Author’s note: Thank you all for your efforts and hard work, everyone!

This guide would

not be where it is today without your support and feedback, and I hope it can serve as a
valuable resource for people to turn to for years to come!

This guide, as stated above in the document title, will be all about the basics of
in-game roleplaying, and will be relatively lengthy -- but not overly so! It will
include examples for you to see, explanations for you to understand, and links to
other very helpful threads and resources to help you learn about the joy of
roleplaying.

Also, since I do not consider myself the best of the best, I am completely open to
criticism intended to correct or better the information provided here. Any
suggestions for corrections, additions, or deletions are completely welcome, and
preferred. After all, this guide is meant to be helpful and insightful when it comes
to in-game roleplaying, not a bunch of drivel that doesn't help anyone or make
sense. Even if you're skeptical about some piece of information, question me! I'll
be happy to answer, and if I'm not available to respond someone else might be
around to do so!
 Table of Contents

I. Basic Roleplaying Terms

II. Preparations for Roleplaying

1. Character Development

2. And the Things You Need To Know

III. Roleplaying Fights

IV. Open World RP vs Group RP

V. Griefers and You

VI. Using Online Resources for RP

VII. Transitioning to Forum RP

VIII. Helpful Links Compilation

I. Basic Roleplaying Terms

Many people will abbreviate lengthy words to make them much easier to type
out-of-character, or use words to refer to literary terms that many roleplayers are
aware of. As a starting roleplayer, many will assume that you already know these
acronyms/words and use them in conversation. Of course if you've never seen
these, then this will be a great help to starting your roleplaying experience. These
following terms are the ones I find to be the most frequently used, minus ones that
the player base generally already knows. (I will also be using a few of these terms
throughout the rest of my posts.)

RP – abbreviation of "Roleplay". You might have seen this acronym used

before.

IC – abbreviation of "In-Character". This includes your character's

movement, actions, or anything that you are doing to portray your character.
(ex. “Elune be with you, Priest.”; "/e flourishes to life at the mention of her
brother.")

OOC – abbreviation of "Out-Of-Character". Essentially, this means

anything involving the game that isn't IC. This usually includes anything
outside of whispers, emotes, and /say, but depending on your dedication to
roleplaying you may have more or less that is included here. (e.g., "OMG
925ilvl!!!1 That's BIS for me!”; "Gratz on lvl 81 bruh")
Note: People generally use some sort of bracket or symbol around their
OOC text to differentiate it. The most common is the ((double
parenthesis)), but this varies from roleplayer to roleplayer.

God Mode/God-moding – Controlling others’ characters and not allowing

them a chance to respond or give input. Generally, people who do this to
their characters are avoided, ignored, shunned, or yelled at. No person
should EVER do this with their character, ever, in an organic RP situation.
Often connected to Mary Sue and Gary Stu, as it is one of their more
common qualities. (e.g., “Gigantus swung his massive sword and
decapitated Bruticus in one clean swing.”)

Mary Sue/Gary Stu – An attempt by a self-centered roleplayer to make

their character 'perfect'. Generally, these characters end up incredibly bland
or they essentially become some sort of ‘perfect’ version of the roleplayer -
which can end up with very frustrating situations for those RPing with them.
This can overlap into God-modding. (e.g., someone talking about being a
mind-reader and ‘anticipating’ everything everyone else does, not letting
themselves die or be injured in any fight, being a master in all professions
while being an awesome fighter/spellcaster, being ‘the best’ at pretty much
everything, etc.)

Powergaming – Making your character insanely powerful. Usually, this is

used in more extreme cases to call out people who are making their
characters capable of things even lore heroes are having trouble doing. This
can be mistaken for and overlap into Mary Sue or God Modding, as all three
are labeled as “RP Don'ts”. (e.g., “Morodor tore one of the icy pillars of the
Lich King's throne out of its place with ease, and threw it towards Arthas in
lightning speed.”)
II. Preparations for Roleplaying
1. Character Development

Alright, so you probably get the gist of what roleplay is just from the definition,
and maybe you've seen some people roleplaying out in the world. Building off of
that little bit of knowledge, we'll start with one of the most essential parts to it –
defining who and what your character is. Of course I'm talking about image and
personality, but I'm also talking about their history or past. Consider what kind of
character appeals to you the most. Does the idea of being a small-minded
townsperson appeal to you? A wandering merchant? A mercenary? A soldier in the
ranks of your faction's army? A hero on break from the latest world-ending ordeal?

I would consider this the most important thing to do before you roleplay, as it will
also help acquaint you with the world. Moreover, I highly suggest doing it so you
know what is or isn't taboo for your race, class, or faction lore-wise, and generally
what you should expect from the various races in Warcraft. This will require some
research on your part or help from someone who's knowledgeable about the
Warcraft lore, but I assure you that it will be the best thing you can do to help
yourself.

If you're entirely clueless on where to start, and don't even know what you want to
roleplay as, this guide may be something you'd like to take a look at first – to help
make up your mind and inform you a bit more on fleshing out your character. It's
an older thread (with one or two lore inaccuracies), but it's still an excellent read
and is still quite relevant.

In-Depth Character Development Guide Redux

MANY more questions and their answers can be found here in the Roleplaying
Question Collective.

Lastly, before I go to the next section -- keep the power of your character relatively
toned down. No one wants to hear about how you solo'd Nefarian and Kel’thuzad
when it's lore-breaking to do so. Everything in the Warcraft world should take
some relative amount of effort to kill or defeat, and raid bosses should be as
difficult (or nearly impossible) to defeat as they were when they were raid
progression.

Imagine your character is at the appropriate level for the content. They won't be
able to just waltz into Molten Core and solo it, and they'll need to make quite a bit
of friends before they even think about going in there. Going by your character's
relative power this way is acceptable; using your character's in-game, raw power is
unadvised.
II. Preparations for Roleplaying
2. And the Things You Need To Know

Now that you have your character's history, appearance, and other details taken
care of, I think it's about time that I introduced you to some essential addons. I'll
only list the two that I think are worth mentioning prominently, because there are
many roleplaying addons out there for more specific purposes and I'm not going to
walk you through all of them. These are just the basic ones that I personally feel
are essential to the experience. Without one or the other of these two, you will have
a much harder time looking for and engaging others in RP.

Total Roleplay 3 (abbreviated TRP3) is a roleplaying profile addon that

allows both a physical character description and a spot to write in the history
of your character - however much or little you'd like to give away. You can
also put in your character's height, weight, what emotion they're feeling at
the time, where their hometown is, what House they are from if they are of
any notable lineage, etc. There is also an ‘at a glance’ section people can
view just by selecting your character (and not even viewing your profile). It's
in-depth, with a lot of customization features you can't find elsewhere.

MyRoleplay (abbreviated MRP) is much like TRP3, though it's much more
lightweight and with less of the customization. If you're not a fan of having
options out the wazoo, this might be the better choice of the two for you.
NOTE: It is also important to mention that if a player has MRP, they can
still read the profiles of those that run TRP3, and people that are running
TRP3 can read the profiles of those using MRP, so just pick the one you
like the most!
Again, there are many other roleplaying addons out there, but I'm only naming the
two I feel are the most essential to helping you enjoy your RP experience. You will
probably have a MUCH better time looking for roleplay with these addons than
you would without, and in some realms it is the only way RP still lives... so keep
these in mind.

Another great thing to know before you start to roleplay is to try and be outgoing.
If you aren't asking to join roleplays (out of character), there's a good chance you
might be ignored. Griefers are everywhere, and roleplayers that are experienced
with them often ignore people who actually have intent to RP, and instead of just
jumping in, ask them (in ((parenthesis)) or in a PM) if you can join.
III. Roleplaying Fights

Before I go on any further, I believe there is a must-read post pertaining exactly to

this, as it is incredibly informative on this topic.

18 Tips on How to RP Fight Correctly

Now, If you are unfamiliar with how to fight in RP, think about boss fights, DnD,
and stories with combat as a focal point. Sure, you may not be able to re-enact that
awesome flip or that awesome sword-to-throat scene with your character’s model
or abilities, but anything is possible with emotes.

“That seems really hard to do when a duel goes by so fast, Firi. I don’t have
lightning fingers! How am I supposed to do that?”

Well, something important to keep in mind is that not all RP fights will be duels!
Some may be done purely through rolling, and some might be purely emote-based.
But yes indeed, fighting in RP may seem very difficult (because you have to say
some things between hits, etc), but over time, it will become easier and more
natural to you, especially with helpful in-game tools and addons to aid you.

There are several ways to roleplay a fight, and many of those ways include a macro
for health percentages (on your part and according to your opponent's health) and
special abilities, or using an addon (like SpeakinSpell) to attach sayings and
emotes to broadcast with your skills and abilities. You can either speak only at the
beginning and ends of the bout, or you can be completely vocal and speak during
the fight. It all depends on what you would feel most comfortable with, or what the
situation calls for (see my paragraph below my fight example).
I'll provide one example, but please, do not follow it as if it is how it should be
done. It is only one way of roleplaying a fight, and is only meant to show a basic
example of what it is like fighting in a roleplaying battle.

% indicator-type fight:

Rok readies his weapon.

[Rok] says: You're going down, pup.
Daneil snarls, tightening his grip on his sword and shield. His feet shift as he shifts
into a defensive stance.
Rok charges at the blood elf, not intending to stop for any reason.
<normal combat -- Rok at 80% health, Daneil at 40%>
[Rok] says: Hah! Is that all you got?
Daneil pants with exertion as he strikes again, adrenaline easing his pain.
<normal combat -- Rok at 60%, Daneil at 20%>
Daneil grimaces fiercely as the axe finds a weak point in his armor and bites into his
flesh again.
Rok grins.
<Duel end, Rok wins with 60% health>
Daneil kneels, his breath coming out in harsh pants as he covers his shoulder wound
with his hand. Blood oozes from around his shaky fingers.
[Rok] says: Just what I expected from a wimpy knife-ear like you -- all bark, but no
bite to back it up. Come and challenge me again when you're actually capable of
fighting, whelp.
Rok walks away with a wolf-like grin, heaving his axe onto his shoulder as he makes
his way into Orgrimmar.
Annabiele runs up to Daneil, kneeling beside him as he kneels there, obviously
hurting badly.
[Annabiele] says: Daneil, you need to be healed. Let me do it.
Daneil shoves Annabeile away with a shaky push. He stands up unsteadily, and he
looks almost about to fall over. He begins to limp toward the Orgrimmar gates, but
looks back at Annabeile before continuing.
[Daneil] says: I don't need your sympathy, Anna.... I'll heal on my own.

Make sure you ask your roleplaying partner (whomever you're fighting) how they'd
like to go about fighting before you actually fight. Mention that you are new to
roleplaying, and they'll probably suggest going with the not-so-vocal choice, but if
they do choose the more vocal version of fighting, be prepared! Have any macros
or vocal ability addons ready!

"But Firi, <player> is a higher level than me, and he'll beat me in one swing!"

Don't fret! There are other ways of going about duels in roleplay, just as there are
genres and styles in roleplaying. If there is a considerable level or gear level
difference between the both of you, go about the duel verbally (and only as such),
and use emotes to make your actions come to life. No one ever said that you have
to initiate an in-game duel and depend on RNG to roleplay a fight, and you don't
have to!
IV. Open World RP vs Group RP

You've probably logged onto an RP realm at least once and have seen the people
running around or conversing with one another. However, you may not be sure
how to approach a giant group of individuals chatting away at the front of the inn,
and you're not quite positive that the group over near the blacksmith is willing to
let you join their RP session.

If you're unsure if you can join someone, ask a person (whispering them in (())'s) if
the RP they're taking part in is open or group, and ask if you can join in.

“What's the difference, though?”

Open World RP is just another term for roleplay that's open for anyone to join, and
is held in a place that is easily accessible. Group RP just means that you have set,
specific people roleplaying a particular topic, and it can be either open or closed to
outside roleplayers.

“But why do some people close off their RP, Firi? Am I not good enough?”

Usually, no. Some people roleplay specific storylines and would like to keep others
out of their roleplay because they don't want to risk any derailment, and perhaps
they don't want to have room for anyone to alter or change what will happen later.
Perhaps it's not that deep and it’s just their preference; they'd rather not have
people butt in and interrupt conversations between their characters. Perhaps you're
somewhat right, and they bar off their RP because they only want very experienced
people (something others might call them ‘elitist’ for).
There's a multitude of reasons for people to close off their roleplay from others,
and if you're curious enough, you can ask (nicely) why. If you want, you can even
ask them if you can join, and find out how you can become an addition to their
roleplaying story. If you get in – great! If not – then you made an effort, and that’s
nothing to feel bad about. There are plenty of other RPers out there that you will
come across. It will add to your experience as a roleplayer, and will help you to
learn more about roleplaying – if not how to go about it, then about the roleplayers
on your realm (which can be equally as important).
V. Griefers and You

"Hey Firi, I just started roleplaying and just recently, these people have been so
rude to us! My RP partners don't even feel like roleplaying anymore because of
them."

People who do such things are considered griefers. Griefers are, in simple terms,
people who enjoy disrupting the roleplay of others, whether it's by purposely
godmodding their character and barging into RP, spamming local chat channels, or
just trying to make you and your fellow RPers angry and want to quit.

There are several ways to go about dealing with them, and the first thing, before I
say anything about them, is that you do not respond to griefers. If you are
familiar with Trade chat or any of the lower-level General chats, then you can
probably draw a correlation between trolls and griefers.

Griefers spew random things, act obnoxiously, or become disruptive to gain your
attention and elicit a response, which is the exact reason why you don't respond to
them. This will disrupt your roleplay, and eventually lead your RP friend(s) to
stopping for that time being.

My best advice? Report them and /ignore them. If you can right-click their name
and "Report Spam", that also works very well, since it reports AND ignores them
(at least for the time that you are on). As for their visible character, nothing can be
done about that, but try your best to ignore it. If they create multiple characters (or
seem to be multiple characters) to overcome you ignoring them, then you should
report those for harassment as well.
The only other thing you do NOT want to do is disperse and end your roleplaying
because of the griefer. That will only encourage them to do it to other groups of
roleplayers, and continue their immature actions.
VI. Using Online Resources for RP

To successfully roleplay in most in-game settings, you'll need to do your

homework first. I'm not telling you to buy all the Warcraft books in Barnes &
Noble and read them until you know them word-for-word, but at least be
up-to-date on the lore of your race and those your character associates with.

Lore is essential to roleplaying, and it is the job of the roleplayer to fabricate a

story that fits it very well. The more you know, the more potential you have for
making a really awesome RP experience for yourself, so I suggest reading articles
on WoWpedia about the things you're interested in.

WoWpedia

Also, unless you're pretty confident in your writing skills, practice writing and
using proper grammar/punctuation. A few flubs here and there are okay, but
roleplaying is mainly typing in most cases. You don't want people to see your
dialogue and go "Man, that guy looks like a newbie". You want to immerse
yourself into the community and make a lasting, great impression on people -- and
that means conveying your thoughts and actions in a manner that hits well with
other roleplayers.

For example, look up other words for 'ran' to spice up and specify your dialogue.
Think of (or look up) other words that give more feeling to what your character is
doing, or better express what's described or happening. In the case of 'said', you can
use 'drawled' for a bored, lethargic sentence, 'rasped' for a hoarse or weak sentence,
or 'roared' for a powerful, frightening sentence.

For quick reference online, you can go to one of the two links below and look for
synonyms (using the thesaurus).
Thesaurus, part of Dictionary.com
Merriam Webster Online

Writing in roleplay is just as essential as making a great character and knowing

your lore, so it's important to improve on it when you can (if you need to, that is).
VII. Transitioning to Forum RP

So now you've pretty much gotten all of the info you need for RP in-game, but now
you're curious about how the forum RP works, right? Well, a little bird told me that
a gnome named Meep has made a post specifically to introduce others to forum RP.
Now that you've read this guide, it should clear a lot of things up regarding the
basics of roleplaying.

Meep's Guide to Forum Roleplay

It's a really awesome guide, and I recommend that you read this, even if you aren't
intending to roleplay on the forums.
VIII. Helpful Links Compilation

Below is a reposting of the links to guides (and a few additional resources) to help
you start your journey in roleplaying.

Roleplay Development Guides

In-Depth Character Development Guide Redux
Roleplaying Question Collective
Meep's Guide to Forum Roleplay
18 Tips on How to RP Fight Correctly

Classic Addons
Total RP 3: Classic
MyRoleplay

Retail Addons
Total RP 3
Total RP: Extended
Note: This extension gives you an RP inventory, allows you to make items and
even place them on the ground, create your own quests, etc!
MyRoleplay
XRP
Note: This addon is like… the lightweight version of MRP, which is already more
‘lightweight’ than TRP. It’s absolutely the most bare bones of all of the RP profile
addons, and is still 100% compatible with them!

General Resources
 Wowpedia
Thesaurus, part of Dictionary.com
Merriam Webster Online

This is the end of the guide. Thank you so much for taking an interest in RP! I’m
sure you’ll be glad you did!