User Guide

Rolls Manual: Preface Page 3 of 35

PREFACE

This is the preliminary draft of the Rolls Manual, written by committee in late 2002. It contains the rules,

regulations, reporting and recording procedures, forms, points conversions and ministry descriptions for the

Office of Rolls and Lists.

Presented in January, 2003, this manual contains no substantial new law, and should be put into use immediately.

I. THE OFFICE OF ROLLS AND LISTS

The primary functions of the Office of Rolls and Lists are to:

• Record and archive the participation and accomplishments of the members of the Adrian Empire

• Assist members of the Adrian Empire in tracking their own participation and accomplishments

• Provide verification and recorded information to other ministries and members as needed

The participation and accomplishments tracked by the Office of Rolls and Lists shall include:

• Points earned through Adrian activity, or approved conversions of points earned elsewhere

• Knightly rank (and dates earned)

• Precedence-bearing titles, ranks, awards, and orders

• Non-precedence-bearing titles, ranks, awards, and orders as listed in the Bylaws, and Estates Writ 18.

II. SOURCES OF INFORMATION

If it isn’t written down, it didn’t happen. There are various sources from which the Rolls office get their

information. All sources should be considered in their proper perspective.

A. Why the Forms are Necessary

Procedure is often determined by completely mundane considerations. The reason we need the sign-in

sheets is because without them there is no documentation for the purposes of the federal government

(IRS) or our insurance company as to member attendance and participation at our events. This is

important to verify any tax write-offs a member (volunteer) may have claimed on their taxes; and also to

provide for any insurance claims submitted in association with said events.

The default is that if you aren't on the sign-in list, you weren't there. At that point you have to trot out

witnesses willing to travel to your mundane judicial proceedings and willing to testify on your behalf. We,

the Imperial government, are the ones legally charged with the maintenance of said records. If we were a

non-profit with paid staff (that we could fire for incompetance), then we probably could maintain archival

records scattered "hither and yon" with some confidence. We are not. Since we rely totally on volunteers,

we cannot count on individuals to bear the total burden of maintaining our records.

B. Precedence

Event forms shall take first precedence as a source of information. These forms are signed by the actual

participants, and verified by the autocrats, ministers, Crowns and ruling nobles.

Report forms shall take second precedence. They are a valuable source of information, but are second-

hand reporting, with no validation of activities, member status, etc.

Member-provided information shall be taken into consideration, but only after other sources of

information have been used. This type of information is used mainly when the primary records of an

event have been lost.