World of Warcraft®

I saw an incident today of a new player getting frustrated because they couldn't get anyone to RP with them, and felt they were being ignored. I tend to see similar advice being given to people when they join AOOC or HOOC, and figured it was time to write a guide.

So I give you http://cenarioncircle.org/introduction-to-cenarion-circle/

(reproduced below for those who don't want to follow the link)

A guide to getting started on Cenarion Circle as a new roleplayer. This is currently under construction. I probably won't keep the copy in this thread maintained, so the latest version can be found at the above link.

A Note for Current WoW RPers
Cenarion Circle probably doesn’t have anywhere near the amount of walk-up RP you’re used to, and tends to be more event-orientated. There are a couple of hotspots (notably the Wyvern’s Tail in Orgrimmar for the Horde, and the Blue Recluse in Stormwind for Alliance), but even these can be empty if you hit them at an off-peak hour. We like to think of our community as favoring quality over quantity.

First Steps
Don’t expect to jump into RP right away. Start off by getting to know other RPers out-of-character. Join the AllianceOOC or HordeOOC channel, depending on your faction. Don’t just shout out “anyone wanna RP?” – introduce yourself, say “Hi, I’m new to the server!” (or faction), and spend some time getting to know people.

Even after that, turn up to regular events or join a guild before expecting anyone to just include you in ongoing storylines. Hang out with RPers in-character, let them get comfortable with you so they know you’re not a godmodder or have some ludicrously insane background story.

Finding A Guild
Announcing that you are “Looking for RP Guild” probably isn’t going to work. Most newcomers tend to be surprised by the following things:

RP Guilds on Cenarion Circle usually have an in-character component to them. They tend to represent an organization in the game world. Therefore, you’ll need to know what type of guild you’re looking for. For example: are you looking to join a military organization? a group of villains? a holy order?
Not many RP guilds will blind invite. It’s too easy to get burned by a new player who suddenly turns out to be trouble. They’re most likely going to want to hang out with you and RP a bit first, and probably conduct an interview (which may be in-character, out-of-character, or a mixture of both) before inviting you.
Don’t be afraid to take time to shop around, either. Don’t just jump at the first friendly people you find – take your time and use the OOC channel to get to know people, and find out where you think you’ll fit in best.

Finding RP
This seems to cause a few problems for new RPers, especially those transferring from other servers, so deserves a few notes.

Firstly, the most likely source of RP is going to be events (check out the calendar on this very site), your guild, and your friends/acquaintences in-game. Walk-up RP does happen, but is comparatively uncommon. Don’t expect RP to occur with the same sort of ease as the LFD tool. The aforementioned Wyvern’s Tail and Blue Recluse are worth trying, and after a while you’ll probably also discover the hangouts of specific guilds and groups.

That said, it’s always worth asking in the OOC channels whether anything’s going on right now. Just don’t fall into the trap of pestering people if it isn’t.

The best way to find RP though, to ensure it’s happening where and when you want it, is to make it happen yourself. Start chatting on the Hearthstone channels (hearthstoneIC on alliance, hearthstone on horde), for example – note that these are purely in-character channels used as a walkie-talkie type system.

I might also add that RP in general has been rather slow lately. Don't worry new folks, it's not just you! Lack of RP is a terrible disease that hits all comers regardless of age, social status, or race...I wish they'd hurry up and find a vaccine for it.

I blame the economy and the heat.

Actually, I've been on more often, just hiding in the air conditioning! However, I'm totally broke, so I might see a leave of absence while I try to find subscription money.

In addition, however, there are at least two lists you can peruse to learn a bit about the active RP guilds on the server. One is at the top, and the other can be accessed by a quick search or asking in the AllianceOOC channel.

If there is anything to blame for lack of rp, it's the end of an expansion. Much like the last few days of class before a long vacation, everyone goes honey badger. Good guide though, you have my thumbs up.

Hindsight after my first post here, might be a good idea to mention when our peak hours are. I've seen people come in fairly early asking where everyone is and why nothing is going on...at 10 am

That's true. I think anyone who logs in at sunup is likely going to understand if things aren't hopping. Activity picks up after noon server-time, and peak tends to be some time in the evening.

Oh, good point about peak hours, ty! :)

This is a quieter realm. And you are right about your guide thing. Most people who are rping in the open are just doing a storyline and if you want to join in, its a good idea to ask in whisper first instead of barging in.

It's common sense really and courtesy. If you are talking with a close relative or your boyfriend or girlfriend and its highly personal, you really don't like it if someone comes running up and talking to you.

Rp is a way for most of us to be immersed in the storyline. We care about our characters and what is happening to them. They become extentions of our personalities. When a new rper comes up and starts chattering away it is very disruptive and may be considered trolling or griefing by some people. Even if that is not your intent.

Best idea is to watch and observe what is happening. If you want to know about the storyline or join in it is better to whisper one of the people and ask if you can join them. And be prepared for a no, not because they don't think you are a good rper, but maybe because they do not have a couple of hours to explain the plot to you.

So my advice to new rpers is find a nice tavern or gathering place and if you like random rp and think you can keep a conversation going, start one! Even if you have an arguement with the bartender on the price of drinks or maybe your trainer is not giving you enough time, anything that makes it clear you are an rper who is looking for some friends.

I would just like to add this here: While I expect to be on a lot less often starting next week, if you ever catch me online, I'm just about always up for walk-up RP in Darnassus. I've spent hours there trying to drum some up. So if you are ever in the mood, come visit me.

This is an excellent guide, especially for people who might be coming here from other realms. I think it's actually harder for someone to break into the RP scene when they're from another realm. Coming from realms where there was a lot of walk-up RP definitely complicated things for me. The rules are different. In fact, there's an example right in this thread here.

08/11/2012 02:24 PMPosted by Karamia

Most people who are rping in the open are just doing a storyline and if you want to join in, its a good idea to ask in whisper first instead of barging in.

On both realms I played on before trying out CC, it worked the completely opposite way. If people where RPing in public, it meant that they where open to others coming up and inserting themselves. Storylines on those realms where done in private or in more secluded areas. Complaining that people where barging in on RP being held in public would get you laughed at.

I'm not saying one of those methods is better than the other, but they are certainly different and it can cause a lot of confusion for someone who rerolled/transferred. There are other differences too.

Heck, I remember the first event I ever came to here. It was really weird to me that the city was empty again 15 minutes after the event. I'm sitting there going "Really? Is that all the Rp these people do?" I sure as heck wasn't finding any and I had introduced myself to the channels. But, thing was, it was a guild's open event and they where continuing to rp in their party chat and I could have been included if I had asked. But I had no way of knowing that at the time.

I was mistaken back then. There's tons of RP here and it's actually really easy to get into if you know how. But when I first came here, I had no clue how to find it because the server's dynamic was so different from what I was used to. Finding RP was different, initiating random rp had different rules, events where done differently. Things that where common on my realms where rude here and vice versa. Luckily, I found some really sweet people who where willing to teach me the ropes. :)

Again, I'm not saying any realm does things better or worse than others. I'm just saying that things are done differently and that can make it harder to adjust when you go from one to the other.

08/11/2012 02:24 PMPosted by Karamia

Most people who are rping in the open are just doing a storyline and if you want to join in, its a good idea to ask in whisper first instead of barging in.

Generally, if I'm RPing in the open, I'm perfectly willing for folks to join in. If I'm "doing a storyline" and don't want interruptions, I won't be RPing in the open.

Ventrillo is a good way to look at it, I suppose.

08/13/2012 02:59 PMPosted by Galahn

Ventrillo is a good way to look at it, I suppose.

It is, but I don't really see an issue with describing the channels as a walkie-talkie or transistor radio in the first place. I'm not really clear on what Sophie sees as the difference, I guess.

A Magical walkie talkie is probably a more apt way of describing it, and also certainly works as an /ic/ explanation as wow has walkie-talkies/radios (but not ventrillo/team speak. lorewise, obviously)

Vent implies names, however, and that you can see who's speaking, etc.

The Hearthstone doesn't have those features.

Ventrilo, walkie talkies, the devil is in the details...I'm not sure how the distinction matters, myself.

Though, I want to hazard a guess that there used to be a visual component to the hearthstone channels if people wanted to use it. Kind of like a webcam, except on a portable device. I haven't seen anyone RP that way in a long time, though.

I didn't even know there used to be something like that... and I've been around for a fair while, myself.

Ventrilo, walkie talkies, the devil is in the details...I'm not sure how the distinction matters, myself.

Though, I want to hazard a guess that there used to be a visual component to the hearthstone channels if people wanted to use it. Kind of like a webcam, except on a portable device. I haven't seen anyone RP that way in a long time, though.

I remember that. I remember when folks were first getting shuffled into the channel by... I think it was Lurial, right? There was a visual aspect but it never really caught on.