# So You Want to be Staff

# Introduction

So you’ve been thinking about joining staff. Great! We are always welcome to have more staff join our team. In fact, joining staff is one of the best ways you can help us! After all, we’re always in need of more hands for implementing changes, helping players and increasing activity, all while helping as well yourself by increasing the server’s quality of life!

However, we do our best to make sure applicants are a good fit, and that might mean delaying or rejecting an application that we feel need more time. We like to make sure all staff are productive additions to our team and bring a positive attitude. That being said, this document is designed to give you a more in-depth overview of the various staff roles so that you can pick the one that suits you best. It also gives you tips on how to write your application so that you don’t undersell yourself.

# Minimum Criteria

This criteria is what we look out for when vetting for all staff role applications. There are some exceptions to this criteria depending on the role you are applying for. If you aren’t sure, you can go ahead and apply, but be warned that these exceptions are quite rare.

• At least one month since last application
• No recent Demerit Points
  • Having no DPs at all is an advantage, but we take into account context and the role applied.
• No lesser courthouses relevant to the role applied for
  • E.g. If you are applying for Bookkeeping Assistant and were recently lessered for DTD mistakes, we may decline the application on the basis of needing better familiarity.
• No demonstration of hostile or passive aggressive attitude
• Not removed from staff before due to poor performance
• Sufficient recent activity
• Has not submitted a denied application recently

# Tips on Writing Your Application

# Attention to Detail

This may seem obvious, but your application is judged for the amount of care you put into it. Here are some simple errors to avoid making so that your application isn’t rejected right off the bat.

• Spelling/Grammatical Errors
  • Especially for role names, staff names, and lore-related names
• Using the wrong application format
  • For staff, please use the one in #staff-guide
• Not using the application form at all
  • If you send a @FanMail saying “I’d like to apply for staff!” you will be directed to #staff-roles
• Not filling out all fields in an application

# Length

Try to give us as many relevant details as you can, but don’t overdo it. Avoid giving one liners as this does not really tell us much about you and can make it seem like you didn’t put much effort into it. If you do not have experience, try to talk about why you are passionate about helping, or what you plan to do if given the role.

Please note: We get a lot of applications for DM roles that list home campaigns as relevant experience. While this can be useful, we are more interested in knowing the “soft” skills you learned from DMing. This is because traditional campaigns are very different from West Marches, and can vary in quality. Tell us about how you might have learned to resolve conflict at the table, or when a game went badly and how you grew from that experience.

# What We Look For

• Assisting newbies (e.g. reviewing sheets), whether in PMs, OOC channels, or IC channels
• Helpful during games, e.g. answering questions in OOC, linking the correct commands, etc.
• How you treat staff, e.g. how you treat DMs when you aren't picked for a game, , how you treat people when things don't go your way.
• How you treat fellow players, e.g. how you
• How you react when you've made a mistake

# Misc. Tips

• Don’t spam applications
  • Do not send more applications if you have not received a response
  • Consistently applying to multiple roles is a surefire way to get your app rejected. We want people who are passionate about their role and not just wanting to be staff for the power.
• Don’t harass staff about the status of your application, especially in public
  • Staff often need time to consider an application, especially if the review committee is busy that week.
• Don’t try to guilt trip staff about your application
  • No one staff member is responsible for the result of your application. Most applications are reviewed by a committee.

# Rating System

The overview of the roles below will be based on 6 criteria. This is a subjective opinion and may not be representative of your experience; however, they are general enough to provide you an idea of what to expect. A low or high score is not necessarily a good or bad thing; it depends on what you want out of the role.

The 6 criteria are:

• Time Commitment
  • This refers to the amount of prolonged periods you are expected to spend on a task for the role
  • A score of 1 means 5 minutes or less at a time while a score of 5 means 6 hours or more.
• Learning Curve
  • This represents the amount of effort needed to pick up and improve on the role
  • A score of 1 means you can start right away, while a score of 5 means you will spend most of your time honing your skill.
• Collaborativeness
  • This refers to the amount of time you will be spent working on your own vs with other staff.
  • A score of 1 means you will be almost always working on your own, while a score of 5 means everything you do will be in a team.
• Variety
  • This refers to the variety of tasks available within a role
  • A score of 1 means tasks are relatively repetitive, while a score of 5 means you will constantly need to learn and pick up new things
• Public Facing
  • This refers to the amount of work that requires you to deal with the player base outside of staff
  • A score of 1 means that you will never need to work with the public, while a score of 5 means that you need to consider your responses very carefully.
• Initiative
  • This refers to the amount of proactiveness you need to have in order to perform your job to its maximum
  • A score of 1 means that the role is reactive depending on what is needed, while a score of 5 means you need to constantly source for your own tasks.

• Time Commitment: 1
  • BKAs are expected to take a few minutes out of their week to process any backlog
• Learning Curve: 3
  • BKAs need to read and comprehend a document detailing how to process manual DTDs
• Collaborativeness: 1
  • BKAs mostly work independently
  • However, they should ask questions if they are unsure about anything
• Variety: 1
  • Manual DTDs tend to be restricted to a few common ones
• Public Facing: 1
  • BKAs are only required to post results of player’s checks; flavor is optional
  • They should answer questions about DTD if able
• Initiative: 3
  • BKAs should check relevant channels frequently to identify when there is a backlog and help out

Players who like this role also apply for: Arena Master

• Time Commitment: 1
  • Welcomers are expected to take a few minutes out of their day to greet newcomers and answer questions
  • Prolonged help sessions with completely new players can take a few hours
• Learning Curve: 1
  • Welcomers are given templates to use
• Collaborativeness: 1
  • Welcomers are not required to work with other Welcomers
  • However, they can help Welcomers who they see are struggling
• Variety: 2
  • Welcomers can help newbies in whichever way they are best at
  • This tends to come in the form of greeting in #introductions , helping in #server-questions or #off-topic-general , or PMing them to help
• Public Facing: 4
  • Welcomers are the face of the server and the first impression of new players
  • As such, they should have a friendly and patient disposition
• Initiative: 4
  • Welcomers should be proactive when approaching new players and extending help

Players who like this role also apply for: Arena Master, Assistant

• Time Commitment: 3
  • Tech Supports are expected to code new aliases in line with changes or releases
  • When none of those are happening, they are free to pursue their own projects that they think might be beneficial to the server
• Learning Curve: 5
  • Tech Supports requires prior knowledge of Python which needs self-study or experience
  • Tech Supports should be patient, as the coding process requires constant revisions and bug fixing
• Collaborativeness: 5
  • Tech Supports are required to collaborate with other Tech Supports to ship complex aliases
  • Seniors and Admins regularly consult Tech Supports about bot matters and feasibility
• Variety: 3
  • Tech Supports mostly work with Avrae
  • They primarily work on DTD aliases, however occasionally are tapped on to make quality of life aliases
• Public Facing: 1
  • Tech Supports are not required to communicate with the public other than release notes
• Initiative: 3
  • Tech Supports should pick up projects and actively communicate their status on them

Players who like this role also apply for: Mod

• Time Commitment: 4
  • Arena Masters can choose when they want to run their sessions
  • Arena Master has comparatively less time commitment needed than a Trainee DM, but still has to spend time planning their games, getting them approved, and taking at least 2 hours out of their schedule to run them.
  • However, as arenas take comparatively shorter to run than bounties, it may be suitable for those with more limited schedules.
• Learning Curve: 4
  • As DMing has an infinite skill ceiling and there are thousands of monsters, self improvement is a necessary skill. TDMs will need to work on their gamesense, rules knowledge, balance, player engagement, supplementary materials, and more.
• Collaborativeness: 4
  • Arena Masters will be consistently working with Mentor DMs and Senior DMs to fine tune games. They are expected to take their advice on areas of improvement.
  • Arena Masters are not expected to collaborate with other AMs or staff roles, but can choose to do so.
• Variety: 4
  • Arena Masters can decide what they want to run as long as it follows DM guidelines
  • Game content is limited to the arena itself
  • Arena Masters can customize arena and pit maps
  • Arena Masters cannot do elaborate storylines, give magic items, or make NPCs outside of pit masters
• Public Facing: 4
  • Arena Masters will be consistently working with players, not against them, to achieve their objective. A friendly personality is a must.
  • When AMs run low level events, they will encounter many newbies who will require guidance. They are expected to help them to the best of their ability in a polite manner.
• Initiative: 5
  • Arena Masters are expected to take initiative in thinking of ideas, doing research online for inspiration, and planning encounters
  • While Mentor DMs and Senior DMs can offer advice on specific ideas, they cannot come up with ideas or create encounters.

People who like this role also apply for: Trainee DM, NPC Master

• Time: 5
  • Trainee DMs can choose when they want to run their sessions
  • Being a DM requires the most time commitment out of all the roles due to the length of time bounties take. TDMs have the option of making them multisession, but are responsible for organizing scheduling.
  • Other than running the game itself, TDMs also need to set aside time for planning the game, getting them approved, and calculating rewards.
• Learning Curve: 4
  • As DMing has an infinite skill ceiling and there are thousands of monsters, self improvement is a necessary skill. TDMs will need to work on their gamesense, rules knowledge, balance, player engagement, supplementary materials, and more.
• Collaborativeness: 4
  • Trainee DMs will be consistently working with Mentor DMs and Senior DMs to fine tune games. They are expected to respect their advice on areas of improvement.
  • Trainee DMs are not expected to collaborate with other TDMs or staff roles, but can choose to do so.
• Variety: 5
  • Trainee DMs can decide what they want to run as long it fits DM guidelines
  • Game content can take place anywhere in Icris
  • Trainee DMs can run greater-scaled storylines in terms of lore and NPC involvement, RP-centered games, and give magic items.
• Public Facing: 4
  • Trainee DMs will be consistently working with players, not against them. A friendly personality is a must.
  • When TDMs run low level events, they will encounter many newbies who will require guidance. They are expected to help them to the best of their ability in a polite manner.
• Initiative: 5
  • TDMs are expected to take initiative in thinking of ideas, doing research online for inspiration, and planning encounters
  • While Mentor DMs and Senior DMs can offer advice on specific ideas, they cannot fully create the encounter for them.

People who like this role also apply for: NPC Master

• Time Commitment: 3

  • Trainee Mods are required to dedicate time in inputting on discussions as well as processing reports.
  • However, these tasks on their own usually only need a few minutes, with a few hours max if a complex investigation needs to be carried out. As long as the TMod checks the mod channels frequently and responds, they should be fine.

• Learning Curve: 3

  • Extensive time in the role will be needed to learn about how different types of cases are handled
  • TMods will need to learn concepts such as why a rule is enforced, the spirit of a rule, and when it is time for rules to get an update.

• Collaborativeness: 5

  • All Mods and TMods are expected to contribute to discussions
  • TMods are expected to write drafts and undergo peer review before sending

• Variety: 3

  • There are many types of situations that mods will encounter
  • That said, they cannot choose which cases to handle, unless they believe they would be biased or the case would impact their mental health.

• Public Facing: 5

  • Mods are the most public facing of the staff roles
  • Extreme sensitivity is required so that rulings are presented in the most unbiased and fair way possible
  • TMods need to be very careful about their words and how it can be construed, whether conducting official mod business or just chatting casually
  • TMods must be very careful about not revealing details in ongoing cases.

• Initiative: 2

  • Mods is a generally reactive role, meaning that they handle reports as they come
  • TMods should flag any suspicious content they see, like all staff members
  • That said, proactiveness is a plus.

• People who like this role also like to apply for: Assistant

• Time Commitment: 2

  • Assistants are expected to pick up tasks they can handle
  • They can schedule these tasks in their own time, so long as it is done within a reasonable timeframe
  • They should still have a reasonable amount of free time if they wish to be active in the role due to frequency and volume of tasks

• Learning Curve: 3

  • Training sessions are held to familiarize Assistants with software
  • Assistants will need to pick up a variety of processes on the fly
  • Assistants need to be willing to learn simple software

• Collaborativeness: 2

  • Assistants can collaborate with other Assistants on tasks, but are not required to do so
  • Assistants should however give input on questions if prompted

• Variety: 2

  • Most of Assistant work revolves around one of three things: spreadsheets, Zeppelin (post editing), and revamps

• Public Facing: 1

  • Assistants work almost entirely on the backend: if they require interaction, it is limited to processing logs, and even then it is minimal

• Initiative: 4

  • Assistants are encouraged to seek out and suggest work they would be interested in doing.
  • Assistants should pick up tasks when they are announced

• People who like this role also like to apply for: Trainee Mod, Arena Master

• Time Commitment: 2
  • NPC Masters are expected to participate in events as well as roam RP channels when able
  • They can schedule encounters in their own time
  • They should still have a reasonable amount of free time if they wish to be active in the role as encounters can take some time
• Learning Curve: 3
  • NPC Masters should have a skill for storytelling, such as being able to write detailed RP descriptions, portray a compelling character, and bounce off other players.
  • NPC Masters should ensure their NPCs and encounters abide by server limits
  • NPC Masters are expected to ask questions if they are unsure about something
• Collaborativeness: 3
  • NPC Masters are expected to collaborate with other members of their team to plan events
  • NPC Masters are expected to ask other NPC Masters to learn about their NPCs’ personalities
  • Individual encounters however can be done on their own
• Variety: 3
  • NPC Master encounters are usually either self-initiated, player-initiated, or event-initiated
  • They have the option of opening pop up shops if they wish, as well as assisting in existing shops
• Public Facing: 4
  • NPC Masters spend most of their time with other players
  • They should exercise basic common sense in gauging whether an encounter would be fun or unfun to a player
• Initiative: 2
  • NPC Masters can mostly work around events if they wish
  • NPC Masters should respond to #npc-registry requests
  • Roaming RP channels on their own accord is a plus

People who like this role also like to apply for: Trainee DM

• Time Commitment: 3
  • Homebrewers are expected to convene in a timely manner when new official material is released
  • Homebrewers can process homebrew submissions at their leisure
• Learning Curve: 5
  • Being able to balance material requires intricate and extensive knowledge of D&D 5e
  • Homebrewers must also be able to adapt with changing design directions on the part of WOTC, and decide the best course of action to handle homebrew moving forward
• Collaborativeness: 5
  • Homebrewers are required to discuss with other Homebrewers about material
  • They must able to do so in a civil manner, and settle disputes in accordance with what would be the best direction for the server
• Variety: 4
  • As WOTC tends to put out content of varying quality, Homebrewers will have much to discuss about
  • Homebrewers are also free to start their own initiatives in creating their own material or revamping existing ones
• Public Facing: 3
  • Homebrewers conduct most of their work in private
  • However, they should still possess minimal communication skills when relaying reasons why material is denied or banned to the public
  • Homebrewers should answer questions by the public about homebrew
• Initiative: 4
  • Homebrewers should take initiative to review new content and the homebrew submissions backlog

People who like this role also apply for: Mod