A comprehensive, organized, searchable in-game rulebook

[seawied]

I have been on the server since August 2015, and have several characters in game. You would think that after spending hundreds of hours on the server, I would have all the rules memorized, right? Unfortunately, that is not the case... and I am also not alone in this.

I had a conversation earlier today with a player who has been a part of the server for many years and a discussion about how a comprehensive, in-game rulebook is needed. Right now, searching through archives of rules, previous DM rulings, and town laws is incredibly difficult to do. Creating better infrastructure to help new players get acclimated with the rules can be paramount to ensuring an enjoyable RP experience for everyone.

There are a couple of ways we can do this. The most glaring thing that needs to be done is to update the Server Rulebook item given to all new characters. Have it include all the new rules and decision that have occurred since 2013.

Additionally, this rulebook should be organized. I have been told that other servers have included scripts inside their rulebooks, which allow the book to be broken down into clickable sections. Say you are interested in the PVP rules, a new player can easily click a chapter titled "PVP" and it would lead them to a section with ALL of the PVP rules.

If the script cannot be done on our server, I recommend a more basic approach: have the server rulebook organized by pages. When opening the rule book, you would have a table of contents, telling players which page has the information on which rules for instance, here is a quick draw up of what I am talking about:



Obviously, this is entirely incomplete and is only the result of a few minutes of writing.


How well do you know the rules off the top of your head? I put together a short survey for everyone to take: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QGTGCBQ

I will post the results of the survey in a few weeks

[Young Werther]

I still find it rather funny that I know a DM that ignored the first rule of that survey on their PC.

[Ivan38Rus]

Man, you know that things are bad when you take tests on needlessly bloated rulesets designed to automate most interactions... Next thing we'll have OOC lawyers and courts

[Nomster]

We already have lawyers playing this game. It is awful. Abandon shiiiip!


Seawied,
I honestly think the rule updates have been slow because the dev side has not been able to do any updates for a long time. If there are rules somewhere which need to be changed, flag it up to Duster47's attention in a thread here or a PM.

Personally, I think having them in the Nexus and on the forums is enough. Would be nice to free up one inventory slot

The disguise guidelines are... guidelines. Breaking town laws have no OOC consequences apart from a perma strike if you do something really stupid. I think the areas which laws have been updated with them IG? If not, nudge Duster47 perhaps.


I think having the rules on the forums should really be enough. You do not need an account to read them, everyone who plays the game has internet and probably a browser too. It is everyone's own responsibility to update themselves on the rules but it is annoying when there are several different copies IG because they have not been updated to reflect the forum version which is always the newest. So to make things easy, just keep the forum one. *shrug*

[AlwaysSummer Day]

7: I have encountered a player perhaps a hundred times wearing say. . . a tuxedo, and a pair of yellow shoes. They always call my character "bobbyeo" and say they hate him. If this person wears all the same things and still calls my character "bobbyeo" but now has a mask according to DM's they are totally unidentifiable. This has lead to me basically avoiding this player because I know any RP I attempt with them will be defeated by this fullproof disguise tactic no matter how silly it is.

8: The mask/disguise law in Beregost says they have to show their identity to the guards but does not explicitly state they cannot put their mask right back on. Some DM's make you remove it some do not.

At the end of the day I have seen DM's do some crazy things. Town guards defending Drow and threating elves, Paladins of Lathander turning away someone in dire need of healing, and even sacrificing (permadeathing) level ones to lolth at the transition from the nexus. . . thankfully that last one was on a different server. DM's are not perfect. That all said though it took years to encounter all these things.

[seawied]

It is everyone's own responsibility to update themselves on the rules but it is annoying when there are several different copies IG because they have not been updated to reflect the forum version which is always the newest.

While this works in theory, looking at the results posted so far do confirm some of my suspicions: about 1/6th of all players have a poor understanding of the rules.

Some of the questions have been answered perfectly, and these are rules that can be read straight from the in-game rulebook. Other questions have as high as 47% of everyone answering getting the question incorrect.

The sample size is still too small to get any sort of reliable data from it (19 have responded so far), but the preliminary results are exactly what I expected.

[seawied]

Been getting a great number of responses last few days on the survey! Based off the DMs' numbers, so far around 10%-20% of all active players have answered the survey. These numbers are far better than I had hoped for.

I am going to close the survey and post the results in 3 days.

[seawied]

The results are in! Here is what the data collected shows.

54 individuals responded. People with the same ISP address were not allowed to submit their survey twice. If you share a computer or an ISP address with another player and wanted to take the survey, I apologize, but it was necessary.

Before we start, I want to clear off some frequently quoted criticism.

ONLY 54 people! No reliable survey would have such a small sample size!
This is not entirely true. The sample size just needs to be representative of the overall population of those you wish to survey. An accurate poll of presidential elections requires about 500-1,000 people, but mostly because the United States has a population of 318 million people. Most modern polls are accurate within a few percentage points, despite only sampling 1 in 32 million.

Our server has by the DM's estimate, ~200 unique consistent players each month. Having 54 responses out of a dedicated populat of 200 is an absolutely fantastic return! This means the survey was able to reach about 25% of the total population.

Proof is below:

Hidden: show

http://bgtscc.net/posting.php?mode=quote&f=72&p=632564

I'm afraid it's not something we really track. If I had to guess we have about 200 unique players these days -- some of them regular, every day players, and some of them far more casual players. I'm also including "visitor" players, who still keep the community in their hearts and pop in from time to time, but don't play a character consistently these days.

In our heyday we had about three times that number, and at our low points fewer than half that number.

We have had 448 individual usernames log into the server since December 1, 2015 -- but a lot of our players use a variety of alt accounts and characters, and the same player is sometimes behind two or three different names.

What about sample bias? Isn't there a good chance that people who never visit the forums were not part of the survey?
You are absolutely correct in this matter. There is no good way to get around this problem. If anything, though, the people surveyed would have a better chance of reading the forum rules. My overall argument is that not enough people take the opportunity to read the forum rules.

I don't like question X!
While there are 2 questions in particular (question 8 and 5) which I feel could have been done better, it is not my intent to create skewed data. Overall, I feel that the responses generated are fairly accurate and paint a solid picture of the general understanding people have of the rules.

Now that those are out of the way, here are the numbers.

Number of people surveyed: 54
Average number of rules answered correctly: 80%
Mode of correct answers: 8/10
Standard Deviation: 11.974
Margin of Error: 3.193%





Question 1: What is video game rating equivalent is given as a guideline for interacting with people in the game or on the forums?

Correct Answer: T For Teen
Source: http://bgtscc.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=36831

Hidden: show

– The Server, Forum and all interactions are to be rated Teen. Sexual encounters, graphic or extended nudity, gratuitous violence and torture, ERP (Erotic Role Play), and especially rape are strictly prohibited.

Responses:
E For Everyone: 14.81% (8)
T For Teen: 75.93% (41)
M For Mature: 9.26% (5)
A For Adult Only: 0% (0)
Analysis of Data:

Hidden: show

This is a fairly good base question to start off with. This question can immediately be answered on the first page of the rulebook, and should set the expectations for all future answers. Nearly 76% got it correct, which is a bit lower than I was expecting.

There are a few reasons why this number might be lower:

• * The in-game rulebook uses movie ratings as opposed to game ratings
  * This is an international server, and the ESRB may not be as clearly outlined in other countries

Overall, though, this is one of those straight up questions you either got correct or have not read the rules.

Question 2: What is the minimum age for a human player character? (Type number below)
Correct Answer: 18
Source: http://bgtscc.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=36831

Hidden: show

All Player Characters (PCs) must be created and Role-played with the minimum age of 18, for Human, and the equivalent for all other races.

Responses:
<18: 6 (11.11%)
18: 46 (85.18%)
>18: 2 (3.7%)
Analysis of Data:

Hidden: show

These numbers are about spot on what I was expecting. The youngest age someone inputted was 13, oldest was 21. Only one typo response was clearly apparent and that was entered as "18i". It is important to note that the age requirement is not listed in the in-game rulebook.

Question 3: If a race isn't selectable on character creation, it is ok to RP a different race.
Correct Answer: False
Source: http://bgtscc.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=36831

Hidden: show

– You are required to play what is on your Character Sheet. For example, no role-playing of another Race if it does not appear on your Character Sheet. In-character (IC) lying and misinformation about your Character's skills, profession and morality is fair and acceptable, but Role-play which does not reflect the Abilities, Feats and Skills that exist on your Character Sheet, is not acceptable.

Responses:
True: 1.85% (1)
False: 94.44% (51)
Only with Half-dragons, Yuan-Ti, changelings and Gully Dwarves: 1.85% (1)
Only for Gully Dwarves, Aquatic Elves, and select gnome variants: 1.85% (1)

Analysis of Data:

Hidden: show

This is a perfect example of why the complete rules need to be updated in the game itself. Nearly everyone got this question correct. Unlike question 2, this rule is written in the in-game server rules handbook. These responses demonstrate a clear understanding of this rule by the surveyed population.

Question 4: Wearing a helmet that covers the hair, chin, nose, and mouth, but NOT the character's eyes makes them "disguised."
Correct* Answer: True
Source: see photos, and analysis.

Hidden: show

This unfortunately is not clearly written out in the forum rules or in the in-game handbook. However, there are scripts in the game which help players differentiate between what is an example of a concealed identity, and what is not considered a concealed identity.

For instance, the script prevents entry to the Friendly Arms Inn if you wear this type of mask



and this type of mask



These masks cover the face, mouth, hair, and nose, and chin but not the eyes as the question describes.

However, DM Novus describes this as only hiding the character's face.

Wearing the same outfit(s) as your PC would normally do—even with an equipped full-face covering—will only keep your PC's face hidden. This is not being anonymous, and players may attempt to identify you based on all the other visual attributes seen in-character (IC).

I the spirit of this question was written with the intention to measure if people knew that looking at a player's eyes alone was enough to identify them. A better question would have been: "Wearing a helmet that covers the hair, chin, nose, and mouth, but NOT the character's eyes ALONG WITH A UNIQUE OUTFIT makes them 'disguised.'"

Responses:
True: 83.33% (45)
False: 16.67% (9)

Analysis of Data:

Hidden: show

There will be some who say this is a bad question, and I mostly agree with them. The intention of the question was to measure the respondent's ability to understand if looking at a player's eyes alone was enough to identify a described character. Some of the people surveyed who answered "incorrectly" likely felt the description of the disguise was incomplete and therefore failed to generate a convincing disguise. There is a calculated margin of error for this questionnaire, and this is one of two questions that pushes the margin of error up.

That said, the percentage of "correct" responses almost matches perfectly with question#2, which is also based off a rule that is covered in the forum rules, but not the in-game rulebook.

Question 5: A player you encounter on the northern tradeway is vehemently taunting and bullying you, are you legally allowed to kill this player?
Correct* Answer: Yes, the other player has already consented and you may attack immediately
Source: http://www.bgtscc.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3170

Hidden: show

A character who continuously provokes, taunts, slanders, bullies, or offends another character is consenting to PvP with that other character. The provoked, taunted, slandered, bullied, or offended character is not required to give an RP out before engaging in PvP with his or her tormentor, as long as the attack occurs during the hostile taunting, offending, etc.
A single or occasional offhand remark is NOT auto-consent.

Please see data analysis for further notes.

Responses:
Yes, but you need to offer a RP way out for the taunter: 64.81% (35)
Yes, the other player has already consented and you may attack immediately: 31.48% (17)
No, the tradeway is patrolled by guards and is therefore a protected zone: 3.7% (2)

Analysis of Data:

Hidden: show

This is the other bad question added to the survey. The intent of the question was to measure if a player in an unrestricted PVP zone understood that they are consenting to PVP by maliciously taunting (in character) another player. There are several things that this question might be measuring instead:

• 1. Is the respondent familiar with the word "Vehemently"?
  2. Are they familiar with the in-game map titled "Northern Tradeway"?
  3. Did the respondent recognize that the question was written in present tense and not past tense?

#1 is the biggest issue. In surveys, you need to keep the wording simplistic and universal. "Vehemently" is not a common word. In this case, "vehemently" was used to describe a "bitter antagonistic" style of confrontation. The word was chosen to differentiate from an off-hand comment to an intentionally confrontational verbal attack. The word choice was used poorly.

#2 was brought up by another person responding to the survey. I feel that this is a minor flaw in the question, and likely did not greatly affect the overall question. A better location to set this situation up in would have been the Lions Way map, as it has a more unique name and lower level players would be more likely to be familiar with it.

#3 This is the other major issue with this question. The rule states that the bullying must take place presently, and past encounters do not qualify for future consent. While the question is written in a way that qualifies PVP consent, the person surveyed would have to read the question closely to understand. I believe that this is the other major reason why the responses are so skewed for this question.

Question 6: You sneak inside an opponent's guildhall and get caught. After a brief fight, you defeat the person who caught you. What do you do now?
Correct Answer: The commotion likely alerted the guildhall's NPC guards. You need to leave immediately
Source: http://www.bgtscc.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3170

Hidden: show

If the PVP takes place without supervision, and the party who is visiting or infiltrating the guildhall is victorious, they should leave the guildhall immediately as the guildhall PCs would intervene to eject them, and restore the losing member of the guild to health.

Responses:
You are victorious and have taken over the guildhall permanently: 0% (0)
You have killed the person who witnessed you and may continue snooping unhindered: 5.56% (3)
The commotion likely alerted the guildhall's NPC guards. You need to leave immediately: 75.93% (41)
There are no rules on this situation. RP it out to the best of your ability: 18.52% (10)

Analysis of Data:

Hidden: show

We are again seeing the divide between those who understand the rules based on the server hand-book, and those who have dug into the forum rules. Roughly 1 in 4 respondents did not know how to appropriately act in this situation, when the PVP rules explicitly list this exact situation.

Question 7: Your character has a black mask on and a red robe on...
Correct Answer: Your character can eventually be recognized by other players, provided they run into you three times when you are wearing this exact outfit.
Source: http://www.bgtscc.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=39060

Hidden: show

3. A disguise (persona) loses anonymity over time, specifically after a third encounter.

Any third and further use of the same unique outfit with full mask by PC #1—and with the same other PC #2—is considered recognizable, identifiable, and is creating familiarity. The "disguised" PC#1 is now a known identity by the same other PC #2. The disguised PC#1 is no longer anonymous, and could be described and identified by PC #2 at that time, and at a later date or described to another. This does not mean PC #2 knows the Name of PC #1—and most definitely does not know the "true" identity of PC #1—or would be able to "see through" a different disguise persona when wearing a different outfit +/- full-face covering, only that PC #2 recognizes and can identify this particular "disguise persona" worn by PC #1.

Responses:
Your character is completely unidentifiable by other players, no matter how many times they run into you using this disguise.: 7.41% (4)
Your character can eventually be recognized by other players, provided they run into you three times when you are wearing this exact outfit.: 81.48% (44)
Other players can recognize your voice and your eyes, so the disguise does nothing.: 11.11% (6)

Analysis of Data

Hidden: show

Again, there is a divide between those who have read the forum rules and those who go off the in-game handbook. On a pure anecdotal, nonscientific gut instinct guess: I believe the sample bias might be affecting these responses as well. The number of times I see players recognized through their masks by new or low level characters is significantly more common than the survey numbers indicate.

Question 8: Which of the following cities are you allowed to wear a disguise in without DM permission (Check all that apply)
Correct Answer: Roaringshore
Source: Laws of the Land http://www.bgtscc.net/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=42477

Hidden: show

Withheld Identity, often in the case of masked or full-helmeted individuals, must present their full appearance to any and all City Watch or Flaming Fist officers when requested. Failure to do so shall result in imprisonment or banishment from the Gate.
....
- These Laws are in effect for Baldur's Gate city and its Environs = Maps with Flaming Fist NPCs present.

-Facial features may not be hidden behind a scarf, mask or face-shield while within our walls.

-Withheld Identity, often in the case of masked or full-helmeted individuals, individuals must present their full appearance to any and all Amnian officials, soldiers, militia, or law enforcement when requested. Failure to do so shall result in imprisonment or banishment from Beregost and Nashkel.‏ The Amnian authorities in Nashkel and Beregost will always ask to see the full appearance of individuals upon the individuals entering town.
...

//OOC-Notes:
- These Laws are in effect for the Beregost and Nashkel towns and their Environs = Maps with Amnian military, militia, or law enforcement present.

Responses:
Baldur's Gate: 9.43% (5)
The Friendly Arm Inn (inside the courtyard and tavern): 16.98% (9)
Beregost (inside the gates): 18.87% (10)
Roaringshore: 98.11% (52)
Skipped All: 1 respondent


Analysis of Data

Hidden: show

After posting this, I noted that there was some debate about the use of masks in town. One individual claimed that a previous DM at one point had said it was ok to wear a mask in town, provided that you briefly take it off to show yourself to the guard, and the guard only. I admittedly do not know if this is true or not. However, it seems nonsensical to me.

If you walked up to a bank wearing this:

took it off to reveal yourself to the guard/teller, and then put it back on afterwards, do you think they would let you go about your business? Don't be silly.

Clarification is needed both in the in-game handbook and on the forum posts.

Question 9: You roll a cleric and want to pick a domain that is not normally associated with your chosen deity. Are you allowed to choose the unorthodox domain?
Correct Answer: No, this is not allowed
Source: http://www.bgtscc.net/viewtopic.php?p=249389#p249389

Hidden: show

On January 23 of this year, about seven months ago, Cleric domains were added to the server rules, and domains indeed began to be enforced.

The staff feels that by this time, both old and new players have had ample notice that cleric domains are being enforced on this server.

Therefore! Clerics found with incorrect domains will now be handled in one of two ways:

1. If the character was a cleric at level 1, he must take a half-XP rebuild to correct his domains. This rebuild will ONLY be to correct his domains. All other things, such as classes, feats, and skills, will remain the same.

2. If he took his cleric levels later than level 1, he can opt to get deleveled to a pre-cleric level, OR take a half-XP rebuild (as per the first option).

Responses:
Yes, provided that you role play what is on your character sheet: 3.77% (2)
Yes, provided that your character's backstory explains the unusual domain: 0%
No, this is not allowed: 96.23% (51)
Skipped: 1

Analysis of Data:

Hidden: show

The in-game handbook mentions that clerics can only be played with the proper domains. This is yet another example of a strong correlation of higher number of correct answers (90% or higher) and rules being stated in the in-game rulebook

Question 10: Your character reaches level 20 and you decide to take on a brand new class. What are your limitations?
Correct Answer: You cannot take any new classes. You must have a minimum of 3 levels in each class by level 20
Source: http://www.bgtscc.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=36831

Hidden: show

– 3 Levels of Each Class at Level 20 (3b20) Rule: A PC (the build plan) must have 3 levels in every class at level 20 (example of a build's class level distribution at the 20th character level: 17/3 or 14/3/3/ or 11/3/3/3). Prestige classes are included in this rule. So for example, a Rogue 12/Wizard 5/Arcane Trickster 3 is okay. A Rogue 13/Wizard 5/ Arcane Trickster 2 is not. Failure to observe this rule will result in the de-leveling of your PC to a legal state with NO XP refund!

Responses:
Any class is allowable, provided that you have no more than 4 total classes and meet all of the prerequisites.: 0
After level 20, you can only take new prestige classes, but cannot take a new base class: 1.85% (1)
You cannot take any new classes. You must have a minimum of 3 levels in each class by level 20: 98.15% (53)

Analysis of Data

Hidden: show

Nearly 100% of everyone got this question correct. This is shown in the in-game rulebook and in the forum rulebook. The incredibly strong correlation between rules listed in the in-game book and a high degree of correct answers continues.

Conclusion:
The in-game rulebook is very effective at teaching the vast majority of players the rules. Rules only posted to the forum result with 1-in-4 or 1-in-6 players failing to read the rules or understand the rules. An updated in-game rulebook would greatly help players have a more enjoyable experience, and a better understanding of the rules.

[Nomster]

I will be honest... I did think many of the questions were poorly phrased.

Question 4) This was... very oddly phrased. I do not think you can also take a script to be an actual thing. There are helmets and masks which pass through that script, and some masks which cover only the eyes are still picked up by the script. There are rules about this but it is said in context of recognizing drow & other races in UD/Surface. The Disguise Guidelines are just that - guidelines.

Question 5) It does not state if the character continuously insults your character or not. One or two insults are not enough for PvP consent, it has to be a string of them. This is why, I think, some people have voted for an RP-out and others on a right to attack.

Question 7) This is not a rule, it is a Disguise Guideline. To be honest, it is such a complicated way to explain disguises. Still, it is not a rule.

Question 8) This is not a rule. It is an IC law in place. There can be a big difference between IC laws and rules. Subject: THE LAWS OF THE LANDS (IC) See this thread for individual laws in areas.


Overall, 6 of the 10 questions were OK. 4 had me scratch my head.



I think your conclusion is faulty. Because you are frankly, a bit biased in it and wanting to see an IG rulebook as you mention in this thread, so your original stand point is to want to prove a point your argue for so you do not start out at a neutral mindset and let the results speak for themselves. But also because many of your questions are quite odd and some do not even concern rules but are about guidelines and IC laws. You could have on purpose, selected "rules" which you know are not presented anywhere IG. I do not think you did that... but it would be very easy to do.

Still, I think it has been interesting. And it is especially interesting to see the amount of people who replied.


I hope you take no offence from this feedback. I am a bit apprehensive to state the above things but I assure you I have no ill intentions with it.

[DM Pun Pun]

Question 6 is incorrect. If you sneak into another guild's hall and start a PvP, you are likely to get a permastrike.

[seawied]

Parties who catch infiltrators can PVP them within guildhalls, and can initiate PVP with the appropriate RP outs. They should try and get supervision for PVPing in front of their NPCs. If they cannot then it would be one of the situations whereby we would not issue permastrikes for initiating PVP in front of NPCs. The reverse is not true, and the infiltrator must either flee or gain supervision before initiating PVP.

The question does not discuss initiating PVP, but the after effects of it. The infiltrator may not have been the one who initiated PVP.