Okay so, I love Orgrimmar I love the aesthetic of it, and a lot of the assets in it are way more up to date than Silvermoon which I’ve come to accept is NEVER getting an update. I don’t think anyone who rps in orgrimmar is trash or anything. Here is my question for all yall though, Why do you congregate in the same district? There are so many other cool places in the city! The Drag, the cleft, the valley of spirits etc. Like I understand not the valley of strength because that’s where all the ooc traffic is but come on guys spread out a bit. Like it’s kind of hard to rp when yall just stuff yourself into the wyrvenstail. They spread out in SIlvermoon why can’t it be done in Orgrimmar??
2 Likes
Respectfully, no.
You shouldn’t go into someone’s cleft without permission.
8 Likes
I’ll answer by asking you a question. Why don’t you RP outside of that area?
I don’t really understand why his question is being met with what I feel is hostility. It’s a valid question: Why DOES everyone cluster in that one specific area when there’s the entire city full of interesting things. Is it the more open feeling of the canyon? Is it the lake? What makes the Valley of Honor THE hotspot for city RP in Orgrimmar?
13 Likes
Naw, we’re just messing with you. But the reason is because everyone knows that’s where the RP is, and if you sit anywhere else waiting for RP the likelihood you will get RP is less than the valley of honor. It’s pretty simple.
2 Likes
It’s also due to the fact that nowhere else in Orgrimmar is as RP friendly as the Tail and surrounding scenery.
1 Like
Thats pretty much the gist of it.
Once one spot is constantly used , people will know it’s a reliable place to find people. People DO role play in other parts of Orgrimmar buts only really the Valley of Wisdom, certain pockets of the Drag and the Cleft of Shadows. But there is no hub, its usually the destination. You find your usual friends and then tear them away to a different part.
It’s very hard to reinvigorate places if it’s not consistent and sadly the close quarters of the Wyvern’s Tail is.
Truthfully, it sucks that the rough aesthetic is pushed farther rather then functionality and uniqeness. Rough orcish and Horde architecture can co-exist with interesting areas! What makes you think orcs don’t like parks? Places to sit? Why are there not candy vendors, ice cream or unique orcish cuisine for world building value? Why must we go without our sweet taffy and chocolate bars… first they took our spines, they still have our hair lines and eyebrows, and now our treats. I say no more.
Anyway… yeah. I think about this a lot. Stormwind is always fully utilized and the Horde player base def knows theres an imbalance in pleasing spots to use, but sadly until people either push to spread out or places get updated everyone is going to remain comfortable in routine and try and put up with the obnoxious dueling and play out the latest elven affair or over used demand of battle.
6 Likes
As everyone pretty much has already said above… It’s a place that sees regular RP, so it tends to be the default place people go when they’re looking for RP. Like, if I’m looking for a game shop IRL I’m going to go to the shopping complex that I know has a game shop, not go to one that doesn’t have a game shop and hope one just pops up. People know they can find what they’re looking for in the Valley of Honor, so to the Valley of Honor they go.
Also it’s one of the more spacious and picturesque regions, importantly. When I RPed regularly in Org (before my guild took off. I spend most of my time at Fenris Isle these days LOL) I often hung out near the waterfall, by the lake at the Valley of Honor. It was a nice place. The other Valleys are smaller and a bit less well-equipped in some ways… though I totally encourage you to try to RP in them and see who you find!
That said I’ve actually seen and interacted with RP in both the Valley of Spirits and the Valley of Wisdom before. It’s not as big but it often exists, if you look for it.
1 Like
People are really not going to try to branch out again for a while. Not after Silvermoon’s RP scene died off I don’t think.
It’s a circular question. Everyone clusters there because everyone clusters there; if you’re going to Orgrimmar to RP with somebody, you’ll most easily do it by going where everyone congregates. When everyone starts doing that, you get the current situation of everyone hanging out in one spot because “that’s where the RP is.”
It’s a cycle that’s difficult if not impossible to break out of. It would take a pretty concentrated effort by a significant number of people over some months at least for a new spot to be added.
1 Like
I agree on the nature of a circular question. The nature of ‘The Valley of Honor’ and the ‘Wyvern Tail’ being an RP hotspot is a self-fulfilling prophecy of the community.
Without any ill intention, I do find that those who look for RP and those who make RP locate a sense of collaborative, creative fiction in different manners. I primarily play two undead characters. One is wholly separate from the casual RP scene and I accept that readily, by nature. The other is a stalwart defender of Orgrimmar and wanders around on his (living) warwolf frequently. It is remarkable how often I find people speaking to him IC in random locations of Orgrimmar by nature of him simply being there, acting in a manner this is befitting of immersion into the shared creative space.
I have experienced a wealth of shady, cloak-and-dagger Roleplay in the tunnel between the Barber Shop and the Valley of Spirits. It is a perfect locale for the unscrupulous sorts not quite so assigned to the nature of the Cleft of Shadow.
In addendum, and I realize it can be troubling at times, simply /whisper’ing someone in a polite and complementary manner can be the difference between staring at TRPs all night that sound interesting, and having a wonderful one-off adventure with someone. I recommend complementing transmogs. We all love to look pretty, and it feels great to be acknowledged for it.
2 Likes
Only thing I’d like to add is that Silvermoon is pretty much an “RP city” where for the -most- part, anyone hanging out there is doing so for the sake of engaging with other RPers. So there’s an expectation that regardless of where you are in the city, it’s safe to assume you’re interacting with someone of the same mind.
Orgimmar doesn’t have that perception. You at least know in the Valley of Honor there’s going to be a decent bunch wanting to RP. But the rest of the area? Not so much. If anything else, you can broaden the interactions to the rest of the city at your leisure, but at least some of the guess work is gone.
2 Likes
I mean I see rp in silvermoon all the time. They all spread in districts according to where they think their character would hang out. I’m just wondering if we just need to get one group to just start going to different places to draw other people in.
The last time Myst was in Silvermoon she murdered her sham fiance noble and took all his gold. Unfortunately said noble was a paranoid loser who had precautions in place which forced Myst to run. Come to think of it that is when she came to be known as Mystfire. She stole the name from a priestess she murdered for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I reckon Silvermoon might have long memories so Myst hides her face there now.
Alright, alright. Challenge accepted.
I spend most of my time in Orgrimmar these days in Tamani’s IC office in the Valley of Strength or in the Brawl’gar arena. Still, when it comes time to actually hang out and meet new people, yeah, the Valley of Honor is the place to go. For a few reasons I think…
First, we have to acknowledge the importance of taverns/inns when it comes to walk-up RP. “You all meet in a tavern” is a fantasy staple which draws on their real world role as public spaces.
Stormwind has the Slaughtered Lamb/Pig and Whistle/Blue Recluse/Golden Keg. Silvermoon City has the Silvermoon City Inn/Wayfarer’s Rest in Silvermoon city. Booty Bay has the Salty. Dalaran has the Legerdemain Lounge/Filthy Animal/Hero’s Welcome. And Orgrimmar has The Wyvern’s Tail- which is pretty much the only viable tavern in the whole city.
Another issue is Orgrimmar’s general layout. Silvermoon, Stormwind, and other cities also have things like lounges, plazas, gardens, fountains, benches, temples, and empty (or sparsely populated) multi-story buildings which accommodate roleplay, prompting people to spread out.
Yes you can RP in Orgrimmar’s barbershop, or the Drag, or the Cleft, but there’s not actually anything to make those areas feel accommodating to the public or invite RP’ers to occupy those spaces. There are few spaces to sit that don’t see you constantly run over by wandering NPC’s or OOC players on their way to the transmog/trainers/dungeon.
And honestly, the other races’ areas are pretty anemic. The Goblin slums especially are simply a series of tents that got wedged into the corner to make room for the Embassy. I tried for years on my troll to do RP in the Valley of Spirits, but there really is no space for it, with all the narrow bridges and small buildings. Most people who really want RP themed around their race leave Orgrimmar altogether.
So the Valley of Honor is such a big draw because, intentionally or not, it’s the most accommodating RP space in a city that really doesn’t seem to have been designed much with an eye for RP at all.
5 Likes
I am here to peddle my “Warspear+Horde Ashran base is the superior Orgrimmar and RP space” idea again.
It’s free real estate.
5 Likes
Yeah…
…but in Draenor.
Could just hand-wave it.