To Heal or Not to Heal
by Artifex Amanda

"There I was, sitting there minding my own business, watching the conversation and working on my own story lines, when suddenly a screen name appears, flashing calls of distress. My helpful instincts kick in... I have nothing better to do with my time and my character is powerful, why not lend a hand? But the minute I step in to assist the frantic character, I'm getting shouted at OOC to 'leave them alone' and getting called a "dem" ... why would they call for help if they really didn't want it? And...what's a Dem?"

Now on the other side of the coin...
"I found my way into chat finally... the place is packed. I've got a date to meet up with a friend of mine for some role play fun. I have this elaborate senario worked out where my character has been poisoned and I want my friend's character to discover it because I was attacked by her character's husband. But before my friend gets a chance to speak a word, in steps some busy body with the 'magic' solution. I tell them to go away and they wont... who wants an instant fix? I hate these damn nosy Dem characters..."

Conflicts like these occure by the dozen every hour in RPG. The question is... who is in the wrong? On one hand you have one wailing for some one to "please help me, anybody" and expecting no one else to notice this. On the other hand, you have someone who thinks that it is there mission to solve the troubles of the world.

Firstly, we all know that not everyone is coming to chat for a drink; some people actually have specific purposes in mind. The most definate way to keep from being slandered is to approach the troubled person with a private message. Yes yes, this "breaks the atmosphere" apparently, but this is where the fact that this is fantasy comes into play. Better to take advantage of the fact that you can speak to people on a neutral OOC ground rather than in an actual tavern where they're liable to cut your throat for interuptions. By taking this extra step, you'll be certain to keep yourself from being tangled into situations, or being labled a Dem. What is a Dem you ask?
Dem is a derogatory term assigned to players and characters who try to fix problems, whether they're wanted or not. Deus Ex Machina, DEM for short, stands for God from the Machine (In old Greek theatre, to quickly make problems go away in a play, the writer would write in a 'god from the machine;' an actor dressed as a diety would then be lifted onto the stage with a crane-like arm. The 'god' would then magically fix the problem, thus saving the trouble of having to come up with good plots and solutions when things got sticky) For more about the Dem, see the Dictionary listing, or Creature Index.

In the meantime, for those of us with these complex story lines and plots, this is no excuse for rudeness. When you bring in a charater who is suffering, it is the base instinct of most people to want to help. So rather than screaming at someone about your "obvious" wish to be left alone, try being civil first. No one knows what plans are running through your head except you, so getting angry won't help the other person to understand the situation any better. Simply explain to the helpful soul that you are in the middle of something and would appriciate it if you were left to continue you story. .

Now what of third party invasions? Another frequent occurance is a conflict between two new parties, and suddenly, a third character comes into the mix for the fight, seemingly uninvited. For example, last year I was sitting in the Vampyre Tavern having a drink so to speak. A friend of mine, who's character happened to be my C's cousin, was getting dragged into a fight that she didn't wish to be in. I was inclined to simply stay out of it, until she approached me both in and out of character for help. Suddenly I am the bad guy for stepping in. I have always had a hard time understanding someone who tries to force play on someone else and yet gets upset when the same situation is turned round on them. But Hypocracy is ignorant bliss I suppose. Forcing storylines on someone who doesn't wish to play with you is guarenteed to bring unpleasent results. When you do attempt to force a plot advancement on someone, do not become too surprised when they enlist outside help to get their point across to you that they don't wish to continue.

Communication is the only way to keep a role playing environment running smoothly. When disputes arise in chat, always talk with the person one on one privately and outside of the game environment. I've had many a conversation and email with people over chatting disputes, and they either work out the situation and we come to a basic understanding of one another, or we simply agree to disagree and go our seperate ways. If you take nothing else from the experience, you take with you that personal index of who you have fun with and who you do not.

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