ROLE-PLAY GUIDE
The following guide is required knowledge for participation. It’s a quick read and will help you get started whether you are new to Role-play or just need to brush up on your skills.
WHAT IS ROLE-PLAY?
Role-play (RP) is a social activity in which players assume roles of their own fictional characters and interact with one another. There are specific community rules, player guidelines, and the town's background to consider while participating.
IC / OCC
In-character (IC) vs. Out-of-Character (OOC)This is the most important concept to understand for role-play:
In-character (IC) describes the state of acting through the eyes, ears, and body of your fictional character. Basically, all physical actions and conversations would be based as if you are really the character, through the emoting and writing guidelines detailed below.
Out-of-character (OOC) describes responses and interactions with others as your real-self, in out-of-story context. Basically, being OOC means you are not role-playing and are restricted to communicating in IMs and group chats. If you need to break character temporarily, you may do so by surrounding your text in brackets, for example: (( I need to use the restroom, I’ll brb ))
CONSENT
As spontaneous and unpredictable role-play situations can be, all players are entitled to personal limits. Since forced fantasy is a prevalent theme, consent may already be established. If you are uncomfortable with certain actions being imposed on your character, IM the other player and inform them immediately.
With regards to sexual role-play, it is also recommended but optional that you create a profile pick for your 'Hard Limits' where you list what you will or would not be willing to participate in or what your sexual orientation is. Most people should have enough sense to read your pick and not cross any line you have stipulated. Those that do try and force you to do what you have stated in your picks you will not do should again be notified immediately.
If you are in the middle of a scene and find yourself unable to continue playing, you should IM the other player and indicate you want to “void” (never happened) the scene or “fade to black” (agree to skip details and jump to conclusion). Voiding a scene is generally bad practice, especially if there are multiple players involved and time spent is wasted.
EMOTING ("/ME")
To communicate and interact with other players in role-play, you should emote. In Second Life, this means to use the /me command as you portray yourself in the first or third person, followed by the physical actions, thoughts, feelings, and/or speech (in quotations) of your character. The following are some basic examples:
Good Example: /me shakes head with a slight frown as I watch you enter the room. "You said you were going to be home early tonight?"
Good Example: /me smiles as she watches the handsome man approach and turns to greet him. "Can I buy you a drink, Cowboy?"
Good Example: /me stifles a yawn as he enters the room and gives his boss a weak smile. "Sorry, the new baby kept me up all night."
REMEMBER:
⚡ Decide on your POV (Point of view; either first or third person; "I" or "He/she") before you start and don't switch back and forth between posts as it confuses other players.
⚡ Gestures and chat abbreviations (ie. lol, omg, etc.) are not allowed in role-play.
⚡ Always emote and be descriptive in your posts.
⚡ Be fair. Don't reply with one or two words. Sometimes just one descriptive sentence is enough.
Role-play is a turn-based activity. When someone posts, you should respond with a single post, then wait for your turn to respond again. If there are multiple players involved, take your turn in order. This allows everyone a fair chance to respond to a situation before it is your turn to post again.
Busy locations such as restaurants and bars may have a more lax posting order to allow workers to better serve and private conversations to ensue.
Speaking of lax, if you are involved in a largely one-sided conversation (for example, giving a tour) and you wish to keep things moving forward, you can elect to "skip" a post in essence allowing the next in the posting order to reply and voiding your turn for that round. While not a widely encouraged practice, it is an option available to you should you wish to use it. Since it can be frowned upon in some role-play circles it is best that you check with whatever Sim you intend to play on whether it is allowed before you use it. In Stormy Valley it is perfectly acceptable to use skip in place of a response. Just be aware that there may be drawbacks to skipping too often. If you don't give other people something to work with, they may avoid role-playing with you again in the future. Remember role-play is a two-way street, and no one person should have to be stuck doing all the hard work for you.
To skip a post, simply respond (skip) with brackets included in place of your usual text.
As emphasized above, role-play is consensual. If your character is interacting physically with another, every action you post must always be an attempt, or what you are trying to do to the other player. This gives the other player flexibility and chances to either accept or deflect what you are trying to do to them. Combat and forced fantasy scenes are especially handled this way. Remember that even during a combat or forced scene no one is ever "in control"; you must allow the other person a chance to decide on what direction the role-play will take. Forcing someone into a story or scene as YOU want to play it is not only rude, it is bad role-play.
If one attacks without any social interaction, uses excessive force, or post the result of an attack on another character, then they are powergaming. Besides losing respect from other players, if reported, the offenders may find themselves ejected from groups and banned.
Metagaming occurs when a player uses knowledge their character would not be privy to (obtained through OOC means) and uses it during in-character role-play to alter outcomes in a scene or storyline in their favor. A common example of this violation is to read an avatar name and use that name in-character to address someone. Unless your character actually met this other character or had knowledge of them through role-play, there is no possible way your character would have known their name (the same goes for character background, history, and any other life detail that has not been role-played out).
Establishing a back-story is the foundation to your character’s appearance, mindset, and history. Think about where he/she grew up, any traumatic or major events that help define character, and the events that lead to their arrival in the city. In the case of Stormy Valley, no one (save the Mayor) is a long-term local, so everyone that visits is indeed a visitor from somewhere else. The where and why is up to you, and can be as dramatic, traumatic, or as benign as you want it to be.
It is optional but recommended that you create a profile pick of Stormy Valley and put a summary of your character’s back-story in the description.This will help other players to identify you for either short or long-term role-play, and give people some ideas on how best to interact with your character in-world.
TAKE TURNS
Role-play is a turn-based activity. When someone posts, you should respond with a single post, then wait for your turn to respond again. If there are multiple players involved, take your turn in order. This allows everyone a fair chance to respond to a situation before it is your turn to post again.
Busy locations such as restaurants and bars may have a more lax posting order to allow workers to better serve and private conversations to ensue.
SKIP
Speaking of lax, if you are involved in a largely one-sided conversation (for example, giving a tour) and you wish to keep things moving forward, you can elect to "skip" a post in essence allowing the next in the posting order to reply and voiding your turn for that round. While not a widely encouraged practice, it is an option available to you should you wish to use it. Since it can be frowned upon in some role-play circles it is best that you check with whatever Sim you intend to play on whether it is allowed before you use it. In Stormy Valley it is perfectly acceptable to use skip in place of a response. Just be aware that there may be drawbacks to skipping too often. If you don't give other people something to work with, they may avoid role-playing with you again in the future. Remember role-play is a two-way street, and no one person should have to be stuck doing all the hard work for you.
To skip a post, simply respond (skip) with brackets included in place of your usual text.
John Doe: /me stops before the group of Sepia colored photographs, the glass and frames coated in dust. "You could say I come from a long line of law enforcers," he sighs.
Joe Blow: (skip)
John Doe: /me turns his attentions to the largest picture in the center of the group and points to it with a proud lift of his chin. "That there's my Great-Grandfather. Handsome fellow, huh?"
Joe Blow: (skip)
John Doe: /me turns his attentions to the largest picture in the center of the group and points to it with a proud lift of his chin. "That there's my Great-Grandfather. Handsome fellow, huh?"
ATTEMPT BUT DON'T "DO"
As emphasized above, role-play is consensual. If your character is interacting physically with another, every action you post must always be an attempt, or what you are trying to do to the other player. This gives the other player flexibility and chances to either accept or deflect what you are trying to do to them. Combat and forced fantasy scenes are especially handled this way. Remember that even during a combat or forced scene no one is ever "in control"; you must allow the other person a chance to decide on what direction the role-play will take. Forcing someone into a story or scene as YOU want to play it is not only rude, it is bad role-play.
Powergaming
If one attacks without any social interaction, uses excessive force, or post the result of an attack on another character, then they are powergaming. Besides losing respect from other players, if reported, the offenders may find themselves ejected from groups and banned.
Good Example: /me snarls angrily, draws his pipe back, and then charges towards the hobo in hopes to strike him. “I’ll show you!” he screams.
Bad Example (Powergaming!): /me snarls angrily, draws his pipe back and jumps on the hobo. He then swings his pipe at his head and knocks him out cold.
Metagaming
Metagaming occurs when a player uses knowledge their character would not be privy to (obtained through OOC means) and uses it during in-character role-play to alter outcomes in a scene or storyline in their favor. A common example of this violation is to read an avatar name and use that name in-character to address someone. Unless your character actually met this other character or had knowledge of them through role-play, there is no possible way your character would have known their name (the same goes for character background, history, and any other life detail that has not been role-played out).
CREATING YOUR CHARACTER
Establishing a back-story is the foundation to your character’s appearance, mindset, and history. Think about where he/she grew up, any traumatic or major events that help define character, and the events that lead to their arrival in the city. In the case of Stormy Valley, no one (save the Mayor) is a long-term local, so everyone that visits is indeed a visitor from somewhere else. The where and why is up to you, and can be as dramatic, traumatic, or as benign as you want it to be.
It is optional but recommended that you create a profile pick of Stormy Valley and put a summary of your character’s back-story in the description.This will help other players to identify you for either short or long-term role-play, and give people some ideas on how best to interact with your character in-world.
