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  # Roleplay Rule 4 -# Do not use information your character would not have knowledge of.
Metagaming in Space station 14 is the term used to typically describe actions based on knowledge during a round that is inaccessible to your character. You cannot use information gained while dead or a ghost if you are alive. Use of information gained while dead is considered metagaming. This does not apply to knowledge of what antagonists are capable of doing. We expect players to understand what options are avaliable to antagonists.

## Out of character information and metagaming.
Unless otherwise specified, when playing as a different character (such as taking a ghost role or being changed to another character via admin intervention), you are to act without knowledge of what occurred in the round as any prior characters and as a ghost while playing a character (ghosts are not considered a character for this rule). Mindswap spells and polymorphs are not considered changing characters for this rule. Failure to follow this is metagaming.

The knowledge that a round will end is out of character information. Knowledge that the shift will end however, is not out of character information. The intention of this rule is to prevent preparation for End of round griefing (EORG). Utilising the knowledge that the round will end is metagaming.

### Knowledge from past lives
Except when otherwise specified, you cannot use any information gained in a past life in the same round.
For example, if you were killed by an antagonist, you cannot warn the crew of said antagonist when you respawn as a mothroach.
This does _not_ apply when being brought back from death as the same character, having your brain transferred to another body, or being cloned.
For example, if you were killed by an antagonist, your body was found and your brain was placed in a borg, you can recall what happened prior to your original death and could warn the of the antagonist.

### Knowledge that the round will end (and your character will, ergo, cease to exist)
Your character will, or should, know that their current shift on Space Station 14 will end and that they will return to Centcomm. They do not know that this represents the effective end of their existence from the perspective of their player.
You cannot preprepare for end-of-round griefing (EORG) or perform other actions that only make sense in the context that, your characters life ultimately doesn't matter.

### Knowledge gained via LOOC
You cannot use any knowledge gained via LOOC chat that is not in the context of assisting a player with controls, game mechanics, or being made to feel welcome. No in character information should be shared via LOOC, and no actions should be taken or altered because of LOOC or OOC chats.

### MRP Amendment
Being in the critically injured state or otherwise unconscious (includes sleeping) prevents your character from remembering anything that happened to or around them while unconscious. If brought out of the critical state to the alive state, you may remember what caused you to enter critical state. Entering the dead state causes your character to forget all events related to their death (if you can tie it to how you died, do not remember it). If revived, placed in a MMI, or in the case of Diona, splitting, the character is aware of the fact that they have died but not how.

## Do Not Metafriend or Metagrudge
Giving a person or character preferential treatment based on the events of a previous round is considered metafriending. Treating a person or character negatively based on the events of a previous round is considered metagrudging.

#### Metafriending Examples
These are all examples of things that are prohibited.
- Giving a character additional access or a job because you are friends with the player who is playing that character.
- Trusting a character because you are friends with the player who is playing that character.
- Not fighting a character because you are friends with the player who is playing that character.
- Ignoring your objective to kill a character because your character and theirs became friends in a previous round.

#### Metagrudging Examples
These are all examples of things that are prohibited.

- Not giving a character additional access or a job because you are mad at or don't like the player who is playing that character.
- Not trusting a character because you are mad at or don't like the player who is playing that character.
- Starting a fight with a character because of something that they did in a previous round.
- Starting a fight with a character because of a major event that happened in a previous round.
- Starting a fight with a character because they killed you while you were playing a different character.
- Targeting or harassing a character based on anything which that character did in a previous round.
- Targeting or harassing a character based on anything which the character's player did while not playing the character.


## Explicitly Not Metagaming

- Protecting high value crew items (will be labeled as such), such as the nuke disk, with the understanding that a bad actor may attempt to steal or use them.
- Remembering the general events of previous rounds (shifts) up to the extent that you do not metagrudge or metafriend any other player or character, remembering that you survived a violent shooting in the medbay is acceptable for example, stating who the shooter was is not. Avoid making remarks about specific characters, such as calling out someone who was an antagonist in a prior round.
- The fact that antagonists exist and may be present on or off the station in any form.
- Knowledge of a characters typical appearance.
- Using knowledge of a characters typical appearance including your own for a disguise, such as a nuclear operative disguising as themselves as crew.
- Knowing that enemies may have concealed items that may have function that are not immediately apparent.
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