The primary responsibilities of Mechanics Operators are to review characters for approval, to ensure that experience is awarded for quests, and to review and add additional mechanical content to the site.
Mechanics Ops are to actively work with players to get their characters made, to go out of their way to talk to players and assist with the character building process in any way that they can, and to provide explicit instructions to players on how they can make their characters playable and balanced according to the rules of the site and the game in as short a span of time as possible. Streamlining the process of getting characters into play is one of the most critical aspects of a Mechanics Op's duties.
When characters are approved, it is the responsibility of Mechanics Ops to "Parent" a character's link into the main character list, deleting the former link in the area for pending characters in the process. Additionally, an approved character should be added to the Experience And Rep Tallies list to keep this list current. Mechanics Ops are the only ops allowed to make adjustments to the Experience And Rep Tallies list as needed, though they are not generally allowed to make changes to the REP section of the list - only the Lead Op has that responsibility, except in special, specific circumstances.
After a character is approved, the Mechanics Ops are allowed to assist players in adjusting the character to suit the players' desires, within the bounds of what is possible through the rules as they are presently constructed. Mechanics Ops are also allowed to consider and implement reasonable changes to the rules, provided that they inform the Lead Op of the changes that they want to make, and get approval. Generally, more diversity is considered a good thing, and Mechanics Ops are encouraged to find ways to allow players to create characters that best conform to their imaginations, while still holding to the requirements of the setting. Speak with the Lead Op if what these are is unclear in any circumstances.
Quests should be reviewed and awarded as quickly as possible, and the experience additions added to the Experience And Rep Tallies list once this is done, while the quest is moved from the Pending Quests section to the Awarded Quest table. Again, REP is only added by the Lead Op, and will be done as soon as it is possible.
Generally, Mechanics Ops are to field questions about what is and is not possible in Therafim, though the Leap Op has final say in all such matters, and should be consulted on matters of uncertainty whenever possible. However, until the Lead Op makes a final ruling on a matter, after consultation with the Mechanics Ops, the decisions of the Mechanics Op who fields a question will be considered final, to allow a more united front from the Staff.
Mechanics Ops must work together before adding any mechanical content to the site. All Mechanics Operators must agree to any changes to the rules, requiring great cooperation between all of them, and they must get final approval from the Lead Op before these changes are implemented officially. All other duties of a Mechanics Op listed above do not generally require consensus from other Mechanics Ops, or any other Ops for that matter, this being the only significant exception. If Mechanics Ops disagree on any matter relating to their duties, and cannot find a resolution among themselves, the matter will have to be brought before the Lead Op for adjudication.
Additionally, Mechanics Ops should confer with Story Ops on a regular basis. It is considered ideal with the Story Ops are also included in all changes to the rules of the site. The consensus of the Story Ops is required for most changes, and they should be actively included in all changes to the site's rules and running, to make sure that they remain a part of the setting's requirements.
The Lead Op is able to override all decisions made by the Mechanics Ops, though this power will be used as sparingly as possible. However, the Lead Op does have final say in all matters, and must be consulted for approval of significant changes or additions to the mechanics rules of the site. This is not required in the case of character approval or quest awards.
