Role-playing Definition of Terms:
Roleplay Limits
A roleplay limit is something a player does not want included in their roleplay, or something they only want to happen after talking about it first.
Limits are important because roleplay should be fun and safe for everyone. Checking limits helps avoid upsetting another player by accident and keeps IC drama from becoming an OOC problem. They should be things that you, the player, cannot deal with because they cause you anxiety and/or distress.
We recommend listing your limits where others can see them, If someone has not listed a limit and it is something intense, such as sexual assault, torture, mutilation, etc., check with them before starting the scene. Soft Limits are negotiable. Hard Limits are not.
Here are some examples of good limits:
Sexual Assault
Torture
Death
Permadeath
Sex or Sexual Contact
Mutilation
Permanent Changes to Your Character (without discussion)
Here are some examples of bad limits:
No Red T-Shirts
No Serving My Character Wine in a Whisky Glass
No Looking in My Direction
FTB (Fade To Black)
The act of Fading to Black is ending the scene but not avoiding its relevance; it happened but wasn’t acted out In RP. Every player has the right to request an FTB.
Leaving the scene means it’s been completed and needs to be acknowledged as having happened after the fact.
FTB has to be agreed upon by all parties present, in IMs. If full agreement cannot be reached, a GM needs to be contacted and included to reach an outcome.
Free-form role-play
Free-form roleplay is a system of play in which there are very few actual static rules and the actual roleplay occurring is spontaneous and not preplanned.
While the City of Lost Angels recognizes the systems and static rule sets of other roleplay communities, the City of Lost Angels itself does not practice any form of static VTR/VTM roleplay.
Follow Rule 7 – NO non-CCS third party game HUDS (Necro, Bloodlines, Angels & Demons…and others) If it can disrupt the community by introducing conflicts that are not related to the community, don’t use it, period.
Free-form itself is about self definition of your character. You decide your own role, you decide who your character is. You decide the stories and interactions you’re going to have.
This kind of play requires a roleplayer to be able to understand that all characters should have strengths and weaknesses. It can be very easy to make your character an unkillable, god-like character who is the most powerful force in the known universe. When creating your character, consider their vulnerabilities and do your best to write with this in mind. Your character doesn’t have to be mortal, but being omnipotent is very boring to play against and tends to frustrate people – and this may lead them not wanting to roleplay with you.
Free-form also requires you to be willing to concede to other characters their abilities and strengths…so when interacting with others, it’s best not to immediately assume you are the most powerful character in the room.
It requires maturity, cooperation, and a quick mind. But once you get used to it, you should enjoy it.
OTHER INFO:
Chat in RP areas is generally considered IC or IN CHARACTER. Any chat that is Out of Character is generally inside of some kind of brackets or parentheses. All interaction between characters that is considered in character has NO BEARING on OOC commentary. So while a character may be verbally abusing you…that does not usually mean the player behind the character is. Please keep this in mind when dealing with confrontational RP.
Emoting:
Typing /me <text> in the ‘say’ box will show actions you perform in character rather than words spoken.
Example: /me looks across the market to the man enshrouded in the dark cape, she shudders.
Whereas if you speak, you would simply write in ‘say’ as usual, you can also combine the two.
Example: /me looks at their cellphone at the man enshrouded in the dark cape, she shudders and whispers a greeting, “greetings”.
IM / Messaging
All IMs should be considered OOC unless stated otherwise in the message. – IMing players is definitely okay and it’s encouraged, especially if you are wanting to RP something specific with someone and are unsure if they would be a willing participant. Such is the case for things like dice combat vs metered combat. Communicating OOCly with players is important to ensure everyone has a good time. – Harassment is never okay though and if someone is bothering you in IMs and won’t stop, please contact a GM.
OOC Chat:
OOC chatter will happen during roleplay and that’s okay! However try not to let it interrupt the actual roleplay happening around you, keep it minimal if possible and always use (( around your text )) to ensure that everyone knows what you are saying is OOC. – Adding just )) at the end of a message is also accepted.
Realism:
Though in SL you can see the person’s name above their head, if you bump into a person in RP consider it as though you have never met them and they are a stranger to you. Often, a simple greeting and going through the introductions can lead to interesting roleplay.
Areas other than public ones that are not your property should not be walked into; do so at your own risk.
Please refrain from using strange sound gestures as well.
Roleplay, keeping your character’s knowledge ICly separate from your own OOC knowledge. Remember, profiles do not exist unless it’s a profile in L.A Social – member profiles.
Consensual:
Roleplay should remain as consensual as possible OOCly. It is generally far more enjoyable to play with friends and build up bonds with fellow roleplayers. Despite being In Character, some actions you perform may annoy and frustrate others. Be mindful of this – would you want to be murdered every time you walk around the city? It’s good roleplaying etiquette to be reasonable in your actions and consider the feelings of other players OOCly. Remember that behind every character is a person!
ERP:
ERP is ‘erotic roleplay’ and in CoLA you will find a lot of it! – You can find it happening just by walkin’ down the street or peeking into an alleyway. CoLA is a dark RP sim and things like rape or even consensual rp sex is normal here. Don’t be afraid to try and rape people (as long as it’s not in their limits), many people come here for things like that. If you’re too shy to do it in the streets though, there are many private areas around the sim available to you. If you need help finding them just ask a GM.
Powerplaying:
Godmodding:
Godmodding is when a player takes control of other players’ actions. This is acting as a “god” – dictating the actions of another player’s character.
- Example of godmodding:
/me takes a knife and throws it through the air, watching as it plunges into Roark’s heart, killing them.
- Example of how it should go:
/me takes a knife, skillfully throwing it towards Roark, aiming for their heart.
By not roleplaying the reaction, it is now up to the other person to block, let it hit etc.
- When roleplaying, it can be easy to accidentally godmode a situation. To solve this, all you need to do is let the other person react to your post. Then, you go back and forth, following the post order. This way, the scene remains fair to all involved.
Powergaming:
Powergaming is when a player builds a character that is all-powerful and has powers and abilities that negate any harm aimed at them, playing as an indestructible character who cannot be hurt and/or defeated. This isn’t limited to combat – it can also be when a player avoids every single possible good or bad thing that could happen to their character.
- For example: avoiding all hits in a roleplay fight, walking away completely uninjured, not replaying out illness or injury even with fast healing.
Metagaming:
Metagaming is the act of knowing things IC that your character would not know. For example you are talking about a roleplay with some friends and you then take that OOC conversation and use that information IC. This is not to be confused with the planning of roleplays with all parties involved.
Out of Character (OOC) Consent: If consent within RP is respected, none of these issues should arise. Respecting your fellow players is always best practice!
IC Does Not Equal OOC
Every action taken by your character can have in-character consequences. ICA = ICC (In Character Actions = In Character Consequences). For example, if you decide to have your character attack another character, there may be consequences to that decision. You are expected to roleplay out the consequences of these actions.
Sometimes, feelings, opinions, and information can cross over between IC and OOC. This is commonly known as “bleed.” This can happen in either direction – a player might start treating another player differently because of something their character did, or a character may act on information the player knows but the character has not actually learned in roleplay (metagaming).
It is important to keep the two separate as much as possible. A character disliking, arguing with, betraying, or harming another character does NOT mean the player feels that way about the other player. Likewise, knowing something OOC does not mean your character knows it IC.
We understand that roleplaying can sometimes bring up strong feelings, especially in intense or emotionally charged scenes. If you are feeling overwhelmed, struggling to separate IC events from OOC feelings, or unsure how to handle a situation, please contact staff. We would much rather help early than have someone sit with these feelings alone until it becomes a larger problem. We are here to help.
Crisis and suicide prevention helplines:
Australia: 13 11 14 – Lifeline Australia
Brazil: 188 – CVV / Centro de Valorização da Vida
Canada: 988 – Suicide Crisis Helpline
United States: 988 – Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
UK and ROI: 116 123 – Samaritans
If you feel as if you might harm yourself, here are some resources to help:
Find a Helpline:
https://findahelpline.com/
OpenCounseling International Suicide Hotlines:
https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/
Befrienders Worldwide:
https://befrienders.org/
Samaritans – UK and ROI:
https://www.samaritans.org/
Mind – UK:
https://www.mind.org.uk/
NHS urgent mental health help – UK:
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/where-to-get-urgent-help-for-mental-health/
988 Lifeline – United States:
https://988lifeline.org/
Crisis Text Line – United States:
https://www.crisistextline.org/
988 Canada:
https://988.ca/
Lifeline Australia:
https://www.lifeline.org.au/
Beyond Blue – Australia:
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
CVV – Brazil:
https://www.cvv.org.br/
For other countries, please visit this website:
https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/