2nd Lieutenant – Lvl 18
8745 XP
GodModing
Godmoding is when you post something that controls another played character, even if it is just having them assume a facial expression. For example, if I were to post the following as 'Lord Yarom':
*Lord Yarom smiled coldly as he pointed his sword at Octavery, who was cowering upon the floor, his face white with fear*
Unless in a previous post Octavery had said that he was cowering on the floor and was afraid, I cannot assume that he would be, and this would be classed as godmoding. Logically, anyone in their right mind would cower in fear if Lord Yarom pointed his sword at them, but that is beside the point. You cannot make another player do something; if you believe that according to canon (the storyline) it is likely that they would do it, you should politely suggest it to them. For example:
*Lord Yarom smiled coldly as he pointed his sword at Otcavery*
((I think Otcavery would be pretty scared at this point! Maybe he would cower on the floor?))
If you think that someone's reply is not in accordance with what is known about their character, then you should also politely point this out:
Posted by Lord Yarom: *Lord Yarom smiled coldly as he pointed his sword at Octavery*
Posted by Octavery: *Octavery laughed and threw a dagger at Yarom*
"I'm not afraid of you!"
Posted by Lord Yarom: ((Erm, I don't think Octavery would do that! He is a loyal knight, after all!))
In most cases, people will know their character well enough to know how to react and suggestions won't be necessary. If you are unsure of how your character would react, just post out of character to say so and everyone will be happy to help.
A special case of godmoding arises in fights and duels, where the outcome depends on a character's response to an action taken by another character.
For example,
Posted by Lucius: *Marcus raised his wand and sent a barrage of curses at Arthur* "Expelliarmus, stupefy, incarcerous, crucio!"
Posted by Arthur Weasley: *Arthur dodged all the jinxes and responded with a series of spells* "Expelliarmus, petrificus totalus, stupefy!"
Both of these are wrong, for more than one reason.
Firstly, Lucius cannot assume that all his spells will work and that he will be able do so many at once without Arthur responding. You should allow the other character a chance to respond - they won't just stand there like a training dummy and you cannot assume that your character is so skilled that all his/her spells will hit perfectly.
Secondly, you should not assume that your character is so good that he/she will be able to dodge or deflect every curse thrown! Characters are not infallible; some spells will work and others won't. It would be godmoding to say that your spell hit; it would likewise be godmoding to say that you dodged everything and emerged unscathed.
This is a difficult situation and one that requires all parties to be fair. You could agree out of character which spells will hit; otherwise the only solution I can think of is for any disputes to be settled by the moderator of the board who should remain impartial. If the moderator happens to be involved in the fight and those involved cannot come to an agreement then an Auror or Warlock will have to decide.
The other problem when it comes to Godmoding is that some people are so scared of being accused of it that it forces them to post no more than one-line posts. Don't be - there's plenty of ways to write posts that don;t take control of other characters and leave it open-ended for the other player to respond. If in doubt, discuss in the OOC threads with the other players.
The problem of omniscience:
Your character cannot know anything that they do not know according to the storyline unless they have seen, heard, been told or otherwise acquired the knowledge through in character posts and/or private correspondence with someone who has found out in character.
1.) Characters cannot see anything in double brackets, even though the people playing them can.
For example:
Posted by Marcus: "Of course, we must do everything in our power to stop Yarom now he has returned," *His tone was sincere and typically pompous* ((Mwahahahaha! It's great being a secret spy!))
Marcus has only confessed to being a spy out of character, so other characters cannot be suspicious of him: they must act as they would normally - as if he had not posted out of character at all.
2.) In order for you to be part of or to overhear a conversation you must be present. If you haven't posted to say that you are there, you are not there. Your character is only present from the time of first posting in a situation onwards, and so can only have knowledge of what had occurred since you posted.
For example:
Posted by Dumbledore: *Dumbledore looked at Arthur, his face unusually serious* "I think we should guard this item very carefully, Arthur. I have no doubt that Voldemort will want to get hold of it for himself. We must prevent him from doing so,"
Posted by Arthur Weasley: *Arthur winced only slightly at the mention of Voldemort's name. He nodded.* "I shudder to think what would happen if he did. I'll tell Molly I won't be back for dinner tonight" *He sighed* ~She's making sausage casserole tonight. Curse Voldemort~
Posted by Dumbledore: "I'll have Sirrius relieve you at midnight. He'll be back from Dover this afternoon" *Dumbledore smiled.* "I'm sure Molly will have some of her famous casserole re-heated for when you get back"
Posted by Lord Voldemort: *The cloaked figure sat in the corner* ~So, they do know where it is. And they will be changing guard at midnight~
This is wrong: Voldemort cannot suddenly have been there all along listening to the conversation. All he can do is enter at the end and hope they will say something else of interest.
3.) Characters cannot see the display name, avatar or signature of anyone who has posted. In fact, characters have no concept of "posting" whatsoever. All they are aware of is what is spoken aloud "in quotation marks" or actions that occur *enclosed by asterisks*. In rare cases (i.e. those who can read other's minds) the character can get an impression of what another character is thinking ~enclosed by tildes~
For example, if Voldemort enters a room disguised as an old lady, Arthur Weasley wouldn't jump up and shout "It's Voldemort! Everybody run!" because he wouldn't know that it wasn't an old lady and would have no reason to be suspicious..
It is always going to be difficult to judge, because some things may apply more to certain characters and less so to others. For example, students would not be as good at duelling as Death Eaters, so on average you would expect more of the DE's curses to hit; a trained Auror can disguise him/herself more convincingly than the average witch or wizard; Dumbledore would probably notice if someone sneaked into a room he was in, even if he was facing the other way. However, you cannot assume that your character is always going to succeed at something: in OotP 6 students managed to hold 12 Death Eaters at bay!
The best thing to do is to be fair. Give other characters the benefit of the doubt when possible - perhaps they are very good at sneaking into rooms unnoticed - but at the same time remember that nobody is perfect and it is unlikely that Bellatrix would fail to notice the three child-sized people sitting at the next table being very quiet and looking the other way every time she glances over. Out of character discussion is always a good idea in these situations.
Tips for remaining in character:
- Characters are not all powerful! No, not even Dumbledore. Injuries happen, some attacks hit and sometimes you just didn't see the person hiding in the corner.
- Think carefully about what your character would know.
- Check what has been posted since you first posted in the thread - your character has witnessed anything in *asterisks* and heard anything in "quotation marks". If in doubt, assume your character has no further knowledge beyond this.
Apologies for the over Harry Potter Themes - I originally wrote this for an HP-themed board.
