Comments on: On roleplaying, and why I don’t RP in WoW

By: Pratz Strike

Pratz Strike — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:20:56 +0000

I’ve never been able to RP in WoW either – mostly because I still play City Of Heroes on the Virtue server, where the roleplaying is absolutely golden. Game’s a lot of fun too.

By: Adam Jury

Adam Jury — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 06:32:07 +0000

The problem with roleplaying in WoW and other MMOs, IMO, is largely the time factor: It takes a fair amount of time to properly roleplay at any given time, and the game proceeds in real time. Whereas with a pen-and-paper RPG, you can take your time to have a dramatic and appropriate conversation between combat, and as long as everyone is having fun, it doesn’t matter if that conversation takes a few real life minutes for what should only be a few seconds of game time; just like in a movie, the bad guys aren’t going to respawn, and the sniper waiting on the rooftop will wait for a dramatically appropriate moment before dropping one of your teammates.

By: Siha

Siha — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:49:26 +0000

I’m really glad you’re enjoying it, really :) I can certainly understand the joy of roleplaying out a character in WoW – and I imagine it’s probably only because I /have/ seen the other games (particularly SWG, which was RP heaven), and because I’ve spent half my life playing pen-and-paper RPGs, that I get dissatisfied with what WoW offers.

By: Anna

Anna — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:44:09 +0000

I’m in accord with Pike on this – I never played any of the other RPGs so I don’t really feel like I’m missing out. I don’t mind running FlagRSP or ImmersionRP addons for roleplay, though I’ve come to use them less and less as I find I enjoy the RP more without them (since most people just type their entire backstory into the descriptions).

Another thing that really has helped me with WoW-RP is the communities that I”m a part of – and their focus on out of game writing as well as in game interaction. 90% of my in game RP is situational – I run into someone here or there, we have a conversation, that kind of thing. I know there ARE major in game storylines, I’ve just not had the fortune of being involved in any of them. I’m hoping Lich King will change that, especially now that I have TWO characters with major story connections to the 3rd war and Northrend (my priest and my paladin).

Oh – and I deal with respawns like I deal with death. If I die, and have to run back from the graveyard, it only makes sense that these Defias guys would do the same thing >.>

By: Pike

Pike — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:04:24 +0000

I hear this kind of thing a lot, and then I wonder if I’m psychotic for enjoying WoW RP (or charcter customization, more than RP, actually).

But I’ve decided that I think largely, it’s because I’ve never played any of those other games– Everquest, LOTRO, Star Wars Galaxies, etc. WoW is my first ever MMO. So to me, WoW is this huge amazing world with awesome amazing lore and “oh my gosh, you mean I can give my character her own name? And give her your own little backstory?”

I’m in heaven. Perhaps just because I’ve never been to any of the other heavens. =P

Regardless, I absolutely adore giving my characters stories and the like; every single one of my characters has their own backstory in fact. And I am able to sort of turn my roleplaying on and off with a switch, so to speak, so stuff like dying or respawns don’t bother me the way I know they bother other roleplayers. =P