RP options for Tauren druids in BfA

[Felfaadaern Darkterror]

I have a Tauren druid on a roleplay realm (Argent Dawn US). It's a sleepy small server, and I don't RP with others much, but I do RP in my own head a lot. I am conflicted on how to approach BfA on this toon. Part of the problem is not knowing what, if any, options for nuance or dissent Blizz will offer us in the war ahead. As I see it, our options are:

• RP that forests in northern Kalimdor are not of concern to Tauren druids.
• RP that loyalty to Horde trumps loyalty to Cenarion Circle.
• RP that burning of Darkshore and Ashenvale is all part of nature's balance.
• RP that - even though I might play through the content - my character is not doing these things.

Another option I am seriously considering:

• Faction Change, and RP as Tauren who sought political refuge with the Night Elves so they can fight to defend nature rather than burning it. After all, I'll be in bear or travel form 90% of the time anyway, right? The rest could be an illusion lent by Malfurion to avoid alarming the neighbors.

If I do this one, I will still need to have a tank available for my Horde friends, so I am thinking of a double swap moving my DK to Horde and Druid to Alliance. I could see my DK supporting Sylvanas's war easier than my druid.

Thoughts? Ideas?

[Techno-Druid]

Honestly I don't really know how Blizzard will rectify this either.

[Arrashi]

RP that only good longear is dead longear. And burning of forest is necessary sacrifice.

[Nathasil]

Sounds reasonable. The big drawback of the last option is that you are actually rewarding Blizzard with shop-money for writing the story in a way that pushes RPers to a point where they need to change their character to follow the game lore.

The first options would probably bite you again, as i predict there will be more moments like Teldrassil ahead for the Horde players. Playing an entire expansion out-of-character is not cool in a game that still calls itself and MMORPG.

I also predict your Sylvanas' supporting DK will not be happy in the final patch either....

[Lahis]

You will follow you Warchief, you will burn the forests AND YOU WILL ENJOY IT!

Just don't burn the corpses. She can raise those as Forsaken.

[Leodok]

There was someone in the forums who gave his own reasons and I personally really liked them. It was a tauren shaman, I think, not a druid, but I guess it works either way.

Basicaly, he started seeing the night elves less as benevolent, wise and peaceful beings in the northern forests, and noticing certain behaviours they had, like how they sort of try to force their own world view into those who come to learn with them. Telling trolls it's wrong to call wild gods Loa, telling tauren to worship Mu'sha/Elune much more than An'she, that kind of stuff. And he said the contact with troll stories (there's no way they depict night elves as anything other than evil, cowardly bastards) also helped change the way he saw them.

Besides, there's been war for a few years now, with only brief periods of peace (like in WoD and the very end of Wrath). Any tauren could want to kill nelfs because of something that happened in these conflicts. A bit of a cliche, I guess, but it does kind of work.

[StationaryHawk]

• RP that - even though I might play through the content - my character is not doing these things.

Shouldn't you already be doing this? Roleplay that your character does not support Sylvanas. That doesn't mean they have to jump to the Alliance's aid.

• Faction Change, and RP as Tauren who sought political refuge with the Night Elves so they can fight to defend nature rather than burning it. After all, I'll be in bear or travel form 90% of the time anyway, right? The rest could be an illusion lent by Malfurion to avoid alarming the neighbors.

Whatever you choose, don't do this.

[FriendOrTraitor]

Or, you could follow the example of Tauren who came before you, and stick it to the Horde. Need I remind you that is exactly what the Tauren did during the Stonetalon quests?

Edit:
Somehow missed that being on your list, that is easily the best option.

[Felfaadaern Darkterror]

There was someone in the forums who gave his own reasons and I personally really liked them. It was a tauren shaman, I think, not a druid, but I guess it works either way.

Basicaly, he started seeing the night elves less as benevolent, wise and peaceful beings in the northern forests, and noticing certain behaviours they had, like how they sort of try to force their own world view into those who come to learn with them. Telling trolls it's wrong to call wild gods Loa, telling tauren to worship Mu'sha/Elune much more than An'she, that kind of stuff. And he said the contact with troll stories (there's no way they depict night elves as anything other than evil, cowardly bastards) also helped change the way he saw them.

Besides, there's been war for a few years now, with only brief periods of peace (like in WoD and the very end of Wrath). Any tauren could want to kill nelfs because of something that happened in these conflicts. A bit of a cliche, I guess, but it does kind of work.

But my Tauren works with Nelfs every day. He has several in his Dream Grove on the Broken Isles. One even serves as his body guard. One - Malfurion - embraced Hamuul Runetotem and introduced him to Cenarius. If Night Elves hadn't welcomed Tauren back then, there would be no Tauren druids. I owe my calling to Night Elf hospitality. Hamuul and Broll Bearmantle are still best friends.

When it gets right down to it, I have a lot more in common with Night Elves than I do with banshee queens.

- - - Updated - - -

Shouldn't you already be doing this? Roleplay that your character does not support Sylvanas. That doesn't mean they have to jump to the Alliance's aid.

Whatever you choose, don't do this.

I prefer to stay Tauren, but the faction change probably comes down to whether Blizz offers us other opportunities for nuance and dissent. If the choices are to act like nature doesn't matter any more or to join the Night Elf resistance, I will choose the latter. If there are options to stay Horde and truly mitigate the damage, I will do that. Depends on how Blizz writes it.

[Lahis]

I prefer to stay Tauren, but the faction change probably comes down to whether Blizz offers us other opportunities for nuance and dissent. If the choices are to act like nature doesn't matter any more or to join the Night Elf resistance, I will choose the latter. If there are options to stay Horde and truly mitigate the damage, I will do that. Depends on how Blizz writes it.

You are putting the bar way too high there.

Sylvanas tells you to burn the forest. Horde players burn the forest, no questions asked. Any nuance or ability voice your displeasure at it is way above Blizzard's writing.

[Felfaadaern Darkterror]

Sylvanas tells you to burn the forest. Horde players burn the forest, no questions asked.

I always ask questions. That's why I'm a hippy tree-hugging druid and not some lock-step warrior.

- - - Updated - - -

RP that only good longear is dead longear. And burning of forest is necessary sacrifice.

Hmmm... Sylvanas has long ears...

[Darkeon]

You do the game-play and quests as out-of-character - then proceed to RP that other adventurers took part in the actions your character is against.

It is that simple.

[SirCowdog]

RP that only good longear is dead longear.

Considering that Blood elves joke about having steak twice a day because of being allied with Tauren....I can't really fault the logic.

[Arrashi]

Hmmm... Sylvanas has long ears...

And guess what ? She is dead.

[Lahis]

And guess what ? She is dead.

Time to make her deader.

[Felfaadaern Darkterror]

And guess what ? She is dead.

If only she'd act like it!

[Arrashi]

Time to make her deader.

Nah, we need more salt to finish our pillar.

[StationaryHawk]

I prefer to stay Tauren, but the faction change probably comes down to whether Blizz offers us other opportunities for nuance and dissent. If the choices are to act like nature doesn't matter any more or to join the Night Elf resistance, I will choose the latter. If there are options to stay Horde and truly mitigate the damage, I will do that. Depends on how Blizz writes it.

It's roleplay, my man. Make your own opportunities. Preferably that don't involve being a tauren disguised as a night elf.

[Leodok]

But my Tauren works with Nelfs every day. He has several in his Dream Grove on the Broken Isles. One even serves as his body guard. One - Malfurion - embraced Hamuul Runetotem and introduced him to Cenarius. If Night Elves hadn't welcomed Tauren back then, there would be no Tauren druids. I owe my calling to Night Elf hospitality. Hamuul and Broll Bearmantle are still best friends.

When it gets right down to it, I have a lot more in common with Night Elves than I do with banshee queens.

Then... I guess you can do it in a reluctant way. You don't want to kill them and burn their stuff, but you don't want to leave the Horde (which includes many friends and family) either. Maybe you remember the days of Garrosh and stay because you have hope there will be something akin to the Siege of Orgrimmar, and the Horde will be "restored to their older ways."

I have a similar plan for my troll. While he doesn't have any problem at all with killing every elf on the face of Azeroth, he hates strategies that involve "blow the enemies to pieces so you don't have to fight them". He considers it something only the likes of elves and humans do, and doesn't want to take part in any of that.
If Sylvannas does this kind of thing, by, for example, burning Teldrassil with an azerite bomb (or using the plague for the 276276723632th time), he'll be pissed. But he won't leave the Horde, because that's where his people are at.

[Felfaadaern Darkterror]

Then... I guess you can do it in a reluctant way. You don't want to kill them and burn their stuff, but you don't want to leave the Horde (which includes many friends and family) either. Maybe you remember the days of Garrosh and stay because you have hope there will be something akin to the Siege of Orgrimmar, and the Horde will be "restored to their older ways."

I have a similar plan for my troll. While he doesn't have any problem at all with killing every elf on the face of Azeroth, he hates strategies that involve "blow the enemies to pieces so you don't have to fight them". He considers it something only the likes of elves and humans do, and doesn't want to take part in any of that.
If Sylvannas does this kind of thing, by, for example, burning Teldrassil with an azerite bomb (or using the plague for the 276276723632th time), he'll be pissed. But he won't leave the Horde, because that's where his people are at.

Teldrassil will be one incident. I could work around that. But the Kalimdor war front will be an every week thing. And Horde strategy, as I understand it, involves burning the forest to get to the elves. Kind of like Agent Orange. That's the part I can't see playing as a druid.