Howdy folks. In my years of playing this game I’ve observed a lot of players in dungeons having their characters engage in scummy and/or weirdo behavior to the detriment of the group. Those behaviors include . . .
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Stealing from the team – taking one or more items from a chest even though they didn’t win the /roll for that chest
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Ninja-looting in general
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Verbal abuse – insults, false accusations, etc.
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Physical abuse – /pokes, /slaps, etc.
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Overly-familiar behavior with another group member – /hugs, /farts, /pats, some custom emotes, and other forms of behavior that may be perfectly acceptable between friends, but is inappropriate amongst strangers, including to the point of sexual harassment
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Inconsistent/hypocritical behavior, such as verbally abusing or ejecting a group member who did something “obnoxious” when earlier it was well established that such behavior was at least tolerated by all group members (e.g.: a member ninja-loots, someone complains, everyone ignores the complainer, the complainer himself “ninja-loots” (either in protest/no one cares/it’s apparently allowed), and the group leader ejects HIM for ninja looting!)
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Dressing like the enemy, especially those rogues who absolutely INSIST on wearing a red Defias mask, which virtually screams, “Look at me, I’m a total criminal SCUMBAG!”
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Weirdo behavior, such as “peepee dancing” – lots of jumping for no apparent reason, either while running or simply jumping like an idiot around an area
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Ignoring another member of the group who wants to briefly stop the action for whatever reason – they need to drink, recover health, wants to talk about tactics, wants to address a ninja loot, needs information, etc.
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Displaying bad leadership in general, including one or more of the above problems (e.g. someone wants to talk about something but the group leader repeatedly ignores him and just “peepee dances” all over the place, or fanatically keeps starting new fights)
Essentially someone’s character behaves like a scumbag and/or a weirdo, another character takes issue with that behavior and complains to the group leader (if appropriate), that group leader does nothing about the problem (or is the source of the problem himself), and so the complaining character ultimately leaves the team in protest.
Afterwards the group might still have a tank and healer, or has enough combat power to get to the final boss and finish the dungeon, but other times the group needs to recruit a replacement, and that can be a pain – find a replacement, wait for them to show up, everyone has to rebuff, etc. This is especially problematic in low-level dungeons and with a lack of a real Group Finder, combined with all the “boosts-for-money” activity going on . . . you may simply be unable to find a replacement, and that ends everyone’s fun.
The problem, of course, stems from many players treating the game as a video game – the dungeon is the challenge to overcome, the game is purely a tactical exercise, and everyone’s characters are merely playing pieces used to conquer that challenge. In the view of some players that makes it perfectly real-life okay to have their characters behave like scumbags and/or weirdos, as detailed above.
But World of Warcraft is a ROLEPLAYING game – that’s the “RP” in MMORPG. That means that some players – myself included – are roleplayers. That in turn means that (just like anyone) not only can you offend us with your real-life obnoxious behavior – insulting another player, for example – but it’s possible for your character to offend our characters as well; again, as listed above.
Roleplaying is a lot about consequences – many roleplayers have their characters react realistically to the world around them, including how they are treated by others’ characters. For example, if someone’s character does something nice for my character, such as a drive-by buff, most of my characters will return the favor if they can, or at least say, “Thanks!” If someone gives my character something, and no reward is expected, most of my characters will make it a point to remember their kindness (I use the game’s /friend function to help me, the player, remember such good deeds).
In dungeons the same modus operandi applies – be nice to my characters and most of them will be nice to you; be mean to my characters and they will take offense, up to and including saying goodbye and walking away.
The typical scenario:
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At some point during a dungeon run someone has their character behave like a scumbag; the most common problem being putting on/wearing a red Defias mask. This essentially sends the message, “I am a member of the Defias Brotherhood and therefore a bad person who is out to hurt the team – murder you, steal your things, etc.” (Characters in the same faction can’t really kill each other, but my character doesn’t know that.)
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My character calls the offending character a “Defias scumbag” and informs the group that he refuses to work with criminals; recommending to the group leader that we replace him.
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The “Defias” will make the claim that they are not a member of the Defias, and they’re wearing the mask for some other reason – they’re undercover, it’s a trophy from killing one of the Defias, etc., and they refuse to remove it. (Or they simply go passive-aggressive and keep really quiet.)
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Usually their explanation is frivolous or otherwise not good enough (e.g.: “I just like red masks”) and my character makes a lesser demand – that they simply remove the mask to demonstrate that they’re not in the Defias Brotherhood. My character will make this request two or three times.
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These lesser offers are refused, or they’re simply ignored, so my character repeats her request/demand for the team leader to reject the “scumbag” and for us to replace him.
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The group leader character does absolutely NOTHING – no request for the “Defias” to remove his mask, and no reply to anything my character says; the group leader behaves as if they hadn’t heard the whole conversation that just transpired, perhaps hoping that the whole problem will go away by itself. (This is typical behavior from the other group members as well – nothing is said; apparently no one has a problem with dangerous, untrustworthy scumbags being on the team.)
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In protest my character says something like, “If you work with criminals then you’re all criminals yourselves. Goodbye.”, and starts walking away (walking, giving the players plenty of opportunity to realize that the group is about to lose a member because of the selfish behavior of the Defias character, and to do something about it). At some point – when I’ve reached the instance entrance, or I’ve walked out of the area – I’ll send in group chat, “Sorry it didn’t work out folks, but these things happen sometimes in RPG’s, take care. \o”
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And only THEN does the group wake up and start paying attention, typically, “What? You’re leaving? Why??” . . . as if no one heard any of the previous conversation! I’ll offer to have my character stop and wait so someone can try and convince him to not leave (always a VERY easy thing to do), but no one takes the trouble. After a short conversation, during which me, the player, is labeled as the troublemaker (and not the Defias player/character) I’m treated like garbage to one degree or another and then ejected from the group.
(The most common weirdness scenario: Three or all of the other characters are chronic “peepee dancers” (just two needed if one of them is the group leader), my character reasons that they are weirdos who are dangerously not taking the assault on the bad guys seriously, he believes that teaming up with people who behave like children is too dangerous, making the odds of survival extremely low, so he says so, excuses himself, and walks off. Again, I’M considered the real-life bad guy, immature words are hurled my way, and I’m ejected from the group.)
One or the other of these scenarios happens in about 10% of the dungeon groups that I join – maybe 9 out of 10 times it’s a scumbag-on-the-team problem, the other one percent of the time it’s a too-many-weirdos issue. And it’s not just me; I’ve observed other players having this problem of players taking the game too seriously and attacking the wrong person when things go south.
Now don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely zero problem with players who play their characters as scumbags and/or weirdos. After all, in our culture one of the meta-rules of game play is . . .
A player’s position in a game can do no real life wrong.
As a general rule, in games it’s perfectly okay to invade and conquer the Soviet Union (or America!), nuke major cities, rob a bank, call the King naughty names, kill your enemies, drive like an idiot, betray your friends, poison the town well, anything . . . as long as the rules of the game allow it it’s all fair game. No one has really been harmed, and it’s just a game.
By the same token, extended to roleplaying games such as World of Warcraft . . .
A player’s character can do no real life wrong.
I have absolutely no real life problem with anyone playing their characters like absolute, total douchebags, or like weirdos, even if MY characters suffer as a result. Ninja-loot me, kill me, call me bad names (within genre, of course), blow up my “stronghold”, ruin my good name, question my ancestry, imprison me for life . . . anything goes, as long as – again – you obey the rules of the game.
However, my characters will certainly have a serious problem with any or all of this. If obnoxious/weirdo behavior is perfectly okay, then certainly it’s also fine for my characters to take action against such douchebaggery and immature behavior. There are consequences in roleplaying games, just like in any other game. Arguably scumbags and weirdos deserve NO respect, from anyone, and – completely within the context of the game, of course – my character may move Heaven and Azeroth to destroy any character who has seriously wronged them. Or my character may cry, run away, and try to forget about the whole thing . . . it just depends on the personality I’ve chosen for that particular character.
So my advice here is to think twice before having your character do anything which may annoy another player’s character, or earn their disrespect. It’s perfectly real-life okay to do so, but you may be dealing with a roleplayer behind that WoW character, who may decide to have their character annoy your character – tell your character what a scumbag he is, criticize your leadership abilities, leave your group, complain to whatever organizations (i.e. guild) he’s a member of, refuse to invite you to future deadly endeavors (groups, raids, etc.), and generally refuse to have anything to do with your character. Congratulations, you’ve made an enemy! And it’s downright stupid to unnecessarily make enemies. Is your character genuinely stupid? If not then you might want to reconsider your character’s obnoxiousness.
Taking all that into account, my advice for having a smooth dungeon run in the possible presence of one or more roleplayers:
- LISTEN. It’s always FAR easier to listen to an issue and fix a problem in the group, than have a group member leave in protest and then being forced to recruit a replacement. You can easily resolve an issue in two or three minutes; it usually takes at least five minutes – usually much more – to recruit a replacement and get them to the dungeon . . . IF you’re able to find anyone at all, and IF more players don’t leave due to boredom, running out of time, etc. You’re sort of shooting yourself in the foot it you choose to ignore what others are trying to tell you.
Listening includes paying attention to what other players’ characters are saying in /say speech – don’t blow it off as unimportant or “just roleplaying”. STOP ATTACKING, resolve the problem, and move on. This is what good leaders do.
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DON’T BE A SCUMBAG. Have your character treat others’ characters like you, in real life, would like to be treated. Certainly your character is not an immature scumbag out to frivolously harm others and destroy the mission, right?
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DON’T BE A WEIRDO. Curb your urge to have your character jump all around like an idiot, or otherwise behaving like a child who shouldn’t be taken seriously in a dangerous situation. No one respects adults who behave like immature children.
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DON’T BLAME THE MESSENGER. Instead of punishing the person who’s making a complaint, take a good hard look at the person causing the root problem – that scumbag who’s going around /slapping everyone, or ninja looting, or obstinately refuses to stop and let the healer recover mana. If anyone needs to be ejected it’s this person, not the person who’s merely trying to talk to you about it and correct the problem. Someone leaving in protest is strong evidence that the leader of the team is a terrible one. Don’t be that terrible leader.
And you might just consider roleplaying yourself. Roleplaying is fun! In their roleplaying roleplayers increase immersion and suspension of disbelief in the game, making the game more fun for everyone, even non-roleplayers. Over the years I’ve had many players express their appreciation because of my roleplaying efforts.
Roleplayers, consider having this on your clipboard when you join a group, and paste it into group chat when you get that fifth member . . .
I am a ROLEPLAYER. In particular it’s perfectly RL okay for your characters to behave obnoxiously, or like weirdos, but my character reacts realistically to what YOUR characters say and do . . . fair warning! 
Adding this little disclaimer really cuts down on the scumbaggery/weirdness in dungeon groups, making in-character problems much less likely.