Gossip

[Rigwyn]

This has come up before too.

Let's re-hash though.

While it's a good point that it can detract from the RP experience, the developers have been kind enough to offer a way to completely ignore it if you'd like. Just go into settings and unchecking it, like Demagul said!

There have been select cases where players COMPLETELY ignore you, even in /tells. No forum accounts, no /tell, can't contact them in Gossip. I think this is a bit of overkill, because there are certain RPs where you NEED to be able to make sure things are a-ok. You don't inflict permadeath or many other things on a player without asking.

But as time goes on, I tend to lean this way more and more. I don't always answer tells, I won't always talk to you in gossip. Why? There's a lot of danger in revealing too much OOC, even if you make it clear that it's OOC.

Better to RP with all of your cards ICly up your sleeve.

There used to be an RP addon for WoW that allowed you to mark yourself as a causal or "full time" role player. A full time role player was understood to be someone who wanted absolutely no OOC contact - just strict %100 IC interaction. Those who had this addon would see this marking and an explanation of what these terms meant. If you saw that someone did not want OOC contact, then you could assume that there was no need to ask before attempting to do something nasty to their character.

Although polite, sometimes being asked if an action is ok OOCly really ruins the surprise.

[Cairn]

It does.

Which is why I rarely, rarely ever do. (just remembered you asked me once if I was wolferz. I certainly am not >.>)

The only ones I do are ones that involve true death, for the most part. Or if I know the player well, might be something they need a heads up on.

For the most part though, one needs to roll with the punches.

[Kaerli_Stronwylle]

It does.

Which is why I rarely, rarely ever do. (just remembered you asked me once if I was wolferz. I certainly am not >.>)

The only ones I do are ones that involve true death, for the most part. Or if I know the player well, might be something they need a heads up on.

For the most part though, one needs to roll with the punches.

The problem comes when it's IC for your character to bite back, if you will -- a character that's reacting in a way that's outside the bounds of what other folks construe the plot to involve can be just as problematic as anything else, without being first-order OOC.

[Can-ned Food]

The problem comes when it's IC for your character to bite back, if you will -- a character that's reacting in a way that's outside the bounds of what other folks construe the plot to involve can be just as problematic as anything else, without being first-order OOC.

But isn't that when they should either expand their plot, or isolate (e.g. instance) it?  Maybe we aren't on the same page there.

[Cairn]

If you're running a plot and aren't open for change, then you should go to a game where you can be OOC and controlling, I think.

For instance, in the one that I've been slow-burning recently, there have been several instances of change, and the characters have really had to think outside of the box to make things happen.

I find that in these scenarios, you need to be IC, because just like in real life, if your character really desires something, he or she will do things to get them, correct?

There was once a good RPer several years back who only had one goal, one plot. After the first few tries it became obvious what he was after, but he kept coming up with different ways to try and get there. It was quite effective, and after a while it was funny, and a little bit exciting to guess at what he'd try next.

So if you're able to thwart someone's 'plot', good for you. It's up to them at that point whether the RP is dead or not, no? Because in essence, all it is, is certain people having different goals, and sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.

"We do not control extenuating circumstances. All we control is our reaction to them." IC and OOC.

[Ralas]

I RP'd much more often before there was a gossip channel.  It's just too hard to resist the temptation to start spewing some silly nonsense in there, and then that's where all my attention goes.  PS becomes IRC.  I know I could turn it off, but I don't want to, because I like spewing that silly nonsense.  It's harder to find RP now too, because in my experience, most conversation goes on in that gossip tab.  It's like an RP crutch.

Therefore, even though I was in favor of implementation at the time a gossip channel was first suggested, I think it is nothing but a detractor from the RP environment and if given the choice would remove it from the game entirely.

[Cairn]

Excellent, EXCELLENT point.
I would 2nd.

[Kaerli_Stronwylle]

If you're running a plot and aren't open for change, then you should go to a game where you can be OOC and controlling, I think.

For instance, in the one that I've been slow-burning recently, there have been several instances of change, and the characters have really had to think outside of the box to make things happen.

I find that in these scenarios, you need to be IC, because just like in real life, if your character really desires something, he or she will do things to get them, correct?

There was once a good RPer several years back who only had one goal, one plot. After the first few tries it became obvious what he was after, but he kept coming up with different ways to try and get there. It was quite effective, and after a while it was funny, and a little bit exciting to guess at what he'd try next.

So if you're able to thwart someone's 'plot', good for you. It's up to them at that point whether the RP is dead or not, no? Because in essence, all it is, is certain people having different goals, and sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.

"We do not control extenuating circumstances. All we control is our reaction to them." IC and OOC.

Yet, there seems to be a point, somehow, where thwarting a plot turns into "breaking RP" -- and a character's first-order in-character actions get construed as out-of-character because of it.  Is it really the case that they have no other path to their goals?  Or am I seeing an artifact of sunk cost fallacies and sluggish OODA loops here?  And how do I overcome the mindset that solution velocity is seen as a barrier to RP?