WoW Insider

WoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gifWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comen-usCopyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/WoW Insider ShowEvery week, the WoW Insider Show brings you news and views from the World of Warcraft and the site that covers it all, WoW Insider. We introduce a panel of rotating guests, including bloggers from WoW Insider and other WoW blogs, and many popular personalities from around the WoW community. From the live listener chat and polls during the show, to the emails direct from listeners (reach us at theshow@wow.com), right on to the "meat" of the show -- in-depth discussion of the most popular news and posts on WoW Insider -- the WoW Insider Show is a terrific source of news and entertainment about what's going on with Blizzard and their World of Warcraft. Listen live every Saturday at 3:30 pm Eastern on our Ustream page (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wow-insider-show) or subscribe to the feed and let us know what you think by reviewing the show right here in iTunes.5 upcoming hot spots for roleplay in Mists of Pandariahttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/12/5-upcoming-hot-spots-for-roleplay-in-mists-of-pandaria/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/12/5-upcoming-hot-spots-for-roleplay-in-mists-of-pandaria/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/12/5-upcoming-hot-spots-for-roleplay-in-mists-of-pandaria/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying), Mists of Pandaria

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

Maybe you're in the beta, or maybe you aren't -- either way, it's hard to avoid information coming from the beta servers. If you're a roleplayer, spoiler information is one of those double-edged swords. Sure, it's nice to know what's coming ... but at the same time, you don't want advance information leaching into your roleplay, especially if your friends and fellow roleplayers are avoiding spoilers themselves.

Thankfully, today is spoiler-free -- well, unless you count some truly gorgeous screenshots of Pandaria's scenery as spoilers, that is. While Pandaria doesn't really appear to have a neutral capital hub at this point in the beta, most of Pandaria's towns and villages are decidedly neutral. This makes them ideal roleplay hubs for both Alliance and Horde and offers something we haven't seen since the days of Dalaran: locations where both factions can roleplay out in the open and interact. Given the rising tensions between Alliance and Horde, it's an excellent chance to grab some compelling roleplay.

Plus, did I mention Pandaria is gorgeous? Seriously, you guys, once you visit, you'll never want to leave. Let's look at just a few of the locations Pandaria has to offer that are ripe for roleplay.

Continue reading 5 upcoming hot spots for roleplay in Mists of Pandaria

5 upcoming hot spots for roleplay in Mists of Pandaria originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 12 May 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guidemists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-betapandariapandaria-townsrole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 12 May 2012 14:00:00 ESTWhy public roleplay is a critical part of roleplay servershttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/05/why-public-roleplay-is-a-critical-part-of-roleplay-servers/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/05/why-public-roleplay-is-a-critical-part-of-roleplay-servers/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/05/why-public-roleplay-is-a-critical-part-of-roleplay-servers/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

All too often, I hear stories of roleplay realms with dwindling roleplay populations -- realms that can't seem to get back on their feet and make roleplay flourish. These realms try everything under the sun to cultivate roleplay, from creating roleplay websites dedicated to providing roleplay information to having monthly meetings discussing the roleplay situation on the realm. Yet there's still something that keeps people from rolling characters on these realms and sticking around for the long term, while other realms continue to flourish.

That something is present on these flourishing realms in abundance, and it's the reason people flock to these realms and stay put. It's roleplay, pure and simple -- available in every tavern, every Auction House, every city and every town. Hundreds of players run around with roleplay addons that advertise their roleplaying status, and you'll see characters happy to speak to each other in /say, having intriguing conversations and in general, just being a presence.

If your realm has lost the throngs of roleplayers it once had, how do you get them back again?

Continue reading Why public roleplay is a critical part of roleplay servers

Why public roleplay is a critical part of roleplay servers originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 05 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guidepublic-roleplayrole-playrole-play-serverrole-playing-guiderole-playing-serverroleplay-eventroleplay-guildroleplay-serversrp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 05 May 2012 20:00:00 ESTThe basics of prepping for pandaren roleplayhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/28/the-basics-of-prepping-for-pandaren-roleplay/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/28/the-basics-of-prepping-for-pandaren-roleplay/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/28/the-basics-of-prepping-for-pandaren-roleplay/#commentsFiled under: Lore, All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

Sure, the expansion's not quite out yet, but that doesn't mean you can't start planning for it as a roleplayer if you want to. The pandaren race features some really amazing, beautifully animated characters with an intriguing story ripe for roleplay purposes. While some roleplayers may already be happily roaming around the beta servers, others have only bits of information to work with. The process of coming up with a roleplaying character can take a little time, so if you're wanting to create a pandaren when the expansion is released, why not start pondering possibilities now?

Though pandaren can be played by both Alliance and Horde, they cannot speak to each other once they've made that decision -- a decision steeped in the storyline of the Wandering Isle. However, this does mean that you can play a pandaren character no matter which side of the faction fence you happen to be on. And with the kind of history and story the pandaren have behind them, it'd be well worth looking into if you're looking for a different kind of character to roleplay with.

This is a primer of pandaren lore, and as such, it'll contain a little spoiler content. However, because of the unique nature of playable pandaren characters, we won't be divulging any major story events that take place in Pandaria. This information will mainly be starting zone info. If you're looking to avoid all Mists spoilers, however, you may want to pass on what's after the break.

Continue reading The basics of prepping for pandaren roleplay

The basics of prepping for pandaren roleplay originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guidemists-of-pandariapandarenpandaren-starting-zonerole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 28 Apr 2012 16:00:00 ESTRoleplay realms and the struggle of non-roleplayershttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/21/roleplay-realms-and-the-struggle-of-non-roleplayers/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/21/roleplay-realms-and-the-struggle-of-non-roleplayers/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/21/roleplay-realms-and-the-struggle-of-non-roleplayers/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

If you're on a roleplay server, you've likely seen them before -- the people who choose not to participate in roleplay. Non-roleplayers on roleplay servers seem like a plague to some roleplayers, a blight that should be pushed off the server, the sooner the better. But for a non-roleplayer, sometimes the attitude and atmosphere of a roleplaying server is right up their alley, even if they don't happen to engage in roleplay.

The problem with roleplay realms in World of Warcraft is that roleplay isn't really enforced on these realms. Instead, they are designated as roleplay realms with the intent that those seeking roleplay will have a communal place to get together. So what do you do if you're a roleplayer and you see someone who obviously isn't into roleplay at all? Do you try to engage them in roleplay? Do you report them? Or do you simply let them be?

And if you're a non-roleplayer, but you want the atmosphere of a roleplaying realm, how should you conduct yourself once you're on that realm?

Continue reading Roleplay realms and the struggle of non-roleplayers

Roleplay realms and the struggle of non-roleplayers originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 21 Apr 2012 16:00:00 ESTRoleplay addons for the beginner: FlagRSP2 and FlagRSP Cataclysmhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/14/roleplay-addons-for-the-beginner-flagrsp2-and-flagrsp-cataclysm/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/14/roleplay-addons-for-the-beginner-flagrsp2-and-flagrsp-cataclysm/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/14/roleplay-addons-for-the-beginner-flagrsp2-and-flagrsp-cataclysm/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

Although MyRoleplay, which we covered last week, is a pretty popular addon with the bonus of being fairly simple to use, it can still be a little tricky for a beginner. MyRoleplay offers a lot of options to fill out, and trying to decide what all those options are can be confusing for someone just starting out with roleplay. Another option for beginner roleplayers as far as descriptive addons go is FlagRSP2 -- or its alternate version, FlagRSP Cataclysm.

Both versions have fewer options than MyRoleplay in terms of what you can plug in about your character, but that very bare-bones simplicity can be a blessing for new roleplayers. If you'd like to just give and get the basics of those roleplaying around you, FlagRSP in either version may be right up your alley. But before you turn your nose up at simplicity, you may want to read on; FlagRSP has some interesting features that MyRoleplay doesn't cover.

Continue reading Roleplay addons for the beginner: FlagRSP2 and FlagRSP Cataclysm

Roleplay addons for the beginner: FlagRSP2 and FlagRSP Cataclysm originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 14 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 14 Apr 2012 16:00:00 ESTRoleplaying addons for the beginner: MyRoleplayhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/07/roleplaying-addons-for-the-beginner-myroleplay/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/07/roleplaying-addons-for-the-beginner-myroleplay/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/07/roleplaying-addons-for-the-beginner-myroleplay/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

For a beginner roleplayer, reading all the articles we've covered on character development, descriptions, history, time lines and everything else can be pretty intimidating. Of course, I happily talk about writing character descriptions and history, but if you're just starting out with roleplay, you may not know where these things fit in to the roleplaying experience. The answer to that, of course, is addons!

There are a ton of different addons crafted specifically for roleplayers, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. We'll be going over several over the course of the next few weeks and showing you how to use these addons to full advantage. Today, we're going to start with one of the simplest to use: MyRoleplay.

Continue reading Roleplaying addons for the beginner: MyRoleplay

Roleplaying addons for the beginner: MyRoleplay originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 07 Apr 2012 18:00:00 ESTFinding the line between you and your roleplaying characterhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/31/finding-the-line-between-you-and-your-roleplaying-character/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/31/finding-the-line-between-you-and-your-roleplaying-character/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/31/finding-the-line-between-you-and-your-roleplaying-character/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

We've finally reached that magical moment when we stop speculating on what we'll see in Mists of Pandaria and start experiencing it first hand. Pretty much every WoW news site out there is inundating us with tons of information about Mists, the pandaren, the zones, the quests, and everything that is to come. If you're one of those who managed to get a beta key at this early stage in testing, you've even experienced some of that new content yourself. This can actually create a ton of issues when you're a roleplayer, and it has to do with the line between roleplay and real life.

In roleplay, there's a definitive line between what you as a player happen to know and what your character is aware of. There's a line between what you see in game and what your character sees and experiences. And there's a really big line between what you are feeling as a player and what your character is feeling in any given situation. Experienced roleplayers are aware of that line's existence and do their best not to cross it, but new roleplayers may not understand what that imaginary line is or even realize it exists.

Continue reading Finding the line between you and your roleplaying character

Finding the line between you and your roleplaying character originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 31 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 31 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST3 things to remember when you encounter a new roleplayerhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/24/3-things-to-remember-when-you-encounter-a-new-roleplayer/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/24/3-things-to-remember-when-you-encounter-a-new-roleplayer/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/24/3-things-to-remember-when-you-encounter-a-new-roleplayer/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

For those of us who have been roleplaying for years, many of the things mentioned in the previous two columns are old hat by now and things we don't even bother thinking about. Things like social niceties and the basic mechanics of talking to people are old hat to us by now, and the thought that anyone doesn't really know what those things are is kind of mystifying. And the automatic reaction to seeing any of these kinds of errors is an air of general derision.

Mistakes like errors in timeline placement, playing a character that doesn't really fit within the canon of the Warcraft universe, interrupting what is a pretty serious roleplay session between groups of people, or simply standing in the wrong spot are treated like grievous offenses. Roleplay descriptions full of grammatical errors or the wrong choices in words are mocked outright. And any attempt by these new roleplayers looking to try out that new world of roleplay are shot down, leaving the new roleplayer in the dust and discouraged.

Sound familiar? Is that you? Cut it out.

Continue reading 3 things to remember when you encounter a new roleplayer

3 things to remember when you encounter a new roleplayer originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 24 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 24 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST3 basics of roleplay interaction for new roleplayershttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/17/3-basics-of-roleplay-interaction-for-new-roleplayers/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/17/3-basics-of-roleplay-interaction-for-new-roleplayers/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/17/3-basics-of-roleplay-interaction-for-new-roleplayers/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

So you've decided to make that leap into roleplay and see what all the fuss is about. Last week, we talked about five very basic things you should know when you're hopping into roleplay for the very first time. These basics are things you should keep in mind when you're chatting with people as a new roleplayer. They aren't rules so much as social norms that are common and well known by anyone that's been roleplaying for a while, but new people may not know about.

Social norms are well and good, but what about the nitty-gritty of actual roleplay? If you've never actually roleplayed before in game, you likely haven't got a clue how the actual roleplay itself works, either. That's OK; it's easy enough to learn the building blocks and basics of character interaction -- and once you've got that down, the rest should come pretty easy, too.

Continue reading 3 basics of roleplay interaction for new roleplayers

3 basics of roleplay interaction for new roleplayers originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 17 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST5 things new roleplayers need to knowhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/10/5-things-new-roleplayers-need-to-know/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/10/5-things-new-roleplayers-need-to-know/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/10/5-things-new-roleplayers-need-to-know/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

Though we've done a lot of in-depth look at time lines, various lore elements, and the intricacies of character development, a lot of the recent emails I've been receiving have been of a much more basic nature. Why does anyone roleplay, and what do you do if you want to give roleplaying a try?

The first question is pretty simple to address. Did you ever play make-believe when you were a kid? Ever pretend you were a pirate, or a princess, or your favorite character from the Saturday morning cartoon show of your choice? That's roleplay.

With roleplay in video games, it gets a little more complicated than just "I wanna be a pirate!" Instead of playing with Tommy or Jessica from down the street, you're playing with a multitude of people from all over the world. Because of this, there are certain rules for roleplaying -- this is so that everyone is roughly on the same page and playing the same way. So when you're thinking of roleplay, think of it as a giant game of Let's Pretend that you experience with a wide, varied group of people. It's a creative exercise, a little bit story writing and a little bit improvisational acting.

If that sounds like your cup of tea, you might want to give it a try. And if you decide to make that leap, here are some things you should consider when you're getting started.

Continue reading 5 things new roleplayers need to know

5 things new roleplayers need to know originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 10 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 10 Mar 2012 18:00:00 ESTThe trials and tribulations of being a raiding roleplayerhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/03/the-trials-and-tribulations-of-being-a-raiding-roleplayer/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/03/the-trials-and-tribulations-of-being-a-raiding-roleplayer/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/03/the-trials-and-tribulations-of-being-a-raiding-roleplayer/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

There have always been different designations for different aspects of WoW. If you want to fight other players, it's PvP. If you want to fight designed encounters, that's PvE. And if you want to roleplay with other players, that's RP. Three different realm types, each with their own designations, right? There's one other realm type out there, the RP-PvP server, for those who would like to roleplay and fight other players.

But there seems to be a long-held stigma for raiding players that states raiders are not roleplayers, can never be roleplayers, do not understand roleplayers, and therefore do not belong in a roleplaying community. So if you're a raider and you want to RP, how do you go about setting that stigma aside and enjoying your non-raiding time roleplaying? While I may not be able to give a precise answer to that question, I can certainly share my experiences with it.

Yep, I'm a roleplayer. And a raider.

Continue reading The trials and tribulations of being a raiding roleplayer

The trials and tribulations of being a raiding roleplayer originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 03 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>guideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 03 Mar 2012 18:00:00 ESTHelp your roleplay character along with a character questionnairehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/25/help-your-roleplay-character-along-with-a-character-questionaire/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/25/help-your-roleplay-character-along-with-a-character-questionaire/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/25/help-your-roleplay-character-along-with-a-character-questionaire/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

Who are you? It's the single most important question you can ask about the character you're roleplaying. When making a character, all too often roleplayers tend to focus on one element over any other, whether it's appearance or an accent or that one thing that their character is after. But presenting a character with nothing behind them other than that one focus usually results in a character that's a little boring, a little stale, one-dimensional.

This is where questionnaires come in. You've likely seen variants of these types of questionnaires on roleplaying forums, and they seemed like a fun game. But they aren't just for fun -- these questionnaires are also incredibly useful character development tools. And if you take time to think about your answers, they can provide a lot of helpful insights that will help you answer that all-important question -- who are you?

Continue reading Help your roleplay character along with a character questionnaire

Help your roleplay character along with a character questionnaire originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>character-creationcharacter-developmentcharacter-questionnairesfeaturedguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 25 Feb 2012 14:00:00 ESTQ&A with your roleplaying questionshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/18/qanda-with-your-roleplaying-questions/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/18/qanda-with-your-roleplaying-questions/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/18/qanda-with-your-roleplaying-questions/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

Roleplaying is the very definition of a social activity -- it pretty much requires more than one participant if you ever expect to have any fun with it. But if it's something you've never done before, trying to get into roleplaying can be a daunting prospect, especially if you've got a bunch of questions and no idea how to get the answers. So this week, I decided to turn the tables around and answer a few questions from the roleplaying community over on Twitter.

While I got some roleplaying questions, I also got some lore questions as well. Honestly, that's only to be expected, because roleplay and lore work hand-in-hand.

@Sin_Aliaga asked:

Blood Elf Druids.... can they co-exist in Warcraft lore? And if so, why haven't they tried yet?

Continue reading Q&A with your roleplaying questions

Q&A with your roleplaying questions originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 18 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>blood-elf-druidsfeaturedguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guidepandaren-druidsrole-playrole-playing-guideroleplay-descriptionsroleplay-groupsroleplay-organizationsroleplaying-accentsrp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 18 Feb 2012 16:00:00 ESTRoleplaying for laughshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/11/roleplaying-for-laughs/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/11/roleplaying-for-laughs/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/11/roleplaying-for-laughs/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

Sure, some people want to roleplay serious characters and serious situations. Maybe you like roleplaying the fight against Deathwing, or maybe your character has some major issues in their life to work out, or maybe they've got some dire task they need to accomplish. Everyone would like their character to be important and significant within their circle of friends, whether they're playing the hero or playing the villain.

But there's a different class of roleplayer out there who looks at the Warcraft world in a decidedly different way. You know who I'm talking about -- the class clowns, the cut-ups, the jokers. The roleplayers who can't seem to take anything seriously, nor do they want to. After all, we're playing a game! It's a game with giant talking cows, squid-faced spacemen, tragic werewolves and greedy little green guys who would do anything for a buck. Of course these characters are really fun to play ... but what happens when they go too far? How funny is just funny enough without being irritating beyond all reason? How do you roleplay a comic relief character without going overboard?

Continue reading Roleplaying for laughs

Roleplaying for laughs originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 11 Feb 2012 16:00:00 ESTHow to assemble a character history for your roleplaying characterhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/how-to-assemble-a-character-history-for-your-roleplaying-charact/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/how-to-assemble-a-character-history-for-your-roleplaying-charact/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/how-to-assemble-a-character-history-for-your-roleplaying-charact/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

Last week, we talked about roleplaying descriptions for characters and what should be considered a descriptor for your character. Along the way, I also mentioned that a lot of people make the common assumption that a character's history should be a part of their description as well. After all, part of what makes up a person is everything that's happened to them, right? Sure! But not when we're using roleplaying addons that have a clearly defined spot for character history.

And that clarification is important, because there are still roleplay addons out there that don't have a character history tab at all. Does this mean you should type up your character's history as part of your description? Absolutely not. Descriptions are for descriptions, and history is for history. If your roleplay addon doesn't allow for a character history tab but you're really gung-ho about writing up that history for everyone to read, I'd suggest finding a roleplay addon that has a spot for all that backstory you're dying to tell.

Except for one thing -- you don't want to tell everyone everything.

Continue reading How to assemble a character history for your roleplaying character

How to assemble a character history for your roleplaying character originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>character-descriptionsfeaturedflag-rspguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guidemy-roleplayrole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guidetotal-roleplay-2world-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 04 Feb 2012 14:00:00 ESTHow to write a roleplaying description that popshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/how-to-write-a-roleplaying-description-that-pops/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/how-to-write-a-roleplaying-description-that-pops/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/how-to-write-a-roleplaying-description-that-pops/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

We're taking a break from our whirlwind tour of Azeroth's finest roleplay locations to address an issue that has come up time and time again -- and will probably continue popping up until the day Warcraft closes the doors to Azeroth for good. There are several addons out there for roleplay, and all of them allow a certain amount of customization to help you build your character whatever way you see fit. Most allow for some degree of character description, and some even allow players to write up a brief character history, as well.

But time and time again, players point out errors in the descriptions of others or flaws in fantastical backstories that simply should not exist in the Warcraft universe. So what makes a good roleplaying description? What should it have, and what should it definitely not mention at all? And perhaps most importantly -- what do you do when you run across a roleplayer whose description is blatantly out of line with Warcraft canon, taking liberties with the lore you love?

Continue reading How to write a roleplaying description that pops

How to write a roleplaying description that pops originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 28 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST5 creepy Outland locations for roleplaying evil misdeedshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/21/5-creepy-outland-locations-for-roleplaying-evil-misdeeds/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/21/5-creepy-outland-locations-for-roleplaying-evil-misdeeds/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/21/5-creepy-outland-locations-for-roleplaying-evil-misdeeds/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

It is really odd to see videos of the "old" Outland -- but keep in mind, this wasn't really Outland at all. It was a development area that wasn't accessible to players, and people managed to glitch their way into it. What's really weird about these areas is that despite their age, you can see areas that look hauntingly similar to what we got with The Burning Crusade's release.

Speaking of Outland, it was once known as Draenor, whole and complete just like Azeroth, but the land was shattered due to Ner'zhul's attempts to open dimensional portals across the land. However, Draenor was a dark place even before that moment, home to betrayal, manipulation, treachery. Needless to say, Outland is teeming with raw, evil energy -- and perfect for a villain looking for somewhere to siphon all the power he could ever desire.

Continue reading 5 creepy Outland locations for roleplaying evil misdeeds

5 creepy Outland locations for roleplaying evil misdeeds originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 21 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 21 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST5 Outland getaways for vacationing roleplayershttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/14/5-outland-getaways-for-vacationing-roleplayers/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/14/5-outland-getaways-for-vacationing-roleplayers/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/14/5-outland-getaways-for-vacationing-roleplayers/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

Sure, Cataclysm may have reworked the world and opened up tons of new roleplay spots to vacation in. But what if by getting away from it all, your character means they really want to get away? In that case, you can't really get any more remote than Outland. Formerly the planet Draenor, Outland is the shattered former home of both the draenei and the orcs. Yet despite its being blown into pieces, it still remains hauntingly beautiful.

And it's highly unlikely your character will be bothered while on vacation there. Since Outland is level 60 to 70 and well below what could be considered current content, the most you're going to run into is the occasional alt or newbie leveling their way through as quickly as possible. So why not take your character through the Dark Portal, take a good look around and see what kind of gorgeous scenery Outland has to offer? Here are five pretty good locations for a restful retreat.

Continue reading 5 Outland getaways for vacationing roleplayers

5 Outland getaways for vacationing roleplayers originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 14 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST5 Eastern Kingdoms haunts for roleplaying villainshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/07/5-eastern-kingdoms-haunts-for-roleplaying-villains/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/07/5-eastern-kingdoms-haunts-for-roleplaying-villains/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/07/5-eastern-kingdoms-haunts-for-roleplaying-villains/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

Kael'thas Sunstrider wasn't just your typical, run-of-the-mill villain. When his diabolical plans in Outland didn't work out, he headed to the Isle of Quel'Danas with an even more diabolical scheme. Tempest Keep may have been a setback, but Kael'thas had a contingency plan in place -- and a second lair in which to set up shop. Sure, we may have mowed him down in short order, but at least he had a backup plan, right?

When you're roleplaying a villain, the last thing you want to happen is to get caught and have all your evil plans foiled for good. Therefore, a clever doer of misdeeds should make like Kael'thas and set up a backup plan, just in case the first one doesn't pan out. And if you're looking for a second evil lair (or simply didn't find the appeal in last week's Kalimdor locations), the Eastern Kingdoms has plenty of places in which your evil villain can plot to his heart's content.

Continue reading 5 Eastern Kingdoms haunts for roleplaying villains

5 Eastern Kingdoms haunts for roleplaying villains originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 07 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 07 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST5 creepy Kalimdor lairs for roleplaying villainshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/31/5-creepy-kalimdor-lairs-for-roleplaying-villains/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/31/5-creepy-kalimdor-lairs-for-roleplaying-villains/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/31/5-creepy-kalimdor-lairs-for-roleplaying-villains/#commentsFiled under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

One of the common themes in Warcraft is that if you're a villain, you've gotta have a hangout. Whether it's Illidan's retreat in The Black Temple, the Lich King's frozen Icecrown Citadel, or even places like The Deadmines where Vanessa VanCleef works on her diabolical schemes, every villain in Warcraft has some kind of lair to call home. Usually these lairs are either dungeons or instances that we as players must clear out in the name of good, but sometimes they can be as simple as the cave that the Gneech calls home.

If you're roleplaying a villain, no doubt you have plenty of evil schemes under your hat. But does your villain have a suitably villainous lair to call home? If you're roleplaying a villain who's trying to blend in to the scenery, perhaps you don't need a sanctuary to call your own. Maybe hiding in plain sight is working better for you. But if you're the leader of an evil organization or simply looking for someplace to roost while pondering how exactly you're going to conquer the rest of the world, perhaps one of these five Kalimdor locations will work for you.

Continue reading 5 creepy Kalimdor lairs for roleplaying villains

5 creepy Kalimdor lairs for roleplaying villains originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-loreheadquarterskalimdorkalimdor-roleplayinglorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guideroleplayingrp-guidevillainsworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingAnne StickneySat, 31 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST