Roleplaying

**Roleplaying (RP)**, or **Role-Playing**, is to take on the persona of your character by acting out their behaviors through in-character game channels such as /say (/s), /emote (/e), and /yell (/y). Much like improvisational acting, roleplaying is a dance between the player's character and those characters around it, where each character involved dynamically responds to actions in a fashion aligning with their individual personalities and histories. Ultimately, every roleplaying scene is the deliberate creation of an overarching story by the players involved which contributes to the greater lore of the realm.

As an **RP-PvP** realm, *Deviate Delight* is uniquely positioned to offer an immersive roleplaying experience alongside a rich, challenging, and combative landscape. After having fought out in the open world against Alliance or Horde, a character can return to a nearby inn and sing tales of their adventures over a hearty meal and a few rounds of mead. What better way to experience the World of Warcraft than to dip into it yourself with a character that contributes to the story and makes an impact on the characters around them?

## Roleplaying Etiquette

All RP-aligned World of Warcraft realms are expected to adhere to the RP Naming Policy outlined on the Blizzard site. Although the initial release of World of Warcraft included a more cohesive RP policy, these guidelines have since been removed from the official site. Described below are the traditional minimum expectations of roleplayers:

* **Do not knowingly interrupt ongoing roleplay.** When individuals are deeply involved in the roleplay of their characters, they prefer to not be interrupted by out-of-character behavior. If you see players that are actively engaged in roleplay, be sure to respectfully move around them and allow them to continue without disruption.
* **Do not harass or ridicule roleplayers for engaging in roleplay.** Naturally, on an RP-aligned realm, players will be interested in engaging in roleplay. Harassing these players is not only frowned upon but is a reportable offense.
* **Do not leverage in-character chat channels for out-of-character discussion.** Although this requirement is rarely enforced, players expect that when there is abundant RP going on in an area that out-of-character messsages are not intermixed with in-character messages. This is because it can become difficult to discern whether it is the player or the character speaking.

## Roleplaying Terminology

Over the years of World of Warcraft RP, various terms have sprouted up to describe different behaviors and means of communication. Keeping these terms fresh in your mind will help in understanding your fellow roleplayers out in the world. Here are some of the most important terms which will be used most often:

* **In-Character (IC)**: Dialogue spoken or actions taken from the perspective of a character, not a player. This could be a patron requesting a drink from a bartender, for instance, or a rogue unsheathing his swords for an upcoming fight.
* **Out-of-Character (OOC)**: Behavior representative of a player rather than that player's character. Some examples of this would be asking for an invite to a group, looking for help on a quest, or begging for gold for a mount. Out-of-Character speech in in-character channels is typically indicated with ((brackets)).
* **Godmodding**: This is when a character performs in-character actions that allow them to unrealistically escape from danger. Take, for instance, a situation where a rogue and a mage are fighting one another. If the mage was to continuously write emotes indicating it was teleporting away from the rogue to avoid all incoming attacks, that mage would be effectively impervious to the rogue. This makes for a bland experience for both players as well as any onlookers, and as such is generally frowned upon unless the mage is rightfully significantly more skilled than the rogue.
* **Powergaming**: Along the same vein as godmodding, powergaming is when a character is outrageously overpowered from an offensive standpoint. Imagining the same rogue-versus-mage situation, if the rogue was to emote something along the lines of "/e teleports behind you and stabs you in the spine, killing you instantly", this would give the mage little wiggle room to escape from a permanent death. Removing the power of choice from other roleplayers by making finalizing decisions on their behalf makes for an infuriating situation. Any permanent or lasting damage on a character should be discussed with the target out-of-character before the action is taken.
* **Metagaming**: This is when a character obtains information from an out-of-character context that they have not personally learned in-character. This is most clearly shown by a character knowing another character's name because the player can read that name floating above the characer's head. In the game world, the character could not see that name, and thus could only know it through hearsay or meeting that character beforehand.

## Roleplaying Examples

Below you will find several roleplaying examples to give you an idea of what to expect when being in-character out in the game world. A short description is written underneath each heading, and any relevant terminology is highlighted in bold. Everyone performs their roleplay a little bit differently, so feel free to use these examples as a starting point before branching out to roleplay in your own unique way.

### The Rogue and the Mage (Roll Combat)

*The following is a combat scenario involving a Human Rogue and a Gnome Mage. This scenario demonstrates **rolling combat**, where the success of an ability is determined by a greater-than-50 roll following the offensive attack.*

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> James Crestworth scoffs in disgust at the Gnome Mage in front of him. "Fine. You want a fight with me? I'll give you one." Truly disgusting that these little gremlins were constantly picking fights with their taller allies, but James wasn't going to sit back and take the criticisms. With a swift unsheathe of his dagger and a rapid lunge, he attempts to drive his blade into the side of that little runt.
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> James Crestworth rolls 37 (1-100)  (( Failure ))
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> Tinkle Binklesworth grins with diabolical excitement as that brutish Human makes the first move. "FOOL. Witness the strength of --" He grumbled as that blade came lunging towards him, immediately blinking away a short distance, huffing from the exertion of such a rapid spell. "-- .. as I was saying. FOOL! Witness the strength of the maginificent Tinkle!" He raised his stubby hands into the air, conjuring up a hefty fireball and sending it flying towards the rogue.
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> Tinkle Binklesworth rolls 91 (1-100)  (( Critical Success ))
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> James Crestworth groans in pain as that fireball makes a direct hit against his chest. Rogues were absolutely not capable at deflecting incoming magic, and clearly this mage was able to follow through with his threats, as in a matter of moments James found himself shirtless with no hair left on his chest. His reddened skin was smoking with heat as he dropped to his knees, dehydrated and weakened. But.. he still had some fight left in him.   . . .
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### The Bartender and the Drunkard (OOC Communication)

*The following is a social scenario involving typos and corrections which are written in **brackets** to indicate they are not in-character speech.*

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> Yorgen Blackbeard slams his mug of mead down onto the wooden countertop, grunting in appreciation of that sinfully alcoholic beverage. "Tha's one 'ell of a fookin' mead, lass. I'm lovin' it!" He chukcled with amusement afterwards, laying his spinning head down on the countertop to gather his wits.
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> Yorgen Blackbeard (( chuckled\* sorry ))
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> Well I'm happy you're likin' it, darlin'. As long as you keep tossin' the coin my way, I'll keep your mug filled to the brim!
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> (( I gotta get going soon though. :( I'll write her out in a few minutes ))
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## Roleplaying Addons

Although RP is certainly possible without introducing any addons, there are a number of addons that add additional depth to characters through descriptive profiles, music composition, or chat extension.

* Total Roleplay 3 (TRP3) — This addon allows you to create profiles for your characters with custom headings, font colors, backgrounds, and icons. Additionally, it allows for map-based tracking of nearby roleplayers and the creation of custom NPC dialogue for other TRP3 users to see.
* My Roleplay (MRP) — Widely regarded as the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) twist on roleplay profiles, MRP provides a slimmed down profile interface that is seamlessly integrated into the character pane. Although it lacks some of the extensive features of TRP3, it is perfect for someone who isn't interested in the bells and whistles.
* Musician — Using an extensive interface for creating, loading, and saving sounds, Musician allows you to create your own compositions or listen to those created by other players. This is the perfect addon for immersing yourself in a rich world filled with bards and storytellers.