What is RP?

Many people I talked to were interested in joining our guild, but insecure because they had never RPed before. Here is a quick guide to RP, which should give you a good preparation/checkup before joining a heavy-RP guild. Of course, most things come with experience. Don't worry, play. We don't bite.

What is RP?
Roleplaying (RP) basically means that you act as the character you're playing. There are a couple of things to consider while doing this:
  • What race are you playing? (A Troll may talk with a Jamaican accent, while Tauren often refer to the Earthmother.)
  • What's your character's story? (They may have had bad experience with Undead which will lead them to talk to the Forsaken reluctantly.)
  • Your character's class may also influence the way they are acting. (A paladin will always talk proudly.)

Why do people RP?

Because it's fun. You can be whoever and whatever you want to be, as long as it matches the rules of WoW (or whatever system you're playing in). You can be the shady rogue or the devout follower of the Light, the shaman with strong bonds to the elements, the kitty druid, and much more.

What are the rules of RP?

- Formal rules:
It is important that everything you say and do is in-character (IC), unless your statement is marked by (( brackets )), which means it is out of character (OOC), i.e. it's the player talking, not the character.
If not standing in front of your RP partner, or whenever /me doesn't work, you can act by putting your action between stars. *smiles*
Since RP is all about telling a story, you should refrain from using smileys when talking in-character. Abbreviations like "how r u" don't look very good either and are, in fact, frowned upon by most roleplayers. Take the time to type out what you want to say. "How are you? *she smiles widely*" is a lot more expressive than "how r u ^_^".

- Socal rules:
Please keep in mind that the RP experience should be pleasant for everyone participating. While it's not bad to give the story a dramatic touch, or to play a sinister character, the others should be able to enjoy it as much as you do.
The most common problems even among experienced RPers are:
  • trying to get all the attention all the time
  • playing the ultimately evil character
  • messing with someone else's character story without asking them
  • god-modding (i.e. not giving others a chance to counter your actions. such as "/me slaps X's face" instead of "/me reaches out and hurls her hand at X", which would give X a chance to dodge)
What is "/me"?

/me is, in WoW (as well as most other MMOs and IRC), the command that starts a custom emote.
/me laughs heartily
would come out (in my case) as:
Tamalla laughs heartily.

Okay, I got it. How do I start?

Start with a rough draft. Is your character friendly or sinister? Holy or shadow? What do they like or dislike? Soon you will have a scheme that you can refine as much as you like. A history is very useful when acting as your character. Therefore you should know a little bit about WoW lore. Bloodelves will remember the scourge wars, where they probably lost many of their friends and family members. Tamalla is a Tauren who grew up amongst Orcs, that's why she cannot speak Taurahe but uses Orcish words like "Lok'tar" and acts like an Orc, which confuses everyone who doesn't know her.

Don't worry too much if you can't think of anything at the beginning, that's fine. Many of your character's traits will show while you're playing them, it's the spontaneous ideas that make RP wonderful. Old characters like Mahawkee can tell long stories they have actually experienced in-game. Also keep in mind that everything your character goes through may change them. A freshly awakened Forsaken can evolve to a respected Apothecary over time.

I'm afraid! What if something unexpected happens?

Don't panic. React to it like your character would. RP is not predictable, and that's what makes it interesting.
However, if something really bothers you, feel free to talk to the other character's player OOCly. After all, everyone should have fun playing! ;)

Can my character die?

Only if you choose to. If another player "kills" your character against your will, they are a bad roleplayer. Disregard it then.

World of Warcraft™ and Blizzard Entertainment® are all trademarks or registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment in the United States and/or other countries. These terms and all related materials, logos, and images are copyright © Blizzard Entertainment. This site is in no way associated with or endorsed by Blizzard Entertainment®.