NHS: Nova Horizon Simulations.
NHSAC: Nova Horizon Simulations Administrative Council.
Members/membership: The simmers/gamers and managers in NHS.
GM/representative: The voting gamemaster or sim/guild representative on the NHSAC.
Gamemaster (GM): A game's leader, generally responsible for the game's progression.
Sim: Simulation or game.
Simmer: The player of a simulation.
Progression: The general welfare of a game. NHS hopes to provide an atmosphere where sims and people can grow and progress.
a) NHS operates under a suspension/expulsion policy. When a member of NHSAC behaves inappropriately (in any form or manner as declared by a vote of the Council), they will be issued a "strike" from the NHSAC. Each strike carries with it a standard suspension: 1st = 24 hours, 2nd = 168 hours, 3rd = automatic expulsion. Once said member receives three strikes, his or her membership will be revoked.
• NHS does not hold the right to depose the management of a guild or simulation in favor of new management. The NHS member sims are the property of their creators and NHS holds no power over management, membership or any other aspect of a game's day-to-day operation. NHS does reserve the right to expel managers from the NHSAC, however. In order to avoid the sim/guild's removal from NHS due to the expulsion of its manager, a replacement may be appointed by the expelled manager.
b) NHS or the NHSAC cannot and will not dictate how any NHSAC member runs his or her own individual sim or guild. The NHSAC does expect members to maintain their simulation's website and progression, and can and will take measures to ensure that member sims meet these requirements (see section c below and Article IV).
c) The members of NHS hold the right to petition for sim/guild review should a group of at least four active members, or 40% of the total sim, be in disaccord with the management. A Council member will be elected to represent the interests of the complaining members before the NHSAC. He or she will perform a thorough investigation of the simulation or guild in question, both through in-sim/guild observation and a standard survey of the simmers. Following these steps, the elected representative will make an assessment of the situation and present it to the NHSAC so it may attempt to rectify the situation.
• Rectifying the situation/s on the guild/sim will not go beyond urging the manager to take action. Should the manager refuse to rectify the situation after being urged by the NHSAC, their simulation will be expelled from NHS.
a) Each sim or guild, through its representative or manager, shall have one vote. No GM or representative shall have more than one vote, regardless of how many games he or she represents. A player who manages more than one sim may name a delegate to be endowed with voting privileges for that sim or group. No member of the NHSAC will hold more power than any other.
b) Misbehavior will not be tolerated in any of its forms, be it through: inappropriate language; censoring opinions; intended or direct insult; immature behavior; inadequate, provocative, unnecessary or non-topical commentary; deliberately delaying actions; advancement of personal interest over communal group interests, or any other form considered aggressive by a majority vote of the Council.
c) A consensual majority of Council votes cast is all that is required to reach a decision.
d) Voting will take no longer than 168 hours at any given time, preferably only 48 hours so as to deal with a situation as quickly as possible. If a majority decision is not apparent after 48 hours, the vote can and will be extended.
e) At no point will NHSAC empower an individual to represent the will of the group, except in times when the specific situation mandates such action. Once said situation has been concluded, the authorization will be considered dissolved, with the following considerations:
• A member can be re-elected to continue representation in specific situations (New Sims Ambassador, for example) by a majority vote of the NHSAC for a term of six months. If another Council member feels the representative should be replaced or removed, a motion may be brought to this end. Once seconded, a majority vote by the Council shall be sufficient to remove the representative.
• A member can be chosen for an extended period of time (6 months) for representation of a specific class of situation following one year of having represented the Council's interests on various occasions.
f) Separate work groups will not be defined for matters concerning NHS as a whole, with the exclusion of the temporary workgroups that may be established for modifications to this charter.
g) There will never be a superior leading member of NHS. Selected representatives will solely express the interests of the group following voting on a matter.
h) Members of the NHSAC are urged and requested to vote on all issues, in order to make their opinions known. They are not required to do so, however. Should no vote be cast on behalf of a sim/guild, then it shall simply be considered as part of the majority.
I) There shall be an elected Chair of the NHSAC, standing as the only semi-permanent elected member, with a chosen Assistant, both of whom shall serve a term of no more than six months. The Chair and Assistant Chair shall be responsible for the collection of votes. The Chair shall also serve in the capacity of controlling any motions on the table.
• Should any member of the NHSAC feel it necessary to call for a replacement, this may be done at any time, provided the motion meets the following requirements: One person to make the motion, another to second the motion, and a third explaining the reasoning. The motion must then be approved by a majority vote. Once the Chair has been deposed, the Assistant will temporarily hold the position until a new Chair has been elected.
• There is no limit on a number of consecutive terms, though it is preferred that no one person hold more than two full consecutive terms.
• A newly elected Chair cannot be removed from that post for the first 168 hours. Once a motion to remove a sitting Chair has failed, the same petitioners cannot bring another before the Council again for two months following the initial motion.
j) There shall be an elected Ambassador of the NHSAC, whom shall serve a term of no more than six months. The Ambassador shall be responsible for representing NHS interests following an agreement of the majority on any given matter that requires representation.
• Should any member of the NHSAC feel it necessary to call for a replacement, this may be done at any time, provided the motion meets the following requirements: One person to make the motion (and explain his or her reasons for making it), and another to second the motion, followed by a removal vote. Once the Ambassador has been deposed, the Chair and his/her assistant will temporarily hold ambassadorial status until a new Ambassador has been elected.
• There is no limit on a number of consecutive terms, though it is preferred that no one person hold more than two full consecutive terms.
a) The sim must have at least five active players.
b) The sim must have a functional website including the following criteria:
• A front page or presentation page presenting the following: A sim teaser, a rating, a banner with a link back to NHS, copyright and credit information (more specified in following points).
• A listing of the characters, preferably including biographies.
• A listing of available contact information of all the simmers, for the simmers. This list does not need to be available to the general public.
• No broken links or images contained in the site.
• A banner representative of the admissions process to NHS, linking to http://www.novahorizon.com, and following admission, a banner indicating active member status. Click here for available banner graphics.
• A rating that states behavioral patterns observed and allowed within the sim's storyline (G, PG, PG-13, R, MA-17, XXX, etc.) with a written declaration of expected content beside the rating.
• A non-profit website in totality, no exceptions.
• Proper accreditation and copyright information for website material, possibly accompanied by a disclaimer should it be required.
• All applying and member sims will be affiliated exclusively with NHS.
c) If an applicant has an existing misconduct report with the NHSAC, that will be considered along with the application and will affect the decision accordingly. Misconduct reports will be introduced before the Council, and must be both properly seconded and adopted by a majority vote of the Council.
d) The sim's GM must have had previous experience simming (3 months) in the format of their sim, or their sim must have been running successfully for 3 months.
e) "Criteria waiver" - Any simulation/game at the time of filling in the application may select "developing" when submitting their application. The "criteria waiver" is for sims that don't have enough players for general submission or for sims in the process of updating their website. If the NHSAC approves the special waiver the applying sim will be placed in a special listing called "developing sims". Developing simulations have no more then six months to meet the standard application requirements of NHS. During this "developmental" stage the game owners can participate in the NHSAC; however, they cannot vote until their sim meets the standard requirements set forth by the NHSAC.
Should a member simulation fail to meet these criteria, it may be placed on "hiatus" status and have its link removed from the NHS website.
a) The guild must have at least five active members.
b) The guild must have a functional website meeting the following criteria:
• A front page or presentation page presenting the following: A guild teaser, a rating, a banner with a link back to NHS, copyright and credit information (more specified in following points).
• A listing of available contact information of all the members, for the members. This list does not need to be available to the general public.
• A banner representative of the admissions process to NHS, linking to http://www.novahorizon.com, and following admission, a banner indicating active member status. Click here for available banner graphics.
• A rating that states the nature of content found in the guild's data (G, PG, PG-13, R, MA-17, XXX, etc) with a written declaration of expected content beside the rating.
• A non-profit website in totality, no exceptions.
• Proper accreditation and copyright information for website material, possibly accompanied by a disclaimer should it be required.
• All applying and member guilds will be affiliated exclusively with NHS.
c) If a guild applicant has an existing misconduct report with the NHSAC, that will be considered along with the application and will affect the decision accordingly. Misconduct reports will be introduced before the Council, and must be both properly seconded and adopted by a majority vote of the Council.
d) "Criteria waiver" - Any simulation/game at the time of filling in the application may select "developing" when submitting their application. The "criteria waiver" is for sims that don't have enough players for general submission or for sims in the process of updating their website. If the NHSAC approves the special waiver, the applying sim will be placed in a special listing called "developing sims". Developing simulations have no more then six months to meet the standard application requirements of NHS. During this developmental stage the game owners can participate in the NHSAC; however, they cannot vote until their sim meets the standard requirements set forth by the NHSAC.
• Majordomo quality mailing list(s) free of ads and other unwanted bulk, from @novahorizon.com, @terra-alliance.com, or @ussmiranda.com.
• A simming group experience that sees to the well-being of all of its members within reasonable parameters. (Situations will be investigated as stated previously, provided there is sufficient cause.)
• An up-to-date website representing NHS and everything that composes it in detail that the Council will constantly monitor.
• Sims with up-to-date websites.
a) Maintaining an up-to-date website, updated at least once every two weeks unless an extraordinary cause has impeded this temporarily, and that said cause has been declared to both the sim and the Council.
b) Maintaining their simulation or guild's progression, unless impeded by extraordinary and temporary circumstances, which must be declared to both the sim and the NHS Council.
c) Participating as an active member of the NHSAC.
d) Upholding the NHS charter to maintain a standard for the same.
e) Monitoring fellow sim and guild websites at random and/or bringing an issue on another sim to the attention of the Council should they be a member of that sim.
f) Submitting a bi-monthly report to the NHSAC on their sim or guild stating the status of the sim or guild.
a) To inform the NHSAC of any sims or guilds in NHS in violation of this charter.
b) To have an understanding of the nature of the sim or guild they are joining so as to avoid future discomfort between simmer and game master or even the Council.
c) To conduct themselves in an appropriate manner with all members of NHS and others.
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The Development Officer (D.O.) will be tasked with maintaining the high quality of applicant sims by working with below-standard applicants to ensure nominal compliance. The D.O. will also be available for advice and guidance for member sims on quality-related issues. The purpose of creating this role is: to ensure basic quality standards are met by all applicants and to assist new sims in achieving those standards; to ensure assistance is available for sims experiencing difficulties inside NHS; and to try to address potential problems before they become serious.
Job description
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1. Applicant sims
The New Sims Ambassador (NSA) will refer all applicant sims that fail to meet the basic membership criteria as listed on the NHS website to the D.O. (See below for a summary of what this does to the application process.) The D.O. is then tasked with working with the applicant sim's GM and/or webmaster to ensure compliance with the minimal standards (the sim's GM should be kept in the loop at all times if the primary contact is the webmaster). The D.O. may also offer additional advice which may increase the quality of the applicant sim or its website, as necessary. As soon as compliance with the basic criteria is achieved, the D.O. informs the NSA and asks the applicant sim's GM to reapply. The D.O.'s work is done.
The D.O. may spend a maximum of one month working with a GM/webmaster before the sim must be referred back to the NSA for a second review. If the sim is not up to scratch by then, the application will be rejected by the NSA.
2. Member sims
The D.O. should also be actively available to assist member GMs in maintaining or increasing the quality of their sims. They should be able to offer advice on any quality-related matters of concern, while referring any organizational queries or problems to the Chairperson of NHS or his/her deputy. This may apply to sims on "hiatus" and also developing sims, who may work with the D.O. in order to bring their sims up to the level required for full membership.
Requirements
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The D.O. needs to have good people skills. He or she needs to ensure compliance with our stated standards and cannot bend the rules. However, the D.O.'s primary goal is to be welcoming and helpful, reflecting the ethos of NHS as a whole. Part of the reason for creating this post is that the NSA is often overworked and may lack time to work with the applicant sim in depth or over long periods of time. A successful D.O. will be one with experience and wisdom to offer GMs. A range of role-playing experiences will be a definite asset; some HTML knowledge will be needed. The D.O. needs to communicate succinctly, clearly and diplomatically.
STAGE ONE: REVIEW
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All sim applications will be sent to the Council list as usual. From the time the application is submitted, the NSA has 48 hours to review the application and check the applicant's website against the basic criteria as listed on the NHS website (incomplete applications automatically fail the review). GMs are encouraged to help review the application by checking the website against the basic criteria ONLY. Emails listing violations of the basic criteria should be sent to the NSA in person, NOT to the Council list.
The reasons for this are twofold: First, GMs may spot problems the NSA may not (e.g. the use of their sim manual by the applicant sim without authorization); second, the purpose of the review stage is to ensure all sims are *ready* for discussion before they are exposed to it. Discussion of a sim that fails to meet the basic criteria will undermine the work of the D.O. when the sim is referred to him/her. Posting comments to the Council list at this stage is therefore contrary to the spirit of the process and is regarded as inappropriate behavior as per the charter.
The findings of the NSA's review are presented to the Chair. If the sim passes this basic muster, we proceed to STAGE THREE.
If the sim fails the basic review, we proceed to STAGE TWO.
STAGE TWO: Development (OPTIONAL)
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Having failed the NSA's initial review, the sim's application is put on hold and the NSA refers the sim to the D.O., informing him/her of the reasons for the failure. As a check-and-balance to the D.O., the NSA should inform the applicant GM that any irresolvable problems they experience in dealings with the D.O. should be reported to the NSA, who will investigate any complaints. The applicant GM may appeal to the NSA at any time if they feel they are being unfairly dealt with but the emphasis at this stage is that the D.O. is a person dedicated to helping them meet the standards required to be considered for NHS. At this stage the sim is added to the "developing sims" area of the NHS website.
The D.O. contacts the applicant sim's GM and/or webmaster and works with them to bring the sim up to the minimal standards. There is still no discussion of the sim on the Council list during this period as the application is still on hiatus. This is to prevent the work of the D.O. being possibly undermined, and to ensure that sims are only actively considered for membership when they are deemed ready - NOT before. The D.O. will refer the sim back to the NSA for another review as soon as he/she believes the sim has met all the criteria. The D.O. has a maximum of one month to work with the GM/webmaster of the applicant sim before he/she must refer the sim back to the NSA. The applicant GM must reapply. The NSA then conducts the final review of the applicant sim's website and reports their findings privately to the Chair. If the sim still fails the review, its application is rejected; if it passes, we proceed to STAGE THREE.
STAGE THREE: Discussion
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Having been informed that the sim has passed the NSA's first or second review, the Chair announces that discussion on the application is now open. The discussion period will last the standard 72 hours.
The D.O. is not a substitute for the review of a sim by the Council of GMs. Rather, the D.O. ensures minimal compliance. Qualitative, subjective judgments are left entirely to the Council members. The idea behind this is that the D.O. focuses on the basics and allows the GMs to hone in on higher-level issues and a more comprehensive quality assessment. It is at this level that opinions about the sim, its GM, etc., are expressed and aired. The D.O. may add his/her comments at any stage but the decision is still entirely the Council's. The introduction of the D.O. post is NOT intended to get more sims into NHS by ensuring everyone complies with minimal standards; rather, it highlights that the stated criteria are MINIMUMS only, and encourages Council members to put quality ahead of quantity.
STAGE FOUR: Vote
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After 72 hours of discussion, the Chair initiates the voting procedure. Members of the NHS Council will have 72 hours to cast their votes. The Chair will then announce the result. The NSA will write to inform the GM of the result. If the application is rejected, the NSA will explain IN FULL why this is so. The GM may reapply in the future but at this stage no further assistance from the D.O. is available to them.