Challenge

Challenges, and How To Go About Them. (Or, Mortal Embarrassment 101.)

Given that GarouMUSH does not work by an explicit, coded renown system, one might well ask, 'When should I challenge?' Often, people will start asking you why you haven't, which is a good guideline. Or, for the more numbers oriented, if you're consistently active and doing useful things, it's not unreasonable to Challenge for Fostern after 9-12 months as an on-game Cliath. 9 months is a fairly early, and tends to be for the exceptional standout of a Garou. Slightly over a year is far more common. (It's harder to determine when it's appropriate to challenge for Adren, as that's a far more wide-ranging position.) Most Challenges are given two months (between played out Moots) to be completed.

Once you've decided to challenge, here are succeeding steps you must take:

Step 1: (IC and OOC) Decide who to Challenge

In general, you may only challenge a Garou of the next rank higher than yours. There is no requirement to stay within tribe, breed, or auspice, though challenging someone of similar auspice or tribe is vaguely encouraged. (It is strongly frowned on to challenge a packmate unless you have no other choice.) These are culturally enforced traditions; beware opprobrium if you break them. The Master of the Challenge is generally the final arbiter of whether an exception will be allowed.

Step 2: (IC and OOC) Talk to the Master of the Challenge (MoC)

This must be done at least a week before the Moot is to be held. The usual method is to talk to the person you're Challenging (to obtain their agreement), and then the MoC, but it can be in any order. (If you can't get them IC, mail is an acceptable alternative.) Traditionally, you would not know if your Challenge had been accepted until the Moot, but given RL timing problems, compromises evolved.

Step 3. (OOC and IC) Consult with elders/wizards

The MoC or, often, the challenged person consults ICly with the elders and the challenged, and OOCly with the wizards and the elders. (The MoC and the challenger should figure out, during Step 2, who's doing this consultation. One accepted method is for the challenged to mail elders and wizards, and for IC opinion to be sent to the challenged, and OOC opinion to the MoC.) From this input, a decision is made about a) whether the Challenge will be accepted, and b) the difficulty of the challenge. (Functionally, people often accept IC when informed of the Challenge; this doesn't mean they can't change their minds if given enough input.) The wizards/elders may suggest an outcome to the challenged. Note that this suggestion is not binding. The challenged will get reasons attached to any particularly 'strong' suggestion.

Step 4. (IC and OOC) Work out the details of the Challenge

The MoC and the challenged should then consult and work out the details of the Challenge. This is primarily to get ideas. It's also in part to fit customs, and to prepare for unforeseen difficulties. (It's acceptable to ICly bring a mostly-fleshed out idea to the MoC, or brainstorm with them; given time issues, one can also do this in pages or mail. Some MoCs want more final say/control than others.)

Step 5. (IC) Moot!

At the moot, the Master of the Challenge announces the challenger. He or she then steps forward to Declare to the Sept his/her Challenge. The challenged accepts or declines, for whatever reason. If either participant cannot attend the Sept Moot, the MoC can puppet declaration, acceptance, or refusal of the Challenge in accordance with the decisions reached in Step 3. Please notify the MoC ahead of time, if you wish for yourself to be puppeted. Having worked this out beforehand, the challenged names the means of the Challenge, and the MoC describes the rules for the contest. The Challenge has now been Declared. The participants have until the next played-out Moot (generally 2 months) to resolve the outcome of the Challenge, unless the Challenge stipulates differently.

Step 6. (IC) RP the challenge out.

Hopefully, this bit doesn't need a lot of expanding on.

Step 7. (IC) MoC is presented with results.

After resolution of the Challenge by RP, the Master of the Challenge either is informed of the outcome or declares the outcome, if they are there in official capacity. The outcome is announced at the next Sept Moot by the MoC for all to hear.

Step 8. (OOC) Post-Challenge Administrative details.

Winning a challenge gets you: increase in rank, an attribute increase, a secondary attribute increase, a free gift of the appropriate rank, fame, respect, and your twenty minutes in the spotlight. Failing a Challenge doesn't carry any penalty, but you may not challenge the same person for a particular rank more than once. Multiple Challenges at one time are not allowed.

Further Considerations

Generally, Challenges should be played out between IC Moots, which is usually two months. In exceptional circumstances, the Challenge may be redeclared at the next RP'd Moot. This can only happen once, and is quite rare. In a proper WoD, many or most Challenges would fail. GarouMUSH will have an inordinate success rate simply due to time constraints and the fact that PC characters are supposedly above the ordinary milieu. That said, failing an IC challenge is not a defeat, but an RP opportunity.

What if these procedures don't seem to be working?

Sometimes RL interferes with these procedures and things can go awry. OOC communication is a must with Challenges of this nature, and as always you can contact the Wizards.