On the Value of Roleplaying

Roleplaying means different things to different people. Some people think that when playing, they don't talk in a chat window about real life. Some people think they need to talk like they were out of Shakespeare or Jamaica. I always took it to mean that the character one plays should have a history, a personality, and from there the decisions all make sense.

The Wow characters I've spent time with, all had their personalities form by experience. Part of it was my own experience online, part of it by the characters experiences in game, or what they are. Kuan is a shaman, and early on when first entering Stonetalon was told to appreciate nature as shaman and druids are related. So, he appreciates nature, and does not take poison quests. He started out not liking the undead, and not trusting them, and a couple times now he's been tricked into doing poison quests. Also, he dislikes dwarves, hates elves, and likes to pick flowers; he appreciates humid jungles, being a jungle troll. So he ended up wending a path through STV, Tanaris, Ferelas, Un'Goro, Hinterlands, Zangarmarsh... he skipped a lot of quests in there; the poison ones in Tarren Mill, the Bloodelf quests in Falcon Watch. He PvPs. He's Aldor.

Eeyan is an undead, and likes to fight. A street thug. He resents being undead and appreciates what Sylvanas did to free them. He will do whatever he can to promote Undercity, as long as it doesn't involve hot steamy jungles. That hot steam - not good for the undead complexion. Also, he tends to think trolls are stupid. He mines. So, Eeyan skipped all those dumb quests in the marshes and jungles. He goes to the arid places, the cold places, and mines and mines. He fights without thinking, he's impatient and overreactive. And he ignored PvP, becuase there is no honor among thieves. He's Scryer; he relates to the chip on their shoulder attitude they have, the we-got-the-short-end-of-the-stick resentment.

As a result I have two high-level Horde characters with very different personalities and experiences. They took two different paths to get where they are. I got double the fun to play. And it's all based on RP. I am impressed with the design in Wow, sometimes. Kuan and Eeyan picked their Shatt sides based on RP - and look, the inscriptions and reputation rewards are apropos for what they are.