Guide to roleplaying This guide serves as a comprehensive guide to roleplaying ( RP ) . RP servers are roleplaying servers , incorporating the best aspects of the game . As such , its nice to have a loose selection of guidelines to go by . What is Roleplaying ? Remember when you were little and you used to play dress - up or " pretend " ? Roleplaying is an advanced version of that game . Roleplaying is a way for people to express themselves and their creativity while having fun at the same time . Roleplaying was popularized with Dungeons and Dragons , a pen - and - paper ( PnP ) RPG . Since the dawn of the computer age , roleplaying has shifted from board games to video games . Roleplaying in an MMO is vitally different than roleplaying by yourself , as there are as many rules as there are people . Given the extremely mainstream / " vanilla " nature of World of Warcraft , ( at least when compared with earlier games ) aside from on the RP servers , genuine roleplaying is not something you will see in this game ' s Normal servers often . On RP servers , roleplayers have a marked tendency to be shy and reclusive towards the general server population , with the vast majority of roleplay taking place in guild or party chat . General and Trade channels are usually considered out of character by default , ( particularly Trade ) . Do your best not to type OOC unless you have to . Different Types of Roleplayers . Anti - Roleplayers . These players will deliberately go out of their way to ruin your immersion and experience , in game and out . Basically , the AR is the kid knocking over sand castles at the beach ; they can ' t be bothered putting effort into building something up , so they ' ll feel better if they destroy someone else ' s work . While the AR seeks to show some kind of superiority to get you to buckle , ignoring their subversion is the best response . Find a really big rock and build your sand castle around it . This behavior on a roleplaying server is considered a form of griefing , and it is a reportable offense . The best way to deal with these kinds of people is to ask them if they are - trying - to roleplay in whispers . If they respond to you in a rude manner , just ignore them . Don ' t ignore anyone who is genuinely trying , find an excuse to leave if the RP is not what you wanted right then and there - In character . No one likes " Stormwind Statues " See also : Guide to proper anti - RP reporting Example : 2 roleplayers and an AR waiting for a zeppelin Indifferent to Roleplaying . These players seek neither to create nor destroy other peoples roleplaying experience . Some that fall into this category may want to roleplay , or at least experiment from time to time this guide is mainly for you . Others may be content to stay under the radar at all times , keeping their chat within the rules stated by Blizzard and enjoy the server purely for the PVE and PVP . Then there is a percentage that leans back towards the ARr , not openly sabotaging roleplay but holding disregard for it . Example : Blue is opening lockboxes in Orgrimmar Light Roleplayer . Light roleplaying is when you start to modify your responses to seem more appropriate for your character . Light roleplay usually involves characters that are very similar in personality to you , as to take some of the complexity away from the experience . To some people , this is a good balance between what is enjoyable without being pedantic . The characters motivations are more or less the same as your own , but with a twist . Out of character chat is not uncommon or looked down upon , party / raid chat is best left OOC . At this level , some players may choose to take up an accent appropriate for race . This is especially easy if you are a Troll , Dwarven a little harder , and other races don ' t have a specific direction for accents . As far as advancement in the game , RP never takes precedent over your enjoyment of the game as a whole , so if you want to go ganking or farm some instances , you do so . However a light RPr will usually have a somewhat believable motivation for doing so . In terms of being in a guild , a Light Roleplayer will probably be in a Non - Roleplaying guild , but being in a General Roleplaying guild is not unheard of and depends on the guild ' s focus and the player ' s tastes . Light RPers have little to no issue with heading off to raid and killing a boss for the 18th time , even though there might be little to no IC reasoning behind it . Many light RPers tend to disappear around 1800 to 2100 ( 6 : 00 PM to 9 : 00 PM ) server time and a / who might reveal their location to be in a raid instance . They might be a a dedicated raider , or carry a similar attitude to another aspect of the game ( arenas or battlegrounds , for example ) . Chances are , they ' ll leave their IC at the raid portal , unless the instance is on farm mode and they ' re with a bunch of other Roleplayers . Example : A rare sword drops in SM which the player really needs Example : Player is questioned why they are grinding the same mobs over and over Example : Player is asked why they attack Alliance or Horde on sight Medium - Light Roleplayer . A Medium - Light Roleplayer is , as the name implies , sandwiched somewhere between a Medium Roleplayer and a Light Roleplayer . Generally , they are Light Roleplayers but display characteristics of a Medium one , such as a developed back - story or their character differs somewhat from their own personality . However , unlike medium ones , and like light ones , they have few issues with shattering their own immersion ( although they will do their best to avoid shattering the immersion of others ) and no issues with OOC communication . They will tend to keep / say and / yell IC , with party / raid chat usually OOC , and OOC text will be denoted in same manner ( OOC : < blah > ( ( < blah ) ) ) . To these people , roleplaying is high on their list in terms of their enjoyment , but will never come before their primary enjoyment , such as raiding or arenas . This also includes preparation " rituals " , such as a string of dailies to ensure money to buy flasks and / or repairs , and logging off to eat ( since raiding on an empty stomach sucks ) . They will probably work these into their character somehow ( such as saying " I must go and work on slaying Arthas in Icecrown Citadel . Perhaps we can continue this discussion tomorrow ? " ) , but will tend to ignore game mechanic quirks such as having killed Lord Marrowgar 42 times already ( between both 10 and 25 man versions of the instance ) . In terms of guilds , medium - light roleplayers tend to follow the same rules as light roleplayers : usually found in non - roleplaying guilds , but may be in a general roleplaying depending on the guild ' s focus . A common place to see this is on the server . Many people have created alts on that server for the sole purpose of roleplaying , but again , have no issues attempting to quickly wrap something up , or go out of their way to make sure what they ' ll be doing can be easily wrapped up , and go back to their main to do whatever activities they have planned for the evening . They , like Light Roleplayers , could be a dedicated raider or equivalent and also like light roleplayers , IC is usually left at the raid portal . Example : Medium - Light Roleplayer is saying farewell to his RP friends and preparing to hit a raid Medium Roleplayer . A bit of a step up , here are some of the differences to a light roleplayer . Medium Roleplayers usually have a back - story for their character that explains their past . This past helps to define the character in present and future actions . Medium roleplayers with accent classes will likely adopt it ( or a suitable back story to explain otherwise ) , and speak mannerisms may be developed ; Maybe an unusual accent , way of punctuating or getting a message across . Out of character chat is usually indifferent to a MR , but always denoted by ( ( < text > ) ) or OOC : < text > . Raid and party chat will be either in character or sparse / to the point as possible as to not break immersion too much . A character may be different , or an aspect of the players personality they wish to explore . Players often choose to ignore names above heads , meaning a proper introduction is required to know who someone is , just like in real life . Medium roleplayers may start to shun areas of the game that do not agree with their character . In terms of being in a guild , a medium roleplayer will usually be found in a general rolepaying guild that has a heavier focus on roleplaying than other things or a themed guild . Example : Group of 4 is looking for a paladin to tackle SM ( Paladin being invited ) Example : Friend from old realm comes on to try new server with old PVP friend Using ( ( information ) ) to convey OOC information in IC channels is up to debate ; be aware many roleplayers consider it to be highly inappropriate or at least amateurish . Whispers or forming a Party are a much safer way to communicate OOC . Heavy Roleplayer . This is where roleplaying takes complete precedence over any aspect of the game . A player will not engage in player killing unless there is a motivation to . A player will probably not even run unless in haste . Every word that leaves the character ' s mouth belongs to that of the character , the player behind is probably a completely different person . Immersion is paramount to the heavy roleplayer , as their entire enjoyment comes out of this . A heavy roleplayer will not stand for ARs , and even IRs to a degree . A heavy roleplayer is forced , even at the worst of times , to play as their character . Out of character talk is very , " very " sparse , always at least denoted by ( ( double brackets ) ) ; often whispers or party chat . A heavy roleplayer will not use the general chat channel . It is not uncommon for a HR to not use guild chat or any other long distance forms of communication , as this distracts from their immersion . A heavy roleplayer will always have a backstory , a clear sense of character , and a strong intention on future for a character . A HR character is ever changing , making their mark on the world and letting the world mold their character . In terms of being in a guild , a heavy roleplayer will probably be in a themed guild or a general roleplaying guild that is mostly focused on roleplaying , or they may not be apart of a guild , which has to do with their character ( such as being a lone wolf ) , but chances are they will have connections of some kind to a roleplaying guild ( themed or otherwise ) . If they do anything else outside of Roleplaying ( raiding , etc . ) it will probably be in character , and they will attempt to find IC reasoning for game mechanic quirks ( such as having killed a boss 20 times over ) . Example : HR night elf walks by every type of RPer in Stormwind The RPer files a report . A tip : . If someone is asking a question on how to better their roleplaying ( or simply asking to open a lockbox ) , be flexible , go with the flow , and help them out . If someone is godmodding , offer friendly advice . Don ' t just slap them on your ignore list because your immersion was shattered . Whisper them and talk it out . Verbal / Physical Harassment Targeting Role - Players . This category includes : If a player is found to be targeting role - players with the specific intent to harass , they may : Out of Character ( OOC ) Discussion and Use of General Chat . Detailed below is the language policy enforced on the Role - Play servers . Use of the / ignore command is also highly encouraged . Examples of appropriate conversation in the General Chat Channel : Examples of inappropriate conversation in the General Chat Channel : If a player is found violating any of these rules , they may : From the indications above , the indifferent roleplayers that respect the above rules have right to be here . It is just a subjective point as to when an indifferents action affects the immersion of the more serious roleplayers . The important thing is to make an effort , no matter how basic it is . The best way to roleplay is to be active ! While standing around waiting for a boat , tell your neighbor how much you hate orcs or your IC mother - in - law . While selling items , try using your accent in the trade channel . While questing / instancing , start arguing with your warlock pet ! Being proactive is the best way for you to enjoy roleplay ! If you are standing in a crowd of 10 people waiting for that boat , there is a very good chance someone will reply . But , while being proactive , make sure to be a good listener too ; ) Everyone loves to be paid attention to , pay attention to your fellow roleplayers and they will love you for it ! A good tool for roleplaying is MyRolePlay ( MRP ) . It ' s in beta but is taking over the RP community by storm . You can set your flag ( status ) to " Looking for RP " among many other things , such as your title ( " Zerun the Magnificent " ) , house name ( " Lethn of the House Darotan " ) , middle - and surnames , weight , height , mood , colors , description ( " Lacking an eye " - not " Lacking an eye due to being ravaged by a gnoll in her youth " , since how would an outsider know that ? ) . MRP is considered the replacement to the older RP addon " FlagRSP " . Want to write a backstory ? Good stuff , get an idea together while on the train to work and when you ' re ready , post it up on the forums ! People who wish to roleplay further may reply to your story or look out for you . Posting roleplaying on the forums . As some of you may have seen , there are some denotations swimming around , here are some , Character Creation . In World of Warcraft , character creation is as simple as pointing and clicking . In roleplay , however , its always better to have a detailed history of your character , whether it has been written down or just sits in your head . The creation of your character is an important first step in any role - playing game . There are certain things that are imperative to know when you ' re creating a character for WoW . The Basics . Gender . Do you want to role - play a male , female , or a non - binary character ? There are advantages to either . This is mostly a personal choice . Most people tend to stay with their own assigned gender - at least for their first character ( ! ) , although there are many people who cross - gender roleplay . Note that non - binary genders aren ' t exactly well known in the RP community , and you may get disapproval in the form of harassment - be careful . Name . What ' s in a name ? A lot , actually . Your name , oftentimes , is the first impression another player will have of you . In a roleplaying server , like ED is , a name like Twinkforu or Imagirl are often frowned upon . A good way of deciding if your name is appropriate is to picture your character in a real life scenario . Would a parent name their child Imagirl ? Ultimately , the decision is up to the player . Keep in mind where you are playing , however . Under character names , some people find a simple search around a baby names site useful if they ' re stuck on what to name a character . The following are useful sites : Fantasy names : Personality . Having a vague idea of your character ' s personality is always good . Personality is how your character reacts and responds to certain situations . Are they mean , or are they kind and benevolent ? This choice will affect your gameplay , seeing as your evil warlock will not likely give a discount to that cute gnome mage , not matter how much you like the gnome mage out of character . Personalities often conflict , which is normal . Don ' t expect everyone to get along , just like in real life . However , don ' t bring your in character ( IC ) drama out of character ( OOC ) . Racial Effects . Don ' t forget to take your character ' s race into consideration . Race defines how some characters get along , their general personality , and perspectives . For example , a dwarf would view a set of ruins in the middle of the forest as an archaeological treasure trove and start uprooting the trees and digging up the soil , while a Night Elf would perhaps attempt to preserve the trees , and a Goblin could consider to uproot artifacts and trees to develop the land . Alignment . Alignment is usually used in Dungeons and Dragons and other related games , so it isn ' t of much relevance to World of Warcraft . Your character ' s alignment is a general stereotype of their personality . The usual alignments are lawful good , neutral good , chaotic good , lawful neutral , true neutral , chaotic neutral , lawful evil , neutral evil , and chaotic evil . Wikipedia has a good ( as always ) description of each . Roleplaying " Good " . Playing an essentially " Good " character may seem as easy as opening your eyes , but as with other alignment classifications , there are some points that need to be remembered . They can be as difficult to role - play believably as villainous characters . They don ' t necessarily have to be huggy , kissy , warm - fuzzy type of people . What defines a character as being good is how they work to achieve the goals they have established within their role - play . Example : There are three essentially good characters interacting in a role - play that revolves around rescuing a kidnapping victim . The Defender - This character seeks assistance from honorable characters that they have contacted with to deal with the kidnapper . Using all methods within their power that don ' t cause internal conflict caused by of issues of conscience , they work to affect the return of the kidnap victim and the bringing to justice of their kidnapper . The Interloper - This character seeks out the kidnapper for negotiation , working toward a settlement that will keep both sides in the dispute content and safe . They may be seen at times as acting in their own best interests during this work , as they go back and forth between the kidnapper and those who seek the victims return appearing to be working toward the goals of each . The Rash Thinker - This character is prone to rash actions to affect the kidnapping victim ' s return . They may gather a small group from among those they trust to seek the kidnapper ' s hideout and steal the victim away from them . This type of character has a greater chance of seeing violent conflict from their actions , although they are working for the same results as the previous two dreamers . Roleplaying " Neutral " . Neutrality is the ability to not take sides in an issue or event , regardless of personal feelings . This type of character can be seen as cold and indifferent in their actions and need others to look deeper to really get to know them . They are focused mostly on their own goals that do not impact others , making them appear greedy to some . Some neutral types are very dependent on those around them at the time . Examples : Neutral characters see all of those around them equally , whether as useful for gathering information from , a source of irritation that keeps them from working on their goals , or a complete nuisance that they would rather be without . Roleplaying " Evil " . There are just as many adjectives for evil : dishonorable , deceptive , abusive , cruel , immoral , and more . As with any character , an Evil character is not necessarily at their worst , most foul and antagonistic behavior at all times . Being of an Evil disposition only means that the capacity for these things is always there and that they may know no limits to the depth of their depravity . This means that an Evil character can be charming , cooperative , and for all appearances a nice person . But its a façade that is not likely to last long unless the character is particularly determined and capable of maintaining such a deception . Some examples of villains : Playing a villain will never grant a player license to break Blizzard ' s rules of conduct . Being " evil " is not a valid excuse for randomly collapsing or harassing others ; and one of the most difficult aspects of upholding an " evil " character is ensuring grudges stop at your character . Don ' t get angry with others for their responses to your character , because they too are taking a logical role . Tips for the Villains . Before making an evil character you should realize it can be more difficult than others , make sure you have a good idea beforehand of what your character ' s goals are . You most likely won ' t get far roleplaying an " evil " character if you cant make any friends . Allies can be beneficial even if the character doesn ' t use violence or warfare to exact their evilness . Lastly make sure to be convincing , in general not many people are evil . Define your character as being one of those unique few and you ' ll have a great time . Just remember that the Good Guys usually win . What makes you a villain ? Most characters don ' t just decided on a whim that they want to be evil . This should stem from your characters history and not the players desire . Be unique . Some thing that is not often seen , or that people fear or misunderstand is often labeled " evil " . Go against the grain . This means speech and mannerisms as well as appearance . Many people claim an " Antihero " to be a Villain or Evil by default . Human nature is to shun what they do not understand . Anti - Heroes . Anti - heroes are characters that can be seen as " good guys " but tend to lack the valor and honor associated with typical good guys ( Again , wikipedia helps ) . In a large population place like WoW , it ' s going to be difficult to be the anti - hero hero opposing the villain ; chances are , you ' re going to have a heroic hero to contend with . To start off , the hero is NOT your main enemy ( if they ' re even an enemy at all ) : the villain is . Never lose sight of this . Your reason for opposing the heroic hero can be many things : you have a vendetta against the villain and you want to bring them down instead of the hero , therefore you rush ahead to get your vengeance , the hero is too good for their own good and is unwilling to take drastic measures to ensure the job gets done , therefore you strike out on your own ( lawful good vs . chaotic good ) , you just flat out can ' t stand the hero therefore you leave them to their own devices or perhaps the hero is one of your enemies but taking down the villain is top priority while getting rid of the hero is either A : icing on the cake or B : something to take care of later . If the hero is your enemy , and you are not a villain , you need to take some care to avoid being seen as a villain by an indirect third party ( EG : reader or observer ) . Use the hero to further your goals , but only if it ' s convenient as too much scheming and manipulating tends to paint a more villainous character . The thing to remember when being an antihero is that you and the hero share a common goal . The last thing you want is to have taken the hero out of the picture and then realize that the villain is too strong . Mary Sues . One main risk in creating a character is creating a Mary Sue . There are many definitions of a Mary Sue ( definition at Wikipedia might help give you a better idea ) . A Mary Sue is basically a character made with more idealization than logic , so perfect you want to kill them or try to steal the spotlight with their drama . Mary Sue has what we ' d all like in a real person - niceness , a wide range of skills , charm , attractiveness - but not a fictional one . Mary Sues are usually kind , righteous , have a heart - string - yanking past , more skills than they should and are prone to godmodding . They might be propped up with ' interesting ' traits , such as having a ' curse ' which only serves to enhance their abilities , a lineage involving a canon character , a hybridism of different species or even going as far as creating their own race or mix up aspects ( or indeed use the full aspect ) of non - existent ones such as Aliens and Terminators . Mary Sues or their traits tend to annoy other roleplayers by being cliché ( Most people have seen and heard of the sons and daughters of Illidan or half - demon / demon - possessed people ) , impossible lore - wise ( vampires do not exist in Azeroth ) , attention - grabbing ( a character that was beaten up by their whole family that is still happy and cheery , but occasionally cries on the shoulder of a handsome stranger about it ) or just plain over - the - top ( a character that is part demon , part naaru and part goldfish with laser eyes ) . These kind of characters are highly disliked , so you should strive to avoid them if you don ' t want eyes rolled at you . HOW : " Ah , death knight ? I don ' t know if we should accept you to our group . . . " " Yes I understand , but the Warchief promised fair treatment to death knights , I see that I was too optimistic . . . " Not like this : " Ah , death knight ? I don ' t know if we should accept you to our group . . . " " You call me death knight ? I was valiant knight of Lordaeron and my parents were good people I just got to bad company and cult of the damned were recruiting people . . . " Who is Your Character ? Who is your character after all ? There are many things to consider while making your character . Before you actually begin to roleplay , you must consider other aspects , such as : Who is this character ? What drives him ? What makes him respond to different things in different ways ? A character background or history can answer most of these questions . The key to a character history is to ensure that your creativity fits within the boundaries of the environment you wish to play in . These are a few general questions to help shape your character : Be who you want to be , be who you find fun and engaging . Create a story for you and your friends to enjoy . Remember : Many people are quick to judge , don ' t bother with them . Cliché . Cliché is bound to happen . The maniacal , scheming , evil Forsaken warlock with a grudge against the world may seem appealing to some people : It ' s a start for a villainous character that heroic characters will enjoy pasting . However , like Mary Sues , excessive cliché will tend to illicit groans , eye - rolling and little to no RP from your fellow Roleplayers . To handle this , one needs to add twists into his or her character : chances are , the evil Forsaken warlock with a grudge against creation will probably be either Chaotic or Neutral Evil . Throw a monkey wrench into this and give yourself a moral code , making yourself Lawful Evil . Hide your grudge and make it difficult for people to figure out your true intentions or keep your ego in check and don ' t let your grudge get in the way of or drive your agenda . Using some cliché might be a place to start , but don ' t run with it for the existence of your character , it will get old fast . Expressing Yourself to the World . You have this wonderfully rounded out character , you know what he feels , what he likes , where he comes from , and what he looks like . Now to decide how he acts ! Within WoW all actions are performed with " emotes " that allow other characters to see what your character is doing . It would be impossible to display graphically the wide range of movements and actions possible to characters , and emotes try to address this problem . Simply put , emotes are visible actions or physical descriptions . World of Warcraft has a massive amount of predefined emotes , as listed on the Emotes page . Some of these are animated , and some are textual . The real power of emotes comes from custom emotes , as done with the slash commands / em or / me ( the latter originating from IRC ) . Emotes are not for giving information , for showing what someone is thinking , nor for communicating OOC information . Anything you say or any actions your character takes must be within character . A good emote describes a physical event or action while allowing other characters to participate . Other characters cannot usually see " thoughts " or motivations , so emoting these will limit their opportunities to respond . Keep in mind when creating emotes that you need to leave room for a person to respond . If you want to punch someone , you " swing towards them " or " lunge rapidly " . This allows the other player to decide whether or not his character gets hit . Do not " god - mode " , where you give the other player no room to respond . Good : " You try to hit the orc with your axe . " The orc can respond by dodging , attacking back , or even running away . . . the possibilities are limitless . Bad : " You hack the orc ' s arm off with your axe . " The orc has lost an arm , is suffering massive blood loss and now needs to find a First Aid specialist . The possibilities are few , and not very fun unless you / roll battled it this way . Terrible : " You kill the Orc , sending his head flying . " The Orc is dead and you ruined and dominated the scene . The possibilities are almost nonexistent and you would not be happy if this happened to your character out of the blue . Remember : The key is to let everyone have fun , including your victim / target . Proper Emotes . There are some ways to emote that just don ' t fit within WoW ' s emoting system . All emotes are done by the third person . An example would be : Both of these emotes are similar , yet different . The first emote is an action emote , detailing the action a character is performing . The second emote was a descriptive one , meant to give greater information about an object or character . It ' s impossible to do " pure " descriptive emotes without addons ( no such addons have yet been written ) , that is , for example : " The boots are ragged and are missing scraps of leather from here and there . " . One way to use emotes that would not normally fit in the WoW emote system is to put | | before typing the emote . For example : " Kailea | | The boots are ragged and are missing scraps of leather from here and there . " Improper Emotes . These cover the gamut from OOC , forced actions , to showing thoughts ( Unless for comedic friend - Rping ) . How you roleplay FOR someone : . You : You think I am disgusting . * Looks at the other person who is clearly disgusted * " Don ' t do this " ; don ' t decide other peoples outcome for them . Various Roleplay Ideas . The following are various ideas that can be played out by the use of extensive emotes . The fourth wall / meta - gaming . In the theater , the fourth wall is an imaginary wall around the stage through which the audience watch the show . The idea is that this wall separates the two worlds . A common example of the fourth wall being broken is when a character directly addresses the audience , such as a character in movie talking directly to the camera . In roleplaying , the fourth wall is there to separate the characters from the mechanics of the game , but also from information they couldn ' t possibly have . This is more typically described as meta - gaming . Examples of fourth wall breaking / meta - gaming include : If your character has knowledge of a major world event , ensure that there is a plausible way in which they could have learned of it . Players often react negatively to characters who just seem to know too much , for no apparent reason . Groups / Clubs / Guilds . Many of these ideas could be performed best with group of over three people , whether as a social occasion between friends , open invitations to all to join as a club , or a formal thing as a guild , give some of these ideas a go . Traits / Flaws . Here are some tips and ideas that might inspire you ! The list is long , so there ' s only a few here . Trade . Who says you cant roleplay making a buck ? Character Development . To say that all characters ( and for that matter , all people ) are good or evil would be an oversimplification . Firstly , evil characters usually do not consider themselves to be " evil " , and may actually consider themselves to be " good " . These characters may believe something is " right " and defend it in a fanatical way . ( See the Scarlet Crusade . ) They may appear " evil " to opponents , who she conversely perceives as misguided or " evil . " Their actions may be caused by insanity , by their foul temper , or by their belief that the ends justify the means . Alternatively , a character with " evil " or selfish motivations may perform so charismatically that others believe he or she is " good . " There are many shades of grey and dark grey in every personality , and it is important to remember that your character ' s motivations are key to creating a believable persona . Sometimes , the " Evil " actually IS the good guy . . . Character Consistency . Character consistency is one of the hallmarks of great role - playing . Here are some tips to consider when playing your character : Character Separation . One of the greatest challenges for all role - players is maintaining a healthy level of separation from your character . Here are some things to keep in mind : OOC Traps . The main key to role - playing is , of course , staying in character . It may be necessary to go Out - of - Character ( OOC ) briefly when explaining a technical aspect of the game to a new player , or when pinning down a standard time to meet . It is important to remember that every time you go OOC your character credibility and the role - playing atmosphere suffers . Be careful not to fall into some of these OOC traps when playing the game : Storylines . Storylines , or SLs for short , are long running events carried about by a group of RPers ( of varying size , henceforth referred to as a " circle " ) that can span days or even months of RL time , involving heroes , villains , characters of questionable alignment , backstabbers , etc . Storylines differ from a " Tavern Brawl " or street - side argument in that they can hopefully go on for awhile , and could easily be made into some manner of fan - fic or something similar . Beginning a Storyline . It is quite rare that a storyline is going to start spur of the moment when a few random Roleplayers run into each other on the streets of wherever . Usually , a circle needs to make a commitment to start and run a storyline and this is probably going to involve some level OOC communication ( " How do you want to do this ? " , " How do we want to start this ? " , " Who wants to be what ? " etc . ) . Do not write out the storyline blow for blow , action for action , event for event , however . Plan out the start , and then do what most good RPers know how to do , and improvise . Running a storyline is kind of like making a movie : the actors ( players ) need to know what ' s happening , but the characters don ' t . Know the line between you and your character when carrying out a storyline . You know that Biff the mage is up to no good , but your character , Bucko , the heroic gnome warrior , doesn ' t know a damn thing , except for maybe a few rumors here or there . Maintaining a Storyline . Once the Storyline has started , and it seems to be going somewhere , run with it ! Carry it on ! Live it to the fullest ! But don ' t plan it out blow for blow , action for action , event for event , otherwise , it sort of defeats the purpose . Improvise , and make it up as you go along , but don ' t hesitate too much to talk to your circle on an OOC level to discuss the path that it ' s taking , but again , don ' t plan it out word for word . Be open to anything that happens . If a player wishes to join up midway through the storyline , let them ! On a somewhat related note to letting new players in , keep track of the story ' s progression in some place that the people in your circle can view , such as your user page here at wowwiki ( www . wowwiki . com / User : < user name > / < Page name > ) . That way , new people can skim over the story so they have an idea on what ' s happening on an OOC level , and if the storyline is put on hold for some time , the circle can find out where they left off . If it seems like a fast running , well - enjoyed storyline is heading towards an unwanted , preemptive conclusion ( the good guys are closing in to finish off the villain once and for all ) , throw in a monkey - wrench . Let the bad guy capture the good guys and let the story continue . Ending a Storyline . Ending a storyline is like ending a TV series or book ( series ) : loose ends need to be tied up , the victors needs to be established , and people need to be happy . Unlike a TV series or book series which may or may not have a continuation with the same characters , a RP storyline might . Therefore , avoid offing characters on a permanent basis , because you might want to have them participate in a future storyline , and drastic character / personality changes ( the maniacal evil bastard of the first storyline is now the righteous beacon of good in the second ) kinda looks bad , unless he really did repent at the end of the first storyline . Because WoW is an open world , you might have had outside people observing the storyline from the sidelines . Perhaps getting an idea on how to Roleplay , just observing out of boredom , a hidden tag along who follows in the shadows , or someone who read your storyline summary on your user page on wowwiki . com . In any case , they might incorporate this into their own character somehow , such as having heard rumors of what happened , being the tag along and saw it with their own eyes , they ' ll have first - hand knowledge , or something similar . Take this into account when handling further developments with the characters involved with the story . Remember , these guys probably didn ' t see any of your OOC councils . Guilds . Generally , in terms of roleplaying , guilds fall into three categories : Themed , General Roleplaying , and non . Themed Guilds . Themed guilds are IC organizations with specific recruiting rules and backgrounds . For example , a guild called " Exiles of Lordaeron " might be open to Humans only and harbor a distinct grudge against Arthas , the Scourge , the Forsaken and the Horde . The guild probably expresses itself that they were all citizens of Lordaeron that were driven out when the Scourge struck . Thus , they constantly fight to regain their lost homeland . Although the players know this will NEVER happen given game mechanics , it nevertheless gives them fuel to develop storylines and other RPing aspects . Themed guilds will probably have some recruitment restrictions based on their theme . However , they might be open to recruiting a character of outside those restrictions if said character " proves their worth " so to speak . It depends strictly on each individual guild . A themed guild might see them as a friend to the organization or a mercenary who sells their services to the organization dirt cheap . In terms of other activities outside roleplaying , themed guilds may or may not focus on them , and if they do , they tend to be more casual than anything , given that roleplaying is much more central to their enjoyment of the game . General Roleplaying . As opposed to themed guilds , a general roleplaying guild is more along the lines of a roleplaying community ( such as the Cortex community for StarCraft II ) than an actual IC organization with set rules . Members RP with people both inside and outside the guild . It is possible that one character might be involved within multiple stories across the guild and / or the server . Generally , players will keep their character consistent , but it is not entirely rare to be an evil bastard in one storyline and a righteous badass in another . There will usually be SOME consistency between stories , such as two characters that knew each other in one story will not be complete strangers in another . Usually , General Roleplaying guilds are not a simple collection of people who want to blaze RP storylines together . They may include raiding , Events or PvP aspects of varying degrees , usually ranging from casual to dedicated , as well . General Roleplaying guilds ' recruitment policies varies from guild to guild . For some guilds , it might be based on what they need for their raiding party , or perhaps some IC restrictions , while others might not have any restrictions period . General Roleplaying guilds attract roleplayers all across the spectrum . Depending on how central a guild ' s focus to roleplaying is determines the concentration of each type of roleplayer . If the guild focuses heavily on roleplaying and less on raiding or PvP , than medium and heavy roleplayers tend to dominate . If the guild focuses less on roleplaying and more on raiding or PvP , than indifferent , light and medium - light will dominate . Non - Roleplaying . Non - roleplaying guilds are your typical guild found on regular PvE and PvP servers . The reasons for one being on an RP server are legion : they like the laid back playerbases common to RP servers , the server is convenient for them ( timezone , server location and traffic are favorable ) , or perhaps the guild is a bunch of roleplayers who focus on raiding or PvP more than roleplaying and they prefer the convenience of a raiding guild to raid , rather than an RP guild to RP , or any other reason that could exist . Non - RP guilds ' recruitment policies are based strictly on whatever is needed for the individual guild ' s purposes . On an RP server , Non - RP guilds are usually dedicated or casual in terms of their raiding or PvP , but hardcore guilds are not at all unheard of . Miscellaneous . A few odds and ends that don ' t really fit anywhere else . Finding RP . Generally , the best places to start when wishing to find some RP are the RP servers ( naturally ) . However , most people on most of the RP servers are indifferent to roleplaying , and are on the server primarily because RP servers have a reputation of having a more laid back , easygoing and forgiving player base that won ' t boot you out of the guild or ream you over vent because you were feared into the whelps . On these servers , RP communities are hidden , and people RP in private ( areas off the beaten path ) or not in the general view of the public ( Party , Guild and raid chat ) . The exception to this is the server ( Argent Dawn being the biggest on EU ) , which is famous for having a large , active and visible RP community on both factions , and people RPing in plain site is not at all uncommon . Thus , with RPing , it ' s either all or nothing , and many people have alts on Moon Guard which are strictly for RPing purposes while maintaining a character for another end game activity on another server . Another way to find RP is to get an addon like MyRolePlay or FlagRSP ( Or TotalRP2 / 3 ) . Other Roleplayers will have one or the other ( possible both ) and you can quickly identify other Roleplayers this way . Teaching RP . You ' ve poured over this guide for hours , your Wowwiki user page resembles character pages here on Wowwiki , among your fellow RPers on your server , you are regarded as a very good roleplayer and people line up to roleplay with you . Learning how to Roleplay well is not something learned overnight as you have learned . Thus , when you see a low level character stumbling around trying to learn RP , help them out ! Teach them ! It ' ll only make the environment that much better . Elitism . You ' re a good Roleplayer , and it shows . You know the lore , you know the ropes . RPing , just like raiding , though , can potentially have its share of holier - than - thou , superior players with a stick shoved up their butts . Don ' t be one of them . If you screw up your roleplay , it ' s not going to result in you not being number one on the raid progression charts . RPing is just for fun , and people who take it too seriously tend to drive away those who just enjoy it on the side . Just because somebody isn ' t 100 % versed with every tiny detail of Warcraft lore ( OR Roleplays a different way than you do ) , doesn ' t mean that they are a newb and should be shunned . If somebody is god - modding , don ' t just walk away with some snarky / smart - ass OOC comment like / emote ( ( thinks so - and - so should learn how to Roleplay and not godmod so much ) ) and then slap them on your ignore list , instead , help them to understand that emoting something that shows that he just killed everybody is bad RP . Just like in raiding , players will avoid you if you ' re too much of a hard - ass . . . Also , bad RP will not result in expensive repair bills , wasted Fish Feasts and time wasted on expensive combat flasks . Know the Line . There is a line between OOC and IC . Know where it lies , and avoid crossing it . Harry Potter hates Draco Malfoy ' s guts , but Dan Radcliffe and Tom Felton get along quite well . Similar concepts exist in RP . Grudges stop at your character . At the same time , if you see someone you routinely RP with doing something that might be considered OOC ( such as a Warlock character who is sworn to the Burning Legion killing mobs that are , you guessed it , Burning Legion ) and when asked what they ' re doing they respond something like : " ( ( Oh . . . I ' m just leveling up . I guess I forgot to switch my < insert RP mod here > to show that I ' m currently OOC . ) ) " , take it in stride . At some points in Outland , it ' s impossible to level up effectively without killing a few Burning Legion mobs . Don ' t assume everything being done in the game is done from an IC standpoint . OOC exists , and people might not want to walk slowly through Orgrimmar when all they want to do is drop a few Titanium Bars off on the auction house . Observation . If someone is simply standing around your secret evil meeting , discussing plans to bring back Archimonde , and when you violently demand ICly that they better answer lest you shred their soul into a thousand tiny pieces they reply along the lines of " Oh , sorry . . . I was just watching . . . I heard you guys were some of the better roleplayers on the server and I wanted to learn from the best . " , again , TAKE IT IN STRIDE . Ok . . . Your immersion was just destroyed , your momentum has just come to screaming halt , and this newbie RPer is standing here " destroying your atmosphere " . But , since he ' s not really roleplaying , why don ' t you just whisper him and ask him to talk to you later ? No need to be a jerkface about it . Just shrug your shoulders , take a deep breath , and go back to planning the end of the world like nothing happened . On the other side , it ' s always polite to ask if you can " quietly " observe so as to learn how to be a better roleplayer . You might get a better reception that way , and they might be more incline to answer any questions . It ' s usually best to ask in whispers , as more often than not , people are more lax about whispers and OOC , especially if the whisper is coming from an outside source , but just to be on the safe side , throwing ( ( ) ) around your text is a good idea . Also , being polite ( please , thank you , etc . ) can go a long way , as it shows a certain level of maturity on your part . Improvisation . Improvisation is a cornerstone to a good RPer . You have to be flexible for any scenario . If the bad guys in your circle have just ambushed you , destroying the plans you and your ally laid out , adapt . Take it in stride and go with the flow . Let them drag you off their hideout of doom . Rethink your plan with your ally . Being fluid can make for a much better storyline and environment than being rigid . Learn how to improvise . You ' ll enjoy RPing a lot more that way .