Guild Wars 2

I got a Whisper from a friend on my list about RPing in the Straights of Devastation. I have always been confused on how to RP in a MMO so I turned him down and said I am not sure how to RP in a MMO GAME.

So tell me how does one RP in a game where everything is repetitive….the events the hearts the vista’s the poi’s Map completion its all the same on every name every few hours or minutes so how can you RP without repeating the RP over and over and over and over. It would get very very very boring after a while. How would you go about RPing out getting a Vista or a PoI How would you RP doing a event more then once. Its just not exactly productive in a MMO to RP when everything is the same every day…there would be NO new RP. After a week the RP would be over. Just saying I just don’t understand how it would be done and would never even attempt it in a MMO.

I’d imagine that the RP they would have been doing there would have been some sort of crusade against the Risen; doing the events as a “cause”, speaking in character, that sort of thing. I’ve seen a few announcements over the last few months from people organising these things on various maps. Ever since the new age of Megaservers actually. Shows my server wasn’t too interested in this. Seems fun but I’ve never tried it.

Anyway, it all comes down to imagination.

Make up your own story. Maybe one time, you’re all in the Straits of Devastation to assist with Sir Blackthorn’s personal crusade against the Risen. Another time, you’re there helping Scholar Twigg’s attempt to recover an ancient Orrian relic. Yet another time, you’re launching a rescue mission to save Lady Gwendolyn after her ship got crippled by a Dead Ship. All three stories could take place in the same location, but it’s a different RP experience each time.

RP doesn’t necessarily have to follow the in-game story. Heck, we even have roleplayers who RP as Flame Legion or Nightmare Court.

Yeah but if a player goes to one of those area’s such as a Flame Legion home or such they would be attacked so there is no way to actually RP being apart of such factions. As for the others those events happen over and over and over after doing them the first time what would you do the next time once you have covered all the other events in the game the RP would be in a stale mate. Nothing to do except stand around chatting to each other in character which would get impossibly boring. Just does not make sense to me. There are chats and things I have RPed in but the games I play seems impossible to actually get into RP cause of the repetitiveness of the on going events that do not change daily.

There are actually a few locations in Flame Legion or Nightmare Court territory where you’re relatively safe. But you’re right, they’re few and far between.

RP in an MMO will never extend to the same detail and complexity that you can get in tabletop or DM’ed games like in Neverwinter Nights, but it’s still fun. It’s more about the stories and relationships you cultivate with other players.

If you don’t get it then don’t do it. Its no big deal. Some people like it and others don’t. Without trying it you’ll never know what its really all about but it really makes no difference in the end. Not everybody can see fun in the same things.

All the world’s a stage, so to speak. RP is the stories we tell upon that stage, using elements the game provides.

In the LA attack, one of my guildies permadied. She was my main’s lover, and beloved of many in the guild, so that added the personal touch as we responded to the larger disaster and brought home the death and devastation when a city of 40K people burned. I also started my Scarlet Pimpernel sylvari off there, as a Whispers agent leading lost citizens to safety.

RP can be about love and hate, adventure (like stealing an airship from the Aethers via completing the Not So Secret JP, or delving into the Dream to rescue a lost soul), or just friendship and banter. Use the events and the terrain, don’t let it limit you. A lot of the events are cyclical rather than resetting, so one can be a world-weary seraph fighting off yet another centaur attack. Or the RPers can come to a consensus that “Ok, we fought off an attack, now we’re going to stand over here where the event won’t attack us and just say that ICly there’s no fighting now.”

RP is about telling stories. If you ever read braided novels back when those were a popular form of S&SF, it’s somewhat like that. Each player is the “main” in his/her own tale, but works with others to let them shine as well.

There are thousands of people around you RPing in any MMO you’re in. It certainly is viable!

It’s not the game content it’s about the backdrop, the scenery, the atmosphere. I’m not an RPer but it seem to me that this game and others like it were made for RPers they just find a place in the game they like and they let the story flew. It just amazes me how the come up with some of the diolog on the fly like that an I’ve seen some RPers use game events in their events and never miss a beat. I have had some of the best time in game just standing back out of the way and watching reading along its like a living breathing graphic novel.

Basically RP goes like this.

1. You’ve created your own story that you want everyone to care about.
2. Everyone else has done the same, and they want you to care about their stories.
3. You try to earn brownie points by pretending you care about their stories, or by throwing in game lore.
4. Nobody really listens to your story because they are too busy waiting for the next chance to jump in with their own.
5. You find you’re doing the same thing.

Otherwise there’s nothing icky about it. The hatred and ignorance toward it is completely uncalled for.

When it comes to in-game events, it’s best to handwave away the specific details. You’re fighting off the risen, ignore the fact that this is the third time you’ve done this fight.

It’s also best if your character is not the center of the story. Generally, you are not THE Hero of Shaemoor, or THE slayer of Issomir. That’s someone else, who you don’t generally name. Instead, be a blacksmith that’s trying to take over after their mentor retired, or a hunter that grew up near the Wolf lodge. Make your own (reasonable) backstory, and leave the pre-made story to someone else.

DarkWasp.7291:

Basically RP goes like this.

1. You’ve created your own story that you want everyone to care about.
2. Everyone else has done the same, and they want you to care about their stories.
3. You try to earn brownie points by pretending you care about their stories, or by throwing in game lore.
4. Nobody really listens to your story because they are too busy waiting for the next chance to jump in with their own.
5. You find you’re doing the same thing.

Otherwise there’s nothing icky about it. The hatred and ignorance toward it is completely uncalled for.

Alternately, you and one or more people have collaborated on a story and are writing the details as a sort of “improv” exercise. You are amazed at how well the others portray their characters and are interested in what motivates those characters. You enjoy building a story together.

Donari and Guhracie are spot on. There are many ways to RP in the open world. For example, I’m in two guilds I hold very dear, an Ash Legion warband for my charr and a Nightmare Court guild for two of my sylvari. For the warband, we literally go out and type paragraphs between doing missions. Say we’re going to destroy some Inquest to rescue someone; our lines are short in between the fighting but we talk as our characters all the while. When we get back to the Citadel, we all sit down or patrol some place while RP walking and our emotes become longer and longer.

The Nightmare Court guild is less about open world and more about meetings and character development. Sure we go out and do training (especially the Retinue) sometimes or have twisted games of hide and seek for class (or team building exercises, lectures, etc, all in character), but a bulk of the story telling happens around court meeting dates. We found ourselves a little out of the way cave without hostile mobs and go there when we want to interact. Our cave is like the bars in Divinity, only just for us.

I suppose what I’m trying to say is, there’s no wrong way to RP. You can interact only in “say” and just speak as your character, or you can gather with groups of three or more and /me emote paragraphs together in a sort of comprehensive story, each of you contributing a reaction from your character to keep the dialogue flowing. I’ve seen some RP actual dynamic events out, and some just like to sit around a bar and build their characters from there.

I am not showing hatred for it I just do not get it…even after all the posts I would not be able to RP in a MMO cause of the on going events the same things over and over and over. Trying to make a story up or play off a story that repeats itself every few minutes to every hour just seems like it might be repetitive and I just would get bored real fast. Standing around chatting ICly seems more like a waste of time then to act something out that might be different everyday. Only thing I could think of is RPing out the living story and making it take upto the 2 weeks it takes them to put out something else. But to fight the same events with the Risen or the same bosses over and over after rping killing them more then 5 times already would be very boring. So maybe I am not getting it. I have RPed for over 20 something years…but it was in a situation that we made up we played our characters in situations and scenes that changed daily nothing was the same so maybe I am set in my D&D and online text chat RP ways cause there just is no way to RP in my opinion with tons of people with the same thing occurring over and over the scene would have to change in some way. and its not hatred just straight out confusion and misunderstanding of how someone can actually like RPing in a place that stays the same day in and day out. Nothing new goes on its the same events and such all the time so how would you explain viable RP that you do everyday over and over.

@RuneCrimson

You make up your own stories, of course (edit: as in, my guilds have suggestion boxes on a forum where we can come up with fun activities to keep things moving along)! Yes, the same stories a lot of RPers do can easily be done in a chat program like Skype, however, I guess it’s the thrill of being able to meet new people on a daily basis and it’s also nice when you can see what someone’s character looks like right off the bat (so they don’t have to go into a lengthy discussion about their appearance).

I see where you are coming from and respect your opinion though, Rune. MMO RP isn’t for everyone. ;P

Instead of people who may or may not Rp in this game why not check out this site.

http://www.guildwars2roleplayers.com/

They role play in game everyday and can most assuredly give you better information.

I am also looking into RP in GW2.

RuneCrimson.7380:

I got a Whisper from a friend on my list about RPing in the Straights of Devastation. I have always been confused on how to RP in a MMO so I turned him down and said I am not sure how to RP in a MMO GAME.

So tell me how does one RP in a game where everything is repetitive….the events the hearts the vista’s the poi’s Map completion its all the same on every name every few hours or minutes so how can you RP without repeating the RP over and over and over and over. It would get very very very boring after a while. How would you go about RPing out getting a Vista or a PoI How would you RP doing a event more then once. Its just not exactly productive in a MMO to RP when everything is the same every day…there would be NO new RP. After a week the RP would be over. Just saying I just don’t understand how it would be done and would never even attempt it in a MMO.

You don’t RP for progression. So for example, vistas, POIs, skill points, you wouldn’t typically get those if you were RPing, unless you happened to come across them.

Events can definitely be RP’d, but if you’ve done certain events a bunch of times, then maybe try other events.

I find the best RPing is through /s or /p where the chat bubbles show up overhead. That way you don’t have to look down at a chat box too often. You will miss emotes, but meh.

So essentially you play as your character. Like if I am playing my giant Charr warrior, in my mind he is kind of slow-witted and hates humans, but is a big softie as long as you aren’t a filthy human. So then you partner up with a friend or friends who are also wanting to RP and you go and do whatever the heck you want. Some people walk around cities, some go to a specific zone and do events, etc. But each of you speaks/acts as though you are that character. As though you are playing that role.

You aren’t simply working on map completion while saying that you are RPing. That’s not RPing.

If you aren’t into RPing then it sounds stupid and a waste of time. If you are into roleplaying its fun as heck.

RP means treating your character as an actual character in a story, rather than just a game token. It means figuring out who the character is, and then playing the role of that character when you play the game, rather than just driving the token around and exercising the game mechanics.

It’s possible to RP solo; if you do, then it’s a kind of street theater, in which you play the part of a fictional character, performing in front of whoever happens to be around. It’s easier and more common, though, to RP cooperatively with a group of other people, each of whom is also playing a character. RP in a group of others who also RP is easier for several reasons—because you’re more likely to encounter people experienced in RP from whom you can learn, because the people you’re with are more likely to understand and encourage RP, because others who RP are more likely to help construct stories in which you can participate, and so on.

As someone else said, a big part of RP is inventing your own story, and then playing it out. Again, others who RP can help a lot with that. You need to learn the give-and-take that improvised storytelling requires—you don’t get to control all aspects of a story that is being created on the fly by a whole group of people—but once you get the hang of it, it can be a ton of fun, and can provide a kind of entertainment that nothing else does. It’s like a combination of storytelling, extemporaneous acting, and improvisational jazz.

If you’re lucky, you might find a friendly, open RP guild. I’m afraid I don’t know of one in GW2. I ran into one early on in another game. It was a guild that had been influenced by Shadowclan, one of the oldest and most influential open RP guilds in gaming. That later led me to spend a bunch of time with Shadowclan itself, where you can learn a lot about high-quality RP.

But if you can’t find a group like that, you can always try creating one. I’ve done that before, too. It has the disadvantage that you have to do a bunch of recruiting and explaining, but it has the advantage that you gain a lot of influence over the style and content of the RP.

Try it and have some fun.

I came across 3 or 4 people RPing at the hunting lodge in QD this past weekend. Just a normal everyday chat at the bar kind of thing. No harm, no foul.

A lot of RP, in any setting, is finding a balance between the story you want to tell and the logistics of the world you’re in.

I used to do RP on a forum (therefore entirely text based) where my character was a human/cat/dragon hybrid from another dimension, one of her friends was a Pikachu with a space station and they both lived in a world created by the god of insanity, who shared a body with a teenager.

If we could make that make sense then GW2 RPers can work with repeating events.

It helps that a lot of the events are things which could conceivably occur over and over. The centaurs and humans are constantly at war so it makes sense that the centaurs keep attacking the humans outposts. Sometimes they’re driven back, sometimes they win and we have to re-take them. Then they try again.

The Pact might have defeated Zhaitan but Orr is still full of thousands of Risen so even after they’ve pushed all the way through to the Gates of Arah they still have to defend the outposts and the supply route the entire way from Fort Trinity.

DarkWasp.7291:

Basically RP goes like this.

1. You’ve created your own story that you want everyone to care about.
2. Everyone else has done the same, and they want you to care about their stories.
3. You try to earn brownie points by pretending you care about their stories, or by throwing in game lore.
4. Nobody really listens to your story because they are too busy waiting for the next chance to jump in with their own.
5. You find you’re doing the same thing.

Otherwise there’s nothing icky about it. The hatred and ignorance toward it is completely uncalled for.

This sums it up pretty good. Though sometimes I end up actually caring about the other persons character. Sometimes. So I figure it’s the same for them.

I’ll stick to RP in places like Second Life or other 3D chats I would horribly fail at RPing in a MMO. It would be to hard to create my character around a story I did not create myself. It would be like playing out My character in someone elses book and I would rather not be forced into a script I like to do what I want with my character and not be pushed into events and such in a already structured and story laid out game.

Well, hmm. Do you create your universe from scratch? Or do you have shared elements, like “this is a modern western urban area with cars and hotels and casinos.”

If someone writes an urban fantasy, they’re still using a recognizable modern urban setting, possibly actual cities that exist RL, but telling a tale using that backdrop.

You don’t have to be scripted by what the game does. My human noble doesn’t pal around with Logan, and has only obliquely interacted with Anise. Faren stands in for a whole crowd of roisterers he’s caroused with over the years. He did run away and join the circus … sort of. He toured with traveling players, for very solid IC reasons. I set up a plot connection with another player before launch, and after a year of play it was finally ICly discovered they were half-brothers, le gasp! All having to do with his father’s infidelity which made him grow up thinking he was adopted when he actually was his father’s son.

None of that came from the game “script.” It was only vaguely inspired by the orphan with a broken-token the PS suggested. Our guild’s current adventure has us dealing with a life-draining magic rock discovered in Dry Top. We’ve had wilderness treks, lab experiments, heart to heart conversations with those who may die thanks to the magic rock … it’s been a blast, and we only used the world as the background.

While doing our best to stay within the world’s lore and continuity, of course.

Well, you see, most RPers consider it a major faux pas to RP your character as THE actual main character for the story. We can’t ALL be the Hero of Shaemoor, the Slayer of Issomir, the Pact Commander, friend to Tybalt/Sieran/Forgal etc. etc. So we generally make up our own backgrounds for our characters that have nothing to do at all with the game’s main plot, or in-game activities. They may have side tie-ins to events in the game or in history (for example, my Human Mesmer is a descendant of my GW1 Warrior and Assassin, who were part of Queen Salma’s supporters when she led the revolution against the White Mantle. They were awarded a noble title as reward, which is how my Mesmer is a noble in the GW2 setting), but they almost never take center stage.

As with me I’m a bit different on that approach but decentralize it more and the same as you described, I say we all went in thousands of us to kill Zhaitan bypassing mechanics and PS entirely. If Yumiko ever talks about the day we (as the Pact) stormed Arah, she says she led about 100 of her own company into Arah as one of the 100s of war masters of the Vigil— each with their own companies and they in turn lead by a commander of 10 companies (so 1000 men and women of every race).

She still knows Trehearne, but only in passing or by mention from her Pact or Order’s superiors or in orders and such a she is a dime-a-dozen War Master. Just someone you better know like the president of the USA or a company.

She actually doesn’t like him much after what he did With Scarlet and lions arch not sending any support form the Pact itself.

No nameless hero exists, it just happened differently to agree with everyone. And 99% of the time, people will go with it and say, “Yeah I was there, but in X situation with Y group with my Z order. I never saw you there in person though but I don’t doubt it.”

The commander is just one of many too as we all have the ability to train to be one with 100 gold (300 gold now post update). Explaining it that way is better than saying oh, “I’m the commander of the Pact!” IC and people get into a fit.

The same can be said for Scarlet, Yumiko is portrayed as one of many war masters that saw it fit to go in there and storm that breach maker and help with over 100 of her men and women that she recruited herself. I even RPed one such recruitment with another player. Scarlet in her IC account was killed by a slew of heroes that day.

There were probably as many people as there were refugees and those killed avenging those deaths. Yumi had to account for 100 dead of her own.

Yumi is a noble, which her Canthan ancestors earned by saving Queen Salma and fighting in the war in Kryta in GW 1 Killing countless White Mantle. They decided to settle in Kryta and not Cantha from then on. They also became Shining Blade which Yumi was one 20 years before game’s launch date on the timeline.

Yumi is 42 and has two surviving kids and is at war with a rival clan (Who are pro Neo White Mantle/Bandits) that her now dead husband belonged to.

As a noble, she was at the world summit, but just one of many guests that had the ability to fight off the Morderm and the dragon rather than run away.

Anything PS, LW or LS is either partially used or left out or made out to be a big battle or join effort as to not make it central to any one person.