Do you have what it takes?

[DustMight]

I'm just wondering - this game is all about RP - getting into the role of _the particular_ character we're playing at that time.

In that spirit, I've question for you:

Have you done anything that you, the player based on years of experience, know is exceeding deadly but of which your character has no knowledge?

For example: Eating an offered poisonous plant item when YOU know its poisonous but your character doesn't? Getting completely lost even though YOU know the way but your character doesn't?  That kind of thing?

Of course we can rationalize all sorts of stuff to avoid these situations - but do you have what it takes to play your character's ignorance?

[Lizzie]

I've had characters smoke spice just to find out what they did, even though I knew exactly what they did.
I've had them ingest/imbibe/otherwise enter into the system something I knew was a poison, but my character didn't know.
I've had a character be so oblivious to her surroundings due to an internal dialogue that had her upset and angry, that she rode into a very dangerous situation - even though I knew she was approaching that situation and might not get out of it alive.

Oddly, I've actually led my characters into potentially dangerous situations on purpose a few times, hoping that they'd actually get killed as just part and parcel of "shit happening when your character wanders off in that direction" - and they didn't get killed. That's happened to me more often than having them do really dangerous stuff and getting killed as a result.

[ShaLeah]

This is one of the areas where being an old-noob has its advantages. Because I don't play the code the world is ever amazing to me.

I don't know the directions to the cities, I don't know what spice does what, what holes are where, what cures what and even if I DO unless my character has a reason to know, I will let that bitch die if she can't find the answer in a timely manner.

[RogueGunslinger]

Depends. Sometime I don't want my character to die. Sometimes I do. Sometimes I want to put myself at a disadvantage for the fun of the roleplay, sometimes I don't.

If it involves other players somehow I'll usually be trying to make the situation as realistic and fun as possible.

[Jherlen]

Years ago a character of mine got killed by a prominent PC who ended up being a secret mindbender. A while later I ran into that same PC on a different character. I had to force myself to act as if I had no idea about what he was. It was actually easier to do than I thought as long as I focused on my current PC's mindset, and not my OOC memories of the dead one. I still ended up hating the secret-bender in game, though, but for a totally unrelated reason.

Another time I let myself be led down into Undertuluk by a crazy "friend". I forget why we were even down there, but we got lost. I knew the way out, my PC had no idea. Then Karianna came down from staff-land and spanked us both, as in literally emoted spanking us with her staff avatar. Good times.

[Delirium]

[Zoltan]

Ha, at least one of my characters had made a career of getting into situations or doing things I OOCly knew were deadly/disadvantageous.

One of the first things I do when I create a character is decide how much they know, and stick by it no matter what. I err on the side of ignorance, because anything else feels kind of twinky to me. Some no-noes for prior knowledge for pretty much any character I play are...

-- Anything magick.
-- Most stuff about poison and their cures.
-- Geography beyond the very basics (if they haven't been there and it's not their home town, they won't intrinsically know the way)
-- Most critter types.
-- Knowledge of clans/tribes specific to a foreign area.
-- All other sekret stuff (scary places, notable npcs, etc)

Ignorance of this stuff can lead to some rather exciting situations. Though, it can every now and then be frustrating starting from scratch every time. Especially as something of a veteran player. It's like, "of -course- I know that, other PC! Just OOCly. My character's a total nub."

[Yasbusta]

Man, so many times.

It is so hard to walk into a situation you know the char is not going to make it out of but because of the char's goals they just can't refuse.

[Riev]

I have definitely eaten poisonous stuff before, or instead of sleeping off damage, run around hoping someone knew someone who knows someone that can help.

Sometimes its hard, because you know "if I stick around I'll die" but HONESTLY that seems to rarely happen. And when it does, its a great scene.

[Ourla]

I do this all the time, because I love throwing a wrench in the system.  Playing half-giants is especially challenging because I have to allow myself to be tricked IC by other pcs into doing things my normal humans wouldn't fathom.  OOCly, I wouldn't go so far as to repeat the same mistake that got a previous character killed.  If we all did that, we'd never have veteran players.

This is one of the areas where being an old-noob has its advantages. Because I don't play the code the world is ever amazing to me.

I don't know the directions to the cities, I don't know what spice does what, what holes are where, what cures what and even if I DO unless my character has a reason to know, I will let that bitch die if she can't find the answer in a timely manner.

This, this, this, this.  I don't even OOCly track which PCs I meet and what their names are.  If I don't have a reason to remember you, I won't.

[valeria]

Once upon a time, a character of mine probably could have been rescued, but because she was knocked from full (I think hers was like 130 or something insane) to -6 or -7 HP I decided she was seriously f'ed up and concussed and couldn't Way for help.  She died after a very slow hour of trying to rescue herself.  It was pretty awesome.

[Barzalene]

I like to think so. It doesn't come up for me as often as you'd think.

[evilcabbage]

I've offered stuff I knew was poisonous OOCly to people ICly just because my character didn't know fuck all about poisons and was actually collecting such things for their own food stores.

[DustMight]

I've offered stuff I knew was poisonous OOCly to people ICly just because my character didn't know fuck all about poisons and was actually collecting such things for their own food stores.

That's different.
Actually eating them your character's self - that's what I'm talking about.

[Voular]

Lost my top two fun characters to knowing people were oocly moving against them and I didn't log off like a bitch or use my knowledge of the game oocly to "win". It still pains me and it is very hard to do. And I only learnt this lesson after spazzing out when my first character was facing a similarsituation. But an ending always comes. Better take it staying classy. But you always silently think "just don't hit my hair" (or similar) when you do something stupid, no?

[Barzalene]

Lost my top two fun characters to knowing people were oocly moving against them and I didn't log off like a bitch or use my knowledge of the game oocly to "win". It still pains me and it is very hard to do. And I only learnt this lesson after spazzing out when my first character was facing a similarsituation. But an ending always comes. Better take it staying classy. But you always silently think "just don't hit my hair" (or similar) when you do something stupid, no?

Oh if this counts then yes! Yes I do!

[Zerero]

I'm glad I still know nothing.

[KankWhisperer]

I usually will write in my background that I have basic poison and geographical Knowledge if I intend to be outdoorsy.

The thing that I'm most proud of is following my "leader" to my doom when it's blatantly obvious we're doing something that's going to get us dead.

[Fujikoma]

I don't know, if my character has a background working with poisons or cures, such as ranger or assassin, I will assume they at least know the cures. Sometimes eating poison can be very amusing, I usually don't pass up that opportunity (even if I know it's poison, but then, I'll usually have cures on hand). Walked into plenty of dangerous situations knowing OOC that my PC was going to die, I won't say it was fun but it was something that had to happen.

General geography I'll assume my PC knows bits of from asking around, if they go outside they probably have an interest in this, and the rest they'll have to relearn. The town layout? Well, if they've lived there their whole life, then they likely know it quite well.

I will say I've caught myself slipping before, but it's a learning experience and I'll try harder next time.

[Scarecrow]

My longest lived PC was a dwarf. He had to something, was dead-set on it with that damn dwarven mindset, and I knew it would kill him but I went ahead and did it anyway, because I couldn't justify another mode of operation, and honestly it felt pure to character. He died.

[Drayab]

The thing that I'm most proud of is following my "leader" to my doom when it's blatantly obvious we're doing something that's going to get us dead.

Yeah, I've done this one. Playing a young character in need of training, my character follows the 'teacher' out for a hunting lesson. Meanwhile, I sit behind my keyboard, fearing for my character's life, because the teacher is leading us straight to our doom...

Fun times. 

[Fujikoma]

My longest lived PC was a dwarf. He had to something, was dead-set on it with that damn dwarven mindset, and I knew it would kill him but I went ahead and did it anyway, because I couldn't justify another mode of operation, and honestly it felt pure to character. He died.

Scarecrow... I loved that dwarf, somehow I felt there was something really dark about him, but I still loved him so deeply... For the Stump! *charges into battle and dies*

[Mazy]

My longest lived PC was a dwarf. He had to something, was dead-set on it with that damn dwarven mindset, and I knew it would kill him but I went ahead and did it anyway, because I couldn't justify another mode of operation, and honestly it felt pure to character. He died.

<.<
>.>

Good times with <3 Fuji et Scarecrow

Back on topic, I've had at /least/ two characters I wanted to play through die to poisons by playing them ignorant of the cures and not prioritize getting them. After that, I've been.. guilty of getting some basic provisions in order, you know. I don't see any harm in that.

I have also played with characters that I pretty knew were codedly something else than what they claimed to be and let them advance a little when I was a leader, because it made perfect sense in game. I've been tricked on half-giants, gone on foolhardy trips that I knew was going to end with at least one other PC dying (they certainly did die, too), and played ignorant when I as a player knew better, a lot. But when it comes to poisons or prep-work for certain dangerous creature things, I kinda fail.

[Harmless]

If the imms were so inclined, and were feeling devious and clever, a way to force us to OOCly and ICly identify certain poisons/cures for every PC would be pretty game balancing in a way. It wouldn't make any damn sense at all, but the random assignment of properties to various potions for example in crawl or nethack is one thing that really helps with replayability.

But alas, such an undertaking in a persistent MMO game is impossible and stupid, and I am just going to have to deal with being spoiled for the basic content of the game.

I don't think I could knowingly commit suicide for a PC by stumbling into a trap. It wouldn't sit well with me; did I have my PC do it just to desperately fool myself into the wonder of newness, I would ask. As a noob I rarely ate anything that wasn't described to me by another PC, so I don't know.

What I do instead is just be generally lazy. Maybe I've got cures, maybe not. I might be able to make them myself, but I may not bother. I don't even check what's inside my pockets sometimes.

But knowingly walk into death? Not without feeling the guilt that it was just an elaborate reroll...

[AreteX]

I would say that I have made my character vulnerable even while knowing things OOCly.  I allow myself to be victimized or make mistakes in-game if it seems in-character to do them.  Even if I've played a MASTER ASSASSINZ I don't know all the poisons or the secrets to lockpicking and finding them or what the best armor is and what it does for my character.

I also love letting things happen as they may, whether being surprised by someone in the sands or in an alley.  I emote and let things run its course.

The game is better when you don't use OOC knowledge to get a leg up on everyone else.