Convention Policy

Note: As MythCon will be running online this year, we have temporarily added extra policy items to address online behaviour. Please read these new additions carefully.

How do I gain access to the convention?

People who sign up for the convention will be sent a Discord invite link. You will need to join the Discord with this link before the first day of the convention; on the day of the convention, the link will expire, in order to prevent repeated sign-ups in the case of a ban. Any attendees who miss the invite window will need to send a request for another link via the contact form. You will need the Discord app in order to participate.

Who's who on the convention Discord?

All attendees and staff will be clearly marked by their roles on the Discord.
Supermods are high-level staff, with full Discord privileges. They are the top of the escalation chain. They may be messaged at any time if a gamemaster or attendee feels uncomfortable.
Gamemasters are game-runners, and are capable of moderating within rooms. Gamemasters have the privileges necessary to run their own rooms, but they should not apply these privileges outside of their assigned room. Doing so can be grounds for a ban, at organizer discretion.
Attendees are normal convention attendees. Normal attendees cannot post files or images, for the sake of online security.

What online rules should attendees observe?

All gamemasters and attendees should conduct themselves with the exact same respect and care online as they would do in-person. In addition to the normal rules, we also require attendees to observe extra online rules, such as:
No text spamming.
No eavesdropping on active gaming channels without permission.
Do not send unsolicited PMs. If you wish to send a PM as part of the game you are in, you must first ask permission. This permission can be retracted at any time. If someone asks you to stop sending PMs and you do not immediately comply--even just to get a "last word"--you will be banned.
As usual, we reserve the right to ban players for any other reason which we feel makes for an unwelcoming atmosphere.

We have very few policies at our con, but we take them very seriously. If a gamemaster or attendee violates one of these policies, we reserve the right to take action ranging from mediation to immediate expulsion from the con, depending on the severity of their actions. These policies are intended as a shield for attendees against other attendees or against gamemasters; they are here to make sure that as many people as possible enjoy the con.

We have never had to ask an attendee to leave our events before. We hope we never have to do so -- but we always reserve the right.

How do I make a complaint against another attendee?

If you have a minor dispute with another attendee during a game, we generally ask that you try to resolve it out-of-character between yourselves, mediated by your gamemaster or by a con organizer.
If you have a serious problem with another attendee, you can go to anyone wearing an official organizer badge to get help; if you can't find anyone in your immediate vicinity, you can go to the service desk. When at all possible, we ask that you immediately come and get us, regardless of how little you want to bother us. If an attendee is being disruptive, we would rather know sooner than later. This does not mean that you cannot come and get us well after the fact. We always take attendee complaints seriously, especially if safety or harassment is involved.

How do I make a complaint against a gamemaster?

If you are having a minor problem with your gamemaster, you can go to anyone wearing an official organizer badge to get mediation; if you can't find anyone in your immediate vicinity, you can go to the service desk.
If you are having a major problem with a gamemaster, please go to the service desk immediately and ask for help.
If you have a problem with a high-ranking organizer, you can still go to the service desk and ask for help; we will find a neutral third party to help you make your complaint.

Rules

1. No drugs, alcohol, or realistic weapons at the con. Do not show up to games in an intoxicated state.

We do not allow drugs or alcohol at our con, unless specifically otherwise stated on the event description. From a legal standpoint, we may have minors in attendance. From a player standpoint, neither our gamemasters nor our players expect to have to deal with an intoxicated player, and we will not force them to do so. If you are intoxicated when you show up to the con, we will ask you to leave.

Realistic weapons are both a legal concern and a safety concern. You may bring obvious toy weapons, foam or latex weapons, or wooden weapons. If your weapon is too realistic, we will either ask you to take it back to your room or car, or else confiscate it for the duration of the con.

2. Do not touch gamemasters or players without their explicit permission.

We have a firm no-touch policy at the con, unless you explicitly ask the subject for permission and receive it first. This especially applies in the case of live action games, but is also generally applicable to the rest of the con.

When you ask a subject for permission to touch them, you must specify what manner of contact it is you want permission for.
If someone gives you permission to touch them once, it is not considered permission to touch them again later without asking permission again.
If someone gives you carte-blance for the duration of a game, but later revokes that permission, you are expected to respect that.
People cannot give permission to be assaulted. If you physically assault another attendee, you will be removed with the appropriate amount of force.

3. Do not bully gamemasters or players. "I was just playing my character" is NOT a valid excuse.

If you are doing something to ruin another player's night, you are doing something wrong.

Some gamemasters or players cannot handle being yelled at. Others cannot handle being cursed at. Very few people enjoy being hit on, even in-character. If you make a genuine effort to stay aware of other people's emotions, this is unlikely to become an issue.

If a gamemaster or a player looks uncomfortable during a scene with you, we encourage you to go out-of-character to make sure there is nothing wrong.
If we find that multiple people have complained that you are too aggressive, frightening, or suggestive, we will pull you aside to discuss the matter. If the complaints continue, you will be removed from the game and/or the con.
If you are worried about violating this policy by mistake, all you have to do is make sure you continually ask out-of-character: "Are you okay with this scene?" If someone says no, back off and find an alternate way to play the scene.
This policy applies to gamemasters as much as it applies to players. If your gamemaster looks uncomfortable with the direction that a scene is going, please be considerate and ask if everything is still okay.

4. Gamemasters do not work for you.

Gamemasters do not give up their rights when they come to the con; they are all volunteers, and while they may receive a break on their badge, this is relatively weak renumeration.

We take all legitimate complaints against gamemasters very seriously, but this does not give you leave to intimidate, yell at, or demean your gamemasters. If you are rude or abusive to a gamemaster, we will not hesitate to give your money back and ask you to leave.
Our gamemasters will not always run the most perfect game possible. We ask that you maintain some patience with your gamemasters if they are overworked or having trouble juggling everyone's enjoyment at once. If you have a problem with a scene or are feeling frustrated by a gamemaster decision, you are absolutely allowed to say so. We just ask that you maintain your cool and be polite in the process. Gamemasters want you to have fun; they wouldn't be here otherwise.

5. Respect your fellow gamemasters and players. Do not use slurs, do not make fun of political or sexual orientations, or the "wrong" kind of geek.

We are an inclusive group, and our players span many sexual and political orientations. If you feel the need to complain about identity choices or use slurs, we will not hesitate to ask you to leave, even if the words in question were "just in-character" and/or not directed at someone in particular. If you cannot handle treating such matters with the minimum amount of respect for the short time you are at our con, this is not the con for you. We will give you your money back and we will ask you to leave.

6. Other reasons.

This set of policies is not a comprehensive rulebook. If we find that you continually walk up to the edge of a policy but avoid it by technicalities, we will still discuss troublesome behaviour with you and/or ask you to leave.

Our main goal is to make sure that all of our gamemasters and players feel safe and have fun. If you are endangering that goal, it is incumbent upon us as responsible event organizers to protect the people who have placed their trust in us.

Thanks for continuing to show up to our events. We hope that we will continue to earn the trust that you have placed in us.