RP:IC vs OOC
From Literepetition
Reality vs Roleplay
Literepetition is a game with potential for both immaturity and sophistication. It uses as the foundation for its premise personalities known for both brilliance and deviance, and it attracts as its core playerbase people who are at once creative and intelligent. Put less tactfully: we're a load of high-strung smart people, with all the cheerful creativity, wilful destructiveness and potential for conflict that this entails. It's very easy to become emotionally entangled with our characters and their struggles, conflicts, triumphs and relationships. Given these factors, below is a refresher regarding OOC vs. IC perspective. Experienced players will already be aware of this information; players newer to RPGs in general and/or LitRep in particular will be made aware of our definitions and expectations.
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[edit] Definitions
[edit] IC
In-Character. This is everything pertaining to the fictional character you are playing. IC can refer to information your character posseses, how your character reacts to situations and people, possessions, events in the game that affect your character... anything that affects your character but not you.
[edit] OOC
Out Of Character. This is everything pertaining to you, the player, but not your character. OOC refers to information that you receive about the game that your character is unaware of, how you view other peoples' characters, how you interact with other players in the game.
[edit] Expectations
[edit] Interaction
This may seem like an obvious conclusion, but it bears stating: you are not your characters. This means that your opinions, assumptions and interactions are not necessarily the same as your character's, and vice versa. This also means that other players are not their characters, either. For example, George Byron is an asshole, but that doesn't necessarily mean that his player is also an arrogant prick. Byron says and does offensive, objectionable things on a regular basis, but that doesn't mean that, if you're offended by these things, you should hate his player for them. While that behavior doesn't make Byron a good person, it's reasonable given his characterization. He's not meant to be a good person. Part of exploring his character and personality means potentially not liking what turns up, and that's true of any character in the game. Seeing the darker, less likeable side of individual characters should affect only your opinion of that character- not the person playing him or her. Sammie Coleridge might despise George Byron right now, but their players get along just fine, and that attitude is the one to which we expect our players to adhere.
[edit] Information
Occasionally throughout the course of the game, players will be given information that characters should not be aware of. Much of the information contained in the Meta section falls under this heading, as does insight into other characters' motivations, backstory or private lives that may be discussed OOCly with other players. Unless your character has been given or otherwise acquired this information ICly, it is not to be used by him or her in gameplay. You are welcome to discuss with other players how that information might be passed along ICly, but until and unless that occurs, it's to be considered unknown.
[edit] Application
We ask that our players maintain a healthy separation between their characters and themselves. While it's perfectly acceptable to be emotionally impacted by what happens in the game- why else do we play but for the rush of it?- it's not okay to take it strongly to heart. Celebrate your characters' milestones and victories, mourn their disappointments and losses, but throughout remember that these are not things that are happening to you.
It's okay if you have to walk away, sometimes. A well-crafted character in a well-played scene should tug at the emotions, but it shouldn't overwhelm. If it gets to be too much... take a step back. Take a few minutes, a couple of hours, a day, and regain an appropriate perspective. It'll ultimately be more fun that way.
