A healthy community is the cornerstone of a roleplay group. In this section, you can find out more about the types of behaviour we expect our members to uphold, both in and out of character.
Svajone has a zero tolerance policy on bullying, abuse and harrassment. This is a group for a bunch of grown adults who like to invent and imagine the lives of magical wolves, so there is absolutely no need for unkindness or unnecessary stress.
Be kind and respectful to your fellow player. If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
Svajone is a group of dark humour and sarcasm, but we must all be careful not to cross the boundary into rudeness or passive aggression.
As a group of adult players, we expect that all players will co-exist peacefully in public spaces with one another, and handle their own minor squabbles and disagreements in a mature manner. Not everyone can be best friends, but everyone can be civil in shared spaces.
Remember that you cannot behave the same way around someone you don’t really know as you do around someone in your inner circle, because you have not established the boundaries of their comfort. Behaviour or comments that might be acceptable to your #bestie may be isolating or upsetting to someone you don’t know very well.
If a player communicates to you that something you have said or done makes them feel uncomfortable, you should recognise their discomfort, apologize, and cease the behaviour. Saying you were just kidding without any sincere effort to apologise is not an excuse, and comes across as a way to absolve yourself of responsibility instead of understanding the harm you have caused, even indirectly. Mistakes and miscommunications happen, and dealing with them promptly and openly prevents any further issues developing. All players should offer one another the same courtesy.
Just like in real life relationships, communication is the key. Talk with your co-writer about what you are and are not comfortable with. If your characters do not end up together, try not to take it personally. Sometimes things do not go as according to plan, just like in real life, and you must be able to handle these occurrences with grace and maturity. If someone is not interested in playing their character in a romantic relationship with yours, please respect their decision and do not push the issue.
Try not to "puppy guard" or "scent mark" other people's characters or behave in such a way that might discourage other players from pursuing development with these characters. Try not to make finding a mate and having pups be your characters sole purpose in life. Romance and family planning are great storytelling devices, but they should not be the entire story!
We know that “be respectful” and “be kind” are broad terms, so we’ve compiled a list of more specific behaviours that commonly cause harm in small, online communities. Armed with these more specific examples, you will hopefully have a clearer perspective on the types of behaviour that could earn a disciplinary strike, and be able to make conscious decisions when you post.
Exclusionary behaviour
Wherein certain characters or players are purposefully ignored or excluded, IC or OOC, usually with the aim of passively communicating your dislike for that character or player. You do not have to interact with people you dislike, but there is a big difference between peacefully coexisting without contact, and deliberate exclusion. For example, if someone you don’t get along with is chatting to others about their character, and you leap in to derail the discussion and divert attention to your own character instead of theirs, this is deliberate exclusion.
Example script:
Player 1: I just ranked up Balto to Master Sentinel and am looking for some RPs!
Player 2: WHOOO! I'd love to RP Balto with my Sentinel Apprentice, Bambi!
Player 3: CONGRATS! I have an apprentice sentinel too, we should RP!
Player 4: I just ranked Anakin to GRAND MASTER Sentinel. @Player 2 and @Player 3, we should RP him and your apprentices!
Sabotage
Including, but not limited to, the fabrication of plotlines or friendships with the sole purpose of causing upset to others. This means, if you don’t like a player for whatever reason, don’t go out of your way to upset their plans by inserting yourself or your characters into positions or plotlines with the specific aim of derailing their plans or causing them hurt.
Example Script:
Player 1 and Player 2 have a Mentor and Second duo that they have been working hard to develop, Kanan and Ezra. But Player 3 has historical bad blood with Player 1, and is hoping to derail their Mentor-Second bonding plans to get even!
Player 1: I'm so excited guys! Ezra has finally ranked up to Second and Player 2 and I have really awesome plans in store!
Player 3: [slides into Player 2's DM's] hey, would you be down to RP Maul and Ezra? [proceeds to create loads of content trying to establish Maul as a greater guiding influence and more important to Ezra than Kanan]
Inflammatory behaviour
Such as deliberately antagonising others, purposefully picking fights, and actively seeking to spread discourse among others. Do not enter the server with the sole intention of causing an argument or causing someone else harm. If you realise something you have done or said has upset someone, do not continue fanning the flames because you think it is amusing - stop.
Example:
Player 1 has historically expressed their opinion that Eugene Fitzherbert is the greatest character in the history of Disney. They are very passionate about Eugene Fitzherbert and his sexy ass face. Player 2 has made a game of entering the chat whenever Eugene Fitzherbert is mentioned with the sole intent of starting an argument. They probably have their discord settings set to notify them when the words "Eugene" "Flynn Ryder" "Tangled" and/or "Horace" are mentioned in the chat. They proceed to begin conversations of the opposite opinion to deliberately antagonise and draw Player 1 into an argument.
Passive aggression
Passive-aggressive behaviors are a pattern of passive hostility and an avoidance of direct communication. Passive aggression is just as harmful as direct aggression, and in some cases can be worse, as not communicating that there is a problem will allow resentment to build to destructive levels. It’s also not healthy for the person doing it, because it means the person is holding onto negativity needlessly. Being passive aggressive does not mean you will slide under the radar, and is not a way to get away with saying or doing hurtful things without consequences.
Example one: OOC
Player 1: Hey! I was wondering if you'd like to plot with my character Draco? I was thinking he and your character Harry might get along well, maybe even develop a romance...
Player 2: Hey! I'd love to RP! I'm not sure about romance though. Harry is a Gryffindor and characteristically hates Slytherins. But we can totally RP them, I think it would be fun!
Player 1: Okay! Sorry to bother you!
One hour later Player 1 posts a bulletin that they're taking a break from the group and they plan to retire Draco.
Example two: IC
Player 1 has a character named Kronk who is notorious for being the biggest himbo in Svajone history. He is an absolute cinnamon roll who bakes everyone in Stonehaven the best spinach puffs and serves the most tasty drinks (no poison, definitely not the poison for Kuzco, and certainly not chosen especially to kill Kuzco, nope not Kuzco’s poison!). Player 1 has an unaddressed beef with Player 2. In an RP with Player 2's character, Pacha, Kronk exhibits uncharacteristic hostility and aggression towards Pacha. He ultimately tries to poison him and burns his spinach puffs on purpose.
Deliberate public criticism of players or characters
Whether direct or under cover of thinly veiled passive aggression. There are no circumstances where it is acceptable to criticise someone else in public. Good natured joking is okay among close friends, but if you do not know a person well, adjust your behaviour and think before you type. Generally, the safest option is to only engage in light hearted jibes if the player themselves is also taking part, as this is a social suggestion that they are in on the joke instead of the butt of it.
Example 1:
Player 1 has a long-standing character, Jaime Lannister, and is very attached to them. They have been working on their development arc for over 9 years and he has a killer redemption arc. However, every time Player 1 shares content featuring Jaime, Player 2 emerges from the depths of IMDB to write a not-so-flattering review about Jaime. Initially it seemed coincidental, and in an effort not to make waves, Player 1 took it on the chin. But after 3 months of enduring this behaviour, and more players joining in with Player 2’s responses, Player 1 is feeling very isolated and upset. Player 1 erases all Jaime’s development by having him return home to bang his sister one last time before being killed by falling rocks. They then leave the group entirely.
Example 2:
Player 1 has a habit of making dark, brooding characters of the tortured Anti Hero archetype. They were just really into Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights in their younger years. Player 2 has a personal vendetta against these types of characters and makes a point of expressing their disdain every time Player 1 shares content about them. They often tease Player 1 for their preference in characters, calling them an edge lord or an abuse apologist.
Superiority behaviour
Promoting one’s own self as superior to anyone else. This can be OOC, in terms of suggestion one’s own career, life choices, perceived intelligence, lifestyle, etc are better than someone else’s. This can also be IC/related to RP, in terms of promoting one’s own play style, characters or in game choices as superior to others. No one person in any community is better than any other person and there is no reason to behave so.
Example one: lifestyle
Player 1: Ahh, so glad it’s the weekend! Time to stay in a blanket cocoon watching Netflix.
Player 2: OMG, I get up at 6am on weekends to go to the gym and pump iron. Don’t you know that your health is really important? You need to get outside more.
Example two: play style
Player 1: Just about to submit my 26th character, so hype!
Player 2: Oh man. I couldn’t deal with that many.
Player 1: Haha, that’s cool though, each to their own!
Player 2: Yeah, I just think having that many characters mean none of them are really developed and you’re basically wasting your time and everyone else's : )
Player 1: ….Uhhh
[Note that the issue is NOT varied player styles, but the unwarranted criticism of how Player 1 likes their game]
Example three: career
Player 1: I work at a local McDonalds and I really love serving Karen her a Fillet O' Fish with a splash of Mac Sauce on a McChicken patty instead of buns, halfcut the fries with no salt, and a supersized tea: 25% sweet, 25% unsweet, and 50% melted ice. It really helps me channel my inner Mediator when I RP with Taika's not-so-peaceful characters.
Player 2: Yeah, well, I engineer rockets for NASA. Don’t you ever think you want to do more with your life than just flip burgers?
Defamation of character
Seeking out others with the sole intent of forcing upon them a negative opinion of someone else, driving deliberate and purposeful wedges in the community. While this behaviour is largely exhibited in direct messages, it is nonetheless damaging and not welcome in Svajone. Remember that there are two sides to every story, and there is never a situation where it is okay or right to demonise another player or spread malicious gossip to destroy their reputation. If you have an issue with another player that is so strongly affecting your enjoyment of the group, communicate with us so that we can help resolve the situation without causing any further harm.
Example:
Player 1 has bad blood with Player 2. They often slip into other player's DM's to "vent" about Player 2. Whenever there is a group opening, Player 1 rushes to befriend the new players, and goes as far as to warn them of Player 2, trying to be "helpful".
There are four roleplay behaviours which are poor etiquette and will be met with OOC consequences. These are powerplaying, godmodding, metagaming and retconning.
The definitions and guides below are slight adaptations to guides written and provided by Forum Roleplay: Roleplay resources catering to play-by-post forum gamers and communities.
The basic definition of powerplaying is causing harm to another player's character without their permission. There are however several types of powerplay, which are explained below.
Damage powerplay is what many roleplayers think of when they hear “powerplay.” Damage-based powerplay inflicts damage on another roleplay character without the roleplayer’s permission. It is one of the oldest and most well-known forms of bad roleplay.
Example:
Azazel charged boldly toward Baphomet, swinging his clawed fist toward the other man’s head. Azazel’s claws raked the side of the other man’s face, ripping through his flesh and causing a torrent of blood to gush from the man’s face.
This is an obvious example of powerplay. Azazel’s roleplayer cannot connect an attack in the same post. Azazel’s roleplayer also cannot dictate the damage inflicted to another character.
Avoiding Damage Powerplay
You cannot write your attack and damage in the same post.
Stating, completing, or otherwise interfering in any way with another character’s actions may be powerplay.
Examples:
“Hi,” she said brightly. He gave her his best scowl in return, glowering at her from a stormy brow.
Assuming “she” and “he” are different characters played by different roleplayers, this is powerplay. The roleplayer of the female character can’t make an assumption about how the male character will react.
Azazel and Baphomet are hunting moose together. Azazel posts a leaping attack. It is powerplay for Baphomet to state a connection in his post.
Baphomet’s player has made an assumption about what Azazel will do. Perhaps Azazel’s player intended for Azazel to miss and recover in the next post.
Avoiding Action Powerplay
Hands off other people’s characters. Period!
Very minor action powerplay may be okay with certain roleplayers (i.e., roleplayers you are familiar with or in certain plotted situations where the flow of the RP will be improved by minor action powerplay). You should discuss in advance and agree your plotted actions together.
E.g. If you’ve roleplayed with Alice many times before and you know she’s okay with it, you may be able to assume her character nods, moves along with your character to a new location, etc.
Assumptions can be powerplay. Assumptions are assumed interactions (things that didn’t actually happen in roleplay).
Examples
Azazel is talking to Baphomet after their hunt. Azazel says he spoke with Oriax about where to bring the meat.
Azazel and Oriax’s conversation did not occur ICly (an assumption on Azazel’s player’s part). If Oriax’s roleplayer has not agreed, it is powerplay. It is especially powerplay if Oriax would expressly react another way.
Alice knows the group leader is strict, controlling, and utterly devoted to proper discipline. Alice states in a roleplaying post that Azazel was easily forgiven for a severe mistake.
Alice is making a very strong (and very wrong) assumption about how the group leader reacted. Assumptions contrary to characterization are disrespectful to the roleplayer.
Avoiding Assumption Powerplay
Contact the roleplayer before you make an assumption about their character.
A weak and generally harmless form of powerplay occurs in character profiles. Novice roleplayers may describe other characters’ presumed reactions. Profile powerplay can become bad roleplay when the player attempts to force reactions in accordance with their profile (action powerplay).
Examples
Azazel the vampire is stunningly handsome, with his dark hair and eyes. He always makes the ladies swoon, no matter how frosty their heart.
Not all the ladies will find Azazel attractive. Leave it to the roleplayers and characters to decide how they will react.
Melias the thief is extremely cunning. No one ever discovers her lies — her “poker face” is impenetrable.
A perceptive or intelligent character might be able to catch Melias in a lie.
Avoiding Profile Powerplay
Describe your own character, not the way others will react.
Describe past reactions to your character (e.g., if your character really has made all the ladies he’s ever met swoon, noting that is fine).
Don’t assume how smart or perceptive other characters are.
Godmodding differs from godmoding (one d). All godmodding is godmoding, but not all godmoding is godmodding. Godmodding specifically refers to character creation, skills, and certain situations. When pronouncing godmodding, think ‘modifying’ instead of ‘mode to differentiate the terms.
Character creation godmodding is the most frequent form of godmodding. In most instances, this form is very obvious. It is also most often employed by new roleplayers. It is possible to roleplay any of the following examples without godmodding, but new roleplayers may have trouble doing so.
Examples:
In a medieval roleplay where the vast majority of characters are little more than poor serfs, a new player brings in a serf with impeccable English, books, clean clothes, and — oh, yeah: a longsword, and the ability to wield it with deadliness and precision.
In an Ancient Rome roleplay, a new player brings in an eight year old character. Its biography mentions already leading troops in war, knowing three languages, and blacksmithing expertise.
In a modern human reform school roleplay, Billy is the perfect student. He already knows advanced calculus, chemistry, and physics. He speaks four languages (including Latin), and writes dissertations for fun.
Avoiding Character Creation Godmodding
Remember to balance your character’s strengths and weaknesses.
There’s no getting around this one. Every character should have flaws and strengths.
Consider what is appropriate for your character’s age.
Age isn’t so hard when playing a human — the Rome example is pretty obvious, after all. Things get trickier when you’re playing something with a short or long lifespan. Balancing your character’s skills with their age can be tough. Pay attention to your RPG’s game information.
Consider what is appropriate for the setting.
Above all, consider your RPG game’s setting. Whether or not something is appropriate depends heavily on the setting.
Skill-based godmodding occurs when a roleplay character advances an existing skill or learns a new skill. It is similar to to character creation godmodding.
Examples:
A modern human roleplay character with no musical experience becomes a guitar expert in less than a week.
A slave roleplay character in an ancient civilizations game begins learning to read and write.
Avoiding Skill-Based Godmodding
Remember how long it takes to learn something, and how intense some skills are. It’s just not possible to learn some skills quickly. Learning skills at a pace appropriate to the RPG’s flow of IC time is important.
Consider what is appropriate for your character to know. It depends on the setting of your roleplaying game.
Essentially, situational godmoding ignores certain facts of the setting or individual character’s situation. Its intent is generally to advance the plot or to give an unfair advantage to one character.
Examples
The classic example is the brutish, dumb character who becomes a mechanics expert in moments when it is convenient to the plot.
A character’s leg was severely injured. A week after the attack, the character engages in another roleplay fight. In the new fight, he makes no reference to injury. He has godmodded super-healing powers.
Two characters engage in a fight roleplay. One of the characters dodges every attack. The player refuses to allow their roleplay partner to inflict damage. This player is godmoding unrealistic speed and dodging ability. This is obvious bad roleplay and is generally very intentional.
Avoiding Situation-Based Godmodding
Keep track of your roleplay posts and recent threads. This is the number-one step in avoiding unintentional godmodding of this type. You can refer for your older roleplay threads and see what happened recently. Refer to this in your new posts. This also makes your roleplay more interesting, giving you a cohesive story to write about.
Remember what is appropriate for the setting, again. Being totally untouchable is generally not appropriate.
There are more harmless forms of godmodding, too. Characters who lack flaws and weaknesses may be considered Mary / Gary Stu characters. This isn’t to say your character shouldn’t have strengths or success. But when your character always knows the right thing to do and say, it can get incredibly boring to roleplay. It may also irritate fellow players.
Metagaming is using OOC knowledge in roleplay thoughts, actions, or behavior. Metagaming is a frequent issue in forum roleplaying games. It often occurs with new players who do not know to keep player knowledge out of IC interactions. However, seasoned players do sometimes intentionally use OOC information to give their character an advantage. When intentional, metagaming is definitely bad roleplay.
The OOC knowledge in 'Game Handbook' Metagaming is obtained by reading player and character profiles, group announcements, world information and other information, as if your character had access to all the resources which you OOC have access to.
Examples:
Azazel is brand new to the city. In an RPG post, Azazel identifies Baphomet as a member of the local vampire clan. Azazel also verbally states the clan’s name.
There is no way Azazel can know the vampire clan’s name or that Baphomet is a member.
The RPG admins announce an upcoming plot to flood part of the valley. The River Wolves live in this part of the valley, and have done so for hundreds of years. Territory and culture are important to the pack. The leader abruptly removes the pack from this vicinity, offering a weak IC reason of “explorative leadership.”
The leader has used their OOC knowledge of the upcoming plot to move their pack out of danger.
Avoiding 'Game Handbook' Metagaming
What you read on the game website is not what your character knows. Most of the information available that pertains to the IC world exists for organizational purposes only and it is made clear what information is or is not widely known in character. Your newcomer character will still need to learn his or her way around.
The OOC knowledge in Roleplayer Metagaming is information the roleplayer has, but the character does not have. This is very similar to skill-based godmodding, but specificially deals with information that could not exist in the RPG’s setting.
Examples:
Alice knows electricity. Her Ancient Greek character corrects another character, using an advanced electricity theory.
Alice’s character has no way of knowing electricity. It hasn’t been invented yet and is nonsensical in the time setting.
Avoiding Roleplayer Metagaming
Remember what your character knows is separate from your knowledge.
Pay close attention to your game’s setting to determine the appropriate knowledge level.
This is a more active form of metagaming. The OOC knowledge in this case is not merely written into roleplay passively, but impacts decisions the character makes. The essential element is that the character makes a decision they would not normally make due to the roleplayer’s information.
Examples:
Azazel and Baphomet get into a fight. Baphomet’s player, Alice, reads in Azazel’s forum profile that Azazel is a very brute-force fighter. Prior to this, Baphomet’s style was similar. For this fight, however, Alice immediately roleplays Baphomet as a highly defensive fighter.
This is metagaming because the change in Azazel’s fighting style takes without apparent IC reason. If Baphomet and Azazel were already fighting and Azazel’s tactic changed, or if Azazel and Baphomet fought before — Alice may not be metagaming.
Avoiding Decision Metagaming
Re-read your own character profile and adhere to its information.
Post Metagaming would literally require mind reading. This is the most obvious type of metagaming and is severe bad roleplay; there is no reasonable explanation for this in most roleplaying games (excepting RPGs where mind-reading is allowed).
Examples of Post Metagaming
Azazel: Azazel really disliked Baphomet already. But — the wolf was alpha, and Azazel was required to show respect. The pale wolf could only smile and nod his head as the darker canine prattled about how awesome he was. There was nothing in Azazel demeanor to suggest he wanted to go home and sleep. For his duty of appearing a respectful subject, he played the part excellently.
Baphomet: “Well, jeez, what crawled up your ass? You know what, just get the hell out of my pack,” Baphomet growled. He stamped his foot petulantly at the other wolf. Baphomet could have handled being told to just shut up. He knew he tended to go on and on about how awesome the pack was, but he didn’t like Azazel’s attitude. As far as he was concerned, newcomers who were that full of themselves could die as loners.
Baphomet has no way of knowing Azazel’s feelings. Baphomet’s player is using their knowledge, gained by reading Azazel’s post, to influence Baphomet’s actions.
Pay careful attention to instances where the character’s stated appearance differs from their inner feelings. These may be instances where the thought is vastly different from the presentation.
Retconning is the act of rescinding or otherwise acting as if an in character occurrence never happened. Note that this is explicitly different from roleplayers who promise a plot and do not follow through; that’s “reneging” but it isn’t retconning. Retconning specifically deals with occurrences that already happened in-game.
The problem with retconning: even a small, interpersonal thing between two characters can have consequences beyond those two characters. Changing or going back on this plot may make later occurrences disordered or even completely nonsensical. This is a huge detriment to most roleplaying games — hence why many do not allow retconning at all. What happens in character has already happened and should stay that way for the sake of everyone’s sanity in organizing timelines and keeping track of character histories.
As Svajone is a story-led roleplay game which runs in real time, retconning is among the most serious problems we can face. We reserve the right to refuse a submission which describes a plot that severely violates the game’s universe, and it is the responsibility of the PLAYER to ensure their content is appropriate for the world and setting.
Example:
Azazel and Baphomet are partners. They get into a huge fight over something Baphomet did. Azazel leaves Baphomet. Baphomet goes crying to several other characters; Azazel discusses the break-up with her sister.
A week later, the roleplayers of Baphomet and Azazel have the couple back together again, just as if nothing changed. They do not mention the fight in any posts.
When asked in the chat what happened, Baphomet and Azazel’s players state that they decided they didn’t like the direction of the plot, and had decided it never happened.
This plot has clearly affected other characters — Baphomet’s friends and Azazel’s sister already know about the break-up. It may be possible to retcon the plot in this instance… but what if Baphomet’s friends had another thread where they discussed the break-up? What if Azazel started new threads wherein she explicitly stated she did not have a partner? The effect one small plot can have “butterflies” quickly — even in an explicitly personal instance of a fight. Imagine the trouble this could cause if it was something huge!