Breaking character

[Cuusardo]

Breaking character to tell people to stop breaking character is rather hypocritical, especially when the person who broke character in the first place is trying to help an ubern00b.

Thank you, drive through.

[Marauder Moe]

http://www.zalanthas.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11717

[Rhyden]

Ironically hypocritical. How self-insulting.  :wink:

[Rhyden]

Ironically hypocritical. How self-insulting.  :wink:

[Rhyden]

Just like accidentally posting again then having to write what I'm writing right now becuase you can't delete your own posts.  :lol:

[Tamarin]

So you make a third?  Yeesh..

I don't see a point to this thread.  Should be scrapped.

[Marauder Moe]

No point?  I think its a good point.  I suppose, though, a bump on the thread I linked too would be more effective.  Threads aren't deleted due to redundancy, though.

[Agent_137]

I've been guilty of it, but there's far too much ease of breaking into OOC. I think this is a valid discussion and a valid reminder to everyone. If you're perfect already, then just go ahead and move to another thread.

Basic rule: If it can be said and done in some IC way, please do so.

That includes everything from:

Helping noobies (many cases can be directed ICly.)

Coordinating times (the time system was standardized for a reason)

Saying you have to go (Every clan should have an IC excuse that means, OOC I HAVE GO. Good examples are: I need to use the latrines. I need to puke. I feel sick. Bad example is: I'm tired.)

Telling people to get back in character (heroically ignore their OOC attempts, and try to address the issues ICly. THey'll take the hint. If they don't, wish up. It isn't -your- place to correct people IG.)

[Marauder Moe]

Coordinating times (the time system was standardized for a reason)

Yeah, but the staff never finished that java tool they've been working on to convert Zalanthas time to RL time.  Some people don't want to do the math to figure out that the seventh day of next month is two sundays from now at 5:00 PM EST.  Myself included.

[Agent_137]

Coordinating times (the time system was standardized for a reason)

Yeah, but the staff never finished that java tool they've been working on to convert Zalanthas time to RL time.  Some people don't want to do the math to figure out that the seventh day of next month is two sundays from now at 5:00 PM EST.  Myself included.

Fair enough, it's usually only viable for short term dates, like within a RL day or to.

I hadn't heard about that java tool. If it was finished, it'd be fantastic.

[Larrath]

I use OOC if I have a good reason.  I'm not afraid to use it, but I also don't plan on using it in the middle of some HRPT.

If your character is being interrogated/tortured and you have to zip in five minutes, I'd OOC so that they can wrap it all up nicely or continue it when I get back.


If I was in the middle of a meeting with someone very important and I had to zip, I'd OOC if IC couldn't cut it.  "Sorry, Lord Senator Sir, but I have to go vomit" just doesn't sound right for me.


For timing coordinations I will always use OOC, because I don't like semi-OOC things that stretch on and on.  Going "Okay, we'll meet in eleven days...no, wait, I can't....okay, in fifty days" is both hideously annoying to convert and it takes ages, not to mention that it doesn't -feel- like IC.

I also don't suggest syntax things ICly.  I simply use OOC and bring up the helpfile.


Either you're IC at a given point in time, or you're not.  No point in sitting on the fence.

[Jherlen]

I might have been a witness bystander to an event that may have prompted this post, and I just wanted to point out that while helping newbies is definitely cool (and there's no problem with breaking character to do so if you need to), if you need to go OOC repeatedly it might be best to pull the newbie out of a high traffic area like a tavern and instruct them somewhere more quietly. Telling people to stop breaking character is a little more forgivable, in my opinion, when they're also breaking in to your separate, uninvolved scene just by being in the same room.

I agree with everything else Agent said.

[OOC Hypocrite]

Breaking character to help a newbie is fine.
Breaking character for the same reason every single day instead of letting the person figure out their mistake and how to correct it is annoying. I've seen the same pc do it four times since I've been watching them roleplay.
Breaking character to help a newbie by telling them exactly what to do is not what I would consider very helpful...
In this particular incident character had already been broken a total of 3 times in the span of thirty minutes, two by the same person in what I consider to be a roleplay police maneuver.

The reason I broke character was to lead the newbie to the help file that would teach him or her not only how to emote for the moment but how to do the many variations of emoting but how to get what he or she needed from the helpfiles themselves.  I added that "stop breaking character" because one of the people involved in the roleplay breaks character frequently. My roleplay has been interrupted by this OOC lover on many occassions, enough that I felt warranted to ask for it to desist.

It was just a reminder that unecessary usage of OOC, particularly when someone else had _just_ told the newbie how to do it, was just that, unecessary.

Thank you, please come again.

[Rhyden]

So you make a third?  Yeesh..

I don't see a point to this thread.  Should be scrapped.

I don't know -what- the fuck is wrong with my computer.

[FiveDisgruntledMonkeysWit]

I agree with Larrath entirely. The OOC command doesn't bite.

[Cuusardo]

...in what I consider to be a roleplay police maneuver.

So we need roleplay police to police the roleplay police?  Interesting...

[joyofdiscord]

For timing coordinations I will always use OOC, because I don't like semi-OOC things that stretch on and on.  Going "Okay, we'll meet in eleven days...no, wait, I can't....okay, in fifty days" is both hideously annoying to convert and it takes ages, not to mention that it doesn't -feel- like IC.

I agree with this for except for the most basic things like "see you in a week."  Let's be honest, when our characters talk about when they will see each other using IC time, we are really mostly just using codewords for OOC time, because our characters' schedules aren't really dictated by our own work schedules, like our playtime is.

Also, I always find it amusing when, being so caught up in our roleplay, we respond to semi-IC excuses for OOC issues in completely IC ways.  "Well, I have to take care of some business in a little while."  A perfectly IC response could be "Oh really, what business?"  At which point the person hems and haws vaguely until it becomes clear they are logging off.  Or, "Gee, I'd love to make that journey now, but, umm, I only have one day free right now, then another day four days from now."  WTF?

[Agent_137]

Joy, I attribute a lot of the "I can't show up 'cause i'm ...uh..." situations to the fact that your character is making a living still while you are logged off. He's got STUFF TO DO. He's breaking his back doing his thing to stay alive, whatever that may be. Nobles use other excuses. I just find that it helps. I try, when possible, to flesh out what i'm doing virtually if pressed. It makes for a smoother story in your own mind.

[jhunter]

Pretend your pc has had a sudden case of explosive diarhea?

[Marauder Moe]

Pretend your pc has had a sudden case of explosive diarhea?

Done it.  I tend to use it when I have that problem IRL, too.  Its a good way to get out of a scene fast.

[jhunter]

Lol. Me too.

[Xamminy]

Sometimes people need help.  Someone OOCs, the person needing help OOCs thanks, someone else OOCs to stop OOCing.  The fact that OOC was used is regrettable, because it does break up the flow of the scene.  However, continued OOC usage to tell people to stop using OOC can do NOTHING but add to the problem.  I think that is what Cuusardo was trying to get at.  The point has been made.

[OOC Hypocrite]

The point has been made.

My point in doing that was that one of the ooc users breaks it enough that it's become an annoyance. Next time I'll wish up... provided she doesn't take the hint.  

[My 2 sids]

I think if people keep a good perspective, that this is a game and not an alternate universe, then OOC won't bother them as much.  The game needs OOC functions to ensure players can enjoy the game.  Some of these people who want Zal. To be so realistic and never to break IC moods... well, to be honest, really scare me.

[Agent_137]

Just because you're performing a play for your friends and a few random people doesn't mean it's ok to break character. That's how I feel about armageddon. Breaking character is poor form unless it's deathly urgent, or there is no other option.