The Ultimate WoW Roleplaying Guide: From Newbie to RP Pro

So, you’ve stumbled into the world of World of Warcraft roleplaying (WoW RP). Maybe you’re fresh off the boat on an RP server, or perhaps you’ve been lurking, wondering what all the fuss is about. Terms like “Greetings milady, how are thou?” are thrown around, and you’re scratching your head, thinking, “Is this some kind of fantasy Shakespeare?”

Don’t worry, we’ve all been there! Stepping into the RP scene can feel like learning a new language and social etiquette all at once. Many of us, veterans included, have made our fair share of newbie mistakes. This Wow Guide is designed to be your friendly starting point, a helping hand to navigate the exciting world of WoW RP and avoid those common pitfalls.

Think of this as your beginner-friendly map to roleplaying in Azeroth. It’s not an exhaustive encyclopedia, but a solid foundation to build upon.

Before we dive in, a quick note: while I aim for clarity and accuracy, English isn’t my first language. If anything is confusing, please don’t hesitate to ask for clarification!

Table of Contents

Understanding RP Lingo: Key Vocabulary and Terms
IC vs. OOC: Staying In Character and Out
Names Matter: Choosing a Roleplay-Appropriate Name
Crafting Your Character’s Story: Building a Background
Bringing Your Character to Life: Mastering Emotes
Combat Roleplay: Engaging in In-Character Conflict
The Golden Rules of Roleplaying: Do’s and Don’ts

Decoding the Language of Roleplay: Essential Terms

To start your roleplaying journey, it’s crucial to understand the common vocabulary used in the community. This wow guide begins with a glossary of essential RP terms:

Background: This is your character’s backstory – everything that isn’t immediately obvious just by looking at them in-game. It’s the unseen history that shapes who they are. For example, saying “My character is a healer and is 25 years old” is just scratching the surface of a background.
Combat RP: This term encompasses various forms of in-character fighting. It can refer to Player vs. Player (PVP) combat undertaken for roleplaying reasons, often with agreed-upon limitations. It also includes “emote fights,” where combat is described through emotes rather than game mechanics. Emote fights against the opposing faction are less common due to communication barriers.
DM Event (Dungeon Master Event): Similar to tabletop RPGs, a DM event is a player-run event where someone takes on a game master role. They create a scenario, often using raid warnings to narrate events, describe scenes, and sometimes ask for dice rolls (using in-game /roll command or external dice rollers) to determine the outcome of actions, particularly in combat situations.
Emote Fight: This is a fight described purely through emotes. Players use descriptive text to portray their actions and their character’s reactions, without engaging in actual in-game duels or flagging for PVP.

Example: /e Grimfang snarls, his eyes narrowed. He swings his axe in a wide arc, aiming for his opponent's legs.

Godmodding: This is a major faux pas in RP. Godmodding is when a player attempts to control another player’s character without their consent, often by inflicting unavoidable damage or declaring themselves invincible. Essentially, it’s roleplaying as if you are a god, with no consequences for your actions and complete control over others.
Immersion: Immersion is the feeling of being truly present in the game world, losing yourself in the roleplay and the environment. Roleplayers strive to create and maintain immersion, and actions that break this feeling (like excessive out-of-character chatter in public channels) are frowned upon as “breaking immersion.”
Loldodger (or Powerdodger): This derogatory term describes someone who unrealistically avoids all damage in a roleplay fight, even when it’s logically impossible. For instance, if someone emotes shooting your character with an arrow, and you emote dodging it as if you were faster than a bullet, that’s loldodging.
Lol’ler (or Grief Roleplayer): Another negative term, often used to describe players who intentionally disrupt roleplay or are seen as taking roleplaying unseriously.
Lore: In WoW RP, “lore” refers to the established history and canon of the Warcraft universe as created by Blizzard Entertainment. Roleplayers generally strive to stay within the boundaries of the game’s lore to maintain consistency and believability. While older RPG books are considered non-canon and are used only for inspiration, the main games, novels, and official sources are considered canon.
Mary Sue/Gary Stu: This term describes a character who is unrealistically perfect, skilled, and flawless. They are often excessively powerful, attractive, and knowledgeable without any believable flaws or weaknesses. In RP, these characters can be disruptive and unengaging to interact with.
Poweremote (or Force Emote): Similar to godmodding, power emoting is when a player’s emote dictates the actions or reactions of another character without their agreement.

Example of poweremote: /e Grimfang's blow lands squarely, sending his opponent flying across the room and knocking them unconscious. (This dictates the opponent’s reaction without their input).

RP (Roleplay): The core activity on RP servers. It’s the act of embodying a character and interacting with others in the game world as that character, following established lore and in-character etiquette.
RPG (Role-Playing Game): While related to RP, RPG usually refers to the broader genre of games where players take on roles in a fictional setting. It can also specifically refer to the older Warcraft RPG books, which are now considered non-canon.
RP Gear: This refers to the transmogrification (transmog) or in-game clothing your character wears to visually represent their roleplay persona. For example, a farmer character might wear simple clothes and a straw hat, while a knight would wear plate armor.
RP Hub: A location in the game world where roleplayers commonly gather. These hubs can be faction-specific, like Silvermoon City for Blood Elves or Stormwind Cathedral District for Humans, or neutral, depending on the server and community.

IC and OOC: The Two Sides of the Coin

Understanding the distinction between In-Character (IC) and Out-of-Character (OOC) is fundamental to roleplaying.

In-Character (IC): When you are IC, you are actively roleplaying as your character. Everything you say and do is from your character’s perspective, within the game world.
Out-of-Character (OOC): OOC is when you step away from your character persona. This is for player-to-player communication, questions, or activities that are not part of the roleplay (like discussing game mechanics or real-life topics).

It’s crucial to keep IC and OOC separate to maintain immersion and avoid confusion. Mixing them can be disruptive to the roleplay experience for yourself and others.

Important Note on IC/OOC Separation:

Imagine your character gets into a heated argument with another character in roleplay. Your character might strongly dislike the other character IC, but this doesn’t mean you as the player should dislike the other player OOC.

All IC interactions should remain IC. Don’t take IC conflicts personally and carry them over into OOC channels. Just as actors play roles on stage, roleplayers portray characters within the game.

Your character’s reactions should be based on their personality and background, not your own personal feelings. A stoic warrior will react differently to a situation than a nervous scholar. Embrace the differences between your characters and yourself.

Example: If your character is insulted in-character, your character should react according to their personality. It’s not an excuse to send angry whispers to the player OOC.

Personal Anecdote: Years ago, my fiancé and I roleplayed characters who absolutely loathed each other IC. Their interactions were filled with sarcasm and constant bickering. However, OOC, we found it hilarious and enjoyed seeing how much we could “wind up” each other’s characters. The key was maintaining a clear boundary between IC and OOC.

If you find yourself struggling with separating IC and OOC, try roleplaying a character who is very different from your own personality. This can make it easier to detach from the character’s experiences and avoid taking IC situations personally.

Choosing a Name: First Impressions Count

On an RP server, your character’s name is more than just a label; it’s part of their identity and the first impression you make on other roleplayers. A name like “Gronk” on a Night Elf or “Myvealeas Featherarrow” on an Orc might raise eyebrows. Similarly, names like “McDonalds,” “Ikillyou,” or “Pewpewmage” are generally considered immersion-breaking and may even violate server naming policies.

Choose a name that fits your character’s race, background, and the overall tone of the Warcraft universe. Think about how your character might have gotten their name. Does it have a meaning? Is it a family name or a nickname earned through their actions?

If you’re unsure about name choices, look at Non-Player Characters (NPCs) in the game for inspiration. Aim for names that sound similar in style and tone. However, avoid directly copying names of major lore characters like “Garrosh” or “Thrall,” as this is generally frowned upon and considered unoriginal.

Building Your Character’s Story: Crafting a Background

As you delve deeper into roleplaying, you’ll encounter players with incredibly detailed and elaborate character backgrounds. These backstories evolve over time as characters develop through roleplay experiences.

When starting out, the best advice for character backgrounds is:

Keep it Simple.

A concise background is easier to manage and less prone to lore inconsistencies. It allows you to get a feel for roleplaying and gradually develop your character’s story organically.

Avoid the temptation to make your character overly important or connected to major lore events right away. Claims like “I defeated the Lich King personally and am best friends with Thrall” will be met with skepticism. It’s more believable and respectful of the shared world if you use more general statements, such as “I fought in the Northrend campaigns” or “I witnessed the aftermath of the Cataclysm.”

Example of a Simple Starting Background: “Warsong Orc, around 30 years old, enjoys singing (badly), paranoid about goblins, has a nervous habit of picking their nose.” This is enough to start roleplaying and develop from there.

As you become more comfortable, you can add layers to your character’s background.

Example of Adding Depth: “My Orc character, despite being Blackrock clan, has a deep hatred of fel magic. This stems from witnessing her younger brother killed by a fel orc during the invasion of Outland. This trauma shapes her interactions with warlocks and demons.”

Always ensure your background aligns with established Warcraft lore and timelines. For example, an Orc claiming to be 40 years old but born in Durotar presents a lore inconsistency, as Durotar wasn’t established until after the Orcs arrived in Kalimdor relatively recently in the timeline. If you’re unsure about lore accuracy, ask experienced roleplayers or lore enthusiasts for feedback.

Tip on Character Creation: (Credit to Turrask for this insightful addition)

Racial stereotypes and common cultural practices are guidelines, not rigid rules.

“Just because your character is a certain race, doesn’t mean they have to conform to every racial stereotype. An Undead character can still be drawn to the Light (though it might be painful), and a Goblin can have noble intentions that go beyond profit.”

Embracing unique character concepts that go against the grain (within reason) can often lead to more interesting and engaging roleplay. Not every Orc needs to be a brutal warrior, and not every Troll needs to be a cannibal.

Mastering Emotes: Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Emotes are the cornerstone of descriptive roleplay. They allow you to express your character’s actions, expressions, and mannerisms beyond simple dialogue.

Technically, the basic emote command is /e followed by your descriptive text.

Example: /e smiles warmly. will appear in chat as: YourName smiles warmly.

Emotes are essentially short, descriptive stories within the larger narrative of your roleplay. Instead of simply saying, “My character hits Gronk,” you can create a more vivid and engaging emote:

Example of a Descriptive Emote: /e peers intently at her opponent, a smirk playing on her lips. She lunges forward, throwing a swift jab aimed at Gronk's jaw, putting her weight behind the punch.

However, emote length is important. Keep your emotes concise, ideally no more than 1-2 lines of text. Long walls of text can slow down the flow of roleplay and make it tedious for others to read and respond.

When writing emotes, especially in combat or interactions that could inflict harm, avoid “poweremoting” or “godmodding” by forcing actions or outcomes on other characters without their consent. Use qualifiers like “attempts,” “tries,” “aims,” “seeks,” etc., to indicate your character’s intentions while leaving room for the other player to react and respond.

Example of a Problematic Poweremote: /e bites Gronk savagely, tearing out a chunk of his throat, instantly killing him. (This dictates Gronk’s fate and removes player agency.)

Example of a Better, Agency-Respecting Emote: /e lunges towards Gronk, attempting to bite at his throat in a savage attack, hoping to inflict a serious wound. (This indicates intent but allows Gronk to react and potentially avoid the attack.)

Emotes should primarily describe actions and observable reactions. Avoid emoting your character’s inner thoughts directly, as this is generally considered metagaming (gaining information your character wouldn’t realistically know).

Example of Thought-Sharing (Avoid This): /e wonders why Gronk looks so angry. She thinks he might hate her and begins to feel sad. (Gronk can’t read minds, so this is metagaming.)

Example of Action-Based Emote (Better): /e glances at Gronk, a puzzled expression flickering across her face. She seems to be considering something for a moment before her eyes well up with tears. (This shows observable reactions, leaving Gronk to interpret the reasons.)

Combat Roleplay: Conflict and Resolution

Imagine you’re roleplaying in Orgrimmar, and another Orc approaches you, taunting your character and questioning their strength. How does your character react? Do they back down, or do they stand their ground?

Combat RP provides a framework for resolving in-character conflicts through fighting. There are two main approaches to combat RP:

Pure Emote Combat: This style emphasizes descriptive storytelling and player agency. Fighters emote their actions, and the flow of the fight is determined by mutual agreement and narrative flow. It allows for more flexibility and dramatic storytelling but can become stalled if neither player is willing to “lose” or take damage.
Roll-Based Combat (“Rollfights”): This method introduces an element of chance to determine the outcome of attacks. Players agree on a “health point” system (e.g., 3 or 5 HP each). When attacking, both players roll a random number (using the in-game /roll command or an external dice roller). The player with the higher roll succeeds in their attack. The “hit” player then emotes how they react to the blow and loses 1 HP. The fight continues until one player reaches 0 HP, at which point they yield or are considered incapacitated.

Rollfights provide a more structured and decisive way to resolve combat, but some argue it can feel less immersive if luck dictates outcomes that might not make sense in lore (e.g., a grunt defeating a blademaster purely by lucky rolls).

Before engaging in combat RP, always communicate with your opponent to agree on the style of fighting (emote-based or roll-based) and any specific rules or limitations. The goal of combat RP is to be fun and engaging for everyone involved, regardless of who “wins” or “loses.”

The Unwritten Rules: Do’s and Don’ts of Roleplay Etiquette

To ensure a positive and enjoyable roleplaying experience for yourself and others, it’s important to be aware of common roleplaying etiquette and unspoken rules:

Respect Player Agency: Never inflict injury or death on another player’s character without their explicit consent. This includes indirect actions that could lead to death, such as refusing to heal a wounded character in a way that forces their demise.
Stay True to Lore (Mostly): While creative interpretations are welcome, drastically deviating from established Warcraft lore can be immersion-breaking for others. Avoid claiming your Night Elf is a 20,000-year-old Sith Lord who shoots fireballs in Orgrimmar.
Avoid “Special Snowflake” Characters: While your character should be unique, avoid making them unrealistically perfect, powerful, or central to the Warcraft universe. Characters who are “half-orc, half-night elf, raised by dragons, master fighters, irresistible to everyone” often become difficult to roleplay with and can be seen as attention-seeking. Underdog characters with flaws and vulnerabilities are often more relatable and engaging.
Keep OOC Communication Out of IC Channels: Avoid using public in-character channels like /say or /yell for out-of-character chatter. Using brackets ((like this)) in emotes or say/yell is also considered poor etiquette. Use designated OOC channels like whispers, guild chat, party chat, or general chat for OOC communication. Similarly, avoid OOC emotes like /e - brb AFK for 5 mins.
Beware of Metagaming: Metagaming is using out-of-character knowledge in an in-character situation. Your character should only react to information they would realistically know within the game world, not based on player knowledge of lore, other players’ backgrounds, or OOC information.
Engage and Include Others: Roleplaying is more fun when it’s collaborative. If you see someone standing on the sidelines watching, try to involve them in your roleplay. A simple greeting or question can be enough to bring them into the scene.
Consider Roleplay Addons: Addons like MyRolePlay and Total RP 3 enhance character creation and provide tools for sharing character information with other roleplayers. They can add a richer layer to your roleplaying experience and help you connect with the RP community.

Finally, the most important aspect of roleplaying is to have fun and create enjoyable stories together. If you have questions or need guidance, don’t hesitate to ask experienced roleplayers in-game or on RP community forums. Most roleplayers are welcoming and happy to help newcomers learn the ropes.

P.S. Did I miss anything crucial? Probably!

Roleplaying is a vast and ever-evolving world, and there’s always more to learn. If you have additional tips, suggestions, or advice for new roleplayers, please share them! Community input is invaluable, and together, we can make the RP experience even better for everyone.