Roleplay Networking

[Izrail]

I have an idea for a sticked thread in the official Wow Discussions forum that is a sort of LFG for RP. People would post a brief description of what they have and what they are looking for, whether they are interested in an active or passive storyline and such. This could be a player wanting childhood friends or enemies for their character or an NPC organization seeking more members; primarily establishing background and relationships. Azeroth is big, but not that big, and it could be fun to tie our character's histories and our unique settings in with each other. It would be more effective than asking around blindly, and having an optional structure set in place can help more timid or inexperienced roleplayers find a storyline to get into, in addition to providing a jumping point for people who are looking for ideas for their next alt, or their main.

Here are examples of what I mean:


Character/Link to Bio: Lady Gabrielle D'Esreth (http://wow-tng.org/showthread.php?t=4546)
Is looking for: Player or player-made NPC characters who lived in or visited Dalaran before the Scourge. Gabrielle is something of a lore-keeper and enjoys telling stories of The Violet City (http://wow-tng.org/showthread.php?p=67944#post67944); she prides herself on knowing about much that went on there.
Restrictions: I like challenges, but no god-moding please.
Level of RP desired: Medium. I am not interested in an intense storyline with Gabrielle; just laying the foundation for past relationships.
Misc. notes: None.
Contact: PM Gabrielle or Izrail using the TNG.


Or:


Organization: The La Croix Circus, a macabre Forsaken circus that has travelled throughout Tirisfal. The most popular aspect of their show is the creative torment and tortue of captured Scarlet Crusaders.
Is looking for: Patrons, performers, and victims.
Spoken-for characters: The owner: a violinist, singer, and stage magician named Belphegore La Croix; his wife Barbella, who plays a pipe organ; their unofficially adopted and unnamed daughter, a masked knife-thrower; Magali Daystar, a banshee singer new to the show.
Established characters not spoken for: A leper gnome brass band, half-assed clowns, a skeletal pony rider, escaped or rescued Scarlet Crusaders, various technicians. Other creations are welcome.
Restrictions: You must read Cirque Grotesque (http://wow-tng.org/showthread.php?p=72837#post72837) and Pyrotechnics (http://wow-tng.org/showthread.php?t=5128) to get an understanding of the show and the established characters. No using the established and spoken-for characters without permission.
Level of RP desired: I am open to ongoing storylines with characters who were involved in the circus somehow as well as forming a common background between characters.
Misc. notes: This listing officially opens and will be updated when Visant and Izrail finish Pyrotechnics.
Contact: PM Izrail through the TNG.


Or:


Setting: Red Buzzard Trails, a campground in Westfall for Alliance children.
Description: Located perilously close to Defias settlements, Red Buzzard Trails is a summer camp for Alliance children that trains them in the ways of the Light and prepares them for battle. Age-appropriate activities are provided and living conditions are challenging. Parents must sign a waiver.
Is looking for: Guidance counselors, parents, and children past and present.
Established characters: None, I just made it up.
Restrictions: Free-for-all.
Level of RP desired: That is up to the players who use the setting.
Misc. notes: /join rbtrails for fun channel RP!
Contact: Someone else please take this over, I am Horde.



What do you think?

[Thaena]

I think it's a fabulous idea. The only thing I'm iffy over is stickying it in the main wow forums just because there are already so many stickys there I'm afraid it'd get lost. But, I'm not sure where else to put it.

Awesome ideas though!

[Skafloc]

I think it's a fabulous idea. The only thing I'm iffy over is stickying it in the main wow forums just because there are already so many stickys there I'm afraid it'd get lost. But, I'm not sure where else to put it.

Awesome ideas though!


My feeling is it would fit perfectly within the LORE forum. That forum is woefully underused and might benefit from being modified to include:

LORE/ROLE PLAY DISCUSSIONS

Really, when you think about it LORE Discussions and ROLE PLAY Discussions go hand in hand.

[Niethan]

I approve!

[Izrail]

My feeling is it would fit perfectly within the LORE forum. That forum is woefully underused and might benefit from being modified to include:

LORE/ROLE PLAY DISCUSSIONS

Really, when you think about it LORE Discussions and ROLE PLAY Discussions go hand in hand.


That makes more sense than General, because the purpose of the thread would be to establish the RP lore of the server. ^^ I do not think a title change is necessary because that could cause confusion.

[Thaena]

If you want to start the post in the Lore forum Izrail I'll make sure it gets a sticky.

[Darkweald]

What doesn't have a sticky in the Lore forums? ;)

No no, that's where it belongs, certainly. Great idea, Izrail.

[Mortica]

I will see what I can do. I disagree with it being in the Lore forum though. I know that forum doesn't get as much use now that Enheilras isn't around to argue about whether Thrall's left middle toe has a hangnail or not. But it's still there for "official" lore.

Let me think about it and I'll see what should be the best placement for it.

[Darkweald]

Whatever happened to the TNG wiki idea? This might be a good sort of thing to incorporate into a wiki. I mean, organizations and such should have a wiki page, and you could easily include that they were open to new individuals and plotlines.

[Zyerne]

I think this is a great idea. It could really help people who want to break out into the rp community but aren't really sure how to contact anyone to do so.

[Mortica]

Whatever happened to the TNG wiki idea? This might be a good sort of thing to incorporate into a wiki. I mean, organizations and such should have a wiki page, and you could easily include that they were open to new individuals and plotlines.

It's still in the works. Having some technical difficulties that should be gone in a week or so.

[Shadowspeak]

now that Enheilras isn't around to argue about whether Thrall's left middle toe has a hangnail or not

hahar!

[Izrail]

I will see what I can do. I disagree with it being in the Lore forum though. I know that forum doesn't get as much use now that Enheilras isn't around to argue about whether Thrall's left middle toe has a hangnail or not. But it's still there for "official" lore.

Let me think about it and I'll see what should be the best placement for it.

I always appreciate knowing more about lore; if Raziel or anyone else ever feels like pontificating they will have an avid listener. ^^

Please let me know when and where to post the thread, Mortica.

[Evanthe]

I think it should be more than just one thread- that would get cluttered too quickly and there wouldn't be enough room for people to expand on ideas. Perhaps part of another forum?

[Izrail]

My idea was that ideas would be exchanged via PMs. There would be a few reserved posts at the beginning, which I would update to include links to the various ideas being posted, organized by faction and type; something like stickied guild listings in some forums. I am not sure we need yet another forum!

My only concerns with the Wiki is that it is not so interactive, but I am sometimes resistant to change so I do not trust my opinion on that matter.

[Niethan]

It could always be an addition to the Character Bios.

[Evanthe]

I don't think we necessarily need -another- forum; although I do think there are some under-utilized forums that could be combined with others (i.e. the other realm forums with the main WoW forum, perhaps the other realm tales and the non-Wow tales forums) to streamline the forum options. If this is the case then maybe another forum would be available for this sort of OOC plot discussion.

In any case, I don't think that one thread is sufficient- it will quickkly grow to an unmanagilbe size and may put people off to sifting through it. Just a thought.

[Icia]

If you ask me, I think we should see how well the wiki gets used for various things like this before trying to rearrange forums. I can bet that once we start finding uses for the wiki, a lot more ideas will be popping up for it.

[Leoren]

I <3 this Idea. Absolutely Brilliant.

[Izrail]

I don't want to be a nudge, but... Are we waiting for the wiki or will this idea eventually be put into place on the forums?

[Mortica]

http://wiki.wow-tng.org

go have fun.

Hopefully this weekend I'll have time to redo the navigation so people will be able to find it easier.

Actually, i'll just make that forum live...right now.

I've also got a suggestion from Faelen that I want to implement this weekend as well.

[Izrail]

I have no idea how to contribute to a wiki but will add it to my list of things to master. ^^

[Qabian]

I have no idea how to contribute to a wiki but will add it to my list of things to master. ^^

You can "edit" other peoples' pages and see their formatting. That's the best way to learn. Helpfiles tend to be less than helpful. Although, if you're nice, you won't save changes you make to other peoples' stuff without asking them first. :D

[Izrail]

I had to Google to even find out how to create a page.

[Mortica]

The easiest way to create a page is to link to it from a page already created. For instance, if you wanted to add your character, you'd go to the character listing page, edit the appropriate section (horde/alliance, then there is some alphabetical breaks) and copy/paste one of the other names (so you don't have to worry about the proper formatting), edit their name to your name. Save your changes.

Now check through some of the other character pages until you see a format you like. Click the "edit this page" button and copy everything they have (don't change anything though!). Go back to the character list, click your name. Edit the page and paste in the other character's information. Now go through and change all the information so it is YOUR page. Save it, and voil&#224;!

[Evanthe]

You can "edit" other peoples' pages and see their formatting. That's the best way to learn. Helpfiles tend to be less than helpful. Although, if you're nice, you won't save changes you make to other peoples' stuff without asking them first. :D


Yup, I totally copied Q's formatting for Evanthe's page. Best way to learn how to do something is copying others.

[Izrail]

Taknar's and Malethia's posts made me think of this again. The wiki is a good information base but not something that lends itself to discussion. Another idea is to have a Storycrafting section for networking as well as general writing advice.

Thoughts?

[Mortica]

so what would be in this "storycrafting" section, exactly? I think I have a vague idea, but not entirely sure.

[Izrail]

My main idea is for the RP Networking to have a place. Kiara also made an RP networking flavored post when she asked about people with a history of the Scarlet Crusade, so that along with Taknar's and Malethia's threads tell me that if we had a section for things like that it would get a lot of use. To pitch the idea further, I think that if we had one then everyone's stories would become more intertwined instead of each player character residing in their own version of Azeroth. It would also help newcomers fit in by giving them opportunities to weave their stories in with established characters.

If the Storycrafting idea is implemented it would be used for the networking idea as well as idea brainstorming, writing or roleplay questions and advice, and critique for those who ask for it. The focus would be on improving our writing skills and strengthening our stories.

Both of these ideas would help foster a greater sense of community by encouraging fellow roleplayers to get involved in each other's stories. Some of it already happens in a casual or unofficial matter or between long-standing roleplay buddies, but having its own official place on the forum would greatly increase the likelihood that the community work more together instead of in single or small groups. "If you build it, they will come." At least that is my hope. :)