Role-Play 101

This is a work in progress, constructive feedback is welcome.

RRP101
So you've decided you'd like to role play! Welcome to the club! I've created a guide (and it's simply that, a guide) based on information I've shared with others over the years who have started out and asked me for help. I'm not an expert and I'm definitely not the best, biggest, baddest, RPer on the face of the planet. But I'm willing to help and I've been doing it for a while.
What is contained in this guide is my OPINION. Others may or may not share my opinion. I do not speak for others.

Creating a Character
There are two ways that I have used to build characters and probably countless others that I've never even heard of. The first is creating a very basic personality, picking a name and just making stuff up as you go. This can be both good and bad. You must have a good memory and be willing to jot down what you make up on the spot so you don't contradict yourself later. Some of my best characters sprang from this method. Double the pleasure if you've got a long time friend who can play a part with you, since you both know each other well you can pick up on cues from one another and really Improv your way to a great time.

The second method is taking the time to write out a detailed (if in point form) history and go over every detail of personality and quirkiness. Some people find this method more daunting and others find it reassuring. How you choose to make the character will depend on your comfort level. Neither is "right" or "wrong", there is only what works for you.

It is important to understand that flaws are fun. But while flaws are fun it's important to not turn your character into a pixelated soap opera. A character without flaws has no room for growth. A character without flaws in undefeatable, often unapproachable, and mostly just a lot of "un".

Generally speaking, if your flaw(s) is designed to garner attention, as opposed to being something your character struggles internally with, it will be closer to soap opera than not. There are exceptions to the rule, as always, but generally that's a good way to keep yourself in check.

Having a character who is, for example, afraid of heights but too proud to admit it means that you need to get creative when your RP mates call you to join them for a party in Thunder Bluff. Your character needs to keep it quiet (pride again) but other than that needs to either overcome or talk himself out of it! This leads to interesting interactions with others.

I feel pretty confident in saying that a great deal of the RP community frowns, very heavily, on making a character related to a historic figure. There are many jokes about the half-dragon, half-vampire, half-god, half-demon, son of Arthas and Jaina who went horde and married Sylvanas. On the other hand, making a character who is the sister of "that guy in Grom'gol that sells the bullets" is much more reasonable. Overall you'll probably find it more fun to have players with related characters instead of NPC relations.

Expanding on Flaws
I had a request to expand on flaws and how to, or not to, role play them. As stated above intention has a lot to do with it. If you choose a flaw (or any attribute, really) to garner attention, it's probably going to be the type of thing that pushes other role players away.

For example, if you decide to make your blood elf a member of the Blue Dragonflight who is stuck in elven form and forced to interact with the younger, lesser, races... that's kinda huge and many people would immediately discount a player who did this. If you then added into every emote comments about your scaled hands and eerily blue tinged skin and your blue (not green) eyes with a cat-like pupil and so on and so forth, you'll find that the people role playing around you will likely grow tired of having such attributes thrown in their faces at every post.

Quick to anger is a flaw that I play with 2-3 of my toons. I have in my mind certain topics that will "set off" the toon, the rest I treat as inconsequential.

Overblown ego is a flaw I play on one of my more whimsical characters (Talmai for those who know me). He's able to twist any comment said to him into a positive light. A woman telling him to bugger off is playing hard to get. Another telling him he's failed at something is just incapable of seeing the larger plan, the plan that involves him purposely messing up on that last mission. Maybe it's more delusion than ego.

Another toon, long deleted, was being stalked. I would whisper low level rogues out of character to ask if they wanted a few gold to "make a delivery". When they came to my location they would hand deliver a letter to my toon and, if questioned, say that a hooded figure, probably male, had given them a description of my toon and a few coin to deliver the message. The messages were, on the surface, innocent... a comment about the weather in Darnassus and how nice it was to see the toon's parents vacationing there. Instead of immediately falling apart, I had my toon grimace and tuck the letter away. Others were curious enough to ask for more information and the story progressed. Had I been "in your face" about getting attention it would have likely turned off my role-playing companions.

The important thing to remember is that flaws or positive attributes should not be constantly role played. Small doses and choosing your time and place will ensure a more meaningful role playing experience. Those afraid of heights do not constantly talk or emote about it, it comes up in therapy and on trips to Thunder Bluff.

Finding a Style
Everyone has their own style of role play. There are some who prefer to set the mood with paragraph long emote posts before making a statement (which is how forum RP takes place since you're taking turns posting). Others prefer to let the game set the mood and stick to shorter "spoken" posts. And still others have a mix of both!

Once you learn what works for you it's important, very important, to learn tolerance. You may have to wait a few minutes for a paragraph poster, but you're not having to assume the facial expression of the other character. There will be many tiny gestures you can pick up on and react to. With the spoken RPer you'll have to "fill in the blanks" a bit in terms of tone and gesture, but you can have a rapid fire conversation or argument without losing momentum.

Again, there is no "right" or "wrong" way to do this. There are some players who condemn others for playing differently but I don't see a reason for disagreement. There are few enough role players that we should be able to work around such a simple difference!

Interacting with Others
As you role play you'll hear terms like "God Mode" and "Meta-gaming". These are important to be aware of as doing either can drive away the people you'd like to role play with. In offline situations it's an etiquette sin along the lines of "not bathing" or "ignoring personal boundaries".

God Mode can be either where you are untouchable (you avoid every swing, you pick up on every cue, every sword glances off your shining armor) or where you determine the actions of others. Personally I think the second version is more offensive. You can do as you please to enjoy the game until that enjoyment infringes on my enjoyment. If your character takes a swing at mine, you don't get to decide if it connected. You can say, "/me swings at (other player) viciously, screeching in rage" but not "/me strikes (other player) in the face, screeching in rage".

In turn it's my responsibility to not God Mode the first version... being untouchable. I don't have to allow all attacks to strike, or to be deadly, but if all of them miss... people will stop RPing with me! A response might look like, "/me tries to dodge the strike, yelping as (other player)'s fingernails scrape my cheek". Or even, "/me is caught off guard and dodges too late, taking the full force of the strike to the face, yelling in pain and anger".

Meta-gaming is much more complicated and more common. You are the player and you know things about World of Warcraft such as who prevailed in Icecrown or that Thrall was once a captive of the humans. Your character doesn't necessarily know these things. While you can read the Shattering and get insight into Garrosh Hellscream, who is to say your character has ever been to Orgrimmar or even SEEN Garrosh from a distance? Keeping what you know and what your toon knows is difficult, but it becomes more difficult as you socialize "out of character" with your RP mates.

I spend a lot of time on ventrilo with my guildmates (doesn't matter what guild it's always been like that) and we chat about plans for this toon or that. Most of us have several toons, some of us have only one (that is RP'd). When someone is plotting to take down another character it's exciting and it gets talked about, often over and over. Now that YOU know about the plot it's suddenly harder not to act on that knowledge in-character... even though your toon doesn't know about the plot. It's tempting to "accidently" wander into a situation where your character might learn of the secret. In some situations that works (furthers role play) but in some it doesn't... if it will prematurely end someone else's fun you should take the time to really consider if it's "worth it".

Respecting Boundaries
Boundaries are important. In larger role play guilds there are many players who all have many toons who all have many story lines they are a part of. Being excluded from a story doesn't mean you, as a player, are disliked. Sometimes the story calls for only a few characters, other times it's simply a case of two people wanting to have a quieter story. Forcing your character into a story by showing up and "accidently" happening upon RP without asking out of character is very rude. Even if you legitimately stumbled across the RP it's polite to ask, out of character, if the players mind. Think of it like being in a crowded restaurant and overhearing a conversation at the next table... is it okay to just start inserting yourself into the conversation?

Other boundaries might include how far someone is willing to take a story... from physical violence to sexual relations. I, for example, have no problem with horrible torturous violence portrayed in role play, but I shy away from "relationship" RP (anything from my toon dating another toon, to "one night stand" sex scenes) because I'm not comfortable role playing that with anyone other than my husband. Personal boundaries are just that, personal. No one should be mocked for setting a boundary and it is absolutely Not Okay to violate those boundaries.

On a more global scale you need to be aware of who might be witnessing your RP if it's in public (public channels, /say, or forum RP). Explicit language; sex; strong violence (especially rape), are all things that should make you pause and think "who is seeing this?" In the case of forum RP you can put a disclaimer at the top of the thread for others to make an informed decision. In the case of public areas of game, you can take your role play to party/raid chat or move to a more secluded setting.

Telling the Story
As you role play and develop both your character's personality and your character's relationship's you'll find more and more stories. You may just recount them to a friend on vent, or you might post about them in a journal somewhere (either in-character journal or otherwise). Some people write complete stories.

The Golden Rule
Fun. If you are not having fun you're not doing what you should. That is to say, you have it in your power to change your circumstances so that you CAN find fun. If it means changing who you role play with or changing how you role play, it's completely in your power... as long as your fun doesn't infringe on someone else's fun!

Fun Link:
A guilde to role-playing a Troll.