IC vs OOC: The Basics

When folks begin role-playing, the “rules” are hard to follow or even missing, chiefly because there’s no “decisive” guide that everyone gets or is taught. Even the (hopefully helpful) guides on this site are just that – guidelines to help.

Most games focus mainly on the PvE or PvP aspects and leave RP by the wayside. Sadly, this leaves role-players out in the virtual “cold”. Though some players do have some role-playing experience or understand the concept – many don’t.  If you are lucky you may find information in your game manuals (people read those? *grin*) – otherwise, you are on your own.

Note to present and future MMORPG designers: Consider role-playing and role-players when writing manuals. Even a token “How-To” is better than nothing. *grin*

And now, back to our (ir)regularly scheduled topic…

One mainstay and cornerstone to role-playing is the usage of In Character (IC) and Out Of Character (OOC) info and speech. This also applies to MMORPGs, LARPs and Pen & Paper RPGs.

In mmorpgs, that’s why you see us role-players use ((  )), {{  }} or [[  ]] around sentences/phrases sometimes.

This leads also into a common mistake made by beginning RPers: How to use IC or OOC info/speech and how to know when to (and not to) use it.

Yes, young grasshopper… When you can snatch the [[ ]] out of my hand… 
… what?

Now we begin…

What is the difference of IC and OOC?
IC is “In Character”, OOC is “Out Of Character”. These terms are used to separate real world (OOC) and ingame rp (IC). /say and /yell should always be in character.

How do I talk IC?
Think what your character would say (or yell) before responding. It can be totally different than you normal talking, so remember that. So don’t reply like you’re texting a friend (shorthand, smileys, RL slang) – save that for OOC chatter. Things to remember are proper capitalization and punctuation.

Also, be aware that one race doesn’t talk like another. A human would have a different way of talking as opposed to a troll.

Example:
Human: “Excuse me, where is the blacksmith?”
Troll: “Ey Mon! Where be da smithy?” “Gotta mace ta be banged out.”

Alot goes at phrasing and using accents (or lack of) that fits the game world’s languages. A good source is to listen and read from npc questgivers, for instance.

Could I use (( )) in /say or /yell?
If you must use ooc chatter in /say, /yell, please be respectful of others by keeping it to a minimum. My advise would be send a whisper so that it causes the least amount of “disturbance”. That helps other keep others (and you) focused on being IC. The less OOC of any sort, the better.

IC Revised: “Can anyone enchant my sword? ((+15 agility))”
IC Revised2: “Can anyone enchant my weapon to make it quicker?”
(Then talk it over with the enchanter on what you need.)

What about emotes?
Emotes are wonderful for expression of what’s going on with your character. As a general rule, using emotes to express what you’re thinking is borderline using OOC information.

Some RP groups and RPers are pretty liberal on that usage, as long as it’s not overdone or abused. Your RP “mileage” will vary here based on the folks involved. But you can see the difference. And don’t worry if you “slip” up, it happens – just be careful. It’s happened to most (if not all role-players) at some point. *grin*

What contributes to the confusion is the some ingame “stock” emotes in mmorpgs do express inward thoughts in a outward way, like in World or Warcraft.

Marcus thinks Gina is a sexy devil.” - This “stock” emote can’t really be changed unless you use a custom emote.

Marcus gives a longing glance at Gina. – This conveys a similar message, but it’s one that can be seen by others and is “better” for role-playing.

Now, using a custom one like this:
Marcus thinks Gina is lying. - is metagaming, which is abusing OOC actions in this example. Marcus does not have mental broadcasting powers (*grin*), so that is stretching the boundries of using the emote in role-playing.

Marcus shoots a dismissive look at Gina’s reply. – is a totally IC way of expressing the idea. This also create positive drama and makes the scene work.

See the difference? It’s all in how it’s used. While this may vary from role-player to role-player, it’s a nice thing to keep in mind.

Are <guild> tags and character names IC or OOC?

This is where there’s a separation on what your character knows and what you know. This also goes for Lore and other information. Just use common sense and good judgment on what your character knows or doesn’t know about the world. This can be fleshed out when you do you backstory. Using such information can be seen as metagaming, which is using OOC lore or info IC.

Let me set up a situation:

You happen to be looking for a member of <The Red Rogues>, a criminal organization in Stormwind.

You see <Marcus> of <The Red Rogues> at the Pig & Whistle, a local tavern known for it’s seedy links to the group. You’ve never met Marcus and he’s not wearing a tabard.  Let’s see two examples of how to (and not to) approach it.

Examples:

IC: “Hello sir, could you tell me if there are any folks doing “odd jobs” about?”
Meta IC: “Hello Marcus, can you help me with a few “odd jobs” possibly?”

You may see <Marcus> and <The Red Rogues> over his head, but your character doesn’t. So, until he introduces himself – he’s just another bar patron. Makes sense, yes?

Tip: Go into your interface settings and cut off name plates. That toggles the <NAME> off and declutters your screen for role-playing.

Let’s look at this again, but with a tweak.

Marcus is wearing his tabard and your character has been told to look for a contact wearing it at the tavern. What your character doesn’t know is that he’s a mage.

IC: “Hello sir, I hear your group might be interested in a “odd job” or two, yes?”
Meta IC: “Greetings mage, I hear your group might be interested in a “odd job” or two, yes?”

Tabards and classes are includes also. Really, unless you’ve seen the tabard IC and know ICly who it belongs to, your character doesn’t know. Don’t forget NPCs – they count too. Who knows? That’s a good RP hook to get others involved!

Tip: Just remember not every robe-wearing person is a mage, or everyone in leather is a rogue. If he does spells or says he’s a mage – yeah, you can guess he’s a spellcaster of some sort. *grin*

What about game lore?
I know alot – doesn’t my character know also?
For the most part, no. Your character may know a bit of the lore than is in his/her backstory. In some instances, your character may have a slightly different view or take on it.

Even playing a historian you may not know all the facts or details. Sift through and work with the backstory to determine what your character does and does not know. The rest you pick up and learn as you adventure.

So what you may know from books, games and such is completely different from what your individual characters know. Your character can however learn possibly from quests in game and books/items found – even from other role-players sharing their IC lore. That can help flesh out what your character “knows” and “learns”.

What if I see alot of OOC ingame?
Do I just ignore it or what?
You are going to see some (or alot) of OOC chatter in cities or elsewhere ingame. Remember that some players come to RP realms/server for different reasons.

You can ignore it, but maybe working around it ICly may work. Stay in character and answer as your character would. This can send a positive message to the person(s)- it may even get them to correct themselves and try to role-play. It happens!

Just be mature about it when talking to new folks that are learning to role-play and may need some help. Be respectful and offer, but don’t force it on them. Think how you would feel before saying something rude or something that may hurt someone. If they decline, at least you tried. Handle the encounter as ICly as possible.

Note: Being rude or condescending are being bad examples. It also contributes to the misunderstanding that all RPer’s are rude or elitist. That harms the community by giving a bad impression to new and existing players, role-players or not. So make an effort to be supportive, not destructive when possible.

If someone if truly trying, try to help. It only betters the role-playing community to do so. Offer help, or give a tip or two. Everyone starts somewhere! Remember the RP community is only as good as it’s members and only grows by goodwill towards others and helping folks.

Griefers are another thing. But don’t give into thier game – just move on and report them if they are harassing you. But before reporting, make very sure they are indeed griefing and just not understanding the basics of RP. Regardless, be mature and seek the higher road.

While questing or instancing, try to be a good example with other role-players and non role-players. This only helps. If in a dungeon and the majority is OOC, then it’s ok to be so. You can always ask, but you can get a feel for the group to know.

Role-playing a dungeon or adventure, however, can be really fun!

Big Fluffy Note for “veteran” RPers: Give new folks some slack. You’ve been there, so don’t be rude if someone makes a mistake. It’s all about having fun – with others, so help and be good examples.

Anything else?
It may seem a bit hard to do at first, but getting into character helps separate and decide what is the best way to handle role-playing IC. Find good RPers and also learn from their example. It’s all in practice – but have fun.

Here’s some related articles to help:

Talking The Talk
Small Talk
Some RP-Related Terms To Know
Steps To Clutter-Free RP
Express Yourself With Emotes
All the World’s a Stage: WTF is IC – OOC? WTB RP! OK THX, CU L8R