The Same Page Tool
There's a suggestion of filling out this document called "the same page tool" that sets out expectations for a game so that everyone has a good idea of the play style… so here goes.
Same Page Tool – Checklist
Do you play to win?
a) Yes, you totally play to win! The win conditions are…
b) Good play isn't a win/lose kind of thing
//Comment: yes, you play to win, but there are other things, too, like roleplay, exploration, building alliances, etc. It's not a videogame where everything is there to be killed.//
Player characters are:
a) expected to work together; conflicts between them are mostly for show
b) expected to work together; but major conflicts might erupt but you'll patch them up given some time
c) expected to work together; major conflicts might erupt and never see reconciliation
d) pursuing their own agendas – they might work together, they might work against each other
e) expected to work against each other, alliances are temporary at best
//Comment: let's all assume the party is a resource and players can have their characters work together for the commmon good.//
The GM's role is:
a) The GM preps a set of events – linear or branching; players run their characters through these events. The GM gives hints to provide direction.
b) The GM preps a map with NPCs and/or monsters. The players have their characters travel anywhere they can reach on the map, according to their own goals.
c) The GM has no plan – the GM simply plays the NPCs and has them act or react based on their motivations
d) There's no GM. Everyone works together to make the story through freeform.
e) There's no GM. The rules and the system coordinate it all.
//Comment: I prep locales and situations. There's no railroads here.//
The players' roles are...
a) …to follow the GM's lead to fit the story
b) …to set goals for their characters, and pursue them proactively
c) …to fling their characters into tough situations and make hard, sometimes, unwise choices
//Comment: in a sandbox game players should decide how much they can handle and how much risk they are willing to undertake, set goals and pursue them.//
Doing the smartest thing for your character's survival...
a) …is what a good player does.
b) …sometimes isn't as important as other choices
c) …isn't even a concern or focus for this game.
//Comment: self-explanatory, I think?//
The GM's role to the rules is...
a) …follow them, come what may (including following house rules)
b) …ignore them when they conflict with what would be good for the story
c) …ignore them when they conflict with what “should” happen, based either on realism, the setting, or the genre
//Comment: there's a little variability, and of course the DM always has rule_zero, but on the whole, yes, this.//
After many sessions of play, during one session, a player decides to have her character side with an enemy. This is...
a) …something that shouldn't even happen. This is someone being a jerk.
b) …where the character becomes an NPC, right away or fairly soon.
c) …something the player and the GM should have set up ahead of time.
d) …only going to last until the other player characters find out and do something about it.
e) …a meaningful moment, powerful and an example of excellent play.
//Comment: while in general I would fall into the camp that it's someone being a jerk, if there is a well-reasoned purpose for it that fits the character, then I could see it and it may be the culmination of the character's story. However, I don't expect it to go over well for the player's character since… well, it may be the culmination of that player's story 
.//
A fistfight breaks out in a bar! The details of where everything is – tables, chairs, where everyone is standing is something that...
a) …is important and will be displayed on a map or grid, perhaps using miniature figures.
b) …is something the GM will describe and you should ask questions to get more information.
c) …you can decide on the spot using specific game rules (rolling dice, spending points, whatever)
d) …isn't really that important other than it makes for an interesting scene- pretty much anyone can come up with details.
//Comment: I'm a “theater of the mind” GM; in general, things will be described and if we need more detail we may sketch things out, but I don't use minis.//
In order to really have fun with this game, the rulebook is something that...
a) …everyone playing needs to have read and understood before play, because the rules and setting are both very important.
b) …everyone should know the rules very well.
c) …everyone should know the setting very well.
d) …everyone at least should know the basics of the rules.
e) …everyone at least should know the genre the game pulls from
f) …Only one person needs to really know the rules and it can be explained in 10 minutes or less to everyone else.
//Comment: the rules are free! They are online! I would hope everyone has read the player rules at least once. However, since they are so simple, really, they can be taught at the table during play.//
