OOC - Out of Character: This term describes when you, as a player, are talking to another player about any topic but the words are not from your character directly.
IC - In Character: Obviously, the opposite of OOC. When you are in complete roleplaying mode, channeling your character.
One of the keys to enjoyable roleplay is being able to find a good mix between OOC and IC. We trust players are able to divide OOC and IC where it comes to developments, character-actions and information. Still, players are encouraged to shape their character's IC actions in ways that are OOC-ly enjoyable for all players involved.
Developments
During roleplay, a measure of identification and emotional attachment to a character is only normal - It happens to us all when we read a book or watch a movie. It may certainly happen when you create and play a character yourself. Indeed, heavy attachment often is the flip-side of an engaged and active player.
Still, it is important to seperate IC emotions from OOC emotions - IC goals and achievements from OOC desires. You are the player, enjoying your character's story; a story that can only be interesting with ups and downs. Failure or loss for the character does not reflect on the player. Indeed, sometimes a player may choose for their character to make mistakes. After all, IC hardship for a character can be a lot of OOC fun. Of course all good things come in good measure, and when the story becomes old or too hopeless, you always have the option to negotiate with your fellow players and Staff.
Character-actions
It is important to separate the (N)PC and their IC actions from their players/staffers and OOC goals. You are not your character, and neither are the other participants in the game. This is a particularly important thing to remember on a vampire-MUSH that thrives on player-driven conflict. Vampires are nasty powerhungry creatures, but the players behind them should try to be considerate to each other's wishes and desires. A character can IC-ly be an antagonistic jerk, whereas their player OOC-ly aims to forward interesting story. Without players willing to pick up an antagonistic role, the MUSH would be a boring place indeed. Please try to appreciate both, your protagonists and antagonists, and (if at all possible) please try to frame your character's actions in a way that is IC and thematic, but OOC-ly enjoyable for all players involved.
Information
If a player knows some information out of character, it DOES NOT mean that their character knows it. A character can only know what it learned via IC means and subsequently a character can only base decisions on IC facts and knowledge. This sounds very easy, but often it is not. Trying to determine what your character knows, could know, or can anticipate on is one of the most difficult things in roleplay. OOC knowledge is likely to influence IC decisions one way or another, no matter how hard the player tries to avoid this. After all, even when you have your character play ignorant about something you learned OOC, you take away its chance to speculate and discover that information on its own.
As a general rule Staff feels OOC exchange of IC information is undesirable. Giving out OOC information (such as IC plans, plots, mysteries or paging people information their lores do not give access to) is detrimental to enjoyment and may spoil the game. Using OOC information to forward IC purposes is considered cheating and even when players did not do so (consciously), it may give way to accusations and paranoia. This is why we ask players to be very careful with the OOC-exchange of IC information.
Please do not tell friends and other players information that they would not know IC.
To preserve the atmosphere of mystery and suspense, such information should not be given out to those whose characters have not gained it through roleplay.
The only exception to the above is when OOC communication of IC information is necessary during negotiation, including negotiation on plot-development between characters.
Guidelines on OOC and IC exchanges
LAmush provides many different channels by which you may access information and sometimes it may be confusing what information is IC and OOC. Please find general guidelines on IC and OOC information below:
| OOC Channels | |
| +OOC | Things said in OOC rooms generally are OOC |
| Pages | Pages are always Out of Character; except when the player explicitly tells you to interpret it IC - for example when a player sends you thoughts picked up via telepathy. When you need to negotiate things with other players OOC-ly, please aim to use page. |
| OOC <text> | Things said with the <>OOC<> prefix are OOC as well. It is generally used when you need to communicate OOC-information to all participants present in the same IC room. |
| Use of Commands | Automated messages triggered by use of commands (such as +contests, expenditure of bloodpoints and willpower or hunting-notifications) are generally OOC. You cannot know something happened unless it was posed or negotiated. |
| Negotiation code | Things learned via code to help players negotiate what they can do, are generally OOC. This includes display of power-cards, proving stats, showing +jnotes or +notifies. |
| Command and Speech sweepers | Things learned from Command and Speech sweepers are OOC. |
| Examine | The Examine command is OOC, though Investigation may be used. |
| Channel talk | All channel-talk is OOC. Please do not exchange IC information over channel. |
| @mail is OOC unless specified otherwise. @mail can be used to send IC letters, emails or sometimes, poses. | |
| Real Life chatter | Things learned from roommates, SOs, friends, are OOC, unless an IC meeting occurs, or is alluded to. |
| +who | Information on +who is OOC. |
| Character Names | Characters do not wear batches with their names, nor do they have a mark that tags them 'vampire'. You may need a meeting or introduction before you IC-ly know who they are. |
| IC Channels | |
| Any pose in an IC room | Any pose via emit, say or otherwise is considered IC. |
| Descriptions | Descriptions of rooms, places, objects and characters are IC. Views may sometimes hold OOC messages. In addition - A character's description sometimes emits a stigma. In this case, you should +explain stigma to check if you could notice its presence. |
| Backgrounds | Backgrounds provide IC information that is known, or can be uncovered, about a character. |
| Lores | Lores list what your character IC-ly knows about a specific topic, such as vampires, the Camarilla etc. |
| Rumors | Any rumors you hear are IC. |
| Investigation | Information you find via investigation-commands (rumors, hunters, status, phone-taps etc.) is IC. |
| Boons | Information you can find via the Boons-command is IC. Boons are public knowledge. |
| Bonds | Information in your Bond-list is OOC. You only know what your character knows. |
