Player Etiquette

Coordinating Scenes

Use the #rp-coordination channel and search through to see if anyone has recently posted looking for a scene partner. If you can't find anyone, tag @LFRP (you can get this role in the #role-selection channel) and make your own post. Include which character you're looking to play in your scene along with any restrictions (No Camarilla, only other Brujah, etc) and other expectations you may have.

When you have found a scene partner, create a thread for the two (or more) of you to coordinate. Anyone that you tag will be added to this thread.

There is nothing wrong with having players you prefer to write with, but please make an effort to extend a hand outside of those people. Remaining in a contained bubble comes across as cliquish and makes the environment unwelcoming to newcomers!

Knowing the Setting

Before starting a scene, you should know where it will be set. Check the map and keep in mind what expected behavior should look like. You must have a location picked out. Scenes cannot use designations like "anywhere", "random bar", or "an alley". Vampire is a game about tension and consequences, and a scene can go sideways in a single post.; knowing where things happen is very important. We have a server map with a variety of location pins to help inspire you.

Setting Up the Scene

Discuss with your scene partners your desired turn order. You will only tag the person directly after you in the turn order unless that person has asked to be skipped.

Begin all scenes with !start so that people know not to use that channel, just in case you can't post immediately. You will close out all scenes with !end. This lets players know that the channel is open for a new scene. Do not use a channel if there is a scene in progress! Cape Town is a big city, and there are many places where scenes can happen. Before your post, use the /header command that you set up after character approval.

Timing

Try to get at least one post in a day. If you cannot do so, promptly communicate your situation with your partner(s). If you will be away for an extended period, cut them loose so they can pursue other scenes.

You may ping them again if your partner hasn't responded for 12 hours. You may close the scene if they do not respond for 24 hours. Do not spam ping people.

Only tag the next person in the turn order when doing a scene with multiple participants.

Storyteller Scenes

To interact with SPCs, post in the #scene-request channel. When time is available, a Storyteller will contact you.

Players can run touchstones and any background characters related to Advantages and Flaws as a vignette if desired. Care should be taken not to treat these as tertiary characters. They should interact with other PCs as little as possible.

Power-Gaming and Meta-Gaming

These terms are a little niche and ill-defined even in the TTRPG sphere. For our purposes, a power-gamer is commonly recognized as someone who:

• Focuses almost exclusively on their character’s strengths and rarely showcases their weaknesses.

• Attempts to use loopholes (both in RAW and ST rulings) to make their character stronger than they should be. (Usually exemplified by the thought process of “Well, the rules don’t say that I can’t…”)

• Often puts their character’s advancement above the enjoyment of others.

Bear in mind that there's nothing wrong with wanting your character to have strengths, but it's important to know that they will always have weaknesses. No one is good at everything, not even the supernatural undead.

Meta-gaming, on the other hand, is far easier to define. It’s simply the act of using the information you, as a player, have access to that your character does not (comments made out of character, scenes read about the character in question, etc.). If you are unsure whether your character could or should know something, re-reading your previous scenes or checking with staff is always best.

Character Bleed

What is Bleed?

Bleed is when events that occur in-character strongly affect your mood and behavior out-of-character. It most commonly manifests when you are extremely invested in your character (or, sometimes, someone else's), and something negative happens to them in-game. Those feelings "bleed" across the character/player boundary and can have adverse effects on your mental health and negatively impact those around you.

Not all bleed is bad, however. For the sake of keeping things distinct, “good” bleed is often referred to as catharsis. This refers to a positive, ongoing experience where you immerse yourself in the character in a way that makes their arcs feel more real. It can be turned on and off as you take on your character and then when you step back again. In this state, you can identify with the character and, in a way, “live” their experiences in a controlled environment. This phenomenon is healthy and even common. Importantly, catharsis has defined beginning and end points and solid boundaries that the player holds themselves to.

“Bad” bleed is when that level of emotion and immersion becomes detrimental. Your boundaries become blurred, and you may feel like things happening in-character are personal. There’s no on-and-off switch for bleed like there is for catharsis, and that loss of identity is where toxicity can begin to bubble up.

What Causes Bleed?

When you are roleplaying, you are taking on a character of your own, dictating everything they do, think, and say. Vampire, in particular, is a game about monsters—there are rarely good guys in the World of Darkness, and those that try rarely survive for long. It is a horror game where characters can and likely will do immoral things, as those themes are baked into the setting.

Recognizing that a character’s actions, thoughts, and words do not represent the person playing them is important. This is one of the reasons why self-inserts are discouraged in RPG spaces; they make it harder for players to separate the character from the creation, including the person playing them. However, bleed can occur even if your character isn’t a self-insert.

Bleed is a fluid thing, with in-character actions affecting out-of-character just as easily as the opposite (though the former is more common). An episode of bleed could be triggered by something as simple as having a bad day at work or another player character insulting your own in a scene. These situations may affect how you, the player, act and react to future scenes. Burnout and poor mental health (stress, depression, illness, anxiety) can become catalysts for episodes of bleed. Renegade Studios has a free guide to bleed on their website.

How to Avoid Bleed

The first line of defense against bleed is simply communication. Being open and honest about your feelings is incredibly important, even in smaller games. When you join a larger community composed mostly of strangers, the need for transparency increases exponentially. While it is courteous to check in on your partner, it is important to communicate any boundaries that you have clearly and to openly speak about your feelings, whether they are positive or negative. Often, conversations like this are the most difficult to have, but they are the most necessary.

Taking time to decompress is another important tool and often the one most commonly suggested. Someone starting to get worked up may be told to take five, go for a walk, or have something to eat. If you get upset because of in-character events, the most effective method can sometimes be to log off to decompress and give yourself breathing room. If needed, you can ask staff for a timeout in Discord. The times available are 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour, 1 day, and 1 week. This status means you cannot type in any channel on the server, though you can still see things. Asking for a mute does not count as a mark against you.

Another helpful practice is setting up boundaries between you and your character. It is important to understand that everyone is separate from their characters, yourself included. Do not make a character too similar to yourself to aid in this distinction.

How to Deal With Bleed After It's Started

No matter how many precautions you take, it is still possible to experience bleed. Your feelings are valid and it's understandable for anyone to have a small moment of weakness and get too invested in their character.

The first step for dealing with these feelings is asking yourself what caused this shift? Is it an in character issue or out of character? Is the person causing this usually someone you get along with or feel comfortable talking to?

Second is getting up and taking a breather. Your emotions will even out if you make space from what's causing them. However long this takes is up to you and we don't need a heads up if you're taking a moment to recompose yourself. Prioritize your mental health above all else!

Third is Communication: In this server we want people to feel comfortable talking through issues. If you need help broaching the topic please reach out to staff. We are here to help.