Roleplay Assistance (RPA) is the option for staff to help you RP things that you can't do on your own in exchange for quest points. Help RPA has a good deal of info, but sometimes it is hard to know whether something is appropriate to get help with. Here's a set of questions you can ask yourself to look at things the same way I will:
Are you ICly a good choice to handle this?
-If there are players out there who are in positions that are designed to
handle this sort of issue, it creates more roleplay if you go to them.
Especially if they are able to handle it with code, whereas you need staff
help, it's probably best to involve other players, rather than staff!
Is there a code system which already handles this?
-If there is a code system which does some function, then you should use
that system instead of going to staff. We understand that there are
drawbacks, risks and downsides to some code systems - we put them there for
a reason, to moderate how people do this. Instead, staff are here to help
with things for which there is no code system. In fact, we may sometimes
implement systems that replace things staff used to handle.
Would it be fair if the other side did their equivalent of the same thing?
-Sometimes things seem fair when you look at it from your point of view.
However, when you look at it from the other side, it may look different.
If you're a Reeve or Knight, would it upset you if the criminals or mages
you are trying to catch did something similar? Same for the 'bad guys'
working against the law. The staff don't want to give preferential
treatment to either side - obviously the limitations of each side are
different, but there should be similar levels of capability on each side.
How does this help RP?
-When staff help with something, the result should be that RP is increased
or it is allowed to continue and grow in ways it might not otherwise have
been able to. If it wouldn't be good for RP, it isn't really appropriate
for the staff to do.
Does this contradict theme?
-Staff assistance should never contradict theme. That's not to say that
everything you do always needs to be a part of theme, but those exceptions
should be things you are doing, reinforcing theme as the exception that
proves the rule. NPCs and general circumstances that are staff-controlled
things should be expected to act within theme. Be creative with your
ideas, and then think how they would play out in a medieval world.
Does it destroy places or the feel of them?
- The staff creates rooms and areas to provide a certain niche for roleplay
or to serve a certain purpose, and a lot of staff time and love goes into
building them. To limit the amount of time we have to spend rebuilding
things we've already built, we prefer not to destroy any rooms. We may
sometimes make exceptions in special cases, but it will require the
agreement of the staff who built it and/or who will need to build something
to replace it. Temporary stuff like fires that only appear in moods before
it returns to its normal state is generally more in line with our
expectations. We may also want to avoid reworking places, even if it makes
them nicer, if it removes a certain niche for roleplay. Even seedy folks
need somewhere to play. Of course, your own phome is yours and doesn't
fall prey to these same limits!
Do you know what you're doing?
-Think about whether your idea for staff assistance is what you want to do
or what you want to get. Before staff can help you, we need to know your
plan of what to actually do. How you do something affects your chances for
success, how it will affect roleplay and what we need to roll. If you only
know your final goal, you may need think it through and plan a little
still.
