In-character - Definition and Overview

"In-character" is a term often used in role-playing game (RPG) communities to describe actions that are in fitting with the fictional surroundings of the game setting, and in accordance with the "realistic" actions of the character(s) being portrayed. The term is not specific to any one game or rule set, but moreover has a general understanding attached to it within these groups.

"In-character" behaviour typically includes (but is not limited to) speaking in a style appropriate to the setting, acting in a manner appropriate for the character in question, using only appropriate items and not referring to "real life" (often known as "RL") without prior warning. For example, it would be considered "out of character" ("OOC") for a player's Medieval-era child character to suddenly leap fifty feet into the air and attack an approaching knight with an assault rifle, while talking about what film they were going to see that evening.

Most online role-playing communities make allowances for the intrusion of "RL" by introducing standards of communication, such as insisting that all "OOC" comments are placed inside brackets, or given some prefix, for example "(OOC) Damn the phones ringing again, I'll go and pull it out of the wall."