Open Letter from Interim GM1
Hello, players! I know there's been a lot of change in the game lately, and I want to thank everyone for their patience while everything gets straightened out. I'd like to explain a couple of things about what's currently going on with our events, to bring up a current K1 policy I've heard a few complaints about, and to give everyone a story teaser for the digital event next weekend.
Interim GM 1st: The GM 1st is currently suspended pending the completion of a JRB. As a member of the Gamemastery Staff, I was asked to take over event management and GM responsibilities until either the current GM returns to action or a new GM 1st is appointed by the BoD. I'm continuing to work with other staff members on the online events. We're on track to be ready for the September event next weekend and are working on a few different plans for October.
Ongoing Story: All story run outside of online events is currently on pause and will be restarted once the current staff situation has resolved. I don't have access to live plot write-ups, so I can't currently give out information to players about those plots. If you didn't encounter it at an online event, it's likely paused. Thank you for your understanding while we settle in on the interim GM staff.
K1 Policy Reminder: I've received complaints that there have been players engaging in between-events role-playing, specifically on private Discord servers. K1's policy K1-POL-001 19.01: Meta-Gaming says the following:
The Kanar Game Master Staff strives to see that it's game system and the “spirit” by which it is played are fair and just to all members. The Kanar Game Staff Operations Managers (KGSOM) shall enforce the wishes of the Game Master Staff concerning meta-gaming and shall frown on all forms of it. Therefore, the KGSOM has set forth this statement of policy to be followed by all members of K1.
“Meta-gaming” is defined as the use of out-of-game (OOG) knowledge to effect in-game (IG) events, the conscious spreading of false information OOG to affect IG events and / or for IG benefit. This includes, but is not limited to, coins, tagged items, the interactions of characters during times other than KGE sanctioned events, and / or the granting of titles or privileges for characters during times other than KGE sanctioned events. This includes OOG areas, during game time. Tags not on your person are at “home”, and not at play.
Meta-gaming is against the spirit of the game we administer and any form of it shall be turned over to the Game Master Staff to determine if disciplinary action needs to be taken. Such forms might include chat boards on the internet, parties, mass e-mails, etc.
The policy specifies that any character activity outside of the game's field of play (which is currently the KGE Event Server on Discord) and/or outside of gameplay hours is, by our definition, meta-gaming. If it's happening between events through a non-Kanar channel, it's against our current policy.
I realize that players may not be aware that our meta-gaming policy is so specific about between-event actions. If you have a group or server where you talk to each other as your characters or make in-character plans, please close it down by Monday (Sept 14). Any groups reported to be operating after this date risk facing meta-gaming charges.
After all the talk about what you can't do, here's what you can do:
Players are absolutely allowed to have groups for planning event logistics out of character. You don't need to delete your group's Facebook page where you plan meals and camp workdays. As long as you're not talking to each other in character or gathering game information you intend to take into character later, you're probably just fine. If you have any questions or concerns, please ask.
Our between-event actions are determined by a combination of two things: the character sign-out process we submit after events and emails to the GM. The details you include about what your character is doing between events in your sign-out are what game staff uses to figure out how the world progresses when we're not in Ilveresh and what needs to wait until the next sanctioned event. Players can also send couriers and message spells to other characters between events via emails to gm@kanar.club. Messages should include the text, who it's for, where and how you're sending it, and any important details about the document, and it'll be forwarded to the email the message's recipient uses for Kanar communication.
Considering the circumstances we're in with online instead of live events, I plan on discussing a compromise for character interactions with the GSOM Committee. If you have any thoughts or questions about the game, please email me at gm@kanar.club.
September Event Teaser
The outpost of Favianae was never meant to hold this many people.
Barely north of the Bayomal Divide, this outpost of tents and wood-walled buildings is a camp split along faction lines. Those who live behind the wooden walls speak of the vagrants and thieves of Char who live in the tents and the barely-tolerated merchant caravans camped outside the town. The tent-dwelling rogues and gamblers mock the 'respectable folk' too afraid to venture outside of their walls and complain of treasure hunters coming to town. The two merchant caravans are too busy feuding amongst themselves to bother with much more than making certain those traveling through their camps aren't spies from the other side or sneaks come to steal goods from their wagons.
The guards of Alari's Gate have another story to tell. No one patrols the woods alone anymore. There are grim reports, flashes of red or yellow scales and reptilian tracks in the woods, and rumors of unrest coming up from the south. As the season begins to change, tensions are higher than ever to settle the caravan conflict and get everyone to their destinations before the harvest festivals begin and the monsters of All Hallow's take control of the night. Will tensions cool, or is Favianae a border outpost ready to boil over?
Photo by Martin Adams on Unsplash