Solaris RPG is a text-based role playing game; I think we’ve established that much. What this section explains is how to play that text-based role playing game. This section will explain what is expected of you during a role playing session and it will shine some light on several things that are frowned upon during play.

Solaris RPG is based in futuristic/post-apocalyptic times in a place where technology and fantasy collide. Characters have appeared in Solaris RPG from various unique realms, from Earth and the Nomaverse (the Solaris RPG realm). Once a character has been established in Solaris RPG the player needs to remember a few basic things, such as how certain parts of role play are shown during play, how to enter and exit an area, and a few other things.

Showing Actions, Talking, and Thinking
The game is played through several different areas which are located in various chat rooms. The game can be played from either a first, second, or third person point-of-view, but preferably third person. When a player plays in Solaris RPG, he must do certain things in certain ways so other players know what his character is doing. The following table shows how certain actions are accomplished in chat.

Actions
Actions are placed between asterisks preferably, but can also be shown between hyphens. One can also simply use "/me" to do actions as well. Actions are basically physical movements and gestures.

EXAMPLE:
Igor: *Igor jumps up and down ecstatically as his master enters the room.*

OR

Igor: -Igor jumps up and down ecstatically as his master enters the room.-

Statements
This is basically talking between characters. They may be shown with or without quotes, but preferably with them.

EXAMPLE:
Sam: “How are you today?”

OR

Sam: How are you today?

Thoughts
This actually covers two things, telepathically speaking to another character or maybe just a thought to ones self. Either can be done using the greater than, less than, symbols.

EXAMPLE:
Brutus: <Wow that Minotaur really stinks!>

OOC Chat
OOC (Out of Character) chatter is basically any chat during a role playing session that isn’t in character. All players stating anything out of character during a session should either privately message the other player or at least use parenthesis around their statements.

EXAMPLE:
Roy: (So Ned, you coming over Friday night for some drinking?)

Entering and Exiting an Area
The player must always make sure that when entering and exiting an area IC (In Character) that they do certain things. The following is a basic list of what the player needs to know about entering and exiting an area during role play.

1. If entering a role playing session that is already well under way, sit back and watch it for a few moments to see where everyone’s characters are located in the area, what they are doing, and what is going on.

2. Upon choosing to enter the session be very descriptive when making an entrance, especially if the characters in the area do not know who the intruding character is. Be sure to state things such as size, clothing, mood, etc. Other players need to know certain things to be able to interact well with the new character entering the session.

3. When finally exiting a session be sure to give just as much detail leaving the area as when entering it, be sure to state which direction the character is leaving, how they are leaving, etc.

A good entrance and exit leaves a good impression on a player and his character. Hopefully whatever lies between the two is just as good. Enter with details and don’t skip out suddenly at the end of a session.

Interacting
When you login to a Solaris RPG role playing area, your character is not considered to be in the area, and you are not considered to be "In Character" (IC) until you have typed and posted an entrance. Before you do, it is a good idea to wait a moment and observe the room. This will give you a chance to think of an entrance that fits in with the current scene. It will also help you to avoid mistakes like taking a seat at a bar in an area like the "Forest Clearing", that wouldn't even have a bar. You should also post actions describing your character exiting the room as well, that way it won't appear as if your character just disappeared from the scene.

1. Often you will enter an area where there is an RP scene already well under way. This does not mean you can't join in, but you should take care not to interrupt rudely. It's no different than if you were really walking into a tavern or poolhall and the people there were in the middle of a conversation or game. Take the time to see what's going on before describing your Character entering the area, and try to join in the spirit of the gaming going on already.

   While sometimes it will be welcome, do not always expect a group of players role playing out a very somber scene to enjoy a clown dancing around and playing tricks. Neither they, nor their characters will necessarily welcome the interruption. And the same in reverse - a group playing out a scene at a festival might not care much to have someone enter and try to change the mood of the RP session by bringing in a stalking killer character. You won't really know if such a thing is welcome until you try. Often it is. However when it is not, you should respect that.

2. Once your character begins to interact with another character, the game becomes loosely turn-based. This simply means that you should give the other player ample time to enter his/her character's reaction to what your character has said or done. How long to wait between entries is a matter of common sense. There will of course be times when there will be no reaction at all and you should go ahead and post your next action.

   Playing your character is as easy and difficult as being able to see life from the perspective of another being. However because we use words to describe this perspective and not pictures, it means that no two players will ever be envisioning exactly the same scene, let alone the same details. Therefore it is important, when interracting with other players, to describe your characters words and actions in as much or little detail as is necessary for them to understand your intent.

Character Knowledge
We all know that we should keep player knowledge and character knowledge seperate. An example would be someone watching an RP going on between two other player characters and then coming in later as their own character with knowledge of the situation. Keeping OOC and IC seperate should always be a players first priority in Solaris RPG. This was covered somewhat in the previous section "Interaction", but we would like to take it a step further now.

As a player, we can always go check the character page to see the items, weapons, abilities, background information, level, and power level of someones character. This information is to be kept strictly player-side. Unless your character has seen another character's items or skills in an actual role playing session he/she shouldn't know anything about it. This goes especially for levels and power levels! As far as the IC side of the game goes, the terms "Power Level" and "Level" don't even exist. Characters should never judge another character on his/her power level, because the player knows it's high, but because the character has seen what the other character is capable of. Some characters do have the ability to sense another beings "power" but that is as far as it should be taken. The character should only receive a basic idea of the beings overall power and no real "exact" number like a "PL" or "Level". If this information is kept out of character it makes the game much more entertaining.