Role Playing servers [Update]
by David Nelson 
Sep 23rd 2006 at 4:00PM
[UPDATE: Boy, was I wrong. Apparently there is roleplaying, I was just too lame to find it. Oops. Anyway, Dorvelle makes a very nice post in the forums explaining to me how the RP works, and what I should be doing to find some. And her post also led me to their SwC Stories site, which carries the RP even further. Heck, they even have a podcast. So...next time I log on, which will take a little while, as I will busy removing my foot from my mouth, I shall seek myself out some roleplaying.]I recently started playing a paladin on the Steamwheedle Cartel server. The server itself is full of what seems like some fairly good people, and I have not had a problem finding groups. However, there is one thing I have noticed is missing. No, not my DPS (hah hah hah, I kid), it is the role playing. You see, Steamwheedle is a RP server. Now I am not a role player, but I heard that the people on RP servers are usually more mature and there is less drama, so I thought I'd give them a shot, expecting to have to occasionally suck it up and do some RPing. I shouldn't have worried, as RPing is practically non-existent on the lower levels , and from what I can tell, it seems pretty light on RPing as I close in on 40. The general channels are almost entirely devoid of RP.
Thinking that maybe this is an aberration, I checked out Lightninghoof via a friend's account, and I took his level 60 all around the big cities, and you would honestly not even know that it was a RPing server! In fact, both servers seem to spend more time arguing about whether or not the they should be role playing in certain channels, responding to trolls trying to annoy the RPers, etc. than actually role playing. I have to believe that there are thriving pockets of role playing on these servers, but they are not readily apparent.
Anyone out there actually role playing on the role playing servers? I'd be interested to hear your response to my experiences.
Filed under: RP
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kiomi, Aarien, & Illena May 14th 2008 6:16AM
Having MyRolePlay or FlagRSP really help. Points out people who will RP back at you pretty quick. I had a pair of little Gnomes come up and start talking to me today, it was pretty neat. Normally, I check to see if someone has a decently understandable description. If I'm in the mood, i might bump into them accidentally or sniff them, depending on the toon I'm playing. I've had some people strike up conversations with me. Even if I'm in a hurry, I'll shoot a few lines back. Wanderspirit is totally right. RP is what you make of it. If you want to see alot of it, start it! If your only mildly interested, wait around for it.
As a side note, I've been taught since I moved from my PVP server to SWC, day 1, general channels are OOC (out of character). Period. Its like a rule. There are special player made server channels for RP and an OOC channel for RPers. I'm not in either, but asking a bigger Server RPer like Apirlowens or Telamir, Kirrick, or Griffenclaw might be a good way to find them. Check out the guild listing for RP guilds,or check the realm forums for RP evens. the new years even in January was a blast. I went on three different toons =)
-Kiomi and crew. , SWC.
Will Sep 23rd 2006 4:56PM
I haven't tried a non-RP server, so I can't necessarily describe the differences. But I do see reasonable RP-like behavior, around and about. Plenty of non-RP too, though. The channels are *not* RP, save for the "rp" channel, which seems to be chock full when I listen to it (I mostly don't, though; always seems a bit .. strained or something). Generally, I would say that RP servers have *some* RP, whereas I imagine normal servers have .. mostly none. It's certainly not *all* RP, though.
Ruhtra Sep 23rd 2006 5:25PM
The best way to do any actually roleplaying on an RP server is usually to join an RP guild.
Anthony Damiani Sep 23rd 2006 7:22PM
There really isn't any, outside of RP guilds. Bliz could help fix this with a global, default-on RP channel on RP servers and better enforcement of their naming policy, but even then this game is just not set up for RP.
Flynn Sep 23rd 2006 5:58PM
The guild suggestion is good advice. On Silver Hand there are guilds who put as much effort into role play that most invest in raiding.
Also, on the Silver Hand server you see quite a few level 1 humans partaking in role play outside of Stormwind. Though, from the poor spelling and over use of abbreviation, I suspect these folks are confusing RP with cybering.
Mats Sep 23rd 2006 6:52PM
What is RP? Is it live theater? Is it events and ingame shows and races? Or is it simple the lack of a character name "MegaRobot", guilds called "IPwnN00Bs" and that people use /s and /yell in character?
Saying that RP is "practically non-existent" without defining what RP is, just makes you look silly.
aqouli Sep 23rd 2006 7:23PM
That's essentially what it is for most servers, I should think. The game isn't all that conducive to role play.
Dave Sep 23rd 2006 7:27PM
May I suggest that you keep a lookout for RP events?
Dave Sep 23rd 2006 7:40PM
You should keen an eye out for RP events, such as the recent 6 month celebration on SWC. But I do find some daily roleplaying around; you might want to try installing FlagRSP or MyRSP which identifies role-players, and adds more info about characters.
It's hard to do much RPing when you do a dungeon for the umpteenth time, so events are the best times
April Jeanette Owens Sep 24th 2006 1:54AM
Dude, if you're looking for RP on General & LFG then you're just asking for tears & heartache. RP in SwC is alive and well.
Here's what you do, get yourself FlagRSP or My Roleplay and look around for people who's tooltips now look interesting. Go up to them and strike up a conversation in /say. More often than not you'll find yourself some RP.
As Dave mentioned there are also RP events happening every now and then. Halloween is approaching and a few guilds are looking at what they can do to spice things up.
RP isn't dead you just need to look for it in different places.
Dorvelle Sep 24th 2006 2:00AM
Oi. This is being discussed on the Steamwheedle Forum, if you're really interested in the answers to your questions. ;)
david nelson Sep 24th 2006 2:07AM
Hey guys. Thanks for all the input. I am not 100% sure I want to roleplay, but I guess I thought the RP would come to me, rather than me seeking it out. I really just wanted to see what the RPing was like. Assuming that a majority of the people would be in character 100% of the time was, in hindsight, pretty stupid. hehe
Steamwheedle was my first ever RP realm, and apparently I am a noob of the worst kind over there. :)
I will continue to level my pally, and I will do my best to seek out some RPing on the server. Thanks again for all the advice! I appreciate it.
Wanderspirit(H)/Clottia(H)/Catrionae(A) Sep 24th 2006 2:49AM
I assure you the RP is alive on both sides of the war.
Not only do we have our own archive and a podcast - we have a friggin' Wiki! http://www.wowwiki.com/Server:Steamwheedle_Cartel_%28US%29
Roleplay is what *you* make of it. It will not fall into your lap - unless you are in the right spot at the right time (i.e. an event). Then again, I will roleplay with a rock so.. you are not looking in the right places.
I roleplay with everyone all the time - in a dungeon or in town. Of all the RP servers I have played on, SwC is by FAR the most prolific, hands down.
Get the recommended add-ons and leave the general and lfg channels, but even moreso - open your mouth. :D You'd be amazed what you'll get back.
Maia of Steamwheedle Sep 24th 2006 2:52AM
I'm glad you'll be coming back and giving SwC another whirl :) This place is home and we have TONS of RP events going on, usually 3-4 a month. It's a shame you missed the 6 month anniversary festival we just had on the 20th!
Belthasar Sep 24th 2006 3:12AM
Some common rules for RP servers, if you want to avoid all the mess:
*Turn off all channels the minute you join, and never turn them on again.
*Spend a small part of each day walking around somewhere. The distinction between running all the time and walking on purpose will help you out a lot!
*Send a comment in /say every now and then to NPCs as you shop, pickup quests whatever. Usually that will initiate people to notice your character and stop to start up something with you.
*Friend the people you meet, and keep in touch. Give it a week or two and your network will start growing large, indeed!
djr Sep 24th 2006 3:40AM
Regarding naming policy violations: report them. Report them all. Be nice about it. Cite specifically what part of the naming policy the name violates. I've had a 100% success rate.
(That said, I have a friend who does the exact same thing and has a much lower rate of success)
It doesn't seem to be something they'll actively police, but if you report the violations they seem responsive.
Verizamour Sep 24th 2006 6:16AM
RP LIVES on SWC. I think we have a really well organized RP community, and we have great people who are doing everything they can to maintain that environment.
In LFG and General, RP is hard to find. I dont know about other RPers, but I turned off general chat right about the time I got to the Barrens (big surprise, I know) and then turned off LFG as soon as the patch hit.
I don't necessarily believe the only way to RP is in /s...if I am in a party and we are very near one another, it is not unreasonable to think that every word I say would not be heard by every person within a twenty foot or so radius, so we RP in party chat. In addition, being new to the game, it is only in the last month or so that I feel competent enough to deal with the game content, let alone do it while adherring to strict RP "rules", like /s is ALWAYS IC..what if I goofed up and asked a technical question? Coming from a PvP server, where anyone who isn't born playing WoW is a 'n00b nugget', it wasnt a risk I was willing to take...until now.
I think SWC is just starting to hit its stride in the RP arena. We are a new server...and we are still working out our growing pains. Give us another six months. the conversations will be flying!
Grot Sep 24th 2006 6:37AM
You're not too far off. Yes, there is RP on Steamwheedle (or just about any RP server), however in recent times it's changed. The server has become flooded by people, many such as yourself just out for a 'mature atmosphere', who do not RP. The newly instituted transfer system exacerbated this issue.
So what was the result? RP was driven from the channels (yes, a few months ago Steamwheedles channels, all of them, were filled with RP, though you couldn't tell based on it now), an overall RP atmosphere has disapeared. Whereas before most people seemed to run some RP mod, now, very few do from my experience.
The RPers who remain are becoming insular, isolated. They're running off to their little corners, like the sites you mentioned (I'm a member of the RP archive, a frequent poster/I listen to the podcast). This happens to all RP servers over time, just much sooner on Steamwheedle.
So RP is there, but you're going to have to put yourself to the test to find it, unlike days gone by.
Rory Hinnen Sep 25th 2006 4:30PM
this sounds like a bit of a failure on the rp guilds side. Maybe they should be out more, promoting the RP side. Perhaps if it weren't hard to find it would be easier to do.