Recently I met a couple really great players in a random from Stormscale Server. They were saying they were disappointed in their current server and were considering transferring to a roleplay server. Well of course myself and Benemus (who was also in the group) were more than happy to extol the virtues of Feathermoon server. And after advising them it might be best to roll a baby here first before transferring level 80 characters to the server we felt like we’d had a good day.
Later I began thinking about some of the things we, having “grown up” on a role play server, might take for granted. How could one explain the minor technical details? The odd server “history”? Where would one begin to help someone coming to the server as a level 80 understand and not feel overwhelmed by the RP atmosphere and feel the need to retreat into non-rp just to survive?
I’m sure others have their own ideas of where they would start so feel free to add your bits and pieces in the comments but here is the information I would give to someone just coming to a role play server.
“WTF is up with the (( )) ?”
Bracketing is a form of indicating one is speaking out of character. It can look many ways. Double parentheses (( )), singles ( ), brackets [ ] or any number of other bracketing form. The most common is the double parentheses.
By indicating that one is speaking out of character, they are saying “You are speaking to the player right now, not the character.” It’s good to know the difference (in case the character is particularly abrasive).
Sometimes a group will indicate that Group chat is automatically OOC while /say is automatically IC. In such a case, when speaking in group, (( )) is not necessary. There is no standard as to what channels are IC and which are OOC. It is entirely subjective depending on who you’re with…. With one exception.
“/say Chuck Norris ROXXORS!”
…. Please don’t. /say should always be assumed to be an IC channel. Though they don’t enforce it, Blizzard has designated it as such on role play servers. If you MUST speak OOC in /say, please bracket. No, not everyone does it. No, not everyone is going to be bothered by it if you talk about Chuck Norris, your latest Facebook picture or how much cheese it takes to make a really good Welsh rarebit… but why start off in bad habits? If you want to play on a role play server then start off in a good way and keep good habits all the way through.
“Dude! Where’s your armor?!”
Likely what you’re seeing is their RP clothes. Don’t worry, that warrior doesn’t really fight in that lavender mageweave shirt. RP clothes are pieces that are kept strictly for appearance. Who wants to sit around in smelly old leather armor all day? Who wants to sit down to have a drink with friends while their unmentionables are being pinched by armor plates?
Most role players have at least one set of rp clothes. Some of us have entire bags of clothing for different occasions. Robes for special occasions, overalls for schlumping around, shorts and vest for swimming. There are some great outifits out there. For more on RP clothing check out my What To Wear post and my Tauren What To Wear post or have a visit over at Kirina’s Closet.
For those brand new to the server, talk to the first tailor you make friends with and I’m sure they’d be more than happy to toss together some basic starter RP clothes. There are some really good linen, wool and silk pieces that are tailor crafted.
After you have your RP clothes, try them out. Wear them when you’re not out adventuring. Wear them when you attend get-togethers. Wear them when you’re bored and just wandering around town.
“How do I find the role players?”
This is always the toughest part. It’s easier if you know someone on the server and they can drag you around and introduce you or show you where the events are. Otherwise you have to rely on your own detective ability.
Step one: Read the forum of the realm you have chosen (though hopefully you read them before you joined). Before you jump on there going “HEY! WHERE’S THE RP??” make sure they are not a hive of scum and villainy. Be sure they aren’t a putrid den of RP hatin’.
Step two: Talk to other people. Whether you meet them in a group, on the street, see them fishing in blue overalls, talk to them. Ask questions. Make it a point to reach out to others. Let them know you are new to the server and trying to make contact.
Step three: ImmersionRP, MyRolePlay, FlagRSP2 are addons specifically created for role players. With these addons you can add surnames, descriptions and other information about your character. More importantly for new to the server players, you can SEE the other role players. Check them out and give them a try. They are also a useful tool for interaction because if used properly they tell other players what your character looks like, is wearing and how they present themselves more accurately than the game can portray.
“Why are those Death Knights sitting on that bed without any clothes?”
Just turn around and walk away. Likely there is something going on you don’t want to know about… something nasty…. Involving rotty bits…. Just ask Oroleus.
Playing on a role play server can be a fun and rewarding experience. You can meet some incredibly imaginative, creative, and fun players. There also tends to be a higher maturity ratio among role players. The most important thing to keep in mind though is you are coming to a role play server. Don’t come to one with a LAWLRPSUX attitude because you are a guest. The rules of the house were set long before you came along. If you respect those that choose RP servers because they are role players, you will have a much more pleasant experience on our server. If you give it a chance, it is very likely you will find that RP brings an extra element of “adventure” to your game. One much more unpredictable and fun than anything Blizz could program in.
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