Roleplay go splat
by Eric Vice 
Sep 11th 2007 at 1:00PM
I played on Thorium Brotherhood – a roleplaying server - when I first came to World of Warcraft. I'd enjoyed playing on roleplaying servers in the past in other games and thought I'd continue in that tradition.
What I quickly discovered on Thorium Brotherhood was that roleplaying there was barely clinging to life. The chat channels were filled with questions like "What is roleplaying?" and "What is different on this server?" I could never deduce whether they were sincere questions or whether they were simply meant to antagonize the roleplayers.
I ran a "light RP" guild for several months before throwing in the towel out of frustration with guild members who wouldn't roleplay. Then I did a one-eighty towards the other extreme and joined a "heavy RP" guild and just about lost my mind. I love roleplayers to death, and to an extent I consider myself to be one, but some of the folks in that guild frightened me. We'd spend more time sitting around a fire telling stories to each other than we'd spend playing the game and if anybody got up out-of-turn during story time to kill a flagged player who passed by, there was a severe tongue-lashing in store. It felt like kindergarten all over again. All I wanted was a "happy medium" but I never found it, so I emptied my bank, vendored everything, and presented a large handful of gold to my best friend on the server and left the realm.
Nova Barlow over at Escapist Magazine writes about how World of Warcraft killed her inner actor. Nova speaks fondly of roleplaying characters she has played in the past, but concludes that the place to find roleplaying these days is not in any online game including World of Warcraft. Do you agree?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Odds and ends, RP
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
brian Sep 11th 2007 1:17PM
I play on farstriders and after some frustration settled into a happy rp relationship with my toon and my guild. What I realized is that rp is more than what you say on vent (or ts) or type in chat - it really has to do with what you do. My toon is a dwarf warrior - he drinks alot, he is brash and overconfident, and he has a love of fiery enchanted weapons. He has a mech squirrel pet (tinker) that he hates - I built a backstory around this based on his being cursed with this following him around after losing a bet to a gnome - so there is often some "bickering" banter he aims at the squirrel to sooth his bruised ego. But the best rp move I made was installing BrabbelRP - it is an addon which automates lots of /s, /emotes, etc. which you can customize and are activated when a suitabel action occurs. So when he is in battle he yells or says quotes that fit his personality, he talks to npc's, and thanks players when he is healed or bandaged as appropriate. Now it must be said that for the most part very few rp on this rp server - and most in my guild took some time to acclimate to my style. But I see it spreading slowly. Rp'ing is not a natural thing for most players - and if it is not returned they soon give it up. So if you feel that rp is not what you think it should be, are you contributing to its demise by not providing a good example of what it can be?
Poxus Sep 11th 2007 1:21PM
I play on Farstriders and there is a healthy does of RP'ers and non-RP's. Just depends on where you end up I guess.
There is a guy that RP's on Farstriders that will report ANYONE that is in close proximity that does anything that can be reported though, so people like that can bring a bad name to RP realms.
Domaci Sep 11th 2007 1:20PM
lawlroleplay
Aerei Sep 11th 2007 1:23PM
Actually, TB is probably the strongest RP server. Hordeside is particularly strong these days, and there's generally been a marked increase in roleplaying activity going on. The cost has been that our PVE progression is dismal, but I don't mind in the least. I got burned on raiding in my Alliance days, and now basically level my characters for RP reasons.
I think part of that strength derives from the sheer effort the realm's players put into keeping the community alive. We have a realm wiki, numerous regular and seasonal RP events, an alternative unofficial forum, and the official forum is largely self-policed by dedicated roleplayers who out-troll the trolls who just want to stir shit up. There's also a lot of artists on the realm, and plenty of people sharing their IC stories(especially on the alternate forum and wiki, but the official forum has had a recent resurge of RP threads).
The real problem, though, is that GMs are often reluctant to enforce RP server rules as outlined, and furthermore that Blizzard is unwilling to impose stricter rules than those set. I'm not saying they should police what kind of RP people engage in(though the cyborz do piss me off) nor that lore purity must be maintained(even though vampiric night elves possessed by demons who make them engage in illicit lesbian trysts for no purpose make me want to gouge my brain out). Simply that people who aren't willing to at least be vaguely in character and not go around breaking the fourth wall in /say should be moved on their way. Grr.
PeterBeck Sep 11th 2007 1:25PM
Ravenholt is supposed to be a PVPRP server.
Plenty of PVP, absolutely zero RP (well... there was one gnome I met who talked "in character").
Carlos Sep 11th 2007 1:36PM
The main reason I play on an RP server, aside from my friends playing on it, is that a lot of less mature players see RP and flee. They'd rather be playing on normal or PvP realms. I would describe my guild as very light on the role-playing, but heavy on the wit, intelligence and fun.
Sylythn Sep 11th 2007 1:45PM
Not in ANY? I started out my online gaming in ACTDR - A Call to Duty Roleplaying...original it was simply Star Trek: A Call to Duty - but they since branched out into other genres as well. That was an online game and totally dedicated to roleplay. Now granted, chat-based player-run organizations are different than commercialy bought RPGs, but you hardly need a dining room table or cabin in the woods to roleplay - it can be found online quite easily.
Aerei Sep 11th 2007 1:45PM
I forgot to mention, many of the TB players keep in character journals, mostly on LJ. In theory there's an LJ community for Thorium Brotherhood, but I don't think it's maintained and I'm not actually a member. I do have an EXTENSIVE friend list on my...three journals, including people I've barely interacted with, or not at all, in character.
Theadrick Sep 11th 2007 1:46PM
I agree. The very mechanics of the game discourage roleplay. I've looked for a "happy medium" as well, and have never been able to find one.
I guess if I want roleplay, it's back to tabletop gaming (D&D etc)... because I have yet to see an MMO where it is actively encouraged by the devs or the game mechanics.
Tseran Sep 11th 2007 2:07PM
Those of us on Kirin Tor who really want to see role-playing survive on our server have started a few threads about reclaiming our servers. The first one in our realm forum actually got a blue post on it, recommending we move it to one of the more universal forums. If you really want to see RP survive, check out the two threads and throw in your support:
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html;jsessionid=FEC9BFC918853DD260513A6C1D05F603?topicId=1371568302&sid=1
and here:
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=1371549702&sid=1
RimeCat Sep 11th 2007 2:21PM
I play on a normal (PvE) server because I can't see how you can role-play in an MMORPG. While the world is persistent, it is flat. Go out and complete a quest to reunite a lost Night Elf with her addled father, who seems unable to leave the docks by his crystal-smashed house, and she is back to her original hiding place by the time you pass through on the way to your other quest hand-ins.
I know full well why they have to do this; I can't even begin to imagine the expense that would be required to make a game this size evolve based on player actions. That does not mean that I'll consider what I do with my characters to be role-play any more than I would consider Halo an RPG. WoW is a huge multi-player game, not a role-playing game. If you want to role-play, to gain a visceral understanding of your character and the world, download The Pool or another (pen and paper) game. If you want to have a nice graphic of new sword #37 (2 STR better than #36!), play WoW.
Aerei Sep 11th 2007 2:29PM
@ 11/RimeCat
The thing is, the persistent world of WoW with the myriad of things you can do in it that aren't contradictory is quite fun for roleplaying in. The key to the questing thing, as with instances, is to compartmentalise it. Take it out of the story of your character as you're developing it through interaction with other characters, but approach it as you would from your character's perspective nonetheless.
Kyon Sep 11th 2007 2:41PM
What is this crazy talk of Thorium Brotherhood being the strongest RP server? If you consider the Goldshire orgies and cyberfests in Silvermoon 'real' RP, then that's pretty fan#$%^intastic TB is still going strong. Mind you pre-BC horde side RP was almost non-existent before all you Allies rerolled pretty prancy belfs. Have fun with that.
Aerei Sep 11th 2007 2:51PM
@ 13/Kyon
What? Seriously, who goes to Goldshire or Silvermoon on any server, much less any RP server, and expects sanity and decorum? Might as well complain that we have too many idiots duelling in front of Ironforge or Orgrimmar.
10pound Sep 11th 2007 2:56PM
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
▒▒▓▓▓▓▓▒▒▒▓▓▓▓▒▒▒▓▓▓▓▓▓▒▒▓▓▒▒▒▒▒▒
▒▒▓▓▒▒▒▒▒▓▓▒▒▓▓▒▒▒▒▓▓▒▒▒▒▓▓▒▒▒▒▒▒
▒▒▓▓▒▒▒▒▒▓▓▒▒▓▓▒▒▒▒▓▓▒▒▒▒▓▓▒▒▒▒▒▒
▒▒▓▓▓▓▒▒▒▓▓▓▓▓▓▒▒▒▒▓▓▒▒▒▒▓▓▒▒▒▒▒▒
▒▒▓▓▒▒▒▒▒▓▓▒▒▓▓▒▒▒▒▓▓▒▒▒▒▓▓▒▒▒▒▒▒
▒▒▓▓▒▒▒▒▒▓▓▒▒▓▓▒▒▓▓▓▓▓▓▒▒▓▓▓▓▓▓▒▒
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
RimeCat Sep 11th 2007 2:58PM
@12/Aerei
That's fine - if you never mix with people who are off your quest line. Once you start helping a new guildmate or friend through the same quests that you have already completed, there goes verisimilitude. I enjoy WoW, but I try to take it for what it is rather than what long time role-players (I still have my Tunnels and Trolls books somewhere...) want it to be.
If you can derive a good role-play experience from WoW, great, that is more than I can manage. There are still fundamental weaknesses to online gaming that disable most of what makes decent role-play. That is part of the reason I no longer spend a great deal of time on LotRO. The quest chains are well enough designed that my immediate reaction at more than a few stages is 'wait, my character wouldn't do that!'. But there is no option, because the quest needs to follow a set number of paths. To really role-play, at least for me, you need to have a group of people together, real-time, experiencing the event and dynamically interacting with the presented content.
mantise Sep 11th 2007 2:59PM
The problem with TB is that its extremely clique-ish. The only possible "good" RP you'll get to see comes from within RP guilds (generally, though there are those rare exceptions...which tends to be very rare). Then there are those idiots who don't RP at all and spout gibberish (ranging from GTFO NUB, DIAF and WTF CHARLES)in /s with their caplocks on cruise control all the while hanging out in a major city. Then there is the other side of the token, which are the elitist RP snot-nosed punks who think they're all high and mighty enough to tell you you're a bad RPer and should pack your ass to a PVE server. They are just as bad of an influence to TB than those who don't RP.
Zarim Sep 11th 2007 2:59PM
It's a much older alternative, but there are some UO freeshards that have some great "middle ground" role playing, namely ShadowCove. But Wow is probably the last online game I would expect to have role playing.
Vyrin Sep 11th 2007 3:12PM
I had the exactely same problem.
First I started at (all EU) Scarshield Legion and later Defias Brotherhood (Both realms had this problem).
So I gave up and rolled back to a PvP realm.
A phew months later a friend told me about the great RP on Sporeggar (Horde, EU).
I've play here for 3 months now, till now I've only seen mid-rp and a few heavy-rp based guilds (lvl 40+).
MartinC Sep 11th 2007 3:08PM
The main reason to play on an RP server is not the RP, but rather the avoidance of 12 year old, immature, emo kids. I've played on many different servers, and let me tell you, RP is by far the best. Join any non-RP server, and all you will see if people spamming the trade channel with useless crap. Try to join a PuG for an instance, and you will be constantly frustrated at the lack of skill, intelligence, and teamwork.
When compared to these other servers, playing on an RP server is like a dream. Just about everyone is mature, intelligent, focused on teamwork and coordination, and has excellent communication skills. This leads to a much more enjoyable time for everyone.
In our battlegroup, the RP server dominates in PVP (yes I said that right, the RP server dominates in PVP) because of these reasons, and is also the farthest along in PVE Raid Progression.
Those of you who are "afraid" to join an RP server, remember nobody is forcing you to RP. The main I play on an RP server, which is also the same reason for just about everyone else I know on there, is for the maturity, intelligence, and communication skills of the players.