How to Avoid OOC Drama

A lot of avoiding OOC (out of character) drama starts with YOU.

Here are some quick tips on avoiding messy situations:

• Respect: You don't have to like everyone, but showing respect right off the bat in OOC situations will earn you respect in return 90% of the time.

• Take a break: If you've been playing a while (over an hour or two), get up and walk around, read a book, watch TV... take a break from the computer.

• Take a deep breath: If someone says something that offends you, don't fire off a response right away. Take a deep breath, re-read the comment, and make sure you aren't reading it incorrectly. If you aren't certain, a polite, "I don't think I understand you, can you re-state that?" will usually suffice. If you're absolutely sure it was intended to offend, get up and do something else for a bit.

• Don't encourage: If someone is being rude, ask them politely to stop. "I'd appreciate if you don't use that language/term" is often enough. If they continue, DO NOT RESPOND TO THEM. This includes stating "I'm putting you on my ignore list". Take a screenshot (usually the "Print Screen" key. Command-shift-3 for macs) of the inflammatory remark, your request for it to cease, and the secondary remark, if it exists. This can be PMed or e-mailed to a GM. (See What to Do About OOC Drama.)

• Don't hang around: If you're having trouble with drama-mongers in a certain area, find somewhere else to be for the time being.

• Separate IC and OOC: Not every character is going to interact with yours in the way you expect. Realize that this is not the character's player making an attack on you, it is simply part of the diversity of characters. Just because their character is harassing yours doesn't mean you might not like to sit down to lunch with the player.