#0 - Oct. 12, 2009, 9:01 p.m.
Q u o t e:
Role-Playing Realms (RP and RP-PvP)
If you enjoy role-playing (RP) and would like to imagine that you are an inhabitant of a fantasy-based world, then a role-playing realm may be for you. Players who choose to play on an RP realm should abide by the Role-Playing realm policies and remain in-character at all times. Role-Playing realms give players the chance to develop characters with a backstory who do not simply progress from quest to quest, but instead assist or hamper the efforts of others for reasons of their own. As far as game mechanics are concerned, there is no difference between a Role-Playing realm and any other realm. You don't get special benefits or special hindrances other than the behavioral rules you agreed to when joining a Role-Playing realm.
Role-Playing realms can either be Normal realms or Player vs. Player realms. Role-Playing realms in the Normal ruleset appear simply as RP realms in the realm list; all game mechanics are the same as on a Normal realm. Role-Playing realms in the Player vs. Player ruleset appear as RP-PvP and again, all game mechanics are the same as on a Player vs. Player realm (for example, on an RP-PvP realm you still cannot attack members of your own faction even if it would sometimes make sense from a role-playing point of view).
Okay, here you have defined what an RP realm is. And this is concise and well-considered. The following list, however, refers to a specific Role-Playing Policy, with which I have a number of issues. The biggest issue I have is that the policy is not enforced as written.
Q u o t e:
Things to consider before choosing an RP realm:
Please read our Role-Playing Policy before you start playing on an RP realm.
If you want to create a "real life" for your character, a Role-Playing realm gives you the best opportunity to do that.
You can count on many other players to support you by role-playing their characters too.
There are no automatic game rewards for role-playing, and no game mechanics are altered (if you give a rose to a dire bear it will still try to eat you).
Not everyone on an RP realm will "stay in character."
Summary: If you choose to play on a Role-Playing realm, you should act and speak as your character would in the World of Warcraft setting.
My first issue comes from the comment "You can count on many other players to support you by role-playing their characters too." On my server, Blackwater Raiders, 90% of the population are not roleplayer, or could be termed anti-roleplayers. They believe that roleplay is "silly" and not worth having a server for. They therefore take it upon themselves to join our server and grief roleplayers in order to degrade them and disrupt their time spent playing. The phrase "Not everyone on an RP realm will 'stay in character'" is not only misleading, it encourages the anti-roleplay population to say, "I am not required to roleplay." I've been handed this response myself, and this response has been upheld by some gamemasters responding to trouble tickets.
But for the actual rules and any possible violations, I went straight to the listed "Roleplaying Policy" and posted it here, along with some comments.
Q u o t e:
"In-character actions should yield in-character consequences."--Anonymous
Creating an immersive world that holds true to the "Base Storyline" of the World of Warcraft is the driving motivation behind our Role-Play Servers. While other servers allow you to play World of Warcraft, these servers are intended to let you live World of Warcraft. Within this environment you will embark on long-lasting adventures, foster enduring comradeships, and wage epic wars. Cultivating an environment that allows this level of immersion rests largely upon the shoulders of you, the player. To assist you in this endeavor, we have laid out rules of conduct more stringent than those of other servers. Keep in mind that each section of this policy is in addition to the policies currently being enforced on all servers. If you find another player acting in a manner that contradicts the spirit of the guidelines detailed below, you must first verbally request that the offending player to discontinue his/her behavior. If the actions continue after this request, only then should you contact a Game Master (GM). Remember to be respectful of others' storylines for we must all work together to maintain the continuity of the Base Storyline. Good luck and safe journeys!
If someone is going to harass, grief or degrade you for roleplaying, the last thing you want to do is ask them to stop. It is not reflected in any other policy that onus is placed on the victim to challenge their offender, and in this case it is strictly counterproductive, because it focuses the griefer's attentions right on the player who files their complaint. Now you have a dedicated griefer gunning for you, and creating hardships for you whenever possible.
Q u o t e:
Verbal/Physical Harassment Targeting Role-Players
This category includes:
Players that specifically target role-players for verbal/physical abuse (not limited to offensive language).
If a player is found to be targeting role-players with the specific intent to harass, he/she may:
Be temporarily suspended from the game.
I've never seen this policy enforced in three years of playing. Not once have I ever watched a player harassing a roleplay event suddenly freeze in place and then vanish. Never. And the truth is it should happen a lot. I report players almost nightly for their profane language, sexual references, blatant real-world conversations and inappropriate guild and character names. And nothing changes. Nothing.
Q u o t e:
Out of Character (OOC) Discussion and Use of General Chat
Detailed below is the language policy enforced on the Role-Play servers. Use of the /ignore command is also highly encouraged.
The General Chat Channel should only be used for finding Storylines (SLs), finding Party Groups, and various other discussions pertaining to the Base Storyline (BSL), game-related topics, and continuity.
The General Chat Channel should NOT be used for any "Off-topic," Non-Storyline, or non game-related discussions.
Absolutely no out of character (OOC) or non-fantasy related dialogue should take place in the /Say, /Yell, or Party chat channels.
Guild Chat will not be policed for any fantasy related violations.
All normal harassment rules (which can be found at http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=20226) still apply.
Examples of appropriate conversation in the General Chat Channel:
"Would anyone like to join a Rogue Specific SL?"
"What happened to the Well of Eternity?"
Examples of inappropriate conversation in the General Chat Channel:
"Did you see that new movie?"
"My sister just bought a new car."
If a player is found violating any of these rules, he/she may:
Be given a warning.
Our public channels are rarely if ever appropriate. Conversations range from who sucks one day to which guild broke up over drama the next. I have never, not once, heard of a player receiving a warning for failing to follow the server rules for public channels. Instead. players who would use the channels correctly are expected to turn the other cheek, and leave those channels so they won't be exposed to unexpected or inappropriate contact.
Q u o t e:
Non-Medieval/Fantasy Character Names
This category includes:
Any Non-Medieval or Non-Fantasy names (i.e. Slipnslide, Robotman, Technotron).
All normal naming rules (which can be found at http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=20368).
If a player is found to have such a name, he/she may:
Be assigned a randomly generated name
Be given the appropriate additional penalty if the name violates standard naming rules.
I've reported at least a thousand names, many of which consist of frank leetspeak, multiple words strewn together or nonsensical letters that cannot be pronouced as a real word. I have only ever seen six changed. According to one GM the names "Uhateme" and "Ikilljoo" are perfectly acceptable. I believe this to be incorrect, and would urge Blizzard to more uniformly enforce the naming policies for roleplay servers, perhaps proactively to prevent a rush of name changes from players using tildes to keep their same, inappropriate name.
Q u o t e:
IMPORTANT
This policy is in addition to the policies currently being enforced on all servers.
Repeatedly violating any part of the Role-Play Server policy, as well as any part of the Terms of Use (ToU), will often result in temporary suspension from the game.
Aside from the naming rules, GMs will only take action against players who are violating this policy if the player has already been asked to stop and still continues the violating action.
In playing this game, you will encounter thousands of other players who share different experiences and come from vastly different character backgrounds than your own. Remember to be respectful of those around you. Help us to make this the most immersive Role Play Community in the history of the MMORPG!
Once again, asking the player to stop opens the flood gates. At the very least, you're going to be told to sod off, probably in less appropriate language. And then, if the griefer does receive a contact from a GM, you can look forward to an eternity of /spit emotes, nasty comments, whispers, training and crowding. I can't stress enough how foolhardy it is to ask someone to stop and then report them when the outward impression is that you are now harassing them. Now the griefer feels justified in their attacks, which become more frequent and more nasty.
In the end, I have to say, just enforce the roleplay policy as written. If someone does something they're not supposed to do, don't require that another player tell them to knock it off.
