One has an idea to make a casual RP character based around starting walk-up RP (due to limited time for longer/deeper RP styles).
What kind of walk-up RP have people found memorable or enjoyable?
So far ideas are:
Paying a compliment/asking a question (so playing a curious/naive character or a explorer out to learn),
Handing out flowers/baked goods/etc,
Asking random philosophical questions (a socratic character) or opinions about the city (like a city council surveyor/volunteer).
Once upon a time, a friend recommended using pets to start conversation, and Iâve seen people do it with some success still.
Cute pets doing cute, silly things are an easy way to start a conversation.
i have a monk that is usually near a bar âpracticingâ drunken style fighting. heavy emphasis on the drunk part. have had a few comedic interactions with her being an obnoxious but funny drunk.
also to add, she drinks while fighting in dungeons too.
Not surprising, music works as a medium. Folks love a good musical number. Also try just sitting there doing nothing and trying to be inconspicuous⊠peopleâll walkup and RP just for spite of it if nothing else.
Tried having a nice quiet evening yesterday alone with someone and somehow half of SW decided to be louder than usual in /shout or come flying in on a dragon or owl to snoop XD.
Pets are a good one, having one out or starting a convo when you see someone else have one. I usually have a walk up character that sells stuff too, thatâs always fun. Or one that does little street magic tricks or performances.
Really have to have an outgoing character for alot of it.
Find someone with a really, really long title in their TRP, sprint up to them as fast as you can and say âBy Azura, by Azura, by Azura! Itâs the [insert title]! I canât believe itâs you, standing here! Next to ME!â
I wrote an article on this way back in Cata.
Itâs easier to get RP if you come in with an action than with a passive emote.
/me sits in a corner with a large cup of tea.
is going to draw a lot less attention than:
/me barrels into the tavern looking rough. Clothes ragged, face bruised, they stumble up to the bar counter breathing hard and glancing around nervously. There appears to be a folded up slip of parchment in their hand.
Which one of those is going to grab attention? Would you rather talk about a cup of tea, or find out if that person with the paper is ok, if theyâd been in a fight, or whatâs on that paper?
The best first encounter I ever had was someone who ran out of a tavern to the street in pursuit of someone, because I had questions. Make other people have questions.
The art to it is making people question the cup of tea⊠/sits in the corner sipping a screaming cup of tea (Seriously? Nobody gonna ask why the cup has screams coming outta it? Not the least bit curious?)
Two of the most memorable walk-up interactions Iâve personally generated involved my character being severely impaired; one very drunk and the other suffering from severe food poisoning. These were of course one-off things; I canât imagine doing that regularly nor would want to constantly play that same scenario constantly.
As most of my personal active walk-up prompts, as in the ones when Iâm the one approaching people, have included questioning, I can say with confidence that such a route often tends to be somewhat limited in terms of what one can talk about or even your own participation beyond the questions themselves. This may speak more to me personally, in how I tend to handle these scenarios, than be a general thing, however. Still, it is a reliable and relatively low effort method.
I donât much think handing things out is very good conversation starter, though this once more can simply be a personal thing as I am generally skeptical of people giving me stuff out of the blue ic or ooc. Offering weird or unorthodox items could at least generate interesting or even humorous encounters, though.
I donât do a lot of random RP anymore in Stormwind since I run a xFaction guild, I like to be where all the members can be or out in the world for RP.
However, back in the day, the best RP prompts are not prompts but actual first glances that are able to be seen with a glance. Why people write an essay here or put âhiddenâ things, I donât get.
But I will look at your IC currently and your first glances and then walk up on that information. I do not read your TRP for random RP. What fun is that? I want to learn through RP.
More serious answer; make a character that outwardly people are very likely to despise, get your best hobo transmog, and post up somewhere that gets a lot of foot traffic. Then do some pan-handling like [Obi-wan Kenobi] Homeless 501st veteran clone scene (youtube.com). Iâve had some weirdly incredible RP interactions because of this.
I find itâs better for my mental health to not pay attention to such things so that I may avoid spiraling into an existential hysteria.
Too late, the madness already got to Theotar.
Oh, I think people will definitely question that. And several will run!
My first thought looking at your reply was âDid I really typo âsteamingâ that badly? Was that me?â I had to go back and check.
Iâm doing a haunted Hallowâs End server event on WrA starting this weekend and now I need to find somewhere to put a screaming cuppa.
Youâd be surprised how many people just wanna pet Hellhounds.
Like theyâll walk up to the ghost doggo of flame and doom and justâŠpet em.
Eccentric clothing (or lack therof) styles can be a good start.
Funny storyâŠkind of. The zoo nearby my home when I was little was not very well protected and people could reach down into the animal pits, or across fences. Iâve petted a lot of things I probably shouldnât. Like ostriches. They liked people to pet them, but they also peck.
8-year-old Kirsy would probably also try to pet the flame doggo.
Although I didnât make my character a well hated type, begging on the street for donations was a surprisingly good hook!
Speaking of, if youâve got any MG alts or mains, Raven Hill is gonna go from a graveyard to a raveyard Oct 31st and Nov 1st for Halloween and day of the dead, partying from 8 PM to midnight. Both Alliance and Horde are invited and we encourage folks to come as Forsaken, Manari, Worgen, Sanâlayn, etc.
So, itâs been eons since Iâve RPed, but my style was reactive RP. Iâd sit around watching everyoneâs emotes and conversations and try to pick up something to build off of.
A random person sitting in corner with a cup of tea, for example -
My druid with her more heightened sense of smell might be drawn to the aroma and wander over to have a discussion about various flowers, herbs, tea blends, etc.
Someone comes stomping in past her while sheâs in cat form, she might whirl and snarl at them for almost stepping on her tail in their haste.
More actively these are some hooks:
My warlock would regularly see imp like demons pop into and out of sight around people and of they were paying attention to her emotes, itâd often lead to her offering to capture of otherwise de-hex them of the little trouble makers.
My hunter often had relics sheâd ask others, particularly if they seemed to be casters; or well studied, if they could identify for her.
Hope these help spur some ideas!