Baltimore by Night: Dark Harbour
A One World By Night Chronicle
Organizational Charter
BALTIMORE BY NIGHT ORGANIZATIONAL CHARTER
Download the Charter in PDF format
1. MISSION STATEMENT
Baltimore by Night is a not-for-profit organization which coordinates and provides live-action roleplaying entertainment events in the Baltimore area, including but not limited to a Vampire chronicle using White Wolf's Mind's Eye Theatre rules system.
2. DEFINITIONS
Although many terms are defined within the appropriate section of the Charter, the following are both important and recurring:
Chronicle - A series of game events within a given genre.
'Dark Harbor' - The primary chronicle of the organization, a Camarilla-themed Final Nights Vampire chronicle set in Baltimore in real-time; this chronicle is a member of the One World by Night network of related chronicles.
Event - An organizational meeting or game within a particular timeframe.
Game - The live-action roleplaying game itself, or events including same.
House Rules - Guidelines drafted by the Storyteller staff to govern the in-game activities of a particular Chronicle.
Non-Player Character (NPC) - An in-game character, embodied by a Storyteller or Narrator, which does not accrue experience in the normal fashion (see House Rules).
Player - Any participant in a Baltimore by Night event.
Player Character (PC) - An in-game character, embodied by a player, which accrues experience in the normal fashion (see House Rules).
Special Event - A game event of unusual size, location, or composition. Usually refers to a weekend-long event intended to draw visiting players from other chronicles.
Staff - Players elected or selected to have special responsibilities within the organization.
Storyteller - A player elected to act as both referee and 'director' of the in-game action, and to run the overall organization.
Sub-Chronicle - Any chronicle under the Baltimore by Night umbrella which is not the primary Chronicle, which is 'Dark Harbor', a Camarilla-themed Final Nights Vampire chronicle set in Baltimore in real-time.
3. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE & ROLES
A delineation of the structure of the BBN organization, the roles within it, and the responsibilities of each.
3.1 PLAYERS/MEMBERS
All persons participating in BBN-sponsored events are considered members of the organization, and are also called "players". Within this document, the term "player" or "member" should be considered inclusive of any and all staff members.
3.2 STORYTELLERS
Those players elected to the position of Storyteller (or "ST") bear the responsibility of running the affairs of the organization, its chronicle(s) and events. It is the duty of Storytellers to coordinate both the running of the game and any out-of-game needs or concerns of the organization, in effect acting as a board of governors, in concert with any other extant staff positions.
3.2.1 TERM OF OFFICE
Storytellers are elected to their position by the players in a Staff Election. The standard accepted term of office for a Storyteller is six months. A Storyteller may remain on staff in this role beyond the six months' term without running for re-election. All Storytellers are subject to any Votes of Confidence convened. A Storyteller may "step down" from this role, relieving themselves of the role, at any time, if for any reason they feel they cannot complete the accepted term of office. A Baltimore by Night Storyteller should not serve as a Storyteller in another associated chronicle simultaneously, but they may serve in an associated chronicle as a Narrator or in another staff position capacity. A Storyteller may be removed from office by unanimous vote of the other Storytellers. Storytellers are subject to Disciplinary Action, just as all other players.
3.2.2 STRUCTURE OF STORYTELLER STAFF
The number of Storytellers on staff may vary according to the population of the player base (members) and the needs of the organization. The Storytellers have the right to nominate from amongst their number a Head Storyteller if they so desire; the Head Storyteller is tasked with providing leadership to the staff and setting the agenda for each meeting.
3.2.3 DUTIES DURING PLAY
Storyteller duties during gameplay include, but are not limited to, the following: administration of sign-in, approval of players and their characters (including item cards), making necessary rules calls, running scenes, embodiment of NPCs as necessary, assisting players with character creation, assisting players with folder maintenance/XP expenditure, assisting players with "downtime" actions.
3.2.4 DUTIES OUTSIDE OF PLAY
Storyteller duties outside of gameplay include, but are not limited to, the following: necessary folder administration, correspondence with players, correspondence with other networked chronicles, preparation for the next game event, maintenance of House Rules, review of disciplinary actions, general oversight of the organization, functions as required by any membership in a national umbrella organization or network.
3.2.5 HOUSE RULES MAINTENANCE
The Storytellers are, as a group, responsible for maintaining and making public any House Rules necessary to ensure the smooth operation of the game(s). House Rules are considered any supplemental rules or guidelines which govern the in-play aspect of the game(s). Any change to the House Rules requires a majority vote of the current Storyteller staff.
3.3 NARRATOR
Narrators are players who assist the Storyteller staff in a gameplay capacity, and are selected by the Storyteller staff.
3.3.1 STANDING NARRATORS
At the Storytellers' discretion, some number of players may be named as Standing Narrators, with the following responsibilities during play: assist players with character creation or mundane rules questions, acclimate new players, assist with sign-in or general administrative tasks, running mundane scenes, running other scenes or embodiment of NPCs as directed by the Storyteller staff. The full powers of a Standing Narrator are at the discretion of the current Storyteller staff, and may vary with time. These Standing Narrators should be publicized so that the players have full knowledge of the resources available to them at each game event. In addition to being an extra player resource during gameplay, the pool of Standing Narrators is intended to serve as a preparatory stage for duty as a Storyteller, so that Narrators can become familiar with the current ST staff and the direction of the game. Storytellers should be elected from amongst the pool of Standing Narrators.
3.3.2 IMPROMPTU NARRATORS
At the Storytellers' discretion, players who are not Standing Narrators may be empowered with one or several abilities of a Standing Narrator for a limited period of time (for example, empowerment to run a particular scene, or assist an ST by embodying a particular NPC for a given purpose).
3.4 OTHER ROLES
The Storyteller staff have the ability to create other staff positions as necessary to best benefit the game; several standard roles are illustrated and outlined below. In cases where a role is noted as being appointed by the Storyteller staff, note that the Storytellers have the right to fill that position by means of a Staff Election, if they deem it appropriate to do so. A player may hold multiple positions, with the exception of the Player Rep, who may not concurrently be a Storyteller.
3.4.1 TREASURER
The Treasurer is responsible for the financial records and maintenance of the organization, including, but not limited to, the following: maintenance of the petty cash fund, maintenance of any bank accounts owned by the organization, disbursement and reimbursement, maintenance of financial records for the organization in a ledger, presentation of a periodic Treasury Report to the Storytellers and Players. The Treasurer or Treasurers shall at all times follow the rules and guidelines put in place by Section 7 of this Charter. It is recommended that the Treasurer also be a Storyteller on staff. The role of Treasurer is appointed by the Storyteller staff, and is subject to a Vote of Confidence.
3.4.2 PLAYER REPRESENTATIVE
The Player Representative acts on behalf of the players in manners including, but not limited to, the following: inter-player mediation, presentation of player concerns to the Storyteller staff. The Player Representative is charged with maintaining the anonymity of any player who requests it while raising a concern or complaint about the staff, game or organization. The role of Player Representative is filled via Staff Election, and is subject to a Vote of Confidence.
3.4.3 COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE
The Council Representative is charged with keeping abreast of the goings-on of any national umbrella or network organization to which the chronicle belongs, and with surveying the Storyteller staff and/or Players as to opinions or concerns applicable to that network. The Council Representative should be a Storyteller, chosen by the other members of the Storyteller staff; as such, the Council Rep is subject to a Vote of Confidence.
3.4.4 SITE COORDINATOR
The Site Coordinator is responsible for: maintaining good relations with site owners and management, ensuring (with the Treasurer) that any site fees are paid in a timely fashion, alerting the Storytellers to any Site Rules violations, seeking out new sites for game events, and publicizing the locations of game events (and directions thereto). The Site Coordinator is selected by the Storyteller staff, and is subject to a Vote of Confidence.
3.4.5 WEB ADMINISTRATOR
The Web Administrator is responsible for maintaining the organization's website/web pages and email lists. The Web Administrator is selected by the Storyteller staff, and is subject to a Vote of Confidence.
3.4.6 ADMINISTRATOR/ARCHIVIST
The Administrator maintains and audits the character folders and records of the organization. As the Administrator has complete access to character folders, the role is often given to a Storyteller or Narrator. The Administrator/Archivist is selected by the Storyteller staff, and is subject to a Vote of Confidence.
4. DECISION-MAKING & REPRESENTATION
In the interest of fairness, full representation, and continuity, elections and decision-making are governed by the guidelines below.
4.1 GENERAL VOTE/REFERENDUM
The Storytellers may call for a General Vote on a given question. A General Vote (also known as a Referendum) is appropriate for a question which affects the organization as a whole, and is thus placed before the players as a group. A General Vote which consists of a simple question ("should we keep using this site?") is decided by a simple majority. A General Vote which consists of amendments to the Charter of the organization is decided by a 2/3 majority.
4.2 STAFF ELECTION
The Storytellers may call for a Staff Election for a given position or a number of positions at once. Each player may cast one vote for each position on the Staff Election ballot. The nominee who garners the most votes for said position is the winner. In the case of a Staff Election for multiples of the same position (ie, electing two or more Storytellers simultaneously), each player may cast a number of votes equal to the number of positions open, with the top finishers filling the roles.
4.3 VOTE OF CONFIDENCE
The Players may call for a Vote of Confidence in the Staff by presenting a signed petition to that effect, bearing the signatures of 50% of the players, to either the Storytellers or the Player Rep. The petition is necessary to justify the Vote of Confidence; if 50% of the players do not believe a Vote of Confidence is even necessary or desirable, then certainly a simple majority of No-Confidence votes will not be received. A Vote of Confidence affects all members of the organization's staff, including subsidiary roles such as Treasurer, et cetera. The ballot shall consist of a list of current staff members and their positions (persons with multiple positions should be listed once for each position); players vote either YES (a Confidence vote to keep the staff member on) or NO (a No-Confidence vote, to release the staff member). There are no abstentions in a Vote of Confidence; ballots submitted bearing neither a YES nor NO marked shall be considered YES votes, as they are considered to default to the status quo. Staff members who receive a simple majority of NO votes are released from that duty role. If Storytellers are voted out of office, a subsequent Staff Election will be necessary, which should be conducted at the next game event; the tenure of those Staff Members voted out is considered to extend until the requisite replacement Staff Election is completed.
4.4 STORYTELLER DECISION-MAKING
Storytellers are encouraged to come to agreement, when possible, on any given organizational or gameplay matter. On those occasions in which compromise cannot be reached in a reasonable amount of time, a Storyteller (preferably the Head Storyteller, if one has been selected) may call for a Vote on the matter, with the majority ruling. As the size of the Storyteller staff may vary, a quorum of Storytellers shall be considered present for the vote if two-thirds of the current Storytellers, rounding down, are present. (ie, 3 out of 4, 3 out of 5, 4 out of 6, 4 out of 7, 5 out of 8, etc.). If some number of current Storytellers are not present for the vote, and the vote is drawn, the vote should be tabled until more votes can be cast. If the total current Storytellers are of even number and remain at an impasse, the Head Storyteller has the right and responsibility to break the tie.
4.5 ELECTION ADMINISTRATION/ANNOUNCEMENT
Any General Vote, Staff Election, or Vote of Confidence must be announced to the players at the game event previous to the game event hosting the vote; this is usually two weeks in advance. Any vote should be announced via email lists and/or the website at least one week in advance of the date of the vote, preferably two. Players who cannot attend the game event on the date of the vote have the right to cast an absentee ballot if they have attended two out of the three previous game events. If a player wishes to cast an absentee ballot, they should contact the Storyteller staff and announce their intention to procure an absentee ballot, which should be emailed to the player; the player may then forward said email, including their vote(s), to the Player Representative, to will present the votes to the Storyteller staff, preserving as much anonymity as possible in the process. Any absentee votes should be registered with the Player Rep by midnight preceding the vote, so that they can be handed over to the Storytellers in a timely fashion. At the end of the election, votes are to be tallied by a team consisting of at least one Storyteller, and at least one Player who currently holds no staff position; double-counting is mandatory. Results of the election are presented to the Storytellers to announce. Traditionally, candidates in a Staff Election or staff members subject to a Vote of Confidence have had the right to request of the Storyteller staff knowledge of the number of votes they personally received.
5. MEMBER RESOURCES
The staff and organization shall maintain useful resources for the players and staff; for example, character badges may be available for sale at the game. In addition, the staff may organize a library of game-related books available for use at game-time.
5.1 EMAIL LISTS AND CONDUCT
The staff or Web Administrator shall maintain at least one email mailing list for the purpose of inter-player communication within the organization. The Storytellers are responsible for setting any necessary rules of conduct or guidelines for the use of any email lists, especially any rulings or restrictions on the lists which may affect gameplay. Out-of-character conduct on any lists is considered the conduct of the letter-writing player, and may be subject to disciplinary action if improper.
5.2 WEBSITE
The staff or Web Administrator shall maintain a website upon which important information regarding the organization, including this Charter, shall be posted.
6. DISCIPLINARY ACTION
All players and staff are charged with conducting themselves as responsible adults at organization functions, and acting in a restrained and civil manner at all times. When a player or staff member acts in a fashion which violates the rules of the organization, it is imperative that the Storyteller staff react appropriately; this may include disciplinary action, as detailed below.
6.1 DISCIPLINARY PROCESS
When an incident or accusation occurs, it is the duty of the Storyteller staff to assess the situation and, if necessary, investigate to seek corroboration. In most cases, it behooves the staff to speak directly to both the alleged offender and any offended parties, in order to get as much information as possible about the incident. That being said, there may be occasions when instant judgment is both necessary and reasonable (for example, a player physically or verbally attacking another player in the midst of gameplay). Usually, the Storyteller staff will discuss the matter in detail and make a ruling on the matter. The general recommended progression of disciplinary actions is as follows:
Warning - Any Storyteller may unilaterally issue a verbal or written warning to a player at any time. Generally a warning is just that - a "head's-up" that a certain action or pattern of behavior is inappropriate, to ensure that the player is aware of the violation or potential violation.
First Strike - The first Strike issued to a player is an indicator that the player has violated a rule, and should be careful in future. The Storytellers are strongly encouraged to counsel the player as to the nature of the violation and the reason(s) for the Disciplinary Action.
Second Strike, Third Strike - Further Strikes (up to three total) indicate further violations while the player still has previous Strikes on their record.
Suspension - When a player accumulates three Strikes, traditionally that player is suspended from all organizational activities for a time period of no less than six months, at which point the suspension is up for review.
Ban - A ban is far more serious than a suspension; the player is banned from all organizational activities for a time period set by the Storyteller staff (usually indefinitely).
Players should note that the above "progression" is not a ladder - a Strike can be given in certain cases without a Warning proceeding it, and in extreme cases multiple Strikes may be issued for a single offense. The Storyteller staff is urged to use caution in their disciplinary actions, but at the same time keep the best interests of the game as a whole in mind. The Storyteller staff must keep written record of all Disciplinary Actions issued. Disciplinary Action, once handed down, should be reviewed by the Storyteller staff after a period of six months. During a review, the staff looks over the violation(s) and punishments, and assesses whether it is proper at that time to remove a Strike (ie, have it "age off"), end a suspension, or have the punishment stand.
6.2 VIOLATIONS
While any action or series of actions that the Storyteller staff feel is inappropriate may be addressed with Disciplinary Action, the following are the most commonly encountered.
6.2.1 CHARTER VIOLATION
Any action which violates the rules set down in this Charter.
6.2.2 RULES OF GAMEPLAY VIOLATION
Any action which willfully and/or flagrantly violates the rules for gameplay set down by the Storytellers. This would include actions commonly referred to as "cheating".
6.2.3 PERSONAL BEHAVIOR/SPORTSMANSHIP
Any action, in person or on an email list in an out-of-character fashion, which is considered to be rude, violent, or otherwise beyond the limits of acceptable behavior.
6.2.4 ADMINISTRATIVE VIOLATION
Any action which falsifies gameplay documentation, including, but not limited to, Experience Tracking Sheets, Character Sheets, Item Cards, Attendance Cards, and the like.
6.2.5 ROLE VIOLATION
Any activity outside the accepted bounds of a player's role within the organization; to include "metagaming" (the in-game use of knowledge not possessed in-character), "improper narration" (running a scene when not authorized to do so), and Storyteller/Staff Misfeasance or gross dereliction of duty.
7. FINANCES & TREASURY
The organization shall keep its accrued funds securely, to include a lockbox for petty cash (used at events) and a bank account for amounts above and beyond those included in the petty cash box. The Storyteller staff has control over which staff members and/or players have access to game funds. Any single disbursement in excess of $400 requires a Storyteller vote. Any single disbursement in excess of $1000 (for example, to secure a site for a major event) requires an organization-wide General Vote previous to the disbursement. The Storyteller staff is responsible for issuing periodic reports to the organization on the state of the Treasury.
8. SPECIAL EVENTS & SUB-CHRONICLES
Any special event managed by Baltimore by Night, or any sub-chronicle managed by Baltimore by Night, must be pre-approved for access to organizational resources by a General Vote. A sub-chronicle is subject to a further General Vote every six months to retain its place under the aegis of Baltimore by Night, unless this rule is overridden by a 2/3 General Vote.