These bylaws represent the rules upon which The Garou Nation operates. They are the core of our beliefs and the foundation upon which the organization was created. The spirit of intent of these rules are more than the literal words used, and enforcement of them will be based upon that spirit. There will be no "rules-lawyering" of the words in these bylaws. In the event there is disagreement upon the spirit of these rules, the EXO will make the final ruling. Rev. 1/24/10
BYLAW 1: The Garou Nation Board of Storytellers
The Garou Nation Board consists of one Appointed Storyteller for every chronicle, one Player Representative from every chronicle, and the Executive Officer of the Organization (EXO). The Storytellers will each have one vote, and the EXO will vote only in the event of ties, and in Tribal Moderator elections. The Player Reps will not have a vote, but may involve themselves freely in discussions to ensure Storytellers are representing their chronicle's players' interests. For this reason, the Player Reps may not be Storytellers in any Garou Nation chronicle. During National Plot votes, the EXO will place the National Storyteller on the Board list for the duration of the proposal's vote. Rev. 2/13/11
BYLAW 2: Revision of Bylaws
Any recommended revisions to the Bylaws must go before the Board and pass with a two-thirds majority vote. Rev. 1/1/09
BYLAW 3: Chronicle Membership
Chronicles may be added to The Garou Nation by following The Garou Nation's Admissions Procedures. Any chronicle wishing to leave The Garou Nation may do so at any time by having their appointed Storyteller and Player Rep both announce their departure to the Board list, with no hard feelings on any side. The departing chronicle must give their players two weeks notice, during which time any players wishing to transfer their character to another chronicle remaining in The Garou Nation may do so with no objection from the departing chronicle's ST staff. Upon leaving, all plots and characters of that chronicle go with it, and are no longer a part of The Garou Nation's present or future universe. To ensure continuity, that chronicle's history and prior interactions will remain a part of The Nation's history. Rev. 1/1/09
BYLAW 4: Chronicle Independence
The Storytellers of a chronicle have the right to ban any player, character, or item from their game for any reason, though they should be diplomatic towards players when exerting this right. In addition, because of the varying Lore requirements and restrictions in different chronicles, Storytellers may limit the effects of other games' plots and characters that enter their chronicle (including declaring that characters may not speak about them), though they cannot declare that plots and characters did not happen or exist. Storytellers also have the right to craft House Rules for their chronicles, though they cannot contradict the 10 Core Bylaws. Finally, all games must have a written disciplinary procedure. House Rules and disciplinary policies should be easily accessible on the Web and available at the check-in desk of their games. Rev. 11/18/10
BYLAW 5: Continuity
When any player visits any chronicle, they agree to abide by all of the rulings of that chronicle's Storyteller Staff, and to accept all consequences from playing in that chronicle. Other chronicle's may not redline or rewrite anything that happens in another chronicle, though they may limit its integration into their own chronicle per Bylaw 4. Rev. 1/1/09
BYLAW 6: Experience
Only fully approved, unshelved characters with completed sheets that have entered play may earn Experience Points (XP). In order to ensure that all characters advance at similar rates, no character may earn more than eight XP of any type per month. Storytellers may award XP for any reason, but the points must be approved in the chronicle the character they are being placed upon is based. XP must remain on the character it was initially assigned to, and may not be shuffled from character to character for any reason. In the event a character dies, retires, or is otherwise rendered unplayable through any means, that character's unspent XP may be rolled over onto the player's next new character at the discretion of the administrating Storytellers for both characters. Storytellers may also award extra XP at character creation for any reason. The total amount of XP granted at character creation, including rollover and Storyteller discretionary awards, may not exceed 25 XP, and no character may enter play for the first time exceeding 25 XP on their sheet (spent or unspent). Note that these are NOT Character Creation points, they are Experience points. Characters that are retired or become NPCs may not be returned to active PC status without a sheet and XP audit done by the EXO, and approval by vote from the Board. Rev. 12/20/10
BYLAW 7: Resurrection
All characters, PC or NPC, that return to life from death or return from being cleansed in the river/lake in Erebus for ANY reason, must be approved by majority vote from the Board. Rev. 1/1/09
BYLAW 8: Revenge and Singularity
No player may portray a character who begins play with knowledge of their previous character, or who is seeking retribution for any reason against those responsible for his previous character's demise. In addition, no character in TGN may be a duplicate of another character being played in any other currently running LARP. Finally, players may only have one active character per chronicle, with the exception of chronicles hosting separate games under a single charter, such as a member chronicle fostering relations with a satellite chronicle. In these instances, players are limited to a single active character per game operating under the charter in question. Rev. 1/1/09
BYLAW 9: Rare Creatures
Exceptionally rare PC's, such as Mummies, Abominations, non-Garou Changing Breeds (Nuwisha, Bastet, Corax, etc.), characters with abnormal supernatural powers (such as Numina, Disciplines or things from non-Garou sources) and any Garou not belonging to one of the 12 Tribes of the west, must be announced with a complete character sheet on the Storyteller listserve for discussion two weeks prior to their first appearance in any chronicle. Included in this submission must be the current total number of Rare creatures (active and inactive) in the game. If at the end of the discussion there are no objections, it is free to enter play at the home chronicle's discretion. If there are any objections, the character will be placed up for a vote of approval. NPC's that are Unique, that are rare in the context of the chronicle in which they appear, or are generally accepted as unusual by the ST's of the org as a whole, must also follow this procedure. In addition, the three Lost Tribes are considered extinct. There are no living Bunyip, Croatan, or White Howlers. It is recommended that no more than 10 percent of a chronicle's average attendance for the previous two months' games should be rare creatures. Unique characters, such as named NPC's from White Wolf material, are managed by the appropriate Tribal Moderator. Rev. 11/20/19
BYLAW 10: Legends
Legends and Garou of Rank 6: Legends are incredibly rare. To become a Legend, an Elder ranked Garou must accomplish a task that is so above and beyond the common werewolf, that it is a legendary feat. Gaia and the spirits then simply grant the title of Legend. In role-play terms, a Garou does not challenge for Rank 6. All PC Garou attaining the rank of Legend automatically become chronicle level NPC's, though they may be portrayed by the player that originally played them at Storyteller's discretion. All Legends (formerly PC or NPC) require a two-third majority vote of approval from the Board before entering play for the first time. Thereafter, each use of the Legend, direct or indirect, must be announced on the Storyteller or TM listserve for discussion one week prior, including the reason and the objectives. If at the end of the discussion there are no objections, the Legend is free to be used to carry out that interaction. If there are any objections, the proposed usage will be placed up for a vote of approval. Once approved to enter play for the first time, Legends found in books are controlled by the appropriate TM, and Legends that were formerly PC's are controlled by the appropriate chronicle. Rev. 6/07/10
