Roleplay Server
IC/OOC separation, character profile forum, lore archive, and a mod structure that keeps the meta drama out of the story.
Roleplay servers fail when in-character (IC) and out-of-character (OOC) conversations bleed into each other. A great RP scene gets killed when someone replies in OOC voice mid-scene, and meta drama (real grudges between members) leaks into the story and ruins the world. This template enforces the split structurally: every IC channel has an OOC counterpart, character profiles are a forum (one thread per OC, not a flat channel), and there's an explicit #ooc-drama channel where members can air real grievances away from the story. The lore archive is read-only — write access only via mod approval — so the world stays coherent as new players arrive.
Channel structure
- #
rules - #
lore-primer— World basics — read before joining - 📢
announcements
- 📋
character-applications— One thread per OC, mod-approved - 📋
approved-characters— Read-only directory - #
relationships-map— Who knows who, ICly
- #
ic-main— Primary scene channel - #
ic-side-scenes— Smaller group scenes - #
ic-private-dms— Channel-based "DMs" between characters
- #
ooc-general - #
ooc-plot-planning - #
ooc-drama— Real interpersonal stuff, kept away from IC
- #
lore-archive— Read-only, mod-curated - #
maps-and-references
- 🔊
IC Voice Scenes - 🔊
OOC Hangout - 🔊
AFK
- #
staff-chat - #
character-review— Mod review of new OCs - #
mod-log
Role structure
@gm— Game master / lore lead@mod@approved-player— Has at least 1 approved OC@applicant— Awaiting first OC approval@lurker— Read-only, no IC accessRules starter
- Never speak OOC in an IC channel. Use OOC equivalents.
- No metagaming — your character only knows what they've learned ICly.
- New OCs require mod approval before they enter scenes.
- OOC drama stays in #ooc-drama. Not in scenes, not in DMs to other players.
- Respect lore — if you want to break a world rule, propose it in #ooc-plot-planning first.
When to use this template
Use this template for any persistent-world roleplay: fantasy, sci-fi, modern, historical, fandom-based. For one-shot collaborative fiction or short-arc storytelling, the overhead of IC/OOC separation is too much — use a simpler structure. For RP-heavy gaming servers (DnD groups, GTA RP), keep this template but add game-specific channels (#sessions, #character-sheets, etc).
Common mistakes when setting this up
Skipping character approval. If anyone can post a new OC and immediately start scenes, you'll get power-creep characters and lore violations within a week. Require a mod review on every new character thread, even if it's a 30-second skim. Other mistake: letting OOC drama spill into the IC channels. The moment you see a player ICly attacking another player's character for OOC reasons, separate them — pause the scene, kick to OOC, deal with the real issue. The story can't survive being a proxy for real fights. Also: a unified #ooc channel for everything is a mistake. Split into #ooc-general, #ooc-plot-planning, and #ooc-drama so the planning conversations don't get drowned out by feelings.
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Describe your server in plain English and VibeBot creates every channel, role, and permission for you. The roleplay server structure above takes ~30 seconds to spin up.
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