Metagaming is when you use Out-Of-Character (OOC) information In-Character (IC). What happens IC should stay IC, and anything OOC is not relevant to IC roleplay. You also cannot use IC information obtained from OOC sources, such as the scoreboard, which displays IC information such as jobs and character names.



For example, if you’re playing as a cop and someone is trying to enter the Nexus, but his job title on the scoreboard is “Undercover spy”, you can’t immediately know that he is undercover. You should act as if you have no idea he could potentially be an undercover spy. Whether or not you deduce that IC depends on how the RP progresses, but your character currently has no knowledge that he could be a spy.



You cannot use the OOC chat for IC advertisements or RP. For example, don’t attempt to ask for a lift in the OOC chat; you should instead try and call for a taxi or lift using /advert or other IC chat methods. Don’t try and sell or buy items on OOC chats either, though we do have a sub-forum specifically for this purpose. PM is generally considered to be both OOC and IC, but keep it in context, and don’t start PMing people you wouldn’t know IC to ask for lifts, etc.



If you believe that something is against the rules, you should still RP along, and just call an admin using @. Don’t try and stop the RP by saying that this is breaking the rules. You can inform them using local OOC, but unless the rule-breaking is blatant (i.e. someone is running around killing everybody or prop-pushing) you should continue to RP; you may be in the wrong, and then you would’ve stopped a valid RP for no reason.


The same applies to clan matters. Clans are strictly IC, and should stay that way. Don’t attempt to mix OOC and IC with clan matters. Just because a clan broke an IC law doesn’t mean that they’re breaking the rules. If a clan breaks a real-world (OOC) law, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re breaking an IC law, so keep things IC. This has actually been an issue a few times in the past.