OOC Guidelines

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Miranda of Admin
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OOC Guidelines

Postby Miranda of Admin » Wed Jul 29, 2009 4:38 pm

Obviously being IC (in character) is one of the key rules to follow in this game, and for the most part it's easy enough to tell the difference between what is IC and what is OOC (out of character.)

There have been previous posts of advice on this, so I will not go into it in absolute detail - check Ben's post here --> http://forums.darkgrimoire.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=2340 for the basics. A much-missed player, here called Carlo, also once made a post on the topic that I would link, but it seems to have been eaten by a forum upgrade at some point.

This post is about common sense, and to clear up a few things.

1. I do not expect you to only talk about items that one can find in-game. For example, as there is cider present in inns, it is a logical assumption to assume that somewhere in Valorn we have at least one apple tree (probably not many though, as the cider has been notoriously difficult to track down at times.) I would not consider it OOC to talk about apples.

2. One thing that has always been, and remains OOC, is roleplaying that you have a musical instrument when you do not have an actual in-game instrument equipped. There is a discussion in the Q&A forum in which I outline the reasons for this, if you are interested. I do not however see a problem roleplaying that you are reading a journal, for example, if you do not actually have one equipped.

3. Common sense is a dangerous thing to invoke, as people have varying levels of this attribute. To take an example, following on with the fruit example, know where to draw the line. If you are sitting peeling lychees in the inn, you are going to be warned for it. When making your assumptions about what can be found in-game, please remember the setting. Valorn is not an advanced place to live, as after the fall of the Golden Age there were generations who lived with absolutely nothing. It is only recently that they have managed to rebuild their civilization. Apples and korungas might be viable fruits, but hothousing lychees and pomegranates is probably not something that any crop-grower is concerned with. Likewise coffee and chocolate do not exist within the game. The climate is moderate; quite cold in Winter and fairly mild in Summer, so all of this puts technology / exoticism right out of the picture. If you are in doubt about something, play it safe. Here are some examples to illustrate the case.

a. *Jennifer Bumblethwaite tucks a white rose behind her ear* <-- absolutely IC, as there are roses mentioned in game.
b. *Jennifer Bumblethwaite tucks an orchid behind her ear* <-- rather OOC, and certainly risking a warning. Orchids are not something that would naturally occur in the lands of Trinald.
c. *Jennifer Bumblethwaite tucks a pretty white and pink flower behind her ear* <-- an elegant and IC solution to the risk of giving a real-life name to something. Here the item is described for the benefit of others in the room, giving an instant visual image, and avoids the sticky possibility of a warning from a passing constable or god.

I emphasize that this is not meant to serve as a killer to your creativity, and if you receive a warning we are not acting as policemen but rather as the guardians of the brilliant roleplay that makes this game so special. There are people out there who have proved that they cannot use common sense in their roleplay. One famous example of this from way back when I started in this game as your average novice roleplayer, quite a few years ago, were the people who enjoyed hanging from the non-existent rafters of Dundee Inn. We have had our phase of drawing the line at not allowing anything that isn't mentioned by name in-game and that does make life difficult for those roleplaying well. The problem about this rule is that drawing a line is very difficult for moderators as well as players. If people are abusing this, or I get a flood of 'I got warned for talking about sushi in game!' emails, then we may well just have to go back to drawing the hard, basic bottom line.

Thank you for reading this, and for making the effort to be creative but at the same time, appropriate.

M.
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Jane of Admin
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Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2009 1:42 pm

Re: OOC Guidelines

Postby Jane of Admin » Sun Nov 01, 2009 11:21 pm

The only OOC room in the game of Dark Grimoire is the room to the north in the Dundee inn. Be aware that guilds may not make out of character areas, nor may you retire to out of the way places in the game to engage in OOC conversation. The north room, guild chat for the guilds that allow it, and private messages are the only areas of Dark Grimoire where out of character conversation is allowed.
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Jane of Admin
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Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2009 1:42 pm

Re: OOC Guidelines

Postby Jane of Admin » Sun Nov 15, 2009 8:36 pm

When writing in your profiles, guild hall descriptions, and carrying on conversations in the main chat, do not use symbols such as & for 'and' and @ for 'at'. These and other symbols are out of character.
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Jane of Admin
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Posts: 340
Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2009 1:42 pm

Re: OOC Guidelines

Postby Jane of Admin » Thu Dec 23, 2010 5:25 am

I wanted to bring this to people’s attention again as I have seen a rise in OOC actions and conversations. To reiterate what Miranda has written previously, this is not meant to cramp your creativity. The world of Dark Grimoire is not the real world; it has its own rules and structure.

Dark Grimoire does not have the same background and world view that the real world does. Nor does it have the same level of technology. Therefore talking about real world holidays, religions, specific days, and dates are OOC. Using text speak such as BRB, LOL, and others are not acceptable nor should you use smiley emoticons such as =) or others in the main chat. From time to time you may see that in an admin broadcast. That does not mean you may do it. Many times the broadcasts we make are a combination of in and out of character. One prime example of this fact was a past World Crier announcement that an NPC would make his last appearance over "the weekend."

The above are guidelines for the main chat in the game. Many guilds allow people to be OOC in their guild chat, and you may of course be OOC in private messages; however, you must be careful to not do this in the main chat. If you need to discuss something that is OOC either use the messaging system or the north room in the Dundee Inn. That is the only place where you may use the main chat to discuss things in an OOC manner.

As Miranda pointed out in the beginning of this thread, if you use something that is not absolutely within the game world, use common sense. You do not bring dangerous creatures back and let them loose in an inn or your guildhall, nor do you have exotic fruits and foods. Can there be velvet? Yes. Can there be polyester or rayon? No.

For the most part warnings are meant to point out to you that something you did fell outside the game rules and could be improved. Take them in that manner. If you receive a warning, take a moment and look at your private messages. You should have an explanation of what you did and how it was inappropriate for the situation. If you have a concern about a warning you receive, email administration about it. Complaining about warnings within the game is generally not going to be a constructive use of your time and can indeed cause further and greater warnings. And that can cause further frustration and misunderstandings.
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