Those of you who follow me on Twitter might be aware that I have recently taken my first few tentative steps into roleplaying. I'm partly doing it for research -- I'm writing my postgraduate dissertation on WoW -- but I'm also doing it out of sheer curiosity. Like any good academic, I did some research before embarking into this new area of play. Like any member of the WoW Insider community, I did it by reading a ton of Anne Stickney's All the World's a Stage articles. If you're into roleplaying (or looking to be), I heartily suggest doing the same.

I'm really enjoying roleplaying, in case you're wondering. I'm fascinated by the whole idea of roleplaying. It's so new to me and so different from any other aspect of WoW I've been involved in in the past. Expect more roleplaying-related Breakfast Topics to appear!

But today, the question I'm tossing around in my mind is this: Is it possible to be a good or a bad roleplayer? Sure, there are certain pitfalls to avoid, as I'm beginning to see. Anne also covers a lot of these in her articles. With other aspects of WoW, though, there's measurability. You have people like the Gold Queen in the Auction House game, the recent re-emerger Reckful in PvP, or guilds like Method in PvE. These guys are among the best at what they do. It's demonstrated by gold in the bank, rating in the Arena, or winning raid races and being in line for world firsts.

How do you establish who is a good roleplayer? If you roleplay yourself, what are the qualities you're striving for? If you see someone in your travels and think "Hey, that character is being roleplayed really well," what makes you think that? Is staying in character a meritous trait? How about in-keeping language? Knowing your character's place in WoW lore? Or just a great backstory, lacking in plot holes? Are there roleplaying celebrities? Tell me all about it!

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