The AugMUD Covenant

In order to bring AugMUD to a higher state of dynamic and beneficent

existence, this document has been ratified by the following:

The general goal of this document is to make administration of AugMUD

a more enjoyable and active experience, and to ensure specific and ideal

conditions, as outlined below:

1.

Each member of the administrative staff should know, without question,

where his/her authority begins and ends.

2.

Each member of the administration staff should be familiar with the rules

that bind each other member. Every member of the administration should

feel that these rules are fair.

3.

A clearly drawn chain of command should be available to provide each member

of the staff with assistance in communicating with the right person for

any specific situation.

4.

A rigid set of rules should govern promotions, demotions, and impeachment,

to eliminate personal bias, as a factor, or as an accusation relating to

any of the above. Each person should have an equal chance of proving

themselves worthy of any position they desire.

5.

Rank should be based on effort, and results, not "time served." The

complacency that comes of higher position should be balanced by the

knowledge that continuance in that position is dependant on how well the

job is performed.

6.

Training in the specialized skills necessary to keep AugMUD running

should be given freely to any who wish to learn them, by those most

qualified to teach them.

7.

Every member of the administrative force has the option of doing the

job that best suits him or her, and the job that they would most enjoy.

No one should be unhappy with the responsibilities of their position,

nor be forced to do a task they find distasteful.

8.

Creativity should be harnessed, and any staff member, regardless of rank,

level, or position, should be given a forum for ideas, and the freedom to

work toward their implementation. This freedom should be tempered with a

seldom-invoked veto power to prevent harmful abuse.

9.

The workload of keeping AugMUD moving and changing should be evenly

distributed, so no backs strain under a burden that could otherwise be

shared.

10.

Every immortal should know that they are part of a team, and working

toward mutual goals. Ideas are divided into tasks, with each member of

the staff doing their part to make the idea a reality.

On AugMUD, every immortal who is considered to be part of the

'administrative staff' (hereafter called the 'admin'), must have a title

and job description. If an immortal does not have a title, and job

description (s)he will not be considered part of the admin. All admin

immortals will be given the authority to change any aspect of the game,

be it directly (by committing a change him/herself), or indirectly (for

example, taking part in a vote).

Each admin immortal must belong to at ONE of the SEVEN departments.

These departments, are as follows: History/Mud Information (headed by a

Chronicler), Building/Building Procedures (Headed by a Geomancer),

Justice/Personal Relations (headed by the Justicar), Questing (headed by

the Questmaster), Web Design (headed by the Webmaster), or as a member

under the Game Master (supervisor of Department Heads (Ie: Chronicler,

Geomancer, Justicar, Questmaster, and Webmaster), or finally as

the supervisor of the Game Master (Ie: The Implementor). The

department head in each case, will oversee the staff members under him/her.

Each of these positions, will be re-described, in detail, hereafter.

The following is a flow chart, indicating the chain of command for AugMUD.

Each position is described hereafter, in a subsequent section.

IMPLEMENTOR

GAME MASTER

JUSTICAR         GEOMANCER         QUESTMASTER    CHRONICLER     WEBMASTER

 TEMPLARS          BUILDERS  MAPPERS           QUESTORS            BARD           WEBCASTERS  
                        CODERS

NON-ADMINISTRATIVE IMMORTALS AND GODS

MORTALS

This chain of command outlines the ranking of the administration, and

takes precedence over level-based rank. Note that it is possible,

however unlikely, to have a level 109 Templar, and a level 106 Justicar.

In this case, the chain of command remains intact, and position protocols

are followed regardless.

The Implementor (hereafter referred to as the IMP), is the general all

around prime mover. Generally, the IMP is the one who had the drive to get

the ball rolling initially and set the game up in the first place. The IMP

must be a good coder and should at least understand how building works.

When differences that cannot be arbitrated any other way appear, the IMP

serves as the arbiter. Should there be serious problems between immortals

or mortals or should there be a character, mortal or immortal, who is

incessantly causing trouble, the IMP will award punishment as he sees fit.

The IMP also has final say on all game modifications and rules and is

responsible for seeing that all the immortals carry out assigned tasks as

delegated by the IMP. Basically, the IMP is the monarch of AugMUD and

holds that position by virtue of having set up the game or having been

appointed by the previous IMP. Finally, it is also the job of the

IMP to maintain the shell account, on the mud server. This includes,

but is not limited to, action as a liaison between the server administrator

and the mud, and changing the password on the account as appropriate

(for example, when a change in department heads occurs).

Should the position of IMP be vacated without an heir, the immortals of

AugMUD will choose one of their number and advance that person into the

role of IMP. This provision is here in the event of an unforseen disaster

or sudden resignation. This is a hobby, after all. Nevertheless, the role

of Implementor carries with it a definite level. That level, is the

highest level the game currently contains. There is no one who can be of

higher level than the Implementor.

Finally, it is important to note that the IMPLEMENTOR has the right to

reserve a complete VETO power, in all matters save the commencement of

his/her impeachment. That is to say, that if the IMPLEMENTOR feels that a

decision made by any of the admin staff is inadequate, or should be

changed, the IMP may change that decision at his/her discretion.

By the simple nature of this power, it is obvious that this power should

only be invoked in those circumstances which it is applicable. Abuse

of this power, as deemed so by the Game Master, can result in Implementor

Impeachment.

(Note: At this time, AugMUD is run on a school server. Should the IMP

not be an alumnus of AUC (the school who houses AUGMUD), some complications

may arise. This note is here not as a safety net, but merely

to serve as a reminder to the administrators of the mud)

It is possible to impeach the IMP. This is a difficult process, however.

It requires that ALL current immortals agree that the impeachment is

necessary. That is, there can be no abstentions and no nays in the vote.

The IMP must be present at the impeachment proceedings or have been given

at least 30 days notice of said proceedings. Impeachment proceedings must

also provide a replacement for the role of IMP that is agreed upon by all

present. At such a proceeding, the Justicar will preside and the Game

Master, and any combination of two, of the remaining department heads MUST

agree that the proceedings should take place. Should any of these positions

be vacant at the time, whosoever is acting in that capacity will have full

authority in that position. Once the IMP is impeached, public notice to

all mortals will be given. Should a sufficient number of non-immortal

players (one vote per real player) think that the IMP is doing a good job

(i.e. a significant majority), the impeachment stays on record, but the

IMP will continue. It is the Bard's (described in later section, see Bard

Description) job to poll the players and determine their opinion. In this

case, however, to prevent Bard favoritism, one of the Immortals who

initiated the impeachment shall oversee the Bard in this task. Should the

new regime decide at any point that they made an error in the impeaching

of the IMP, they may request that he be reinstated at any time. This

requires that the new IMP, the Game Master, and at LEAST two other

department heads agree this is a good idea.

Under normal voting circumstances, a vote is considered a 'significant

majority', if there are at least 65% of the admin votes are in favour of

a decision. Should there be a vote with fewer than 65%, the result will

be recorded by the Chronicler, but whatever is the subject of the vote,

shall not continue forward.

All votes, no matter what type, will be recorded by the Chronicler, and

kept in a log. At any time, should an admin call a vote into question,

it will be the job of the Chronicler to investigate this further. If it

has been found that some error has occurred, the original vote can be

repealed, and the process restarts, by taking a vote among the admin staff.

As stated in the Implementor description, all votes are considered

as an advisement. Should the IMP feel that a vote, regardless of the

result, is not in the best interest of the mud, he/she reserves the

right to implement the result that he/she sees fit.

The Game Master (hereafter, referred to as GM) is the most demanding job

on the MUD. Its closest equivalent is the general manager of a business.

A successful candidate for the Game Master position, will possess the

following criteria:

A Game Master candidate should have a great deal of familiarity with the

code, should have been a department head for at least three months prior

to appointment to the GM seat, and should have built at least one zone, or

its equivalent, to demonstrate familiarity with the building format.

Administration duties Include:

1.

Making changes to the department head positions, including dismissal

and appointment. Such changes can only be overruled by the veto

power of the Implementor.

2.

Acting as intermediary between immortal disputes, and smoothing any

conflicts that arise through diplomacy and good tact.

3.

Presiding in the unlikely event of a trial in which the Justicar's actions

are called into question, and the Implementor is either unavailable or

personally involved in the case to the point where the Implementor's

impartiality cannot be assured.

4.

Co-ordination between all departments of the immortal staff.

This includes delegation of responsibility to the department heads of

the mud. In turn, the GM will then be responsible for overseeing that

the delegated tasks are accomplished by the appropriate party. The GM

will provide suitable motivation, to that end, and make sure that all

tasks are completed, as scheduled. If the department head in question

is unable to perform in some fashion, it is the task of the GM to remedy

this problem, at the GM's discretion. Such things can, and will include,

replacement of the department head, or placement of the department head

on Involuntary Hiatus (and subsequent temporary replacement of the

department head).

5.

When a decision or suggestion is finalized at a meeting or by imp-l

consensus, it is the Game Master's job to see that it is followed

through to implementation. It is the job of the GM to accomplish this

task, by the next regular meeting (ie: as scheduled by the Chronicler,

See description thereof.). Failure to do so, may be grounds for

Impeachment of the GM (see Impeachment of the GM, below).

6.

The Game Master handles the day-to-day coding needs of the MUD, including

bug fixes (unless only otherwise able to be handled by the Implementor),

new skills/spells, additional commands, implementation of special

procedures, and general improvements on existing code.

7.

The Game Master can and must repair any problems in the game, be they

human or code-related, where possible. If this is not within the scope

of the GM to handle, this can be handed off to the Implementor as seen

fit by the GM.

8.

The Game Master must always be prepared to step in and complete any task

for which the normal department head is unavailable, or unable to perform.

If the game master feels that this happens too frequently, he/she should

suggest that the department head in question abdicate the post in favor

of a candidate that is more readily available.

Ultimately, if the something is wrong with the game, short term or long,

it is the GM's responsibility to see that it is fixed, or bring the

problem to the IMPLEMENTOR.

By this clause, it is also within the rights of the Game Master, to

overrule any decision reached by any of the department heads. However,

this decision of the game master can still be overruled by the veto

power of the Implementor, where appropriate.

Impeachment of the Game Master should be much the same as for the

implementor, with the following caveat: The Implementor can and

SHOULD have the explicit authority to dismiss and replace the game master

as he/she sees fit, with NO warning or discussion.

The game master position carries great power and responsibility, and

leaving a bad one in office for even an HOUR longer than necessary

(to allow for a meeting to discuss impeachment proceedings, etc) can

have dire consequences.

Additionally, at, or before, each regular meeting (see description of

Chronicler, for definition of Regular Meeting), the game master should

undergo a "review" of sorts. The review may just be a quick "yea/nay"

show of hands or a lengthy question-answer session, trying to determine

how many of the prior meeting's decisions and ideas have been implemented. If it happens that

none or very few have been done, then the leadership ability and effort of the game master should

be called into question, and he/she should be asked to step down voluntarily. Failure to do so

may warrant impeachment proceedings.

The Chronicler is in charge of keeping lines of communication open in

all directions. He/she greases the wheels of The Machine.

The duties of the Chronicler include:

1.

Seeing that the Bard does his/her job, and appointing a new one if needed.

The Chronicler will utilize shell access to upload any NEWS, or MOTD

update that the Bard produces, provided the Chronicler has read and

agrees with the posting. The Chronicler will also assess the Bard's

performance as he/she sees fit, to ensure that the Bard's job is being

done, and announcements/opinions flow freely from the immortal realms

to the players and vice versa.

2.

Updating and maintaining this document.

It will be the Chronicler's duty to ensure that this document as a whole

is up-to-date regarding recent additions as ratified by the staff.

Failure to do so within 30 days of any ratified change is grounds for

dismissal.

3.

Scheduling the immortal meetings.

The Chronicler will schedule general meetings no less frequently that

once every 65 days, and no more frequently than once every 30 days.

These meetings will be scheduled to allow at least the following

positions to attend:

All department heads

The Game Master

The Implementor

The Bard

In addition, the scheduled meeting should allow for as many of the

remaining staff to attend, as can be arranged within reason. The duration

of such meetings should be considered no more than two hours, unless

specifically scheduled as otherwise.

4.

Running the meetings.

The Chronicler shall be responsible for maintaining order and presiding

over general meetings so as to facilitate equal chances to voice opinions

or suggest ideas. A rough agenda should be drawn up beforehand which

allows a time-allotment for each department head to give a brief report,

and to allow for a quick review of the Game Master, as per the Game

Master's description. Additional time should be scheduled for other

business.

Should the meeting's soft-ceiling of 2 hours be broken, the Chronicler

may adjourn the meeting at his/her discretion, to be re-scheduled and

re-convened at a date no later than fourteen days from the original

meeting, if possible. This re-convened meeting must be scheduled to

allow at least three department heads (including the Chronicler), the

Game Master, and the Bard, to attend.

5.

Acting as liaison for all outside communication.

In all matters of communication outside of the MUD, the Chronicler is

entrusted to speak for the Staff at large. This includes, but is not

limited to, the Mud Connector and similar services, as well as

partnerships with other MUDs, and Mud-reviewing organizations.

6.

Maintaining the Immortal Mailing List.

It shall be the Chronicler's duty to add/remove administrative immortals

and the Bard to and from the immortal mailing list in a timely fashion.

Only administrative immortals and the Bard shall have access to the

mailing list, except in special circumstances as dictated by the

Chronicler, and detailed via a list-wide posting.

7.

Presiding in matters of role-playing and game story/history.

In keeping with tradition, and for lack of a better candidate, the

Chronicler should be considered "in charge" of all matters concerning

both "story" and "history," both fictional and factual. Also along those

same lines, the Chronicler shall be responsible for improving the

role-playing "mood" of the MUD, in coordination with other department

heads. The Chronicler should have final say in these matters, so long

as it does not interfere with the specific responsibilities of another

of the department heads.

Note: At this point, the bard position is a SINGLE position. That

is to say, there will be only one bard on AugMUD. Should AugMUD require

more than a single bard, it falls to the Chronicler to appoint a new

bard, based on this definition, at his/her discretion.

The Bard's position is the only mortal administration position, and

a qualified candidate will:

1.

NOT control any immortal characters during his/her tenure as Bard.

Any immortal characters must not only be inactive, but completely

deleted. If immortality is reached by a serving Bard, the bard must

abdicate the post, and a new Bard will be appointed by the Chronicler.

2.

Be knowledgeable with regard to immortal protocols, either by prior

experience as an immortal on AugMUD, or by closely working with the

immortals for an extended period.

3.

Have a good grasp of several facets of the game, and a good general

knowledge of the mud's layout and systems to the point where most

mortal questions and concerns can be answered directly.

4.

Have good diplomatic skills, and be able to help smooth conflicts

between players, regardless of rank or level.

During his/her tenure, the Bard is responsible for the following:

1.

Informing the players of any changes, before they occur in the case

of major additions, or as they occur in the case of lesser changes.

This is accomplished through a number of means at the Bard's disposal,

discussed later in this text.

2.

Addressing player concerns to the various department heads, or to the

Game Master directly, in the case of widespread or critical problems.

3.

Gathering player opinions and polls as directed by the Chronicler,

at the behest of the Game Master.

4.

Keeping the role-playing aspect of the MUD active, by serving as an

example in all interactions with mortals and immortals, whenever possible.

To facilitate these duties, the Bard is granted the following:

1.

Authority to update the MOTD, the NEWS file, and the Bard's bulletin

board.

2.

Ability and authority to read and write on the immortal board, and be

included as a full member on the immortal mailing list.

3.

The ability and authority to publish whatever he/she sees fit, and to

distribute those publications in any matter he/she chooses.

4.

An equal say in any vote or debate involving the administration,

despite being a mortal. This includes, but is not limited to regular

meetings and IMP-L discussions.

5.

In the absence of a Chronicler, the Bard is next in line for the position,

either as a temporary replacement, or a permanent one, provided the Bard

can reach immortality before the position is filled by another qualified

candidate.

The Geomancer has the all-important task of managing the world's physical

being.

This is the most demanding of the department head positions, and second

only to the Game Master's position in overall complexity. For this

reason, the Geomancer is allocated additional staff, and may even

re-assign work to be done by other department heads if he/she feels it is

appropriate for that department head, and lies within the second party's

ability to complete.

Duties of the Geomancer include:

1.

Acquisition and implementation of new zones to expand upon the world of

AugMUD.

The Geomancer may acquire these zones from native AugMUD builders, or by

any other means, fair or foul. Preference should be granted to AugMUD

native zones, in implementation. Conversion from other formats, when

necessary, also falls under this department's authority, and such tasks

can be assigned to apprentice Builders, Mappers, and Coders to serve the

dual purpose of familiarizing them with AugMUD's format and getting new

zones into play.

2.

Improvement of existing zones, through on ongoing process of debugging

and addition.

Where inconsistences or errors are discovered in the already-implemented

world of AugMUD, it is the Geomancer's duty to correct them. This task,

like most others, can be assigned to volunteers and apprentices if the

Geomancer feels it is appropriate to do so.

Also under this heading, the Geomancer is empowered to add special

processes, if able, or to request such special processes from coders

under the Geomancer's department, or from the Game Master.

3.

Overseeing the training of any who seek guidance in building, with an

emphasis on those immortals under the Geomancer's department.

Such training should be in the form of "assignments", such as

"The Questmaster needs four custom objects built. Here are the

statistics (stats) and descriptions.. See what you can do." Or else

questions and clarifications to the builder's guide.

4.

Maintaining and updating the Builder's Guide.

This includes making this guide available to the public through

coordination with the Webmaster, making any changes or additions to

the guide as necessary by additions in code, making the guide

available offline in a variety of formats, and correcting any errors

in typography and format previously existing in the Builder's Guide.

This, like all Geomancer tasks, can be divided among volunteers, or

reassigned, but the Geomancer retains all responsibility for the results.

5.

Final say on all things physical and constructory.

If anyone needs something built, the Geomancer says what, when,

and by whom. The Geomancer has the authority to pull any zone from

play, make any changes to any mob, object, or room, or completely reject

any building project that seems unfit for any reason. The Geomancer

may exercise this authority without any prior warning or explanation,

but is expected to provide notice to such changes to the administration

at large, shortly after any major changes (those involving heavily

frequented zones, or important objects, mobs, and rooms).

Failure to notify the administration, or reverse any changes that the

Game Master deems unwise, will result in dismissal.

Builders are just that.. they're immortals who are busy building a zone.

The position of Builder falls under the jurisdiction of the Geomancer,

but the Geomancer will seldom assign projects to this group.

Instead, each builder tells the Geomancer what they would like to build,

and as long as it's reasonable, the Geomancer approves the project and the

Builder is then free to work on his/her own.

If there is no particular project that the Builder has in mind, or if the

Builder wishes to be instructed in the building arts, the Geomancer may

assign smaller duties to the budding constructionary.

Such duties include creation of custom items and MUDHOMES, to lessen the

workload placed on the Questmaster, or repairs, and small additions to

existing zones.

Builders earn promotions by successfully completing good zones. Because

building is such slow work, and often takes longer than the one month of

the promotion cut-off, successful completion of an exceptionally good

zone often warrants several consecutive promotions, usually one by the

Geomancer, and a second by the Game Master, and if the Implementor feels

a third is deserved, he may grant one at his/her discretion.

By the same token, Geomancers may request periodic updates of the

Builder's progress, and if the Builder is unable to produce evidence of

progress over an extended period, may be forced to abandon the post in

favour of a less demanding one, or re-join the ranks of the non-

administrators.

Building is not for the weak-willed, but the rewards extend beyond simple

promotions.. Lasting glory, and a chance to make a permanent mark on

AugMUD.

Coders are the most highly skilled and valuable of the lower-echelon

administrators.

To qualify as a Coder, the immortal must have a good working knowledge

of the building format, as well as some experience in a programming

language, preferably C, although virtually any coding language is a bonus.

Coders are assigned tasks, or work on their own AugMUD-enhancing

projects as the Geomancer sees fit. One Coder may strive to develop

a good offline building utility, another may work on special procedures

for an upcoming zone, a third may do scripting for the website, and

another may be assigned to work on skills with the Game Master.

A good Coder is well rewarded, and these skilled few have the best

shot at the Geomancer's spot, when it becomes available, since they

already come close to qualifying with their range and depth of

behind-the-game knowledge.

Highly trusted Coders may be granted provisional rights to the mud's

administration account, if the Game Master sees fit, and the

Implementor concurs. These are the only lower echelon immortals to

have such privileges.

The Mapper position falls under the department of the Geomancer, and

is a critical role.

A good Mapper will have at least some talent/skill with a graphics

program, will be able to point out discrepancies and mistakes in the

world of AugMUD. An excellent Mapper will have some minor building

skills, and be able to repair those errors.

Mappers are the ultimate debuggers... testing new zones, and existing

zones not only for completeness, sanity, and blatant errors in connection,

but also testing each zone to make certain its level is accurate, and

that none of the mobs are overly weak, or overly strong for their

experience reward.

Mappers are the ones in the trenches, whose skilled hands not only map

the world.. but shape it according to their vision.

If Builders create the house, it is the Mappers who decorate it, check

the plans for design flaws, and see that it's placed in the right lot.

Mappers earn promotions by completing projects assigned to them by the

Geomancer, or if no projects are currently pending, by taking the

initiative and completing projects of their own choosing, according to

their capacity, and along the lines of this description.

1.

The Justicar ultimately deals with all cases of mischief, wrong doings,

and breaking of rules, performed by any player (be it player, or

immortal) on the MUD. Punishment can be dealt out, as seen fit by the

Justicar, but can be revoked, by the IMP in extreme circumstances.

Also, any player who has become the victim of a punishment, may deal

directly with the Justicar, in an appeal process.

2.

By 1, the Justicar MUST be completely and totally impartial to EVERYONE.

Using partiality, in this post would be incredibly dangerous, and an

impeachment process could be incited to remove the Justicar from the

post if such occurred. Such a process, would follow the same precesses

that outlined for the Implementor (See section 1.52, Impeachment of the

Justicar), however, in such a circumstance it would be the duty of the

Implementor (or the GM, if the Implementor is not of capacity to do

so) to act in the capacity of the Justicar.

3.

The Justicar is responsible for keeping tidy and accurate, the HELP

files for AugMUD. This can be done by having the Justicar write these

him/herself, and then placing them in the game, or by assignment of the

projects to the Templars (See 1.54, Description of a Templar). If the

assignment to a Templar method is used, it is the job of the Justicar to

make sure that the assignment is accurate, and then make use of shell

access to put the assignment into the game.

4.

Since the Justicar is the one in charge of the Templars, who are basically

mortal relations officers (see Description of Templars, Section 1.54), it

falls to the Justicar to manage mortal relations, in coordination with

the Chronicler where necessary.

5.

Finally, interpretation of this constitution (assuming it is finalized)

with regard to special circumstances, or unforseen contingencies.

In the event that something of this magnitude occurs, it will fall to

the Justicar to interpret the constitution, or suggest that the area is

not sufficiently covered in the constitution, and an addendum is required.

See section 4.0 Changes to this Document, below).

Note: The position of Justicar is not building intensive or code intensive!

Thus, there is a position on this mud, for ALL characters, both those

with talents in this area, and for those without!

Templars, as they fall under the Justicar's sphere of influence, are

responsible for the following duties:

1.

Helping newbies to the best of their ability, including doing corpse

retrieval, DT retrievals, giving directions, and assisting players in

any other capacity allowable under the immortal handbook.

2.

Helping the Justicar enforce the rules, by warning players against

breaking them, or reporting repeat offenders to the Justicar directly.

3.

In the case of extremely disruptive players, the Templars are empowered

to take whatever action is necessary to neutralize the threat by

whatever means are available.

Abuse of these powers will be dealt with swiftly and harshly by the

Justicar, at his/her sole discretion.

The Templar position is not coding, or building intensive, and is a

good starting place for inexperienced immortals. Promotion in this

capacity should be somewhat slower than the more specialized positions,

but its importance should not be under-rated. Immortals of this

position will usually be the first immortals that newbies meet, and

therefore have the capacity to shape the player base, and provide a

good first impression.

The responsibilities of the Questmaster (hereafter referred to as the

QM) shall be as follows:

1.

The QM shall be responsible for the "building" of all Custom EQ,

MUDhomes, and Quest Token items. This means that the QM will either

build the items him/herself, or assign it to one of the Questors (See

description of Questors, below). A due date will be set at the time of

assignment. Should this workload build up, it is acceptable for the

Questmaster to ask for assistance from the Geomancer, in completing

these tasks.

2.

The QM will consult with the Geomancer regarding any upcoming zones.

After implementation by the Geomancer and/or Game Master. The QM will

consider if a Quest is appropriate for that zone. If so, the QM shall

create an AutoQuest for that zone. If not, the QM will take note of any

unique items within the zone for use of other Quests, such as RPG or

Fetchum.

Any and all AutoQuests will be submitted to the Game Master by the QM.

3.

The QM will plan one major Quest, to be held at least once per three

months, but no more than 1 within 30 days. This Quest will involve as

many of the Questors that are able to participate, and will involve a

major event in the MUD's history. The Quest will be announced at least

two weeks before the date of holding it, so players can arrange to be

available if they wish to participate. The details of this quest will be

sent to the Bard, and Chronicler upon completion, for the both of these

positions to use as each sees fit.

4.

The QM shall submit at least 2 mini-quest ideas per month, to be placed

on the Questmaster's Board, (currently located in room 3799). This can

be used by the Questors at any time.

If no Questors are available to run a weekly Quest, the QM shall run

weekly mini-quests.

5.

The QM will be responsible for setting the prices at the Questmaster's

Shrine (3068)

6.

The QM is responsible for updating the Tome of Questing, as well as the

Questing board in room 3066. They will create any new publications that

the loregiver is to sell regarding new AutoQuests.

7.

The QM will update the AugMUD Guide (the mob) as appropriate for new Quests.

8.

The QM will periodically go through the various zones of the MUD and

reconsider them for AutoQuests. Ideas occur at different times, and

cannot be commanded. As well, a new QM may think of things that their

predecessor did not. Already existing zones should not be ignored due

to this oversight.

Qualifications to become a Questmaster:

1. All QM should have building experience, to facilitate the creation of

customEQ and MUDhomes.

2. All QM should have experience as a Questor.

3. All QM should be familiar with AugMUD AutoQuests, and their solutions.

4. All QM should have access to the specific commands of load, mask,

echo/gecho, and switch/return and whatever other commands that are

appropriate for the facilitation of good quests.

5. An ideal candidate for QM would have coding experience.

Questors are those that are part of the QM staff. They are the ones

that the players will deal with the most, since, as staff members,

they will be expected to remain visible at most times.

All Questors are responsible to run at least one Quest per week.

If the Questor does not run a Quest for two consecutive weeks, or does

not give a quest on four non-consecutive weeks, their position as a

Questor will be reviewed.

Questors will report all Quests they run, for whom, and how many QP

were awarded, on the Questmaster's board, located in room 3799.

The same, or similar, quest, will not be given to a mortal twice.

Once they have completed a Quest, they will never again be able to

earn Quest points for that particular Quest. This does not apply to

multi-players.

Although not required, it would be preferred that all Questors submit

one mini-quest idea or suggestion per month. The number and usefulness

of these quests will be considered in any Promotion.

Questors are required to consult the Questmaster's Board (3799) regularly,

to stay current on the issues.

As with any position, failure to comply with these regulations, may

be followed by dismissal of the Questor, either by the Questmaster, or

the GM should this come to the attention of either post.

The Webmaster (hereafter referred to as the WM) is in charge of all

relationships with the public, via the Web page. It is the responsibility

of the WM to maintain the webpage in a current state, and take care of all

duties involved with the website, at his/her discretion.

The specific duties of the Webmaster, are as follows:

1.

The Webmaster will maintain current all of the website materials,

for viewing by the players. These documents are to be modified,

and made current by whichever department head is in question, and

are to be handed to the Webmaster in an appropriate format that

he/she can then post them on the web, for the players.

2.

The WM is responsible to coordinate the efforts of the Webcasters

(see description of the Webcaster position, below), including handing

out of assignments and project completion dates, collection of such

assignments and their use thereof. It is the job of the WM to also

see that the submissions of a Webcaster are credited to that specific

Webcaster, where appropriate.

3.

The WM is in charge of consultation with the department heads, to

determine what, if anything, needs to be added to the website from each

of the departments. In this way, he/she will be able to prepare for the

new event, and have some scope of how to incorporate the new change into

the website.

The Webcaster falls under the discipline of the Webmaster. It is the

duty of the Webcaster to aid in the creating of the website, with

whatever skills he/she has to offer.

Good Webcasters will have the following qualities:

1.

Some web design ability, or a strong desire to learn the techniques and

methods involved therein.

2.

The ability to interact with all disciplines of the mud, and offer

creative suggestions for portrayal of aspects of the mud, in an

informative manner, through the website.

As with the Templar, the position of Webcaster is not very building,

or coding intensive. However, the position of Webcaster is a good spot

for those wishing to learn either of these two disciplines, in the future.

Several of the tasks will be such that they will afford the Webcaster

free time to pursue objectives such as building, or various other

activities.

Because of the nature of this position, promotions can be slower than some

positions. However, at large, it will not be impossible for a Webcaster

to demonstrate the merit for a promotion. Obviously, suggesting good ideas

for what could go onto the website, and also taking the initiative to make

those ideas come into being, will heavily influence the Webmaster, when

he/she makes decisions of this nature.

In the event that a Department head does not perform the duties

stipulated in the section of this document that describes the

Department head, he/she will be asked to resign from his/her post

by the residing Game Master.

If the department head is unwilling to resign, it is within the

right of the Game Master to dismiss the department head from the

position, followed by the appointment of a new department head, by the

Game Master. If no department head is immediately available, it is

the job of the Game Master to act in the capacity of the department

head until such time as an applicable candidate arrives.

Once dismissed, the former department head may join the ranks of the

non-administrative immortals, or can join the ranks of the lower

echelon immortals, in whatever capacity he/she is interested. The

former department head is then eligible for promotion, and other

benefits entitled to the lower echelon positions, and should another

department head position become available, for which he/she holds the

criteria, that position will be open to him/her. (As well as any other

applicable candidates).

If the Game Master feels it appropriate, this dismissal can be replaced

by an Involuntary Hiatus of the Department head. (See Involuntary

Hiatus).

Similar to dismissal of a department head, if an admin immortal is not

performing his/her duties, as described by the section of this document

which governs him/her, he/she can be asked to resign from his/her post

by the Department head under which the immortal serves, or also,

by the Game Master.

All projects which the immortal is currently working on at such time

will be reassigned among the various labour pool still remaining.

As with dismissal of a department head, if the Game Master (or,

in this case the governing department head) feel it is appropriate,

the immortal can be placed on a period of involuntary hiatus, in lieu

of dismissal.

Any admin immortal is allowed to have certain things happen, away from

the mud. Such things, when happening, are often poorly timed, and can

influence day to day game play. In such instances, the position

descriptions can tend to be neglected to the point where the immortal

in question is in danger of losing his/her position. As such, the

Hiatus clause allows the immortal to be temporarily replaced by a

qualified individual, so that he/she can deal with whatever is most

important in his/her life, and still have the position that he/she

has achieved on the mud, when finished. The following is a section

dedicated completely to exploring the different facets of Hiatus,

and how it can be exploited to the advantage of the administrator,

for his/her protection from this document itself.

Due to the nature of the game, and the fact that this is a hobby and

burnout can and does occur to everyone, we should implement a "hiatus"

policy.

A hiatus is defined as a voluntary leave of absence, during which time

NO WORK is expected of the individual. A hiatus should be a minimum

of one month, and a maximum of three. A hiatus of longer than that

should be approved by the Implementor, or else should be considered a

resignation.

A hiatus should be announced by the individual via the immortal board,

and that message should be left posted until he/she returns. The

message's DATE will serve as a reminder to everyone about how long the

hiatus has been, and will determine if it crosses the three-month mark

and becomes a resignation.

If a hiatus is taken by a department head:

The message should also include an appointment of a replacement, who

should be selected from among those directly below him/her in the chain

of command. The replacement will be temporarily given the duties of the

one leaving for hiatus. This selection may be overruled by the Game

Master, or Implementor, if necessary.

If the hiatus is taken by the Game Master or Implementor:

The two positions will be responsible for replacing one another, unless

both are forced into hiatus during the same period.

In that case, one of the department heads may be asked to perform

triple-duty for a while, acting as Game Master, Implementor, and

Webmaster, for example.

If, for whatever reason, a second hiatus should closely follow, the

staff member should simply resign the post, and perhaps after

real-life settles down, work toward regaining it by re-entering the

chain of command from a lower point.

While on hiatus, the immortal should be considered NON-EXISTENT, and

should not be counted for the purpose of promotion quotas. Nor should

his/her lack of a vote be considered an abstention. (In other words,

a unanimous vote is still possible.)

Upon returning from hiatus, the immortal will immediately re-instate

him/herself in his/her former post, and the temporary replacement

will gracefully step back down.

It is important to note, that though the term immortal is used loosely

throughout this document, all of these terms also apply to AugMUD's

Bard position, even though it is a mortal position.

In specific circumstances, there will be players who will not be able to

give notice of their absence. In these cases, the duties of the

administrative immortal will no longer be performed. If the Game Master

feels that this immortal has had something happen which warrants special

consideration, then the GM can elect to place any immortal on a period

of Involuntary Hiatus. This works exactly as if the immoral had taken

a hiatus of his/her own, except that the Game Master appoints the

replacement for the position.

Should the immortal be an immortal other than a department head,

the Department head in charge of said immortal can place the immortal

on Involuntary hiatus. In this case, the projects assigned to the

Immortal in question, are then redistributed among the remaining

members. Should the immortal be fit to return, the projects, if

applicable, can be reassigned to that immortal for completion.

Obviously, this will not apply in every case.

This method of Hiatus can also be used by the Game Master as a

disciplinary method. If the Game Master feels that an immortal

would benefit (or the mud would benefit from the 'rested' immortal)

it is within the right of the Game Master, to ask the immortal

to take a short hiatus. Such a measure can also prompt freezing,

and/or temporarily site banning the immortal in question, to effect

the hiatus. Obviously, this method can be used by the Game Master,

instead of asking the immortal to dismiss him/herself from his/her

post, or instead of forcibly dismissing the immortal from his/her

post.

For all intents and purposes, Involuntary hiatus follows much the

same stipulations as does a voluntary hiatus.

As with hiatus, although the term immortal is frequently used, all of

these terms and regulations also apply to the mortal Bard.

As described in the sections on Voluntary/involuntary hiatus, unless

otherwise discussed and approved by the implementor, a period of

hiatus lasting longer than 3 calendar months, will be considered a

resignation by the immortal on hiatus. After this time, the Immortal

will be replaced, (by appointment of someone in the chain of command,

decision made by the Game Master). In most cases, the appointed

replacement will be the Immortal who was appointed to the replacement

position by the GM when the Hiatus was originally taken.

The second case, is such where an immortal takes repeated and short

separated hiatuses. Should an immortal need a second hiatus, immediately

following a hiatus, the GM should request that the Immortal in question

step down from his or her post. If the GM sees fit, he/she may

automatically dismiss the Immortal from his/her post, and appoint a

replacement as necessary. The replacement will then assume the

position, as described by this document, and be subject to the rules

governing that position.

Promotions are the backbone of the system of rules, since they are the

only currency we can use to pay the staff for its efforts.

They must be rigidly scheduled and they should be granted according to

strict guidelines, to avoid any accusations of favouritism, or other bad

feelings between staff members.

Promotions should be based entirely on merit, and furthermore, should

be based solely on FRESH merit, not last month's work.

Here are some guidelines for RAW LEVEL ADVANCEMENT, as opposed to

purely position advancement:

1.

Except in special circumstances, and at the initial restructuring,

all raw level promotions should come in ONE LEVEL increments. The

implementor alone has the power to decide what a "special circumstance"

is.

2.

On the third day of each month, each department head is empowered to

promote up to HALF of his/her subordinates.

3.

Level 101 immortals do not count against this quota, since the

commands available at level 102 are just about required for the

immortal to be of any real use in the administrative ranks.

4.

No one may promote anyone else to a higher level than him/herself.

5.

Whenever a department head requests a promotion for a subordinate,

he/she is required to send an email to the immortal mailing list,

(dated no later than the 3rd of the month), citing SPECIFIC

accomplishments of that prospective promotee, during the previous

month. These accomplishments must be tangible, and cannot be "works

in progress". This ensures that all promotions are well-deserved,

and fair.

6.

The Game Master and/or Implementor will schedule a time to be online

on within seven days of the third day of each month, to perform the

actual advance of the prospective promotees. He/she/they will have

already received the list of accomplishments of those immortals, and will

have read them carefully. He/she/they are empowered to veto any

promotion, if they feel it is unwarranted. All parties will be online

during the scheduled time to get the business of the promotion done with

promptly, or else will have rescheduled.

7.

After each regular meeting, the game master MUST hand out at least one,

but not more than three promotions to any immortals in attendance

(subject to all of the rules previously listed herein), but may forego

the required email of accomplishments at this time. Normally, this

should be granted to department heads, for excellent work done since the

last meeting, but exceptional work from a lower-echelon immortal may be

reason enough to deviate from that practice. NOTE: THE GAME MASTER

CANNOT PROMOTE ANYONE, NO MATTER HOW DESERVING, UNLESS THEY

ATTEND THE MEETING.

The following guidelines are for POSITION CHANGES:

1.

If, at any time, a post at the department head level, or higher

becomes vacant, It shall be filled within 30 days if at all possible.

Failing that, the implementor should be consulted. During the time that

the post is vacant, the game master will serve in whichever capacity is

needed.

2.

Positions should be filled from directly beneath them in the chain of

command, and, whenever possible, the vacating immortal should appoint

his/her successor. Failing that, the game master will be allowed to

directly appoint an appropriate immortal to the position at his

discretion. Naturally, such a choice can be vetoed by the IMP, if

necessary.

3.

Lower-echelon immortals may change their post of their own volition, at

any regular meeting. Those who hope to gain a well-rounded set of

immortal skills are encouraged to do so, after serving in their

former capacity for a time.

4.

Any non-administrative immortal may join any department, provided that

the department head accepts him/her.

5.

Any department head may strip any subordinate of his/her position at any

time, after sending an email to the immortals list detailing good

reasons, or after consulting the Game Master and getting approval

therefrom.

6.

Failure to perform in the capacity of his/her post is reason enough

to drop a department head into the non-administrative pool, or into

the ranks of the department's lower-echelon. A replacement should be

chosen by the Game Master from among the other lower-echelons at that

time.

7.

ALL administrative immortals should have a whotitle, according to their

position. Those whotitles may only be changed to respect gender. It

is unlawful for any NON-ADMINISTRATIVE immortal to have a whotitle for

any reason, or to set whotitles, regardless of level. This rule can

only be broken, if an administrative immortal retires. In such an

event, the administrative immortal can be dropped down to the

non-administrative ranks, and will receive a whotitle of 'Retired'

to reflect his/her service to the mud in his/her time serving.

Demotions:

Only in extreme circumstances will demotions be enforced. Such

circumstances include immortals who disregard policy, and misuse the

powers and commands which they have. In any instance in which this

happens, the immortal can and will be stripped of levels. This could be

as lenient as the removal of 1 level, to as harsh as the removal of all

but one level, as seen fit by the Justicar, Game Master, or Implementor.

AS in any case, the final say as to what a 'harsh' sentence will be,

will come directly from the Implementor.

All demotions may be appealed directly to the Justicar, for review.

In the future, it will be found that there are imperfections in

this document. Should these circumstances arise, a set of protocols

will need to come into play, for the assessment and change of those

lines written.

For such a change to occur, a meeting must be called by the Chronicler.

If convenient, this meeting can coincide with a regular meeting,

as seen fit. However, if inconvenient the Chronicler must schedule

an extra meeting. This meeting must include both the Game Master, and

the Implementor, as well as the Bard, the Chronicler, and as many of the

Administrative Immortals as possible.

After the meeting begins, the Chronicler will tally the number of people

in attendance, and read out the proposed addendum or change. The

immortals in attendance will vote for or against the proposed change,

tallied by the Chronicler.

Depending on the vote, the change will be recorded by the Bard, and then

will be handed to the Chronicler to effect as documented in the

description of the Chronicler. The addendum will come into effect as

soon as the change is made to the document, and no later than 30 days

after the meeting held to discuss the change.