Guide to Role-Play

From AUWiki

Introduction

Role-play (RP) is an activity which requires players to assume roles of fictional characters and creating stories with one another. This happens through in-character interaction, following the guidelines below while keeping in mind the sim back-story and universe.

Our community does not believe in winning or losing. Our role-play is about forging stories, creative situations and relationships between other characters.

Common Abbreviations


Abbreviation	Meaning
RP	Role-play
RL / IRL	Real-Life/ In-Real-life
OOC	Out of Character
IC	In Character
SY	Shipyard
AU	Anno Unitas (Age of Unity)
CSF	Civil Sentry Force

Avatar Appearance and Behavior

All avatars should adhere to the appearance and behavior defined below. Details on races are subject to changes as the community and stories in the Shipyard evolve over time.

Human

Human History: This race originates from Earth, a world in the Sol System and one of the very few in the galaxy capable of sustaining complex life. Its history, though marred with self-destruction, endured through technological advancement and the will to survive.

Current: At the brink of the new century, major cities on United Earth face an influx of galactic immigration. While world governments have merged into one Global Authority, not all mindsets have. From social movements to xenophobic discrimination, humanity is just beginning to learn how to coexist with hybrids and aliens.

Human Avatar Guidelines: Sneakers and jeans went out of fashion decades ago.

Hybrid

Hybrid History: In wake of WWIII and the nuclear fallout, millions of humans were left displaced in largely uninhabitable regions. In fear of extinction, the newly formed Global Authority established laboratories and took in the willing. Scientists fused animal DNA to cybernetic implants, creating whole new races of augmented humans, dubbed hybrids.

Current: As Earth naturally survived and the experiments shut down, hybrid races were left to assimilate into human society a century later. Facing discrimination and isolation, some escaped to colonize elsewhere. Those who remain now attempt to make a new life.

Hybrid Avatar Guidelines: Shapes must remain primarily human-like, with addition to certain features which may represent Cyborgs (cybernetic implants), Nekos (ears and tail), etc. Furry avatars will not be acceptable.

Automaton

Current: Robotics and artificial intelligence are at the brink of evolution. Most droids, programmed with A.I. limitations, are primarily used for labor. Built by humans, they're often working menial jobs in restaurants, cleaning the city streets, and doing various odd jobs.

Automaton Avatar Guidelines: You're basically a working droid. Tasked with fairly simple jobs, you'll find it a great role for observational and relaxed role-play. Avatars depicting famous/lead robot characters from movies/shows are not allowed (ie. R2D2, Bender, etc.)

Alien

Race Profiles: See Alien Races (Arkkans, Vissians, Ionians, Orions)

Alien History: First-contact occurred shortly after Earth's unification and it's push into deep space.

Current: Earth holds its reputation with the galactic community as a rich planet seeded with vast amounts of opportunity. Space-faring species interact with the Terran (human) home world, forming trade alliances and settling in cities. Humans are sometimes overly cautious and suspicious of aliens, as xenophobia is apparent. Though aliens are often scrutinized by law-enforcement , most find their niche in the city. Whether they have arrived on Earth to exploit its resources or to seek refuge from an unwanted past, foreign species have become an important part of mankind’s future.

Alien Avatar Guidelines: It is highly recommended to use pick one of the common alien race. The only difference between species are their physical appearance (skin-tone, body features), cultural background and temperament. No species is allowed to have superior strength, special mental powers (ie. telepathy), or any another ability that would unfairly give advantage to an individual. Be prepared to describe in detail your origins and appearance in your application. Remember; the theme is science fiction. No movie-themed avatars (ie. Chewbacca, E.T., etc.). Furry avatars will not be acceptable. Skin Previews: http://shipyard.sl/discuss/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=68

In-Character Communication

Writer's Point-of-View

You are the narrator in the stories your character participate in. Write in third-person perspective (using pronouns such as he, she, they, their, herself, himself, themselves, etc.).

Example: /me opens the door and steps in. She looks around the room before closing it behind her.

Emote Command (/me) Usage

Emoting in SL means to use the “/me” command following a description of what your character is physically doing.

When communicating, you should learn to mix emotes and chat properly. Abbreviations such as ‘lol’, ‘haha’, ‘omg’, etc. are NOT acceptable – use the “/me” command to emote laughter instead. Example of what you’d type:

Example: /me laughs her ass off!

All physical actions should be emoted. Here’s a combination example of talking to someone in 3rd-person perspective while emoting an action:

Example: /me takes a step back and holds up her hands. “Don’t come any closer!”

Turns

Role-play is also “turn-based”, which means when you post text to others, you should wait for them to respond with their own emote/chat. We recommend you only post ONCE and then wait for others' response – posting multiple times before giving others a chance to respond will create confusion.

Combat

Done in turns, our combat is done purely through written actions and is highly recommended (ie. “/me swings the bat towards her.”). When initiating group raids, leaders MUST coordinate and agree, out-of-character, final outcome before the RP begins. Everything in-between will be determined spontaneously through players’ RP.

Intent

In role-play, it is important that the idea of “winning” and “losing” does not take precedent over the true goal, that is, to create stories and relationships with one another. The outcome of any combat should not end in death or serious harm to another character (unless planned and pre-established)!

Whether you engage in verbal or physical combat, consent between both parties must be established.

Weapons

To be defined! Players are allowed to use small melee weapons (knives, pipes, etc.) until further notice.

Since this is the future, extreme injuries maybe possible. Entire Limbs could potentially be cloned and re-attached through advance medicine and xenobiology. However, such injuries would require a considerable amount of healing time and should not be imposed unless explicit consent was established by the victim.

Powergaming

Role-players who bypass social interaction before attacking (ie. firing a weapon without warning or provocation through role-play), use excessive force during combat without expressed consent, or imposes damage/harm without giving other participants a chance to respond (ie. /me stabs you and runs away) are considered power gamers.

For example, if someone swings a pipe at your head, you may duck to avoid it, and then respond with your own force. However, if 4 people attack you, you wouldn't realistically be able to avoid them all. Also, if you plan to confront a CSF officer, be prepared to get arrested. Claiming to escape in these situations is considered to be unrealistic and unacceptable RP. Power gaming like this will cause you to lose respect amongst other role-players, results in ejection or even banishment. Play fair; it’s more fun!

Metagaming

Metagaming is a form of power-gaming in which a player who takes OOC information, or details which their character would not have known yet, and uses that in-character against someone. This unfair practice is prohibited and would immediately void the role-play you’re conducting.

Tips

When engaged in combat, do not simply IM someone to come help you. You must establish calling for aid through RP first, if even possible to your character. If you find yourself surrounded, you're better of realistically taking the beating rather than having a bunch of your buddies teleport into the sim to help you.
If you've just stepped into a combat scene, wait for a round of posts to get some understanding of the current situation, then ease into the scene with your own post.
Remember, if you’re hurt in RP, we recommend you request for medical/law enforcement help – you will be able to RP with CSF/medical staff, creating extended RP and giving you more opportunity for further fun interactions with others.

Sexual Scenes

Don’t let the pose animations be the extent of your role-play. Instead, use them as a tool to guide your erotic emotes and chat.

Please make sure you’ve established consent and use proper role-play during sexual scenes. Also, do NOT interrupt other people’s scenes – this is extremely rude and will result in ejection or banishment.

Ageplay is STRICTLY prohibited.

Respect One Another

Since this sim requires everyone to be the age of 18+ IRL, all players should act it! Immaturity will not be tolerated. If you have a problem with someone OOC, take it to private instant messages or mute the person bothering you! OOC arguments disrupt role-play and BOTH parties will be warned, ejected or even banned.

If you are warned by a security officer for violation of a rule or improper conduct, they will NOT make the time to discuss or debate it. Rules are clearly stated in “Welcome Guide” that everyone is supposed to read - ignorance is not an excuse.

Remember, treat others as you would want to be treated.