Roleplay

Role playing (often abbreviated as RP) is the act of assuming the identity, actions, and discourse of a character in a particular setting. The "RP" used to abbreviate "role playing" is also the "RP" used in the abbreviation for role playing games (RPG).

Role playing is the act of giving life to a character. This is usually achieved by creating a backstory for the character, or acting/typing in a particular way. Certain guilds are dedicated to role playing and intend all interaction between members to be true to the character they are bringing to life.

Presence

Players may role play anywhere in and out of Guild Wars (i.e. via a forum or social media). Due to Guild Wars's instanced gameplay, role players can create a party to also role play outside of outposts. Be wary of the fact that not all players appreciate role playing in shared locations and may comment on it.

In- and out of character

"In character" (or "IC") is the term for any conversation or action that is meant to be true to the character and the standard form of interaction during role play. "Out of character" (or "OOC") is the designation given to any conversation that is not in character. When role playing in Guild Wars, the different forms of interaction are usually distinguished by using different chat channels, or surrounding OOC text with brackets or similar punctuation before a line of text.

Etiquette

Most role-play communities require their members to abide by a set of rules they will have laid out specifically for their groups. Popular topics covered in a community's rules often include, but are not limited to;

• Killing off or otherwise discouraging another player's characters is often discouraged.
• Using information that is factually unknown to a character as a part of their backstory or interactions (a character cannot be aware of future events even if the player is).
• Plagiarism, or other use of another player's work as your own, is strongly disallowed in some communities.
• When players are required to interact in character, which can range from casually to full time.
• Remaining logical or realistic while interacting with others, as to not break their immersion.

As with all online gaming, it is considered good etiquette to be polite and considerate of other players, their ideas, interests, and stories.

Contents

Role playing does not tend to be very restrictive and its limits are generally defined by participating players. Typical conversations center around Guild Wars lore or character plots, and blend in well with the general plot of the game. Certain players introduce a sense of grandeur in their backstory, which may be frowned upon if the character turns into a Mary Sue character.

Meeting other role players

There are many various player-organized events every year in Guild Wars. Most role play and role-playing events are organized through role play based guilds, though some are organized via community fansites. To find a role-play guild it is advised to browse fansites or forums with guild recruiting sections, or you can browse the respective Guild Wars Wiki category.