A Funny on Chars belonging to the same player rule

ambrosia · Post by **ambrosia** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 8:03 pm

...so.. .Shannen's bump reminded me of one of the stranger incidences of this rule I've run into, so I thought I would share for your own entertainment.

About.. oh.. two(three?) years ago now , one of my chars was conducting business in ROTE (a store on Avlis for those of you not familiar). When I was done, I turned around and there was a newb standing behind me. Being the friendly sort, I interacted with him for a bit, showed him around a little bit, gave him some gold and some healing supplies. All in all.. a good time. He said he had to log, so I said goodbye.

As soon as he logged, he logged back in with a girl char of the same last name and came to find me. In strange dejavu, I had basically the same conversation with the guy, but with his chars "sister."

It was clear that he wanted the same tour/gold/supplies with this second char. Not wanting to be rude, but feeling a bit taken advantage of, I sent the guy a tell politely telling him that I needed to go, but he should know that he couldn't play his own char's sister without running into potential problems with this rule.

He sent me back a tell saying that it "was cool" if I "gave them both gold and stuff", because he "wasn't trading anything", so go ahead and "give this char stuff too."

I said he missed my point, but that even if I felt like it, he really couldn't be related. He could have more then one char, just.. couldn't be related.

Thus began about a 10 minute "demonstration" on how he could play both, with logging in and out as the two of them, with elaborate "Have you see my brother/sister?" "Oh by the nine gods! I can't believe I JUST missed him/her again."

I watched awhile, then.. just.. logged off myself while he was "switching" for the 12th time , shaking my head in wonder.

p.s. that trip to ROTE stands out in my mind, because that was ALSO the day I met another newb who we all know and love! That was the same day I first met and helped out a very new Rali, just getting started out in the world, and told her all about Raen and the bards of Avlis!

Rali'vinee · Post by **Rali'vinee** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 8:38 pm

I remember that day and our meeting fondly! I never saw the newbie though, darn it! It would have been fun to mess with him/her . . .

darkfire · Post by **darkfire** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:26 pm

If you have two characters and they cyber with each other, is that masturbation?

thetamlyone · Post by **thetamlyone** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:37 pm

Eeep! *blushes*

I came in here to ask an innocent question, you naughty thing.

Anyway, this has never been an issue until recently, and quite by accident, Uni ran across a book about Thralia at a time when she was kind of looking for a role model. Now, I can't find any way for her to get over wanting to meet her/ know more about her without metagaming. It really did just kind of develop from the book. Obviously, she will never meet her, but it seems kind of weird for Uni to pretend Thralia doesn't exist when everyone around her knows Thralia. It even seems a little unrealistic that they can't communicate via mutual acquaintances or notes, but I understand the potential for abuse. I would imagine that to be even more true for characters who are both native to Hala. Anyway, I get the fact that they can't "know" each other or communicate, but surely it's okay for them to "know of" each other?

Verandis · Post by **Verandis** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:45 pm

Just don't have them pursue each other or send each other information/items/lost kittens/kisses/etc in any way or purposefully seek out information about the other and you'll be fine-- it's sort of hard to avoid. I know how many times people have asked one of my characters if they knew the other, and I just say no, or (after the first time) that I've heard the name but really don't know them.

thetamlyone · Post by **thetamlyone** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:59 pm

But....but Thralia really does have a kitten! What if it gets lost and Uni finds it?? Oh, I'm only kidding hon (well, except the kitten part, which Thralia really does have thanks to Arkaz)! Thanks for the quick response! It's been kind of bugging me because I don't want to be cheesy, but these characters really do take on a life of their own with minds of their own sometimes!

I find myself sometimes rolling my eyes at Uni especially, but she is who she is, and I like her even when she's being dumb.

Dengar · Post by **Dengar** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 10:02 pm

Well it is not unknown, or at least it wasn't a Year ago.

I have Three (four) Characters on Hala, that I play, or are known by more than a few people.

Dimwick, My Halfling
Siva, My Drow
Amash, My Priest
(No. 4 being Dengar, a dwarf who is currently dead)

Never once have I trully messed up, which one knew who, who had a part in what quest or adventure, or who was seeking what.

I've never traded Items between them.
I've never claimed to know of them, or realistacally had a conversation about them.

Each Character walks a different path, In most cases, the only characters I've ever played, that would even remotely have had a chance of meeting, was Dimwick, and Dengar... and only because of mutual friendships.

Dengar was dead before I made Dimwick.

I like all sides of roleplaying, and would hate to have to play just one character.

Split personalities are a bastard child.

whirlin_merlin · Post by **whirlin_merlin** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 1:19 am

darkfire wrote:If you have two characters and they cyber with each other, is that masturbation?

I've been playing on a server lately that does not have the same rule as Hala regarding characters belonging to the same player. Fine, I can live with it. The other day I had the opportunity to witness a PC demon get pwned by a Paladin. Moments later a mage appeared played by the same player, scolding the Paladin for fighting the demon without his guidance because it was trying to invade the mage's body. How is such guidance to be given?! RP with other people's characters, not your own!!

Jenai · Post by **Jenai** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 6:49 am

Poor Jenai often gets told about all the dastardly deeds Rayne does.

Jens Reply? What a PITA. And leaves it at that.

PiCaKi© · Post by **PiCaKi©** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 8:31 am

I think Ath'nook Nekken would gut any of my other Character.

blue wolfy · Post by **blue wolfy** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 1:19 pm

Dengar wrote:I like all sides of roleplaying, and would hate to have to play just one character.

Split personalities are a bastard child.

Between Avlis, Hala, and Arkaz I have 8 characters now. Of course As one character i hear rumors of the others but I've never claimed ones knowledge as another's. They never met or anything and I sorta keep a running tally of where/what each character is doing at all times in my head to avoid issues (i never take tanaris to heidbyr mines if frin is there to get silver, or if sylvia is there feeding her cats, etc)

Some times its fun to see how insane things get, as with Samhaim's '7 sins' plot, I think I had 4or5(?) different alts in it. Tanaria was there for the theif in the nantes mine, Frin was there for the cook, Coran was involved with Paul and his freind, and Cassie was in deadworld that time with the guy blake killed. So each character had no clue of the other dissapearances until the end when Tanaris heard it all in detail from Cassandra. At one point I had an idea for a forum thread to explain how they all just sort pass in the wind but it came out sounding too much like a multi-person character journal and as such was against the rules

obburner · Post by **obburner** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 5:15 pm

the bump wsa directed at me.. I have trouble keeping straight who is where and what they know especially if its an old char like deedi was. But I love every single char and its hard to believe that some who lives in the same place and has been there for years doesnt know of certain people ((I.E. Elly is known server wide for the most part, meaning every one on the server knows Elly. Its hard for me to RP not knowing some one so popular. Hence the bump)) I really would like to understand this rule further and ask a team member please to clear me up.

Verandis · Post by **Verandis** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 5:46 pm

Hey there, I think I can clarify.

The rule is meant to prevent metagaming. For example, a newly made character should clearly not know everything about the plane and the staircase-- but if the rule was not in place the character could supposedly be told everything by their alt.

There are also issues with secrets that for some reason are passed from character to character (which could cause a lot of trouble if another PC suddenly 'knew' some great secret another PC that isn't theirs has.)

The rule is also there to prevent one character helping another out-- in the same way characters aren't supposed to trade items, it would be too bad if a person logged a character better at gathering that information then relogged their alt and suddenly 'knew' the info. Or, say, a player relogging to an alt that can raise someone when a party member dies.

In a worst case scenario without the rule, a person might log a character to spy for another, find a PC, and report to their alt about where the PC was so the higher level alt can go kill that PC. Now that would be no fun, at all. (Don't anyone even think about doing it!)

In order to keep track of information, I suggest keeping notes in your IG journal or on a sheet of paper. This is what I do for sessions and it helps out a great deal when you have multiple characters in the same world

As for knowing or not knowing your other PCs, as stated earlier, you may know OF your other PC (because I've noticed other characters sometimes talk about alts when you're playing, and sometimes don't even realize what player they're talking to) but you cannot have them actually know or interact, which includes anything that might have them giving each other information.

--------------

As for an IG example of a situation in which passing character knowledge would make the game lose some spunk, I have had a circumstance where I know one of my characters had suspicion put on him for something that happened- because I overheard it as a different character. Oooh- I thought- tension, and the character can't defend himself because he doesn't even know what happened! Now that's a lot more fun the character somehow finding out; it's more dramatic and more interesting. Plus it would be pretty lame if my other PC were spying on the people that were talking about it in order to tell the first character. That wouldn't be fair to the group that was talking, at all!

silverdragonams · Post by **silverdragonams** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 6:04 pm

Just to add to what Verandis said, your characters can know OF each other, but unless you are logging in in a manner that is cheating anyway, your characters can never actually be in the same area at the same time IG, therefore they can never meet. If they can't meet, they can't exchange introductions, they can never really know what each other look like. Even if it were possible for them to meet on the street by coincidence, they wouldn't even recognise each other.

What it comes down to is that we ask you not to do this for the same reason you can't rp being a vampire. If it isn't possible in game, then it isn't possible.

Tremayne7 · Post by **Tremayne7** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 6:18 pm

I agree Verandis. I love to sit back and know "nothing" about a really tense situation for everyone else.

But truthfully, it's to prevent what I've heard in other online games called "muling". What this means is that you have your main character and your 'alt'. The alt may be really good at say mining, so they mine a lot of say gold and then leave it some place for your main character who then uses it to then say make rings. Or it may mean as Verandis said, gathering information.

Peter was created to be in Samhaim and Verandis's Summer lowbie campain, which was a blast! I had so much playing Peter, I'd log him in just to craft or to hang out. So now it depends on who I want to play.

And that is a tribute to the players of this world that I tip my hats to you. I have fun playing both PC's and sometimes it's really hard to figure out who to play. And I can understand Odburner's situation too as it's been over a year since we saw him play NWN, so it's hard to remember where everyone was. Even I mess up and forget where I've left Aria or Peter at times.

But yes, Verandis did a good job of explaining things. And I've had fun as Peter exploring Hala and not knowing where things are and refinding them again.

Xanthalas · Post by **Xanthalas** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 9:51 pm

I wish someone would make some kind of device, that when you mark it, perhaps with another device, you can keep track of things. They could call it, notepad and pen, or something.

... Nah. That's a ridiculous thought.

I'm sure some of you might get offended by my joke. Too bad, Get over yourself.

However, it's a valid suggestion. Not only does it help with "Separation Anxiety" as I like to call the above mentioned stories. Taking notes really can help with RP, because you can mark down little odd things your character might have noticed, that you as a person might forget later.

thetamlyone · Post by **thetamlyone** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 10:41 pm

Yeah, I do make notes sometimes, but on the other hand, I play to play, not to create more work for myself. I try to balance the work with the fun, so sometimes I make a mistake. *shrugs* Not very often, though.

Jenai · Post by **Jenai** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 11:35 pm

Notes are the bomb. I use them often.

Dengar · Post by **Dengar** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:58 pm

XanThalas brought it to my attention, that once, I may have said something about a character of mine in which I wasn't playing at the time, but then corrected myself, he thinks.

Chalk it up to me being hammered. I drink a lot less now

Xanthalas · Post by **Xanthalas** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 12:15 am

As far as my recollection is. I've been fairly good about keeping my facts straight.

HOWEVER!

For everyone's enjoyment, I'll recall the time, that be it for sleep deprivation, or pure stupidity. Xai, (An Aasimarian holy man.) Started speaking in -DROW.-

(This was before the language commands, and when I had a minor grasp of the actual "verbal" Drow from some website.)

It get's worse.

After getting a tell, something like "HAHAHAHAHAH."

I proceeded to correct myself.

In Spanish.

*Sighs*

Timdalos · Post by **Timdalos** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 5:38 pm

Heh heh. I actually have very little if any trouble in differentiating between what my PCs know. I have like, 3 at ALL ative, and Riddle and Kethry are hardly active at ALL tehse days, but they HAVE been at times), and, well... I DM'd a lot, for many many years. As a DM, I had to keep track of not just what one or two or three PCs heard, but what diffrent things the dozens of NPCs knew, and how, and how it would effect their plans... most all of which was just Off Camera figuring, not actual in play events. SO... a couple PCs isn't so hard. Heh.

But man, have there been times it's been hard to juggle things to have Tinker and Riddle avoid IC "but it makes no sense they wouldn't run into each other" situatuions. They have a really HUGE number of mutual friends, and quite often both get invited to go someplace. Heh... poor Tinker hardly EVER gets to go to Bardic Events, for one. heh. And she likes music a lot... she just can't sing. LOL But yeah. It can be really difficult having more than one PC, even ones with very different backgrounds and personalities, out of contact. I just let Tink and Rid know what their friends have mentioned and told them about each other. which is also fairly simple, since both have a pretty consistent "What I tell just anyone" and "what I tell friends" and "what I tell really CLOSE friends" levels of detail they're willing to go into, and it's fairly consistent for each of them, so I let them only know the "common knowledge" info.