A Call For Diversity

[Dukica]

Well, I tend to try to calm myself with guilt-explanations. Foreveralone.jpg.

[CappnRob]

Well my big problem with humans is that they're used for JUST "irregular" RP, and their lore-based RP suffers for it. Outside of the Kingdom of Strom guild, what human LORE based RP do you see? None of it.

[Sourpuddle]

Well, I tend to try to calm myself with guilt-explanations. Foreveralone.jpg.

It's all good in the hood, home-dog. Just keep chuggin'.

I don't know what page I'm on.

Me neither, that's how I know we're on the same page, broham. We're both from 2008, I mean, I just come here for the RP. This is like charity work for me, to help spread the word of atleast decent character development.

[Dukica]

I've got a feeling that only Cappn, Sour and I are only talking (typing, to be precise).

[FlyingSquirrel]

Eh. I'm just in agreeance with Sour, not much else to say.

[CappnRob]

>make thread
>people agree with it so much they have nothing to say so they don't post in it
>not sure if awesome

[Dukica]

Well, this is a server-wide problem, yet only like... a handful of individuals discuss this.

[Sourpuddle]

>make thread
>people agree with it so much they have nothing to say so they don't post in it
>not sure if awesome

Well, I think the real problem is trying to get people to act on it. I mean, it's easy to say that gas consumption is bad, but it really does nothing if you jump in your Humvee the next morning. I can trust Flying's got my back, though, he's a bro.

Something like that.

[FlyingSquirrel]

Yeaaaaa.

I got yo back

[CappnRob]

Well, like I said: I'm challenging players to look at their characters where race is mostly superfluous and consider changing their race to something less-played to bring more color to our RPs.

[FlyingSquirrel]

Well, less played in the culture of the area is what's more played with the players.

[Krent]

So the real question is,

How many of you are making gnoll pirates.

That'll diversify the server up a bit, yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?

[FlyingSquirrel]

Binkleheimer will probably make Magicfang a Pirate.

[CappnRob]

I MIGHT CONSIDER IT.

[Dae]

Now, I first want to say that, for the sake of lore and stuff, you can't really have too many humans. I mean, they're the heart of the Alliance. Occupy most Ally territory? Human. Capital of the Alliance? Human city. Other playable WoW race, come Cata? Also human, sort of.
There are countless legitimate reasons for playing humans, and I don't really mind they acting as a sort of default for many people- in Warcraft lore, they really kind of are. And while I wholeheartedly agree in greater diversity on the server, but I would rather people play human if they do not have a strong grasp on how the history and culture of other races would influence their character.
Humans also tend to find their way into plenty of situations anywhere in Azeroth, so I find that their general versatility can promote more RP in unusual locales and the like, even amidst racial RP of other races.

The same cannot be said about the Blood elves. Not at all. They are an absolute minority, a desperate group of survivors distrusted by many and even the players who do comprehend the culture of blood elves seem to ignore the huge impact that recent history would have upon the High elves. And yes, I just called them "High elves" because people seem to forget that that's totally what they totally are: High elves who placate their addictions with various sources of magic.
They're largely distrusted, and seem a bit aggressive, if the difference between high elven and blood elven voice samples in-game have anything to say.

Their potential for roleplay is more diverse than, say, that of a Tauren, and they can be used to play many roles, from Light-worshipping priest, to the noble farstriders, or a sinister Warlock or a mage thoroughly embracing the blood elven connection to magic. But this diversity is not born from the same reasoning as with humans, who are simply so numerous that they're bound to have someone doing something like that somewhere. The classes of the playable Blood Elves all are derived from a specific part of blood elven history, from the mages, given for an arcane race like this, to Warlocks who indulge in fel to fulfill their addiction and are a part what got the blood elves to be where and what they are, to the priests and farstrider hunters who carry on cultures of their heritage as decendants of Alliance high elves and night elves respectively. Blood Knights are, well, blood knights and everyone should be familiar with them by now, but I dare go so far as to suggest that rogue as a playable race is as much a matter of blood elves being suited physically for the occupation as that it may be related to more roguely-oriented Farstriders and perhaps even infiltrators.

The point I'm trying to make about the blood elves here is that, with pretty much any choice of class, (unless playing a civilian) your character is going to have too many lore-related motivations and influences for people to so blatantly ignore or downplay as is common to do.

That being said, I again attribute many peoples' choices in character creation are colored by a sort of nepotism, as it is simply difficult to not have some degree vicarious intent. And yes, insert my previous argument that one of the reason blood elves are used is because its usually easier to write romance with pretty and what-not.

I just have to say it loud and clear: the player is not the character. Role players (at least on CotH, but presumably most quality roleplayers) are collaborative writers. Playing pretty, extremely powerful or somehow unique characters are so very often related to that feeling of prancing around with super rare equipment in an MMO, and while that admittedly is really fun, it has no place on this server.
Characters should be other people, and their lives just happen to be made clear through your enacting them. I mean, sure, everyone deep down would like to be incredibly powerful, or beautiful or special, but when was the last time you genuinely wished that for a stranger on the street who has no idea of your existence?

This is not to say that powerful characters shouldn't be played, as there is great potential for a good story to be told using them. Same goes for Blood Elves, they have their place and can be quite interesting, but for Heaven's sake, figure out what direction you're going for with a character quick and roll accordingly. If I were some omnipotent internet entity with perfect judgement and if it were up to me, I would restrict rolling blood elves to people who have somehow proven themselves to be very straight with Belf lore, if nothing else than to make all the decent roleplayers I see who have made poor and inappropriate race/character choices involving blood elves choose something else.
But I'm not and it isn't, so that doesn't matter beyond expressing my general feelings on the matter.