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Announcements post #323: A note on roleplaying, IC/OOC and consequences.
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From: Feracht Whisperer Soren
Subject: A note on roleplaying, IC/OOC and consequences.
Hello, space cadets!
If you're new around here, please don't skip to the end! This is important for all players to know and ignorance is not an excuse!
If you're new, please refer to HELP OOC and HELP ROLEPLAYING, and while you're there you may as well read HELP HARASSMENT and HELP PK.
We have noticed a few newer spacers not understanding how things work around here and we just wanted to clear a few things up. We are roleplay encouraged, but not roleplay enforced. This means you don't have to create a whole fancy persona and engage in deep roleplaying plots if you don't want to... It's pretty easy to get by playing as yourself in a sci fi game, BUT.
This also means that you are agreeing to stay IC in all public venues so as not to disturb the immersive experience of other players.
Just a few places that are considered IC:
- Faction chat, always
- Dynasties, always
- Anywhere in public with other people
Places that are sometimes OOC:
- Some clans - you'll have to ask the clan owner, or if it's your clan, you can decide!
- Crews - most crews tend towards OOC but you'll have to ask the owner of the crew, or if it's your crew you can decide!
- You alone with friends on your ship or in a secluded area, if everyone's cool with that
Places that are ALWAYS OOC:
- Nowhere except when talking to admin, as we do not technically exist in character.
References to things like bashing, XP, levels, promo items, artifacts, etc using those specific terms can be jarring to the play experience of other players. Most stuff can be very easily skinned in a sci fi manner to make it less abrasive for everyone. Please read HELP OOC for some suggestions, or feel free to ask other seasoned players in the Discord or an OOC clan for suggestions on what they like to use to remain IC. We don't want to be tyrannical, we just want everyone to be able to enjoy their immersion in the game world!
If you HAVE to be OOC, please take note of the OOC command - you can use this command followed by your message out loud to let others know that you'll be back in a moment or what have you. Please use this sparingly unless you know you are with people who don't mind the usage! There is also the OOCTELL option now, which allows you to send an OOC tell. Again, please use this sparingly unless you know the person is willing to engage OOC, and be respectful if they want to keep things IC instead - not everyone wants to engage with people on an OOC level and that should be respected!
In posts or Flogger, there's always the option to tuck OOC information away behind // or (( but only when it is something that's REALLY important - pretty much just for the out of character dates and times. You really shouldn't be posting OOC things on the news or Flogger otherwise.
I hope that helps clear up some confusion. And now, for the second, just as important, part of this post...
This is a roleplaying game. That means that your actions have consequences. What you do matters in the game world. You are not acting in a vacuum. Can you kill anything that can, mechanically, be killed? Well, sure, you can try. Is it a good idea? Maybe. Maybe not.
Certain players may not like it if you murder certain NPCs, especially if they're loyal to their faction. You might find yourself questioned or even enemied from a faction. Even if the players themselves don't care, there are Storytellers to contend with as well. If I, a Storyteller, notice someone sexually assaulting an NPC, guess what I'm going to do? Whatever that NPC would, realistically, do. If that NPC is a combatant, they're going to try to kill you. If they're not, they might bounty you. They might yell on faction about your behavior. They could do, theoretically, anything.
Basically, what you do in Starmourn matters. The NPCs here are not just different flavors of bashable mobs. They are more like living, breathing people. You can't expect to run around murdering sentients and not face any pushback. It is our job as Storytellers to react to the world realistically, and our players have every right to get up in arms when you're in their back yard, murdering their barkeeps and vendors. Loyalty to a place or thing does not absolve you of anything in Starmourn. Sentients do not need to be loyal to a particular place for people to be allowed to be angry at you for murdering them, or for admin to step in - loyalty does not matter to Storytellers even a little bit.
In fact, if you go and talk shit to NPCs in an area full of "villains", you can expect that a Storyteller might react to that, too, and hand you your ass. This isn't just a matter of "good vs evil" but "realism in the game world" - I will react the same way whether you're a goodie two shoes talking shit to a baddie or a baddie trying to murder a helpless orphan - however that NPC would react to that happening.
So! With that said, you are allowed to do whatever you like mechanically, but there may be consequences for your character. Put yourself in your character's shoes and make the decisions they would make, and think about the consequences they might face - before you murder an innocent, before you hack a CAC, before you grope a waitress, before you do anything. And if you face consequences for your actions, that is entirely on you. It's nothing personal - it's just in the interest of a realistic and evolving game world!
I like to think that this kind of interactivity makes Starmourn an exciting and wonderful place to play, with actual stakes and realism, but if you don't like your actions having consequences and want to mow down entire cities without thinking about your actions, you might have a high learning curve here. However, if you're willing to embrace the way things are done here, you have a lot of fun ahead of you as someone who can REALLY impact the game world with your actions - in both big ways and small! We are all here to make you the star of your own space adventure and make RP rewarding for you - and everyone else.
Note from Damiel:
It's also worth mentioning here that it's at admin discretion whether references to more controversial subjects in public platforms are appropriate, as one of our main promises is to keep the game's player community safe - so try to remember that you do not know who is sitting behind the keyboard. I do not mean general swearing, drug use or sexual themes - this game is rated R and has plenty of that stuff in its actual content, but consent is a thing, even in Starmourn, and even for NPCs. Yes, there are many violent themes and things in this game that could warrant a trigger warning, but violations of consent are a boundary we're not willing to cross.
Lots of love,
Your friendly neighborhood Soren
Subject: A note on roleplaying, IC/OOC and consequences.
Hello, space cadets!
If you're new around here, please don't skip to the end! This is important for all players to know and ignorance is not an excuse!
If you're new, please refer to HELP OOC and HELP ROLEPLAYING, and while you're there you may as well read HELP HARASSMENT and HELP PK.
We have noticed a few newer spacers not understanding how things work around here and we just wanted to clear a few things up. We are roleplay encouraged, but not roleplay enforced. This means you don't have to create a whole fancy persona and engage in deep roleplaying plots if you don't want to... It's pretty easy to get by playing as yourself in a sci fi game, BUT.
This also means that you are agreeing to stay IC in all public venues so as not to disturb the immersive experience of other players.
Just a few places that are considered IC:
- Faction chat, always
- Dynasties, always
- Anywhere in public with other people
Places that are sometimes OOC:
- Some clans - you'll have to ask the clan owner, or if it's your clan, you can decide!
- Crews - most crews tend towards OOC but you'll have to ask the owner of the crew, or if it's your crew you can decide!
- You alone with friends on your ship or in a secluded area, if everyone's cool with that
Places that are ALWAYS OOC:
- Nowhere except when talking to admin, as we do not technically exist in character.
References to things like bashing, XP, levels, promo items, artifacts, etc using those specific terms can be jarring to the play experience of other players. Most stuff can be very easily skinned in a sci fi manner to make it less abrasive for everyone. Please read HELP OOC for some suggestions, or feel free to ask other seasoned players in the Discord or an OOC clan for suggestions on what they like to use to remain IC. We don't want to be tyrannical, we just want everyone to be able to enjoy their immersion in the game world!
If you HAVE to be OOC, please take note of the OOC command - you can use this command followed by your message out loud to let others know that you'll be back in a moment or what have you. Please use this sparingly unless you know you are with people who don't mind the usage! There is also the OOCTELL option now, which allows you to send an OOC tell. Again, please use this sparingly unless you know the person is willing to engage OOC, and be respectful if they want to keep things IC instead - not everyone wants to engage with people on an OOC level and that should be respected!
In posts or Flogger, there's always the option to tuck OOC information away behind // or (( but only when it is something that's REALLY important - pretty much just for the out of character dates and times. You really shouldn't be posting OOC things on the news or Flogger otherwise.
I hope that helps clear up some confusion. And now, for the second, just as important, part of this post...
This is a roleplaying game. That means that your actions have consequences. What you do matters in the game world. You are not acting in a vacuum. Can you kill anything that can, mechanically, be killed? Well, sure, you can try. Is it a good idea? Maybe. Maybe not.
Certain players may not like it if you murder certain NPCs, especially if they're loyal to their faction. You might find yourself questioned or even enemied from a faction. Even if the players themselves don't care, there are Storytellers to contend with as well. If I, a Storyteller, notice someone sexually assaulting an NPC, guess what I'm going to do? Whatever that NPC would, realistically, do. If that NPC is a combatant, they're going to try to kill you. If they're not, they might bounty you. They might yell on faction about your behavior. They could do, theoretically, anything.
Basically, what you do in Starmourn matters. The NPCs here are not just different flavors of bashable mobs. They are more like living, breathing people. You can't expect to run around murdering sentients and not face any pushback. It is our job as Storytellers to react to the world realistically, and our players have every right to get up in arms when you're in their back yard, murdering their barkeeps and vendors. Loyalty to a place or thing does not absolve you of anything in Starmourn. Sentients do not need to be loyal to a particular place for people to be allowed to be angry at you for murdering them, or for admin to step in - loyalty does not matter to Storytellers even a little bit.
In fact, if you go and talk shit to NPCs in an area full of "villains", you can expect that a Storyteller might react to that, too, and hand you your ass. This isn't just a matter of "good vs evil" but "realism in the game world" - I will react the same way whether you're a goodie two shoes talking shit to a baddie or a baddie trying to murder a helpless orphan - however that NPC would react to that happening.
So! With that said, you are allowed to do whatever you like mechanically, but there may be consequences for your character. Put yourself in your character's shoes and make the decisions they would make, and think about the consequences they might face - before you murder an innocent, before you hack a CAC, before you grope a waitress, before you do anything. And if you face consequences for your actions, that is entirely on you. It's nothing personal - it's just in the interest of a realistic and evolving game world!
I like to think that this kind of interactivity makes Starmourn an exciting and wonderful place to play, with actual stakes and realism, but if you don't like your actions having consequences and want to mow down entire cities without thinking about your actions, you might have a high learning curve here. However, if you're willing to embrace the way things are done here, you have a lot of fun ahead of you as someone who can REALLY impact the game world with your actions - in both big ways and small! We are all here to make you the star of your own space adventure and make RP rewarding for you - and everyone else.
Note from Damiel:
It's also worth mentioning here that it's at admin discretion whether references to more controversial subjects in public platforms are appropriate, as one of our main promises is to keep the game's player community safe - so try to remember that you do not know who is sitting behind the keyboard. I do not mean general swearing, drug use or sexual themes - this game is rated R and has plenty of that stuff in its actual content, but consent is a thing, even in Starmourn, and even for NPCs. Yes, there are many violent themes and things in this game that could warrant a trigger warning, but violations of consent are a boundary we're not willing to cross.
Lots of love,
Your friendly neighborhood Soren
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