Basic Role Play Reference
(Adapted from a guide by Kyrusia)
Basic Terminology
Original Poster (OP): The Original Poster (or "OP") is the owner of a given thread. In our RP (as well as other roleplaying boards), thread OPs of non-discussion threads have the right to prohibit players from posting (and request Moderation enforcement if said player continues posting) and the right to request Moderation remove any post, lock, or (re-)open their threads.
Co-OP: Typically an OP-appointed member of the thread or organization which the OP has given limited powers to post on their behalf. Co-Ops may come and go due to player disputes, leading to possible conflicts with the provenance of authority any given "Co-OP" may have. Further, while discouraged, sharing of accounts does occur; simply being on an account that has once logged-into the OP account does not satisfy this requirement. As such, Moderation does not acknowledge any power to thread Co-OPs; thread Co-OPs may not request posts be removed, the thread to be locked, the thread to be (re-)opened, or request to have a player banned from the thread. Moderation requires explicit requests from the thread OP, not by-proxy or otherwise by any other party. This does not prohibit any player from reporting actual rule-violating content, merely that Co-OPs are not granted any form of power bestowed via thread ownership.
In-Character (IC): In-Character (IC) is any post or thread which is being written from the perspective of a fictional character, body, or organization which is distinct and different from the player. There is a respected divide between In-Character and Out-of-Character in the roleplaying community; Out-of-Character knowledge or impetus should not cross into In-Character posting and vice versa. For more information, see meta-gaming (below). Simply because something is In-Character does not mean violating the rules is acceptable.
Out-of-Character (OOC): Out-of-Character (OOC) is any post or thread which is being written-by and utilized by players as players, not as a fictional character, body, or organization. There is a respected divide between In-Character and Out-of-Character in the roleplaying community; Out-of-Character knowledge or impetus should not cross into In-Character posting and vice versa. For more information, see meta-gaming (below).
Secret In-Character (SIC): Secret In-Character (SIC) is any In-Character post which is hidden or should not be known by other characters and labeled as such. This may include things like encrypted communiques. A player having their character know such information without approval of the player controlling the SIC material may be guilty of meta-gaming.
Implied Secret In-Character (ISIC): A separate form of SIC, Implied Secret In-Character (ISIC) is any In-Character post which another character has no reasonable way to know about. This may include things like a whispered conversation or a Top Secret document in another room. A player having their character know such information without approval of the player controlling the ISIC material may be guilty of meta-gaming.
Thread Tags
ATTN/Attention: A thread tag which typically is meant to attract the attention of a region ("ATTN: Exampleland"), nation ("ATTN: Examplestan"), or organization ("ATTN: Example Alliance").
CLOSED/OPEN: Thread tags which indicate whether players may or may not post freely to a given thread. "Closed" indicates a thread that is not open for players to post; also may be used in conjunction with other tags, such as "INVITE" or "APP ONLY" to indicate how players may become involved. "Open" indicates a thread that is open to players immediately and anyone may post in them.
APP/APP ONLY (Application): A thread tag which indicates players must apply (typically in an OOC thread) and be approved by the thread OP (or thread Co-OP) before they can post in the IC thread.
INVITE/INVITE ONLY: A thread tag which indicates players must be explicitly invited by the thread OP (sometimes with limited permission from thread Co-OPs) before they can post in the thread.
SEMI-CLOSED/SEMI-OPEN: Varies. Typically a thread tag which indicates some manner of prior approval by the thread OP is required before a player may post.
**** ONLY: Where "****" indicates some organization(s), nation(s), region(s), etc. A thread tag which indicates only the aforementioned parties may post in the thread.
IC/OOC/SIC: See "Basic Terminology."
Interest: A thread tag which is typically used to draw the community's attention for the purpose of gauging whether there is enough interest in a particular thread idea in order to gauge whether the thread OP wishes to create an IC thread. Such threads are typically OOC and lead to an IC thread, though sometimes they may be OOC and be transformed into an IC thread once a certain threshold of interest is met.
Sticky: While not necessarily a thread tag, a sticky is a thread which is permanently pinned to the top of the sub (or any board on the forums) by Moderation. Typically such threads include pertinent information for a board. Read them.
(Adapted from a guide by Kyrusia)
Basic Terminology
Original Poster (OP): The Original Poster (or "OP") is the owner of a given thread. In our RP (as well as other roleplaying boards), thread OPs of non-discussion threads have the right to prohibit players from posting (and request Moderation enforcement if said player continues posting) and the right to request Moderation remove any post, lock, or (re-)open their threads.
Co-OP: Typically an OP-appointed member of the thread or organization which the OP has given limited powers to post on their behalf. Co-Ops may come and go due to player disputes, leading to possible conflicts with the provenance of authority any given "Co-OP" may have. Further, while discouraged, sharing of accounts does occur; simply being on an account that has once logged-into the OP account does not satisfy this requirement. As such, Moderation does not acknowledge any power to thread Co-OPs; thread Co-OPs may not request posts be removed, the thread to be locked, the thread to be (re-)opened, or request to have a player banned from the thread. Moderation requires explicit requests from the thread OP, not by-proxy or otherwise by any other party. This does not prohibit any player from reporting actual rule-violating content, merely that Co-OPs are not granted any form of power bestowed via thread ownership.
In-Character (IC): In-Character (IC) is any post or thread which is being written from the perspective of a fictional character, body, or organization which is distinct and different from the player. There is a respected divide between In-Character and Out-of-Character in the roleplaying community; Out-of-Character knowledge or impetus should not cross into In-Character posting and vice versa. For more information, see meta-gaming (below). Simply because something is In-Character does not mean violating the rules is acceptable.
Out-of-Character (OOC): Out-of-Character (OOC) is any post or thread which is being written-by and utilized by players as players, not as a fictional character, body, or organization. There is a respected divide between In-Character and Out-of-Character in the roleplaying community; Out-of-Character knowledge or impetus should not cross into In-Character posting and vice versa. For more information, see meta-gaming (below).
Secret In-Character (SIC): Secret In-Character (SIC) is any In-Character post which is hidden or should not be known by other characters and labeled as such. This may include things like encrypted communiques. A player having their character know such information without approval of the player controlling the SIC material may be guilty of meta-gaming.
Implied Secret In-Character (ISIC): A separate form of SIC, Implied Secret In-Character (ISIC) is any In-Character post which another character has no reasonable way to know about. This may include things like a whispered conversation or a Top Secret document in another room. A player having their character know such information without approval of the player controlling the ISIC material may be guilty of meta-gaming.
Thread Tags
ATTN/Attention: A thread tag which typically is meant to attract the attention of a region ("ATTN: Exampleland"), nation ("ATTN: Examplestan"), or organization ("ATTN: Example Alliance").
CLOSED/OPEN: Thread tags which indicate whether players may or may not post freely to a given thread. "Closed" indicates a thread that is not open for players to post; also may be used in conjunction with other tags, such as "INVITE" or "APP ONLY" to indicate how players may become involved. "Open" indicates a thread that is open to players immediately and anyone may post in them.
APP/APP ONLY (Application): A thread tag which indicates players must apply (typically in an OOC thread) and be approved by the thread OP (or thread Co-OP) before they can post in the IC thread.
INVITE/INVITE ONLY: A thread tag which indicates players must be explicitly invited by the thread OP (sometimes with limited permission from thread Co-OPs) before they can post in the thread.
SEMI-CLOSED/SEMI-OPEN: Varies. Typically a thread tag which indicates some manner of prior approval by the thread OP is required before a player may post.
**** ONLY: Where "****" indicates some organization(s), nation(s), region(s), etc. A thread tag which indicates only the aforementioned parties may post in the thread.
IC/OOC/SIC: See "Basic Terminology."
Interest: A thread tag which is typically used to draw the community's attention for the purpose of gauging whether there is enough interest in a particular thread idea in order to gauge whether the thread OP wishes to create an IC thread. Such threads are typically OOC and lead to an IC thread, though sometimes they may be OOC and be transformed into an IC thread once a certain threshold of interest is met.
Sticky: While not necessarily a thread tag, a sticky is a thread which is permanently pinned to the top of the sub (or any board on the forums) by Moderation. Typically such threads include pertinent information for a board. Read them.