In the RP of World of Warcraft, you can do a lot wrong. This starts with the character description. The worst behaviors of this kind are presented here.
Those who know me, Cortyn from MeinMMO, a bit, know that I love roleplay. Whether in World of Warcraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic, or in WildStar. Without roleplay, I lose interest in most MMORPGs. Therefore, I have also gathered a lot of RP experience over the last 15 years, especially in WoW.
Along with some quite eccentric character concepts, one also encounters recurring problems with jealous fellow players or the most annoying flag descriptions and blunders. The focus here will be on the latter.
What is a flag? In World of Warcraft, a “flag” is basically the representative symbol of the character. Since character creation in WoW is still quite meager, players use various addons like “TotalRP3” to give their character an additional description. In this, players write about the external traits of their character, such as eye color, visible scars, physical condition, and other obvious features that are relevant for RP. Some also provide a few OOC hints (ooc = “out of character”).
Over the years, there have been some recurrent errors and issues with such flags that make you want to avoid the corresponding character and player immediately. So it was time for a list of the “6 tips to ensure that you won’t make any connections in WoW RP”.
1. “IC=IC, OOC=OOC”
The number of times I have seen this notice surely reaches into the thousands. Most of the time, it is not hidden somewhere in the flag, but boldly stands as the first “warning” when viewing a character’s description.
The basic statement of this is of course correct, namely that things discussed IC (that is “in character”) should also only be understood that way. At the same time, information obtained from OOC (like conversations with the player in whispers and not in character) should not be mixed up. If my character insults your character, then that is an issue between the characters, not the players.
But everyone who thinks for just 5 cents knows this. Just like everyone knows that actors in a movie can hate each other to death but can be best friends in their personal lives.
That’s like telling a football player: “By the way, you only get points if the ball lands in the opponent’s goal!”
What one expresses with “IC=IC, OOC=OOC” is actually just the thought: “Hello, I think you all are rather limited and poor roleplayers who haven’t quite understood this yet, but I have. If you play with me, please stick to the basic RP rules, thanks.”
Yes, that makes you really want to play with such a person.
2. “Flag in progress”
Empty flags make roleplayers sad. At least some basic information is appreciated to get a picture of the character. Players who are a bit lazier know this too. But fortunately, there are the magic 3 words that one can simply use to circumvent the problem: “Flag in progress”.
But since we all know that the effort to write a few lines about one’s character is akin to a doctoral thesis, many players choose this escape route. They simply write “Flag in progress” in their description and leave it standing like that for weeks and months, as if it were a task on par with the effort of Berlin airport construction.
I always picture a classic author with a typewriter who is currently writing his 700-page manuscript titled “Character description of Âlphákêvén the Illidari” and has already thrown away 12 versions of it in the trash bins behind him.
Alternative excuses are also quite popular, such as: “WoW/My dog/the climate change deleted my flag, new one in development.” Of course, that will also remain like that for months.
Honestly: It’s better to leave your flag completely empty than to write in that ridiculous excuse that nobody will believe after 3 days.
3. “Is permanently accompanied by two guards”
With this information, I also have to take a deep breath and would prefer to lead my character in the opposite direction. Because usually, these “two guards” are not other players, but imaginary NPCs.
This somehow reveals a small weakness for the corresponding player.
I like characters who have a bit more power. Especially on “my” RP realm, there are some cool leaders of gangs and guilds who always show up with two to three other players, thus creating a threatening presence. This is really cool for RP involving crime, city guards, or nobility.
But when these guards “do not really” exist, it shouts to the whole world: “Unfortunately, I haven’t managed to convince others of my concept and my idea, but I still want to have a nearly untouchable character!”
That rarely invites one to play.
4. “Titles and equipment earned in RP”
For the uninitiated, it should be clarified that this indication is not about in-game titles and hefty loot from dungeons. It’s about “roleplay titles” and equipment that brings certain advantages in the game and is usually overpowered in conflict RP or directly avoids the emergence of conflicts.
So if “Glevenkalle, the heir to the throne of Lordaeron” stands in front of me and his flag states that he possesses items such as:
- An amulet that makes him permanently immune to magic
- A ring that automatically inflicts pain on people with bad intentions
- A bracelet that unravels warlocks and demons within a 100-meter radius
- An intimate piercing that immediately transports him to a safe parallel world in case of danger
You can imagine how great the motivation is to even talk to such a character.
Especially, I find this addition “titles and items earned in RP” quite cowardly. Generally, someone writes this in the flag when he or she already has a faint premonition that the title and items may not quite match what a player character should have in terms of power and influence in RP. But it doesn’t matter because it was “earned in RP” and that legitimizes the greatest nonsense.
5. “Flawless” skin
Okay, here I have to elaborate a bit. Spelling mistakes happen. I know that, and maybe even here in the text, there is one or the other. But there are a handful of typos that trigger me so intensely that even three monks with the “Ring of Peace” stacked on top of each other can barely calm me down.
My absolute favorite is the word “flawless”, which is supposed to mean “spotless”. Usually, in a flag it describes the beautiful skin of an elf, free of scars or other blemishes. Often, there are also “silken hair” and a “seductive voice”.
I swear to you, when I once read “Has a flawless face” in a flag, I fell into shock for almost 5 minutes.
Once again: Spelling mistakes happen and occur quite often in RP. But if you want to describe a character that visually comes close to perfection, then at least let someone familiar take a quick look at the flag to filter out the grossest blunders. Otherwise, it always feels like Goldhain-level.
6. Clichés that are supposed to make the character interesting
The last point is actually a whole collection of things that have crept into RP flags over the years and never really disappear. This includes “edgy” sayings of the character as well as terrible clichés or creative outpourings in the form of poems. “Charsongs” that are taken from some anime openings are also very popular.
Imagine the first thing you see from a character are such sentences:
- “Still waters run deep.”
- “Appearances can be deceiving.”
- “Bright lights cast the strongest shadows.”
- “More than one can sense at first glance.”
- “Charsong: Overlord Season 3 Voracity”
Basically, it just shows the player’s worry that someone might not find their character interesting enough at first glance. That comes with the fear that they might just overlook their “great, dramatic, and gloomy” backstory.
“Hello, my character has a dark secret that you don’t see right away, but get involved!” would probably be the fitting translation for that.
The thing with the exciting secrets is, however, that they instantly lose their appeal when it is so obviously written on the characters’ foreheads.
Don’t take it too seriously: Despite all the above points, it should be noted that in RP, everyone can basically do whatever they want. As long as you find fellow players who enjoy it, all the things mentioned above are perfectly fine. And when in doubt, it’s always better to give another character a chance first – maybe it’s not so bad, and they could be a great play partner.
Over the years, I’ve certainly become “looser” and I occasionally turn a blind eye in RP or give players a chance that I might have avoided directly years ago. Nevertheless, the points mentioned above still make me flinch from time to time.
Do you also have certain “triggers” in roleplay or in chat with other players that instantly drive you up the wall?
