Roleplaying FAQ An extremely detailed FAQ on Role Playing . Originally based on the forum thread found at the World of Warcraft roleplaying forum . The credits for the original FAQ go to Chro , Mortiz , Nycte , Scarletbeard , Intuki , Karathos , Rhi , Silvermist , Hurbert , Skyfire , Malverity , Shabadu , and Elianna . See also : Role Playing FAQ . Role Playing FAQ thread by ( Chro , Level 38 Human Rogue , Guild : Night Blades , Realm : Feathermoon ) : FAQ . Every day the Role - Playing forums get the same questions over and over again . In this article the most common questions will be answered for the betterment of those who are new . If you are simply looking for the rules of the Role - Playing servers , please read this : http : / / www . worldofwarcraft . com / policy / roleplaying . html Also included in this FAQ is a guide to Role Playing on the forums . It can be found here : http : / / forums . worldofwarcraft . com / thread . aspx ? ForumName = wow - role - playing & ThreadID = 113184 What is Role - Playing ? ( RP ) . - Role Playing is when you act out a specific character In - Game or in a Role - Playing thread . Basically you are an actor in an unscripted environment and act as you think your avatar would . What is the difference between a PvE server and RP server ? - A PvE server is one in which you simply play the game as a game , leveling and looking for loot . An RP server is different only in the fact that you are required to Role - Play as your character . If you are caught going Out - Of - Character too often and in the wrong ways you can , and probably will be reported for it . The game mechanics , however , are the exact same for these two servers . Is there a PvP Role - Playing server ? - Yes , the Patch 1 . 8 has added the RP - PvP server type . Their number will grow over time . Ok then , can I still participate in PvP on a RP server ? - Absolutely . In fact there are many guilds devoted to PvP on RP servers . Many think that for a true RP environment players should always be flagged for PvP . Others even have called for a Free For All RP server , but don ' t expect that to happen anytime soon . Ok , I ' ve got down Role - Playing in - Game , but what about the forum Role - Playing ? - Role - Playing on these forums is done in written form . It is best to give an example of it instead of trying to explain it . - Bad RP : Billy Zepher comes into the room . / wave hey everyone he says . We need to go now They all walk out the door . - Good RP The door creaks open as Billy Zepher quietly slips into the room , waving shyly to those inside . " Excuse me , " he says meekly . " Sorry to interrupt , but we need to be going soon . " The first example uses poor description , In - Game emotes , and little grammar . It also ' God - Modes , ' meaning that your post uses the other people ' s characters without their consent . The second example is descriptive , even though it is short and most posts are preferred at least a paragraph . It also gives the other players a chance to respond and take action . What are good RP Names ? I want to use real ones , but not like ' Fred ' or ' Bobertthegreat ' . . - http : / / www . behindthename . com / is a great resource . The randomizer can also generate great names for your race . What does OOC stand for ? - OOC stands for Out of Character . If something happens in which you need to leave the game or if you want to explain something to someone , this is the way you do it . It can be displayed in several forms . - OOC : I have to go to the bathroom . - ( I have to go to the bathroom ) - ( ( I have to go to the bathroom ) ) - The third version is the most preferred , as it is easily recognizable as OOC . In the game , you should probably use OOC talk in / party or in a whisper , as people tend to get ticked when they see it in / say . So what is IC then ? - IC stands for In Character . Basically whenever you are role - playing you are In Character . It is a good thing to note that when a person acts like a jerk or starts flirting with you , it may have nothing to do with the actual person behind the avatar , just how the character would act . It is wise not to become offended by anything someone does In Character . The rules say I need a storyline . Do I have to write out a five page essay and submit it to make my character ? - This just means that your character has to have come from somewhere . You don ' t have to have a glorious past , and you probably shouldn ' t as you ' ll be starting at level 1 . You could be fresh off a farm , or just came of age . Just make sure your character didn ' t pop into being when you hit the ' create character ' button . I just got totally flamed for a thread I made ! You most likely posted one of the following threads that are not generally accepted in the RP community . These threads are the kind that are " Looking for Love " . You are in the wrong place for that kind of thing . This most likely doesn ' t need an explanation at all . Frankly , if you are just here to make fun of roleplayers , you are just itching for a fight . These are threads that ask questions that are so trivial , and / or so common , that its obvious that the poster hasn ' t take a moment to read the FAQ . Often , many of the threads that should be put in the off - topic forums get dumped in here . Most RPers don ' t take to kindly to this . If you are courteous , and avoid the preceding threads , you will most likely not be flamed . I just got yelled at for not knowing the lore of Warcraft . Is there a place I can learn it ? - Yes . Blizzard has a full history on the world of Azeroth on the website . You can find it here - http : / / www . worldofwarcraft . com / info / story / chapter1 . html Ok , I just got reported for being out of character ! I have a troll character and all I said was : " Hey mon , did ya be seeing dat movie " Dude , Where ' s My Car ? " . - Adding an accent does not mean that you have a solid character . An accent does not hurt at all , but a character it does not make . - Also talking about things your character would have no knowledge of ( movies and such ) is OOC in any case , accent or not . Similarly , a dwarf or troll character may not have a heavy accent at all , and still be believable . Ok , ok , I know an accent isn ' t all that makes a character . But I still want mine to have one . What are the race ' s different accents ? Based on common observations and stereotypes : - Troll = Jamaican - Dwarf = Scottish All other races use an American English dialect . NPC voices have noticeable accents ( orcs are gravelly , gnomes are squeaky , Draenei usually have a thick Russian accent ) , but these can ' t be expressed in text . Draenei can , to some extent , usually by using bad grammar and replacing ' g ' with ' k ' in certain places . Every other race is free to pick an accent they might like within logical boundaries . Troll and Dwarf are the only two with defined stereotype dialects when it comes to accents . Add - ons are available to automatically edit what you type if you feel like cheating . What kind of Role - Playing goes on on these forums ? - There are several different types . " - Open RP " You are free to join these on - going stories so long as you don ' t ' God - mode ' and you join in a logical fashion . " - Structured RP " In these , the Original Poster is a narrator of sorts . They have a story to tell and try to steer things in the direction they want . If you are uncomfortable with someone else taking mild control of your character , do not join these . " - Story " Just a plain story , or ' fan - fic ' as some like to call them . You aren ' t part of the story , you just read and give a review or compliment . " - Off Topic " These are just casual threads about nothing or something odd . You usually participate as your character , but removed from the world of Azeroth . Not traditional RP and are fairly lacking on the rules . Feel free to blow up , decapitate , or rob blind anyone else most of the time . They ' ll just come back without explanation ( Or at least a really weak one . ) " L0L0L0L ! ! ! 1111 I pwo | \ | s u N00B ! ! ! ! 11111 " What kind of language is that ? - That is what is known as ' leet speak ' and it is not tolerated on the Role - Playing forums . If you post a message in this style on roleplaying forums ( or even worse , use such language in the IC channels in - game ) , you will most likely be ignored , flamed , or even reported . Ok , I know what RP is now . But why do you guys do it ? It seems dumb to me . . - Role Playing adds another level of immersion to the game for some and allows the players to expand the creative side of their mind . However , some players may prefer less immersed , more laid - back style of playing , or simply focus on other aspects of the game . These players would feel more at home on non - RP realms and outside of the roleplaying forums . I want to Role Play , but I don ' t have good spelling . . - That ' s OK . Just keep writing and asking people to correct your words and you ' ll do fine . And if you want to be aggressive about getting good at spelling , type up all of your posts on a word processor and spell - check . You ' ll get better in no time . So long as you make a genuine effort , others should accept you and try to help you along . What is the best RP server ? We would all like to say that our own is , but it is a matter of opinion . Try a few and see which fits you , though you will probably need to get up some levels before you can tell what kind of RP goes on there . Be mindful that many old RP servers are full and suffer lots of lag and downtime , so a newer one might be preferable . Is it true that Trolls and Night Elves came from a common ancestor ? This is a hot topic for those concerned with RPing , but for now the roleplayers have come to the conclusion that there is not enough hard and fast lore ( or at least lore that doesn ' t contradict itself ) provided by Blizzard to make any concrete conclusion . I ' m looking for a guild , what ' s the difference between Light , Medium and Heavy RP ? These definitions are tough to classify as to the meaning . In general , always read as much as you can of what the guild says about themselves and how they say it , plus chat with some members prior to joining . There is a lot of variations within each classification of RP type . However , some common traits can still be found that define the " heaviness " of RP : Forum . Do I have to play only a playable character on the forums ? Say I want to play a goblin , but my avatar has a Night Elf ? - On the forums it is perfectly acceptable to role - play as a no - playable race . However , be aware that some people may become confused by your avatar , so make sure you clearly state what species you are . Someone called me a troll here on the forums while I ' m clearly a Tauren ! ( Or Murloc if is April 1st . ) What gives ? - A forum troll is someone who basically goes through the forum posting stupid replies and acts like a jerk . They want a fight and are willing to ruin other people ' s experience to get it . Trolls will be shot , hung , shot with an accursed shotgun again , and then fed to the In - Game trolls . Hey ! My role - playing topic is gone ! What gives ? - If your topic does not receive any replies after about a week , it will be deleted . This is to keep the forums from getting too congested . I don ' t want that to happen . Can I bump my own topic ? - Bumping your own topic is acceptable , but not suggested . However , if you are going to bump it , don ' t just say " Bump . " Make another addition to your story / Open RP / whatever . It will keep you from seeming desperate . Also , there is a thing called a ' stealth bump . ' You bump the thread and then delete your post , and no - one knows you bumped it . It is kind of smarmy and probably will be looked down upon , so only do that to keep your thread alive and concise if you must . Stealth bumps are impossible on the new World of Warcraft forums . What kind of topics aren ' t allowed here ? - If you have a question about the mechanics of the game or the forums , you had better ask it on general . If you want to see something added to the game , put it in the suggestions forum . Most forums are self explanatory , so only post here if you have something related to role - playing . In - Game . I role - played a character on Everquest / City of Heroes / whatever . Can I play the same character here ? - It is possible , but you must make sure that you change the character to fit Azeroth ' s settings . In other words , don ' t try to pass yourself off as a monk from another game , play it as a druid or something similar . Are there any other times when I should talk out of character ? A good time is probably when feelings or relationships are at stake , as well as when your In - Game decisions differ drastically from your real life ones . For example : Paladin : A warlock ! Foul demon caster ! Warlock : I am just passing though Paladin . What do you want ? ( ( What have I done to you ? ) ) Paladin : I saw you fighting earlier ! You were killed by a spider three seasons under you ! You need my assistance ! This scene would much better go as : Paladin : A warlock ! Foul demon caster ! Warlock : I am just passing though Paladin . What do you want ? ( What have I done to you ? ) Paladin : ( ( Oh , sorry . Did I come off a bit strong ? I must apologize . Anyway , I did see you make a few mistakes . Would you like some help with them ? I also play a warlock . ) ) Ok then , how about some other OOC times ? In which channels can I go OOC in and when ? I ' ll address each channel of communication separately . " / Say " Say is your primary way of Role - Playing . You should attempt to stay In - Character at all times when you / Say anything as those around you can hear . Sometimes , however , you want to say something OOC that you want many people to hear , so in those hopefully rare cases you should always put double brackets around your words . " / Yell " Never ever go OOC in this form . There is absolutely no reason to do so as you make everyone in the region listen to your comments . Doing this will most likely get you put on many a ignore list , even if you do put brackets around your words . " / General " This is usually your OOC channel if you have a problem that you need answered and there is no need to put brakets around your words when you talk in it as most people know you ' re OOC . It is alright to Role - Play there as well , just don ' t expect others to do the same . " / Trade " Though it is acceptable to do this OOC , you will probably get a bit more respect if you advertise your items in a Role - Playing form . This is another one that is up to you . " / Local Defense " Though many go OOC in this channel , it reflects very well on you if you stay IC while communicating through it . Some roleplayers adopt the idea that your Hearthstone acts as a way to communicate to the channels you tune it to , but that is a personal decision . This is commonly known as the " hearthstone excuse " , but not all roleplayers accept it . " / Looking For Group " Like Local Defense , it will probably net you a group much quicker if you stay In - Character . It is ok to do this OOC , but it is in your benefit that you stay IC . " / Party " This is generally your OOC form of communication between party members and it is a good idea to stay in / say even though you have this . Use it for communicating across distances or for establishing group tactics . " / tell " Whispering is usually the way you tell someone something OOC without disrupting the RP flow of those around you , but it can be a powerful tool for IC communication . put up an emote that says you are whispering to someone and it will pipe the interest of others around you . You can oftentimes also RP through / tells across great distances though you by no means have to , and you must make up an explanation for such long - distance IC communication . In this form it is a good idea to put brackets around your words if they are OOC . I know you can get reported for spamming . What if I have a really hyper character who tends to be very chatty ? Can I get reported ? Most likely not . So long as you stay IC most people will not mind . Sure they might get annoyed by the character , but they aren ' t allowed to do anything against you so long as you are Role - Playing . Now if you keep saying the same thing over and over and over again it can be reported as spamming , so you better have a darn good IC reason for doing it . Are there times when I can be completely and totally OOC ? Yes , so long as it is in / tells , / party , an explicit OOC channel , or you place brackets around your words and you are not talking about things in the Real World . Times for this are like when determining group loot rules and during trades . It is , however , to your benefit that you stay IC as often as you can . People will be quite impressed if you pull off some RPing in places they would have never thought possible . What about stuff like lag and glitches and just all around nasty stuff that is totally RP breaking ? Again , if you can pull RP out of unlikely places , people will remember it and you will look good for it . Though it is ok to go OOC to explain these things , sometimes RPing them can lead to quite a bit of fun . What is Meta - Gaming and why shouldn ' t I do it ? Meta - Gaming is when you know things about the world that your character has no way of knowing and you still exploit that knowledge . It is not a good idea to do so as it has no RP basis . It is better that your character heard a rumor from someone sometime that such and such might be somewhere than to say something and have no way to tell them how you know it .