Blogs and the Treatment of OOC Info

[Kinaed]

We're on the brink of a new phase of TI's culture changing - blogs. A place on the web where players can dedicate a page to their characters and write up an IC "diary".... I'm so excited!

Still, there's a niggling question in my mind: Are we culturally ready for it?

The rules of TI, TI2, and TI:A used to state that players weren't to share anything OOCly to try to stem crossover. When we opened TI:Legacy, we deliberately made a U-turn on that rule, and the policy now states "we don't care what you OOCly know, what people tell one another OOCly, etc. Simply do not bring information into RP unless your character has ICly earned it". In theory, this allows players to speak more freely OOCly to their peers, and put the entire onus on each player not to bring what they know OOCly across the line. Still, I didn't notice a lot of people saying OOCly "I'm a mage, and I've got this really cool plot going on" to the game at large, so I'm curious if we as a pbase might not yet be ready to give our badguy RP fellows enough slack to post on a blog. Heck, some recent commentary about how extremely people react to suspicious behavior (Just a day or so ago, an instance of someone being chased, searched, and then arrested for sneaking around in a cloak and mask crossed my desk. Wow, it surprised me. I mean, what's illegal about that? No wonder the bad guys are saying 'man, it's too hard. One slip up and *snap* the end'.)

I think that cooperative culture about RP is the ellusive 'something' that MUSH has and RP MUDs fail at. At best, I can only imagine it's about some underlying belief that each character is in competition with their neighbor - the first to get the highest combat skills, whose title is bigger than whose, here's my mage-kill statistcs, etc. Information is one of the key factors in the IC struggle, however, because despite it all, we're an RP game. So... if we open up blogs, what will happen?

Do we as a pbase want to see those blogs available? Will people use them to cheat? Can my alt really post about her plot to assassinate the king without it seeing her arrested ICly with some majorly suspect leaps in logic?

I really want to provide this service to players. I think it'll be great for the game, but how many of us think that it'd be okay? How much of a cultural shift are we looking at? Will it happen naturally just because we've opened blogs and express a desire for mutual RPer respect, or will we open a kettle of fish that's best left alone? Should we do it, but with specific policies in place? If so, what should they be?

I'm mulling on all of this, and would love to hear player thoughts as it's a bit big of a cookie for me to chew on my own. Thanks!

[wimple]

I think it's neat and while I have had some characters keep IC journals on MUDS, I'm not sure it's something I'd participate in with a baddie because I'd never know if I got 'caught' or had something 'found out' because of something on the blog.

And honestly it's because I don't know if we're ready for it. I don't mean to criticize recent RP, but look at the Yule party: Everyone was OOCly warned about the sugar cubes (so they would know how to react to them) and despite it being an event were people were several snifters of brandy at a go along with wine and the rest of it (so everyone was going to get sloshed and be fools), they were singled out within half an hour as causing people to act funny. Maybe it was innocent and people were acting outrageously enough to warrant the suspicion, but it seemed like some logic leaps. It probably would have been better for characters to be pinged ICly when they ate one through the IC info players get about the tastes of the food and/or a 'high' effect.

The only way I'd consider it for a bad-type is if it was anonymous and if I could throw some misinformation in there as well. To be fair, not even my IC journals were completely honest on my good characters because of the time period/culture of inquisition. I would be far less concerned about people knowing it was me if it was a good or average character.

[Dice]

Re: the Yule party, allow me to clarify that my PC had literally not eaten or drunk anything else, so when I was asked about it I had to single out the sugarcubes. Perhaps I should have thought of eating/drinking something else as a smokescreen for the behavior so it wasn't so quickly caught, but I didn't. I was so excited about the opportunity to have a little fun with the sugar cubes I went right for them, and bam. I mostly say this to make a point that sometimes, what can seem like logic leaps are 100% legitimate.

That said, I know very well what can seem like it's 100% legitimate also sometimes involves OOC information. I agree that I would not use such a thing for any character genuinely involved in shenanigans. I don't think that 99% of people would consider taking OOC info ICly... that said - you can never erase the impact of knowing. Connections that you wouldn't have made without the background information get made, every little gesture supports a suspicion.

I think it's generally better not to know.

[Another]

I don't think it should be something to vote on. This is a personal decision each player needs to decide about each of their characters. Even aside from that, nothing's stopping anybody from doing it regardless of what the decision is on this forum; simply go set up a blog somewhere and treat it as your characters' journals, diaries, or even random thoughts. There's nothing anybody here can do about posts on other websites.

That said, I have personally written and read many character blogs over the years and while I've enjoyed both in the past, I'm at the point right now where I'd honestly really rather not do either anymore. I am finding roleplay much more appealing when I don't OOCly know what's going on.

[Kinaed]

Do other players think RP would be better if we didn't offer blogs?

Maybe it's just selfish as I cannot spy on RP and I'd love to see what's going on down there... :)

[Another]

To clarify, I don't mind one way or another if people write character blogs. I just doubt I'd be compelled to write any for mine, or read others' anymore.

[Geras]

I'd prefer that any um... secretive RP be avoided, especially any that touches on the Thieves or magery or such. Some mysteries are good for the game.

[Empheba]

I don't see why not.

I must admit that I'd prefer to not see blogs from identified "bad guy" characters - not knowing is simply more interesting as a player even though one's character is none the wiser. There is of course no reason for a blogger to actually reveal their character's IC name and looks ... I've seen many bad-guy rp blogs like this (focusing on the character's inner life and goals rather than IC events that may identify them).
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Empheba

[Geras]

I think the structure and mechanics of the Thieves, Manus and magic in general are better left vague on an OOC level. Both to protect from those leaps of IC logic that happen when some people know some things OOC, and to just make the game more fun in general.

[Eris]

I played on a MUD for a long while where most people had blogs (and it was supported through the code, as well, where a @ would appear before you name when you'd updated, and you'd receive RPXP for it, as well). I thought it was fun, and it added to the game. I don't see a problem with blogs, pending the single rule of having unidentified "baddie" blogs. Having said that, I think I might just set one up...