From Literepetition

The purpose of staff on LitRep is primarily to facilitate the telling of story. Whether this be through actually running plots or aiding players in their own efforts, all of their duties are directed to that overarching purpose. The following list of rules for staff behavior is divided into three categories: Dos, Don'ts, and Duties. The first is a list of things that all staffers should be doing, the second a list of things no staffers should be doing, and the third a list of staff specialties and how that defines their duties. All staffers listed on the staff pages will have these specializations listed there, so that players know where to go for help.

Contents 1 Dos 2 Don'ts 3 Duties 4 Notes

[edit] Dos

1. Help to maximize the flow of information between players and staff.
   • Updating Jobs in a timely fashion.
   • Respond to player emails/Jobs within 48 hours.
   • Update wiki articles as soon as possible after they require editing.
     
2. Play staff approved and staff controlled NPCs for player run plots and personal storylines as needed.
   
3. All plot information for staff run plots should be included in a Job that all staffers can see.
   
4. Remember the golden rule. Treat all players the way you'd like to be treated.
   • Respectful tone.
   • Be polite.
   • Be as patient as possible.
   • Try to be understanding of player issues and foibles. They're human, just like you.
   • If you need to rant and rail about players, that's fine, so long as you do not do it to the players themselves. No outbursts.
     
5. Do your best to head off player disputes if possible, but if not attempt to mediate them fairly and without bias.
   • If that is not possible, refer the player and their issue to Player Relations staff in a timely fashion and with as much information as you can give the moderator in charge of mediation.

[edit] Don'ts

1. Run plots as a staffer that include your own PCs. You can run personal plots for yourself and friends but everyone should know that you are doing so without the authority of a staffer.
   
2. Do not exclude any players who might feasibly participate in a staff run plot due to personal bias.
   
3. Staffers should never run plots from their staff position that could benefit their own PCs, even indirectly.
   • Example: If V.C. Andrews is dating Willa Cather and Willa's player is a staffer, Willa shouldn't run plots that give V.C. access to information that Willa needs/wants.
     
4. Never use information gained as a staffer to advance the agenda of any character or to thwart the agenda of any character.
   
5. Don't be a staff bully. Staffers should never use their position to intimidate others or badger them into action.
   
6. Do not attempt to mediate personal issues from the authority of a staffer. Pass them on to another staffer immediately.
   
7. Only moderators set game policy. If an issue crops up that isn't covered by the rules, it will have to wait for an available mod.
   • Any staffer, however, can rule on already written rules with the proviso that in extreme situations, they can be overturned by mod staff.

[edit] Duties

• Applications - Any staffer that assists with the processing and approval of player applications.

• Continuity - Any staffer that helps to maintain in game continuity and canon.
  • Does this make sense given past game history?
  • Has staff ruled on this topic before?
  • Is this consistent with how this has been played in the past?

• Relations - Any staffer that helps to mediate the disputes between players or players and staff.

• Story - Any staffer that will run plot as a staffer for other players and maintain the game's metaplot.

• Tech - Any staffer that works to fix and/or advance services used by the game.
  • MU* Server
  • Wiki Server
  • In-Game Code
  • In-Game Building
  • Livejournal Comm

• Theme - Any staffer who helps to maintain and outline the game's setting, feel, and metaplot data.
  • Can there be a monster in the sewers?
  • What happened in this dorm building thirty years ago?
  • Would it make sense to have a convenient store in the student center?
  • Is the mayor of Bartleby really Mayor McCheese?
  • What is Anamnesis and who runs it?

• Wiki Helper - Any player volunteer who helps to maintain the wiki's style standards, writing standards, etc.

[edit] Notes

Continuity staff, Story staff, and Theme staff all have to work together to make sure that we're telling a story that's something we can all enjoy and work within. The basic rule of 'Which staffer do I poke?' is this: if it is referring to what might have happened in game before now, continuity; to the mechanics of a specific plot, story, anything else, theme.