In Character vs Out of Character

[Hrough]

First off, I'm not mad at anyone, but I've been listening to the opinions of a few different parties when it comes to certain situations. I'm not targeting this at anyone or anything, I'm just stating something I've observed happening more frequently as of late.

As we all know, Order is a Role Playing shard, and everyone chooses varying levels of role playing - some people choose to be in character all the time.

Sometimes, this means they role play a character who is a jerk.

One thing I've noticed is that people take the actions of a player acting In Character to be offensive to them Out of Character.

I'd just like to remind people that if a character is acting like a jerk, make sure they are in character before you get offended and mad at them IRL. Just as we have right to play characters that are peaceful, heroic, or kind, others have the right to play mean, rude or just plain evil characters. It spices up the IC environment.

Of course, if someone is bothering you, you can just OOCly state you don't want to RP with them, and if they keep pestering you, /ignore them for a period of time. RP is just RP, and I've noticed lately that people are getting too upset over things that should be IC only. =)

(And yes, I know I do my share of ranting too, but it's just ranting, and I do my best to not let IC stuff annoy me unless it's ridiculous godmoding or something. ^^)

This is mostly just a suggestion that players do 'reality checks' more often, and remember that while they not be IC all the time, other players may be. A lot of people are IC unless they type within brackets ((like this)).

[peladon]

.
.
.
As we all know, Order is a Role Playing shard, and everyone chooses varying levels of role playing - some people choose to be in character all the time.
.
.
.

Ah, me.

Elder and wise.. once more it seems that poor skill I bear in Common doth fail me, and more, and by my failing, those others that do suffer the Fool among them .

I know not what thy words may mean, but no doubt they offer wit and wisdom beyond that little I bear... .

It may be that there are those that see thy words that hold my nature among those that offer offence.. and for that I keep more silence than tides past these wakings. For I would not offer offence. Yet... that which I am, I am.

Let each follow the wind they seek.. and if it may, let that wind blow only sweet Summer and soft cool to the land called Real. For there is fire and toil, maze and moil enough in that place.. and is it for me that those spirits that walk there seek our lands instead of tide and tide?


Sephiranoth, called by some ShadowSeeker
Nobody and Nothing ever, save The Five do Feast
A Fool that walks among the Wise

[awdz]

i tend to agree with sephiranoth, i see/hear/encounter enough pain/anger/turmoil in real life that i don't much care for it in roleplay. as has been stated before on other threads, /t to other players can help clarify for them if you find their roleplay unwanted or that you do not mean it the way they are interpreting it. even so, characters have real people behind them, and you may inadvertently be causing them far more stress than you can imagine by portraying things related in some way to those bothering them in real life.

if a number of the players in a channel tell you in a chat that you are upsetting them, it may be less upsetting for all involved if you can find someone who enjoys your roleplay style and take it to a private chat. please keep in mind that this game is intended to be family-friendly in the chat channels which are not player-made. some behaviors do not fit that mode and therefore are unlikely to be received well there.

*beeps you on the nose* tag! you're it! you get to post your 2 cp next! ;-)

[Kumu Honua]

People that "Roleplay" a jerk must be able to deal with the fact that people may end up disliking them personally. It's the nature of the beast.

I end up physically hating people who are roleplaying jerks. I get enough of that in the real world. I'd rather have friends in the things that I do for entertainment.

[Pharcellus]

I end up physically hating people who are roleplaying jerks. I get enough of that in the real world. I'd rather have friends in the things that I do for entertainment.

You encounter lots of people roleplaying jerks in the real world? O.o

[Silenos]

Gee, I had some bosses who were jerks, maybe they were just role playing.

[Sigi]

Gee, I had some bosses who were jerks, maybe they were just role playing.

Probably yes, it's the easiest way to get away with being one.
It looks like a jerk, it's acting like a jerk than it's a jerk, nah, only role playing and always IC.

[Takora Drakan]

Being rude to someone has nothing to do with RP or non RP, its just rude.

Roleplay is no exuse for being rude. ( I hope I got this sentence right.)

[Vaz]

And the replies here are part of why Order has almost nothing that isn't either cutesy casual RP or godmoding-rife epics that end up being vehicles for OOC drama.

*stands on Hrough's side of the thread*

[C`gan]

I wonder where I fit in in your analysis, Xoshara. I don't think what I do is cutesy, nor am I inclined to godmode.

[Vaz]

In that case you fit somewhere between the two: the uncommon good sort.

[peladon]

And the replies here are part of why Order has almost nothing that isn't either cutesy casual RP or godmoding-rife epics that end up being vehicles for OOC drama.

*stands on Hrough's side of the thread*

Most... interesting, elder and Wise.


Sephiranoth, called by some ShadowSeeker
Nobody and Nothing ever, save The Five do Feast
A Fool that walks among the Wise

[Romirez]

i have had an encounter with a character who was roleplayed as a jerk ( and went too far), i immediately lost my temper at him and we argued for a good 2 hours in /t chat. i despise rude/jerk roleplayers that go too far. if you don't go too far, then fine by me, it does add a bit difference in the roleplay, just don't go off the deep end with it.

[Kumu Honua]

The thing is. You can roleplay a non-cutesy antagonistic role without being a complete jerk that causes people to dislike you personally. There were plenty of such.

The key was that those who roleplayed that way did it in such a way that they weren't hated personally in return.

The problem is that it's so easy to "Roleplay" a jerk when in fact you just want to be a jerk and use it as an excuse. "But it's roleplaying!"

[Raptress]

The key to roleplaying a jerk or evil character without causing offense (or at least a minimal of it), I think, is OOC communication. It must be made very, very obvious that you are in-character and that when you're OOC, you're -not- a jerk (unless you are, in that case, have fun with the flames, but I digress).

For example, say my character is a mean, mocking little guy. Someone ICly asks a question, such as 'Where are leafy oastics located?' My -character- might say 'If you can't find it yourself, you need to get out there instead of being led by the hand.' However, in OOC brackets, I would answer the question anyway. Maybe point out the obvious and say your character is a jerk as well. Just make sure the other player isn't taking the IC comment into OOC feelings. Joke a bit OOCly maybe.

The point for me is to make sure everyone is having fun. That's the whole point of a game right? There needs to be that OOC element to keep the RP from becoming serious and offending someone. If there is a player getting offended OOCly anyway, though, that RP needs to be taken to private chat or dropped.

Personally, I like the jerk/evil characters. Things get boring fast if everyone is good all the time and there's no conflict. Not everyone in the real world is a good guy; why would it be that way in a game world with even more racial tension by lore than the real world?

[Kodey]

Siding with Hrough here.

I believe that if you don't want anything to do with the roleplay that's going on, then you have a choice to not interact with it. If you are the offended party and you get offended OOCly because of what someone ICly did to your character, then it should be taken TO TELLS and a solution should be worked out IN TELLS which decreases drama:

1. Mild Encounter:

You tell: Hello, can we change up something a little? I OOCly found your IC comment a little discouraging, so I may choose to disengage my roleplaying with your character.
They tell: No problem! Just take back what I said and I'll post another reply!
You tell: K!

2. Common encounter:

You tell: Hello, can we change up something a little? I OOCly found your IC comment a little discouraging, so I may choose to disengage my roleplaying with your character.
They tell: That's just how my character acts, don't be offended, I'm not really a big mean doody-head! :X
You tell: Ok, just making sure, I won't be so offended now that I know you're entirely IC and it's just pretend! But in the future, I am sensitive to those remarks!

3. Drastic encounter:

You tell: Hello, can we change up something a little? I OOCly found your IC comment a little discouraging, so I may choose to disengage my roleplaying with your character.
They tell: Tough censored, I'm a jerk, if you don't like it sux4u.
You tell: Wow! You really are a jerk! I'll just put you on ignore now!
They tell: Yes, I am indeed a jerk. Toddle off now.

Player is now being ignored by You. You can also, skip this step and just not even respond to their character or them.

It's not like you can't take IC comments back and reword them. It's like writing a book. UNLESS you are in fact, taking them too personally on an OOC level RATHER than how your IC character would behave and react and NOT you. How your character reacts is character development. The longer it goes on, the more defined they become. This character development of pretend characters should not be limited. Being annoying is not against the rules.

If you're the only one being offended, you should leave. If the vast majority are being offended, then there really is something wrong with the roleplay and they should take it somewhere else. IC is IC is IC. The actions and responses are by a being you created that doesn't even exist. Like a character in a book.

Try not to be over-sensitive to people roleplaying outside of the normal lighter tones, if they are truly IC then you should respect the continuities and your fellow roleplayers and leave them alone.

The drama that I have seen going on over the last many years has been BY FAR more damaging than IC characters roleplaying. This drama makes people leave the game entirely and that is an OOC move. If the problem with IC extends so far OOC that it's THAT MUCH of a problem and nobody wants to rectify if maturely, then that's personal problems.

Maturity is a whole other can of worms.

[pajlizard]

I agree with Kody.

It's also very easy, right after your character says something particularly jerky, to send a OOC tell to the person with something like "Sorry, _____ is being a bit of a jerk today, it's nothing personal, he just has temper problems" and avoid and misinterpretations all together, especially if it's someone who you haven't roleplayed with before.

[DharSii]

Hey i side with hrough...i RP pretty much an evil jerk but hey i am quite nice in RL ^^

[RuneDragoon]

If there is some RP that is getting rough in the channel, I'll sit back and try to not enter into it unless someone were to for some reason involve me.

[Favoran]

Hey i side with hrough...i RP pretty much an evil jerk but hey i am quite nice in RL ^^

Sure you are. Not that I'd know of course, right?

Whenever some sort of high-tension RP is going on, if I don't really know the person I'm RPing with very well, I try to talk at least a little bit in OOC. It always helps to know that even if their character is acting a certain way, they aren't.