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Some other players asked for some people to try and explain role playing in terms of IC and OOC in a different forum thread, but I will make my own so that it's easier to read. I'll probably comment on what was said in the other post as well so...Thanks Gabocha and Raethe.
This is a serious look at serious role playing. Of course you are always allowed to joke around and bend the rules of role playing, but this is a look at how to properly handle yourself as a monster in the world of Uthgol, so I will be frowning upon any out of character joking around. Although there are some VERY FUNNY examples in here…
Whindanser's Guide to Role Playing in Grendel's Revenge
When entering the world of Uthgol, the setting of Grendel's Revenge, you have to realize that you taking on the role of a Monster, not a Human. Monster's act differently than Humans being more animalistic and carnal than thier pink skinned brethren (more on Pinkies and Uglies later).
Because you are a Monster inside the game and a Human outside the game, there can be conflicts between what your Monster thinks and what you as a (weak and pathetic) Human thinks. This is called In Character (you playing the game) versus Out Of Character (what happens in real life outside the game) conflict.
Quick Guide to Grendel Revenge's Shorthand
Be familiar with the shorthand that people use within the game as they play.
In Character = IC
Out of Character = OOC
In Game = IG
Lag = Mist
Ugly, Pink Skin, Pinkie = Humans...your enemy
Bonie, Deady = Some IC terms for a player of the Undead Caste
Birdy, Birdy-Cat, Kitty = Some IC terms for a player of the Chimera Caste
Bull, Cow = Some IC terms for a player of the Humanoid Caste (in those two cases, specifially Minotaurs)
Guide to speaking In Character and Out of Character (remember IC and OOC)
When speaking about something OOC always use brackets instead of saying regularly. This denotes that the knowledge or topic of conversation is not meant for the world of Uthgol. For example:
In Character talk:
Whindanser the Gryphon growls, “How did the battle between you and Malice go?”
Blackhand the Orc mutters, “I got killed”
Out of Character talk:
Whindanser the Gryphon growls, “[have you heard about the War in Iraq?]
Blackhand the Orc yaps, [Yeah…we kicked butt!]
Another good suggestion is to whisper what you say out of character to the person you are talking to. That way only the person you want to hear it, actually does hear it. Nobody else can hear whispering.
For example:
Blackhand the Orc whispers to you [I think you’re kinda cute…I saw your picture on the internet]
Whindanser the Gryphon shudders.
Rythgen the Minotaur roars, “What are you shuddering about?”
Rythgen doesn’t know what was said to me…He should thank Grendel too! J
The In Character vs Out Of Character Conflict (IC vs OOC)
This is a concept which is very difficult to fully grasp. Even players who have been in the game for a year can have a difficult time distinguishing what their character knows versus what you as a player knows. What it boils down to is that you MUST separate the real world, from the world of Grendel’s Revenge.
The very first hurdle you must overcome in the In Character (IC)/Out Of Character (OOC) conflict is your choice of name. You must choose a name that fits your character, NOT you as the person sitting at the computer. For example, BritneySpears the Ogre, while somewhat amusing can not be taken seriously inside the game world. There are two problems with that name. First is that it is two words within the name. Having two words as your name can be confusing and it is not good form for Role Playing. On occasion it can work, such as Swordbreaker the Minotaur. It fits well and has a good flow to it, but generally you should stick to one word. Secondly, you are taking something you know from Earth into Uthgol. Your character does not know who Brittney Spears is, even though you DO know who she is. An example of a good name would be Magnar the Ogre. It’s a fantasy/made-up name that seems to fit well with an Ogre. You can have a fantasy name and still have a problem IC. For example Fairy The Ogre, Gryphon the Ogre, or Gandalf the Ogre all are names that really can’t fit with an Ogre in character or they come from other sources and distort your character’s image.
In Character problems that arise
When you are In Character (IC) you are taking on the role of a monster, you are no longer a person at a computer. You are in Uthgol, no longer in Earth. The things you know is the knowledge you gain within the game. For example:
Rythgen the Minotaur rumbles, “I got a new car today”
Whindanser the Gryphon growls, “What’s a car?”
Because he didn’t use brackets [] to surround his speech, I have to react as though he is speaking IC. As a Gryphon, I have no clue what a car is. But of course OOC I know what it is…however YOU CAN NOT act on something in character when it happens or deals with something out of character
Situations arise when people use OOC terms and items within the game. These should either be ignored totally or you should ask the person to stay In Character. For example:
Shadar the Basilisk pulls out a gun and pops a cap in your arse!
Whindanser the Gryphon stares blankly as nothing happens.
Whindanser the Gryphon growls, “[Dude, you don’t have a gun]”
Shadar the Basilisk snaps his talons.
In Uthgol there are no such things as guns so this was Shadar taking something out of character, and bringing it IN character. This can also be called Power Emoting, which will be discussed further on.
Many, many, MANY, people fall into the trap about talking about your character and other character’s statistics and information that they gained out of character via the forums etc, while in character. Example
Bear the Ogre grunts, “I’m a level 24 tyrant…can I be in your clan?”
Whindanser the Gryphon growls, “What do you mean a level 44? You’re weird, no you can’t be in my clan”
Bear the Ogre grunts, “Aww but I put 200 ranks in my Warmongerer and Spirituality, I’d be so good!”
Whindanser the Gryphon growls, “What do you mean 200 ranks? And what is Warmongerer…and Spirituatlity”
You can absolutely talk about your character and his statistics. Either put Brackets [] around it, or talk about it in character. For example:
Bear the Ogre grunts, “I’m a young ambitious leader…bent on tyranny and destruction. Do you have a fitting place for me in your clan?”
Whindanser the Gryphon growls, “We have ambitious leaders already…what skills can you bring to us to make us better?”
Bear the Ogre grunts, “I have trained hard in learning ways of teaching warriors how to fight better. My warriors fight with more skill and strength than others. Furthermore, I have aligned my spirit with Grendel so that I may take power from my prayers. My Shaman are able to concentrate better at their healing…having more energy to do so.
In this way he didn’t specifically say what he had, but you can easily surmise what his skills are by the way he described them in his speech. Some skills such as Heal and Hide are self-explanatory so a “I can heal people” or “I can hide” comment is perfectly acceptable.
In Character Power Emoting and Abusive Emoting
Power emoting refers to doing an action to another player that forces them to take an action which they did not take, often times outside the game mechanics. This can be EXTREMELY bad form because it is very unrealistic. An example:
Jinn the Scarab whines to Whindanser the Gryphon, “I’m gonna eat you!”
Jinn the Scarab picks you up and swallows you whole!
Whindanser the Gryphon taps his foot idly.
Whindanser the Gryphon snorts, “[Uh…no you didn’t]
He didn’t eat me and he can’t possibly eat me because he’s the size of a beetle and I’m the size of a lion, also it’s not within the game mechanics. Now, if Jinn and I wanted to fool around a bit, it can be done while staying in character, granted the situation is a bit ridiculous, but it’s possible if I wanted to eat him and he wanted to play along.
Whindanser the Gryphon picks up Jinn the Scarab and swallows him whole!
Whindanser the Gryphon pats his belly contentedly.
Jinn the Scarab crawls through Whindanser the Gryphon’s intestines using his hard shell to defend him from stomach acid.
Whindanser the Gryphon squirms uncomfortably.
Jinn the Scarab flies from Whindanser the Gryphon’s backside letting out a savage roar!
Whindanser the Gryphon faints!
Because I know that Jinn is a person who will role play, I can do this and see what happens KNOWING that he’ll role play out the situation. I good practice is to whisper an out of character message to the player asking him if you can do something to him and he’ll play along.
Abusive Emoting is doing something over and over and over again that will annoy other players. A quick example:
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Whindanser the Gryphon growls, “Stop”
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Whindanser the Gryphon sighs.
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
As you can see…this is very annoying and bad form. Now lets move on to some Out of Character problems…
This is a serious look at serious role playing. Of course you are always allowed to joke around and bend the rules of role playing, but this is a look at how to properly handle yourself as a monster in the world of Uthgol, so I will be frowning upon any out of character joking around. Although there are some VERY FUNNY examples in here…
Whindanser's Guide to Role Playing in Grendel's Revenge
When entering the world of Uthgol, the setting of Grendel's Revenge, you have to realize that you taking on the role of a Monster, not a Human. Monster's act differently than Humans being more animalistic and carnal than thier pink skinned brethren (more on Pinkies and Uglies later).
Because you are a Monster inside the game and a Human outside the game, there can be conflicts between what your Monster thinks and what you as a (weak and pathetic) Human thinks. This is called In Character (you playing the game) versus Out Of Character (what happens in real life outside the game) conflict.
Quick Guide to Grendel Revenge's Shorthand
Be familiar with the shorthand that people use within the game as they play.
In Character = IC
Out of Character = OOC
In Game = IG
Lag = Mist
Ugly, Pink Skin, Pinkie = Humans...your enemy
Bonie, Deady = Some IC terms for a player of the Undead Caste
Birdy, Birdy-Cat, Kitty = Some IC terms for a player of the Chimera Caste
Bull, Cow = Some IC terms for a player of the Humanoid Caste (in those two cases, specifially Minotaurs)
Guide to speaking In Character and Out of Character (remember IC and OOC)
When speaking about something OOC always use brackets instead of saying regularly. This denotes that the knowledge or topic of conversation is not meant for the world of Uthgol. For example:
In Character talk:
Whindanser the Gryphon growls, “How did the battle between you and Malice go?”
Blackhand the Orc mutters, “I got killed”
Out of Character talk:
Whindanser the Gryphon growls, “[have you heard about the War in Iraq?]
Blackhand the Orc yaps, [Yeah…we kicked butt!]
Another good suggestion is to whisper what you say out of character to the person you are talking to. That way only the person you want to hear it, actually does hear it. Nobody else can hear whispering.
For example:
Blackhand the Orc whispers to you [I think you’re kinda cute…I saw your picture on the internet]
Whindanser the Gryphon shudders.
Rythgen the Minotaur roars, “What are you shuddering about?”
Rythgen doesn’t know what was said to me…He should thank Grendel too! J
The In Character vs Out Of Character Conflict (IC vs OOC)
This is a concept which is very difficult to fully grasp. Even players who have been in the game for a year can have a difficult time distinguishing what their character knows versus what you as a player knows. What it boils down to is that you MUST separate the real world, from the world of Grendel’s Revenge.
The very first hurdle you must overcome in the In Character (IC)/Out Of Character (OOC) conflict is your choice of name. You must choose a name that fits your character, NOT you as the person sitting at the computer. For example, BritneySpears the Ogre, while somewhat amusing can not be taken seriously inside the game world. There are two problems with that name. First is that it is two words within the name. Having two words as your name can be confusing and it is not good form for Role Playing. On occasion it can work, such as Swordbreaker the Minotaur. It fits well and has a good flow to it, but generally you should stick to one word. Secondly, you are taking something you know from Earth into Uthgol. Your character does not know who Brittney Spears is, even though you DO know who she is. An example of a good name would be Magnar the Ogre. It’s a fantasy/made-up name that seems to fit well with an Ogre. You can have a fantasy name and still have a problem IC. For example Fairy The Ogre, Gryphon the Ogre, or Gandalf the Ogre all are names that really can’t fit with an Ogre in character or they come from other sources and distort your character’s image.
In Character problems that arise
When you are In Character (IC) you are taking on the role of a monster, you are no longer a person at a computer. You are in Uthgol, no longer in Earth. The things you know is the knowledge you gain within the game. For example:
Rythgen the Minotaur rumbles, “I got a new car today”
Whindanser the Gryphon growls, “What’s a car?”
Because he didn’t use brackets [] to surround his speech, I have to react as though he is speaking IC. As a Gryphon, I have no clue what a car is. But of course OOC I know what it is…however YOU CAN NOT act on something in character when it happens or deals with something out of character
Situations arise when people use OOC terms and items within the game. These should either be ignored totally or you should ask the person to stay In Character. For example:
Shadar the Basilisk pulls out a gun and pops a cap in your arse!
Whindanser the Gryphon stares blankly as nothing happens.
Whindanser the Gryphon growls, “[Dude, you don’t have a gun]”
Shadar the Basilisk snaps his talons.
In Uthgol there are no such things as guns so this was Shadar taking something out of character, and bringing it IN character. This can also be called Power Emoting, which will be discussed further on.
Many, many, MANY, people fall into the trap about talking about your character and other character’s statistics and information that they gained out of character via the forums etc, while in character. Example
Bear the Ogre grunts, “I’m a level 24 tyrant…can I be in your clan?”
Whindanser the Gryphon growls, “What do you mean a level 44? You’re weird, no you can’t be in my clan”
Bear the Ogre grunts, “Aww but I put 200 ranks in my Warmongerer and Spirituality, I’d be so good!”
Whindanser the Gryphon growls, “What do you mean 200 ranks? And what is Warmongerer…and Spirituatlity”
You can absolutely talk about your character and his statistics. Either put Brackets [] around it, or talk about it in character. For example:
Bear the Ogre grunts, “I’m a young ambitious leader…bent on tyranny and destruction. Do you have a fitting place for me in your clan?”
Whindanser the Gryphon growls, “We have ambitious leaders already…what skills can you bring to us to make us better?”
Bear the Ogre grunts, “I have trained hard in learning ways of teaching warriors how to fight better. My warriors fight with more skill and strength than others. Furthermore, I have aligned my spirit with Grendel so that I may take power from my prayers. My Shaman are able to concentrate better at their healing…having more energy to do so.
In this way he didn’t specifically say what he had, but you can easily surmise what his skills are by the way he described them in his speech. Some skills such as Heal and Hide are self-explanatory so a “I can heal people” or “I can hide” comment is perfectly acceptable.
In Character Power Emoting and Abusive Emoting
Power emoting refers to doing an action to another player that forces them to take an action which they did not take, often times outside the game mechanics. This can be EXTREMELY bad form because it is very unrealistic. An example:
Jinn the Scarab whines to Whindanser the Gryphon, “I’m gonna eat you!”
Jinn the Scarab picks you up and swallows you whole!
Whindanser the Gryphon taps his foot idly.
Whindanser the Gryphon snorts, “[Uh…no you didn’t]
He didn’t eat me and he can’t possibly eat me because he’s the size of a beetle and I’m the size of a lion, also it’s not within the game mechanics. Now, if Jinn and I wanted to fool around a bit, it can be done while staying in character, granted the situation is a bit ridiculous, but it’s possible if I wanted to eat him and he wanted to play along.
Whindanser the Gryphon picks up Jinn the Scarab and swallows him whole!
Whindanser the Gryphon pats his belly contentedly.
Jinn the Scarab crawls through Whindanser the Gryphon’s intestines using his hard shell to defend him from stomach acid.
Whindanser the Gryphon squirms uncomfortably.
Jinn the Scarab flies from Whindanser the Gryphon’s backside letting out a savage roar!
Whindanser the Gryphon faints!
Because I know that Jinn is a person who will role play, I can do this and see what happens KNOWING that he’ll role play out the situation. I good practice is to whisper an out of character message to the player asking him if you can do something to him and he’ll play along.
Abusive Emoting is doing something over and over and over again that will annoy other players. A quick example:
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Whindanser the Gryphon growls, “Stop”
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Whindanser the Gryphon sighs.
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
Synchar the Hobgoblin pokes you.
As you can see…this is very annoying and bad form. Now lets move on to some Out of Character problems…
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