http://solarinc.org/clanthiaforum/index.php?topic=3016.0Hey, everyone.
I thought it a good time to remind all the players out there once again that it is COMPLETELY unacceptable and cheesy to talk about In Play events and actions Out of Play. Too many times I have heard players rightfully complain that they had to “ignore” plotlines, player actions, and IP information because they were given too much information OOP from another player. For example, let’s say that Tim the Druid just got involved in a super-secret were-boar plotline, and managed to get himself turned into a were-boar. Pretty cool, right? Well, the ONLY way Tim’s player can proceed without cheating is to
NEVER tell anyone OOP that it happened.
“Wait a minute, how is that CHEATING?!?”
Here’s how. Lets say that Tim’s player goes and blabs about his cool new IP powers to other players OOP. Now let’s say that unbeknownst to Tim’s player, one of the people he tells OOP has a character who we’ll name Kevin who hates and hunts down all were-boars. Now, even though Kevin would have never suspected Tim of being a were-boar, suddenly Kevin’s player knows this information, and since there is no way for Kevin’s player to wipe his OOP memory, he is forever stuck with knowing that. Kevin’s player has two choices: either attempt to ignore what he has heard and compartmentalize the info, or he can simply take the info In Play.
“Which is the right choice?”
The ONLY choice Kevin has is to take what he has heard IN PLAY. This isn’t metagaming. It isn’t cheating, and it’s not a new rule, either. Those players who think it is acceptable to ruin other player’s in-play perspective and fun by blabbing Out of Play will ONLY be discouraged from doing so with a zero-tolerance approach to OOP talk between PCs. To quote Mr. Pontus Leander:
“Years ago it became apparent that there simply cannot be any courtesy or protection given to players who talk OOP. Too many among us use OOP talk to cut the IP tension--to confess, to brag, or to manipulate. However, that tension is the very lifeblood of SOLAR; the tension is what makes passions run hot and what makes our SOLAR experiences seem so real. As such, and just like the phys-reps for IP magic items, we don't "own" IP information in the way that we own our costuming or character concepts. It belongs to the game and it is a privilege that any of us even get to be a part of it.
Let me press this point, too: there simply cannot be any gray area on this. OOP talk is both contagious and toxic, and the only known remedy for it is to expose it by aggressively taking OOP information IP. Period. End of story. Else, our players who are more susceptible to temptation will again start using OOP talk to manipulate others' beliefs and actions, to test out the consequences of something they might otherwise do IP, to cut the IP tension for themselves, or to reap the social benefits of a story at the expense of others' sense of magic and wonder.”
This is a very serious issue, and this kind of OOP talk has already done a great deal of damage to the in-play atmosphere. If this is your first time hearing about SOLAR’s official policy on this subject, then understand that the ONLY way to insure that your IP secrets remain secret IP is to NEVER TELL ANYONE OOP. Come on, folks! Who would want to play SOLAR if you already had all the answers? Without the mystery, SOLAR might as well be an AOL roleplaying chatroom.
