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--- system:downtimes_turnsheets [2026/06/15 14:00] – created with unavailable message (so that links to this page can link somewhere) gm_emma
+++ system:downtimes_turnsheets [2026/07/04 18:24] (current) – gm_izzy
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-This page is currently not available to players. If you are a GM, please see the GM version of this page.
+====== Downtimes ======
+Uptimes in //Reference II// are separated by an OC two-week window called Downtimes. In-Character, the Uptimes will take place on consecutive days, with the Downtimes representing the evening, night and morning between Uptimes. During Downtimes, players will have the opportunity to communicate in-character via email and to submit Turnsheets. Turnsheets are a good way to remind the GMs about important events from the Uptime, give feedback about how your personal plot is progressing and have your character perform some Minor Actions. The GMs will use this information to make the narrative and Epilogues respond to your actions. You can expect to receive a small private response to your Turnsheet and longer publicly-available Epilogues.
+===== In-Character Emails =====
+As with previous [[https://oxfordrpg.com|ORPGSoc]] Society Games, we have set up an email system which allows players to communicate with each other after a Session ends. These emails represent in-character interactions -- such as informal conversations in the library café -- which you might have with other PCs. All email exchanges should end by **9pm** on the **Thursday** after session, partly so that these emails don't end up changing Turnsheet plans at the last minute, and partly so that everyone can get a break from their inbox before next Uptime.
+IC email addresses will be of the form character_name@referenceii.oxfordrpg.com and will have an OC email address associated to them. Any emails sent from an OC email address to an IC email address will be delivered to the recipient(s) and the GMs, appearing to have been sent from the sender's IC email address.
+You can also email the NPCs, though do bear in mind that in //Reference II//, In-Story NPCs will not exist during Downtimes, as the Bookworm will no longer be sustaining that Story, so such emails are only possible for Out-of-Story NPCs.
+The complete list of In-Character email addresses can be found on the pages for [[..:gameplay:pcs|Player Characters]] and [[..:gameplay:gms_crew|GMs and Crew NPCs]].
+Players in //Reference II// are encouraged to use the email period to get to know each other or talk about the events of the previous Uptime, especially since not everything can be mentioned in the Epilogue. Most of the conversations Player Characters have during Uptimes will be within Stories, and the majority of Out-of-Story conversations will occur in emails. We also recommend that the conversations represented by emails happen in the evening IC, so that they can inform the [[..:system:downtimes_turnsheets#minor_actions|Minor Actions]], which can be set in the evening of the same day or night/morning of the following day.
+You can also direct emails to GMs if you'd like to privately ask us anything, although it is preferred to use your player channel on Discord. If you are emailing a GM, please add “[FAO: GM name]” to the subject line so that we don't miss your message!
+If you're having trouble receiving emails from GMs or players before or during the game, try checking your Junk inbox. If game emails tend to be filtered out, you may want to whitelist emails from [[maildragon@oxfordrpg.com]] and/or the @referenceii.oxfordrpg.com domain.
+Finally, please note that your OC email will not normally be displayed to other players when you email them, as any emails sent by you will appear to come from your In-Character email address. However, the metadata of the email may be visible, which can include an OC email address in some circumstances. Further information can be found in the [[..:info:privacy_policy|Privacy Policy]].
+====== Turnsheets ======
+Turnsheets in //Reference II// will be somewhat different to Turnsheets in other ORPGSoc society games. //Reference II// Turnsheets will consist of three main sections, the Epilogue, the Minor Actions and the Plan. Details on each of these can be found below.
+===== Epilogues =====
+In-universe, the [[..:setting:bookworm|Bookworm]] prints out text detailing how the Story progressed after the PCs' involvement, known as an Epilogue. In your Turnsheet, you will have an opportunity to say if there are specific interactions which happened in Uptime that you would like to see reflected in the Epilogues.
+Please keep this section short and prioritise actions your character has done personally or in a small group; we expect that 1 interaction per Story should usually be enough.
+We cannot guarantee that the consequences of these interactions will have a large impact on the Epilogue, but we will try our best.
+If in doubt, ask. Please [[gm@referenceii.oxfordrpg.com|contact the GMs]] and we will do our best to help with any queries you may have regarding Epilogues.
+===== Minor Actions =====
+A minor action in //Reference II// is something done in Downtime that does not take much time to complete and can be summarised quickly.
+In each Turnsheet in //Reference II//, you will be permitted up to three minor actions. When your minor actions unfold as expected, it is unlikely that you will receive any GM-written response to this in your Turnsheet results. If, however, your minor action proceeds abnormally, you will get a short GM-written description of how the action actually played out.
+Your minor actions can include other PCs, such as “Jimbo and I race each other to find a book about ducks in the library.” You will need to discuss this OC and all agree to the action. This can be co-ordinated through emails. If some players include a shared action while others do not, those who do may receive a response along the lines of "You wait for Jimbo so you can begin your race, but he never arrives".
+Typically minor actions will be something relatively low-stakes, such as "I search for a book about ducks to read". You may use minor actions on more high-stakes events for your character such as two PCs going on a date in the library, though given the emotional stakes you may prefer to role-play this through emails, since minor actions will receive very little GM writeup.
+===== Plans =====
+At the end of each Uptime of //Reference II// (except the final uptime), the GMs will announce which Stories will be running in the following Uptime. In the Turnsheet, we will ask which of these Stories you are planning on entering in that Uptime, and what, approximately, you are hoping to achieve from this. This is so that the GMs can tailor the Story experience to suit your character, within the confines of the Story. **This decision is not binding**, but entering a Story other than the one you chose in your plan may mean the Story does not have as much relevance to your character.
+===== Writing your Turnsheet =====
+Once your character has been approved by the GMs, we will send you a link to your private user page. This can also be found by clicking the human-shaped icon in the top right of the Wiki. At the bottom of your user page should be a series of red links, named 'Turnsheet #'. These link to pages that don't exist yet, so when you are ready to begin your write-up, click on the link for that week and then click the 'pencil sign' icon on the right-hand toolbar to get started. Hovering over it will bring up the 'Create this page' dialogue.
+Once created, the Turnsheet page will have a handy template to save you time and to allow your GM easy reading. You don’t have to stick to it 100%, but having similar layouts allows us to quickly and easily parse the information. (Please don't delete { {tag>turnsheetX} } at the bottom of the page or we won't be notified when you've submitted it!)
+When you're happy with your Turnsheet, click the save button in the bottom left and you'll have a Turnsheet that both you and all the GMs can see. It’s worthwhile doing a quick preview before saving, to check that everything reads how you want it to, but don’t forget to then save.
+You can continue to edit your Turnsheet until the deadline (**11:59pm** on the **Thursday** after session) as nothing will be taken as final by the GMs until that point. If you need it, you can ask for an extension. However, please be aware that if you miss the deadline your actions could have less impact on other players (due to less time for GM discussion).
+===== Deadline =====
+The deadline for Turnsheets is **11:59pm** on the **Thursday** after session. If you require an extension for a Turnsheet, please let the GM team know sooner rather than later. If your Turnsheet will affect other players, it would be highly preferable to receive your Turnsheet submission on time, or with only a small extension. If your Turnsheet submission arrives after the deadline GMs will have less time to plan around them, so please be aware of this and try to minimise late submissions!
+===== Response =====
+Unlike most other Society Games, the GMs will provide different kinds of responses to each of the three parts of your Turnsheet.
+  * The Epilogues for all stories will be [[..:gameplay:epilogues|released publicly]] before on the Monday before each Session.
+  * The GMs will privately publish a write-up mentioning the outcome of your Minor Actions. These responses will be added to the end of your submitted Turnsheet on the Wiki. This section can be quite short, which is not a cause for concern. On the contrary, if the GMs don't mention a Minor Action, it means that it proceeded as you planned.
+  * The Plans will not receive an explicit response, but instead will affect how the next Uptime unfolds, together with the effect of your Minor Actions.
+We will aim to send out all these responses on the Monday before each Session. GMs will announce when that happens on the //Reference II// Discord server. If you have any questions about your Turnsheet response, please contact your GM before the start of the Session and we'll try to clear everything up.
+===== Sample Turnsheets =====
+The GMs have prepared [[.:sample_turnsheets|sample Turnsheets]] for you as an example.