The Alphabet Soup of NS Roleplaying (and general roleplaying tips)

Hello there!
Confused about roleplaying? Dizzy with the profusion of abbreviations? Then this guide is for you.

You might have noticed the wide array of abbreviations and terms used in roleplay (RP). IC, OOC, MT, PMT, PT, FT, we’ll try to define them and explain their differences. And if you haven't noticed it yet, "RP" has now become a verb: "RPer" and "RPing" are now commonly-used abbreviations.

This is intended to be a general, slightly-humorous, not-claiming-to-be-comprehensive guide to NS abbreviations and roleplaying, interspersed with general roleplaying tips. This is divided into the following sections:

Your Kind of RPing
NationStates Roleplaying can be divided into two major categories: Nation RP and Character RP:

Nation RP = are roleplays in which you play as, or with, your nation. Nation RPs can be further subdivided into:

• Nationbuilding - in which you build the background of your nation, like create history, work out the economy, make maps, flags and currencies, and so on.

• Diplomacy and Trade - roleplays diplomatic and trade relations with other countries. Includes playing as companies and businesses seeking new markets.

• Sports - roleplays various sports teams from your country. Also includes local leagues within your nation.

• Military - roleplays war and military conflict between nations.

Character RP = are roleplays in which you play as character(s), which may or may not be connected with your nation.

Note that the division is fluid, and there are gray areas in between: for instance, an war RP involving both your nation's diplomatic-military response while having characters on the ground fighting the war.

Roleplaying is like Acting

IC = In-character
OOC = Out-of-Character

Roleplaying is like acting. We are playing characters, or nations. Like acting, you must learn to separate yourself from the character/nation you are playing.

IC (in-character) means that the thread/content is being said/sent by the character/nation you are playing. Events, dialogues and speeches in the story are usually put in IC. The content of IC posts are to be used within the roleplay itself. (An exception is the “Secret-IC”, which means that everyone knows it’s there, but nobody can bring it up in the roleplay, unless there is a roleplayed breaking of the secrecy.)

OOC (out of character) means that that post/content is being said by you as the player. This includes discussions related to the RP (but not the RP itself), extraneous comments, banter and random chatter, and other things. Usually the OP will make a separate OOC thread for all of the banter to go there. If there is an OOC thread, use it; it is generally frowned upon to clutter IC threads with OOC stuff, especially if there is an OOC thread dedicated to that. Stuff revealed OOCly cannot be used ICly.

Tips and Advice:

1. Avoid mixing IC and OOC. You are RPing to have fun. (You are also RPing not to aggrandize everyone.) Avoid having IC disagreements spill into OOC disagreements, and vice versa. It’s such a poor form; it’s like children fighting because of a game. Conversely, I have seen friends play adversarial roles convincingly; they’re like IC enemies, OOC friends. :)
2. Avoid using IC posts as a shield to post offensive comments against your co-players. This is another no-no. If you are dislike/hate another player, better not join his/her RP instead. But it’s so much better if we stop the hate. :D

OP cue our ST

OP = opening post; opening poster

The OP is the initiator or starter of the thread. S/He runs the thread/RP, unless stated otherwise. If you have played other roleplaying games such as Dungeons & Dragons, an OP’s role is similar to the Dungeon Master (DM) or Game Master (GM). The OP’s role is to coordinate the RP, admit/reject participants, and moderate the RP. Sometimes the RP may have “Co-OP”, other people employed to assist the OP in their work.

ST (Science & Technology Levels) a.k.a. Give and Tech

PT = Past Tech - the technology is that before the current age.
MT = Modern Tech - the technology is what we have now in our age.
PMT = Postmodern Tech - the technology is a bit ahead of our time. Technology is recognizably modern, with some foreseeable inventions included. Usually given as "current tech + plausible inventions within X years).
FT = Future Tech - the technology is futuristic. Think of hardcore science fiction.
FanT = Fantasy Tech - the technology here includes magic and other fantastical stuff.

The OP will usually set a technology level for the RP. For PT, PMT, and FT, most of the time the OP will be setting a time period (examples: 17^th Century technology, current tech+10 years). FT and FanT would generally require OPs to have more intensive management of the technology so that the RP will be balanced - no one will have super-powerful technology that can dominate everyone.

Open Sesame, or, Who can join the RP?

Open = everyone can join.
Semi-open = generally most people can join provided they meet some criteria (for example, having signed-up in the OOC thread, or people within the region).
Invite-Only = as its name suggests, only players who had been invited by the OP can join.
Closed = only players who are already involved can participate.

Be mindful of who can participate in the RP. Do not join RPs you're not supposed to be posting in. It's like a conversation. Nobody wants strangers butting into conversations that are supposed to be limited within the group only. Unless, of course, it's a big open party that everyone can join.

NPC & PC

PC = playable character
NPC = non-playable character

Many roleplays incorporate NPCs, which are minor characters which is used for plot development, as fillers, or as background characters. No one owns this character, but they may be played by the OP or Co-OPs to serve their purpose.

Send in the canons

Canon = officially part of the timeline or the roleplay. It is an officially established fact within the roleplay.
Retcon = short for retroactive continuity, is an alteration of the previously established facts or canon, in the story or roleplay.

It's not really an abbreviation, but it is also important to be aware of what is canon and what is not (yet) canon. For example, something that is being talked about/planned in the OOC thread will not be canon, unless said in the IC thread or declared as canon. Usually, what is canon is agreed upon by the participants at the start of the RP, and developed as the RP goes. Avoid using non-canon stuff in RPs, it's another surefire way of getting everyone upset with you.

We all live in IRLand

IRL = in real life
RL = real life
(example: "I can't roleplay today, I'm busy IRL.")

Not Ireland. IRLand. It is always such a drag on RPs. One of the most common cause of death of RPs. Of course, real life, takes precedence over RPs. So one has to have patience for players dealing with their RLs.

While you cannot avoid RL, here are the things you can avoid:

Things to avoid:

• Plague. Of course.

• Plagiarism. Even though this is not a scientific journal or your homework, plagiarism and copying others' work is still very much frowned upon. If you really, really like others' work and would like to use it, politely ask for their permission and give the proper attribution/credits.

• Godmodding. Godmodding, as its name suggests, is almost similar to cheating, since you are making your character/nation overpowered, untouchable, or invincible. It's like playing god in an RP - and godmodders can be a source of arguments within the RP and can lead to the death of the RP.

  
  Bunnying. Oh wait...

• Autohitting/Metagaming. This is related to godmodding. Autohitting/Metagaming means making every attack you throw land instantly, regardless of reaction speed, distance, and other factors. For example, your character's punch always hits the face of the opponent; or your missiles automatically hits your opponent's ship. Also included/related to this is you determining the damage you caused to the opponent. (Examples: "I shoot you with a gun and you die." or "I launch missiles on your naval base and destroy 18 ships.") That is another no-no for cooperative roleplaying.

• Bunnying. Bunnying is using another player's character/nation without permission. You should not take control of another player's character or nation. It's such poor form. Sometimes, for the sake of driving the story forward, some players collaborate with the other player to flesh out their interactions and release it as one post. When this happens, there is usually a disclaimer. ("This post was made in collaboration with/with the consent of Player X.")

• One-Liners. Pretty self-explanatory - it's the act of writing one line/sentence per post. Many roleplayers frown upon one-liners because it does not give depth to the story, makes it difficult to drive the story forward, or make the writing look poor. Some would even go and impose a minimum number of sentences per post requirement. You may create your own RP in which you can allow one-liners, that is up to you. But if the OP tells you to avoid one-liners, it's prudent to do so.

• Hate. Remember this is just a game. The goal here is to enjoy, and not to make enemies. ;)

Have fun RPing!

PS: Also a plug - check out our "Roleplaying in Alexandria" guide! It contains a more in-depth discussion of our roleplay setting, and how to join or create your own RP.

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Credits: This guide was written by Kyle (Brutland and Norden/Kyle ravenclaw), with the assistance of Kasu (Tribes of guam).

If you have comments/suggestions/anything to add, please send a telegram to Kylesburgh or Kyle ravenclaw. Or, if you have a really burning question, you can ask it over at our community chat, and people there would be willing to help you as much as they can! ;)

If you like this post, please upflag it! Thanks! :)