If you have any questions about our handling of sensitive themes, as detailed below, please feel free to contact the GMs at gm@contagion.oxfordrpg.com.
The Contagion GM team wish for this game to be an enjoyable and memorable experience for all those involved. The Conduct and Acceptable Themes Policy, also known as the CAT Policy, is the method by which we set out our handling of sensitive themes that we expect to, or that might, arise. Our intention is to provide you with knowledge of what to expect, including a list of themes we expect to require sensitive handling, and a list of themes that are relegated to certain parts of this game (e.g. backstory-only), or entirely disallowed. As with any such list, we do not claim to be comprehensive – if you wish to raise a concern about a theme not addressed in the policy below, you can do so by contacting the GM team (see above).
As an official ORPGSoc Society Game Contagion is subject to the ORPGSoc CAT Policy, and it is essential that all persons involved familiarise themselves with both this and the Contagion policies before playing. This wiki page, in some cases, reiterates the ORPGSoc Policy, and in some cases adds specific elaborations that apply to Contagion. Regardless of the CAT Policy, all players, crew members, and GMs should treat each other with respect. If someone asks, out of character, that you stop roleplaying a particular theme or topic around them, there is no expectation that a reason be provided, and you are expected to respect this request and stop.
Whilst we use the following policy as a guideline for how themes should appear and be handled, its purpose is not to define parameters, but to create a game environment where all participants, including GMs, can feel comfortable. Therefore, where issues arise, they will be handled on a case-by-case basis, and the GM team reserve the right to exercise discretion and to make a final call as to the action to be taken. Furthermore, the policy wording should not always be taken literally, and attempting to bypass the policy by appealing to the wording instead of to its spirit and intent will not be tolerated. Repeated and/or intentional violations of this policy may be grounds for a player to be removed from the game.
If you feel the CAT policy has been breached, you can reach out to any member of the GM team via email. If you have a concern about a particular GM or crew member, you can reach out to the CAMPO, Tara S, via email. If you have a concern about the behaviour or actions of the CAMPO, you can contact the Society President, Faith C, via email, or the Society Welfare Officer, Jasper H, also via email. Issues raised will be handled to the best of our ability, and with the safety and comfort of all players as the foremost concern.
All Contagion players must be 17 years or older to play. Most players will be above the age of 18. If you are under 18 years of age, you must disclose this to the GM team for safeguarding reasons.
All Contagion player characters must be over 18 years of age.
Society Games have safety calls that all participants must familiarise themselves with, and these must be respected, with no questions asked, during sessions, both Uptime and Downtime. These are:
Due to the nature of roleplaying games, it is both important and essential to maintain a strong divide between the IC world and the OC world. This is often referred to as 'maintaining the IC/OC divide,' and in practice means being aware of and careful that arguments, tensions, and other intense features of the IC world do not affect relations between persons in the real world. Similarly, it is good practice to be careful not to bring OC feelings IC.
We foresee that physical PvP could feature in this game. PvP in Turnsheets – whether it succeeds and how it succeeds – will be handled on a case-by-case basis, since both players' Playstyle and Gameplay Quirks will be taken into account. PvP in Uptimes may occur in the form of a pre-planned scene between two players that GMs are told about in advance and have approved. In all cases, including emails, remember the Uptimes and Sessions and to check for general consent before roleplaying something involving emotional intensity or the chance to cause physical injury.
You may request not to roleplay with another player or GM at any point during the game, via email or Discord message. You may also request for this ask to remain confidential. The GM team will do our best to ensure that you come into contact with said person as little as possible, but please note that asking to keep confidentiality will prevent us from asking said person not to roleplay with you.
This section lists themes that may not show up in any part of Contagion, whether during a session or in backstory.
This section includes themes that we suspect may become relevant, or that we plan to make relevant. Although these are allowed, they should be handled with sensitivity, and may come with some caveats to inclusion. Appropriate content warnings will be given by the GMs where these are included in turnsheets, and as a player, you should be mindful that other players might have reservations or wish to be excluded from relevant roleplay – in these cases, refer to safety calls. If there are any themes below which you wish to avoid entirely, please include them in your OC notes during Character Creation. There are some themes listed below that we cannot guarantee that it will be entirely possible to avoid, usually because they are fundamental to the genre. Please read with care.
These are themes we are not expecting to arise, but that may arise unexpectedly nonetheless. Similarly to themes in the section immediately prior, these should be handled sensitively and may come with caveats as to their inclusion.