Dealing with Cheating
Cheating is rare, and it can be a rather heated topic. If you suspect that a player is cheating, it’s always a good idea to take a step back and consider the possibility that they are instead making an honest mistake. Inaccurate numbers on a character or mistakes on a Chronicle are far more likely to be math errors than deliberate cheating. When you see these issues, keep an open mind and work with the player to resolve them. Other issues, such as lying about the results of a dice roll or the contents of their character sheet or breaking the rules even after being informed of what they are, are more clear-cut.
If you believe a player is cheating, record the organized play number of that player and ask them to leave your table. Afterward, send an email to the Organized Play staff at organizedplay@paizo.com, including the player’s number and as much detail as you can remember about the situation.
Dealing with Distractions
No game table is completely free of distractions. However, if something (like an electronic device) creates an ongoing distraction, a GM can request that the player put it away or police their use of the device (such as not also using a tablet computer to play a video game). If the device continues to be a distraction, the GM has the right to ban that particular item for the duration of the game.
Dealing with Interruptions
Sometimes circumstances prevent a player from completing a scenario. Reasons include—but are not limited to—personal emergencies, device battery issues, venue problems, and bad timing.
To mitigate the impact on the table, GMs can exercise their discretion by adjusting the scenario’s level range or scaling to accommodate the table’s remaining players, bring in the pregenerated character that most closely resembles the lost PC, or postpone the game until all players are able to complete the scenario. If a character sheet is no longer accessible due to a loss of battery power, the player can play the pregenerated character and apply the scenario’s rewards to their original character. In all cases where the GM applies one of the above remedies, rewards for all players are based on the lowest level range played during the scenario.
GMs should work with players who do not finish an adventure to receive their Chronicles. In this case, the character receives full XP. They receive any reputation rewarded for the tasks the party has completed up to the point the player left the game, as well as any treasure earned to that point, and any items listed on the Chronicle that were found to that point.
Players receive partial credit for Adventures and Adventure Path volumes based on the amount of sanctioned material they completed. If they complete less than half of the adventure, they receive half of the adventure’s treasure and XP; they gain full access to the items that they found during play. If they complete more than half of the adventure, they receive full credit for the adventure.
In the (hopefully rare) case of a medical emergency (defined as a player needing immediate, unexpected, professional medical treatment), the Chronicle is filled out as if the player stayed for the full session and they earn the same benefits as the rest of the table.
Violation Enforcement Procedures
If a player is removed from a table for violating the community standards, or a character is marked “dead” due to Infamy, then it is the responsibility of the table GM or Event Organizer to advise their local Venture-Officers of the situation. The GM or Event Organizer must advise the player of the report and provide the player with the venture-officer's contact information, so that the player may present their side of the issue to the Venture-Officer. Rules infringements will be kept on file, as continued violations will result in suspension of Organized Play membership.
Characters reported as Wantonly Evil must additionally be reported to the Organized Play Coordinator (organizedplay@paizo.com) to advise them of the situation. Be sure to include the player’s name, Organized Play number, and email address.
(See Ethical Infractions and Infamy for more about Wanton Evil.)