At Mischief Managed, we are open to all styles of roleplay, as well as all experience levels.

Whether we’re your first roleplay experience or you para-RP, your style and contribution are welcome here. That being said, there are a few basic courtesies and rules that we do ask you to observe.

There are also some terms thrown around that, to a new roleplayer, might be unfamiliar. Please read below to learn more.

Please see the “OOC Rules” page for clarity on how rule breaking is managed.

Roleplay Definitions, Abbreviations, and Rules

ALO

This stands for “Admission Letter Owls”
They are an Out of Character (OOC) team at Mischief Managed who deal with applications to the sim

CANON

This refers to the material that is officially accepted to be lore and history within a universe or storyline
“Wizarding World” canon is the lore and history from the books, movies, and games of which Mischief Managed is based upon
“Mischief Managed” canon is the lore and history that has come from Mischief Managed since it formed in 2012
There are aspects of Wizarding World and Mischief Managed Canon that you may be In Character (IC) aware of, and some that you may not. If in doubt, you can ask RPD if you would know it! Knowingly using canon knowledge that would not be common knowledge to advantage your character is against the rules at Mischief Managed as this is Metagaming (see below).

GOD MODDING

God modding is being immune to all types of influence or injury. You are almighty, nothing can hurt you or bring you down. This is against the rules at Mischief Managed

IC

Abbreviation for “In Character”.
Anything that happens whilst roleplaying is In Character (IC).

METAGAMING

Metagaming is taking knowledge that you gained Out of Character (OOC) and bringing it In Character (IC). For example; a friend tells you a plot that went on between a friend and someone else where you were not involved; Immediately knowing a character’s name through reading their titler (There is an exception to this is if you are in the same year and house, you would most likely know their name, or if it has been agreed OOC between yourself and the player). Any knowledge not gained through RP is not knowledge you know IC. This is against the rules at Mischief Managed

NPCS

NPC is short for Non-player character, meaning that these are characters not played by actual players.
We know that every now and then it looks as though no Professors/Students are around. But please remember that the castle is always filled with NPCs. So please role play as such. Just because it looks empty does not mean it has to be. You should act as if the castle is constantly filled with NPCs. Remember, Hogwarts has ~400 students at any one time, so just because there are 25 roleplayers on sim does not mean there are only 25 students at Hogwarts.
Every now and then it is possible that a player takes that role temporarily to fill in a gap or a scene, they might be mentioned in posts without being actually visible to your eye.
- E.g. using an NPC nurse within a post as you are role playing in the Hospital Wing. As long as you do not name a specific player character within that post, it can be a valid NPC.
From time to time staff at the sim or roleplayers will create NPC accounts. These accounts are made purely for IC scenario or plots. They do not hold any depth and/or any story behind them other than plot points nor do they have the ability to have a HUD, a permanent role in students daily life etc. These characters generally do not appear always and are always there for some sort of reason.
- If you wish to be part of a plot and roleplay an NPC please speak to a member of staff.
- All NPC characters that wish to become fully role-playable characters must go through the application process.
It is against the rules at Mischief Managed to use an NPC to gain knowledge or further a roleplay without RPD approval

OOC

Abbreviation for “Out of Character”. Anything that happens NOT during roleplay is OOC.
Please remember when you are role playing to keep your OOC chatter to IMs. If you absolutely need to say something OOCly then use the OOC channel on the chatter by typing “/5 WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY”, or by using ((OOC HERE)).
Excessive OOC chatter in local is against the rules as it is poor etiquette and breaks immersion

POWERGAMING

Powergaming is where someone will roleplay prioritising their own roleplay over the collaboration with others. They often enjoy portraying characters such as, but not limited to: Powerful wizards, all knowing in every special ability, etc.
Powergamers often never display any flaws or weaknesses in their characters.
This is against the rules at Mischief Managed, whilst we’re surrounded in magic we should also be realistic in our character’s abilities

RP

Abbreviation for “Roleplay”. This is when you act out your story through emotive messages.

RPD

This stands for “Roleplay Department”
They are an Out of Character (OOC) team at Mischief Managed who deal with Roleplay plots, both large and small, questions about “canon”

Styles of Roleplay

At Mischief Managed, we welcome and support all styles of roleplay, so long as they do not negatively impact the experience of others. If an issue arises, a member of the moderator team may get in touch to chat with you about what happened, explain why the behaviour doesn’t align with our community standards, and clarify how it goes against our rules.

ONE-LINE EXAMPLE

Brenna Morrigan looks around as she walks up to the Hogwarts Express and spots her friend. “Hey Emma! How was your summer?”

SEMI-LINE EXAMPLE

Brenna Morrigan rubs her tummy as she hears the dinner bell chime in the Great Hall. Once arriving, she walks to her house table and sits down, leaning forward to grab a roll off the table. As Brenna sees her fellow housemates, she gives them a short wave. “Hey, how have your classes been so far?”

PARA EXAMPLE

Brenna Morrigan walks through the doors of the potions room, gathering all of her belongings and placing them at her feet before pulling out her parchment and quills. She was not ready for classes to begin again! Her head was still in the clouds from having such a wonderful summer. Yet, here she was, back in her robes, in class waiting for the Professor to begin with another boring lecture. Brenna sighs heavily as she rests her elbows on the table and starts to draw little drawings all over her parchment. Her attention was drawn to the door when she heard it pushed open and she spotted her best friend Hannah walking into the classroom. “About time you got here!” She said quietly as she grinned at her friend.

Roleplay Rules & Etiquette

“Posting in”

In group scenes outside of classes and events, most players try to follow a post order (see below) to keep things fair and organised. If you’re unsure what the post order is, it’s best to wait for one full round of posts before jumping in, or simply ask someone OOC.

It’s also a good idea to pause and read the scene before posting into any group — even if it looks like characters are just standing around. Their avatars might appear idle, but in the story, they could be deep in conversation, mid-argument, asleep… or worse.

SOMEONE COULD BE DEAD ON THE FLOOR WITH A POTATO UP THEIR NOSE.

Additionally, you should never assume someone is part of a scene just because their avatar is nearby. They might’ve just logged in, be passing through, or be deliberately standing off to the side. Always send a quick IM to check if someone is okay being posted in (or out!) of a scene — especially before reacting to them or involving them in roleplay. This keeps things respectful and avoids accidental godmodding.

Taking a moment to communicate helps keep roleplay enjoyable and inclusive for everyone.

“Post Order”

“Post Order” refers to the agreed sequence in which participants take turns posting in a roleplay scene. This helps ensure that everyone has a fair chance to contribute and that the scene flows in an organized and respectful manner.

Establishing Post Order

Post order is typically determined by the order in which players first post in a scene. For example, if Alice posts first, followed by Ben and then Charlie, the post order becomes: Alice → Ben → Charlie. Players are expected to follow this sequence for the duration of the scene.

In smaller or private groups, post order should be agreed upon OOC
If someone joins the scene at a later point, the group can decide where they’ll be placed in the order

Flexibility in Larger Groups

In larger group scenes, post order is often more relaxed to keep the scene moving. However, it’s still important to be mindful of others and avoid dominating the flow. If you’re unsure when to post, it’s always okay to ask OOC.

Machine gun posting — posting multiple times rapidly without allowing others a chance to respond — is not allowed, even in more relaxed group settings. It can exclude or overwhelm others and disrupt the balance of the scene.

Breaking Post Order

Posting out of turn in a scene can cause confusion, excluse or overwhelm others, or lead to someone being skipped. We know this can happen accidentally and are understanding of this. If this happens:

A gentle OOC reminder is usually enough.
If someone is consistently posting out of turn, it may need to be addressed by a moderator as this is against the rules.
If a player is taking longer than expected to post, it’s okay to check in with them or agree on a temporary skip.

Post order is a tool to help make RP fair and fun for everyone. When in doubt, talk it out! Whether you’re in a small group or a larger scene, clear OOC communication helps keep things running smoothly and enjoyably.

“Thought Posting”

“Thought posting” is defined as writing an in-character (IC) post — or a portion of a post — that expresses your character’s internal thoughts in a way that cannot be responded to by others, as those thoughts are not visible or audible in the scene.

These thoughts can be positive, negative, neutral, or even insulting — but because they occur only in your character’s mind, other players cannot reasonably react to them or respond in-character. Since most characters at Mischief Managed cannot read minds, thought posts without visible cues do not contribute to interactive roleplay.

For this reason, thought posting without accompanying visual cues is against the rules, as it only contributes to the length of your post without meaningfully contributing to the scene.

Examples of “Thought Posting” (Not Allowed):

Calvin Hayes watched the professor as he sat on the front bench, wondering why on Earth he would have such a ridiculous-looking hairstyle.

Jessica Lloyd leaned back in her chair, wishing the class would hurry up and end. She had better things to do.

These examples include inner thoughts that are not paired with any physical expression or cue that others can see or respond to.

Examples of Expressive Thought Posting (Allowed):

Calvin Hayes watched the professor as he sat on the front bench, his nose scrunching and eyes rolling as he wondered why on Earth the man would have such a ridiculous-looking hairstyle. The distaste was written all over his face.

Jessica Lloyd leaned back in her chair, fidgeting and glancing repeatedly at her watch, clearly wishing the class would hurry up and end.

In these examples, the character’s internal thoughts are paired with visual or physical cues that make the emotion or attitude visible to others, giving fellow roleplayers something to engage with.

Final Notes: Keep in mind that there are Legilimens at Mischief Managed who may be able to hear your character’s thoughts. If you choose to include thought content, be prepared for others to respond — and remember that some characters may react more strongly than others!

“Time Bubbling”

What is time bubbling? When is it okay?

Time bubbling is roleplaying a different date and time. It is generally acceptable where your local timezone does not match SLT, or where scheduling conflicts make it impossible to attend a scene in real time. It is not a loophole to avoid IC consequences, access restricted areas, or gain an advantage.

If you are time bubbling you must put this in your HUD titler, including when you are time bubbling.
Without this you will not be considered to be time bubbling.

Classes

Some classes may be time bubbled with agreement from Admin or Management (e.g. Astronomy is ICly at midnight Monday night, but is OOCly held on Tuesday afternoon SLT).

Hogsmeade – See IC rules for ICC

Time bubbling in Hogsmeade or the forest will only be accepted up to 48 hours after Hogsmeade weekend
Any purchases in Hogsmeade outside of these times – where you have means to get to Hogsmeade – will be classed as IC and result in IC Consequences
Absence of roleplay defaults to you not doing anything to hide your actions when in Hogsmeade
Purchasing, finding, or harvesting items in an area you have no means of accessing (eg. doors were locked and you have no way around them such as access to secret passages) will be treated an OOC infraction and items will be removed from your HUD.

Please Note:

If you are able to play during SLT day time, you should not use time bubbling as a way to avoid IC rules (e.g., being out after curfew).
If you are time bubbled, you cannot RP with people who are playing in real time, a time bubbled group should be known at the start of the scene. If someone wanders in who is not bubbled, treat them as if they are not present.
Time-bubbled RP must not contradict what is happening in real time on the sim. You cannot shift scenes to days/weeks in the past, or any time into the future. Bubbling should generally stay within the last 48 hours.

Time bubbling is a courtesy to allow inclusive play across timezones. Attempts to exploit it to avoid IC consequences, retcon major events, or hoard items will be treated as OOC infractions. Admin discretion will always apply where abuse of this system is suspected.

Roleplay In Classes and at Big Events

Our Professors teach for free (OOCly, I promise we pay them IC) and in their spare time. It is both polite and a rule that if you wish to significantly disrupt a class that you contact them OOCly via IMs for permission, even if it is an RPD approved sim plot.
Their response must be respected. If any concerns arise then we ask a moderator or RPD is contacted,

During a class you do not:

Have to stick to a post order. Small seating arrangements may establish a post order within the group
Have to roleplay after every post from the professor
Post more than a paragraph of roleplay in length. This is a rule as doing this can negatively effect the experience of others. Long roleplay posts bumps other posts out of the chat window and means your fellow roleplayers, or the professor, can miss things. This is both a courtesy to others, and a rule, for this reason.

Our Professors may use a HUD that automatically gives HUD points, or they may manually give HUD points out at the end of class

During a class:

You must post at least two meaningful posts during the hour to receive HUD points from the automatic HUD giver
If you post twice within the first 10 minutes and nothing for the remaining 50 minutes your HUD points may be removed
If you leave early (before 30 minutes), your awarded HUD points may be halved
If you arrive late (after 30 minutes) your awarded HUD points may be halved
Deduction of HUD points will only be done following a review by a Managers or Admin

At Big Events (parties, balls, classes, the sorting ceremony, scheduled feasts) we ask that you do not post more than a paragraph of roleplay in length. This is a rule as doing this can negatively effect the experience of others. Long roleplay posts bumps other posts out of the chat window and means your fellow roleplayers, or the professor, can miss things. This is both a courtesy to others, and a rule, for this reason.

During meal times please wait for any speeches or announcements to be complete before posting any roleplay of more than a paragraph in length. This is both a courtesy to others, and a rule, for the above reason. During busy meal times we would recommend, as a courtesy to others, that your posts are not longer than one paragraph in length.

#modtip

If you use the Firestorm Viewer, set up “keyword alerts” to have your viewer make a noise and change the colour of text where you may have been mentioned in a post

Firestorm Preferences > Chat > Keyword Alerts
✅Enable Keyword Alerts
✅ Look for keywords in nearby chat
✅Only Match Whole Words
✅Keywords: Put in any keywords that someone may use in reference to your character, or keywords you may need to be alerted to
e.g. Gwyn, Gwynedd, Driscoll, Apparate and failed critically
✅Enable color alert
✅Enable sound alert (optional)

Do Nots in Roleplay at Mischief Managed

The following styles of roleplay are against the rules

Chat Boxing

Chat boxing is when you just talk in local without using any sort of emotion.
e.g. Saffron Foxclaw: Hey, what are you guys doing?
There must always be a short action in your roleplay when one-line roleplaying. A proper example would be the following
Saffron Foxclaw waves as she sees her group of friends. “Hey! What are you guys doing?”

Machine Gun/Shot Gun Roleplay

This is when you are posting before giving other roleplayers a chance to respond. You should post one, and only one, post before waiting for your next turn.

Deliberately skipping post order

As explained above

Telling Someone to Change their Style of Roleplay

If someone roleplays in a style that you personally do not enjoy, you are free to walk away or choose not to engage with them. Roleplay preferences are up to the individual — no one is required to conform to a specific style.

Demanding that someone change their roleplay style is against the rules.

If someone is taking an excessive amount of time between posts (typically 10–15 minutes or more), we encourage starting a polite OOC conversation to check in and see if they’re still engaged or available. Life happens, and a quick message can clear things up.

When to Contact a Moderator

The only exception to this is if you believe someone’s roleplay style or behaviour is actively breaking the rules outlined on this page. If you’ve already made a polite attempt to speak to the player and the issue continues, you must contact a moderator rather than attempting to handle it yourself.

You can reach a moderator by:

Pinging from the Arrival Boards at the Landing Zone
Tagging a moderator on Discord
Messaging privately via ModMail on Discord

Please avoid public callouts — our goal is to handle concerns calmly and respectfully.

FIRST PERSON ROLEPLAY

Mischief Managed is strictly a third person roleplay perspective. When roleplaying, you should write your paragraphs as if telling a story.

Not Third Person: ”/me i went and i sat down on the bench as i pulled out my wand and cried.”
Third Person ”/me went and sat down on the bench as she pulled out her wand and began to cry to herself.”