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We heard about an IC situation where players RPed creatively and 'in theory' added to theme. There were a few things about what happened that raised hackles for the players involved, so the staff started to discuss the issue. Over the years, people have added wonderful things to the theme - the Sable Masque, Tubori wearing kilts, guild ranks - all of these things, just to name a few. When a theme catches on, we tend to add it to the game in the form of a help file, and sometimes even to add other support for it.

To spare the individuals involved in the raised hackles, though, but still illicit opinions, I'll pose an example situation for us to discuss that highlights the recent staff discussion that made us second guess our openness to player contribution... We definitively think that there should be policy around this, but just aren't sure -what- the policy should be for the game to be its best going forth. So, without further ado, here is a case study that did not really happen, but parallels what DID happen to get people talking:

CASE STUDY

Annae is roleplaying with Briat. She RPs that she found a stick in the woods. Annae shows it to Briat saying that when she picked it up, she was pretty sure her hand started to itch. The item is, in fact, a simple stick. She has no way of knowing OOCly if the stick is magical or what effects it might have, but is adding this itching effect for the purpose of entertaining RP. Briat takes the stick and examines it, then decides to see what the stick can do, so he swirls it around in a glass of water. As he's doing so, Annae prepares a tell to let him know that if he swirls it around in the water, the water will freeze. Unfortunately before she can send a tell, ICly Briat states that the stick causes the water to turn black, which he says is taint. Subsequently, he reports to the Order that Annae is tainted by this stick.

So here are some concerns this line of RP might raise for staff:

1) Is Briat getting Annae into trouble without a realistic cause-effect action from Annae that would warrant that? When should this be allowed and not? What's the acid test?
2) Themewise, can a stick turn water black? To what degree should staff staff control and vette theme? How do we ensure theme is cohesive and not violated, but rather gainfully extended? When should we recognize player's additions to the theme and when should we ignore them, and when should we step in and say 'no'?
3) Can Briat make this stick into an item of personal power? Is he abusing the flexibility of RP emotes to increase his IC power without investing to earn it (a deus ex machina to power in the vein of 'My uncle's a Cardinal, and he says you're a heretic!')
4) But how can we stop the problems we see above but still ENCOURAGE (more than just allow) player flexibility and creativity to shine?
5) And how do we keep our hands out of the pie and instill a low overhead of staff involvement?
6) Obviously, we want to protect players and the game as a whole from abuse/power mongering, but how do we detect that and prevent it whilst still ENCOURAGING players to make things up and enjoy their scenes and use the theme instead of being straight-jacketed by it?
7) Finally, how do we encourage Briat and Annae to respect one another as RP partners and to work together around what they have established, and be cooperative?
8) Are there special things that need to be treated differently, such as players making up the supernatural versus the non?
9) Is there a place or point when Annae should say no? Should she call the staff in to arbitrate or manage Briat herself? Is there actually anything wrong with the scene above?

Love the player feedback, please tell us what you think our policies should be around this sort of thing! Thanks :)

I feel that if you're RPing "magic" effects of something you should at least be discussing with the imms (and using RPA potentially) whether or not it fits within the existing theme...

I have to be honest and say that I don't want to be arbitrating people's magic RP all the time. It's both a matter of work load and wanting to give players free license to enjoy their RP and own creativity instead of being limited by my ideas.

To a degree, I accept that it's my role as a staff member to get in and arbitrate when things are going wrong, but I also don't think that's every single little IC action a player gets up to - it should, in my mind, only be for BIG ISSUES. RPing about a stick? Does that really require staff?

I think some of the issues arise around the fact that Briat may get Annae in trouble, and Annae is probably getting upset with him because he's going on and making her RP thing into something she didn't want it to be. He's also ICly arming himself with a stick that has powers ICly that he has personally dictated what they are, which may or may not contravene magical theme,and did it really require anything other than his say-so? He's also probably misrepresenting what could actually happen ICly with that stick given world mechanics - maybe, anyway? All of these are things that cause staff to WANT to step in here.

The flip side are the things about wanting players to control their own RP, be creative, add and extend theme when appropriate, encourage people to actually take charge of their scenes and go all out to have fun. This is so extremely important that it seriously makes staff want to stay out of it.

How would you intervene, or not, and why? Is there a policy you'd like to see to address this stuff?

This is a textbook example from freeform roleplay in other media. It's godmodding on Briat's part.

The cardinal rule here must be OOC communication. Briat must be aware that Annae is ad-libbing that the stick gave her itches. She is in charge of the stick's story. The stick is an extension of Annae's character. Stomping in on what "her" stick does is thus godmodding.

The proper handling of this would be Briat sending a tell/osay to Annae asking "Do something happen when I stir the stick in the water?" Alternatively, he could tell her his idea: "I'm thinking the stick makes the water black - but just so you know, my character would consider this 'taint'. What do you say?"

Annae would then have had a chance to respond OOC. Maybe she'd like Briat's story idea better than her own, maybe she'll push her own. But it's Annae's show - she has the final say since she introduced the stick and it's clear she did so with something in mind. If she wants to give Briat free reign she need to explicitly tell him so.

I'm not too concerned about Briat ad-hoc "arming" himself with an item of power. The stick is just a dumb stick, it has no coded power. So whenever he meets some other Player he'd have to OOC agree with that player that the stick actually has power - otherwise he can stand there waving his stick IC and shouldn't be surprised if the other person just stands there looking at him with a quizzical expression.
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Empheba

I guess my main problem is that it seems like a preposterous escalation. The much more rational explanation is that it's *just* a stick, so to wave it over the water randomly like it's obviously a supernatural stick stretches believability and coherence to its limits.

As for how to handle it, if the two of them can't work it out, then I suppose letting it go on to other players is okay. This is one point where I guess we have to trust us players to put on our big boy pants and be self-limiting in terms of the IC hysteria.

I can think of three or four other explanations besides Annae having taint, and I think that's really the point. The rules about alt crossover can help keep Annae from getting railroaded to the pyre, and I would think that the many different possible explanations would be recognizable to the folks playing the Order characters.

For example: Briat's explanation is that Annae is now tainted. Well, a few minutes in the hot seat about how he touched the stick as well and may also be tainted is going to quickly help the person playing Briat understand the need to avoid godmodding and tenuous storylines.

All else failing, log log log and appeal the death.

Basically, there are already things in place that can mitigate things like this and help everybody play nice with the other kids in the sandbox.

BTW, in this scenario is Briat a mage?

Assume yes, then say what you think.

Assume no, then say what you think.

I'm curious to know what the difference would be in your mind, Geras. :)

If yes he is a mage, then he should be using the guidelines in fecho/focus. Using your own magic to frame a muggle for witchcraft is as old as TI, though preferably he'd actually be using those coded commands if he's going to actually harm someone like this.

If no then he's just a bad RPer. It's no different from me emoting "A bolt of lighting descends from the sky and kills you. You're dead!"

*grin* You make me smile with your examples.

*throws lightning bolts as parting kisses*