Roleplay is collaborative storytelling.
The goal is not simply to succeed, but to create interesting situations, memorable interactions, and enjoyable experiences for everyone involved.
These guidelines are not rules. They are intended to help establish a common roleplay culture and encourage the kind of interactions that make Frontier enjoyable.
| Principle | Summary |
|---|---|
| Play a Believable Character | Be consistent and reasonable |
| Share the Stage | Let others participate |
| Be Okay With Losing | Failure creates stories |
| Handle Conflict Gracefully | Create roleplay, not winners |
| Avoid Metagaming | Separate player and character knowledge |
| Avoid Powergaming | Don't optimize the fun away |
📝 Note
The spirit of these guidelines is more important than any individual point.
Roleplay is at its best when players work together to create stories rather than simply trying to win.
Playing a believable character means being consistent with your character's personality, allowing them to have flaws, responding to situations reasonably, and resisting the urge to be an expert in everything.
A believable character does not need to be predictable, only understandable.
Your character should have motivations for their actions and a background that supports who they are and what they know.
Restrict yourself to your character's knowledge.
You, as a player, may know how to hack airlocks, perform surgery, build an engine, or conduct an investigation. Your character may not.
Likewise, your character does not need to be an expert in every department.
In fact, it should be relatively uncommon for a character to possess expert-level knowledge outside of their own profession.
💡 Tip
It's often more interesting to ask for help and create scenes than it is to solve every problem yourself.
Consider who Colonial Command would realistically trust to perform the role you are playing.
Characters do not need to be perfect, but they should generally be capable of performing the job they have chosen.
Roleplay is collaborative.
Whenever possible, involve other people and allow them opportunities to contribute, learn, succeed, fail, and grow.
If you're playing a command role, delegate when you can.
Allow people to perform the role they selected.
Be the last resort rather than the first outside of crisis situations.
For command-specific guidance, see Command Conduct.
Be patient.
Allow other characters time to respond, act, and participate before immediately solving every problem yourself.
It can be tempting to break into a department and handle an issue personally, but doing so often removes roleplay opportunities from others.
Loss is inevitable.
Not every conflict will go your way. Not every plan will succeed.
Some of the best roleplay comes from failure.
Consider what roleplay opportunities a loss creates rather than focusing entirely on the setback itself.
A failed plan, embarrassing mistake, or personal defeat can often create more interesting stories than a flawless victory.
Emotional bleed is real.
If you find yourself becoming frustrated or unable to separate your feelings from your character's, consider stepping away and returning later.
💡 Tip
When you lose, lose.
Remember that there is another player behind every character.
Conflict should focus on creating roleplay rather than simply winning.
Not every conflict needs to end in death, permanent loss, or total victory.
Escalation should make sense for the circumstances.
Be mindful of what you take, destroy, or permanently remove from other players.
If a loss would significantly impact another player's ability to participate, consider whether it is truly necessary.
Sometimes using LOOC to clarify intentions or establish expectations before a conflict becomes heated is beneficial for everyone involved.
If your character doesn't know something, they shouldn't act on it.
Allow your character to discover information naturally through roleplay.
Using every possible mechanical advantage to guarantee success often creates less roleplay rather than more.
Give others opportunities to respond, communicate, and participate in the story being created.
Listen, respond, and communicate.
Allow situations to develop naturally rather than immediately jumping to the most effective solution.
Perfect is the enemy of good enough.
Roleplay is messy, unpredictable, and occasionally frustrating. That's part of what makes it enjoyable.
Treat other players with respect, communicate when necessary, and focus on creating enjoyable stories rather than perfect outcomes.
At the end of the day, we're all here to create memorable experiences together.