World of Warcraft®

Hey guys. I think I've made it fairly clear, both IC and OOC, that I am just not the sort of RP that enjoys casual shenanigans. So I'm doing something about it. I'm tired of sitting in the Recluse and falling by the wayside as I become enraptured by whatever I happen to be tabbed out to.
I want adventure!
The time has come, caloo, callay.. and all that jazz. I'm serious about this. I want to start up a storyline that isn't just a couple of bumbling heroes stomping from city to city, full of breaks and goofiness. Nope. I want something we can revisit and refer to again and again, that ties into Lore and gameplay.
I have my bar set way up high this time.
And I'll totally understand if no one is up for it. If that's the case, I'll start looking off-realm for substantial RP, which I hardly mind doing.
But, if anyone is interested in joining me I'm open to any characters/players, as long as you can be respectful OOC. This isn't a guild thing, it's an ambitious RPer reaching out to her community for a better RP experience.
My battletag is Ketyru#1178, feel free to add me, Horde or Alliance. Just remember to leave a note with your main (or however I know you best) so I don't reject you.
Also, feel free to respond here. I'd love to get a discussion going about bettering our RPing around here. Or anywhere! I have some great ideas I haven't been able to put to work that maybe someone else would enjoy as well.
Many thanks for reading,
Ketyru Pathwander Silverdrune, AKA Manners.

*scratches head*

So... what exactly are you looking for and what problems do you specifically have with the current RP scene? You utilize pretty interpretative terms like goofiness, shenanigans, and substantial RP that can mean radically different things from player to player.

From the tone of your post I get the impression you are seeking a very serious and very structured RP storyline. From my experience the more scripted and static the RP the greater the chance that it will implode in on itself... but that's just me.

Then again if you are alt tabbing during RP sessions you might not be attending the right events. A very unstructured "party" type of event where everyone is encouraged to mingle is great for giving your character a lot of 'screen' time. Of course you have to be willing to put forth the effort and engage in conversation with whoever is there.

I couldn't help by grin a little Kety only because from time to time I have felt the same. Don't get me wrong I absolutely love this community but there have been times when I've wanted a little bit "more" or something a bit "different".
All of my RP experience before wow was limited to a handful of D&D games I ran with friends. I absolutely love that creative free-form experience and have sought to replicate it in-game but have found it difficult, so frankly I've been coasting doing my own storylines (for various reasons) and using a few of the social events to help develop characters, create contacts IC and OOC, or just to fill the spaces.

But I digress....

I'll Btag you and bend your ear a little online. Perhaps something interesting and fun will come of it! :D

That's just it, I have no definition for what I'm looking for, because I've never found it in WoW. Cail came closest; the free form RP that IS D&D. Adventure, reward, fellowship. And yes, I do find the events rather dull (although kudos to Rhu for turning Clinic into a tea party somehow *still boggling*) so I tend to tab out to catch up on the things that do satisfy my interests.
I'm not a fan of scripting though. At all. I attended an event that had scripted pieces and felt so left out and unneeded that I swore I'd never do that to someone else. You want a script? Go to Hollywood. Nor am I interested in screen time. For some people, sure, that's great and they love the spotlight. Me? I love meeting new people and learning about their characters. The quirkier, the better.
Serious I could go for, yes. A campaign would be fantastic, but I'm not sure how to go about that. It could just be the Lull getting to me, after all.
Or perhaps my expectations are too high?

It sounds like we have similar tastes in RP then since I love meeting and interacting with new characters too while also cherishing the friends Mormel has made in game. I'm not sure what type of RP events the Alliance has but there are a few Horde side that are unstructured. The AAMS Lounge Night in particular is great for meeting lots of different people.

I'll just throw out a few personal examples to see if they are what you're thinking of.

Recently Mormel, Rhazin, Swizelle, and Qumie ran a store where they sold dresses, drinks and even held a magic show. The idea for this event came entirely through IC RP and ideas for it continued to be developed via IC RP. We also plan on turning it into a regular or semi-regular affair.

Just this last week Mormel was kidnapped. Trenetir, who developed a dislike for Mormel over several RP sessions, saw her new store as a threat to his tailoring shop and hired Yuuko to make her disappear. This event was entirely unplanned and the idea was presented to me the night Yuuko wanted to make her move. It sounded fun so I went along with it. After Mormel went missing it was up to Rhazin, Swizelle, and Qumie to follow the trail of clues until they finally caught up to Yuuko.

After utilizing a lot of tricks to break through Yuuko's lies they eventually obtained the location of where Mormel was tied up and came to rescue me. Furthermore, none of them know IC that Trenetir hired Yuuko so this will most certainly be an ongoing story to be explored in future RP.

That, in general, is the nature of a lot of the RP I participate in. Like a spider's web one event naturally flows and connects into another event which, in turn, fuels an idea for another event.

I have seen you in the Recluse several times and noticed your openness to RP, sitting at a table casually reading your book and looking over the top of it when people enter or leave.

IC wise Noikona isn’t the kind of person to start a friendly chat with someone, quite the opposite actually. But that’s never stopped her from being involved in four plots comprising of characters from three guilds. So I know it’s possible.

The Recluse is still a good spot to listen in on conversations that might peak your interests. The hard part is breaking the ice and not looking like you are being intrusive.

I always have ideas, as do many others and would love to see if we could get more things happening. I will warn you that I will flee from quick fixes, miracle workers, know it all’s and indestructible characters. I also believe that all plots must have an ultimate end but are subjective to spawn new plots from the end result.

I do tend to take the cannon ball approach to RP, be it tripping a gnome, hurling an insult, kidnapping a goblin or throwing a punch.

And yes Mormel, I play Yuuko too.

That's what I'd like to see more of. Though frankly, Ket just isn't the friendly sort. She's had a hard past, and it shows. She's gruff and violent, not so much endearing and patient. And recently I'd spent time away from the game, and came back to a thriving guild and active guildmates I have yet to get to know.
But, like myself, Ket's an intellectual above all else, and prefers to go off in search of knowledge rather than pick a fight or join another war. Though.. dressmaking isn't really up her alley either. Maybe one of my other characters though...
And I have a few now, they just need leveling! I'm not restricting this to Ketyru at all. This is me, Manners, looking for a more engaging experience. So far I have a Human Paladin, Pandaren Monk, Gnome Mage and I plan on making at least one Worgen and probably a Draenei or another Human...
Alas, if only there were more hours in a day!

<---See me?

I just wrapped up a non-goofy, month long story where I plagued people. I plagued them in a serious manner. I knocked people's toons out of commission for a long time.

RP is what you make of it, it's not always fair to sit back and expect it to come to you, sometimes you've got to dream up the story you want, and find others. Rather than sit back, run forward.

04/03/2014 01:31 PMPosted by Noikona

And yes Mormel, I play Yuuko too.

*gasp*

Your Alliance character is a tentacley space goat!? I insist you sign up to be in the next issue of Dancing Draenei!

04/03/2014 01:32 PMPosted by Ketyru

And I have a few now, they just need leveling! I'm not restricting this to Ketyru at all. This is me, Manners, looking for a more engaging experience. So far I have a Human Paladin, Pandaren Monk, Gnome Mage and I plan on making at least one Worgen and probably a Draenei or another Human...
Alas, if only there were more hours in a day!

If you are not satisfied with RP on the Alliance side then I strongly recommend you make a character to check things out Horde side... unless you absolutely hate the Horde... but that'd be silly 'cause we have goblins! ;-P

<---See me?

We're well aware of your shenanigans, sir! But kudos to keeping the Union busy! And Ketyru I'd be happy to join in on my Horde character if you ever need some Horde-side things going on. (He's an Orc)

Honestly, RPers creep me out.

/waits for "server transfer then" comment.

I have friends here, sooo there's that.

04/03/2014 03:27 PMPosted by Raghnu

Honestly, RPers creep me out.

/waits for "server transfer then" comment.

I have friends here, sooo there's that.

Whyyy did you post here then?

<---See me?

I just wrapped up a non-goofy, month long story where I plagued people. I plagued them in a serious manner. I knocked people's toons out of commission for a long time.

RP is what you make of it, it's not always fair to sit back and expect it to come to you, sometimes you've got to dream up the story you want, and find others. Rather than sit back, run forward.

Hehe, yup! I loved that storyline. I only lament that I hadn't taken more advantage of it and participate, but /shrug I had other things developing at the time :) That's just how the RP Cookie crumbles. I look forward to seeing more of (and perhaps being more involved with) Grim's exploits.

04/03/2014 03:27 PMPosted by Raghnu

Honestly, RPers creep me out.

/waits for "server transfer then" comment.

I have friends here, sooo there's that.

*puts on creepy gnome-stare goggles*
*fixes gaze on Raghnu*

"Hi! My name is Cail! I'll gladly be your friend!"

/creepy-gnome-stare

Going to address the elephant in the room here, and I apologize if I cause any offense: I take a bit of exception to the premise that somehow we're not up to a properly high standard. If you're looking to connect to the community, you should not imply that you think the way RP is done here is somehow beneath you; further points are tallied against you by the fact that you do not choose to participate in server events because you find them "dull" and choose to alt-tab out of them, instead of adding to them in some form or another, not only for your own edification, but for ours as well. Put simply, if you don't interact, how do we know who we're dealing with?

In all honesty, my recent participation in Tyvian's recent shakeup in Stormwind (and my irresistable tendency to compose rambling sagas) aside, I find the best RP experiences I've had tended not to be the stuff that's on the level of a Beowulf-style epic, but in the sitdowns in the Recluse and the aforementioned "dull" events. Which isn't to say I'm not for "big stories"; hell, I've written my fair share over the years, and (like recently) contributed to others'. But the overreaching scale tends to drown out both the "little things" and the overall big picture alike, and ultimately it's the coming together of the "little things" that, in my view at least, make the community.

The title of the thread is "higher standards" for a reason.
There's no elephant, I really am dissatisfied. And as for participating? I did, for a long time, but there's only so much monotony I can handle at this point. The fifteen dollar subscription isn't worth paying if I'm not enjoying myself. And including myself in a glorified version of "Show and Tell" is really not at all what I had in mind.
As for Tyvian's storyline, I had actually not caught wind of it until it was being wrapped up. I stated before that I had not been active for some time, and so the grapevine did not avail me.
I'll poke around Hordeside, but my current feelings towards the Horde are not the best. Though, maybe now that Garrosh is gone I won't feel that way. I'd love to re-level a Tauren or a Goblin. *ponders this seriously*

Rakeri, I don't know how long you've been around, but the community and I rarely get along well. While there are many people here I hold in high regards, the few I don't are also the ones who are beloved by everyone else, which leaves me feeling awkward at best. I do my best to avoid drama, and so I've not been plying AOOC for help on this matter.

I had considered, when I came back, bringing back a character I'd deleted, but whom I enjoyed immensely. However, because of community drama, I decided not to in the end. For once I'd like the guild thing to be an after-thought and not the focus of RP. Guilds are great, but they shouldn't define what our characters are doing all of the time. Or maybe that's just me?

Last week I had actually drafted and planned a series of events that spanned two whole months and was told that the idea was too grand and that I needed to set my sights on something smaller and less complicated. I was not happy with that, at all.
If laid-back, casual RP is your thing, great. But it's not mine, and I won't be sorry for it. I do want adventure, and epic..ness and a big story. I want to interact, not only with the amazing people I share this world with, but the world itself.
Blizzard has built for us a world, in a universe, so immense and complex and I want to take full advantage of that. I love the Lore, the characters they've made and the struggles we've seen (and helped) them overcome. There's a history laid out for us that spans thousands of years with plenty of wiggle room to visit and explore those events and alternate conclusions.

And yet I am to be content to sit in a bar and talk about.. what exactly? What is it our characters do once the wars end and the day is saved? I am not content with that.
But if you are, wonderful! Go drink your ale and chat with your friends. Meanwhile, I'm going to keep searching for people who share my interests and want to make something happen.

We all enjoy different things. I'm not out to critizise or villianise anyone. I'm stating my dissatisfaction as plainly as I can. And if that offends you, oh well. Don't reply, don't speak to me. Because I can't be anything other than myself, exactly the way I am.

You aren't trashing people, you just want commitment and a big, sweeping epica that you can really sink your fangs into.

But can you keep up?

04/03/2014 06:13 PMPosted by Liore

You aren't trashing people, you just want commitment and a big, sweeping epica that you can really sink your fangs into.

But can you keep up?

That's the tricky part right there. As I wrote earlier the more scripted and static the event the more likely it will implode in on itself at some point. Big, sweeping, epica that are deeply integrated into the events of the world... of warcraft have a history of falling apart or becoming very one sided in favor of a few, or even one, player character.

That's one of the reasons why I think a lot of the more active RPers of CC like the casual, laid back, soap opera-ish style of RP events where the characters themselves generate their own, small scale stories by interacting with others. While I am not personally offended I can certainly see why some might view the tone of your thread, or even its title for that matter, as condescending since we certainly do not view our events as "bad" or low standard RP.

Ultimately though RP is about having fun and if you are not enjoying yourself then you are absolutely correct in trying to find people interested in the same kind of RP as you. I personally dislike lecture or really static style RP events and consider them "bad" but others love them. I think god-mode and super special snowflake characters are terrible but there are others out there that eat that stuff up.

*shrug*

Still I recommend giving the community another chance. If you have an idea of a big, sweeping story in mind then try to plant the seeds of it with other characters chatting at the bar. While it might make some time to bear fruit if the foundation for your idea is done IC then other characters will be more invested in seeing it through to completion.

I'll throw out one more example. Recently a character named Iceia vanished during a wedding Outland. It was done because the person wanted to focus leveling an alt, in this case Qumie, for a while and he entirely wanted Iceia's absence to be an OOC thing. However, because there were people concerned about where Iceia had gone they continued to talk amongst themselves at the casual events about what might have happened to him.

Eventually enough interest, done completely IC, was generated to organize a search for Iceia and because of this Qumie is going to be hosting an event next week where two teams will be looking for him. To further spice things up the leaders of both teams want to find Iceia before the other team does because they are both sweet on him.

While this is not going back in time to arm wrastle a giant proto-drake I consider it an epic event that holds a personal investment for everyone involved because it developed naturally IC.

TLDR - Please send Mormel all of your gold at:
3342 Goblin Slums shack#9713,
Orgrimmar, Durotar 63500

Clearly, Mormel, you have the gift of charisma that I lack. I don't have the sort of connections that you do, or I wouldn't be posting. This is sorta my "one last shot before I give up" thing. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have that sort of reach within the player base, I just don't. And there are certain people I flat out avoid.
Would you be willing to mentor a lowly, grumpy Goblin?

The huge RP eventsss we had in the far back timesss usssually only lasssted for a few weeksss, at the mossst, and then devolved into murdering each other near tarren Mill and Sssouth Ssshore, yesss. We evolved into an event driven RP community, with sssmaller ssstory linesss coming and going, yesss. Every now and then, a big event sssplassshed into being, but they alwaysss only lasssted for a week or ssso, and then we moved on, yesss.

I think the longessst running event we were ever involved in wasss our pursssuit of Redearth, and the eventsss which led to our becoming an adopted Tauren-thing, yesss. Other folk have had long running RP, but usssually with only a sssmall number of folk who keep it mossstly private, yesss. Sssometimesss, their ssstoriesss open up to othersss, and you get a brief ssspurt of activity from the community, which then diesss down again, yesss.

What you ssseek would be hard to do in the current climate of RP eventsss and hanging out at barsss, but could be done if like minded folk got together to make plansss, yesss. But, one of the big thingsss to plan for isss that anything you make public will be prone to being changed by thossse who take an interessst in it, and the changesss may not be what you had in mind, yesss. Flexibility will be the key in that cassse, yesss.

We hope you find what you are looking for, yesss!