RP Etiquette

Powerplaying is a set of behaviors that give an unfair advantage. No one joins rp to be a side character, so one oc’s development cannot be at the expense of other ocs and players. Powerplaying makes you look like a jerk and makes your partner unhappy.
Avoid powerplaying to keep friends and mods happy!

Your oc can actually be as powerful as you like, IF you don’t break RP rules AND plan carefully and consensually with your RP partners.

Note: Boss characters will powerplay a LOT- but even so, they need to communicate! 



No character should be stronger/smarter/better than anyone else.

Don't assume your OC will gain skills faster than others, gain special abilities no one else has, win fights easily, land attacks, or perform actions without interruption unless cleared with other rpers or mods first. If it is not ok with others, DON’T DO IT!

Characters must also follow species, magic, and power rules, especially weaknesses & abilities.



Don’t give your oc knowledge of something they shouldn’t know about (even if it’s super cool!)
Streitstadt is all about secrets- be careful not to ruin the fun! Your character can acquire the info through RP, but it must be logical, or at least okd with other players.

• If two ocs have just met, your’s shouldn't automatically know their name, species, profession, or other personal details not immediately observable. In text RP, read carefully before replying and note if a player is trying to conceal visible details.

• If there's a private rp or event you weren't involved in, your OC shouldn't know about it. 

• If there is a secret item/room/treasure/place, your oc should not go looking for it if only you the RPer know it exists!

• Anything else! Just be cool about it!

Godmode is where you ignore your RP partner!
Godmode means taking control of plot, characters, and consequences without input from others.

If you want to tell a story without input, do not invite others to join your story!

Examples of godmode include:

Ultimate Fighter:

Deciding the outcome of attacks without feedback- Hitting or missing cannot be your decision alone.

Give all partners a chance to react how they want to. That doesn't mean letting them choose how much they cry, nor letting them stand around stupidly as your character clumsily flails around.


Dodging Everything:
Railroading is where you take multiple actions in a row or decide outcomes without allowing input.

Leave actions open ended to avoid this!

Your rp partner is NOT a passive audience for you to perform your story in front of.
While we all want to entertain and surprise our partners, it CANNOT be at the expense of their participation. 
Save surprises for uninvolved players; run multi-action replies by your partner(s) before posting.

Railroading is complex replies that only allow reactions to events without input over the outcome. This can happen in a friendly conversation rp as easily as it can happen in fight RPs. Railroading makes others passive passengers to your story.  In larger group RPs, even multiple rpers can railroad if they fail to give others  involved a chance to react or interrupt.

If you want to tell a story without input, do not invite others to join your story!

To avoid this, plan out-of-character (Example Questions: Can I land this hit on your character? What will your character do if mine tries to run, ect), or else leave actions open ended-

• Railroading: Your OC punches, kicks, misses both hits, falls over, then taunts from the ground
  
  
• Courteous RP: begin a punch, then let the other player decide what they want to do with your action. They might dodge, try to trip you, or even take the hit. Let them choose.

 


Hurting your oc with another oc's non-aggressive actions.

You are again taking control of your partner's oc and refusing them a choice, sometimes even implying their OC is careless and clumsy. As fun as it is for YOU to hurt your character, it may not be fun for others to watch or participate in. Give others a choice.

Please also note: Hurting your character in general can be dicey.

If your goal in each RP is to make your OC as miserable as possible, please consider mixing things up to keep things fresh and less predictable.

Other rpers care about your character. Don't abuse their love with cheap shots. There's plenty of ways to constantly hurt your oc that don't feel like random acts of deus ex machina. Random injuries/illnesses are ok in moderation, but if they fall down and become a bloody mess (especially without help!)  in every other rp, you may be doing it wrong.


Even if your character can logically turn themselves invulnerable, don't.

Doing this tells your partner, Hey, I can hit you, but you can't hit me. Running away after attacking makes it even worse, denying your partner the chance to figure out away around your unfair advantage. Partial invulnerability (a limb or two) can be a better solution if you want to use this effect.




Belittling other ocs through internal dialogue or out-of-character chat.

This is tricky- if you are comfortable with another player, this can be fun when everyone's on the same page.
With less familiar players, be careful! 

Mean dialogue is not godmode, per say, but can follow the same results- Making one oc look bad to make another look good. Even if it's through humor, it can slip into bullying. Unless a player metagames, they can't even react! 
Doing this carelessly can make it seem like you personally don't like the OC, and can be very hurtful to others.

If you actually do not like an oc, talk to the owner privately or else keep it to yourself and don't rp with them.
DO NOT passive aggressively complain through RP.





If your character doesn't belong in an area, ask for permission OOC before going in, especially if your goal is property damage or discovering secrets

Imagine someone sneaks into your room, purposely wrecks it, reads through your personal info...
Like all powerplaying (damaging /gaining knowledge without permission), this doesn't mean you can't RP this, however, you MUST ask permission from mods if you want your OC to go where they might not be allowed, or want to find secrets/vandalize.

• Villa - Zoroko
• Church - QQ
• Player owned locations - check with the owner

Be prepared for other players to challenge you in-character for some good ol' fun RP conflict!

If you want to tell a story without input, do not invite others to join your story!

Players feel ownership over their OC's home. Having characters who don't belong there waltz in unchallenged can make it seem poorly fortified & the residents careless. Players from that location may want to challenge your character, which they cannot do if you don't ask permission first; worse, if you make it a private RP .