Hi. I'm hoping for some community feedback and suggestions for something that happened today. Note the location - the main room of the Crossing Empath Guild. Log follows:


[Empaths' Guild, Main Room]
This is the headquarters of the Empaths' Guild. Here healers both novice and experienced gather. There is a small but modern library to the east.
You also see an Empath renown scroll, an Empath donation shelf with several things on it, a bucket of viscous gloop and some smoothly worked stairs of golden oak.
Also here: PersonA and PersonB.
Obvious exits: northeast, east, west, down, out.
>
PersonB sways gracefully about in an elegant dance.
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PersonA says, "My coworker even looked up when Sinfield ended, and was like...this girl wa 4 years old when it stopped."
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PersonB exclaims, "GET OUT!"
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PersonB shoves futilely at PersonA.
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PersonA says, "I thought it was like..you know, a common hilarious thing."
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PersonB says, "IT IS!@."
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PersonA says, "To make fun of people who cant dance, like Elaine."
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PersonA says, "I just realized that they're not as funny as I am."
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PersonA says, "So I was like, meh."
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PersonB says, "That's defintely what it is."
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PersonA says, "And then I watched the clip over and over again."
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PersonA exclaims, "And was like SEE! HILARIOUS!"
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Water drips from PersonA's copper zills.
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PersonB grins at PersonA.
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PersonA says, "To which, they were not impressed."
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PersonA slides a pair of copper zills off her finger.
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PersonA gets a chamois cloth from inside her spidersilk backpack.
>

(At this point I'm still a little surprised and trying to figure out the most polite way to ask them to talk privately)

PersonB gestures at you.
PersonB fixes you with an intent stare. Confusion clouds your mind, filling you with a growing conviction that it might be better to be elsewhere.
Abruptly, you lose all track of why you were intending to engage PersonB. You find yourself craving a cup of tea.
You flee down.

[The Healerie, Entrance Hall]
Moss and lichen blanket the underground hall. At one end, stairs lead up to the Empath Guild. At the other end, doors lead into the Healerie. Near the middle, a ramp goes to the Hospital Triage while an arch leads into other areas.
You also see a gleaming metal pole extending up the shaft and some large swinging doors leading into the Healerie.
Obvious exits: none.


(Returned to Main Room after fleeing a bit)

>
You frown.
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PersonA gives PersonB a gentle poke in the ribs.
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PersonA says, "Stop being a bully."
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PersonB says, "Trying to have a converastion."
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PersonB grins at Lisbet.
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You ask, "In public?"
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PersonB reaches over and covers your ears with his hands.
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PersonA exclaims, "But, he'es Mahrk of Elanthia!"
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PersonA casually observes the area.
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PersonA says, "What public."
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PersonA says, "It's just us."



I removed the names, but these are not new players.

I think the relative policy topic is Policy 4, which states "Generally, it is up to the player to decide how much he or she wants to remain in character while playing DragonRealms. However, there can exist situations where being blatantly out of character can be considered abusive behavior: for example, an individual who insists on remaining out-of-character, even when associating with a group of other players which is trying to remain in-character. When one individual is reducing the enjoyment of other players by out-of-character behavior (be it by speech, actions, ESP messages, or any other method of communication within DragonRealms), this may be considered as disruptive behavior. Judgment of what is and is not disruptive is entirely at the discretion of Simutronics."

Obviously DR is just a game at the end of the day and no one is required to RP, but this sort of thing seems like it crosses the line a bit, given their responses to my presence and question and their choice of location. Are truly blatant situations like this something that should be reported, so the parties involved might get a gentle reminder about keeping the OOC to more appropriate methods (OOC/Whisper/IMs)? Or would situations like this not be considered 'disruptive enough' to warrant a response? To be fair, they did leave soon after, presumably to a less-traveled place.

I know that there are in-game options such as thumping and killing the offending parties, but neither is available to my little circle 12 Empath, and that would strike me as just bringing an OOC conflict IC anyway, which I don't really see as an ideal solution. Or one that will actually solve the problem.

Obviously not looking to do anything about this minor incident, and those involved shall remain nameless. But it'd be good to know for the future.

Watcha think, folks?

Usually when I hear that kind of thing I ask the person if they hit their head because they aren't making sense. It takes a few seconds for them to realize what is going on. It works most of the time though...or it gets you dead, but either way, it usually stops.

>Usually when I hear that kind of thing I ask the person if they hit their head because they aren't making sense. It takes a few seconds for them to realize what is going on. It works most of the time though...or it gets you dead, but either way, it usually stops.

I've done similar IC responses like this while I was reporting it. The report provides an opportunity for GMs to correct the behavior and the IC reaction gives you an IC way to get out of whatever is happening.

Other possible IC reactions:
1) Suggest they have a speech impediment and should seek specialized help (I've gone as far as having a friend arrive to be the specialized help.)
2) Pretend they are possessed by demons, call for a cleric
3) Suggest you become their language teacher for a small fee to help them learn how to speak properly and how to behave in polite company

I've found that if you do this long enough, the normal reaction is they go somewhere more private. It's more likely to end this way if you have at least one other person helping you with your reaction. There's probably a psych reason for that.

>> You cannot make an intrinsically OOC thing IC by wrapping it in euphemisms, and trying to do so is frequently more disruptive than the original behavior was.

Agreed. At most I would give some hand wave over what it was about after it was resolved, but I wouldn't put a spotlight on it.

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Uzmam! The Chairman will NOT be pleased to know you're trying to build outside of approved zones. I'd hate for you to be charged the taxes needed to have this place re-zoned. Head for the manor if you're feeling creative.