Using IRC for the Runnerhub In-Character Chat

This page is now out of date. Runnerhub's in-character chat is now on discord

On top of our regular games, Runnerhub also has available an in-character chat for downtime roleplay with other characters on the Hub. In order to keep in touch with the cyberpunk mystique of the Matrix (as well as because it provides certain functionality that fits our usage of it better than some other chat clients), we use IRC for our in-character roleplay chat. Even though it's been around since the 80s, IRC is still a popular and easily accessible platform to chat on, which is why we use it here on the Hub.

The Caveats

As the IRC is a part of the in-character living world, all actions and discussions that happen on IRC are considered to be canon and should follow all thematic and roleplay standards that are expected as if you were on a table. This means that:

In order to participate in the IRC chat, you must have an approved character.
Actions on the IRC can have consequences. If you don't think that it's safe to give out certain information without someone tracking your character down for it or something, then don't do it. Again, pretend that you're on an actual table.
As long as it is in-character and not malicious to another player out-of-character, anything goes. This means that if your character isn't the nicest person, they don't necessarily have to be the nicest person on IRC.
- Wheaton's Law is in full effect. When determining what is and isn't going "too far" and crossing the line of attacking the player and not just the character, Interpersonal Division has the final say. Do not use "I was just talking in-character" as an excuse to bully other players or you will get in trouble.
Thematic Division can and will intervene into the events of the IRC as necessary.

Jack In: The Easy Way

The easiest way to get onto IRC is by simply using this link that is provided by Freenode, the IRC provider that the Hub uses for our in-character chat.

When you click the above link, you will be greeted with this screen:

Freenode Webchat

While this screen may look confusing, it is actually quite simple. Just:

Enter the name of your character in the Nickname field
Enter #JP-Runnerhub (with the hashtag) into the Channels box
Click the I'm not a robot button on the Recaptcha verification
Leave the Auth to Services checkbox unchecked
Click the Connect button

After you put all the information in, before you hit Connect, it should look like this:

Sample Connection Information

After a few seconds of connecting to the server, you should now be successfully connected to the IRC as your character, and have access to a chat box to type from.

Advanced Users

If you find that the web client is overbearing or otherwise clunky to deal with, you always have the option of using a standalone IRC client to connect to the chat. One such client that has a solid reputation for working well is Hexchat, but really you can use whatever you'd like. That being said, configuring a different client falls outside the scope of this guide, as if you're in this section, you probably already know how IRC works.

For advanced users, the server information is as follows:

Server: irc.freenode.net
In-Character Channel: #JP-Runnerhub
Out-of-Character Channel: #Runnerhub (this channel is connected to the Discord OOC chat on the Official Runnerhub Discord)