RP Etiquette Tips

Every RP site has rules and common practices. This is not a set of laws, but rather a guideline to be applied at your discretion.


Taking Turns
Usually an RP will have an established order in which the players take their turns. Don’t take your turn out of order unless you’ve discussed it with everyone on the RP. Sometimes it makes sense to switch things around depending on the RP events, but breaking order without a heads up just confuses everyone else and throws them off.


Posting Open Threads
Posting open RPs is a great way to get your character interacting with new people or interact with your current writing partners in new ways.

When posting an open thread, be sure to clearly indicate that it is an open thread. You can also do partially open threads, like “Open RP – TeenWolf”. This will let any players in that fandom know they are welcome to join.

Make the setting clear, if there is one. People have a hard time joining in if they aren’t sure what’s happening. If the setting is irrelevant, keep the opening post vague enough that it could be set anywhere or in some generic location like a coffee shop.

Give people something to work off of. Laying on your couch in your own livingroom is not something people can easily jump in on. It would be weird to just walk into a stranger’s living room and start talking to them in real life – it’s weird in RP, too. Put your character somewhere approachable and try to set up a situation where others can react and reach out. Continuing with the coffee shop idea, you could, for example, have all the windows in the shop break simultaneously due to an explosion across the street. That will definitely get the ball rolling. It’s specific enough that people can respond to it with confidence and open enough that all kinds of characters can fit easily into the situation.



Out Of Character (OOC) vs In Character (IC)
Do not comment OOC on an in-character post. Same goes the other way around: If someone posts something out-of-character, don’t have your character waltz up and start commenting on it. This makes no sense. Your character wouldn’t even be aware of what was being said because it was said OOC. This is a form of metagaming and while it’s not the most egregious variant thereof, it’s still considered a no-no.

Make it clear whether you are posting IC or OOC by using some kind of marks to differentiate. Many people use // before OOC comments or put them in parentheses or brackets so they aren’t mistaken for IC posts. In general, you shouldn’t be jumping back and forth between them on the same thread. It’s very confusing for other players when your character talks about their “friends list” (which is really your friends list, not theirs) or being blocked by another player or some other event that should be handled OOC. Unless you’re intentionally breaking the fourth wall, your character doesn’t know anything about friends lists, blocking, or this site and they shouldn’t be commenting on anything that happens on it outside of your RPs.



Joining Threads In Character
If your character jumps in on a thread, be sure you’re clear what’s happening in the post already. Be at least vaguely familiar with the setting, if there is one, and if you haven’t interacted with any of the characters ever before, be prepared to introduce yourself and explain how you got there.

Be considerate of the mood of the thread. If the other characters are at a funeral, for example, don’t jump in and start cracking jokes, dancing on tables, attacking people, and generally acting like a lunatic*. You’ll look like a griefer and at best will be ignored. More likely, your comments will get deleted and you will get blocked.

*The Joker and Deadpool excepted



Joining Threads Out of Character
Be sure you have something to add to the conversation. Remember that everyone on the thread gets a notification for every comment, so if all you really want to say is “LOL” or “I agree”, perhaps consider sending that via inbox instead. Stay on topic. Nobody likes threadjacking.



Posting OOC
This is a public forum. If you post something publicly, people are likely to comment. If you would prefer people do not comment on your post, perhaps reconsider whether it needs posted here, or make it clear in the post itself that comments are unwelcome. You also have the option of using the site’s privacy settings to control who may comment.



Tagging People
If you would like to limit your post so that only certain people can view/comment on it, the site provides features and settings to allow you to do so. This general guideline is for public posts that anybody can see or comment on.

If people are tagged and it is not otherwise noted as an open post, then the post is intended for those tagged people. Do not comment.



Posting on Someone’s Wall
Posting something on someone’s wall is considered along the same lines as tagging them. Sometimes people will do both. This item is intended for the person upon whose wall it was posted unless otherwise clearly indicated.



Non-Player Characters (NPCs)
Some characters have regular sidekicks that are authored by the same writer as the main character. This character could be a pet, a robot, even a computer program. Treat these NPCs as you would the main character. Do not godmode or metagame them.



In-Game Items
Some characters have regular props that are used by the main character. This could be a hat, a horse, a whip, a lightsaber, or a lucky penny. Do not godmode or metagame them. You wouldn’t just grab somebody else’s stuff in real life so don’t do it in RP unless you’re looking for a fight.



Spoiling for a Rumble
Don’t just randomly insult or attack other characters. It is generally considered wise to at least discuss adversarial interactions privately OOC before writing them IC. This prevents any unintentional butthurt between writers. It doesn’t matter if your character is known specifically for randomly attacking people; don’t do it without consent. A quick note to the other player asking if they are interested in playing that scenario with you is only polite.



Random Starters
If you drop a random starter on someone, don’t be upset if they don’t reply or don’t reply in the way you were expecting. That’s the whole thing about randomness. If you request random starters from people, you damn well better respond on them or at least inbox the writer to thank them and explain why you will not be responding.



Requested Starters
Senders: Be sure to tag the players involved on your starters. You can even inbox them with the link to the starter to be sure they are aware of it.

Then back off. Nobody likes to be nagged for replies. If the recipient doesn’t respond within whatever time period you negotiated when plotting the RP, feel free to recycle your starter, provided you contributed to the plotting process. If it was entirely the other person’s idea, respect their intellectual property and don’t re-use the exact same idea. Your starter can always be edited for use in an altered situation.

Recipients: If you cannot reply within whatever reasonable amount of time you negotiated when plotting the starter, please have the decency to at least inbox the writer and acknowledge the starter and give them an ETA on your reply. It sucks to write up a starter for someone and then have it totally ignored.

Problems with the starter? Again, communication is key. Just inbox the other person and discuss. Most writers are happy to make tweaks when they are requested politely.



Copycatting
It’s natural for writers to inspire other writers and for canon characters to share a lot in common. Where the line should be drawn is at outright theft, of course, and more subtle copycatting should be avoided, also. Keep a file of ideas for your character. If something inspires you, note it and the source down for later use. Don’t immediately post something that’s just like what you just saw posted elsewhere. Newsworthy public events excepted. Obviously, on New Year’s Day, for example, everyone is going to be talking about resolutions. That’s not copying. When in doubt, if you’re super inspired by someone or something that was posted, simply give credit for the inspiration.



Pointing Out Mistakes
We all make mistakes. Even published authors, especially published authors make mistakes. And they have an army of editors and proofreaders to make sure those things get caught. Most of us don’t have that luxury and so we’re gonna post things with typos and whatnot.

Some writers appreciate having these pointed out and some do not. The way to find out which is which? Simply ask. Just inbox with something like “I noticed a spelling issue in your latest blog. Would you like me to tell you about it?”

If they don’t respond or say no, just go on your merry way and don’t worry about it. Maybe they prefer to go find it themselves as an exercise in proofing their own work. Or maybe they just don’t care if things are misspelled. In either case, it’s nothing personal against you.



Freedom of Speech
Within the confines of the site’s Terms of Service, you are free to post whatever you like. That doesn’t mean everybody else has to like it. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. Nobody has the right to stop you from posting allowable content, but they do have the right to comment (if you allow them), unfriend, or block you for it. It’s not bullying, it’s simply them exercising their rights as well.



When In Doubt – Just Ask!
Most people are perfectly happy to clarify in inbox if you need to ask them a question on anything they’ve posted. I regularly ask if it’s okay to drop in on threads, about details on settings, about levels of interaction, and people are really nice about it. If you operate with the assumption that people want to RP with you and then do what you can on your side to make things a fun, smooth, and positive experience, then everybody wins.



Site admins are also available to help if you have questions or concerns.




Questions? Comments? My inbox is open to all or you can leave a comment below. Constructive criticism and thoughtful debate welcome. Thanks for reading!