This guidance for roleplaying social interaction is written by Keelia, reviewed edited and approved by Simon. It applies particularly to text-based online play (live or asychronous), but similar principles apply to online voice/audio, and to tabletop play. The best advice when in doubt is always to check privately with the GM and other players involved, before posting. It’s not intended as a complete guide, or as strict rules - different groups and people have different norms. _____________________________________________________ For people who are new to role play or new to a group, you may need some time to determine the acceptable boundaries. Until you work out lines, it’s often better to err on the side of caution or have conversations with the DM and other players about what is fine and what is frowned upon. Remember: Players who have played together for some time may be familiar with each other and have stated or unstated ways of interacting with each other that they may not be happy for a new person to also use. Until you figure out the boundaries for yourself , I recommend these ones: When dealing with any other PC, remember they are played by people and treat them with respect - unless otherwise agreed as part of IC RP. Don't comment about a person or PC’s physical attributes until you are aware of what the person will/will not be comfortable with. General rule I use is if you wouldn’t say it to your mum/sister/daughter/niece/grandmother, think before you post it. - “You look nice” is fine in the right situation (eg player indicates their PC made an effort to dress up) but implying you would sleep with PC not welcome unless otherwise agreed or particularly part of that character’s persona. - If you wouldn’t say it to a guy in the pub about that guy, then again think twice before posting. Also, be mindful about both the words you use and player character consent. Some words have negative connotation when only read (especially if you imply them as sarcastic). Sometimes there are words/phrases that can be read as creepy if one isn’t careful; this is even more important to be mindful of when dealing with female players and/or situations of consent. Things to be careful with (but not limited to), - Mind control - Mind reading - Polymorphing or otherwise changing a character without consent - Stating you would have sex with a PC (pre-agreed RP or persona based characteristics, eg Succubi, may be exceptions) - General sexual implications - Kissing someone’s PC without consent - there are exceptions, eg non-sexual cheek kisses as per Europe Consent is important . Anything against someone’s will needs to be checked to see whether it’s fine. This also includes RP attacks, eg, having a summons attack their character, bothering them with magic, stealing their items, etc. If a player takes offence to their PC being bothered in game, they will be within their right in game for their character to hurt your character in response, so to avoid in fighting and hurt feelings, it’s best to not target any PCs negatively. Personal attacks against players will not be tolerated . That should be obvious. For NPCs, your interaction with them should have no other impact outside the conversation unless you have been given control of the character by the DM or have an agreement with them. Not allowable : - Referencing a PC - Referencing wider politics in the game - Referencing secrets Allowable RP of an NPC: - asking for and receiving known directions - Casual agreement of positive situations that don’t extend past the moment - eg 'lovely day, isn’t it?' 'Oh yes.' - Anything indicated by the DM Every other conversation needs to be controlled by the DM unless specified otherwise. There’s no rush to reply in chat, it’s text based, and there is a 'reply to message' function in Discord so: - Proof read your messages before sending. A lot of confusion can arise from a typo or partial sentence. - Discord also allows editing. If you re-read and it reads oddly, correct it. - Read what the DM and your fellow player post twice before replying ; sometimes meaning isn’t obvious, or there is a subtext - You do not need to reply just to reply - try to make it meaningful to the conversation. Otherwise just use a Discord emoji ('thumbs up' etc) - If, after re-reading, you are still in doubt as to the meaning of the post you are about to reply to, don't forget that you can also check with the DM/ fellow player via a private message (aka PM). Try to keep non-RP off the RP channels. RP channel is for RP. Non-RP channel is for questions, ooc comments, jokes about situations, saying you are going to bed / gym, etc. If you need to post something in the RP channel that is not RP - tag it as OOC The DM offers opportunities in RP, but never pushes. You can always decline . If something is making you uncomfortable or confused, reach out to the DM. Interact with others in a friendly manner and you’ll do fine. :)