Turnsheets

Turnsheets are the method of conveying what you want your character to accomplish between sessions. You will write one turnsheet per session, detailing what your plans are for the six weeks between summits, and one final turnsheet at the end of the game detailing your character's long term plans and goals for the future (the “eternity” turnsheet).

At the bottom of your user page should be a series of red links, named 'Turnsheet #'. These link to pages that don't exist yet, so when you are ready to begin writing up your actions, click on the link for that week and then click “Create this page” in the top right on the subsequent page.

The turnsheet will have a template prepared to show you the basic layout. You don't need to stick to this 100%, but it is much easier on the GMs if you keep a similar format so we can easily see what you're trying to do in that turn. Once you have written everything up, click the save button to create the page so that you (and all the GMs) can see it. You may want to click preview first to make sure everything reads like you hope it would; but do remember to save it afterwards. Editing the page after this point is fine as long as it's before the deadline (Midnight between Thursday and Friday) - nothing will be taken as final by the GMs until then.

In general, you will have three major actions that you can perform in a turn as well as some minor actions and the opportunity to spend a point to improve your skills.

A major action is something that it would take your character significant time and effort to accomplish. Examples include going on a mission against your Nemesis, doing tasks for your faction(s), or trying to fight another player. Your actions should each include an overarching goal of what you want to achieve, a plan of how you intend to achieve it, and a note of what skills and traits you think might be useful to, or affect the action.

A minor action is something that takes little time or effort to do, and doesn't advance the plot significantly. Examples include having tea and crumpets with another player, sending a package to somebody or buying a pet rattlesnake. You can have as many minor actions as you want within reason, but they should each be limited to one or two sentences of description. The GMs reserve the right to ignore minor actions if they become too numerous / significant.

If your minor action is to accompany other players on their major actions (e.g. “I travel with Alonso Fieri to the Thuun Base, where he will be hunting for any missed artefacts”), you will not be very useful to the action (i.e. your skills will not be taken into consideration), and will not get any personal benefit from the action. If the action would require significant time or effort just to tag along, the GMs reserve the right to say your character is too busy to attend.

If you are giving an item to another player please note this in your minor actions, even if the actual passing over of the items happens in session, in emails, or in another major action. This makes it much easier for us to keep track of who has what. It can be helpful to list any items you are expecting to receive, but if you put it in your turnsheet and the sender does not turnsheet to give the item to you, the response will likely be along the lines of “You wait patiently, but Professor Plum never arrives with the fruitcannon she promised you”.

See Character Advancement.

The deadline for turnsheets is the midnight on Thursday following session. We will have GM meetings on Friday evenings, and a chance for us to read turnsheets before meetings start is crucial, so please be punctual with turnsheeting, and let us know if you have to turn in a turnsheet late; we will often be able to accommodate you, but keeping us informed allows us to do so. Real life happens sometimes, and even the best of us may occasionally submit a late turnsheet, but the GMs reserve the right to become grumpy should this become a regular occurrence or you don't let us know.

The time responses will vary depending on GM workloads and schedules, but turnsheets will aim to be returned in good time before sessions on Tuesdays.

Here are a few tips for writing good turnsheets and keeping the GMs happy:

• The GMs are on your side (honest!) - it's most helpful to us if we can easily understand exactly what it is your character is trying to do with any given action. Try not to waffle too much if you can help it, but at the same time if you write incredibly vague actions, don't be surprised if your character acts a little differently to how you might expect! For actions with multiple possible outcomes, consider mentioning how your character might act if things don't go according to plan.
• On a related note, the GMs aren't always aware of every last detail of your plans from sessions - sometimes we forget things! While the GMs are copied in on emails sent between players to keep us up to speed on discussions, it's a good idea to mention any plans you've discussed in turnsheets, so when it comes to processing them, we don't have to trawl through emails trying to find things!
• Sometimes you won't be sure if something you have planned for a major action is feasible. Don't fret if this happens - just email your GM, and they will be happy to answer your questions and provide guidance.
• If an action relies on the outcome of another action that turn, you may wish to put in a contingency. This may just be the form “if x happens do this, else do that”, or could be an entirely unrelated action just in case everything goes wrong. If you do add a contingency, make sure to note it next to the relevant actions, so we can easily work out which takes priority.