We wish for the game to be an enjoyable and memorable experience for all players involved. The following page concerns various sensitive themes and topics and how we intend to handle them, and advises a sensitive approach for players on dealing with these same themes within the Society Game.

The Conduct and Acceptable Themes Policy, also known as the CAT Policy, is the method by which we set out what themes we expect will or may come up in play, providing players with full knowledge of what themes to expect and how they will be handled. As an official ORPGSoc game, Chronicle is subject to the ORPGSoc CAT Policy and it is essential that players familiarise themselves with this policy before playing, for awareness of what themes are allowed and disallowed. This page in some cases reiterates and in some cases adds more specific restrictions and clarifications that apply to Chronicle. Regardless of the CAT Policy, all players and GMs should treat each other with respect. If someone else asks out of character that you stop roleplaying a particular theme or topic around them, for any or no reason, respect their boundaries and stop.

We aim to create an environment in which all players can feel safe and comfortable. Whilst we use the following policy as a guideline in how themes in our game will appear and be handled, the policy should not always be taken literally and attempting to reason to the wording instead of the spirit of the policy will not be tolerated.

Many of the themes presented here and in this game are complicated and nuanced. If you have any questions about our explanations or presentation of certain themes, please feel free to contact the GMs.

If you feel the CAT policy has been breached, you can reach out to any member of the GM team. If you have a concern about a particular GM, you can reach out to the head GM, Eloise P, on Discord (@eeperscreepers) or via this email (rather than the usual game address, as those emails are seen by all the GMs). Any such issues will be handled with the specific case in mind and we will do our best to account for the safety and comfort of all players. If you have a concern about the head GM, please contact the Welfare Officer for the Society, Fionn McC, either on Discord (@antedeluvia) or via this email. You may prefer to contact the Society President, Ben O-R, either on Discord (@surge8016) or via this email.

Age

All Chronicle players must be 16 years or older to play. Most players will be between the ages of 18 and 30. If you are under 18 years of age, you must disclose this to the GM team for safeguarding reasons.

All Chronicle player characters must also be over 18 years of age.

Requesting not to roleplay with someone

You may request not to roleplay with another player or GM before or at any point during the game, and we will do our best to ensure that you come into contact with that person as little as possible. You may ask us to inform that person of your request or you may keep your request confidential, though keeping the request confidential will prevent us from asking that person not to roleplay with you during the course of the game.

Conduct

Society Games have certain safety calls that players should familiarise themselves with and respect in-session, which must be adhered to once they are used – no questions asked. These safety calls should be formatted during play as an OC message, meaning that for clarity they should be surrounded by brackets, ie. []. However, please listen to these calls regardless of the technicality of the formatting, and also listen to messages to the effect of these calls.

They are:

• [STOP]. This call is used when a conversation that your character is in makes you uncomfortable OC and you want it to stop. When this call is made, the current topic of the conversation will be dropped and moved on from.
• [DOWN]. This call is for situations where you are okay with the topic continuing but need the intensity of the situation to be lowered.
• [OUT]. This call can be used to simply remove yourself from the conversation if you are uncomfortable, or for any other reason. The conversation continues as if your character was never present.

Due to the nature of Roleplaying Games, it is necessary to maintain a strong divide between In-Character (IC) and Out-of-Character (OC) issues. This is generally referred to as the IC/OC divide, and means that all arguments, tension, or other in-character feelings should not spill into the real world. Similarly, OC feelings should not be brought IC. See the Tips for Roleplaying page for more advice on this.

PvP and Ballgowning

Player-versus-player conflict (PvP) of varying intensities and more intensely positive or ambiguous relationships (often referred to as ‘ballgowning’) may occur in this game. PvP between characters may only occur with the OC consent of all parties involved. Physical violence is prohibited, but social and intellectual conflict or sabotage is allowed. Remember to check in periodically to be sure you are respecting each others’ boundaries, and discuss beforehand too.

Out of character interactions

A reminder that this policy applies to out-of-character conversations on the Chronicle Discord server, including jokes, as well as all in-character interactions. Please continue to consult it periodically to keep it fresh in your memory.

Permitted themes that we plan to introduce

• Mind control or other means of removing agency.
  • Mind-altering effects, such as dream traversal and sensory expansion, will have a prominent role in the narrative.
  • Player characters will hear discussion of this, but will only experience it directly if they opt in via the Mindbender or Mindwarper playstyle quirks.
  • NPCs will experience these effects to a greater extent than PCs, and discuss these experiences. However, where possible, we will take people's Quirk choices into account when engaging PCs in such discussions.
  • Mind control by other characters will not take place.
• Discrimination on the basis of fictional nationality, religion or faith.
  • The control of ideas is a central theme of the game, including attempts to suppress dissident positions (without recourse to physical force).
  • There is religious, cultural and intellectual discrimination within nations, and there are dynamics of cultural, economic, and material colonialism between them. These influence geopolitical tensions.
  • Access to services is often restricted to those who outwardly adhere to a region's dominant belief systems (e.g. the Temples in Endring, the technocratic project in Mayton Greynes), and refused to those who actively oppose them.
  • Attempts at direct conquest of other nations through physical violence existed in the setting’s past but will not occur or be advocated for in the present.
  • Discrimination against people on the basis of their place of origin and/or nationality is not a permitted theme. Border control and migration laws do not exist in this setting.
  • Chronicle is not set in the real world, and discrimination on the basis of real-world nationality will therefore not occur.
• Emotional/physical abuse, e.g. domestic abuse or bullying.
  • On a societal level, emotional and psychological manipulation will be depicted. PCs may participate in this.
  • Depictions of interpersonal emotional abuse is also acceptable, though we ask that this be portrayed sensitively.
  • On a societal level, forms of control-orientated physical violence (e.g. capital punishment) existed in the setting's past but will not in the present. Domestic physical abuse and torture are not permitted themes. Physical abuse of any kind in the present (including its threat) is not permitted.
• Discrimination on the basis of physical disability, mental health condition, or neurodivergence.
  • This is not permitted in its real-world manifestations.
  • However, the setting contains discrimination against people with supernaturally altered states of consciousness.
  • This is not synonymous with real world neurodivergence, but there are analogies to it that can be explored.
  • The existence of these people is not public knowledge at game start, but will be a significant theme as the plot unfolds.
• Mental illness.
  • There are NPCs exploring this directly, and players can do the same, although we ask that it be portrayed sensitively.
  • Indirect parallels may also emerge through elements of the setting with mind-altering properties (see “Discrimination” above).
• Slavery or human trafficking.
  • A violent feudal system existed in Endring's past and will be discussed.
  • This and other forms of slavery will not exist or be supported in the present.
  • Labour exploitation is a theme in the present, but all contemporary exploited labour is given in exchange for payment.
  • Human trafficking and chattel slavery are prohibited themes.
• Terrorism in all its forms, including state terrorism.
  • This has occurred in the setting’s history (the state Endring overthrew used violent terror to enforce its regime, and was violently overthrown), but will not occur in the present.
  • Non-violent forms of sabotage (e.g. hacking) and fear-based state control will occur in the present.
• Torture.
  • Physical torture will not occur or be referenced.
  • However, forms of psychological manipulation will.
  • The concepts of prison and state execution will be referred to in a historical context and be understood as unrecognisably cruel ideas.
• Suicide and self-harm as anything but an expression of emotional distress, e.g. self-sacrifice.
  • There will be discussion of a character in the setting’s history sacrificing themselves.
  • PCs are allowed to sacrifice themselves.
• Homelessness.
  • This will occur. For instance, with the Nameless Ones in Endring.
• Other real-world biases and discrimination not covered above.
  • Class inequality and forms of poverty-based discrimination will occur.
  • Casteism:
    • A regime which justified itself by arguing for innate class hierarchies as a result of divine pre-ordination existed in the regime that preceded Endring and will be discussed.
    • No one will advocate for these views in the present. The island of Doip in Nemeus has a set of distinct social roles, but people can move between them.
• Gambling.
  • Virtual gambling is prominent in Mayton Greynes, and gambling plays a role in the backstory of Endring (see ‘Liria, the Seven-Named’).

Permitted themes that we are not planning to introduce, but that may arise in play

• Consensual sexual activity.
  • This may occur between characters (with the OC and IC consent of all involved) and be referenced in very general terms to have occurred.
  • However, it must be handled in a “fade-to-black” manner, meaning that a collective OC implication is made that a scene involving sex occurred IC without going into detail about it or continuing to RP it.
  • Sexual activity cannot be described or joked about in explicit terms, IC or OC.
• Pregnancy.
  • Players can introduce this (including playing pregnant characters.)
  • No physical harm will come to them while pregnant.
• Childbirth.
  • This may be referenced but not depicted or described explicitly.
  • Pregnant characters may give birth off-stage, with a focus on the emotions but not the physical experience.
• Physical disability.
• Chronic illnesses.
• Drug or alcohol addiction.
  • This is allowed, although we do not have plans to introduce it in a literal form.
  • Indirect parallels may occur through potentially addictive forms of supernatural sensory expansion.

Themes which are NOT permitted and may not arise in play

• Sexual assault, sexual coercion or any other form of non-consensual sexual activity.
• Sexual activity with those lacking the capacity to consent e.g. children.
• Sexual harassment.
• Use of real-world discriminatory slurs.
• Discrimination on the basis of gender or sex.
• Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation e.g. homophobia.
• Discrimination on the basis of gender identity e.g. transphobia.
• Discrimination on the basis of real-world ethnicity or race.
• Miscarriage and stillbirth.
  • This will not occur or be referenced as a possibility.
  • Physical harm will not come to pregnant characters.
• Eating disorders.
• Medical malpractice.
• Eugenics.
• Forced abortion.
• Incest.
• Genital mutilation.
• Animal abuse.
• Child abuse.
• Cannibalism.
• Genocide.
• Genocide denial.
• Suicide and self-harm as an expression of emotional distress.
• Extreme gore.
• Extreme or indiscriminate violence.
  • For about a thousand years, direct physical violence has been a deeply alien concept to the inhabitants of the world.
  • They are aware it occurred in the past, but very strong cultural norms have meant it is not advocated for or performed by anyone in the present. The reasons for this will be explorable in-game. Characters may fear a return to violence, but it will not occur and no characters will support it.
  • Violence, in this context, is defined as actions taken with the intent of causing physical injury or death.
  • Other forms of oppression, including depriving people of the social, cultural, economic and informational means of flourishing, are not considered ‘violent’ by many (players are encouraged to interrogate this).
• Degenerative diseases or cancer.
• Dieting.
• Real-world current and historical figures and events.
  • Chronicle is set in an alternate universe, and does not share history with the real world.
  • Meta-level or OC references are allowed (provided they do not fall under any other prohibited themes), on the understanding that any reference made within the context of Chronicle is distinct from the real world thing.
  • Parallels to places (most notably Mayton Greynes, in a satirical context), events and processes (notably economic, cultural and technological forms of colonisation) do exist, though with significant differences from their real-world equivalents.