Post by Feralan on Sept 22, 2006 12:46:18 GMT 1
Another thread reposted from our old website, written by our founder Syren.
Some of us are totally new to roleplaying. It really isn't that daunting, so here are a few tips to get you started:
Don't use text-speak in /say -- LOL, smiley faces and such are prohibited. I'm not even that keen on having them used in /party, but this is up to individual players. It's easy enough to type /laugh or /smile if you need to.
Stripping off clothes and /dance is funny ONCE. And then it isn't any more. I don't want to see a Sentinel ever doing this sort of thing unless there's a really good reason in character for it. You are wearing our guild tabard and represent us. Keep this in mind.
Now -- where to start? There are a few things to remember about Kaldorei before you begin to construct your character idea. They're rather reserved, even mistrustful of other races, though they're not out-and-out bigots. Kaldorei even in some cases get on rather well with the Tauren. The only people Kaldorei seriously mistrust are warlocks and other magic users, due to the history of the Kaldorei and the fall of the Highborne. So, keep this in mind when creating your character, but don't feel the need to stick to the cliche.
With this in mind, think about your character -- why did they become the class they are? Hunter? Rogue? Druid? What is their background history, and age? Watch the age on your character as elves are no longer immortal -- they live about 10,000 maximum, however. Also keep in mind elves reach maturity at 150 years. If they're older, they've probably lived through a war or two so you may need to know your lore, but there's no way any character knows EVERYTHING about the lore.
Now ... think about your character's appearance. How do they move? Are they clumsy? Hair long or short? Preferred weapons? How do they keep their armour -- good condition or bad? Even though these seem like small details, you may get an idea of what your character's personality is like.
For example, Syren is just come of age. When she started out she was very giggly and immature. Her hair is very long and indigo, but tends to be a bit unkempt. She has just about every skill I could give her to be self-sufficient, with skinning and leatherworking, cooking, and first aid -- so as far as her concept goes she seems pretty content to try and take care of herself, and prove she can do so to other people.
All that just from a few internal questions! It's enough to play a character with to start, but there's of course a lot of loopholes. These are things you can fill in as you go along.
There are some general do's and don'ts for roleplaying, so I'll list these here.
DON'T put in too many details about your character from the start. This is called "roleplaying into a hole". You've basically figured out everything about your character and are now stuck with that ... unable to develop the story any other way. Give yourself some room to work.
DON'T try so hard to come up with something original that you end up with something laughable instead. I've seen half-demonic/possessed naga creatures with tentacles sprouting from their backs and forked tongues -- human paladins walking around Stormwind as if they were perfectly normal. Half-elves are genetically impossible and people trying so hard to be "different" by having inter-species relationships have now become incredibly commonplace. Your parents aren't required to all be dead from a attack from the Horde, either! Again, give yourself a bit of room to work, but stick to the lore of the game. You can have perfectly mundane beginnings to start, and build up as you gain confidence!
DON'T take in character reactions as out of character facts. This is the biggest problem in roleplay. Time and time again I have roleplayed something in character only to find people taking offence out of character and stomping off in a huff. They really could not understand it wasn't me thinking these things -- so please, if you're going to react negatively or strongly to a situation or someone else's character, send a whisper to the person in question and let them know. If all else fails -- just put that sort of confrontational roleplaying aside. We're not here to hurt people's feelings.
(Edit by Feralan: This point is crucial. Roleplaying is a cooperative effort, not a competition, and it should be fun for those involed. When IC actions make someone uncomfortable OOC, it is perfectly all right to request a temporary break and let the other person know, or to let it settle in for a while and get back to it later, or even to ask if there is any OOC bad blood.)
DON'T involve people in your storylines without asking first. There are some storylines which I'm really squeamish about even having people involved in at all (rape/incest etc). Please ask people before just charging into this kind of RP and expecting everyone will go along with it. You can bring the idea to the forums and ask for involvement and interest, and then go from there. I know, scripting everything out is sometimes very dull, but again -- we're not here to hurt people's feelings.
(Edit by Feralan: This is especially true for confrontational roleplay. It would be unacceptable, for example, if one character wigs out and suddenly tries to kidnap or even kill another character whose player makes it clear that he or she doesn't want to be involved in that kind of RP. Even if the would-be attacker is level 60 and the intended victim level 10 so there is really nothing the lower-level character could do, the player has the final say about what he or she wants to be involved in. And I do not EVER want to hear of any of our members getting involved with sexual harassment or outright sexual violence, even if the "victim" was willing. Not under any circumstances. Period.)
DO roleplay whenever, wherever, you can. That means in cities, in the wilds, in groups, in instances. There's no such thing as a "time and place for roleplay". You don't need to make a huge speech in character in an instance when something has jumped on top of you, but don't shelve your character in an instance solely because LOL is easier to type. When we get a bit more experience under our belts, I'll show you what I mean by running us through an instance, roleplaying all the way. Even if your group isn't roleplaying when you join, if you're persistent and keep roleplaying anyway, chances are they'll join in with you! If they say "roleplaying in an instance/group/dungeon is stupid" you've got the option of just doing the grind if you need to finish it (boring, but sometimes necessary) or leaving the group and asking us to help you instead.
(Edit by Feralan: Fully IC instance trips can be a wonderfully intense and rewarding experience, so I urge everyone to try it, especially when grouping with guildmates. Since typing full sentences in the heat of battle can be just about impossible, I recommend using macros -- for example, to warn of incoming enemies, to call for help, to announce that you will be pulling, or simply to hurl taunts or battlecries at your enemies.)
DO feel free to create storylines and events for the guild, for out of guild, or friends whenever you like! Goldshire used to be the gathering place for roleplaying, but lately it's been invaded by griefers. That's all right -- try roleplaying in Stormwind instead! Talk (in character) to other guilds, ask politely to join in whatever they're doing.
DO try and stick to your character at all times. Don't use "turning evil" or "being possessed" as reasons to do something solely because you want a particular item or want to cause trouble. While you don't have to be totally emphatic by refusing to group with warlocks, if it's part of your character concept that you dislike them, I would expect you to play out your unease (while telling the warlock in /say WHY you're doing what you're doing, that you're roleplaying, and if it makes them uncomfortable, you're willing to stop).
DO roleplay and group as much as you can with your guild members. You may find some roleplay guilds or groups just don't roleplay as much as you like, but our members will be more than willing to do so with you if you like. Roleplaying is NOT a waste of time -- that rest bonus has been put ingame for a reason -- and one of those reasons was to give roleplayers a boost ingame and help them feel like they're also achieving something while sitting about chatting. So, feel free to do so whenever you like.
I hope that's a good start, and happy roleplaying!
Some of us are totally new to roleplaying. It really isn't that daunting, so here are a few tips to get you started:
Don't use text-speak in /say -- LOL, smiley faces and such are prohibited. I'm not even that keen on having them used in /party, but this is up to individual players. It's easy enough to type /laugh or /smile if you need to.
Stripping off clothes and /dance is funny ONCE. And then it isn't any more. I don't want to see a Sentinel ever doing this sort of thing unless there's a really good reason in character for it. You are wearing our guild tabard and represent us. Keep this in mind.
Now -- where to start? There are a few things to remember about Kaldorei before you begin to construct your character idea. They're rather reserved, even mistrustful of other races, though they're not out-and-out bigots. Kaldorei even in some cases get on rather well with the Tauren. The only people Kaldorei seriously mistrust are warlocks and other magic users, due to the history of the Kaldorei and the fall of the Highborne. So, keep this in mind when creating your character, but don't feel the need to stick to the cliche.
With this in mind, think about your character -- why did they become the class they are? Hunter? Rogue? Druid? What is their background history, and age? Watch the age on your character as elves are no longer immortal -- they live about 10,000 maximum, however. Also keep in mind elves reach maturity at 150 years. If they're older, they've probably lived through a war or two so you may need to know your lore, but there's no way any character knows EVERYTHING about the lore.
Now ... think about your character's appearance. How do they move? Are they clumsy? Hair long or short? Preferred weapons? How do they keep their armour -- good condition or bad? Even though these seem like small details, you may get an idea of what your character's personality is like.
For example, Syren is just come of age. When she started out she was very giggly and immature. Her hair is very long and indigo, but tends to be a bit unkempt. She has just about every skill I could give her to be self-sufficient, with skinning and leatherworking, cooking, and first aid -- so as far as her concept goes she seems pretty content to try and take care of herself, and prove she can do so to other people.
All that just from a few internal questions! It's enough to play a character with to start, but there's of course a lot of loopholes. These are things you can fill in as you go along.
There are some general do's and don'ts for roleplaying, so I'll list these here.
DON'T put in too many details about your character from the start. This is called "roleplaying into a hole". You've basically figured out everything about your character and are now stuck with that ... unable to develop the story any other way. Give yourself some room to work.
DON'T try so hard to come up with something original that you end up with something laughable instead. I've seen half-demonic/possessed naga creatures with tentacles sprouting from their backs and forked tongues -- human paladins walking around Stormwind as if they were perfectly normal. Half-elves are genetically impossible and people trying so hard to be "different" by having inter-species relationships have now become incredibly commonplace. Your parents aren't required to all be dead from a attack from the Horde, either! Again, give yourself a bit of room to work, but stick to the lore of the game. You can have perfectly mundane beginnings to start, and build up as you gain confidence!
DON'T take in character reactions as out of character facts. This is the biggest problem in roleplay. Time and time again I have roleplayed something in character only to find people taking offence out of character and stomping off in a huff. They really could not understand it wasn't me thinking these things -- so please, if you're going to react negatively or strongly to a situation or someone else's character, send a whisper to the person in question and let them know. If all else fails -- just put that sort of confrontational roleplaying aside. We're not here to hurt people's feelings.
(Edit by Feralan: This point is crucial. Roleplaying is a cooperative effort, not a competition, and it should be fun for those involed. When IC actions make someone uncomfortable OOC, it is perfectly all right to request a temporary break and let the other person know, or to let it settle in for a while and get back to it later, or even to ask if there is any OOC bad blood.)
DON'T involve people in your storylines without asking first. There are some storylines which I'm really squeamish about even having people involved in at all (rape/incest etc). Please ask people before just charging into this kind of RP and expecting everyone will go along with it. You can bring the idea to the forums and ask for involvement and interest, and then go from there. I know, scripting everything out is sometimes very dull, but again -- we're not here to hurt people's feelings.
(Edit by Feralan: This is especially true for confrontational roleplay. It would be unacceptable, for example, if one character wigs out and suddenly tries to kidnap or even kill another character whose player makes it clear that he or she doesn't want to be involved in that kind of RP. Even if the would-be attacker is level 60 and the intended victim level 10 so there is really nothing the lower-level character could do, the player has the final say about what he or she wants to be involved in. And I do not EVER want to hear of any of our members getting involved with sexual harassment or outright sexual violence, even if the "victim" was willing. Not under any circumstances. Period.)
DO roleplay whenever, wherever, you can. That means in cities, in the wilds, in groups, in instances. There's no such thing as a "time and place for roleplay". You don't need to make a huge speech in character in an instance when something has jumped on top of you, but don't shelve your character in an instance solely because LOL is easier to type. When we get a bit more experience under our belts, I'll show you what I mean by running us through an instance, roleplaying all the way. Even if your group isn't roleplaying when you join, if you're persistent and keep roleplaying anyway, chances are they'll join in with you! If they say "roleplaying in an instance/group/dungeon is stupid" you've got the option of just doing the grind if you need to finish it (boring, but sometimes necessary) or leaving the group and asking us to help you instead.
(Edit by Feralan: Fully IC instance trips can be a wonderfully intense and rewarding experience, so I urge everyone to try it, especially when grouping with guildmates. Since typing full sentences in the heat of battle can be just about impossible, I recommend using macros -- for example, to warn of incoming enemies, to call for help, to announce that you will be pulling, or simply to hurl taunts or battlecries at your enemies.)
DO feel free to create storylines and events for the guild, for out of guild, or friends whenever you like! Goldshire used to be the gathering place for roleplaying, but lately it's been invaded by griefers. That's all right -- try roleplaying in Stormwind instead! Talk (in character) to other guilds, ask politely to join in whatever they're doing.
DO try and stick to your character at all times. Don't use "turning evil" or "being possessed" as reasons to do something solely because you want a particular item or want to cause trouble. While you don't have to be totally emphatic by refusing to group with warlocks, if it's part of your character concept that you dislike them, I would expect you to play out your unease (while telling the warlock in /say WHY you're doing what you're doing, that you're roleplaying, and if it makes them uncomfortable, you're willing to stop).
DO roleplay and group as much as you can with your guild members. You may find some roleplay guilds or groups just don't roleplay as much as you like, but our members will be more than willing to do so with you if you like. Roleplaying is NOT a waste of time -- that rest bonus has been put ingame for a reason -- and one of those reasons was to give roleplayers a boost ingame and help them feel like they're also achieving something while sitting about chatting. So, feel free to do so whenever you like.
I hope that's a good start, and happy roleplaying!