Proposal 99.01.01
Name: ASR Bylaws
Author: Andrea Schalk and D'Maris Coffman
Summary: This document covers the basic outline and rules of the club
known as ASR, or alt.starfleet.rpg.
Rationale: The 'ASR Charter' as passed by the last RT contradicted
existing rules as developed over years by the Flag
Council, and tacitly accepted by the RT. Contrary to
claims at the time, this conflict has been used by
individuals to bypass existing rules. The charter should
therefore be rewritten in a way consistent with pre-existing
rules. This new document attempts to list responsibilities
as well as 'rights', making it more balanced as well as
addressing a wider scope of issues. If passed, it will
replace the existing 'ASR Charter' in its entirety. The name
'Bylaws' was chosen to avoid confusion with any newsgroup
charter.
ASR Bylaws
==========
ASR is an email role-playing club based on the internet; the stories
thus authored are published on the Usenet newsgroup alt.starfleet.rpg.
ASR is non-commercial, and participation is free.
The club is governed by the institution known as the 'Round Table',
or 'RT', consisting of all the leaders of the role-playing units in
the game, known as 'COs'. The RT meets twice a year, thus fulfilling
its role as supervisory body for the 'administration'. (For further
information, see the document 'ASR RT Procedures'*)
'The administration' in the widest sense are all the players who
voluntarily have undertaken to help with the running of the club. It
is their task to teach new members the basics and find role-playing
units to participate for those as well as returning members or
players who wish to transfer/start a new character. Further, the
administration makes sure that all units are well-run, and develops
supporting documentation.
The administration endeavours to answer all requests, questions, and
concerns in a courteous and timely manner. Individual administrators
may pass same on to somebody else, be it that time constraints demand
this course of action to ensure a timely reply, or be it that
somebody else is more competent to answer the query. It is
recommended therefore that all confidential mails be marked as same.
In the case that a ruling has been made, appeals can be directed to
the direct superior of the administrator making the ruling. (For a
description of the responsibilities of the various administrative
positions, see the document 'ASR Admin Billet Descriptions'*.) The
ultimate authority over all matters is held by the RT.
The administration strives to assign each character to a role-playing
unit suiting the player in question. Players are, however, free to
leave units which they don't enjoy, and if they so wish, the
administration will try to find more suitable places for them.
Players who wish to leave for a longer period, or entirely, are asked
to inform their COs of their intentions.
The creation of new characters and the transfer of existing ones are
governed by the 'ASR Recruitment Guide'*, and all members are asked
to comply with same. Players who wish to create additional characters
should consult the 'ASR 2nd Character FAQ'* and consult with their
Fleet Commander and/or the CSFO.
Players may not use other people's characters, especially those on
other units, without the controlling player's consent. On many ships,
this consent is tacitly granted within certain bounds to facilitate
interactive storytelling. COs should make new players familiar with
what is considered appropriate for their units. Since a character's
controlling player is to be considered the ultimate authority on that
character's behaviour, said player can demand material to be
withdrawn if others strayed too far in their portrayals. It is
therefore recommended that in doubtful cases, the controlling player
should be consulted before posting.
All material written within the club is understood to be the
intellectual property of its authors. It is understood that
everything placed among the ASR resources (branch webpages or other
documents) may be freely used by any member of the club unless the
original author has expressly denied that.
The unit COs are responsible for the role-playing of the group
assigned to them. As such, they control the content within the
limitations placed upon them by their Fleet Commander (administrator
responsible for a 'fleet', ie, a group of role-playing units) and by
the rules of the club. They report any vacancies to their FC, and are
authorized to label players as 'missing' if they have been absent for
a considerable time, in which case the CO can ask for a replacement.
Units can change fleets at the request of the CO, provided that the
receiving FC has agreed to it, and the matter has been discussed with
the current FC and the CSFO. Furthermore, the members of the unit
have to agree - if they do not, they can petition the current FC to
remain, and the matter will be handed to the CSFO for mediation.
The FCs are responsible for all the units in their fleet, supporting
the COs by helping them staff their units, passing on personnel
requests to BUPERS, and helping with the creation of campaign
material. FCs are authorized to relieve command personnel of units in
their charge who have been absent without making arrangements, or are
otherwise not fulfilling their role satisfactorily. Players should
bring such matters to the attention of their FC.
For information about further administrative positions, their
responsibilities and duties, see 'ASR Admin Billet Descriptions'.