There have been a few players who expressed a desire to know some of the “unwritten rules” of roleplay, at least as pertaining to Mooncrest Vale, so this document is an answer to those requests and will hopefully clear up any confusion or questions that may exist. They are listed in no particular order, and most - though not all - are simply suggestions based on how most do things in the sim in order to get us all on the same page.
*Entering existing RP: In the Vale, if players are roleplaying in a public area, then it is assumed that anyone who happens upon them is free to engage. (This applies to public buildings as well, at least in the public areas of them. For example, anyone roleplaying in the dining/bar area of the inn would be approachable, but someone RPing in one of the rooms that can be rented ICly would be considered to be in a private RP). Some prefer to IM those involved to ask if it is okay to engage, this is perfectly fine, but it is not necessary.
However, before actually entering the scene, it is customary to wait at least one round of posts by those already present so that you have an idea of what you are walking into. Do not expect those present to play you into their scene though. Most people will not acknowledge your character until you actually post entering into the scene. This is done as a courtesy, generally, since assuming what someone else’s player is doing is not okay. If you find yourself waiting as the group you approach RP, they are not ignoring you, they are simply waiting for you to make your presence known ICly.
*Asking for RP in group chat: this is totally acceptable, as is a small opening statement of what your character is up to. However, there should not be back and forth RP in the group chat, as it is OOC. But poking it to see who is about and looking for RP is not only allowed, but strongly encouraged.
*Extensive posting of thoughts in RP: This one can be tricky. We all tend to post the inner workings of our characters, to give an idea of others as to mood, attitude, etc and this is totally fine. However, it is very easy to cross the line into bashing other characters through thoughts. Extensive use of thoughts in a post to bash another character, when if the words were said aloud, it would likely lead to a fight, are generally frowned upon because players cannot respond to thoughts. Please be very conscious while using thoughts in your posts.
*NPCS in sim: they do exist! Players should keep in mind that the Vale is populated, and that is represented with NPCs. Port Endings is a busy trade town, so there are people coming and going in the port, along the trade port, etc. There are shopkeepers, and merchants in the market, and people going about their daily lives. These are not deserted areas. This applies to places like the gypsy camp, the menders guild, the twin elven trees, etc. Players that want to know if a certain camp type area is inhabited (for the purpose of wanting to move in themselves) can always ask an admin. Players may also use NPCs to flavor their RP, even if just making reference to them.
*Posting length: I know some folks have trouble figuring out how they should be posting, or wondering if they are posting enough when there are so many paragraph roleplayers in sim. This one is fairly straight forward: you post in the way that makes you feel most comfortable. As long as you are observing the proper etiquette (keep it IC, no text speak, no pop culture references that would not fit the time period, etc) then you can post as little or much as you like. Some will try to match their length to those they are roleplaying with, some may not - neither style is right or wrong. No one should feel pressured, the sim is welcoming to RPers of all backgrounds and abilities and experience. While paragraph roleplaying may be encouraged, or at least what most do, it’s not a requirement by any means.
Last but not least, a few guidelines for the players group chat:
*Language: The Vale is a mature sim, yes, but we would ask that people give a care to their language because not everyone is comfortable with large amounts of cursing. In that respect, please try to keep things PG-13ish, simply because anything more isn’t really what the group chat is for.
*No fighting/arguing: players who have issues with something or someone should either approach that person privately in IMs or contact an admin. Calling someone out in group chat is never okay, nor are personal attacks.
*No promoting/bashing other RP sims: the group chat is for Vale players, therefore we ask that you keep discussion of other sims to a minimum - whether it is positive or negative. We understand that many players are in multiple sims, this is fine, but please be considerate. We also do not want players engaging in bashing of other RP sims because that does not set the tone we’re looking for.
*No religion/politics: this one is self explanatory. Nothing good comes of large groups of people discussing these topics, so let’s just stay away from them, m’kay?
*OOC: The group chat is OOC. You can let people know you’re in sim looking for RP, you can even post a short blurb to show people where you are/what you’re up to, but by and large the discussion should be kept OOC.
We don’t want to stifle anyone, but the goal is to make group chat a fun place for people to chat and hang out. You don’t have to only discuss the sim, but just keep the above guidelines in mind and everyone will feel welcome. We don’t want people to see the Vale chat pop up and simply roll their eyes and close it because it is used for announcements, etc.