Guild Wars 2

I’m not a roleplayer myself and have nothing against it. There have been complaints both by roleplayers and non-roleplayers against the other side. There will be bad apples on both sides and that’s just how things are. But I digress.

The topic is about methods in which players that choose to role play will do so. As I’m not a roleplayer myself I have limited insight into this activity. Perhaps some people that do roleplay would like to enlighten me and the non-roleplayers. It just seems to me that a lot of roleplayers congregrate in certain areas like taverns inside cities and/or towns. Their roleplaying seems to be limited to these areas and oddly limited to just using chat.

Like I said, I don’t roleplay myself so my perception could be skewed. I just think that roleplayers are limiting themselves when they’ve been given this big world to roam around and roleplay in. The game is an RPG and you’ve been given a role to play in the world of Tyria. You can customize your character in almost any way you like and choose a profession that best suits you. I’ll admit the personal story doesn’t give you tons of options and the choices you do get to make don’t have a large enough impact on the world.

There’s nothing stopping you from roleplaying when say running a dungeon with fellow roleplayers. It doesn’t have to be inside a tavern. I’ll just write a brief script for COE (any path).

Friend 1: We have been wandering through this treacherous place for hours. I grow weary.
You: Soon my friends we will be free of this place. Subject Alpha has escaped from us twice but this time we will finish him!
Friend 2: Tonight, we dine in hell!

I think for WvW the roleplaying experience would be even more amazing. I think the possibilities out there are endless.

Commander: We’ve held Stonemist Castle against Sanctum of Rall’s relentless assaults for three days. Hold your ground soldiers, victory is close!
Random guy: Sir, we have reports that Jade Quarry is leading an assault on one of our camps.
Commander: Send a small battalion to intercept. We can’t afford to lose the castle no matter what.

I’m no roleplayer but I think it’s way more fun to roleplay when you’re actually playing the game than when you’re just sitting in some tavern. This isn’t an attack on roleplayers so please don’t misinterpret it as one. You are free to do as you like and what one person considers fun another may not.

There are roleplayers that look at other roleplayers and say “get out of the taverns!” so it’s not just you.

You might want to think of the taverns/lounge areas as more of a “hub” for roleplayers rather than the only place they roleplay. It’s awkward to begin roleplaying in the open world or in a dungeon party and everyone else just goes “?”.

I have found RP in the “hubs” is done in local, while RP done out in “the world” is usually party or guild.

also it’s much harder to RP while in combat, or travelling (especially with the downscaling), than while lounging in town.

We roleplayed a Personal Story quest of my Charrr that took her to Snowden Drifts. I found it fun and since the other players on that run still message me, I presume it wasn’t awful for them either. One said though: “I have never roleplayed a quest in a game. Not since D&D.”

OP: I love your post. Your examples are great and they would enrich the world. Are you really sure you are not a roleplayer? I’d love to play with you.

It’s definitely a little awkward to roleplay when you’re not in a roleplaying hub like a tavern. That’s especially true when you’re not on a server with a lot of RPers. Hopefully some day there will be an MMORPG that lets your actions do the roleplaying for you so that it isn’t limited to text. I mean something like a sandbox where you can be a dragon hunter, a real thief (don’t mean the profession/class), a business person, etc.

Garambola.2461:

We roleplayed a Personal Story quest of my Charrr that took her to Snowden Drifts. I found it fun and since the other players on that run still message me, I presume it wasn’t awful for them either. One said though: “I have never roleplayed a quest in a game. Not since D&D.”

OP: I love your post. Your examples are great and they would enrich the world. Are you really sure you are not a roleplayer? I’d love to play with you.

I find that I’m not really a traditional roleplayer. I don’t just mean I don’t speak in a medieval fashion. I might be more of a military commander type. WvW would be ideal for such a situation although I don’t actually have a commander badge because they’re pretty expensive. I’d do it more for practical reasons than just for the sake of roleplaying.

Me: Squad A proceed to Bluevale. Squad B to Redwater. The rest of you, on me. Gather supplies at Faithleap. We’re taking Dreadfall Bay east gate.
Scout: Five tangos leaving Sharan Hills. They’re heading towards Foghaven.
Me: Squad C, break off and intercept tangos.
Squad C leader: Roger that.
Me: Squad A and B rendezvous at Hero’s Lodge.

Main thing is RP in a hub be it a tavern or a nice garden is what people see if im roleplaying with a group of friends in a dungeon you will never know

If you are god forbid in a pug your like a centipede tap dancing on a hot plate trying to stay alive not a good time for a little freeform RP

If your in a zone zerg doing events just staying upright and with the herd takes all my time stop to comment on the beautiful sunrise over the swarming horde of zombies and im asking for a dirt nap.

“Me: Squad A proceed to Bluevale. Squad B to Redwater. The rest of you, on me. Gather supplies at Faithleap. We’re taking Dreadfall Bay east gate.
Scout: Five tangos leaving Sharan Hills. They’re heading towards Foghaven.
Me: Squad C, break off and intercept tangos.”

I wouldnt call roleplay, i would call it giving clear prescise instructions RP to me would more be P1 that new comander sounds hard kitten P2 yea he rides our kitten harder than a dragon.
but to each his own, the best way to start a fight is to tell some one else how to RP

I find it easier to RP in a relatively safe area for the very basic reason that typing while trying to fight/move/dodge is awkward.

I like the idea of more roleplay out in the world or in dungeons, but the practicalities get in the way when taking the time to type your character’s responses in chat could get you killed.

Minimalism in chat is kind of required for intense combat situations , and I think that’s going to be rather hard to get around even though it would theoretically be fun.

I hardly call it role playing if most of it is dude’s trying to hit on/get with “girls”. If they were role playing as their characters trying to deal with other stuff or something, great. But when most of it involves sad lonely guys hitting on sad lonely guys pretending to be girls dancing naked in an MMORPG, it just becomes sad.

Role play in the traditional sense: awesome.
Role play as dudes trying to pick up other dudes pretending to be girls: pathetic.