Some RP-Related Terms To Know

The following are some terms used while rping, the terms may vary from server to server but basically this can help you get the idea when the terms are used. When starting out, it can be a bit confusing for many, so hopefully this will give you a head’s up on things.

IC and OOC:
IC is “In Character”, OOC is “Out Of Character”. These terms are used to separate real world and game speech. You can use ((ooc text)) or [occ - text] to separate your text if you need to use ooc communication via whisper and such. For chat channels, /say and /yell should always be in character. You can extend that to the other channels, check with your guild if they require it, and/or if they have a separate ooc channel set up.

The General Channel is almost always ooc - so no (( )) is required, as is -sometimes- Trade and other channels, but it never hurts to throw in a bit of IC as long as it doesn’t interfere with the chat or your intent. As always, remember the policies and adhere to them for the server.

Think before you type and understand that IC chat in /say and /yell is what your character would say or yell out. This applies to emotes as well - despite what you may hear in the starter areas!

Channel Note: Make sure what channel you are speaking to and do not “spam” emotes, or messages.

Immersion:
Immersion deals with getting “into” your character and the surroundings, keeping the OOC elements and game mechanics at bay. Similar to how one gets immersed in a movie, being drawn in by the story, interaction and music. Doing that focuses your role-playing and makes the RP as “seemless” as it can. Best way to do this is to keep the OCC info to a bare minimum as you can and just focus on the RP when RPing.

Gamespeak:
The gamer’s language used in chatrooms and in server based games, like Halo and such. Also used as shorthand in online games. (”l33t” and aolspeak) Please avoid this and use caps and complete sentences. Shying away from most gamespeak is good also in yells and in open chat - basically any IC communication.

Note: If you must use gamespeak terms, please use [ ] or (( )) to denote ooc info.
Example: “wh3r is teh AH”
Revised: “Where is the auction house?” (Yes - it’s more words, but it makes sense.)

Example: “can any1 give meh +15 agility”
Revised: “Can anyone enchant my sword? ((+15 agility))”
Revised2: “Can anyone enchant my weapon to make it quicker?”

Metagaming:
Try not to use OOC information to influence your IC roleplay, This 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. Know your boundaries and respect others. Think of it as a character “firewall”.

Examples of Metagaming:
Guild Tags from guilds you have not officially “met” or know the tabard/guild Names of people - knowing strangers without even seeing them before. Lore and “spoiler” info/history Using ooc info to influence/break ic actions and roleplay.

Scene: A Scene is where a group may be rping/interacting. Some are freeform, so you can include yourself - others are more private in nature, as in the real world. If you are not sure, send a ooc whisper to one of the people and find out if it’s ok. But by all means, be respectful.

Backstory:
A Backstory is your character’s history and traits - the little pieces that make up your character’s personality. This can be as extensive or as simple as you feel needed, just use common sense, and your imagination. Make your own identity, and have fun with it. Typical things to avoid are placing yourself in the major story/history as a relative/relation of a major character. While you cannot -be- Arthas, you may have had some interaction in his presence or seen the person, but a basic rule is to try to avoid such and forge your own path in the world.

Bunnying/Godmodding:
Bunnying is manipulating another’s character, making decisions for them at an event or storyline with little or no debate. Godmodding, or Powergaming, is when a player is over-stepping game/player boundaries to sway the event/scene/storyline in your favor. This includes killing characters, player actions, “impossible” acts that break rules, and controlling actions of NPCs, which the player has no permission to. Give players a chance, don’t force RP.

Print This Post