When In Lithmore...

[Sephone]

Here's what I think people don't realize when they play an anti-thematic (not non-thematic; bad guys are perfectly thematic!) and say "I WANT to be given trouble!"

Of course you do, right? It's fun to be given trouble. But here's the thing.

You are on the 'right' side of the issue. You're on the side of the issue that we, as mostly liberal citizens of a modern age, all support. You're on the side that it's easy to argue for and effortless to support.

Therefore, when a majority of the game is comprised of these anti-thematic characters, the thematic characters are placed in a genuinely torturous position of constantly having to argue for philosophies and beliefs their own players couldn't disagree with more.

My problem isn't so much that anybody OOCly gives me trouble. It's that I (playing largely thematic characters) am forced to constantly defend indefensible policies like the institution of legal class systems or Davism's brutal methods against the unthematically huge numbers of people who oppose them.

It makes it incredibly hard to be thematic because you'll be the bad guy constantly. I have to bend over backwards to find a compromise between upholding the social order/theme and not being perceived game-wide as a total jerk, which just isn't fun.

I do not mean to target ANY single person with this. Just consider this a heartfelt plea that, if you're somebody who plays a lot of PCs who go against convention/theme... try playing someone more conventional?

It stretches your RP muscles and it makes it way easier on the rest of us!

It's fun

I couldn't agree with you more here, Dice. However, I have found that when you call people on them being anti-thematic IC, and try to do something about it, a lot of the time, all hell breaks loose OOC. This, for me, makes it very uncomfortable. Also, when you have a rather senior Knight walking around, telling people, you're going to get in trouble if you keep doing that, and NONE of the Reeves actually back you up... Again, makes it feel kind of pointless to be playing a Theme character.

[Kinaed]

One thing for sure - I don't want to get involved in policing what characters do or telling them how to play. As Safir indicated, there are often personal relationships and things going on that make players appear against theme in a given instance when, overall, they're quite thematic.

That being said, I think it's highly appropriate to censor players who are OOCly harassing/irritating people for playing thematic characters. Hearing this disturbs me a great deal. Where's the RP maturity to separate what's going on ICly from OOC? And given theme is pretty black and white in help files, acting against it, whilst not necessarily wrong, does generally come out as the weaker behavior in the RP world.

Unfortunately, this is not something where the opinion of just one (that this is anti-social, inappropriate-on-an-RP-game behavior) is going to apply the necessary peer pressure to change it. We all have to agree that thematic characters are desirable, then actually express it in our dealings with one another ICly and OOCly. It is entirely possible to give a nod to someone for thematic play when you're disagreeing with them ICly. For example:

Kinaed, ignoring the traditional mores on the matter, tugs her codpiece up and gives Sephone a snide smile, "My breeches are bigger than yours." If she's embarrassed to be running around dressed scandalously by Lithmorran standards, it doesn't show in Kinaed's attitude or gestures.

Something like that indicates that you know and respect the theme, as well as the other player, but are intentionally RPing counter for some reason. It states that you are not OOCly battling a thematic character on the value of their RP whilst still doing whatever it is your character would do. That makes it easier for traditional characters and others to see the IC and OOC separation and understand that you're acting deliberately ICly instead of displaying thematic ignorance and trying to defend it OOCly.

In fact, in general, emotes should always show respect towards one another instead of being limited to spewing your own character's ego into a scene. This is especially important when conflict arises.

[Geras]

That being said, I think it's highly appropriate to censor players who are OOCly harassing/irritating people for playing thematic characters. Hearing this disturbs me a great deal. Where's the RP maturity to separate what's going on ICly from OOC?

I think this is the real heart of the issue. I don't begrudge anyone playing either side of the issue, so long is they realize that mean characters generate RP and are awesome for the game. The fact is we want a mix of racists and tolerant people at all levels of TI's society. It creates conflict.