19.18 Meeting Achaean Players

Achaea is a multiplayer game where interaction with other players is
fundamental to the overall experience. Many players come to know other
players as the people behind the characters and not only the characters they
play. Many come to communicate with them outside of Achaea: through instant
messengers, through email, through the forums, et cetera. Some arrange to
meet in person; in fact, we have a section in the Achaea Forums to
facilitate setting up group meetings. 

As with anyone you come to know via the medium of the internet, we urge you
to take all precautions if you intend to meet another player in person: meet
in a public place; have access to your own transportation and ideally, a
phone; let a friend or relative know where you will be, for how long, and
with whom. Whenever possible, take a friend with you, or meet in a group
situation. Don't travel to stay alone with someone you have never met
before. While what happens between players outside of Achaea is outside of
our purview, we wish for you to make your decisions wisely and safely.

It's easy to feel like you know someone well online after a prolonged period
of online contact, despite having never met in person. Sometimes, it feels
like you know them better because you met them online: that you are getting
to know them based on their true personality and not superficialities. There
may be some truth to this, but be aware that someone talking to you online
has a lot more control over how they present themselves to you than they
would in person, and you are not getting the full story. Maybe it's
something relatively innocent; for example, they may simply seem more
confident and talkative online than they are initially in person. But
perhaps they are deceiving you about something more serious.

We're not telling you to be paranoid. Many people form great friendships and
relationships in person with people they have met in Achaea; we know of
several married couples who initially met in this medium. But if you err,
please err on the side of caution.