Hey there folks, I trust you’re getting as excited about the impending release of Classic as I am. Lately I’ve been seeing more and more threads from RPers telling non-RPers to stay off RP servers; with the expected sh!tshow results. I thought I’d take a minute and post up something that I hope is constructive and helps engender some understanding for all parties involved; RPer and non-RPer alike. I’ll do my best to be concise, but there’s a lot to say. I hope you find it helpful.
-
Life for a non-RPer on an RP server can be rewarding, but it does require some things on top of the usual social necessities of normal servers. By choosing to play on an RP server, you’re accepting the responsibility to uphold a social contract with the people who are there to roleplay. RP servers are there specifically to provide a home for people who want to roleplay and by agreeing to the social contract you’re agreeing to abide by some basic conventions of behavior; namely respect, politeness, and understanding.
-
Understanding- Please understand that there are very few RP designated realms compared to the others; meaning RPers have a limited choice of realms on which to build a community. In some very real ways RP servers are sanctuaries for those of us who are into roleplaying and we can be very protective of our home; often for good reason given past experiences. If you’re looking at an RP server for the overall (reputed?) maturity and friendly atmosphere, or to avoid toxicity on other types of servers, welcome! Having mature and respectful people to play with is always welcomed.
-
Social conventions and expectations inherent to RP servers- Due to the nature of roleplay, RP servers often have extra social conventions that we ask non-RPers to abide by. In general, they’re pretty easy and are there to establish an environment that is as immersive as a multiplayer video game can get.
a. Try to maintain some sort of character “voice” when using /say or /yell in public. This doesn’t mean using Shakespearean English, but it does mean not going around blabbing colloquial English or netspeak in /say or /yell. It also doesn’t mean trying to affect a thick accent if you’re not comfortable with it. A little creativity and practice can result in a character “voice” that will help make your character seem more alive, even if most of the RP you do is in your head while questing. If you need examples, just look to how NPCs speak in cutscenes, quest text, or when voice acted.
If you need to speak to someone Out Of Character (OOC) in /say it’s considered polite to use (( text here )) and to keep it to a minimum. All the RPers I know have no issues with being whispered OOC when they’re roleplaying. If an RPer comes up to you and strikes up conversation, but you’re not interested, a simple macro /w <Sorry friend, I’m not in the mood for conversation> is enough and is better than <Sorry dude, I don’t feel like RPing>.
Please make use of General, Trade, and LFG chat. Going around spamming “LF2M Mara need tank” is really disruptive. The specific chat channels are there for a reason and give people the choice to turn them off if they don’t want to see them.
b. Don’t walk through others if possible <EDIT: mostly when in cities or safe zones where people typically congregate for RP. ~ Thank you for the input Chawana>. There are plenty of examples of times and places where it’s not possible to go around people; namely things like bridges, etc., however; whenever possible, please try to simply go around people. They may be AFK or they may be standing there having RP with someone else in party chat or whispers. Not walking through people is a small thing, but is good manners and shows respect. The same thing goes for sitting down; please try to not sit on top of folks as that’s something typical of the non-Horde kind of Troll.
c. Don’t feel obligated to roleplay if you don’t want to. This is where the RP community needs to meet you halfway and understand that not everyone is into being in-character (IC) all the time and that roleplaying can take many forms. If you’re curious about roleplaying but are nervous or unsure about how to start and just want to stand around watching other people, THAT’S OK!! I’ve been doing this for years and have run a fairly serious RP guild and I still get nervous when approaching new people. You can bet your sweet bippy that I’ll be anxious those first few days on the new server. If walking while in town is all the RP you want to do, strut your stuff. That by itself helps support roleplay as it gives the impression of (literal) strangers walking by and makes the city feel more real and alive.
It may sound counter-intuitive, but using an RP addon can help you. Putting something along the lines of “I’m not interested in RP” in the character description will help clue RPers in without potentially needing to directly tell them. We do like to others have written and often check another person’s description before talking with them. Not always, but often.
-
Maturity and Respect- Most non-RPers I know come to RP servers for their reputation for having a more mature and friendly community. While not always the case (Snotrockets exist everywhere), it is usually true. This stems in large part to the social contract of respecting other peoples’ creativity and characters, and working together to create an atmosphere conducive to roleplaying. It’s not easy to find people to roleplay with if you’re a jerk, and trust me, word spreads quickly. Roleplay is a communal exercise which doesn’t work well when disrupted by bananabrains. Manners make the (wo)man and respect begets respect.
-
Dealing with Elitists- Sadly, Elitists are everywhere and RP servers are no exception. If someone curses you out for “not being in-character enough” there’s an ignore option. Don’t be afraid to use it.
-
EDIT- I’d forgotten about the ability to de-flag in capital cities, so please disregard what I said about RP-PVP. Thank you for reminding me Altrageous.
There we go; the basics of life for a non-RPer on an RP server. You’re more than welcome to join us, just please understand that the server is designated RP and respect, politeness, and understanding will go far in making your stay with us a long and happy one. I look forward to playing with you in the future.
Regards,
Vendorioc of Wyrmrest Accord
<edit- ugh, formatting…>
