When it comes to World of Warcraft, players are often divided into those who love PvE and those who love PvP. But we often forget about a third game mode offered by this title, the Role Playing Game.
Although there are dedicated servers it is still possible to organize yourself if you typically server PvE or PvP and in this guide we will reveal all the necessary steps to be able to live a game experience worthy of Dungeons & Dragons also on Azeroth.
General Introduction
Role Playing is a different way of seeing and playing World of Warcraft. Not only can you play one or more characters, but you experience totally customized events managed by one or more storytellers. As with any RPG, there are cards, rules and roles to be respected. Among them there is the Narrator (sometimes there can be more than one), who has the task of managing events, rounds and controlling the players' actions; he can be joined by "helpers": halfway between the narrator and the players, those who play this role know little about the event and simply follow the narrator's instructions to follow the players' actions. Finally, the players are the real soul of the action, according to their deeds will change the fate of the narrative.
Character Creation
The creation of the character follows the same steps we are used to in WoW, choose the faction, class and race you prefer. The real difference lies in who your character actually is: a master brewer dwarf in search of the perfect beer? A former S.I.7. agent? An orphan who has undertaken the art of arcane magic? The decision is in your hands. Of course it is better to avoid playing characters already present in the lore or closely related to it, imagine saying you are the hidden brother of Anduin Wrynn this could create misunderstandings if not paradoxes in the narrative and would make the game difficult for everyone. The creation of a good background is the basis for a good gaming experience, during our adventures the motivations and characters of our character may change depending on events. To participate in RPG sessions is not important the level of your character, having a high level character means only a greater choice of clothing for transmogrification and reduced chances of being attacked by hostile NPCs during sessions.
Know the story
To get the most out of this part it is important to know a little bit about the history of the world of Warcraft, to do so you can consult:
- Books
- Visit the wiki
- Visit the official website
- Youtube Channels
Useful Addons
For an optimal experience you need to install a couple of addons:
- Total Roleplay, usually abbreviated to TRP, gives players the possibility to access a series of menus to write their character's card, indicate their traits and peculiarities, and get a sort of "business card" to make you immediately recognizable to other players as long as they have also installed the same addon. Thanks to this addon we can create a real D&D style card with all the useful information of our character.
-
UnlimitedChatMessage, an Addon that will allow you to break down the limit of characters that can be written in the chat (255 characters).
The dress doesn't make the Monk, but it certainly makes the Warrior, the Wizard, the Hunter...
We mentioned transmogrification earlier, this option becomes crucial when it comes to role-playing because how you are dressed will say a lot about you. Experts recommend that you always have 2 sets of clothing with you: one "civilian" and one suitable for adventure. Be careful, however, your clothing will not only have an aesthetic value but will directly affect the results of your actions. For example, if you wear an entire plate armor, don't expect great results in skill tests, let alone feel comfortable in your underwear on the snowy peaks of Nordania. Artifact or heavy lore weapons are not recommended for the same reasons you can't be Anduin's brother.
If fantasy (and even a little common sense) doesn't help you, you can visit some sites for inspiration.
How to play
Just as in Dungeons & Dragons, we use the roll of dice to determine the success of our actions. The dice in this case is digital and is represented by the result of the command /roll 20 (which is equivalent to a d20) in the game chat, often accompanied by a series of statistics given by individual character/situation. It is mostly used during fights or strength/ability tests.
But how do you break a character?
They speak in /say (the white inscription) so that everyone can read. Obviously as grammatically correct as possible. Actions are written both in /e and with asterisks. The difference lies in this: with /e (the orange text used by emote as /dances or /bacia) a more complex and articulated action is explained. As for the asterisks, they are accompanied by speech. (e.g. Ludwig says : *suspira* That goblin gave me a hard time, they're small but nimble! *¶¶ He slams the beer mug on the table, a few drops of beer comes out of the mug, dirtying the table ¶¶) If you use the orange chat to describe an action with a player or NPC, you will always "try". You don't have to force anything on others, it will be the rolls, the player or an external judge who will evaluate the success or otherwise of a "try".
Usually you walk slowly, you don't run. To do this there is a command called "turn running on/off" and to turn running off just press the / button above the directional arrows, in most cases. For Rides and Mascots if you want to use or evoke them, you must always provide a plausible narrative. Flying mounts are little used in RPG just to make everything more real, after all the journey is part of the adventure.
Usually it's better not to roll in the raids so as not to generate power play: imagine rolling the Citadel of the Ice Crown, this would make you "He who defeated the King of the Lich" like important characters like Tyrion Fordring and could create strong imbalances within the game group.
Considerations
The role-playing experience in World of Warcraft takes a lot from D&D but also draws from text games thanks to the wide use of chat and in some ways also from LARP especially in role functions and event organization. The possibilities to create stories in the vast world of Azeroth are almost endless, giving players the opportunity to appreciate places and facilities that normally would never visit following the normal flow of content.
That of the RPG guilds is not a hierarchical formation but an organizational formation where roles can be interchanged in favour of a single objective: fun.
