Roleplaying Concepts

The rules of a game can vary widely depending on the specific roleplay, and so it is important to make sure everyone is on the same page before playing. Rules are usually decided beforehand in the downtime before the game starts or governed by a game-master (GM) - also sometimes referred to as dungeon-master (DM) - during the game. That being said, there are some rules and concepts that show up in many different roleplays.
:Main article: Roleplaying
==The concept of Being in-character==
When roleplaying there are two different states that are very important to separate:
*In-character - When the player is currently roleplaying and acting as a character rather than themselves. In this state, the player, and their character are part of a fiction. 
*Out-of-character - When the player is NOT roleplaying. 
The difference may be very subtle or even impossible to notice without knowing the character that a player is portraying especially if the player is a skilled actor.
Depending on the roleplay it can be very important to clarify when and if you go out-of-character, especially when roleplaying something dramatic or emotionally sensitive. A terminology that was made popular in early RP groups was the act of clearly announcing that you're raising or dropping your RP-card. You would say "RP Card Up" to indicate that you are getting in character, and "RP Card Down" to indicate that what you say next is no longer in character. This is often abbreviated to just "Cards Up" or "Cards Down".
What happens in a roleplay while in character does not carry over into real life. Relationships like family, marriages or conflicts are only 'real' while participating in the game. What a character does is dropped once the game is over or after changing character. Likewise, real life does not carry over into a game session. Don't confuse fiction with reality.
===Action and Reaction===
Improvisational roleplay is not scripted (or at the very least, not entirely scripted). And so, when two characters interact, players need some way to come to an agreement about what happens. A roleplay might have rules about certain types of interactions, and may have a game master serve as a moderator for other types of interactions. But often, players will need to come to an agreement amongst themselves on the spot. In this sort of situation, when one player does something in character, the responsibility falls upon the other players to react to it and make that action feel real. 
===Acceptance and Rejection===
Let's say one character punches another character. Who decides if the punch hits? In this situation, it is useful to look at the punch as a suggestion for a course of action, that the reacting player can choose how to react to.
If the reacting player accepts the suggestion, that means they play along with it, and the suggested course of action can continue. In the case of a punch, acceptance might include staggering back, and acting hurt to indicate that the punch was successful. If instead, the reacting player rejects, or ignores the suggestion, they indicate that they don't want to explore that course of action. 
Saying 'no' is not the same thing as rejecting an action. If saying 'no' is a natural response to the action then doing so can be considered acceptance of the action. For example, if a player reacts to a punch by dodging to the side, they have rejected the punch hitting them, but they have still acknowledged the reality of the punch, and doing so is much more immersive than standing still and ignoring the punch. At the same time, repeatedly dodging attacks rejects the idea that the other character is a competent fighter. Finding a balance between acceptance and rejection is important for improvisational roleplay to flow smoothly and feel fair.
===Yes, and...===
"Yes, and..." is a fundamental concept from improv that can also benefit roleplay. "Yes" means to accept the suggestion offered by the other player. "And" means to build upon and add to the suggestion, which provides the other player with a new suggestion that they can react to. In this way, players can bounce off each other, and help each other build a scene.
Roleplay is not just improv and so it is not expected that every suggestion is accepted, especially if that suggestion makes you uncomfortable. But as a general rule, being agreeable and following the principle of "Yes And" tends to lead to more interesting interactions between characters than being disagreeable and rejecting suggestions.
===Character Bleed===
Bleed is a term used to refer to when a player's emotions affect their character or visa versa. If kept in check, character bleed can enhance a player's immersion. If left unmanaged bleed can cause unwanted or detrimental emotions both in and out of character. For example: 
* in-character conflicts become out-of-character conflicts and visa-versa
* a player feels uncomfortable opposing their friend's character, even though it's justified in character
* a player in an in-character relationship develops feelings for the other player
It is important to remember to keep reality and fiction separate, and be aware of bleed when it happens. Feeling bleed is fine, and may even be inevitable in an emotional roleplay. But acting upon those emotions causes problems more often than not.
==Things to Avoid==
===Power-gaming===
Power-gaming, or playing to win, is a style of roleplaying where a player prioritizes maximizing progress towards their own goals, often to the detriment of other aspects of the game. Roleplaying with others is inherently a collaborative activity, and so focusing primarily on one's own character goals without considering others usually leads to friction between players out of character.
In roleplay, power-gaming often manifests itself when a player makes a very powerful character that can solve or win every situation they are put in (hence the name). Additionally, it can also be when a player becomes disagreeable if they don't get their way. For example:
*A character that is immortal with supernatural or god-like powers.
*The player constantly rejects suggestions made by other people.
*The player repeatedly makes suggestions that the other players reject but continue as if they were accepted anyway.
As the ultimate goal of roleplaying is to have a positive experience together exploring different roles, including a character's successes and failures, it is good to have modesty when creating a character and responding to interactions.
===Meta-gaming===
Meta-gaming describes a player's use of out-of-character knowledge about the state of a game or other characters within the game, to inform their character's actions, when their character does not have relevant in-character information. In a roleplay where keeping secrets is important, meta-gaming can break a game completely, especially if it's done intentionally.
===Breaking Immersion===
Immersion is a state where a player feels like they are their character, rather than just pretending to play them. Immersion is often sought after as a goal in many roleplays. A players immersion may be broken by bringing real life into the world of the roleplay session. For example:
*Talking about a cellphone while roleplaying in a medieval setting
*Bringing up and talking about a Twitch donation when roleplaying in VRChat
*Pausing frequently to go out of character
The exception to this is if there is ever a need to go out of character or leave VR due to outside circumstances, or if you are not feeling well for any reason. Real life always takes precedence over the game, so if you need to leave, do so.
==Glossary==
A list of common words and terminologies used in roleplay with short explanations.
*GM - Game master - Those in charge of directing and mediating the roleplay
*DM - Dungeon master - Another word for GM, borrowed from tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons
*d20 - A 20-sided dice. Borrowed from tabletop games. Sometimes physical or simulated dice using particle effects on avatars are used by GM:s to determine the outcome of a course of action.
*d2, d4, d6, d10 etc - 2-sided, 4-sided, 6-sided etc dice. Similar to above.
*Canon Lore - What is considered the accurate continuity in a fictional media. This may be determined by the group leaders or GM:s of that particular RP. In some open roleplay, canon may be what is considered by each individual player and there does not need to be a canonical term of events, but rather each player has their own canon from their point-of-view.
*Retcon - Short for Retroactive Continuity - Originating from other fictional media it is a method in which an occurrence is changed after the events. An example can be the death of a character which did not occur in line with the rules of an RP and which death was changed to never have occurred according to the "canon".
*Directing/Summarizing - If a situation or outcome becomes unclear and the proper "canon" turn of events are dictated after or during its occurrence. This can be similar to a GM narrating an event and players taking turns during a conflict.
*Scripted/rehearsed- The act of preparing outcomes beforehand and not having them occur naturally. This can be very loosely planned as in "x is going to happen" and nothing more, or extremely detailed akin to acting out and recording a scene with a script for a movie. 
*Safe-word - A word that allows you to step out of character without breaking immersion. Similar to "dropping your RP card".
*ERP - Erotic roleplay
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