Godmodding has been called many different things in the history of online rping. Once upon a time it was called autoing, referring to the action of automatically doing something to another person's character without giving them the chance to respond in the fashion that their character might. Auto hitting for instance you have been something like:

 

Jim the rogue punches Steve in the face.

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In that instance Jim auto punched steve in the face because he didn't give him a chance to dodge or respond in a fashion that his character might and therefore forced him to take the punch.

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These days forcing a player to take an action for your character has been deemed godmodding. While Powergaming on the other hand has largely come to mean being able to doge, deflect or generally manage not to take any damage thrown at your character what-so-ever. sot of like this...

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Jim the rogue throws a punch at Steve, directing it soundly toward his face hopefully with enough force to knock him off his feet.

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Steve slips away from Jim punch with ease.

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Jim the rogue glares at Steve and shift his center of gravity, dropping quickly to sweep at his feet instead, intending to trip him up with the quick kick.

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Steve steps over the sweep kick with ease.

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Because of these two things in conjunction may rpers have come up with a number of strategies to manage the instances that thing these things can happen. Dice options for instance cane put both players on the same level, and invited an element of chance into hitting and dodging that otherwise might not be there. Metered combat also allows for people to hit each other in a fashion that is controlled by actual actions and a status or health modifier but the argument against both is, of course, that neither random change or ones ability to not lag has nothing to do with the  unique skill sets of ones character. So often times on story based RP SIMs you will find neither is welcome. The question then becomes, how do you know when to take a hit and when not to? What is the line between showing your characters strengths and giving them entirely too much power? And how do you play the game of combat without it leading to a lot of OOC unpleasantness?

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And to this question there are many different answers ranging from simple to not so simple to very complex.

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You see back int he day of early internet RP when most of us played in MUDs or on one of the chat programs out there, the game was a complex and simple one, usually modified from the turn based table top game systems. The goal was to take turns writing 1 attack and 1 response in way that outsmarted your opponent into taking a hit by using there own actions against them. It was a bit like chess in that you had to be able to logically guess where their action would lead, and then make a response that would leave them with no other option but to take a hit. This complicated back and forth of actions and responses led to posts becoming longer and more intricately detailed so that it was harder for your opponent to guess how or where you would move next and thus paragraph rpers were born. As things became more complex, and paragraphs held more finite movements and details, autoing became more complex, as did the idea of power-gaming. 1 action and 1 dodge in a turn based system was no longer as simple because deifnitions of actions and reactions changed for instance, If you drew your weapon and fired in the same post, was that considered one action or two? If you ran across the room and then threw something at someone in the same post, while dodging their kick or punch, was that considered both an action and a dodge? What about picking up the object you were throwing? So what were once solid definitions suddenly became largely grey area and grey area can cause a lot of distress to people just trying to shoot each other, maim or kill each other, fairly. That is why even the most experienced players can argue about the particulars of godmodding and powergaming in an given scene, especially when it comes to combat. In order to avoid this I have put together a few basic guidelines that might help things go more smoothly, and might help everyone, experienced or brand new to RP avoid the pit falls of powergaming and godmodding.

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First, make a realistic character. It's not so much the setting that determines whether or not a character is realistic, as one can be over powered in any universe. From high fantasy to your average modern day SIM whether they are playing a literal god or a simple human realism is all about how you present the character and whether or not you are able to balance their strengths with weaknesses and most importantly not be afraid of letting them mess up or fail. Every creature in the universe fails sometimes, it's how they learn and grow and become more than what they were the day before. Without failure there is no strife and no lessons and no change, and without those things you have an incredibly boring story with incredibly boring characters. And in a game about writing a good character story, well, you kind of lose. So balancing your character's moments of success with moments of failure is actually how you win and if you keep that in mind when you are writing you will find you have a much easier time when it comes to avoiding instances of power gaming as well.

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Secondly, don't expect the story to always go the way you intend it to. The biggest trap for instances of godmodding among very strong very experienced RPers is when they get stuck in their own idea of an RP and something happens that completely derails their idea or train of thought and they feel as if their whole plot-line is ruined. This sometimes can lead them to feeling a great sense of frustration and upset and attempting to void the moment everything went awry, or simply not play to it having had any effect at all. But in reality had they been able to let go of the idea they had and accept the changes they might find their story has a whole lot more depth and is far more intricate and entertaining. Also it leaves everyone else they were playing with intensely frustrated that their creative influence was either shunned or ignored, and in a world where your story is dependent on a number of different people that course of action could also cause you to "lose the game." Remember that Rp is about keeping an open mind, and thinking quickly and creatively on your feet. If you can flow with the punches and accept whatever changes come your way and include them in your story you will find that godmodding never has to happen for you to have an incredibly enjoyable and intensely creative experience, and that you are far less frustrated with other writers.

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Thirdly, Read. Often times when godmodding or power-gaming happens it is because we get so caught up in writing our awesome character that we forget to read what is going on around us. And that can get pretty overwhelming when you have multiple people posting big paragraphs in one scene. Or even if you are feeling pressured or rushed in a one on one scene. In those times it's best to take a big breath and slow down, take the time you need to read what was posted to you and respond at your own pace and by the same turn be patient and let others respond at the pace they feel comfortable at. Eventually you will find that it gets easier and you all get into a groove and the experience is less stressful and more enjoyable.

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And last but not least try to be understanding of your fellow players. Godmodding and powergaming is a big complex thing and not everyone is going to get it or understand it in the exact same way you do so try to be patient with them. If they make a minor mistake or do something that doesn't really effect the scene or the outcome of the story don't scream at them and write them off as noobs. Roll with the punches, be flexible and teach them through example. Or talk to them calmly OOC and point out the things they did right as well as the things that were unclear,  also listen. Because just as they started somewhere you started somewhere too, and it might be that they have discovered something you haven't encountered yet that will make the game make a bit more sense for both of you. As a writer or an rper you never stop learning, and the game never stops changing and those things are what make it so interesting and fun!

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So there you go. These guidelines are not clear cut fighting rules, and they don't break down the technical aspects of how to engage each other in combat or RP, but they will help you keep calm and have fun while you are navigating the world of intense and intricate story lines and make sure that your experience is one you really enjoy.

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