Something new.

[Bitlordman]

I'm going to try and make this short and simple. I've been on the server for like one year and a half and most of the ''basic'' roleplay I notice is the tavern roleplay. I'm not counting the storylines, important rp's, guild ones etc... I'm talking about the basic one. That one where we just meet up and introduce ourselves or fight or even do other stuff. If we just think for a moment rather than just picking the plain old simple Booty Bay/Stormwind roleplay... why not think of a simple reason to be in Tanaris, exploring the mystical Caverns of Time and meet up there. Why not go in Blashed Lands and think of a simple reason to see the portal rather than sit in Booty Bay and do the same old emotes every day.

I'm sure this post doesn't need to be long to be understood, there are alot of stuff to be said, but if we think for a moment we won't be sitting in the OOC thinking on how we should start a conversation in a tavern or get bored by not having ideas for a fresh roleplay. I'm pretty sure we all have a reason to be afk in the OOC sometimes, but most of the time we stay there thinking on how we should start one. Think about it this way:

If we remove the usual roleplay spots like Booty Bay, Stormwing, Goldshire etc. And think of a simple reason to be in Ashenvale looking for herbs or in Feralas exploring the mighty ogre ruins or make our way into the deeper underwater world of Vashj'ir, woudn't it be fun and a new interesting way to start a roleplay. I'm sure it will be!

[Alpharius]

One of the things I avoid is tavern RP. I can't just sit around and talk about, basically, nothing. Instead of talking about slaying a thousand trolls or beating up dark iron dwarves, let's go out and do it! Or at least if it's walking around and exploring, we could then just make up an adventure on the spot.

I had a friend say that if you're always doing exciting things, then the excitement gets dull. I disagree. If you spend your life flying around an f16, how is that going to get dull?

"So what do you do for a living?"

"I fly around a fighter jet at mach 3."

"Oooooo...."

How does that get boring? Flying around and doing patrols, yes, boring. Doing the same adventure? Boring. So you constantly have to think of new things to do, and there's the challenge.

[Demigod204]

I agree, you just have to get a group started in a certain direction. I honestly hate tavern RP because I always feel ignored.

[Geoni]

If we remove the usual roleplay spots like Booty Bay, Stormwing, Goldshire etc.

The roleplay spots don't need to be removed, rather, the players need to remove themselves from these places if they're sick of tavern RP. I think that taverns are good starting points for exploration or travel RP, because characters can bring up something that they're looking for and find assistance from other characters at taverns. It's a good way to stir up a mini event.

[Dug]

Don't need removal, need to add more RP spots. Simple as that. With that said. I wish there were more custom roleplay locations.

[c0rzilla]

There are many, many RP spots out there already. And with flying available in Azeroth, getting to out of the way places is easy as pie.

It's just up to the players to use what they have.

[Rosencrat]

The roleplay spots don't need to be removed, rather, the players need to remove themselves from these places if they're sick of tavern RP. I think that taverns are good starting points for exploration or travel RP, because characters can bring up something that they're looking for and find assistance from other characters at taverns. It's a good way to stir up a mini event.

I'll quote this because it really covers my entire point.

Tavern RP is what you use to make friends. Whenever I make a new character that doesn't have an event or the like to contribute in, I always plop them in the tavern. Ham it up with people. Make friends.

From there? I go out and explore with them. But that substantial RP is nothing without the impetus. Otherwise it's just awkward, pre-planned meetings in remote locations. And those rarely have the fluidity or spontaneity that really makes for an involved role-play.

[Ural]

I will say one dislike I have with tavern RP is that no one introduces themselves. An hour later or at a departure time it's always awkward. "Uh, I never got your name." Would it be too much to ask for some depth to this tavern RP?

It's disappointing to keep throwing ads out for this epic mini-event you want to do. So talk it up ICly! Brag about how you're going to do X for Y and what it's all about. By the time you're ready to do the event, people will come running. A challenge would be to plan an event by IC word of mouth only.

[Maulbane]

One of the things I avoid is tavern RP. I can't just sit around and talk about, basically, nothing. Instead of talking about slaying a thousand trolls or beating up dark iron dwarves, let's go out and do it! Or at least if it's walking around and exploring, we could then just make up an adventure on the spot.

I had a friend say that if you're always doing exciting things, then the excitement gets dull. I disagree. If you spend your life flying around an f16, how is that going to get dull?

"So what do you do for a living?"

"I fly around a fighter jet at mach 3."

"Oooooo...."

How does that get boring? Flying around and doing patrols, yes, boring. Doing the same adventure? Boring. So you constantly have to think of new things to do, and there's the challenge.

I think this is a way too simplistic way of looking at it. It's also an easy track to start losing track of what makes your character important. Whether you like it or not, people generally don't put value in your character's deeds OOCly - it's their character that matters. How they're shaped by these events, how they react to people, how they react to events with other people. If you've got a character who flies an F16 all the time, but has absolutely no individuality, and the lack of individuality isn't intentional, then there's been a problem.

In your character's case I'm guessing you get your dose of character interaction through travel and finding others in local spots, so I'm not really directing this to you, but I think that it's a very bad sentiment to teach people, that of "the cooler you make your character, the more RP you'll get". Being interesting and cool gets boring, oxymoronically - if they have no grounding, or even just quiet, moments then people RPing them as well as those viewing them from an outside perspective will really have no reason to assume they're not much but a cool-machine.

This is why tavern RP exists, in my mind. Well, for one, it's easy. Almost everybody has an excuse to be in a tavern, so tavern/inn/bed-&-breakfast RP will never be gone (and I think the calls of people asking it to be abolished are funny, because people would find another simple medium). It's a cheap and easy way of meeting new characters, who you could then RP with in more remote areas - you know them now, right? Think of it as a wading pool for RP, where you can play and test the waters in a safe, regulated environment, without having to worry about justifications for being there, character warnings or anything of the sort.

Now, to break free of tavern RP? I dunno, just don't RP in taverns, it's simple. But you don't need to be a heroic guy to do that. A quote that I usually vehemently disagree with involves finding reasons to be in rp, 'no matter how esoteric or roundabout the reasoning'. An accountant with a fear of the outdoors could travel in a carriage from place to place to justify his being in some out-of-the-way town where RP's going on, a blacksmith's son could be going on an errand to god knows where because in that profession, you don't go by halves.

The taverns aren't the issue, it's peoples' lack of drive to find new places to RP. Yesterday, my Tauren RP'd successfully in the middle of Stonetalon Mountains with two other people I'd never met, and the day before my merchant-peddler ended up in Darkshire looking for new commodities to sell (despite his lack of fighting ability). Ya' just gotta think of something, man!

Don't need removal, need to add more RP spots. Simple as that. With that said. I wish there were more custom roleplay locations.

This isn't right, though - we're already inundated with RP spots. Anything with doodads is a potential RP spot (admittedly, preferably without mobs), and you can count those by a dozen and a bit in almost every zone. A little wigwam? Hey, it's a camp my character's sticking it out in. You can use a location somewhere insane and just pretend it's a town that simply isn't on the map - say you go to Nethergarde Keep and say you're in a barracks at Redridge Mountains.

That said, custom RP locations own - the human manor's seem a lot of use, and some pretty creative use too.

[Aethon]

Hook me up for adventure RPs. PM me.

[Bitlordman]

I wasn't clear with my last sentences. My point there was:
If those places did not exist or got ''removed'' were would you roleplay?

And like I said at first they are alot of stuff to be said. The point of this was not to start a conflict but just to show what the usual roleplay in COTH is. I understand if there is a new character that wants to rise his name but... every day the same thing? Doing the same exact emotes?

Geoni did found a mistake I made but my point wasn't a complete removal. I wanted to note that if those places were never in the game where would you go? Or what would you mind think of?

With a few words if we fresh up our minds for a moment I'm sure we can all think of something even more fun rather just the plain old simple one!

---

Another thing that got in my mind. Think about what hordes think of when all the roleplay is at Stormwind.

[FlootsyGaz]

I believe the community does need to start branching out more to other rp spots. I've found that 90 percent of the players spend rp time in ten percent of the world, or areas immediately close to that ten percent. Azeroth is beautiful, and while I don't mind the tavern rp every now and then, BRANCH OUT. The areas of each continent have their own distinct feel and beauty, so try to rp in them.

[Franksta96]

Like what Flootsy said, a lot of the RP is kept in one secluded place really. It'd be nice for GMs (Though I know they have other matters to attend to) to possibly get storylines up for people to join in that take them across Azeroth perhaps? But that is just my two cents really.

[cartoonkarl]

beating up dark iron dwarves

I take offense to this! Har...

But I do agree, tavern rp can be rather boring with the wrong characters. Most of my characters have little to say beyond name, background, drink, drink, drink, drink... drink... Leave...

But Tavern rp can be a necessity, some characters can create contacts there, and have some interesting RP. For some characters Tavern RP is most of the RP and they make it fun. I play Darren, and Darren hates worgen and most other races. If there is a worgen in a bar, it usually leads to a fight, or a fun argument, with others stepping in to hate upon him.

Now other rp is out there beyond Tavern RP. One of the sillier, but still fun RPs I have had was exploring The Hinterlands, Arathi, and Wetlands with PhilGobatto. There were points where we had little to say, but it did get rather fun.

Now exploring rp does have its same amount of boredom, I have been apart of a few 'caravans' of people exploring where we were dead silent... And when we got there they had little to say even after I would try and start up a conversation. Seems it is almost plagued by the same problems as Tavern rp sometimes.

That is all I have to say.

[Dae]

As someone who enjoys playing civilian/unexperienced/weak characters, I find that "mundane" RP of any sort is just as important as action. You don't have to go on a grand adventure, you don't have to go very far. The big issue people have with tavern RP is generally not that its too normal or anything, but that it gives one little chance to actually utilize their characters' physical characteristics/skills.
So if you want to try something new, try something normal. Other than drinking. Have them try to train a horse. Have them build a house. Tan some hides in the wilderness. You don't need an explanation nor an event for these, any more than you do for an armor-clad hero to be chillin' at the bar. The only potential problem here is if someone plays their character as too "pecfect," insisting that, say, because they can swing a sword, they're a perfect carpenter or something. And in that case, a situation like this becomes a true test of one's roleplay ability, no?

Again, though, this still doesn't solve the bigger problem of people hesitating to create non-tavern RP because of the issue of feeling obligated to explain their characters' presence, having to deal with organizing other users into a group, getting everyone together, giving everyone alliance/horde taxi/flight directions and the likes. And as for that, I don't think people should be willing to criticize others on the lack of roleplay until they step up and give it a try themselves. It isn't always cake; and I appreciate the incredible patience that our guild leaders, GMs, and everyone else willing to give DMing a try for the sake of good RP.