Renaming Game “Rules” Title

[Colin]

Something brought up by @Scarecrow71 is that the Game Rules that you can require joinees to agree to isn’t so much rules as a table agreement. So that brings up what such a thing should be titled instead of Rules!

 

Suggestions To Date

• Terms/Conditions
• Table Agreement
• Player/GM Contract

 

Any additional ideas would be welcome while we contemplate a change, and I’ll get new ideas added to the thread poll.

[farothel]

call them house rules.  Most people will understand that I guess.

[Colin]

Added to the poll, @farothel.

[Butchern]

What do we think people will use this space for? Stuff like "Post three times a week," "Write in the third person," etc.? Or stuff like "No violence against pets allowed in this game" or "No PC to PC romance"?

 

If it is the former, then that would be "Posting Guidelines." If it is the latter, then it would be something like "Table Agreement" or "Contract." None of that strikes me as "House Rules," though someone could use it for such (e.g. "No third-party material requests will be approved.")

 

If it is "all of the above," then I'd give it a very generic name like: "Game Expectations."

Edited June 6, 2022 by Butchern (see edit history)

[bwatford]

I think Terms/Conditions fits a broad enough spectrum to cover most things. And contract agreement sounds a little too formal.

[Scarecrow71]

21 minutes ago, Butchern said:

What do we think people will use this space for? Stuff like "Post three times a week," "Write in the third person," etc.? Or stuff like "No violence against pets allowed in this game" or "No PC to PC romance"?

 

If it is the former, then that would be "Posting Guidelines." If it is the latter, then it would be something like "Table Agreement" or "Contract." None of that strikes me as "House Rules," though someone could use it for such (e.g. "No third-party material requests will be approved.")

 

If it is "all of the above," then I'd give it a very generic name like: "Game Expectations."

 

Not sure about anyone else, but you can read what I wrote in my own in the following game:

 

Star Trek Adventures - Myth-Weavers

[Butchern]

So, someone has to 1) read your game ad to get basic info about the game, 2) come to the game forum and click the "rules" tab to read some off the rules in the multiple threads there, and then 3) find and click the "rules" link near the game title to read the rest of the "rules"? 

 

That seems like bad workflow. I will definitely put everything in one place, probably in the game ad and in one single post/page tab.

Edited June 6, 2022 by Butchern (see edit history)

[Scarecrow71]

@Butchern

 

That's....not what I've done at all.

 

The game advertisement is to get people interested in the concept of the game.  If they like the concept, they go to the forum.  Once they get to the forum, they have to read the terms/conditions.  Those are NOT the game rules, but rather a set of agreements between the GM and the players about how they will conduct themselves in a game.  They can then either accept to be cool and get into the forum to focus on the character creation and game rules, or they can decide the don't want to deal and leave.

 

I'm not sure where you are getting that the Rules/Terms/Whatever is a subset of the rules?  I mean, it's no different than reading up on a piece of software you like, purchasing it, and then having to accept the terms/conditions upon install before you can use it.

[Colin]

Specifically what Scarecrow is referencing is that you can set it so that when you apply/join a game, it pops up a box with the rules/agreement that the player must accept to finish joining. It’s a setting under the “Edit Forum” option in the “Manage Game” drop down menu.

 

Menu Pic

 

[Butchern]

In Scarecrow's public game, no one has to read the "terms/conditions" at all. Clicking the link to read them is entirely optional and no agreement is required to post in the forums. And right now the only way to find them is to poke around the banner image of the game and find the world "rules" and click.

 

But I've got no real dog in this fight. If someone sees "In this game we will play this story . . ." (don't join the game unless you agree!) and "In this game we will post like this . . ." (don't join the game unless you agree!) and "In this game we will make characters like this . . ." (don't join the game unless you agree!) and "In this game we will play this way . . ." (don't join the game unless you click to agree!) as four different things that should go in four different places, that's fine. I think they should all go in one place, probably the game ad. The "terms" is a feature I probably won't use.

Edited June 6, 2022 by Butchern (see edit history)

[Colin]

Yep, I think it’s one of those things that’ll be used more as a confirmation after selection, when game status goes back to private or read only and player invites are sent.

[Scarecrow71]

12 minutes ago, Colin said:

Yep, I think it’s one of those things that’ll be used more as a confirmation after selection, when game status goes back to private or read only and player invites are sent.

 

Hmm.  That's not what I wanted at all.  The link to Discord is in there; part of applying is, at least I was hoping, to have to read and accept those terms.  I mean, I've got the Discord link in the OGMW invite.  But what if someone simply doesn't use that ad and is all Baldr all the time?

Edited June 6, 2022 by Scarecrow71 (see edit history)

[DarkisNotEvil]

Terms/Conditions sounds incredibly hostile.

[Aavarius]

On 6/6/2022 at 3:47 PM, DarkisNotEvil said:

Terms/Conditions sounds incredibly hostile.

It does sound too much like legalese, IMO.

 

How about "Game Expectations"?

[Colin]

@Aavarius Added!