, with all revisions and amendments incorporated. All references in the text below to “this Edict” etc. are in reference to Rouse-Deane-2 Edict #7.
The Gamemaster Department shall serve as a resource to Gamemasters, COs, and the membership on matters relating to GMing and in-character activity through those means deemed most expedient and useful to STF and the membership.
The Gamemaster Department shall maintain standards of GMing by means of the regulations set forth in this Edict and later Edicts. The Gamemaster Department shall maintain a public record of the status of all registered or licensed Gamemasters. A Gamemaster shall include anyone who holds a position on a ship at that Rank or in a position containing the term, or anyone registered to do so, and shall fall under the jurisdiction of the Gamemaster Department.
The daily activity of the Gamemaster Department shall be overseen by the Gamemaster Director, who shall be appointed by the President. The Gamemaster Director is a cabinet position, and is equal in power to other departmental directors and Fleet Commanders.
The Assistant Gamemaster Director shall be appointed by the Gamemaster Director. The Assistant Gamemaster Director answers directly to the Gamemaster Director, and is responsible for departmental decisions in the event the Gamemaster Director is not available. Additional responsibilities are at the discretion of the Gamemaster Director.
The Gamemaster Director may delegate any duties described in this Edict or in any subsequent Edicts regarding the Gamemaster Department to another named member of the Gamemaster Department. However, the duty of licensing of Gamemasters may only be delegated to or performed by a licensed Gamemaster, even if this restriction prevents the Gamemaster Director from issuing Gamemaster licenses.
For the purposes of this document, a reference to a “ship” shall mean any Role Playing Area over which the GMD has any influence or authority.
The STF Academy shall maintain a written course and examination pertaining to the subject of GMing. The Gamemaster Department may veto changes to the content of the course or the appointment of a new proctor.
All prospective Gamemasters must be members of STF for a minimum of six (6) months, pass the Gamemaster exam according to the standards set by the Gamemaster Department, and provide to the Gamemaster Department three (3) recommendations from licensed Gamemasters with whom the prospective Gamemaster has served within the last three (3) months for a minimum of one (1) month. A recommendation from a prospective Gamemaster’s CO and/or XO may be substituted in situations where the prospective Gamemaster does not serve with three licensed Gamemasters.
A Gamemaster Mentor is an experienced Gamemaster actively assisting a new Gamemaster through the Gamemaster Training Program. A Gamemaster Mentor must be of Full Gamemaster standing or higher, and be an active Member, as defined by MOO. The Gamemaster Mentor will be responsible for assisting the Gamemaster Trainee in planning a mission as needed, for providing the Trainee with advice and assistance as appears necessary and as is requested by the Trainee, and for reporting back to the Gamemaster Department on the Trainee’s progress and performance when necessary. The Gamemaster Mentor will be required to read the ship in question regularly and coordinate with the CO as necessary.
The procedure for the Gamemaster Training Program is as follows:
For reference purposes, Gamemasters are classified based on their experience and time served. These classifications denote recognition of service, and are not synonymous with ranks.
After reaching a certain level of accomplishment, a Gamemaster may apply to be recognized as having attained a higher level of classification. The Gamemaster Department may take into account both the number of missions completed and specific commentary about the Gamemaster’s performance when making its decision regarding recognition.
Partial missions shall be counted if the Gamemaster in question served as Gamemaster for at least thirty (30) days. Missions that span multiple ships shall be counted separately for each involved ship.
Missions involving multiple Gamemasters working simultaneously shall be counted for both Gamemasters. Time served as an active Gamemaster shall include the time from when the Gamemaster was first licensed until the present, discounting any period during which the Gamemaster was not GMing for one (1) month or more.
These distinctions are primarily honorary but may be used as qualification for other roles and activities.
Prior to the commencement of each mission, the Fleet Commander of a fleet or a subordinate of his choosing shall select a Gamemaster or Gamemaster Trainee-Gamemaster Mentor pair who shall serve as Gamemaster for that mission, subject to the veto of the CO of the ship in question. Notification of this selection must be sent to the Gamemaster Department within 24 hours of the selection, and at least 48 hours prior to the commencement of the mission. Failure to do so shall be considered a failure to complete a duty incumbent upon the office of the person in question. Additional regulation of Gamemaster appointments within a given fleet is at the discretion of the Fleet Commander.
The Gamemaster Department may recommend that a given ship host a Gamemaster Trainee-Gamemaster Mentor pair, and the Fleet Commander or named subordinate responsible is expected to give this request due and fair consideration.
Upon the completion of the mission or any time that a new Gamemaster is appointed in the middle of a mission, the Gamemaster in question must notify the Gamemaster Department of the change or mission completion, including the start and end dates of the mission accurate to the nearest month. The Gamemaster Department shall maintain a publicly accessible archive of the approximate start and end dates of all known missions, including the Gamemaster or Gamemasters involved and the CO or COs involved, for reference purposes.
Should the Gamemaster Director receive a complaint about a Gamemaster or have reason to believe that a Gamemaster is abusing his authority, violating Gamemaster regulations, or otherwise acting in a manner unbecoming an officer, the Gamemaster Director is authorized to investigate the matter and, if necessary, take disciplinary action.
In all such cases, the Gamemaster Director must first inform the Gamemaster in question of the potential problem. If the Gamemaster is able to adequately explain the situation or adequately amend his behavior, the issue is dropped. If not, or if the situation is such that it cannot be amended after-the-fact, the Gamemaster Director may take one or more of the following actions:
Disciplinary action by the Gamemaster Director may be appealed to the President.
In the event that a Gamemaster should have his license revoked, he may not reapply for licensure for the duration of his Probation Period. After the Probation Period has expired, he may reapply for training where he will be given the same consideration as any other individual.
Should the Gamemaster have held a classification higher than Junior Gamemaster prior to the revocation of his license, he will upon the completion of his training mission again assume the title of Junior Gamemaster. He must then successfully complete at least one (1) additional mission before he may apply for higher recognition. At that point he may count all missions he has run both before and after his delicensing, however, the Gamemaster Department may take the Gamemaster’s license revocation into account when making its determination.
A Gamemaster may be removed prior to the completion of a mission by the Fleet Commander or previously named subordinate should the Gamemaster exhibit behavior ill-suited for his position, does not uphold his responsibility of maintaining an enjoyable environment aboard his ship, or abuses the authority of his position beyond the boundaries of STF law and common sense. Dismissal of a Gamemaster by the Fleet Commander himself shall be considered an act of the Fleet Commander and treated accordingly. Dismissal of a Gamemaster by a subordinate of the Fleet Commander shall be referred first to the Fleet Commander before further action.
Gamemasters are responsible for providing an entertaining experience for members of STF on the ships where they serve, and are required to work with each ship’s commanding officer to accomplish this task. In issues pertaining to daily ship operations (i.e. promotions, demotions, logs, message of the day [MOTD]), the Gamemaster has no authority. A CO may grant a GM access to the ship’s MOTD and/or access to add GM-controlled characters at his discretion.
Under extreme circumstances in which one or more posts are irreconcilable with the actions in one or more other posts; with the laws of STF, reason, or decency; or with previously established RPG events; a Gamemaster may declare the posts in question to be null and void and must include a statement of explanation. Any voided post may be appealed to the Gamemaster Director by the voided member. If the Gamemaster is also the Gamemaster Director, it may be appealed to the Assistant Gamemaster Director. The Gamemaster Director may overturn any appealed post void with written statement of explanation.
Under normal circumstances, Gamemasters may not cause the death of a character on a ship that is controlled by a member of STF. The situations in which a Gamemaster may cause the death of a character on a ship that is not a Non-Player Character shall consist only of the following circumstances:
The Gamemaster Director may overturn any appealed Death Notice with written statement of explanation.
A normal mission is one in which a single Gamemaster who is not the CO of the ship in question serves on a single ship for a single mission. A Gamemaster may serve on multiple ships in different, unrelated missions simultaneously. All other types of missions are classified as Special Circumstances. All Gamemasters participating in a Special Circumstances mission must be of Full Gamemaster standing or higher.
Prior to the commencement of a Special Circumstances mission, all involved Gamemasters must obtain the consent of all related COs and all related Fleet Commanders, and must notify the Gamemaster Department prior to the start of the mission. In the event that the Fleet Commander or CO is one of the Gamemasters in question, the permission of the Gamemaster Director shall be required. In the event that the Fleet Commander is also the Gamemaster Director, the CO is also the Fleet Commander, or the CO is also the Gamemaster Director, the approval of the President shall be required. Special Circumstances missions must be approved on a mission-by-mission basis. Additional requirements for Special Circumstances missions are as follows:
If there is a question as to whether or not a mission should be considered Special Circumstances, the Gamemaster Director is empowered to make a determination on a case-by-case basis.
Should any member have a dispute with the actions of a Gamemaster, the member is expected to first address the matter to the Gamemaster in question. If the situation can be resolved, the matter is considered closed. In case of an impass, any of the involved parties may refer the matter to the next highest authority who is not already a party to the dispute for moderation. For the purposes of this edict, the chain of authority shall be the member, Gamemaster, Fleet Commander or designated subordinate, Gamemaster Director, Assistant Gamemaster Director, and finally the President. Only the Gamemaster Director, Assistant Gamemaster Director, or President may forcibly overturn a decision of a Gamemaster and a decision of one of those parties shall be considered final.
Any Gamemaster Trainee currently running a training mission shall complete their training under the old program as described in Edict Dugan #12. Any Gamemaster Trainee who begins a training mission after the date of this Edict will be bound by the new system.
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