IC and OOC...what do the terms mean?

[johnlewismcleod]

I began to post my understanding of these terms in my own topic, but decided I would prefer to hear some other peoples definitions/understanding of the terms...anyone willing to weigh in?

[javajutsu]

I began to post my understanding of these terms in my own topic, but decided I would prefer to hear some other peoples definitions/understanding of the terms...anyone willing to weigh in?

Here's my understanding of these terms:

• IC - "in character" - actions taken or words said by your PC
• OOC - "out of character" - thoughts expressed by you, the player. If said during the game, sometimes set out with "((", as in "((be right back, phone"

[zicada]

IC comes from the characters brain
OOC comes from the players'

[CloudDancing]

OCC = Out of Character Context

*YOU know your PC's background and all their secrets. So you know what is in-character for them to do.

*Your PC or you do not know the other PC's backgrounds, motivations, and private interactions with other characters when you are not around and/or the DMs. Of course as a PC and not DM, you never really know IF a PC is taking OCC actions. Anything goes, especially with specific alignments.

*A PC demonstrates knowledge and abilities beyond their stats and class with no RP background to support that knowledge. Again this is something mainly DMs would know and/or challenge.

*Using modern language and terms as well as concepts foriegn to the Faerun universe.
OCC is obvious when someone says "Ok Mage you hit them with an AOE firestorm and ill DPS with my bow, while the tanks go out and take aggro from the main mobs. The Offtank, your job is to keep strays off the casters and the healers."

So to determing if another PC is OCC or IC is something a player should not concern themselves with on the subtle level.

IF it is in direct conflict with their professed deity, their promises and oaths to your PC, and/or obivously dependant on meta knowledge you can mention it to a DM.

[Sandermann]

IC comes from the characters brain
OOC comes from the players'

+1. Its really not complicated at all.

[NickD]

IC is a shortened way of saying "I see", which is an expression similar to "OK" or "I hear and understand you"

OOC stands for Object Oriented Code. Object Oriented Code allows for reuse of code through use of inherited classes and polymorphism and other buzz words, as opposed to procedural code, which does not have classes, although multiple functions can use the same sub routines, so there is some reuse of code.

[johnlewismcleod]

We all throw about the terms IC and OOC quite a bit, and it seems a simple concept on the surface, but it has occurred to me recently that perhaps we don’t all agree on what the terms actually mean. This is my understanding of them:

IC = in character : what the PC sees, hears, smells, touches, or tastes in game. Also knowledge gained in game or known via bio/background by the PC are IC. Actions taken by the PC in game, or observed by the PC are IC. Emotions felt or observed by the PC in game are IC.

In the simplest terms if the PC is considered to be a living, breathing, thinking, and feeling person in a separate and self sufficient world apart from the player…IC is what exists in that world for the PC.

OOC = out of character : This is all the knowledge and emotions of the player that exist outside the game world.

In my interpretation of this the knowledge, goals, and emotions of the player will rarely correspond to that of the PC he or she is playing (with the possible exception of terror, on occasion ).

Meta = metagaming : This is the transferal of OOC knowledge, emotions, or goals to PC's.

[I-KP]

I largely agree with the above posts.

The human brain isn't naturally wired to support truly disassociated personalities thus despite any Herculean effort toward that end -- which is a level of effort that very few are prepared to commit to any task, let alone simply in RP -- there can be no crisp delineation between 'IC' and 'OOC'. (Even sufferers of the clinical condition known as multiple personality disorder can't fully separate the psychology of one personality from another.) 'IC' decisions will always be influenced by 'OOC' knowledge (aka. meta) on the subconscious level, there is simply no avoiding it. People may claim that when faced with such a situation that they can remain impartial [IC], and the ability to do so will vary hugely between individuals, but complete impartiality is impossible. A strong, driven desire to remain impartial actually pollutes one's ability to remain impartial as such effort often indentures an extreme reaction: total disassociation or cold indifference, which is very rarely 'IC' anyway. This isn't cheating, this is being human.

The easiest and only way to prevent meta is to avoid potential conflicts of interest from the very beginning.

Sermon over with. Amen.

[Hialmar]

IC is a shortened way of saying "I see", which is an expression similar to "OK" or "I hear and understand you"

OOC stands for Object Oriented Code. Object Oriented Code allows for reuse of code through use of inherited classes and polymorphism and other buzz words, as opposed to procedural code, which does not have classes, although multiple functions can use the same sub routines, so there is some reuse of code.

lol nice one...

Though OOC does not need inheritance nor polymorphism nor classes... see for example Smalltalk, Objective C and Javascript...

[johnlewismcleod]

Very true, I-KP...thanks for the thoughtful injection of reality

[fluffmonster]

It may be hard to dissociate IC and OOC in the mind of the decision-maker player, but such is not terribly relevant or even necessary. What is relevant is how it appears to an external observer...the DM and other players. The distinction for them is much more straight-forward and really doesn't require much elaboration. IC is within the character's perspective and behavior, OOC is not. Being rigidly IC in your own mind may be stultifying, but being strictly IC for other people is just good roleplay.

[javajutsu]

It may be hard to dissociate IC and OOC in the mind of the decision-maker player, but such is not terribly relevant or even necessary. What is relevant is how it appears to an external observer...the DM and other players. The distinction for them is much more straight-forward and really doesn't require much elaboration. IC is within the character's perspective and behavior, OOC is not. Being rigidly IC in your own mind may be stultifying, but being strictly IC for other people is just good roleplay.

+1!

Is it possible to be entirely devoid, internally, of "cross channel communication"? Probably not.

Is it possible to roleplay consistently in-character, regardless of whatever internal meta-contamination may be present? Absolutely.

How else do you think actors on stage manage this?

As long as you roleplay consistently in-character (or DM with consistently impartial and fair results), what difference does it make what other stuff is rattling around inside your head? Relax and have fun. Hakuna matata.

[I-KP]

-1

How else do you think actors on stage manage this?

Because they are following a script. Any point of choice is entirely removed from them and they are instead allowed to focus on how the scripted choice is portrayed.

[johnlewismcleod]

True, I-KP...but from what I understand of acting, it's something on the order of 50% script recital, 50% interpretation by the actor. Some actors nearly ignore the script and focus entirely on "becoming the character".

In our case the script is the ALFA/Exudus gameworld and what the DM's and other PC's present to us.

[I-KP]

Point being that the endings are known and all major landmarks in how the story progresses are also known. Meta contamination is utterly irrelevant when the story is railroaded. The stage acting analogy is a poor one. One of the great things about RP is that it's not railroaded (at least it shouldn't be), none of the major choices have been made for you by a writer or---

You know what, none of it really matters. Everyone knows what's what so splitting hairs isn't going to accomplish anything. Rock on, dudes.