Event RP is pretty restrictive, generally. Either it's a big, open event where everyone gathers and engages in in-character small talk, or it's a storyline-based event, in which case it's generally built around several characters taking a lead role, and anyone else involved is just an observer.

It's very rare to see a storyline-based event that can support RP from more than a few people without people just getting frustrated with the direction it goes.

WMattKrotzer: That's RP in a lot of places I've seen. Either a storyteller creates an event that's open to the public for social RP, or they create a storyline event, and depending on that storyline, it's as open or closed as the plot can handle--we have an epidemic storyline on our server right now that's fairly open, but even then, people mostly engage in smalltalk when the storyteller isn't around to answer questions so the plot can move forward.

People also like playing in plotlines with their friends, or at least people they know and can mostly trust to go with the story and work together.

I've seen it in LARPS and in various online venues, and tabletop is made for a small group run by a GM, so I don't think it's a purely WoW phenomenon, but how most people are familiar with RP and the way it works--which grows out of how storytelling for a group of people works, mostly.

Are you kidding? Grabbing 0 to 2 friends, hopping in a dungeon group, and RPing the hell out of it is always fun. Sometimes it gets the more intolerant people to rage, which is fun to watch, but more often it totally brightens people's day. Especially if you make up your own temporary characters that have some wacky, situation comedy-esque vibe to them and get in to light-hearted antics.