New helpfile: Roleplay with Psionicists

[Usiku]

With the release of the new subguilds, now is probably a good time for us to all brush up on how we roleplay in a world occasionally inhabited by the worst abominations of all:

https://www.armageddon.org/help/view/Roleplay%20with%20psionicists

Here is some guidance on how players are expected to handle (potential)
interaction with Psionicists.

This is an incredibly challenging aspect of role-playing as it requires
conscious effort to not meta-play by using Out-of-Character knowledge and to
potentially have your character do things that you, the player, may know are
not in their best interest.

- If your character experiences something 'odd' that you may think you know
(or simply suspect) is the result of a Psionicist - do not, even as a player,
assume that is. It could very well be (and often is) actually the result of
Staff interaction. The best bet in these scenarios is to assume it IS Staff
and respond according to that.

- If your character experiences something odd that you did not input and you
think you know (or simply suspect) it is the result of a Psionicist - your
character should not and would not necessarily know. This applies to ALL
characters at ALL levels of society (one particular sect excluded, they know
who they are) unless they have had some serious In-Character training on the
subject. Your character is unlikely to know the difference in most cases and
there is an expectation for you to go along with it realistically. This does
not necessarily mean total compliance, it could also mean inner turmoil,
confusion, questioning sanity or any number of other responses that are not
'mindbender attack'.

- If your character experiences things such as odd sensations or weird
symptoms (again, OOC'ly this could be Staff or a number of other things),
your character would not and should not immediately think 'mindbender'.
Psionicists are rare abominations, they are the boogeymen under the bed,
they are not something your average commoner is thinking about. Most
characters should assume literally anything else before they assume a
'Psionicist' (I'm sick, I ate something funny, I'm stressed, it sure is
hot today, etc).

- You should not be responding to the above by doing that thing you think
protects you from Psionicists.  You should be roleplaying according to the
information you receive from the game.

- If your character seems subject to frequent attacks that would damage their
mental health and/or well-being, then those who are educated might start to
become suspicious and seek council/help, those who aren't might become
concerned about their own well-being and seek help, advice and education.
Again, it's unlikely they would jump straight to 'Psionicist' over 'I'm
unwell'.

- If another character tells yours about any 'weird scenarios', please think
very carefully about what your character would and should know, based on the
above, before reacting.  Try to avoid inadvertantly using out-of-character
knowledge.

- If a Psionicist has outed themselves to your character, you should try
to roleplay according to cultural documentation (extreme fear, stress,
anxiety, paranoia, disgust etc). These abominations are the absolute worst
of the worst with unknown breadth to their power. Imagine if you found out
in real life that your spouse/lover/person you met in the street was in
actuality a serial killer - would you remain loyal to them? How would you
feel? Would you turn them in?

- If you think your character is being bothered by a Psionicist, then you
are in for a proper roleplaying challenge (and probably a fun ride!).  At
that point it would be a good idea to start submitting character reports
so Staff can help and you can ask questions if you're unsure about how
something should be handled.

- Likewise, if you are ever unsure about how your character should handle a
complicated scenario and you are in the midst of it and totally stuck - do
wish up for further assistance.

[Halaster]

The helpfile has been updated a little, mostly to fix the formatting and work on the tone a little.  None of the actual content is any different.