RPing
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Hyperspace Beacon: Breaking into SWTOR's roleplay community
I've hit a wall in my personal gameplay. Most people run into it eventually when they are dedicated to one MMO like I am. Sometimes, I will move on to another game. Guild Wars 2 and DC Universe Online are calling me pretty strongly again. The problem I'd face if I did that is that I would be leaving behind my guild and the friends I have in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Not that I'm opposed to playing a game solo, it's just that my guild is the biggest reason I still play SWTOR. I still want to play the game, but my fourth alt is near 50, PvP disappoints me because of the Elite War Hero grind, and my raid group seems to be stuck on a single boss fight. It's not that I don't like the game; it's just disappointing at several turns. So how am I going to keep this game interesting? Well, I didn't join a roleplay server so that I can pwn noobs in PvP; I joined because of the community. Perhaps some of you are in a similar situation. Maybe you're looking for something else to do in the game, but don't know how to get started. Maybe you've always wanted to break into roleplay, but you weren't sure where to start. If so I have some tips for you.
Brush up on your roleplaying with WAR's RP guide
We've asked our readers before if they like to roleplay, but maybe more folks would jump on board with a little primer to help them along. The GOA team have made their "Short Guide to Roleplaying" available on the Warhammer Online site to promote RPing, and educate those that have a vague interest in the matter but don't know what to do. It all begins at character creation. Hint: there's more to it than just choosing how your avatar looks (although that's important too). Deciding on your character's personality and background is also part of the creation, as well as fitting everything into the existing Warhammer lore.The guide itself isn't too WAR-specific, and could be used by any MMOer looking to brush up on their roleplaying skills. GOA did however interview a roleplaying fan from the Burlok server, who said that the lack of a "walk" option and the inability to sit down are two things that could be changed to make the RPing experience even better in WAR. Despite the issues that seem to come up in most popular MMOs with RPing, the interview suggests that WAR's roleplayers are already having a pretty good time.
Splashing through the MUD and the MUSH
Before forum trolls complained of bad graphics or crappy voice acting, there was text-based gaming. Progressing from the success of games like Zork and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the multi-user dungeons (MUDs) and multi-user shared hallucinations (MUSHes) were our best methods of roleplaying and interacting with other people from across the globe. Without these original text-based experiences, we would not have any of the MMOs we have today.To pay homage to this fact, Kaila Hale-Stern at Gawker's io9 writes a telling narrative of the old days in MUDs and MUSHes. PernMUSH, a MUSH based on Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series was (and still is) an extremely popular online hub for roleplayers. This story tells of Kaila's experiences with PernMUSH and how magical they were "for a sixteen year-old with a 36kbps modem and a family phone line." Be sure to check out the pages of comments as well, as they each tell their own memories of the birth of online gaming and roleplaying.
Keeping the RP in MMORPG
Many MMOs have their own fansites dedicated to the roleplaying aspect of the game. There's no denying that RPing is experiencing a resurgence as some players are drifting away from the grinding and fast leveling for more of an escape or fantasy element to their favorite games. This is where the mmoRPers website really shines. It's a website set up to celebrate the roleplaying community across all MMOs. There's a focus on storytelling with member blogs, an events calender, forums and even a well-produced podcast that has just recently released its 3rd episode. So if you're into roleplaying and you're looking for more like-minded players as yourself, head on over to the site and make yourself comfortable.
Silvermoon University holds class in Azeroth
Silvermoon Unversity is an interesting little guild-- they go above and beyond the call of RPing over on Twisting Nether. The guild is run as a real university inside Azeroth. Instead of guild officers, they have "Instructors," new guildies are called Freshmen, and so on. "Higher education meets the Horde" is their motto. That's great.And it all translates into guild activities, too-- they take field trips in different subjects (right now, on their homepage, they have a piece of news up about a "marine biology" trip off the coast of Theramore), and apparently the people in their "School of Literature and Art" actually write and perform plays, too. If you look elsewhere on their site, you can even find a "yearbook," complete with quotes, "skills" (professions), and a place of birth for each character.Very interesting. Seems a little wacky to me, but lots of their characters haven't reached 70 yet, which means they must be getting a lot out of this roleplaying, enough to keep them from actually playing the game itself.[ via a slowly reawakening MBAzeroth ]
Ask WoW Insider: Advice for RP noobs?
It's time once again for Ask WoW Insider, wherein we publish one of your questions for our readers to answer. Last week we looked at Bar AddOns, and this week we concern ourselves with how to get into RPing. Thomas asks: I have always wanted to get into a RP server but none of my friends are into it, so I find it hard to find anybody else to RP with. Do you have any suggestions as to what I could do to get into a good RP guild? Also, are there any essential mods that are commonly used on an RP server? Any other advice would be much appreciated. Thanks! What advice do you have to give RP noobs, or folks interested in getting into role-playing in WoW? Do you have any hardcore RP guilds or servers to recommend? Tips and tricks on imaginating your character or proper RP etiquette? We need your questions! Send your submissions for Ask WoW Insider to us at ask AT wowinsider DOT com.
Breakfast Topic: Hidden gems
From an out-of-the-way inn my guild uses for meetings, to the time I finally managed to watch a race in the Shimmering Flats, Azeroth has many well-kept secrets. How many times have you stumbled across a location or piece of scenery and wondered what on earth it was there for? Aside from the game's easter eggs, which are fun to track down, some places seem to hold unfulfilled potential.I've found that RP gives me a whole new outlook on these places; every one suddenly suggests several possible storylines, although I've acquired the habit of dismissing a lot of the empty-looking content by saying "oh, that's only for RPers". Do you think this is true? Are the deserted buildings and empty locations there for RP enjoyment alone, or to lighten the hearts of the players who love running around into every nook and cranny? Have you found a particular spot that surprised or delighted you?
