On the previous page you learned about how to create your character and the rules of a roleplaying server (which we will assume that you’re on). Now it’s time to learn how to actually roleplay and delve within the world rich in story. Mistakes will be made and they will be forgiven. We’re all naïve at first when we try something new so just stick with it and remember that it’s all a learning experience.

Now, assuming you’ve made your character (return to the previous page for information on how to do that) we can move on to understanding the world and how to interact with it. If you’re all set then let’s continue!

Being Prepared – Understanding the World

As mentioned previously, roleplaying on a roleplay server is something that will continues 24/7. You’re always going to be “in-character” which means all of your actions should be done from your character’s point of view. Now, obviously, going out and questing and raiding are all part of the game and something every character would want to do. What I’m talking about is how you speak and act in front of others.

You’re always supposed to be in-character so you’re going to want to understand the world around you. If you’re going to speak and act like someone who lives in Azeroth then you’re going to need to understand what Azeroth is. It’s not that difficult and you don’t exactly have to go too far out of your way to do it. There is one bit of advice I can give that will help you understand the world and what’s going on.

“Read the game text.”

Read what NPCs tell you along with the quest text. Take a look at the various books sitting on tables in various inns. Listen to how other players are talking to one another. Simply paying attention to things most powergamers skip will net you most all of the information you need to be able to be in-character as you progress through the game.

You don’t need to know that Prince Kael’thas has gone mad or who Uther is. You just need enough background that when you do speak or talk about things with others you won’t be completely lost. The setting of the world can give you plenty of enough to fuel you imagination and help you be creative and help you fit in.

Interacting with the World

To roleplay you must interact with the world through various forms of communication. Your actions should always reflect the point of view of the character and not the player. That means you’re going to have to change the way you speak with other players. According to the RP rules (assuming you’re on a RP server) everything said in public should always be in-character. This isn’t exactly always the case and there are many situations where you don’t have to be in-character (the RP servers are policed by their community) but that’s something that changes server to server.

Changing the way you talk with others can be slightly challenging. However, the best advice I can give you is just to think about what your character would say to someone and just go with it. Here’s a quick example:

Normally you might say:

You: Where is this turnin for the <name of quest>?

If you’re roleplaying (someone who is nice) then you could go with:

You: Excuse me, but does anyone know where <Name of NPC> is at, the captain over yonder asked me to speak with him.

Or, to avoid the length:

You: Do you know where <Name of NPC> is at?

In the first example you’ll notice how the language is used is for the most efficient means of communication and is done from the point of view of the gamer. Since this is a game the gamer would simply ask “how do I beat this game”. In the other two examples you’ll notice it’s from the point of view of the character. There are no “turnins” or any other shortcut chat involved.

It’s harder to remember to act like your character than to say out what your character would say. Just remember who your character is and how your character would act to each situation and you’ll be fine.

As for when it’s appropriate to act in-character always go based on your surroundings. There are times or areas where people go OOC (out of character) and it’d be quite silly to go up to people talking about politics and pronounce your oath to defeat the evil scourge invading the town.

Stay tuned for the next update which will go into /emotion and wrap up the other basics.

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