[Introduction]
[Description][
Actions and Interactions][
Presentation and Etiquette][
In Character and Out of Character knowledge][
In Character Heirarchy and Etiquette][
Actions Have Consequences!]
Keeping it Real: In Character Heirarchies
As glossed over earlier when mentioning the guidelines for character name-knowledge, rank or class play a large part in many online roleplaying themes, often because of the theme's origins or because they provide groups new players can easily work into and gain thereby a community. It's good to remember that rank and/or class can be very rigid aspects of the theme's
society, and can have distinct, hard-and-fast rules for interaction between differing ranks and classes. A chimney sweep would not, in polite and respectful interaction, greet a Duke with the same familiarity he would offer to the village apothecary or fellow
sweep. While, when applied judiciously and within the scope of the theme, disrespect for characters of higher class or rank can provide entertaining and challenging roleplay, remember that such would not be the norm of daily interactions, as a peasant may never see his High King in his entire life, and can bring severe IC consequences upon a character if he or she reacted badly. If you, an apprentice, want to tell a Guildmaster that his lost glasses are perched
atop his /very/ bald head or greet a Count by his given name or tell a journeyman that the Queen is no better than a worthless dimwit or tell a loyal crewman the Captain is an incompitent fool not fit to run a garbage scowl, be aware that such can bring possibly unwelcome consequences for your character as a result of ignoring
character ranks or protocols. The same is true for the effects of pranks and how they can be viewed by persons of higher rank, whether or not those persons are the target. Not only should you check with the character's player if you intend to act outside of class/rank protocols, to see if he or she minds, it is also a good idea to ask what sort of consequences your
character's actions may bring, so that you have the opportunity to decide if you wish to continue along those lines. Otherwise, maintaining theme protocols within your roleplay can result in consequences you would rather have avoided for your character.
Most seem to ignore the protocols in several places I've found, prefering to be smart aleced instead-if you're character is a ranked official, expect such treatment, as you're probobly only one of a hundred so ranked persons.
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