News Files

From Masq
Revision as of 21:37, 4 March 2010 by Oblivion (Talk | contribs)

News Files



To see the next menu type NEWS <topic> where topic is replaced by the subject listed above. For example, to read the staff listings, type NEWS STAFF. It works this way through all of the menus. To read all of our news files (which you are responsible for knowing the contents of), just start at the beginning and follow the suggested reading at the end of each file. Enjoy! To start, type NEWS WELCOME.




Contents

Welcome. You're new? Then this is what you need

       Getting Started How to get off on the right foot.
       Theme           Putting the Dark in World of Darkness.
       Setting         Welcome to Albuquerque, New Mexico!
       Profile         What to expect and what we're about as a game.
       Copyright       Legalese satisfied.
       Wiki            Our online Wiki.

Theme

Remember those old stories you used to tell around the campfire, trying to scare your friends? Remember the horror films you used to watch late at night, pretending that you weren't frightened? You couldn't sleep, shivering under the covers, and when you finally did drop off, your dreams were filled with twisted, terrifying shapes from the darkest depths of your unconscious mind.

What if all those stories were actually true?

The basic premise of White Wolf's "World of Darkness" Storyteller game systems is that supernatural creatures such as vampires and werewolves are actually secretly living amongst us, with humanity none the wiser. To protect themselves, the elders of the Camarilla came up with the concept of the "Masquerade," essentially doing everything in their power to convince people that vampires don't exist. Other supernatural races have other means to conceal their existence from humanity. But they are all around us: manipulating us for their own devices, scheming, plotting, fighting great battles, and more.

Masquerade's world of Gothic/punk horror is just like our world; it's just that all the nightmares are actually real. Tension is stronger, cops more corrupt, criminals even more firmly in control. It is not a pretty world, though there will always be moments of startling beauty, made all the precious by the tarnished setting. It is a world where any mistake could be your last.

Theme 2

Most of you begin play on the game as a mortal, with no knowledge of the supernatural that lurks just underneath the mundane seeming of the world. More than likely, you scoff at all those silly stories created by fertile imaginations to inspire terror and fascination. Vampires and werewolves are as real to you as the UFOs you read about in the tabloids. There's no such thing as monsters.

Except some of you ARE the monsters. You have to protect your secret at all cost and to try to blend in. You're a simple human... just like everybody else, right?

Careful, your fangs are showing...

All of you are here to share in a communal storytelling. Together with your new friends, you will tell stories of madness and fear, of lust and redemption... tales of things that go bump in the night... tales of peril, paranoia, and sinister, shadowy evil. These stories can capture your imagination far more easily than any play or movie, because you will be creating the story with others, becoming part of the adventure. At the heart of these stories is your character, be it mortal, vampire, shifter, or something stranger still.

Welcome to your nightmare. Welcome to the Masquerade!

Setting (1/2)

Surrounded by the towering Sandia mountain range to the east, the Manzano mountains to the southeast, and a high volcanic mesa to the west, Albuquerque sits astride the nurturing Rio Grande River. Dizzying views unfold over sweeping vistas across a truly magical landscape, filled with a myriad natural wonders. If New Mexico is truly the "Land of Enchantment," then, surely, Albuquerque must be its gateway!

Founded in 1706 by Spanish settlers, the town was named after the Duke of Alburquerque; while the first "r" in the spelling was later dropped, Albuquerque is still referred to as "Duke City." Ancient Indian Pueblo culture and the influence of the Spanish settlers combine into a rich and unique cultural history which makes Albuquerque, one of the nation's oldest inland communities, an eclectic mix of the past and the present. The lure of open space continues to draw people to this fast-growing community which still retains a "small-town" feel.

Setting 2

In our online version of the city, set in the recent past, Albuquerque has a somewhat darker reality (see NEWS THEME). However, many of the surface things remain the same. The grandeur of the natural setting is unparalleled; unforgettable sunsets continue to spread out across the vast sky. Albuquerque remains a home to the arts, traditional and contemporary... it is home to some of the nation's finest high-tech research facilities... it houses a nationally ranked University... and so much more. Albuquerque continues to be a choice visitor destination and a great place to live! Welcome to our Albuquerque!

Quick Facts:

  • Albuquerque is the largest city in New Mexico, with approximately
 700,000 residents in the greater metropolitan area.
  • Most people assume that Albuquerque is a desert. In fact, although some
 of the environment is xeric, the city's elevation of 5,314 feet above
 sea level makes it the highest metropolitan city in the United States.
 While Albuquerque does enjoy low humidity and warm temperatures around
 the year, it does, indeed, snow here.


Profile

One of the greatest things about Masq has always been its enduring sense of community. After the game closed in 2007, former players and staff continued to stay in touch and many sought to have the game reopen. We are grateful for your continued support.

We believe that all of us, players and staff alike, are here to have a good time. As staff, however, we know that we have an additional responsibility to create a fun and interesting storytelling environment for our players. We fully acknowledge that a game is nothing without its players and we welcome your feedback. We are here to help you. You may not always get exactly what you want, but we will always treat you with the utmost respect and consideration.

We expect the same sort of adult behavior from our players. We hope that you will always treat one another (and staff) with politeness and courtesy. We encourage all Masq players to get involved in our plots, to tell their own stories, and to generate RP for others. We value your enthusiasm and creativity!

To paraphrase Bill & Ted: be excellent to each other, and RP on, dudes!

This is what we are about. We really do believe that this is a community -- one that can grow and thrive. We look forward to this next phase of Masq's evolution. Let's go out there and have some fun!

-Masquerade staff

Copyright Notice

"Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse are copyright (c) 1991-2010 by White Wolf. All material herein is used with permission from the publisher, and may not be reproduced in any way without permission."

All items created for the MUSH shall remain copyrighted by the original builder or coder. However, MASQ retains the right to keep all publicly used buildings or code after the original author has left. In English, if you make a building or code, the copyright is yours and you can take it to other games or do as you wish. However, when you leave, we reserve the right to keep using your stuff and to modify it as we need.


Rules Masq's OOC Rules and Discipline Policy

In order to maintain a friendly and orderly environment, the staff has composed the following regulations. We expect players and staff to abide by these rules and to treat one another with courtesy and respect.

       AUP           Masq's Acceptable Use Policy.
       Conflicts     When you just can't get along with someone.
       Discipline    What happens when you break the rules.
       Non-Consent   Just like real life, bad things will happen.
       Retirement    When you feel it's time to let go.
       Housekeeping  Character purges. Don't stay away too long!
                   ** indicates new information!

Acceptable Use Policy

This AUP is a guideline and not a comprehensive list of prohibited behaviors. Conduct that is not expressly defined may be deemed by staff to be in violation of the spirit of a particular policy. Staff reserves the right to add or modify the AUP at any time; however, changes to the AUP must be approved by all of staff.

The following are currently sections of the AUP:

       Alts         
       Character Death
       Database
       Harassment   
       Public Forums
       Spoofing         
       Spying

If you have questions or want clarification of any rule, please feel free to contact staff.

ALTS, DEATH, and DATABASE

Alts While you are allowed to have alts (alternate characters), you may not:

 *+xp/vote for your own alts
 *Hire your alt as an employee or have your alts living together
 *Create an alt to benefit an existing alt
 *Fight in the same combat with multiple characters
 *Share SK or other knowledge between alts
 *Create an alt to avenge or investigate the death of another alt
 *Be in a relationship with your own alt (that's playing with yourself
  - you'll go blind!)

Basically, your alts should not do anything which might bring them into close IC contact or conflict.

Death

  • Any character investigating the death or disappearance of a PC must
 have been created prior to the PC's death.
 In other words, no one can make a new character to investigate the death
 of a character... only existing characters can investigate.
  • IC Wills and "notes to be opened in case of my death" must be approved
 by RP Staff PRIOR TO the character's death.

Database The following will be treated as grounds for immediate expulsion from the game:

 *Deliberate malicious tampering with MUSH code
 *Any attempt to crash the MUSH, destroy the database, or gain unauthorized
  powers
 *Attempting to "hack" into someone else's character (aka "identity theft")

HARASSMENT, PUBLIC FORUMS

HARASSMENT

 * All Masq players have the right to an environment free of harassment.
   In this instance, harassment is defined as offensive, belittling,
   stalking, or threatening behavior directed at an individual player
   or group of players. Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated.
 * Deliberately hurting feelings or insulting another player with the
   intent to cause harm is not allowed.  This includes direct verbal
   abuse and defamation. The player need not be logged in if said abuse
   occurs in a public forum.
 * Verbal abuse can include obscene, profane, and vulgar language directed
   at another player. While different people have different definitions of
   "obscene," the language must be stopped immediately if requested by the
   other player.
 * Harassment of another player via email or other electronic means shall
   be considered a violation of MUSH policy. If you take your harassment
   off the MUSH and into another forum you will still be subject to the
   MUSH disciplinary procedure.  {Proof such as the email in question must
   be provided to establish guilt.}

PUBLIC FORUMS (+bboards, etc.)

 * No prejudicial statements are allowed in public forums regarding race,
   religion, gender, occupation, sexual orientation, intelligence, or other
   personal attributes.
 * Obscenity is not permitted in our public forums.  Obscene rants / flames
   will be removed at staff discretion.

SPOOFING, SPYING

SPOOFING

 * Malicious spoofing is not allowed. In this instance, we define
   'malicious spoofing' as using @emit or @pemit to anonymously make nasty
   statements or pose questionable actions (or make it look like someone
   else did it) for the purpose of causing trouble.

SPYING Spying by player characters using the DARK flag or puppet code on other player characters is a sensitive and easily abused matter, as the OOC privacy of players must be balanced against the need for characters to be able to gather information in a covert fashion. Because of this, there are strict guidelines of which all players should be aware so that both spying and spied-upon characters know their privileges and obligations.

1) Any IC conversation in a public or private area may be eavesdropped

  upon.

2) While OOC conversations taking place via observable means in public

  places may be observed, OOC conversations taking place via observable
  means in private rooms are considered private. Spying upon them is
  a violation of this policy.  Please note that an OOC conversation is
  denoted by use of the OOC speak command.

3) Any DARK object used for spying must be approved by the staff, and

  must be used in a manner that the staff deems appropriate. There are
  no exceptions to this rule.
  

Players who violate this policy will have all of their characters disciplined, with punishment up to and including the removal of said characters. Players should be aware that their conversations may be monitored; because of this, staff strongly recommends that all private OOC conversations take place over pages, which are not subject to any kind of eavesdropping.

Conflicts

Though we wish everyone could just get along, conflicts will happen. We hope that you will first try to work out problems amongst yourselves, but that is not always possible. Whenever you wish to bring up a valid concern to staff, we encourage you to do so. Staff is always open to constructive feedback, and we will do our best to address your concerns and resolve the problem. We can assure you that your concerns will always be taken seriously and you will be treated with respect.

If you have an escalating conflict with another player or feel that someone is violating any of the rules listed in the AUP, please bring it to the attention of your particular sphere wizard. The staff member will attempt to investigate and to mediate the conflict as appropriate. To avoid "he said/she said" types of arguments, staff might request logs from both parties in question.

If you have a problem or conflict with your sphere staff that can not be resolved directly, please bring up your concerns to Augury. This can include issues such as challenging a judge's ruling in a combat or other kind of scene. Augury will be the final arbiter of most player / staff conflicts.

If you have any sort of issue regarding Augury, please direct your concerns to Prophet and Fate. If necessary, the rest of staff may be called upon to mediate this type of conflict.

Discipline

The following discipline procedure will generally apply to AUP violations and other major offenses. An AUP violation will be considered proven if: it is witnessed by two or more players other than the accuser; it is witnessed by a staff member; and/or proof is provided via log to the MUSH staff.

As all situations are different, discipline may vary slightly between offenses. Please note that it's possible for multiple offenses to occur in the same day. Also, staff reserves the right to @boot or timeout abusive/offensive players at any time.

First Offense

         Staff member will give a warning to the offender and will set the SUSPECT flag.

Second Offense

   If immediate action is necessary, a staff member may set the offender gagged/slaved for the period of 30 minutes.  
   Following which the staff will attempt to set up a conference to discuss the problem with the offender. 
   Blatant refusal by the offender to follow the policy (when being discussed, if they refuse to adhere) 
   shall be considered a third offense. If the offender refuses a conference, they shall be gagged/slaved 
   indefinitely until they agree to confer. Any privileges held by the offender shall be removed.  
   These include but are not limited to staff position and building privileges.

Third offense

   Offender shall be @newpassworded for the period of one week. To be reinstated, a player must send 
   email to augury@masq.org to receive a new password. Any attempt to connect to the MUSH during this 
   week, via the guest character, the creation of a new character, or by borrowing someone else's
   character shall be deemed a fourth violation.

Fourth Offense (and following)

   Character is @newpassworded indefinitely.  To be reinstated the player must obtain permission 
   from the complete wizard's board. During this period the character shall be subject to the 
   purge regulations and if they do not return within 35 days they shall be deleted
   Any attempt to return to the MUSH without express permission of the MUSH staff shall
   result in permanent sitelock.

Non-Consent

Given Masq's "World of Darkness" theme, it is inevitable that bad things will happen to your character IC. Masq is a "non-consent" game, meaning that IC events will happen as they do, whether you like it or not. After all, when bad things happen in real life, we don't get a choice about it. It's not like you can tell the thug who is mugging you, "I'm sorry, Mr. Robber, but I don't consent to having my wallet stolen."

However, Masq is a game and we respect that different people have different levels of tolerance for playing out graphic themes and situations. Even though IC events are "non-consent," players should never feel forced to RP out any graphic situation that makes them OOCly uncomfortable (including, but not limited to: rape, torture, or the death of their character).

In other words, just because it is happening IC, doesn't mean you have to RP out all the gruesome details. The "Fade to Black" (FTB) scenario must always be available as an option in such cases. We trust that you will communicate with one another and be considerate of each other's RP preferences (which can be set in your +finger attribute -- +HELP FINGER). Any proved instance of graphic RP "forced" on a player will be treated as a third-level offense under NEWS DISCIPLINE.

Housekeeping

Certain steps are taken to keep the database down and to reduce the number of potential conflicts. Such policies include:

All unapproved characters will be nuked after 14 days of idling.

Players may keep their characters for 7 days after death in a PlayerDEAD state. After that, you must create a new character.

Players who are absent for more than 35 days will be purged and THEIR BELONGINGS RECYCLED. If you are going to be gone more than 35 days you must set yourself on vacation (see +help vacation).

Characters who are absent for more than 365 days will be nuked regardless of their vacation status. The player may re-apply upon their return, but all of their property will have been redistributed.

Please note that if you are in IC possession of an object owned by a deleted or deceased character, you will need to contact staff requesting ownership or it will be deleted.

Quotas are strictly enforced. This helps us keep our DB bloat down as much as possible.


Apps How to get that character you've been wanting

<-+------------------------<//Applications//>------------------------+->

       Mortals             The quick and easy way to RP!
       Restricted          Some concepts require special approval.
       Mortal+             When looks can be deceiving.
       Slot Reqs           Special power comes with responsibility.
       Super Apps          What's open and who to talk to about joining.
       Transfers           When an elsemu* character moves to town.
       App Hints           How to write a great background story.
                        ** indicates new information!

Masquerade does not have an open chargen. Characters must go through an approval process. Most characters going through chargen are statting out "unaware" mortals. Super characters only go through chargen once their concept has been approved through email. Please read through all the files relevant to your concept.

Mortals

Basic mortal applications are a very simple process. Go through character generation (Chargen) to stat out your character and fill out a detailed background (see +help background and NEWS BACKGROUND). Further instructions are in Chargen to guide you along. Once you have reached the Waiting Room, you will be entered into the Approvals queue, which is the list of people currently waiting for approval. Your background will then be reviewed by the appropriate RP staffer.

On some MUSHes, a character's background is accessible by other characters. This is NOT the case on Masquerade. Here your background is only available to yourself and members of staff to read. Your background is the first glimpse a RP staffer has into your character. We love to pull out little bits of your past and bring them up to haunt you. So feel free to write as much as you like. It will help you know your character better and help staff work you into plots. Because of this, a background that is shorter than a page will rarely be approved.

Once you have a concept in mind, please also read NEWS RESTRICTED and NEWS APP HINTS. This will give you an idea of what we look for in backgrounds. This will also ensure you know the process if your concept requires special approval from mortal staff.

Restricted Apps

Some character concepts take special approval.

       Organized Crime    Racketeering, the Mob, etc.
       Police             How to become a mighty officer.
       PI                 Private Investigators registration.
       Police Record      Caught once? Good way to hook up RP.
                       ** indicates new information!

Organized Crime At this time we are not accepting any organized crime backgrounds. This includes the Mafia, Yakuza, Triad, Bratva, etc. This does not mean you can't be a criminal! Feel free to apply your regular street-level criminal. You can have contacts. You can have allies. However, backgrounds requiring a large organization behind it and running it are not accepted. Although street-level criminals do not require special approval, feel free to contact CRIMESTAFF for more help or information about anything.

If you are planning on creating a criminal be sure to read NEWS POLICE RECORD as well.

Police Apps The law enforcement sphere here on Masquerade is one of the most active and dedicated. We're always looking for a few good men and women to fill a wide range of APD positions. And we're also looking for some bad, corrupt men and women to do the same! We're accepting entry-level Detectives in Major Crimes, the work-horse of the APD, and Organized Crime and Vice Division (OCVD). We are also accepting applications into the Crime Lab (CSI), Medical Examiner's Office (MEO), and the always- popular Internal Affairs Division (IAD). We are also accepting civilian non-sworn support personnel, such as clerks, dispatchers, aides, etc.

The Patrol Division and all Federal Law Enforcement Agencies (FBI, CIA, NSA) are currently: CLOSED.

If you are interested in applying for a law enforcement position, be sure to read NEWS BACKGROUND and NEWS FRANK STILES, which is a sample background of a law enforcement character. You can simply go through the regular Mortals character generation (chargen) to stat out your character and fill out the background. However, since your application must be approved by police sphere staff, be sure to +mail policestaff at some point during the process in order to expedite your application.

Type +mail policestaff=APD App <enter> and please include the following information in body of the +mail:

   1) Any relevant RP experience (alt-characters optional)
   2) Any RL law knowledge (not necessary but very helpful for RP)
   3) Approximate amount of time you can RP per day/week.
   4) Any other pertinent information not covered within the background.
      Remember that you must justify all combat/restricted abilities
      such as Firearms, etc.

Organizational details can be found in POLICE2.

POLICE 2

The APD's Detective Bureau is made up of 4 Divisions.

  1) Major Crimes Division (MCD): This is the work-horse of the APD
     where the majority of the detectives and cases reside. Most new
     Detectives will start their career here.
  2) Organized Crime and Vice Division (OCVD): This is the traditional
     "Vice" division, dealing with narcotics, drugs, prostitution,
     organized crime, alcohol, and anything else that's fun. This is
     another where young Detectives can start their careers, though it
     attracts only a certain breed.  
  3) Robbery Homicide Division (RHD): These are the best and the
     brightest of the APD with the highest profile and most demanding
     cases. This is the most elite of the Divisions and where most
     Detectives strive to be assigned.
  4) Detective HQ Division (DHQ): This division is responsible for
     city-wide management of logistics for investigations and detective
     resources. This is a mainly an NPC division with 3 exceptions:
     Internal Affairs Division (IAD), Crime Scene Investigation (CSI),
     and the Medical Examiner's Office (MEO). IAD are the "cops of the
     cops." CSI and MEO are both civilian staffed without police
     powers.


In its simplest form, APD has the following ranks: Chief of Police, Deputy Chief, Commander, Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant, and Detective. These ranks don't apply for civilian employees.

All new non-civilian police characters will start out at the rank "Detective" in either Major Crimes Division (MCD) or Organized Crime and Vice Division (OCVD). Preferably new characters will be rookie Detectives. This helps the player and the character get familiar with the role. You can still apply for a grizzled old detective, but will need some explanation for having never been promoted above Detective (and why you have new-character stats from chargen).

Having ranks and a hierarchy of divisions will, hopefully, encourage players to advance their character through police RP and case-activity.

We look forward to having you on board!

PI Apps Registering with the state as a private investigator carries only a few tangible benefits, but those can prove valuable in this line of work. Primarily, it will give the holder a better chance of getting police cooperation. This is, of course, mostly dependent on how the investigator treats the police. Secondly, and nearly as important, it will prevent the holder from being arrested by the police for interfering in a case. Please note that being registered does /not/ allow the investigator to carry a concealed weapon. Those permits must be applied for separately. The final benefit, one mostly economic, is that only licensed investigators are allowed to advertise their services.

Please +mail policestaff to register.

Police Record If your character has a police record and you have been approved by any required admin (or just been approved in general if you do not need special approval), please +mail your record to POLICESTAFF to be added to the files. It'll be much easier to include you into special plots then.

Mortal

What is mortal+? These are characters that blur the lines between the mundane and the supernatural. They have secrets and powers of their own that confuse and confound the supers and mundanes alike!

       Numina          It's not all natural.

Numina Apps

Psychic phenomena have fascinated mankind since the dawn of time. Our folklore, our literature, and our popular culture are all steeped in the belief -- or perhaps the hope -- that "something is out there." Well, in the World of Darkness, the Psychic hotline you just called or the Tarot card reader you just consulted might very well be legitimate! There are two general choices for the kind of Numina for which you can apply. The first choice is one of the various powers which can be grouped under the term "Psychic Phenomena." The second choice can include "Paths," and is the kind of linear magic commonly known as "Hedge Magic."

PSYCHIC PHENOMENA This is the list of the available phenomena: Animal Psychics, Biocontrol, Channeling, Cyberkinesis/Cyberpathy, Psychic Hypnosis, Ectoplasmic Generation, Mind Sheilds, Psychic Healing, Psychic Invisibility, Psychic Vampirism, Psychokinesis (also known as Telekinesis), Pyrokinesis, and Telepathy. If your desired type of psychic power is absent from this list, talk to Augury prior to sending in your application.

HEDGE MAGIC Applicants must have a firm understanding of the differences between linear and dynamic magic. While we are not accepting characters that to belong to a particular sorcerous group, they must be fully cognizant of their powers and have a well-documented "style" of using said powers. This style should generally be one of those described within the Sorcerer sourcebook (i.e. Mythic, Technocratic, Psychic); however, well-designed original "styles" will be considered. We are not accepting the paths of Divination or Weather Control.

Numina Apps 2

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

  • All Numina Apps should be sent to mortalp-apps@masq.org, with an appropriate subject header, i.e. Numina App: <Phenomenon>.

It should contain a background and and proposed stats in accordance with base character generation outlined in the book (see below).

  • For both types of Numina, the application must be a really strong, solid background that describes your character's history, personality,

reasons for coming to Albuquerque, and goals for the future. In addition, the background must include a detailed accounting of how your character might have developed these powers, how they have used their abilities in the past, and how they have functioned within the framework of the World of Darkness. The app should also contain a character sheet proposal detailing the desired stats.

  • Hedge Magic The sourcebook we use exclusively is Sorcerer (Revised Edition). Please use only the character guidelines described within

Sorcerer in making your character.

  • Group apps are most welcome! Sorcerers often seek out others who practice magic in the same way they do, as they can combine power and

learn from each other, plus... there's safety in numbers!


In-Game Experience, Superknowledge, and more!

Building Building and Housing

Staff A listing of staff by rank and by department

All A list of all news topics.