NARRATOR

NARRATING IN ZENITHSTRAND

• The role of Narrator in the past has been akin to “Shaper lite”. This agreement further defines and expands that role. We hope to continuously review this role in order to create forms and guidelines so that future Narrators can continue in that expanded role, if the expansion is deemed valuable going forward. 

•  Rather than a narrator running their own unique stories and plotlines, instead they will work with the shapers to expand the stories already being told. The intention is that this will help create a fuller, more immersive setting. These mods will be written with the shaper’s advice and approval.

• Expanding the Game World:

• Creating connectable non-player characters with expanded run times for utilization as hooks, exposition, and to gain information on Player Character disposition. These characters should be based within and around the stories and locations set out by Shapers. It is helpful to make these roles fill other purposes, such as trainers/teachers. It is important that the narrator be available for other NPCs roles when they are needed by Shapers. Thus these roles should not take priority over the mod schedule, and it is important that these roles do not become too close to PCs. Thus play times of these roles should generally be limited to an hour at a time. The narrator should gain permission from the head shaper before going out on an expanded run time role. The hourly check in is a good opportunity to relay feedback about the pulse of the game and PC disposition.

• Have a good sense of the current stories and current events, to deliver information to the game.

• Adding  NPCs, such as villagers, local guards, etc. to increase a sense of a larger world. Submitted mods can be small quests that interact with these NPCs. These suchs mods may provide the PCs with “Slice of life” or  “thematic” feels.

• The creation of Insta-Mods to give a sense of rewarding exploration, that paints an environment in line with other story elements, and adds to the narrative. “Trap”  style insta-mods should be kept to a minimum. A sense of danger is good, however, it should be paired with a greater sense of reward. If the majority of insta mods are negative to interact with, players will be less inclined to seek them out. The best insta mods should be able to interact with multiple players and encourage further roleplay. Single interaction insta mods often require more time and resources than they are worth. The intent is that the insta mods should provide a roleplay prompt for players. Some insta mods can contain treasure or be “resource veins.” The goal is for the players to  interact with them and not simply view them as a source of loot.

• Drew’s proposal involves setting up a system of rumours and potential IG RP rewards. These rumours should be based on Faction, Pathway/Favor, Tradesmen skill, and Camp primarily.  The IG RP rewards could be limited one-time bonuses, IG NPC favour. These things must be delivered or in person or in messages to or from NPC’s during the game. It is important to note that the result of this is prohibited from functioning like a downtime system. We do not run downtime and thus we do not want to have one available for only part of the year.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE NARRATOR

• Maintain a high standard of roleplay and behavioral conduct.

• Work with other members of the plot team and the guild owners to ensure a consistent and balanced game world with a continuing, collective story.

• Debrief other members of the plot team and guild owners in regards to the player response to mods. The debrief must be posted in the plot Trello before the next event.

• Play important NPC roles.

• Watch for and report cheating, harassment or other violations of rules or policies

• Assist with plot camp set up and take down.

• Work with other shapers and guild owners to determine the best responses to in-game actions.

MINIMUM EXPECTATIONS OF THE NARRATOR

•  In situations where no owner or shaper can easily be consulted, Narrators should have an excellent understanding of the rules and must be able to make rules calls without hampering the flow of the game.

• Narrators must have the ability to maintain confidentiality when dealing with plot and character information.

• Narrators must be able to write a minimum of 3 approved mods per regular weekend Event. This number is increased to 5 on long weekend events. These mods will be reviewed and vetted. Narrators must use Google Docs to submit their mod writing in the format provided by Zenithstrand. Mods must be submitted no later than midnight on the Sunday before the event date. This will allow adequate the mods  to be reviewed and for any required changes to be made.

• Narrators must be able to write a minimum of 10 approved insta mods per regular weekend Event. This number is increased to 20 on long weekend events. These mods will be reviewed and vetted. Narrators must use Google Docs to submit their mod writing in the format provided by Zenithstrand. Mods must be submitted no later than midnight on the Sunday before the event date. This will allow adequate time for ownership to review the mods and for any required changes to be made.

• Narrators must have the ability to take a leadership role and supervise shift NPCs during mods. Ideally, no shifters should ever be sent out without a shaper, narrator or seasonal npc among them. The Narrator should go out as one of the NPCs and lead by example while also supervising the other NPCs. In most cases, they should not be marshalling the mod OOG.

• Narrators must remain impartial - they must never target specific players, nor can they show favoritism to others. A Narrator should not run a plot for their immediate friends or RP group, nor run plot that is too closely tied to their PC without explicit permission from the guild owners.

• Narrators should have the ability to make occasional judgment calls during an event. These occasional calls are expected to not harm the integrity of the game. All such calls should be reviewed with ownership afterward. In most cases, is better to have the players wait for an answer from the shapers or owners than to make an incorrect call.                                                                                 When a call needs to be made, the seniority is as follows:                                          Owners > Lead Shaper>Shapers > Narrators > Seasonal NPCs > Shifters

• All members of the plot team represent Underworld LARP Saskatoon: Guildhouse Zenithstrand and must adhere to our behavior policies.

• All members of the plot team are asked to attend one voice chat based meeting per month. In the event that the shaper is unable to attend the scheduled meeting, they are expected to keep themselves up to date by reading the meeting notes and submitting their feedback within 3 days of the meeting.