GW2 Role Playing Has Strength.

[Deleted]

I have never really dropped myself into roleplaying, more once in a while. The whole idea of creating a story for your character is actually pushing me to start roleplaying. And that's fine with me, I have yet to see any MMO with a character-storyline, which is part of the game.

I love it

[Deleted]

2 things i wanna comment on your main post, 1) i don't see anything wrong if a character has a depressing back story, not EVERYONE can have a life of sunshine and rainbows, however that vampire and werewolf thing in the same section 100% agree...

I think what he means is that there are a lot of characters designed for a "pity party" aspect. Personally, I dislike them. I dont want to spend all my time comforting your character because it makes you as a player feel better. I dont mind people having sad backstories (Emily is taking the "never recovered her sisters body), as long as it doesnt constitute the core of their character.

Similarly, I bring up again the "lone-wolf". It's a good character in a book or comic, but not in a roleplay where people are being social. I used to be on GameTalk, in the RPG forum, and SO many posts would be huge, emo-bleeding blocks of text about how the character is a loner, hates people because of his dark, troubled past, has trust issues, etc etc. And nobody replied because why would you bother trying to break past the "barriers" someone has just to get a roleplay with them? It's too much effort.

[Durzlla]

I think what he means is that there are a lot of characters designed for a "pity party" aspect. Personally, I dislike them. I dont want to spend all my time comforting your character because it makes you as a player feel better. I dont mind people having sad backstories (Emily is taking the "never recovered her sisters body), as long as it doesnt constitute the core of their character.

Similarly, I bring up again the "lone-wolf". It's a good character in a book or comic, but not in a roleplay where people are being social. I used to be on GameTalk, in the RPG forum, and SO many posts would be huge, emo-bleeding blocks of text about how the character is a loner, hates people because of his dark, troubled past, has trust issues, etc etc. And nobody replied because why would you bother trying to break past the "barriers" someone has just to get a roleplay with them? It's too much effort.

Yeah my paladin in wow had such a bad history that he developed schizo and PTSD and was quite frankly, bat shit crazy, he hated people but that often resulted in him trying to -kill- people instead of anything... Yeah not a fan of the pity party ones, and i tend to play characters that are a bit on the crueler side and will laugh at them and harass them for the most part, cause hey i gotta get -some- joy out of them xD

And my god... someone else is actually picking that option!?! i thought everyone but me was picking the circus one xD *high-fives you* YAY! Individuality!

[Deleted]

Well, it makes sense to me, seeing as what Emily was. I just dont want to go for the jokey type, really. Not that it'll affect anything.

[Cuchulainn]

The first half was good, the second half of that made me laugh.

I'll RP when I want to, and it won't always be right or perfect my friend.

It doesn't have to be prefect. No one is perfect, but if you have the mentality of "I'll RP how I want and people will just have to deal with it" then oyu're not going to be RPing much. People will come to learn you're an avoidable character if you decide that doing the "wrong things" is "right" to you. RP isn't always about YOU, it's mostly about your character interacting with OTHER people around you.

A little piece of me died inside.

OT: I personally don't do roleplaying and I don't mind people roleplaying. As long as they don't force it upon me.

Let me rephrase that: WoW lore sucks ass, but it used to be good.

2 things i wanna comment on your main post, 1) i don't see anything wrong if a character has a depressing back story, not EVERYONE can have a life of sunshine and rainbows, however that vampire and werewolf thing in the same section 100% agree...

2) some people (like myself) tend to make at least one character that is purposefully like them (not 100% because that would be BORING but similar...), so i don't really see how that's necessarily bad/wrong...

1) I see nothing wrong with depressing characters, just as long as they don't throw themselves in the limelight EVERY. FUCKING. RP SESSION. I hate it, and everyone else in the group will hate it too. No one likes people putting on a Shakespeare play when an RP session is in motion. It's annoying.

2)It's not bad/wrong...per-say, but to me the whole point of RPing is to be someone you're not. I'm a skinny white boy IRL who smokes cigarettes, has a small group of friends, and doesn't hold the best morals. So why not play a Chivalrous Knight who saves the princess? Or a big badass who's a total lone wolf? I don't mind it when people pretty much "RP themselves", but to me it just seems too easy. It's almost like you're not RPing at all. I've tried it out, didn't like it.

Well, it makes sense to me, seeing as what Emily was. I just dont want to go for the jokey type, really. Not that it'll affect anything.

Nothing wrong with being silly. Go for it, just don't let it be your main personality trait. It can get annoying for other people after a while unless they're silly characters too.

[Durzlla]

<super snip>

Ah i see what you mean with the depressing story and that, and i tend to like projecting me into fantasy worlds i find it fun, but then again i'm also known for playing raging lunatics who have half the lawful good characters out for my head.... they tend to be alts though, i can only take -so- much chaos and moral-less deeds xD.

PS: I totally agree on the wow lore thing, one of the huge things that makes it bad IMO is that you can't even learn about half the fucking lore IN GAME and you gotta sift through other sources for it...

[Cuchulainn]

Indeed there always needs to be chaotic character personality in RP. I don't complete say "NO!" to people who are goofy, depressed, etc (to the extreme), but what I do say "NO!" to is those people forcing their characters onto other people like a filthy whore. I like goofy, depressed, etc. characters, don't get me wrong. I just find it wrong for people to think all people who RP these kinds of characters are coo coo. It's a common misconception that non-RPers have and I just wanted to clear it up.

[Milanor]

I just find it wrong for people to think all people who RP these kinds of characters are coo coo. It's a common misconception that non-RPers have and I just wanted to clear it up.

Oh, we roleplayers are all coo coo, though.

Coo coo for correct grammar ("((For the last f#%*ing time, it's 'their,' not 'there!'))").

[Deleted]

2)It's not bad/wrong...per-say, but to me the whole point of RPing is to be someone you're not. I'm a skinny white boy IRL who smokes cigarettes, has a small group of friends, and doesn't hold the best morals. So why not play a Chivalrous Knight who saves the princess? Or a big badass who's a total lone wolf? I don't mind it when people pretty much "RP themselves", but to me it just seems too easy. It's almost like you're not RPing at all. I've tried it out, didn't like it.

To each his own, really. Roleplaying is all about acting the way your character would act, complete with his own thoughts, knowledge, experiences, emotions, and background. There's no unwritten rule that it HAS to be different from how the player is as a person. Don't get me wrong, I understand your reasoning and I agree with it to a point. But to immerse oneself in your character you'll need to have at least something in it that you can identify yourself with, a common ground to expand upon.

Let me take one of my characters from WoW for example, the rogue. He started out as a single concept - deception. I'm not above deceiving others when it suits my purposes, for the greater good of course, and that's the concept I transcribed onto that character. Once I had acquainted myself with him, he started growing as a character, in a natural fashion. He shares some more of my traits, like preferring solitude over crowds and rarely talking just for the sake of talking, but he has many traits we don't share, like his affinity for gambling, drinking, his wanderlust, greed, eloquence and so on. This is an example of a character which started off on a common platform, but evolved with traits foreign to me, his player.

On the other hand there's my warrior. He started off with the concept of humor, but it wasn't long before he shared many, many more of my traits. Now, I'd say that considering how much he's like me, if I was tossed into such a setting personally, that's the kind of person I would become.

I enjoy roleplaying both equally much (even though they don't get along well between the two of them), and I don't feel roleplaying my warrior is "not RP'ing at all". If anything, it's more a case of "RP'ing familiarity". It feels more natural, and thus more engaging, than if I were to roleplay someone I couldn't relate to at all. As a last contrast to your post, I've tried that, and I didn't like it. :P

So it's all a very personal thing, what someone enjoys, someone else might not, but as long as you're enjoying your character and I'm enjoying my character, and none of us suffer because of the other's preference, that's all that really matters, is it not?

[Deleted]

I agree with Jigain's Big Block o' Text. I've had several characters in the past, and I play them better because I can relate to them. But they can take on traits that I dont have - such as being social or backstabbing (hehe, Thief joke. I know, I'm terrible).

Emily's been my main because I knew her. I know how she acts, her likes and dislikes, and it's enjoyable to play her like that. It means something to me. It's far more fun than playing me own, socially awkward self.

[Squirrelbanes]

Snippidy to keep things nice an tidy

As I stated before, I'm an author...and for the most part, because of that, I really identify with this.
It's often said that if you want to know a writer you look at the characters they create. Often, each character will be a facet of their personality or self image. And it really is true.
I recently went back and re-read the first novel I wrote over 10 years ago...it was really fascinating to read the characters, because in many ways they were perfect representations of the person I was then. I could identify with all of them to some degree...they were just exaggerations of each facet of my personality really.
RP characters are often very similar. There will be a facet of me in every character I make. No single one will be like me...but each one will almost always be characteristic of me in a certain way.
I've actually created characters based off those who I RP and likewise RP with characters who I've created.
That act of creation is very much why I think I enjoy RP when I've done it.

Anyway...while I don't disagree with Cuchulainn's point that your referring to (I think it's better to say that every character we RP probably has an aspect of us, but an exaggerated one, even if it's an aspiration of who we want to be) I do think there's always something of us, the real us or the imagined us, in who we portray in RP.

[Deleted]

Squirrelbanes is, as usual, correct. The only difference is that when I go back and look at things I wrote five or six years ago, I cringe =p

[Queen of Hamsters]

Wow Lore sucks ass?

You lost all your credibility in my eyes right then and there, YOU might think it sucks but I can speak for myself when I say that some of the most epic lore I've ever encountered comes from WoW. Wrathgate, Arthas, Darrowshire, The Worgen, Sargeras, Sylvanas, Old Gods, Ulduar, the Warcraft games etc etc...

Wether or not GW2 provides a superior RP experience is subjective as well. You and a ton of players might see it as the second coming, tons of others won't.

Other than that I learned something about RP that I didn't know before, but as usual with these forums one can't read a single thread with opinions or even facts about GW2 without also seeing ones favourite game (for good reasons) being slandered, and having that slander being presented as facts and not personal opinion.

I am hoping to RP a lot in GW2 for the simple reason that I think it'll be fun and I won't have to go to certain servers, but even though I do not label myself an RPer right now I would be able to tell you the story behind every single character I have in WoW, "mind RP" so to speak.

PS. I roleplay myself in another setting by the way. The way I'd like to be (strong, brave) AND the way I THINK I would be in such a situation. That's why I will never roleplay a male character. I can play them, but not roleplay with them...it just doesn't work o.O.

[Squirrelbanes]

Squirrelbanes is, as usual, correct. The only difference is that when I go back and look at things I wrote five or six years ago, I cringe =p

Haha...yh, I certainly often cringe at story....but tbh not at characters. I normally just smile like I would at an old photograph.

Snippidy

I think he clarified after that post that he was referring to later wow lore....which tbh I'd have to largely agree with. It certainly went down hill. Really sad as I've been a big fan of the warcraft since orcs v humans. I really was disappointed by the direction it took. It's one of the main reasons I stopped playing, personally. I still love the universe, and if I feel they turn it around I'd love to come back.
I've not really considered it much in terms of RP capacity from vanilla > cata...just mainly a general lore perspective. But, as I said, I'm personally disappointed by what they seem to prioritize these days.

[Deleted]

Anyway...while I don't disagree with Cuchulainn's point that your referring to (I think it's better to say that every character we RP probably has an aspect of us, but an exaggerated one, even if it's an aspiration of who we want to be) I do think there's always something of us, the real us or the imagined us, in who we portray in RP.

Yeah, I'm not specifically disagreeing with it myself. Like I said, to each his own - I understand quite well what he's saying and agree with it to a point. The only real part I'm arguing with is the generalization that a character with traits equal or similar to your own can't be roleplayed.

---------- Post added 2012-04-18 at 01:30 PM ----------

Also, as a PS on the topic of old characters, Jigain To'lerean was the name of the very first character in the very first story I began writing.

As I am wont to do, however, I never finished it. I will, at some point... but probably not until I have kids who want to hear a bedtime story.

[Squirrelbanes]

Yeah, I'm not specifically disagreeing with it myself. Like I said, to each his own - I understand quite well what he's saying and agree with it to a point. The only real part I'm arguing with is the generalization that a character with traits equal or similar to your own can't be roleplayed.
Also, as a PS on the topic of old characters, Jigain To'lerean was the name of the very first character in the very first story I began writing.

As I am wont to do, however, I never finished it. I will, at some point... but probably not until I have kids who want to hear a bedtime story.

I think we're all fundamentally saying the same thing really I think he said "himself"...which is understandable. I broke it down into different aspects of yourself, which I do think is intrinsic to RP...it may just be me though xD
And yh, I've already started reading my stories to my three month old daughter. She's reached the point now where she's trying to talk (awesome btw) and it's rly nice how she reacts. I think she's gonna be my best critic

[Durzlla]

I think we're all fundamentally saying the same thing really I think he said "himself"...which is understandable. I broke it down into different aspects of yourself, which I do think is intrinsic to RP...it may just be me though xD
And yh, I've already started reading my stories to my three month old daughter. She's reached the point now where she's trying to talk (awesome btw) and it's rly nice how she reacts. I think she's gonna be my best critic

You need to message me some of the names of your books lol, I may be interested in them depending on theme and such xD

And I guess I'm just weird in the fact that my main and me are for the most part the same person, the only changes between us tend to be apperance/physical, however my alta tend to be 1 trait of mine amplified a bit, like my Mesmer takes my ability to decieve (which I normally don't do I'm like a sylvari ask me a question I'll give you the anwser xD) and takes it to a sort of addiction lol, quite fun to play every now and then...

[Deleted]

Wow Lore sucks ass?

Yes, to be honest both GW2 and WoW's stories while being very.. cheerful and enjoyable are pretty shallow . Comparing to other fantasy settings like Frank Herbert's "Dune" they look like they were written with crayons .

But hey, all good as long people are enjoying themselves right?

[Milanor]

Yes, to be honest both GW2 and WoW's stories while being very.. cheerful and enjoyable are pretty shallow . Comparing to other fantasy settings like Frank Herbert's "Dune" they look like they were written with crayons .

But hey, all good as long people are enjoying themselves right?

I wouldn't call the WoW lore "shallow" (well, apart from every major villain/boss being either Old God-related, Good guy gone crazy, or contextless big baddie) as much as I would call it "wasted potential." What made it so disappointing for me is that there are many great, unexplored stories out there and many, many major plot questions that have been begging to be answered (What the hell is up with the Blood Elves since the Sunwell was restored? What's up with Tyr? For that matter, what's up with The Light in general? Why have the Draenei basically done nothing since they crashed on Azeroth? Why was only Tirion present at the fall of the Lich King when EVERYBODY had some sort of personal grudge against the guy? ...I could do this for ages, and I barely touched cataclysm.) and yet, Blizzard seemed to do more writing for pop-culture references and the daily lives of generic NPCs than anything else.

The "rule of cool" seemed to be a stronger force in the World of Warcraft than actual story consistency. I get that everyone has different expectations and values for a game, and that fun is generally the most important. It's not something I fault Blizzard for (~10 million people loved the world at once, myself included), but the way they handled the story in WoW was something that always really bothered me.


I'm still trying to get into the lore of the Guild Wars Universe (it's doubtful that I'll get the chance to play through GW1 before GW2 launches, and the wiki only goes so far), but from what I've read in the books, I'm at least impressed by how it manages to take itself seriously without getting away from the feelings of fun and adventure. It's not grade-A writing or plot material for sure (the final chapters of EoD being full of "lol, wtf?" moments especially), but it's a world that I sincerely look forward to getting immersed and playing a well-rounded character in.

[Cuchulainn]

Yes, RP is a very small form of story telling, and yes, you can tell whatever story you wish to. However, I'm a very considerate person, as well as a conscious one. I refuse to make a character that has a related personality trait to my own. I know who I am, therefore I can avoid such things. As you've all said, "I read back an see parts of myself from the past". For me...I don't. It's because I disassociate myself from my writings that I can look back and see fresh characters time and time again. It's because of this I never feel stupid when creating a character, or looking back at one (not saying any of you are stupid, god no).

I just feel there's a certain etiquette that goes into RP that many people ignore. When people ignore the etiquette of RP then other people begin to draw stereotypes. I wish I could explain it in a way that made sense without offending either side of the argument, but I can't. Sorry.

Wow Lore sucks ass?

You lost all your credibility in my eyes right then and there, YOU might think it sucks but I can speak for myself when I say that some of the most epic lore I've ever encountered comes from WoW. <snip>

Let me stop you right there...
No.