It's usually pretty easy to tell when a RPer is in OOC mode. Like Val says, sitting and staring at the retainer bell, or wearing ridiculous armor, or having your minion out, or any other number of things are good cues to this.
For me, though, I'll typically send someone a /tell before I go up to RP with them. Some people RPing in the quicksand are in the middle of something intense and would rather not have it be interrupted. Some people are afk. Some people are just hanging out while someone in their party uses the bathroom before they go back into Alex.
I'll expand on that a little. When I'm bored, I tend to go to places like the Quicksand and examine people. If someone's clearly a RPer and clearly not doing anything, I'll send them a /tell introducing myself and asking what sort of RP they like. I'm a big fan of pick up RP, but without a little OOC chat first it tends to just be "Hey. 'Sup." "Nothin' much. Drinkin' an ale...". Having a little OOC talk with someone allows you to set up a more involved hook for the pick up RP.
Here's an example. Setoh's a criminal. He's basically a Leon the Cleaner type, working for whoever pays him. I'm sitting in the QS, and I see someone standing on their own. Their character info says they like mature RP, so I send them a tell:
Me: "Hey! I saw your search info! Do you do crime RP at all?"
Them: "I don't, but I'd love to get into that. I want my character to be an information broker..."
Me: "That sounds cool! Are they doing that now? Would they be well known?"
Them: "They're just starting out, but yeah, his name is out there..."
Which would lead me into approaching his character to buy or sell some information. It's still pick up RP, but it's got a deeper hook that sets the stage for future RP.
For me, though, I'll typically send someone a /tell before I go up to RP with them. Some people RPing in the quicksand are in the middle of something intense and would rather not have it be interrupted. Some people are afk. Some people are just hanging out while someone in their party uses the bathroom before they go back into Alex.
I'll expand on that a little. When I'm bored, I tend to go to places like the Quicksand and examine people. If someone's clearly a RPer and clearly not doing anything, I'll send them a /tell introducing myself and asking what sort of RP they like. I'm a big fan of pick up RP, but without a little OOC chat first it tends to just be "Hey. 'Sup." "Nothin' much. Drinkin' an ale...". Having a little OOC talk with someone allows you to set up a more involved hook for the pick up RP.
Here's an example. Setoh's a criminal. He's basically a Leon the Cleaner type, working for whoever pays him. I'm sitting in the QS, and I see someone standing on their own. Their character info says they like mature RP, so I send them a tell:
Me: "Hey! I saw your search info! Do you do crime RP at all?"
Them: "I don't, but I'd love to get into that. I want my character to be an information broker..."
Me: "That sounds cool! Are they doing that now? Would they be well known?"
Them: "They're just starting out, but yeah, his name is out there..."
Which would lead me into approaching his character to buy or sell some information. It's still pick up RP, but it's got a deeper hook that sets the stage for future RP.
