RP-PvP FAQs (Maralah)

[Hanif]

Oringally posted on the Old ED forums by:

Ehrin

Level 11 Human Mage

Guild: Aurora

Realm: Emerald Dream



(( Due to people querying the new server type, I thought Id try and consolidate a few FAQs that Ive seen floating around on the forum and in-game.



I hope this helps those considering rolling on any of the new RP-PVP servers or just starting out Rp'ing. ))


Sections:



1. What is a RP-PVP Server?

2. How is an RP-PVP server different from a regular RP or PvP server?

3. What do I do on a RP-PVP server?

4. Do I need a Background Story for my character?

5. What kind of name can I use for my character?

6. What kind of language do I use on an RP-PVP server?

7. How do I denote if what I am saying is In-Character (IC) and Out-Of-Character (OOC)?

8. Is the General channel IC or OOC?

9. Do I have to role-play all the time?

10. RP vs PvP?

11. How do I meet other RPers in-game?

12. Is it appropriate to RP in Instance Dungeons and Battlegrounds?

13. Helpful links





1. What is a RP-PVP Server?

An RP-PVP server is a hybrid of the Roleplaying (RP) and Player-Vs-Player (PvP) server rule set.



2. How is an RP-PVP server different from a regular RP or PvP server?

Blizzard's official explination of Realm Types can be found here:

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/basics/realmtypes.html

But here it is in a Nutshell:

A regular RP server is based on the PvE (Player Vs Environment) rule set. That is, if you come across a member of the opposite faction, you are not able to engage them in combat. Everything in /say and /yell channels must be in-character.

A PvP server does not require you to act in-character, and you are able to openly attack members of the opposing faction.

RP-PVP takes the best of both worlds. You are always in-character, dealing with situations as they would and you get the opportunity to turn a member of the opposite faction into green, purple or blue jelly.



3. What do I do on a RP-PVP server?

You act out the role of your character. You talk as they would talk, think as they would think and act as they would act.

If you do not want to act out a character, or at least abide by the RP server rule set, you should consider rolling your character on a different server.



4. Do I need a Background Story for my character?

No, but it helps if you have some idea of your characters history to draw on to help you figure out how your character will react to certain situations and people.

For (a very simplified) example: Your Human character lost her parents at the hand of the Orcish Horde during the Second War. She now has a deep-seeded hatred of all Orcs and will go out of her way to kill as many of them as she can.




5. What kind of name can I use for my character?

Use a name that fits in with the fantasy setting of the Warcraft universe. Names such as Pointydagger, Leetdood and Fearmages are not appropriate.

Be creative!

Check out http://www.babynames.com for some ideas!



6. What kind of language do I use on an RP-PVP server?

For the most part, simply speak in regular English; just make sure it is in the context of the game world.

Words like thee, thou, art, thyne and other terms that are considered to be Old English are generally avoided, and depending on the race, may be completely inappropriate, eg;

Thrall says: Wouldst thou like to crush thyne enemies?

Some races do have different accents, for example Trolls are considered to have Jamaican-like accents, eg:

ZulJin says: Ya tink dat would be a good idea, mon?


And Dwarves are considered to have Scottish-like accents:

Muradin says: Ill ave a pint with ya laddy!

There is no right or wrong way. Just remember to avoid Netspeak.



7. How do I denote if what I am saying is In-Character (IC) and Out-Of-Character (OOC)?

On any kind of RP server, it is required that anything you say in /say or /yell is IC. To denote something that is OOC players either place their text in double-brackets, e.g.:

Ehrin says: (( This damned lag is killing me! ))

Or precede the text with OOC, e.g;

Ehrin says: OOC: This damned lag is killing me!



8. Is the General channel IC or OOC?

Both! As long as General used for finding Storylines (SLs), e.g;

[1. General] Ehrin: Would anyone like to join for a mage-specific SL?

Or used for discussions about the Base Storyline (BSL), e.g;

[1. General] Ehrin: How was Dalaran destroyed?

[1. General] Responder: Archimonde destroyed it as a testament to his absolute power.

Other game-related topics can be discussed in the General Channel as well.

The General Chat Channel should not be used for any off-topic, non-storyline, or non game-related discussions, for example;

[1. General] Ehrin: Has anyone seen that new movie?

[1. General] Responder: Yeah, it totally sucks.

For a more complete RP experience, some players leave the General channel all together.



9. Do I have to role-play all the time?

No, but that doesn't mean that you should be obtrusively OOC when you're not. Remember the RP guidelines from the "Blizzard links" section--/say, /yell, and /party should be all in-character. If you're approached by someone in-character and you don't feel like role-playing, feel free to send them a /tell or /whisper saying "Sorry man, not RPing today" or something similar. If you're polite, they'll respect your wishes and let you get back to questing.

That said, it is an RP server, and many people come with the specific intent of staying in-character as much as possible. It's easy to bow out of RP situations without breaking character--all of the situations below work, and all of them require about the same ammount of time/effort, but the one keeps everyone's immersion going (and gets you that much more rep as an RPer, or at least not a l33t-kiddie griefer) and the other doesn't.

Acceptable:

[Grummak] says: Hey, th'lot of us are headin' Alliance-side for a rumble with th'damn Stormwind Irregulars. Thought we'd look around and see if anyone was dumb enough t'take th'hits while the healers patch 'im up an' th'rest of us do th'dirty work. Think you're th'orc for th'job?

[Responder] whispers: Thanks, but I don't really want to get caught up in RP tonight.

[Grummak] replies: ((No worries. Take care.))

Better:

[Grummak] says: Hey, th'lot of us are headin' Alliance-side for a rumble with th'damn Stormwind Irregulars. Thought we'd look around and see if anyone was dumb enough t'take th'hits while the healers patch 'im up an' th'rest of us do th'dirty work. Think you're th'orc for th'job?

[Responder] says: When ya put it that way, how can I say no? But I got a girl waitin' on me at th'Bay tanight.

[Grummak] says: Worth missin' a scrap for any day a'th'week. Good luck wi'that.
                               


10. RP vs PvP?

Everyone is coming to the RP-PVP server from either traditional RP or PVP servers. This has been causing some contention between the two play styles, resulting in what some call 'RP-Elitism', that is Rp'ers being very liberal in their reporting of 'violations.'

Wise words on this issue came from an Orc Shaman by the name of Zhanesia It's a long, but important read:

To the hardcore PvP'ers, consider this: As you are well aware, anyone that complains about being constantly attacked by other players on any server with the PvP ruleset is generally mocked openly.

By that same token, anyone who has a problem with being fully obligated to roleplay on a server with the RP format is equally subject to ridicule. It's precisely the same situation. Here, ideally, nobody will complain about being ganked, nor will they complain about their obligation to portray their character in a manner suited to Warcraft's atmosphere. Anyone who has joined this server has agreed to both of these stipulations.

To the dedicated RP'ers, I say this: I understand that many of you are set in your definition of how roleplay ought to be, what sort of personalities, archetypes, backstories, and other aspects of a roleplayed character are "acceptable".

You need to realize that not everyone shares your views, and strictly speaking, anything is fine so long as the player follows Blizzard's set guidelines--guidelines that don't call for a GM report due to a slip of spelling, grammar, or punctuation, or due to someone playing a character you believe to be inappropriate for Warcraft's setting.

Many people who're immigrants from PvP realms have been in a constant state of paranoia and general bitterness, as they've been subject to GM reports for reasons spanning the spectrum from well-deserved to downright ludicrous.

Those that fall under the "well-deserved" category, those with rediculous names or those who intentionally harass RP'ers don't belong here to begin with, and they know it, but they are nonetheless in the minority.

Under the "ludicrous" category, however, are, for example, those reported simply for spelling errors (Not everyone's a perfect typist, many people have a strongly ingrained habit of using Internet shorthand, and it's difficult to break), or a brief mention of a non-game related subject in General Chat (A ridiculously easy mistake to make, and one that ought to be fully forgivable), or because they're portraying a character that, for some reason, the reporter believes is inappropriate (yet, regardless, is still consistently roleplaying).

Understand this:

Most of the PvP realm expatriates are quite interested in the idea of RP. However, many are very new to experiencing the concept firsthand, though they're here to do so for the first time while still being able to engage in their favorite playstyle.

Nothing alienates the PvP migrants more than scorning them, berating them, ridiculing them, or otherwise mocking them for what some of you may perceive to be their inability to live up to RP standards.

The complaint of "RP Elitism" has been a fairly constant subject over the past few days, and it's bound to become even worse if you, the dedicated RP'er, cannot learn a bit of tolerance for those new to the format, and accept their inevitable slip-ups with graciousness.

In understanding both of these, it's not hard to understand why this "PvP vs. RP" conflict ought not to even exist. This server is a melding of two oft-misunderstood playstyles. I urge everyone, please learn to see it from the other one's perspective, to understand what both PvP and RP mean, and how the people here are, truly, of fully like mind.

We are here to RP. We are here to PvP. Not one or the other, but both.



11. How do I meet other RPers in-game?

a) Get the add-on FlagRSP:

http://www.curse.com/addons/wow/flag-rsp2

This mod not only flags you as a roleplayer, but your RP style and experience. You can even have a surname and Character description.

b) Try walking around in towns and cities.

c) Random emotes. Remember though that members of the opposing faction can not understand custom emotes. For example:

/e leans up against the wall and looks seedy.

Will show to Alliance players as:

Ehrin leans up against the wall and looks seedy.

All Horde members will see is:

Ehrin makes some strange gestures.
                               


12. Is it appropriate to RP in Instance Dungeons and Battlegrounds?

I could not have put it better, so to quote Severa of the Feathermoon Server:

There's nothing at all wrong with RPing in an instance or in battlegrounds, but I think (problems come) from the fact that sometimes character personality quirks interfere with the dungeon. In the proper group (who's willing to wipe a few times) this can be fun, but in a standard group, "Hey, look at all these cute little leper gnomes! I want to run up and hug them all!" might not be considered so appropriate."

So gauge the group you are with and if your goal is to get the instance done efficiently, dont let RP take precedence.




13. Helpful links:


Note:  These links have not been checked.  Many may be out of date.


Blizzard Policies

RP policy: http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowgm/?id=agm01725p

PvP policy: http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowgm/?id=agm01654p



World of Warcraft Lore

Blizzards Lore page: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/story/

The World of Warcraft Wiki: http://www.wowpedia.com/

The Emerald Dream Wiki: http://wikihost.org/wikis/emerald_dream/

RP-PvP Lore Forum: http://www.pvprp.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=43

Warcraft at Lunarfalls: http://www.lunarfalls.com/WarCraft/index.html

Blizz Planet: http://www.blizzplanet.com/

Warcraft Hierarchy: http://wow.ogaming.com/data/1748~WarcraftHierarchy.php

Warcraft Library: http://wow.ogaming.com/library/

[Nephilium T. Sundance]

Thank you!

[Callais]

Just our of curiosity, how many people use the specific rp add listed? I know in republic we encourage TRP 2, or total role-play 2. Never tried another one, what's the difference?

[Hanif]

They normally all work amongst each other.  MRP, Flag etc are just older mods.