I've gotten quite a few requests as to what I am looking for in a Cyphrus Team Storyteller. And frankly after answering half dozen PMs, I decided it might be best to post this here. Now mind you, the list is my IDEAL. Things don't always work out the way I want them too. But ultimately this is what I want and expect as acting RS of Cyphrus. It comes in two fold, with an extra 'can't do' thrown in there and a list of what pisses me off. That's always good to know.
. The first part is expected duties. The second part is character traits.Your Expected Duties
- You must run three moderated threads a season and make every attempt to finish them within that season. These don't have to be quests, but can be simple training threads or a meet and greet or even something like festivities. Just posting a thread and abandoning it isn't going to cut it. You must actively engage in it and make it fun and friendly for those involved.
- Grading. Unfortunately this is an evil necessity. But you should see how much people love getting grades. We need to keep up on grades.
- Helping new players by answering questions. Note, this is not getting new players set up. This is getting them guidance and offering them advice. Show them links, inform them of programs in the city or domain, and explain a lot of how to's...(how to get your thread graded, how to get a DS to answer their pms, etc).
- Develop things. Develop people, places, things, organizations... the sky is the limit.
- You must be 18 years of age to apply for an AS, DS, and RS.
- You must be 13-17 to apply for a JrSt.
What You Cannot Do
- Give approvals.
- Pay PCs wages.
- Approve jobs.
- Give special permissions.
Character Traits
- Open, honest, forthright personality.
- Creativity a must. Thinking outside the box a definite must.
- Hard to rattle, because sometimes things crop up that are surprising, shocking, or frustrating.
- Keeps their word.
- Integrity to me is pretty much paramount here. If they say they are going to do something, then they best better do it.
- Selflessness to a certain extent. You do a LOT for others and can't expect to get a lot back (Ie. They owe you.) Frankly, the players don't owe you and the game doesn't owe you. You should be doing this because you love it... not to get paid.
- GREAT communicator. Communication is a MUST. If you don't even talk to your fellow staffers and aren't on first name hows that wart on your ass doing basis, then there's issues.
- Friendly and NOT shy, willing to chat on AIM/Phone etc.
- Thick Skinned. Being an ST can get rough to people who are overly sensitive. Nothing ever is usually personal here. It only gets personal after some of the cardinal rules have been broken.
And finally here's the list of things that can set me off in regards to staffers.
My Pet Peeves
- Unannounced absences with zero explanations or warnings. If you need to leave for some reason and won't be on (even for a month or two) because your going to summer camp/relatives/moving to college, fine... tell us! I'm more than cool with that. But if you vanish and come back and don't give a rats ass enough to let me know what was going on, I'm pretty much irritated and besides that its rude. I'm even more irritated if you don't come back at all.
- Lack of Creativity. If you can't see a million projects that need doing in a city (even one as developed as RF) then you need to step back and re-examine your thinking and why you are even on staff.
- Flora and Fauna lists. I think these things are absolutely bogus. If your area has woods, it has deer, squirrels, bear, etc. How can pcs NOT know this? I see the need for unique flora and fauna lists, but a well written paragraph about ecosystems does far more for the game than any stupid list with interesting pictures of mundane animals renamed to be 'original'. Oh how I scorn them.
- Doing the job of a DS/RS/Founder when you aren't one. The title is ASSISTANT then you ASSIST. If the title is DS, then your in charge. Know your pecking order. And if you dont' like your pecking order, work hard, move up, and change your title. Seems altogether like a no-brainer to me.
- Blabbermouths & Snoops. I really get annoyed when people want to know whats going on in other domains that aren't their business and read other coordination threads, especially to mine for ideas. Then, what's worse is when they cut and paste to players not privy to the staff lounge or coordination threads letting them know whats going on. Buy friendship much? That's not cool and that's a betrayal to the staff be it in your own domain or in other domains. It's something I've seen over and over again, especially in the chat logs. Want to loose my respect and earn my scorn immediately? That's the fastest way.
If you are interested in joining a team like this, feel free to PM me or even post here. If you are overeager and don't want to discuss it and just apply, odds are you aren't a great communicator and that might be a problem. But, I'm open minded enough not to prejudge.
So if you simply can't wait.. here's the application below. You need to post it in the Help Desk and once there, it will be reviewed by myself and the other Regional Storytellers who current help with staffing matters.
Storyteller Application
- What is your name?
- What is your age?
- Please list any characters you might play.
- Please list the position you are applying for (RS, DS, AS, JrST).
- Please give a detailed accounting of why you want to apply for this position and how you want to improve this area. What drew you to this region? What is special about it? Please be specific.
- Please list your favorite aspects of Mizahar and why.
- Please list the aspects of Mizahar you feel need improvement and why.
- Please list any applicable experience you might have with storytelling (can be off site).
- Please list any development projects you might have been involved with. Why did you get involved? What drew you to this sort of development. What made you enthusiastic about these projects?
- Please provide a recommendation from an existing storyteller.
