Interacting with Other Players

Once your Character begins to interact with another Character, it becomes loosely Turn Based. This simply means that you should give the other Player ample time to enter his/her Character's reaction to what your Character has said or done. How long to wait between entries is a matter of common sense. There will of course be times when there will be no reaction at all and you should go ahead and post your next action.

Playing your character is as easy and difficult as being able to see life from the perspective of another being. However because we use words to describe this perspective and not pictures, it means that no two players will ever be envisioning exactly the same scene, let alone the same details. Therefore it is important, when interracting with other Players, to describe your Characters words and actions in as much or little detail as is necessary for them to understand your intent.

When describing your Character approaching another, for example, you may want to let them know from which side and how quickly.

For example you could just say: Lady_Silhouette : walks up and asks to sit down with Jim.

But it would be more clear and interesting for Jim's Player if you entered: Lady_Silhouette : strolls casually across the room from her seat at the bar, stopping at Jim's table. She stands to his right side, and while motioning to the empty chair across from him says “do you mind if I sit down?”.

The interraction can continue from there with some more action or idle talk, as both Players prefer. Jim's Player might feel like RPing out a casual conversation and have Jim invite Silhouette to sit and drink with him. Or his Player might be looking for some more action and have his Character be rude to Silhouette with the intent to start a fight. At this point Silhouette's Player then gets to help choose the way the RP will go as well. If invited will Silhouette sit and drink?, or will she be the one to be rude and aggressive in hopes of fighting. Or if Jim is rude then will Silhouette just walk away mumbling about ignorant swordsmen or will she take the bait and continue the aggression and fight? All of this is up to the Players.

It is important to remember that while you might be looking for a fight with your Character the other Players may not want that. And the same goes in reverse - if you want to have simple conversation between Characters the other might be looking for a fight. Sometimes it is easy to tell the Player's intentions by the Character's actions, and sometimes it is not. If you are not sure and are concerned about what the other Player is intending it is always best to ask. Just sending them a Private Message is the best way to do this, as it doesn't interrupt the scene in the public chat.

If it turns out you both intend to just have relatively peaceful interactions with your Characters then knowing this should help you to relax a bit and enjoy the scene. If you both had different intentions, then at that point you have to decide if one will compromise or if you will quit the scene. There is absolutely no point in continuing the scene if one of you wants to combat with your Characters and the other does not. This will only lead to arguments and hard feelings and gameplay that both of you will not enjoy, and neither will the other Players having to watch the arguments.

With the proper groundwork set up, and if both Players are wanting to combat with their Characters at that time, then they can move on to the potential to effect or harm each other.