Most Common RP Complaints

Basic Roleplay rules. I want to start off by saying this isn't so much a class to tell people they suck at roleplay but more of a reminder of some of the basics. As we have run across some complaints on the sim from players we want to address those to everyone so that we all know what to expect.

The very basic RP rules we should all be familiar with. So today we just want to touch briefly on the areas that we have heard complaints about.

The first and probably the easiest to understand is POSTING ORDER. In most circumstances a scene with multi-players will have a post order. The post order should not change unless someone enters a scene or leaves the scene. At times and especially large events there will not be a post order.. if you are unsure if one has been established then just ask. If you enter a scene let those in the room go first before you hop in.... which brings us to the next point.

ENTERING A SCENE. .. we aren't always there for the beginning of a scene. If you walk up on a other players without seeing a post there isn’t a real way for you to know for sure what is happening. It could be anything from a fight to the death to an orgy but until you hear a post or two you would have no idea. Even when you can see they are on pose balls or a naked avatar you still would not know. How many times has sl messed you the view of your avatars to others from keeping you naked or you clothes not changing over from another roleplay you have just finished up. The only way to know for sure what is going in a scene is to see a few post from the players who are already there. If you still don’t have a clear idea, send a quick im to someone and ask. If you were to walk in on two people having sex in RL you would just casually say " hi there.. " and pretend nothing is going on. So please be mindful of that.

Another part of entering a scene comes in where the scene is taking place. Again it comes down to waiting a few post to see what is happening before posting in. Sometime a scene takes place behind closed doors and yes those doors can be on any building, from the clinic, the magic shop, to even the Sheriff’s Station or the Tavern. Before throwing a door open with a click of you mouse and stepping in with a post, stay just outside and listen. If you still don’t know if the doors are locked or blocked just send an im. It saves you from wasting a post and the other players from having to say sorry the door is locked please leave.

EXITING A SCENE - .So once everyone is in place the scene is going good but you have to make an exit whether it be a casual stroll out the door or a "Omg I am going to die I must run for my life" you have to wait a full post round to leave.
All players in the scene should have the oppurtunity to react to you trying to leave.

**RL calling or sl crashing is the exception and will touch base on that.



Back to your Exit post….The easiest way to explain this is within an example..

EXIT SCENE example :
The setup: Skip and Lexie are at Skip’s house, Lexie has gone absolutely insane and is trying her best to kill him with a rusty spoon. Skip has managed to get a 911 call to Sheriff Keliah who has now entered the scene to help. Lexie realizes her rusty spoon will not save her from Keliah so she must get out. Following the post order it is Lexie’s turn.

Lexie Vaher screams out in frustration as she wasn’t able to kill off the old man, she has no choice to make her exit. Seeing that Keliah has now blocked the front door. She turns toward the window, running as fast as she can, she tucks in her head and hurls her body at the glass. The glass shatters and she is now on the street outside, taking a few seconds. She is a bit disoriented but her only thought is to run. Getting to her feet she takes off down the road.

Now although Lexie has posted that she has run off. As a player I must remain on the scene. Skip gets a turn to react as well as Keliah. As Lexie is a mage and is probably pretty messed up from throwing herself through a window, Keliah is a vampire. If she chooses to take chase then she can. Skip can pull out a gun and start firing out the window. Or they could both stand there with a ~What the Just happened look~ on their faces as Lexie starts to run off. Regardless of how they decide to react, as a player I have to wait for their reaction. Lexie needs to know If she is being pursued or a did the Sheriff dive out the window and try to tackle her. If Keliah and Skip choose to not come after Lexie then at that point would I be able to leave the scene.

This also applies to conversations.. you may storm out ic.. or just want to avoid the conversation completely but you should wait till the other have posted. It could be beneficial to your character and just plain courtesy to the other players.

That being said, if sl crashes you or your rl house may be on fire and there is no time to say a word, you have no choice. As players we all need to be respectful of this and aware it can happen at any time., so we need to use common sense. If the main player had to leave the scene unexpectantly it might be a good idea to pause the scene or fade to black. Whatever is decision as players you decide on, everyone in the scene needs to be aware of it. That also goes for any type of changes you want to make to your post.

Although we all strive to have scenes go off without a glitch, sometimes it is unavoidable. It is how we react is how easily it can be fix. If something needs to be clarified or explained better to just ask. And if it is something that effects all the players involved it is best to let them all know then so then if things arise later on in your story than everyone who was there should be on the same page as to what happened. That brings us to our next topic: IC Consequences.






Although we want our characters, especially ones we like, to be around for a very long time, there is only one way to ensure that and that is by playing smart. If you are a human and you ride your bike up to the lighthouse and knock on the door and say “Meals On Wheels” well I would have to say in character “Nice knowing you”. The same would be said for a vampire that walks into the Wolves Den and says “ who's your daddy?” more than likely that vampire will not see another moonlit night. All joking side, you as players are responsible for what your character does and the choices they make. If there is confusion to what has happened then it should be brought up immediately and if it can’t be resolved then an admin needs to be there. Again this is where communication to all the players involved can be very important.

Perma-death on Ravenhurst is something that does not happen to often but to the players it has happened to, it can be emotional and hard to let go of character you have put time in. I know in many roleplay limits it states no perma-death unless given permission but as there are certain IC rules on sim that if are broken could possibly lead to that as a punishment…. the best thing to do is not push those limits ic. There are no invincible werewolves, vampire, feys, mages, or humans on this sim. Keeping that in mind we all of characters are vulnerable. There are safeguards though. For a perma-death to happen an owner of the sim should be contacted and on the scene to even just observe. Even if a player is asking to have their character killed having one of the owners present is a good idea to avoid any drama that may come later on.

With that being said Death of a character is not always the only answer to punishment or the first one to come into play.

For Example : If Lexie were to walk up to Sho Flannigan and get a slap across his face, then Lexie would have to deal with whatever his reaction to that is. If he chooses to snatch Lexie up and drag her into the woods and beat her, since he is stronger Character then Lexie that is what would happen. If Sho then went Icly to Tabs and was really upset about what Lex had done so Tabs tells Lexie she is out of the group…as a player I can’t go back at this point and say “oh it wasn’t a slap. It was a love tap”

Example #2 : If Lexie Goes up and is allowed to pounce on Sho and kiss him, then again she would have to deal with however he decided to react to her. He could throw her against the wall and say “get off me “ or he could say what the hell and take her home with him. If Lexie’s goal was to try and sleep with Sho and he chose to throw her up against all and tell her go away. Again as a player I would have to accept that and all that comes with that in a scene where she would be humiliated. I could not go back and in open chat (( I didn’t mean that.. it came off wrong so this didn’t happen))

Tping out or logging off when you are about to be in a bad ic situation is not acceptable. Remember when you come back you will be held responsible for that action even if it is a week later. If this is something that becomes a common occurance with a player. That player runs the risk of people not wanting to rp with them . That always goes with players that are playing the BAD GUYS on the sim. If you character is overly bad, hard to get along with, down right rude etc. It is to be expected that your character will be avoided in character. Although antagonist characters are important to have they are just that, they aren’t going to be liked and that should not be taken OOC. I have seen Blaise play some of the most evil and dark characters out there. When my player learned who they were or what they were about, she would do her best to stay away from. Blaise has been a wonderful friend of mine for four years now and me ic wise avoiding her EVIL Guys IC is not an OOC stab at her. So if you are going to play bad..play bad go all out and have fun but don’t expect to have many ic friends. However OOC there are plenty of people to have fun with.

So on to the next part of this. I have spoken with Tabs about this a few times as there are different thoughts on it. If you don’t agree with this I am sorry but this is the stance on THOUGHT POSTING….

There are two types.. The thought post that let you into a little insight of how the character is feeling, perhaps some background info. And then there are insult thought post.

The insight or background thought post lets other players get a better feel of your character how they are feeling to where they came from. This information is not used as ic knowledge as it is in their heads.

Examples #1 : Lexie stood at the door silently, looking around the room who was in there. She had just received word that her best friend from highschool had died in a car wreck. She didn’t want to talk about it, she didn’t want to think about. She came to the bar with the sole purpose of getting drunk till she went numb. Taking in a deep breath, she put on a warm smile, would tip her head to anyone that looked over at her and made her way to the bar “ Hi there “ she said using her smile to hide her true emotion, she only need to fight it off a bit longer so the alchohol could do its job and make her forget.

In this example as a player I didn’t give you really anything to work with but I did let you know her mind set and when she starts in taking those shots after shots, or is led out of the bar by a vampire to be a late night snack. The other players would have an idea of Lexie’s inner turmoil and why she was being so reckless. A thought post like this is rarely ever argued with, unless the information is metagamed later one it does not have any effect on the other players.


The INSULT THOUGHT POST is the one that causes the most debate and the most OOC Drama. After talking to Tabs and figuring out where she stood as an owner on this. This is how Insult thought Thought post can be used in Ravenhurst.

How to let the other players know you are unhappy with someone but not showing any emotion to behind it…

Example# 1 ( Correct way) Lexie looks up from the bar seeing her sister walk in the room. She was beyond angry at her and didn’t want to even speak with Blaise. She had come to the bar to get away from Blaise and there she is. Lifting up her hand to give Blaise a little wave and a soft smile she turns back to her drink and takes another sip.

In this post I was able to let all the players in the room know there was conflict with Blaise and that Lexie was going to be struggling with Blaise there.

Example #2 ( The wrong way) Lexie looks up from the bar seeing her sister walk in the room. Thinking to herself ~how dare that fucking bitch show her face in here. Can I not get away from her~ Lifting up her hand to give Blaise a little wave and a soft smile she turns back to her drink and takes another sip.

The reason this would be consider wrong is I flat out insulted Blaise IC, given her no way to respond. In the first example I was able to let everyone know that IC wise I was mad at my sister. I did the same thing in the second post the difference is that a thought post in which you are calling names like that can very will lead to OOC Drama.

By changing just a few words I kept was able to convey to all of you how lexie was feeling with out being cruel.

Ok so let’s look at the #2 example again. The argument for allowing a post like this is so that people can get an idea of the mine set of your character is. However in having strong thoughts like this, no matter how much you think you are as cool as a cucumber there were would be a shift in your facial expression, how you were sitting etc. You wouldn’t even be aware you did it. If you feel the need to be overly insulting then you must follow it up by an action to allow the other player to choose to respond or not to respond to you.


Example #2 ( with an action) Lexie looks up from the bar seeing her sister walk in the room. Thinking to herself ~how dare that fucking bitch show her face in here~ Can I not get away from her~ Looking ot the other in the bar for a few seconds, her lips pressed together as she tried to keep herself calm. She would look back towards Blaise, doing her best to appear pleasant. Lifting up her hand to give Blaise a little wave and a soft smile she turns back to her drink and takes another sip.

At this point has the choice to ignore the fact that something could be wrong or ask.

If you feel it necessary for you character to name call, be degrading to another player whether it be their appearance or personality or they killed your dog last night IC. Instead of giving a thought post that no one can do anything with other then read it….. Say it out loud… call them to his/her face a cunt, whore, asshole.. let them choose to ignore you or say something back. Don’t hide behind a thought post from ic consequences.

Constant insult thought post can be considering bullying and abusive… so as my momma told me. “If you don’t have something nice to say.. “ well alright not quoting my momma here “ If you don’t have something nice to say.. then say it.. don’t just think it “

Thought post can be a wonderful tool in roleplay in helping other understand your character but to much even on the non insultive thought post can become boring and mundane.

Example#1 Skip looks up from the paper “ so George would you like to go to the carnival and see the clowns and balloons?”

Georgia Ashland : Looks up from her tea as he ask the question, flashes of her final days of being a human at Woodstock, flash in her head. The celebrating, the singing how free she felt. Then her world went dark. The pretty rainbow of balloons she held in her hand were knocked free as she grabbed her. Throwing her in the pit next to her friend then the horror would begin “ no.. I don’t want to go”.

Again… Just say it!!!!! Tell your stories take the chance that the other character might care enough to listen and if not then screw them.. Either way it goes into developing your character. Because if you only think it… IT CANNOT NOT BE USED IC!!!!

The last big complaint is…. METAGAMING

This is using ooc knowledge when you are in character. Any information that is obtained ooc cannot be used in play unless agreed upon ahead of time by the players involved such as in some uses of mind control, the fey’s glamour or a witches spell. The different races have different ways of telling the others apart such as through, smell and other senses. Others have it a little harder in distinguishing who is who. If something is being done ic and you don’t understand the ask. We always talk about the people who will come and read your tag and then will be your are vampire or a wolf. And yes that is metagaming and not allowed, however people please use a little common sense if you are there is no race that is fully protected.

For example : Lex walks around with a necklace on her neck that has been warded to let her know when POTENTIAL danger is around. It does not tell her what race you are but it picks up on the inner part of you. So a person can be all fluffy bunnies and sugar on the outside surface but if there is say a werewolf or a vampire the necklace will pick up on that. It is alright for her to say ic she feels the necklace and understands what it means if as you approach you. Does it mean she is going to run down the street screaming .. no.. does it mean she is going to be a little more cautious ic around you … yes.. that is if she is paying attention … That being said, use some common sense. Being the first to point a finger without cause isn’t a good idea. Ask questions and talk before the blame game gets started.

One more quick note on buildings:
For some reason this question I have been asked a lot OOC recently….
”Are there any buildings on the sim that cannot be roleplay in?”
.
The stores, sheriff office the buildings that are normally consider public places are just that. As a player you should be able to go into any of them but again please remember to find out what is going on first. The other buildings on sim are private homes of players ( these players are paying rent) and yes they are probably using it as their IC house. So yes you as a player can rp breaking in.. stealing something etc just send the owner of the home a notecard letting them know what they would find when they got home..such as broken glass etc. Pay attention though some houses are warded and if you still there are ic consequences for… if you don’t want to rp those out then do not do it. It would be right to assume that if the player isn’t there doors are locked unless you have made an arrangement ooc. So even if you are just looking for a private place to take your honey for a scene, you would be breaking into a house to do so and if that player comes on and finds you in the house. If they don’t torture or try to kill you considering Ravenhurst is overrun with Supernaturals than more than likely the Sheriff would be called and your romantic happy time could leave you in jail or worse.