Summary

When writing disabilities, whether they be physical or mental, they must be written with the realities of these conditions in mind. Disabilities should be researched for relative authenticity, and should be roleplayed accordingly. These disabilities should not be used to make your character the butt of the joke, and they should not be used to promote ableist ideals through character design. Roleplayed disabilities should appropriately reflect their real-life counterparts, mechanical or otherwise.

Reasoning

Different challenges and scenarios add variety and flavor to roleplay; and disabilities and acquisition of them provide depth to the consequences of risking deadly infection, head injuries, genetic pitfalls, and more. While there is a wide range of options that range in severity, these conditions are real, and they affect real people. It is important when involving disabilities in our writing that we respect the people that experience them in their day-to-day, both by approaching these conditions with sensitivity and also approaching them with a willingness to learn. Both mental and physical disabilities can be complex and affect every aspect of someone's life. Please do thorough research on the disability you intend to portray to ensure you are not acting on myths, adding to stigma, or causing offence.

Example

Individuals who suffer from serious mental health issues such as schizophrenia have been historically demonized through film and portrayed as violent, unstable individuals with little to no control over their impulses. This is inaccurate and perpetuates a dangerous and offensive stigma, and we discourage someone from playing into this. If you do wish to play a character who suffers from schizophrenia, then you should do your research first, and avoid playing into inaccurate stereotypes.

Summary

It is considered poor form to react extremely negatively to other characters hibernating, both out of character and in character, as this is effectively punishing the player for needing to take a break. It is fine to be disappointed, but you should think twice about voicing these frustrations publicly or directly to the player. It is acceptable to roleplay realistic and legitimate emotions that characters might feel if their partner or parent has been absent for a significant period, but it is important to approach this tactfully. Generally, it is considered good form for your characters to be forgiving and understanding.

Reasoning

We want players to feel comfortable hibernating when they need to, rather than being worried about the way other characters will react to this in-game. If a player needs to step away from the game due to illness, then it would add insult to injury for them to return to abuse or guilt-tripping out of character due to having to step away - something they potentially had no control over. It can also make it much harder for players to get back into their characters.

Example

If your tierborn’s parent has slept for three in-game years, such as from age 5 to age 8, then it is realistic to roleplay them as being unfamiliar or perhaps not wholly comfortable with their parent. However, it would be considered poor form to have your 8-year-old declare that their parent is "not their parent", "means nothing to them", or accuse the parent of being neglectful or abusive. It would be considered exceptionally bad form to continue to adopt this stance even through persistent efforts on behalf of the parent to step up and try to form a bond with your tierborn.

Summary

It's normal for you to want to discuss the game, but discretion should still be utilised. Spoiler text should be used where possible if you believe you could be sharing something publicly that someone else may not want to know about. There is a certain onus on players to draw their own boundaries surrounding information they may not want spoiled, but equally it is on everyone to think twice before sharing.

Reasoning

We want players to be able to make their own discoveries in-game, and sometimes hearing information for the first time ICly can fuel your roleplay and allow for more impactful scenes. Some individuals are content with having everything spoiled for them, while others prefer to play completely blind. Being aware of what information you share is considerate to other players.

Example

Three different characters are competing against each other to find a treasure. The treasure is then found, and the player whose character it is immediately begins talking about this to others. The information of the treasure's contents is leaked to the other two players, thereby spoiling the surprise and potentially ruining their experience of discovering it in-game.

Summary

While it is fine for characters to have kinks and fetishes, you should think twice before obviously alluding to these, especially in a group-setting where not everyone might want to read it. Even in private, it is good form to ease into things rather than jumping immediately into unconventional interests.

Reasoning

It is incredibly obvious when a player is roleplaying their personal sexual fantasies in-game and drawing personal gratification from roleplay, and this can make others wholly uncomfortable.

Example

If you have a character who is a masochist and gains pleasure from people sparring with them, you don’t have to bar yourself entirely from giving accurate reactions. However, in public, it is considerate to avoid words with inherently sexual connotations such as aroused, erotic, lust, etc. A general air of enjoyment and maybe even a dash of blush across the cheeks (the face ones) as blows are exchanged is appropriate enough and is likely to get your point across to those who are looking for it without treading into uncomfortable territory for those around you. Still, be aware that if characters happen to clue into what you’re putting down, there is always the possibility that there will be a negative IC reaction regardless of mindful writing. Sometimes it is better to keep it in the bedroom!

Summary

The hibernation tool is intended to be used when you do not have the time to play your character in the short to medium term due to out of game factors - such as moving, going on holiday, or a busy period at school or work. It should not be used to avoid negative in-game events or while waiting on a response from staff. It is also inappropriate to utilise the hibernation tool over a long period of time, and we strongly recommend you consider culling your character or putting them up for adoption if you do not have the time to play them, or if the prospect of playing them is negatively impacting your personal wellbeing. All accounts can hibernate their characters under any circumstances because we trust players to use this tool properly. If it is misused, then the character will be woken up and the account will have the circumstances in which they can hibernate restricted. It is reasonable to want to take a break from a character after a period of intense roleplay - but this should not be done mid-scene. If the scene is upsetting you, then do not be afraid to utilise FTB or hold off on posting until it is finished. Remember that not posting is not the same as hibernating - the latter of which makes your character immune to attacks.

Reasoning

Marosia is a game where unforeseen twists and turns are part of the experience. It is a collaborative story which is all about tragedies and triumphs - the former of which should not be skipped. Remember that your character has an impact on the stories of others as well as the towns they inhabit. Hibernating as a response to in-game situations stops the flow of roleplay and prevents the story and game from otherwise progressing. Staff also have plenty of tools at their disposal to right any wrongs if there has been rule breaks, etiquette breaches, or abuse of any bugs - so you do not need to hibernate your character in order to ensure they are treated fairly.

Example

Your character is ambushed and quickly reduced to low health. To hibernate here to avoid them being subdued is an inappropriate use of the tool. It is also inappropriate to liberally use hibernation to delay starvation, poison, or death from old age. Trust your instinct. If you feel you are using the tool to accomplish something in-game that should not be possible, then you are probably using it incorrectly.

Summary

If you are forcing another character into a situation such as imprisonment, slavery, or execution then it is good form to engage with them, or allow others to do so. There are bad characters within Marosia who do deserve their just desserts, but not bad players. When dishing out punishments, your focus should be on making sure the character has a bad time - not the player behind them. Consider how you would want to be treated if the roles were reversed.

Reasoning

Marosia is a collaborative roleplaying game where we are all trying to work together to make the most engaging stories and, while mechanically possible, it is against the spirit of the game to deprive another character of roleplay long-term. It is considerate of other players to remain conscious of their enjoyment when you play. We all put a lot of time and effort into our characters, so the least you can do if you are ending another's story is to put effort into making it engaging.

Example

A character has been captured and imprisoned for their crimes. Leaving the character alone locked in a dungeon with no window, and subsequently no chance of roleplay, is poor etiquette. You do not have to allow them total freedom or suffer poor behaviour, but you should allow the prisoner the chance to roleplay, if not with a wider crowd then in one-on-one scenes with those who are willing.

Summary

Marosia is a world filled with the potential for numerous rich cultures - many of which draw inspiration from real life. We expect players to research their source when attempting to replicate real-life cultures within Marosia to avoid accidentally mocking, belittling, or ridiculing pre-existing and sometimes culturally sensitive customs. Offensive tropes should always be avoided, and it is a good idea to run something by another person to make sure you aren't being insensitive.

Reasoning

Cultures taken from real life, even when only utilized in fantasy settings, still reflect on those marginalized communities that participate in said culture in the real world. It is important to be mindful of the way that poorly stereotyping these cultures might affect real people and other people's perceptions of them. A culture being replicated incorrectly can be profoundly disrespectful while also ruining immersion for other players.

Example

Marosia has a savanna biome and some players have contemplated the possibility of a brutal society of cannibalistic therians which would draw inspiration from Sub-Saharan Africa. While potentially harmless fun on the surface, this idea has significant colonial and racist undertones, particularly if the in-game society adopts racist tropes like a rejection of technology, speaking in an unintelligent way, or otherwise acting uncivilised. This is the exact thing which should be avoided.

Summary

It is crucial to recognise that players are not their characters, and you should not be getting upset with a player due to the actions of their character.

Reasoning

Similar to actors playing roles in a movie or TV show, we are all roleplaying characters of a story. You do not hate the actor of a villainous character, so you should not hate the player of a bad guy. You must separate the game from reality, as blaming players for decisions made by their characters can cause them distress and encourage them to break character in order to appease you, which is not in the spirit of the game.

Example

There is a character in-game who is notorious for engaging in comic-book levels of villainy. Their deeds are dastardly and they leave a wake of destruction and chaos. It is absolutely fine for players to dislike this character, but any frustration must be aimed at the character, and never the player.

Summary

Sometimes individuals are not available to roleplay when we are, so it is important to be patient, especially when something significant is occurring. You should not expect immediate responses from others, and you should give other players a realistic time to get their reply in before moving on without them, especially if you are the one trying to initiate a scene.

Reasoning

Marosia is a game we play in our spare time, and it is considerate of other players to give them the chance to impact a scene rather than storming ahead, especially when their character is significantly impacted.

Example

A character falls incapable and others gather to try and heal them. As there is a chance that the project may fail and they could die, it is good form to give the incapable character the time to react to events before you begin the project, otherwise they may die without getting the chance to roleplay.

Summary

We all have low energy days where we only really have the capacity to reply to posts made by your character's usual roleplay partners. However, when the occasional day becomes a whole in-game year or ten, we might want to look at ourselves and try to be more inclusive. Particularly if a character is putting themselves out there, reaching for a connection, or even trying to join your plotline, it's good etiquette that you acknowledge them in-game and give them the chance to contribute to your story.

Reasoning

You never know when an awkward introductory post might bring out a delightful character yours will click with, or even start a story between two other different characters. Stories grow richer with connections, and the whole community benefits when people don't feel invisible. We all profit from more stories, more engaged characters, and more varied playstyles. Even a failed connection, roleplayed rather than ignored, can drive other scenes to happen. And last, but not least, it is very frustrating for a player who is trying to engage to get repeatedly ignored or written off. Let's make sure the game environment leaves no character behind.

Example

Sue's character's group has been planning a metal expedition for a couple of years and they're in the process of packing. Another character approaches and sends longing, shy glances to the packed boxes. Sue reads that, and her outgoing character promptly picks up the clue: "Hello, there, what's your name? I'm Gwen! Are you a box enthusiast or did you find something rotten in our expedition’s food crate?" Good job, Sue!

Summary

While we all get impacted from time to time about the twists and turns that our stories take, it is very bad form to reach out to other players through private out-of-game means (such as private messages on discord, forums, social media, etc) and attempt to manipulate, coerce or threaten them into taking a particular in-game action. If someone is trying to do this to you, we strongly recommend you set up very clear boundaries and block the offender if they continue - or simply block them from the get-go.

Reasoning

Marosia is a game which we all play for fun. In-character manipulation, threats, and coercion are part of the world, but bringing that behavior out-of-character is not fair on others. You wouldn’t send a message to the writers for a popular TV show to try and coerce them into exploring a storyline (at least we hope you wouldn’t) - so do not do it to other players.

Example

Sue has been playing her character and having fun, writing a few good scenes with Beth. They chat occasionally out of character until, in one particularly tense scene, Beth messages her in discord with: "My character is being attacked! You have to come inside immediately to help, otherwise I will cull them.” Sue types back "This is unacceptable behavior, Beth. I understand your frustration with the scene, but I won't tolerate something like it again." Properly schooled, Beth apologizes and doesn't get blocked just yet. Sue establishes a healthy distance between them and plays the game at her own pace, making her own decisions. Good job, Sue!

Summary

The boundary between yourself and your character must be established cleanly. You are not your character, and any slights levied against them in-game are not personal attacks against you. You must not base your character's actions on how you personally feel. All players should practice IC/OOC separation.

Reasoning

It is natural to get invested in scenes and characters, but the experience for both you and others is likely to suffer if you are unable to draw a line between reality and fiction. Taking in-game events personally can lead to hurt feelings and harsh accusations, and in general can morph the game from an enjoyable experience into something which negatively impacts yourself and your relationships with other players.

Example

One player decides to suddenly change their character's behavior towards another due to some OOC tension between the players. Both their characters are already established as good friends, but suddenly one character begins to shun the other for no in-game reason. This is an example of very poor in-character and out of character separation.

Summary

It is considered poor form to railroad an interaction towards a conclusion you have decided you want. Railroading is when you ignore certain interactions and force the scene to reach a pre-fixed outcome. Instead, you should be allowing other characters to influence the scene and its outcome, it’s okay to have plans but allow for interruptions. This is doubly important if you and another player or group of players have OOC coordinated an event.

Reasoning

The essence of the game is players working together to make the best story. Planned outcomes tend to go against this, as it will only be your storytelling or the collaborated storytelling from you and a few other select players. It doesn’t feel particularly great to have your contributions ignored because a scene has been intended to end a certain way, especially when a group is doing so.

Example

You and a few other players in a city think a gladiator-style tournament would be fun, so you start talking and planning to mention it and further develop the plan in character. This is all well and good, it’s a great RP and storytelling event. Planning who would win fights or who’s fated to win the tournament would be bad form, as that’s choosing an outcome. Especially if some would wish to join who weren’t in on the OOC collaboration and are being set up to a decided outcome.

Summary

Your characters should be roleplayed with their stats and current statuses kept in mind. When writing an appearance for your character, try to have it reflect their actual capabilities. Marosia is a fantasy world, but you should not throw realism completely out the window, so you should remember that muscles take time to build, and injuries and diseases take time to recover from.

Reasoning

Most of all, part of the fun of a roleplaying world is the immersion and consistency of it. Just because something is mechanically possible, it can be jarring for other players when events occur which should not realistically be possible.

Example

If your character has just broken a leg during an accident and is recovering, then you should think twice before having them run off after an argument. How much time they would take to recover (if they have mechanically been healed from that injury) is up to you, but try to make it reasonable and progressive.

Summary

Avoid using mechanical terms such as your skill level, effort or hourly ticks, or mentioning cooldowns. These should be referred to indirectly through roleplay if it becomes necessary or appropriate to do so. Sometimes with newer players, it is unavoidable, but in day-to-day roleplay, it should be avoided.

Reasoning

It can be immersion breaking for other players when mechanical terms are used in roleplay. As far as our characters know they live in a world as real as ours. Sometimes other characters will ask yours to do something that is not mechanically possible. Finding a way to explain that you can't in a way that makes sense in-game would be appropriate to keep immersion.

Example

If someone is asking your fae to shift but they are half way through their year long cooldown, then try and avoid having them explicitly say this. Instead, try and be creative with it, such as: "I can't, it takes a lot of my energy to shift… and after last time sapped me dry I don't think I'm really up to it yet."

Summary

The wiki provides information freely for use by players in order to make the game easier to learn. It is not great roleplay for your character to know this information immediately without encountering it, especially if they formed recently. Your characters still spawn with general knowledge on how to exist - they do not have to be complete idiots - but think twice before roleplaying them as encyclopedias.

Reasoning

Like other points within this guide, to have your character know everything right off the bat can be immersion-breaking. It can also rob you and others of the opportunity to learn that information in game.

Example

Jack spawns in, looks around, and then asks if he could have a set of armor and a basket of food because he wishes to search for basilisks to tame as mounts since those are the fastest mount available around him. This is quite a leap of knowledge considering he has never seen any of these creatures.

Summary

Traced art, in general terms, is when someone takes a photo or artwork that they don’t have reasonable permission to use and traces over the image with little to no variation in the structure of the piece. Artists do not often take kindly to this, and blatant tracing is a form of plagiarism. It may be tempting to make use of the swaths of images you can find through a simple Google search and draw some of your lines over them, but there are plenty of resources that you can make use of as an alternative to avoid stepping into a territory that could be considered a rule-break! It is perfectly okay to use references when creating art for the game; this is when you make use of outside images as something to look back to when drawing without taking the entire image and plastering it into your work. As long as you’re making something original and personal to yourself, you’re okay!

Take a look in the Art Resources board on the forums if you need some help finding permissible assets that you can make use of!

Reasoning

We don’t want to cultivate an environment that is hazardous for artists, both within the community and out of it. Even when you take your time to edit or change a piece of work through tracing, doing so is disrespectful to those who put their efforts into the piece in the first place, and, once again, can be considered as plagiarism. Instead, we want to create a supportive atmosphere for the numerous artists who are part of the community.

Summary

It is good etiquette to avoid seeking out a particular conflict with more than one of your characters, creating one involving just your characters, or wielding great influence on two groups of characters you are a part of. The world is quite small and sometimes the stars do align where you end up getting involved in a conflict between two different characters, but you should make every attempt to avoid it.

Reasoning

Conflicts generally flow more naturally when they are between different writers. It can also be difficult to keep what the two characters know separated, and knowledge bleed can creep in accidentally. It is also widely considered to be unsporting if you have more than one character influencing a conflict as this potentially gives you more control over the situation and its outcome. Generally, it can become tricky to navigate and it can get messy, so overall it’s best to still try not to get proactively involved.

Example

If the same group of bandits raid two of your characters' hometowns, then it is natural for those two characters to want to get revenge or be hostile should they meet again in the future. This is fine. What you should avoid, however, is having your second character purposefully seek out the dangerous group after they attack your first character - particularly if they do not have a strong in-character motivation for doing so.

Summary

Your characters should behave reasonably for their age. An eight-year-old will have a vastly different grasp on consequence, logic, social awareness, and general knowledge of the world than an eighty-year-old. In day-to-day life, a young child should experience similar learning curves to that of an actual child, and in conflicts, they should approach with logic and stances that reasonably reflect those a child would be familiar with. Similarly, an adult character should not be behaving the same way a young child or teenager would; instead, they should be written with the consideration that is expected of an adult. It is also worth noting that it is against the rules to roleplay an adult as if they were a child.

Reasoning

Characters that act their age are more believable and allow for better stories, and they are also less jarring to be around. It is better for you and the players around you to roleplay your child character as growing up and drawing influence from adults around them, rather than acting as a mini-adult.

Example

Character A is nine years old, and in an argument with his father about their village's decision to not limit the trade of metal. It does not make sense for a nine-year-old to lecture an adult on the ins and outs of maintaining a healthy local economy and stock of metal for future use, as a nine-year-old would not have the foresight on emergencies down the road, nor the economic savvy to offer relevant advice.

Summary

As a general rule of thumb, your emotes should be factual, and it is bad form to insult other characters through emotes. It is fine to make fun of your own characters to show self-awareness or add some comedy to the scene, or to mirror emotes that other players are using to describe their own characters, but you should avoid going over the line.

Reasoning

By limiting in-character insults to dialogue, not only are you giving the other players a chance to respond through roleplay, but you are also reiterating that it is the character who holds these opinions, not yourself. It is also not very considerate of the player behind the character who you are insulting. If you find yourself starting to insult another character in emotes, then this suggests you are becoming too personally invested, and it may be time for a breather before you post your reply.

Example

"Malcolm rolls his eyes after Jim’s stupid answer." This is an example of someone using a dismissive insult in an emote which may cause Jim’s player to disengage from the scene. It would be better to roleplay:

Malcolm rolls his eyes at Jim’s answer and says “That’s stupid.”

This gives the other character a clear indication of Malcolm’s mood and still allows for a reaction.

Summary

Your characters must have in-character reasons for doing the things they do. Many times sudden changes of heart can come across as confusing to other players, and they can believe the player is either acting out of character or being influenced by knowledge bleed. If you think your character might be doing something where the reasoning is not clear to everyone around them - then it is good practice to record a motivation under the 'motivations' section near thoughts. If no motivation is recorded, then staff may reach out to you to clarify why they are acting in a certain way. To avoid this - be sure to keep your in-game motivations up to date.

Note: You should always record a reason, somewhere in the game, for the following significant actions: stealing, attacking, trading and gifting, murdering. It could be in the personality section, it could be made obvious through roleplay, appear among their thoughts, in a note to an accomplice, or in motivations where only staff can access.

Reasoning

This is a good habit to protect players from accusations of their characters acting out of character due to their personal biases. It is a common accusation, and taking these precautions will make investigations into your account quick and simple - resulting in minimal disruption to your gameplay and protecting you from the repercussions of being found to have acted out of character or due to knowledge bleed. Recording motivations can also significantly improve consistency.

Example

Sue's character, who is typically very bubble and generous, is suddenly acting uncharacteristically cruel and bloodthirsty towards another character after she fell out with their player out of game. Sue's character then plots to murder this other character. This is the type of behaviour which is likely to be reported as being out-of-character or influenced by knowledge bleed, so a recorded motivation would save staff having to reach out to Sue to ask her to explain her character's decisions.

Summary

You should avoid emoting thoughts within your posts and instead try and stick to describing expressions or tones. It is fine to use expressive adjectives like “angry” or “sad”, but you should avoid being univocal about exactly what your character is thinking. Thoughts are better off being recorded under the “Thoughts” tab in the character menu.

Reasoning

It is more engaging for other players to interact with your character if you do not present them as an open book, and this can, in turn, lead to more realistic roleplay. Reading thoughts in emotes can also be jarring, as it is broadcasting information that other characters would have no way of actually knowing.

Example

“She turns away, thinking to herself about how cool they are.” Is an example of someone emoting their character's thoughts, and the latter half of the sentence should be completely removed if not replaced.

Summary

Sometimes you might have cause to want to keep your character’s plans and motivations under wraps. However, you should try to avoid writing this in a way that leaves absolutely no clues for others to pick up on. These motivations don’t necessarily need to be nefarious, either…Something as simple as building up and dropping hints about a crush your character has before confessing (or waiting for them to catch on) can add a lot to roleplay, too! Motivations can extend throughout a character’s entire life with how they react and express themselves in response to certain things, and writing these things out can add a great amount of substance to a character by building up their outward values for others to try to decipher.

Reasoning

As a roleplaying game, it’s important to try to contribute to the story being created around you, and this includes things that are personal to your character! If you have a plan for your character, but you go from point A to point B without roleplaying out what leads to this character thinking this way or wanting to do said plan, it can be jarring for other players to witness and hard for them to follow. Giving people enough clues to piece together a character, rather than you keeping it to yourself or even spelling it out to be obvious is the move of a good roleplayer.

Example

As an example, if you have a character that intends to steal a prized relic from a museum, you can potentially create some build-up by having your character ask questions about the museum or even the particular object. They could take casual visits until you have them put together a plan to snatch the item and attempt to do so. Whether or not other characters catch on is entirely up to other players, and doesn’t automatically leave you in a position to be caught unless you tailor the interactions with the intention that you want to be!

Summary

We strongly recommend you avoid automatically assuming that any character being malicious to yours is doing so due to the player’s feelings towards you. Just as your character has their motivations, the player on the other side is likely roleplaying based on their character’s motivations as well. Remember that you do not know everything the other character has been through or heard, so it is best to assume that any behaviour that seems strange on the surface is due to something you have not seen - rather than automatically dismissing it as out-of-character bias.

Reasoning

It is better for your mental health to search for other, in-character reasons for why a character is acting a certain way rather than assume it is a personal attack against you. Avoiding this assumption of player-to-player hostility will foster better engagement, scenes, and relationships across all of your characters. Trust other players the same way you would want to be trusted, and the game will be much more enjoyable!

Example

Your character comes across a group for the first time. Despite being polite and pleasant, your character is immediately shunned and mocked due to something the group has been told previously by another character who is a rival of yours. If you assume the group's actions are due to out of character bias and decide to disengage, then the story falls flat and you would likely feel targeted. Conversely, if you decide to do a little digging and manage to find out the actual reason the group is being rude, then it opens up more avenues for roleplay!

Summary

It is important to roleplay your characters and develop their personalities and relationships, rather than using them to solely level up. We all sometimes have periods of inactivity, and you should consider hibernating your character when you do not have the time to roleplay for a prolonged period.

Reasoning

Marosia is a roleplaying game! While the game has mechanics, it is important to remember that the mechanics and game are there to enhance and lightly guide the roleplay. As addicting as seeing your levels going up is, remember they’re there to indicate what level of experience your character has and gauge your roleplay based on it, not as the main focus! Hibernation is also a helpful indicator to other players that they shouldn’t be expecting roleplay from your end and help prevent someone from feeling ignored or frustrated when their roleplay is not met with a response.

Example

John has a busy schedule coming up in real life, and it will be a struggle to keep up with the game. Rather than having his character begin a lengthy project and not roleplay, he opts to put his character into hibernation until his schedule eases up again.

Summary

If you know you find certain subject areas potentially distressing or triggering, then we strongly recommend that you do not try to engage with them across your characters as a way of recreating past trauma and potentially finding a more desired outcome. You are encouraged to play responsibly, proactively avoid situations that may trigger you, and utilise the tools you have been given such as FTB, hibernation, or culling if something distresses you.

Reasoning

Marosia is a fantasy roleplaying game and not a form of therapy. Trying to work through your real-life trauma in-game can dramatically backfire and leave you in a position of intense vulnerability. You are responsible for your own mental health and well-being, and putting that burden on other players is not fair to them.

Example

Sue has trauma relating to broken bones. When she roleplays, she actively avoids scenarios as best she can where her character or characters around hers may graphically experience a bone fracture to avoid accidentally triggering herself. When a scene does arise that features a bone fracture, Sue has her character make a swift exit so she does not expose herself to something that might trigger her. If her character cannot exit - or she wishes to remain in the scene - then she makes use of the FTB feature to fade-to-black any details of the bone fracture. Sue does not message the other players in the scene over Discord and ask them to stop roleplaying the scene. Because of her efforts to protect her mental health, Sue can continue playing as she otherwise normally would with little more than a bump in the road, and other players are not put in an unfair situation. Good job, Sue!

Summary

The world of Marosia can sometimes be tragic and unjust, and there might be reasons for your character’s to spiral into coping mechanisms that are considered unhealthy, such as self-harm, alcohol dependence, or eating disorders. You should tread carefully when engaging in these behaviours.

Reasoning

It is not good for your own wellbeing to engage with unhealthy coping mechanisms that you are privy to in real-life across your characters, as this will exacerbate your own poor mental health and put your fellow players in difficult situations. Marosia is also not a safe environment, and you may find another character's response - especially if it is negative - to bring you emotional distress that you could have otherwise avoided.

Example

A player suffers from depression in real life, and has engaged in unhealthy methods to cope with it. Playing Marosia, they decide to give most or even all of their characters depression in an attempt to have something to write that they relate to. Some of these characters display similar, unhealthy behaviors to the player. This effectively puts them in a spot where their real-life depression might not improve while they play the game because they are dealing with the same things, sometimes to an even worsened degree, on their characters. This can get even worse if the other characters around this player’s characters happen to treat the issues and behaviors impassively or negatively.