Ratings Explained

Ratings for a particular show are determined partly by random chance, partly by vote (of Agents), and partly by any feedback from the world at large. More popular Shows will gain Ratings over time; less popular Shows will gradually lose them. A show's Ratings also increase or decrease based on the total Points of all Actors participating.

The Points Do Matter
So once you've got a Show on the road, how do you keep score? It's a fairly complicated formula, but we'll do our best to explain what math goes into each Show. Points are assigned based on the following criteria:
1) Stage Time. The more Scenes your Actor participates in, the more Points they accrue. (Lead Roles are more likely to appear in Scenes, but earn less Points per scene they appear in -- extra effort is necessary to remain ahead!)
2) Performance. Depending on the Genre, your Actor will have to maintain certain standards of performance. Do very well, and you'll earn more Points. Do very badly, and you'll earn nothing or may even cost the show Points!
3) Props. They're there for a reason -- use Props whenever you can! Use them appropriately and you can walk away with big Points. Use them unwisely and you may just end up looking silly.
4) Plot. Advancing the Plot is good for your Points score -- the more important the Plot, the more Points you earn for advancing it. Failing to advance the Plot at all during an Episode, on the other hand, can result in all Actors losing Points! Don't let things get out of hand!
5) Plot Holes. Ever really screw up a Plot and require some miraculous intervention? Ever end up completely flubbing your continuity? That's a likely cause of a Plot Hole, and generally happens if a Director has to intervene in something or if you really mess up a Scene. As a general rule, any time you create a Plot Hole, it costs you Points - and as a side result, can damage the show, especially if you make a habit of it. (Certain genres are more forgiving of Plot Holes, or even encourage them.)

The Actual Maths for Director Types:
As a general rule, an Actor earns 100 Points for every Scene they participate in for a significant amount of time (a minimum of five to ten responses, depending on the Scene length). They can also earn Performance bonuses (10, 20, or 50 Points per comment) for particularly impressive performances; however, they can lose Points if they have particularly poor Performance (-10, -20, or -50 Points per comment!) Since a Show's Ratings improve or decline based on the total Points of all Actors, a good Performance is in EVERYONE'S best interest!

Props are fun and useful. Proper use of them can be worth anywhere up to 100 Points (or more, in some cases), depending on what it is and what it's meant to accomplish; improper use does no harm, so it almost never hurts to try.

The Plot is a Very Important Thing; advancement of the Plot can add anywhere from 100 Points to 1000 Points, depending on how much it advances (100 Points for minor progress; 1000 Points for resolving the Episode's Plot, plus any bonuses inherent in the Plot). This bonus is once per Scene, and is awarded to everyone who is involved in the advancement. Failing to advance the Plot at all in an Episode, however, may cost -1000 Points or worse!

Plot Holes are Very Bad Things; causing a Plot Hole can subtract anything from 100 Points to 1000 Points, depending on how severe it is (-100 Points for accidentally calling a character by their Actor's name, for example; -1000 Points for explaining something in a way that ignores the laws of nature in a Show that doesn't allow it). Furthermore, any situation where a Plot Hole must be invoked to save the Characters from a particular fate automatically costs the Actor half of all Points earned for this show (as audiences generally feel cheated by such outcomes.) Plot Holes created by Deus ex Machina Props or by requirements of the Genre or Show cost no Points to use, though.

Scorekeepers are welcome to estimate when keeping score, as these are basically only guidelines.

An Oddball Example:
Rodriguez is a romantic at heart, but he's stuck in the middle of a horror show. Still, he does his best to muddle on through.

He participates in eight Scenes (800 Points.) However, in three different instances, his desire for romance ends up messing with the show, as he attempts to flirt with the master vampire while she's busy disemboweling someone, then the sister of the murdered girl, and finally ends up asking a female cop for a date when he's supposed to be hunting the vampire down. In each case, he ends up focusing more on his romantic desires than on furthering the Plot, and ends up with a penalty of -150 Points for his clumsy wanderings. To his credit, Rodriguez does keep handy a specific brooch hunted by the vampires (a MacGuffin Prop), and makes a point of mentioning it in four Scenes where its presence would be important. Since it is small and inconspicuous, it earns him 20 Points per mention, for a total of 80 Points. This brings him to a total of 730 Points.

Unfortunately, Rodriguez's muddling resulted in a major Plot Hole to get him out of a situation where the master vampire should have disemboweled him horribly. This means that Rodriguez lost half of the Points he'd earned as a result, leaving him with a final total of 365 Points. Hope someone else was doing a better job than him.