Sessions are in-person 3-hour-long roleplay sessions on Wednesday evenings. For more info, see When and Where.
Players will roleplay their characters attending a ball as described on this page. The start of session coincides with the start of the ball IC, although the ball continues beyond the end of the 3-hour roleplay session - further conversations at the ball can be conducted over email.
Between the GM calling TIME IN and TIME OUT, the room is continuously an in character roleplay area. Players will be talking and acting as their characters.
At the beginning of session, the GM will give a short OC briefing. Every session, this will include an introduction segment where you'll have a chance to introduce both yourself and your character to everyone (including your and your character's name, pronouns, and your character's appearance).
The GM and crew will alternate between playing different NPCs and being out of character. If you have a question during the session, please come and find the GM or a crew member to ask OC. We will be playing a variety of NPCs in session, but if you want to speak to a particular NPC feel free to ask and we'll accommodate it where we can (though this may not happen for various OC or IC reasons).
Hand held up with two fingers in the air: represents that somebody is not currently playing their character. They are speaking OC and this may represent that nobody is there IC e.g. the GM answering a question. Anybody may use this at any time.
Physical contact IC should always be negotiated OC first (e.g. “Is it alright if I hold your hand?”).
There will not be fighting during sessions – a slap or punch at a ball would be scandalous and is the maximum that is permitted in Uptimes. If you wish to initiate any physical conflict with another character, you must obtain OC consent from the player and inform the GM beforehand – such behaviour will have consequences for your character, although the GM will inform you if it would make them unplayable.
Although fighting is not tolerated during sessions, characters may participate in a duel in Downtimes, either through emails or Turnsheets. OC permission should be sought before challenging another Player Character to a duel, and due to the dangerous nature of duels, this could result in character death (only with the player’s OC permission). More details about duelling can be found towards the end of this page.
In-character dancing is another situation where players may wish to (but are by no means expected to) make OC physical contact, and more guidance on this is provided here.
Costuming is entirely optional and we have no costume requirements, but some people enjoy making a costume for their character (known as 'physrep'). Ideas for costumes can be found online by researching Regency ball attire, but there is no need for your outfit to be historically accurate.
After a session, some of us will adjourn to a nearby ice-cream parlour. The option to roleplay via emails will be available until 21:00 on the Tuesday after session, with the Turnsheet submission deadline at 23:59 that same evening. This is to give players a reasonable time in the evening to finalise their Turnsheet after IC interactions have been concluded. More information about emails and Turnsheets can be found here.