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Anonymous Source Posts: 2 Joined: 19 Dec 2008     | |
Muckraker Posts: 301 Joined: 26 May 2004     | Good story! Not really sure where the author comes down in the RP vs. natural speech argument, but I will say this: if you're on a RP server you have to at least be respectful of those who want to roleplay, and talk about pwnage and die rolls is not cool. On the other hand, very few of the roleplayers I've met in a game know how to do the early modern English (i.e. 'thee and thou') speech thing properly, so when they do try, it sounds terrible to someone like me who was brought up with a dialect that still used it in normal speech (yes, there are some - I'm from Yorkshire and the 'Broad Yorkshire' dialect still used 'thee and thou' when I was a kid). Personally, given that hardly anyone knows how to speak using 'thee and thou', I'd prefer people to just speak normally on RP servers, but since it's unlikely that anyone with my preference will ever be the god of a server, it's unlikely that the butchering of early modern English will ever stop. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 3116 Joined: 13 Jul 2008     |
I sometimes speak like this in real life. It's just a habit. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 2021 Joined: 4 Sep 2008    | I really enjoyed the read. It actually got me pissed at the kids who don't play by the rules on RP servers. I've always wanted to try one, but was always wary for this exact reason. Maybe I'll give it a shot sometime. It's always sounded like a lot of fun. |
Games Editor  Posts: 5793 Joined: 20 Dec 2005     | My Druid is on a RP server in WoW, and... well, I don't actually see RP all that much of the time despite that. So it still feels kind of weird to walk into the inn at Dalaran and see people having an in-character chat, or to have that one Dwarf Hunter come in and start gabbing away in a pseudo-scottish accent during our H.Gundrak run. Loved the piece, though :) |
BANNED  Posts: 819 Joined: 22 Dec 2008     | it actualy sounds like some noobs palying WOW |
Paperboy  Posts: 15 Joined: 19 Sep 2006   | lol@rp |
Wordsmith Extraordinaire  Posts: 11777 Joined: 13 Feb 2008     |
Prithee sir, I do mock your laughter with laughter of my own at your petulant display of aloofness towards those who speak in a loquacious manner rather than the speech of those determined to obfuscate their own meaning. ;) |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 2530 Joined: 14 Oct 2008 | I
I will thank you not to say that again good sir - unless you wish to feel the back of my glove |
Red Guard  Posts: 4182 Joined: 18 Sep 2008   | Loved every word. "Steve, you can't just stab the guy in the face." Ahh...so much frustration and spilled coke. But still: Great piece! One of the more enjoyable ones I've read at the Escapist. |
BANNED  Posts: 2505 Joined: 19 Aug 2008   | That was the funniest RP thread thing ever. Good jobeth! User was banned for: Poll: Round 5 - Field of Four - (1) Turbine vs (1) Nintendo. (Permanent) |
Infamous Scribbler  Posts: 547 Joined: 19 Sep 2008    | Reminds me of playing Never Winter Nights on an RP server. Was good fun, and our small wizards guild son showed the locals "The true might of intelligence, that the spell is indeed mightier then any mere man could be." |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1536 Joined: 6 Feb 2008   |
its Early English, not Thesaurus English :-D |
Wordsmith Extraordinaire Posts: 11777 Joined: 13 Feb 2008 |
Worryingly that's without using a Thesaurus. Is this better? LOLWUT? LMAO @ LOL@RP? U LOL @ RP=WIN RP=FAIL OR DIS RP=WIN/FAIL? nOOb!!!!11! |
On the Record  Posts: 5542 Joined: 13 Aug 2008  | I must admit that both manners of speaking professed in this bardic tale of fantasy doth strike true upon my personage. |
Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 756 Joined: 16 Dec 2008    | RPers are pretty lame. If you want to roleplay, go play DnD. MMORPGs are about numbers and loot, that's it. |
Anonymous Source  Posts: 3 Joined: 2 Oct 2008  |
And I say unto thee...Noob. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 2268 Joined: 20 Jul 2008  |
Who says? Thats what RP servers are for. Honestly man, thats just ignorant. "You're playing a game and having fun with it for the wrong reasons! Wahh!!" I think its hilarious, and although I would never play an RP server myself, I think that if they're enjoying themselves, go right ahead. Its good fun for people doing it and for those onlookers. |
Muckraker  Posts: 270 Joined: 4 Jun 2008    |
HAHAHAHAHAHA is it bad that I understood that? Is it worse that it made me laugh? I play D&D drunk and/or stoned on occasion. There's no better way when your in game character slowly progress to a state of complete intoxication and you're constantly rolling a die to see weather or not you pass out from intoxication. I was a dwarf. + to drinking for the win. It was usually a battle to see if I would last longer than my character or not. |
Muckraker  Posts: 295 Joined: 26 Aug 2008 | Why does "RP" also mean "write like you're a character in a bad Sir Walter Scott novel"? People in the Middle Ages did not talk like that. Most of them probably just cursed all day anyway, so Internetspeak is most likely a more accurate portrayal than faux Shakespearianisms. Hmm, maybe "RP" means "write and act like you're in a 3rd rate fantasy novel". That would explain a lot... |
Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 780 Joined: 22 Dec 2008    |
Actually, DnD is more about numbers than any MMORPG I've been on. If you really want roleplaying, try GURPS. That said, I have actually seen and been involved in some decent non-Olde-Englisheth style roleplaying on the WoW. I think it's really better to roleplay online with MMORPGs since |
Copy Clerk  Posts: 93 Joined: 29 Oct 2008    | Interesting thread. I'm not a big MMORPG fan, though on occasion I have played some for the PvP, but the PvE grind just leaves me cold. What I don't understand is why anyone would roll on a RP server if they didn't intend to observe the server rules. There are only two possibilities I can think of: 1. Too Stupid or Ignorant. 2. Deliberate Malice. Essentially they're an idiot, or a different kind of idiot. It really comes down to whether you think the rules should be observed or not. This is an issue with all online games. If you're playing a RTS or FPS & someone's cheating with hacks or exploits then hopefully their IP gets banned. It's simple. Don't like the rules? Then play something else. Why shouldn't anyone expect that? |
Pulitzer Laureate Posts: 780 Joined: 22 Dec 2008 |
What I've noticed is that a majority of people halfheartedly follow the RP rules by giving generic enough responses to make it not be out of character but not be very unique. They mostly join the server because they hate forced PvP and seeing horrible stupid names with x's and numbers in them because those DO get kicked from at least WoW's RP servers. Or their friends are there. (so sayeth my guildies, so it must be true) |
Press Junketeer  Posts: 462 Joined: 1 Feb 2008  | The accompanying background image for this article is as full of win as the article. If there was a second picture I would imagine it would be the armored fellow giving the other guy a gauntleted backhand - CRACK! "Mind your station knave!" Hehe... |
Beat Writer  Posts: 133 Joined: 9 Oct 2008  | When I had first started playing WoW, I was on an RP server. I was a complete noob and didn't know the rules about being on an RP server(I later moved to a PvE/Normal server). The RP wasn't strictly enforced except by a select, anal-retentive few. Most of us just avoided dropping into net-speak/text-messaging-speak. Even still, on the forums, as with any forum, the English language would be regularly critted into oblivion. |
Copy Clerk  Posts: 84 Joined: 17 Oct 2008   |
OMG IT BURNS THE EYES... I used to play on Neverwinter Nights RP servers all the time. The reason why people just don't like playing DnD version of RPing is because I find that a lot of people don't often enjoy RPing in DnD... and besides, it's kind of cool to be able to talk to a wide variety of people that you've never met with an actual avatar of your alter ego. An enjoyable experience... I recommend it to a lot of people who just aren't into complete hack and slash. |
Paperboy  Posts: 23 Joined: 2 Dec 2008   | A very well written post, my friend. I always enjoy media that switches up moods like this article; the change from an exerpt of a compelling fantasy epic to teh l33T S3RV3R. Good show. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 2783 Joined: 13 Feb 2008   |
Yeah, I frequented the RP servers quite a bit back in my Neverwinter Nights days. Loads of fun were had. I wonder if NWN2 has any good RP servers... *Shuffles off to install NWN2* |
Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 996 Joined: 25 Sep 2008   | Ha, Richard Hehemann and his friends of the story were lucky. They could have visited the tavern of Goldshire. Now there's some classy RP going on. All the time. *shudders* |
Muckraker  Posts: 250 Joined: 24 Jun 2008   | every time i try dnd with with friends it ends up sounding something like this: |
Paperboy  Posts: 45 Joined: 29 Jun 2008 |
I totally agree. I play DnD with friend and we all roleplay our characters but none of us use thou's and thee's. All roleplaying means is your going to act as your character would act. IE if your character a 3 foot tall wizard kobolt who has an temper and size issue, you send fireballs at anyone who mocks your size. Not dumb speech like "Doith Sir thou shall hold your tongue when speaking about me height." So all those grammar roleplay diehard's need to lighten up about how people chose to act in character. Not all roleplayers want to play like they're in a bad shakespeareing play. |
Infamous Scribbler  Posts: 632 Joined: 12 Mar 2008   |
I agree as well. This is why RP servers are dumb, because it takes everyone three times as long to communicate one-third the information. It is okay to say, "Which way is the tavern?" That is perfectly in character. You don't need to put it all in iambic pentameter. |
Press Junketeer  Posts: 393 Joined: 15 Jul 2008    | very good read, i enjoyed all of it :D ive never played an RP server on an MMO but i always thought i might try, i do it abit anyway (well, its probably more being stupid than roleplaying) ;) |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 2006 Joined: 27 Sep 2008  | I should share this with an old Neverwinter Nights RP server I played on. We did not play up syle, we just had to be in character, ofcourse I got mad at "Those who watch from above silently" and ended up RPing my character leaving, but not before murdering an annoying n00b who could talk properly, but not play so. Good times...gooood times. |
Anonymous Source Posts: 1 Joined: 17 Dec 2008 | This brings to mind an instance of play (back when I had the coin to do so) wherein I (a stout dwarf with a particular parchment for ale 'an a 'eavy accent) just could not fathom what this human was blubbering on about. He was talking about a "SEE DEE". Apparently it is some form of music box of some sort. Anyway, when I inquired as to what a see dee was, the man became defensive! Granted, I had a few other things on my mind, such as getting to the tavern post-haste, so I had deduced with me mighty dwarf brain, (made of copper), that it were a drink of some sort. The human became increasingly... shall we say, annoyed at my way of speaking. By the time I had finally gotten me'self a fine stout of ale, I had amassed a bit of a following in the city. Finally, after the sun had passed over a good part of the sky, I actually had the fortune to meet this fellow! I ran up to him, took a bow, and said: "Good eve to ye." His response was merely: "Oh my god" and he disappeared, presumably to where he could get some "see dees"... I never understood why anyone would order a steak with catchup, only to wipe it off and complain to the chef. |
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Speech of teh Realm
"The situation was dire, and becoming more so. It was time for the bard to call on a higher power. 'My friends, you will soon force my hand. If you do not desist in this loutish mode of outlander speech, I shall be forced to call upon Those Who Watch Above in Silence.' A hushed calm fell over the tavern. Torgil gazed from one face to the next, ensuring that they understood the gravity of his words.
"'Dude,' said the wizard, 'is he going to, like, report us?'"
Torgil the Bard attempts to stave off the invasion of his beloved RP server.
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