Sessions of Work In Progress will be held Tuesday evenings in the Daubeny Laboratory opposite Magdalen College. Players are free to arrive from 7pm onwards for a 7:30pm start, and there will be a briefing before time in.

During sessions you will be live-action roleplaying your character in real time. What this means is that, for the most part, everything that you act out is something that your character is actually doing - that could be chatting, dancing, plotting in a corner or making a proposal (though please bear in mind the Behaviour Guidelines).

You will likely receive Trope Cards over the course of the game. These take the form of physical cards that can be traded or otherwise used in session, and will be given to you before the session begins in a small envelope. Please return whatever Trope Cards you have at the end of the session, which will be kept for the next session.

Kit and costume are completely optional, though we encourage you to dress up if you want.

If you know that you're likely to miss a session, please just let us know in advance so that we can plan around your absence and let other players know that you won't be there (though please don't use the Facebook group or mailing lists for this). You'll still be able to email and turnsheet though - don't worry!

Calls are when you say a word or make a small gesture action that has some kind of effect on the game. You may have played games where calls have a mechanical effect - we won't be introducing any of those in Work In Progress, though we will be using some OOC calls which are there to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Time In: This is used by the GMs to let everyone know that it's now time to drop into character because the session has begun.

Time Out: This is used by the GMs to let everyone know that it's now time to drop out of character again because the session has ended.

Two fingers in the air: Literally sticking two fingers in the air, this is used by players and GMs to show that they are temporarily dropping out of character for whatever reason. This might be, for example, to ask something OC (“Is it alright if I hold your hand?”), to pass through the playing space unimpeded or even for GMs to listen in on secret conversations (though players shouldn't do this!). When someone is doing this, it is as though their character is not there.

Close Book: Accompanied by two fingers in the air, this can be used by players or GMs if they feel uncomfortable or unsafe and wish to leave the situation. That person and everyone interacting with them should immediately stop roleplaying to give them time to walk away without any further comment or confrontation.

Dial It Down: Accompanied by two fingers in the air, this can be used by players or GMs to say that the interaction is becoming too intense for them, and that the people interacting with them should dial back with what they're doing. This is especially useful if you're finding a confrontation too much but don't want to use the Close Book call.

Fighting in Spindle is not allowed, and any characters who engage in physical or metaphysical combat during sessions will be dealt with severely. Please don't do this.

Pickpocketing Trope Cards is not allowed, as it is against our Behaviour Guidelines. If someone has left Trope Cards lying around, on the other hand, then they're fair game. While it's probably not a good idea to leave your Trope Cards lying around with your OC belongings for this reason, please don't go rifling through other people's things in order to find them! Use common sense, and it's a good idea to leave your Trope Cards in their envelope when you're not using them.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask any of the GMs out of character. Please bear in mind that they might be busy with someone else. It's also good to remember that we aren't encyclopaedias and might need to consult our notes or another GM before giving you an answer, so it may be a couple of minutes before we're able to answer.