Help » Nazi Characters or Other IRL Hate Groups

Can I play a Nazi/KKK member/other RL fascist hate group representative as one of my PCs?

No.

What if my character used to be a Nazi/KKK member/whatever and is now reformed?

Nazis (or whatever) who realized they were acting as evil stains on humanity and now fight against Nazis/Nazism may be okay, but such characters must not sugar-coat how monstrous and abhorrent the philosophy/actions the character used to be a part of, and must have clear warnings on the profile about the themes discussed.

For the rest of these guidelines, we're going to use "Nazi" as shorthand for "Nazi/KKK member/other IRL hate group/other IRL committer of genocide"

What if my character used to be a Nazi as part of their backstory, but don't identify that way now for some reason despite still being quite evil?

This is not a meaningful distinction. For the purposes of this rule, if they WERE a Nazi and continue to hold such evil viewpoints, they are still effectively a Nazi -- or, maybe, a neo-Nazi, which is still not a meaningful distinction here.

If you feel that your character should not be considered a Nazi, then reconsider the necessity of including them in the backstory.

What if my character has gross beliefs, but doesn't identify as a member of a RL hate group? For example, let's say I invent a fictional fascist government for them to be a part of?

We draw the line at groups that committed RL hate crimes and genocides. We cannot police all characters into not having objectionable beliefs, and do not want to. We do require clear content warnings, however.

We also strongly recommend that you add a disclaimer such as "What this character believes is unethical, wrong, and should in no way, shape or form be taken as an endorsement from me. I denounce what this character stands for as a person." placed prominently on the profile.

Can I, a GM, have an NPC Nazi that is a villain for my group to fight?

Yes, under the following circumstances:

• We value RPs, historical or fantastical, which center Jewish, Romani, homosexual or other targeted groups (including fictional groups, for example "mutants" as represented in the X-men comics/Marvel universe) as the protagonists. Nazis may be monstrous villains as a part of such writing.
• Do not use our platform to write "sympathetic" Nazis or "grey area" WWII German citizens. The devil does not need an advocate.
• We know that some GMs strongly prefer to post in their groups using the name of a specific character, and so we may allow these NPCs to have a profile made for them for this purpose.
  • If you must create a profile for your NPC hate group villain, all such characters must have a clear, custom content warning applied to them that discloses both the themes and for what purpose they are being used. For example "Historical Nazi, white supremacist themes -- this character is an NPC villain for group X."
  • Swastikas and other hate symbols are not allowed anywhere on the RPR, no matter the content warnings. These graphics are not necessary to write engaging fiction, and serve only to make our community feel uncomfortable. Do not use these symbols to decorate an NPC's profile.
  • To be clear: if you can stand posting with a different character name and simply writing in your NPC's name, we much prefer that.
  • If we are shown evidence that the profile is being used for anything but as an NPC villain for the PCs to fight and struggle against, they will be removed.

If we see a sudden surge in Nazi characters, even as NPCs, we reserve the right to change our minds and blanket-ban them.

We hope that this balances allowing historical RPs and "alternate history" fantastical RPs like X-men, while setting strong limits on how real hate groups can be used and represented.

For the purposes of this rule, how are we defining NPC vs PC?

PC stands for Player Character. They are the main characters you and your friends play as in a story.

NPC stands for "non-player character." Imagine a shop-keep or a villain in a video game like Zelda; those are other characters, but they're not the main one you, as a player, control. Therefore, they are non-player characters.

In the world of written RP, someone still has to write out those shopkeeps, villains, and other incidental characters required to flesh out a world and make a plot go. In a one on one RP, you might equally share writing NPCs when your main characters come across them. In a group RP, usually a designated GM (Game Master) takes on the responsibility of writing out the world and its reactions to the PCs.

Sometimes, what's an NPC and what is a PC can get a bit blurry, especially if the GM is RPing their own main character within the group as well. However, here's some broad guidelines that can be used as indicators:

• Most NPCs don't ever get their own character profile, or, if they do, it's usually temporary to facilitate a particular plot.
• A particular NPC usually only appears on occasion, in relation to a particular location or event (for example, a bartender NPC shows up when you go to the bar. A villain NPC shows up to sow chaos and then departs again.)
• Even in a plot specifically related to that NPC, the NPC will generally only be in about 25% of the RP scenes the main characters are having.