Kurrengurmek
Squire
TLDR : Play the game how you already play the game. Interact with players more. Try to enjoy the playing more than the having.
With the recent resurgence of activity, I thought it may be helpful to give a brief rundown of roleplaying for those who have never tried it. It's not difficult, we always get hyped about newcomers, and there's not really any way to mess it up. It is important to note that different players have very strong opinions on roleplaying. Take mine with a grain of salt and find the most fun way for you to play the game.
Why do you do this?
The obvious goal of roleplaying in UO is to add an extra layer of depth to your gameplay. Most roleplayers just want to get immersed in the world and enjoy all the subtle aspects that surround their character in addition to the core game mechanics. It takes a little momentum to get rolling but, once it has, the rewards are well worth the investment.
What, exactly, is roleplaying?
Roleplaying is taking on the entirety of your role and playing it in a convincing manner. This helps you enjoy your character more because you get to experience the nuances of the life and not just the hard mechanics. You also add to the collective atmosphere of a livelier world that everyone can enjoy.
An example of this might be a blacksmith who does his smithing in town instead of AFK in his home. By spending his time playing the game out in the community, he is able to live the life of a smith and offer his services to people passing by. Some players may want items enhanced, repaired, or full sets crafted from scratch. He may also choose to pass the enjoyment on to other players by participating in local storylines or hiring them to gather materials. His prices are also only relevant to his costs and goals. Does he want to open his own shop or just be able to buy ingots?
Eventually, everyone will know the name of that smith. Many of us will prefer to drop by his shop for repairs instead of using a repair deed bought off a soulless NPC. A community is born and everyone gets to have more fun with less grind. This also allows you to focus on the parts of the game that you do like and turn the parts you do not like into enjoyable socializing (and outsourcing).
Perhaps you only like PvP and do not enjoy grinding. Try to make a very rich friend, play his gladiator, and put on duels for the rest of the community to watch and bet on. With the absurd wealth on this shard, there is absolutely no good reason that we don't already have gladiator teams fighting it out every weekend.
Once the community is established and the characters known to each other, storylines can begin to form. Perhaps everybody's favorite smith has been murdered in cold blood. Perhaps his rent is due tomorrow and you have to play one great show to make it. It really depends on the community and what they're into. Either way, you get the opportunity to directly create content for other players. You can also just ignore the storylines that you think are stupid.
The point of roleplaying in UO is not so much the thee's and thou's but rather having a tight community of players who legitimately enjoy the game (and their characters) enough to really get into it. It is an opportunity to not only have a smith but to play and be a smith. There are many players out there who never take part in any storylines and are still community favorites. Play how YOU want to.
Tips
Joining RP on Demise
The best thing to do is to just make a character and start playing. Find that character's personality and post up an introduction in the "Ye Olde Tavern" section of the forums. When people can associate your character name with roleplay, the interactions will come. All that's left is to get in the world, play, and let the story unfold organically. The best place to find roleplayers at any given time is the Skara Waterhouse just Southeast of the Skara Brae ferry.
With the recent resurgence of activity, I thought it may be helpful to give a brief rundown of roleplaying for those who have never tried it. It's not difficult, we always get hyped about newcomers, and there's not really any way to mess it up. It is important to note that different players have very strong opinions on roleplaying. Take mine with a grain of salt and find the most fun way for you to play the game.
Why do you do this?
The obvious goal of roleplaying in UO is to add an extra layer of depth to your gameplay. Most roleplayers just want to get immersed in the world and enjoy all the subtle aspects that surround their character in addition to the core game mechanics. It takes a little momentum to get rolling but, once it has, the rewards are well worth the investment.
What, exactly, is roleplaying?
Roleplaying is taking on the entirety of your role and playing it in a convincing manner. This helps you enjoy your character more because you get to experience the nuances of the life and not just the hard mechanics. You also add to the collective atmosphere of a livelier world that everyone can enjoy.
An example of this might be a blacksmith who does his smithing in town instead of AFK in his home. By spending his time playing the game out in the community, he is able to live the life of a smith and offer his services to people passing by. Some players may want items enhanced, repaired, or full sets crafted from scratch. He may also choose to pass the enjoyment on to other players by participating in local storylines or hiring them to gather materials. His prices are also only relevant to his costs and goals. Does he want to open his own shop or just be able to buy ingots?
Eventually, everyone will know the name of that smith. Many of us will prefer to drop by his shop for repairs instead of using a repair deed bought off a soulless NPC. A community is born and everyone gets to have more fun with less grind. This also allows you to focus on the parts of the game that you do like and turn the parts you do not like into enjoyable socializing (and outsourcing).
Perhaps you only like PvP and do not enjoy grinding. Try to make a very rich friend, play his gladiator, and put on duels for the rest of the community to watch and bet on. With the absurd wealth on this shard, there is absolutely no good reason that we don't already have gladiator teams fighting it out every weekend.
Once the community is established and the characters known to each other, storylines can begin to form. Perhaps everybody's favorite smith has been murdered in cold blood. Perhaps his rent is due tomorrow and you have to play one great show to make it. It really depends on the community and what they're into. Either way, you get the opportunity to directly create content for other players. You can also just ignore the storylines that you think are stupid.
The point of roleplaying in UO is not so much the thee's and thou's but rather having a tight community of players who legitimately enjoy the game (and their characters) enough to really get into it. It is an opportunity to not only have a smith but to play and be a smith. There are many players out there who never take part in any storylines and are still community favorites. Play how YOU want to.
Tips
- Play the character without relying on your other characters. Let his individual gameplay be his story.
- Flaws can be interesting or really annoying.
- Someone yelling in all caps is never going to be enjoyed.
- A pirate who wields nothing in his offhand is not hurting anybody.
- Use shortcoming and gaps in your template to encourage your play rather than diminish it. Apprentice smithing is an opportunity to be an apprentice to a GM smith. Fill his bods for him and increase your skill while roleplaying a young hopeful instead of just breaking everyone's gear. A GM smith with no fighting ability will need to hire parties to gather high-end materials.
- Turn on the Dark Nights option on the Display tab. There are some very nice lighting effects in various places.
- Get out of guild/voice/Skype chat if it keeps you from getting caught up in what you're doing.
- Set a goal and choose a motivation. If your goal is to own your own smith shop, perhaps it's because you want the freedom to spend your time crafting amazing platemail that proves the ultimate superiority of steel over leather.
- You do not have to be willfully ignorant of the meta. In our great land of Sosaria, leather is preferred to metal armor by almost every player. It's OK to acknowledge that. Most roleplayers will just spin it to say that modern warriors all prefer to be loose and move fast rather than sturdy and reliable.
- If your character has a house, leave a set of communication crystals by the front door. Carry their links in your pack. This will allow visiting players to "ring" you and allow you to respond without just waiting around all day.
- The fun is in playing the character and being a part of the community. Don't take it too seriously. This includes not stressing over THE RULES or having a SO INTERESTING backstory.
- Always focus on the fun. There's no point if you're not having a good time.
- I already have millions, full suit, every skill legendary, and no need for other players.
- Staying in character at all times is exhausting.
- Talking thee's and thou's is retarded.
- I don't care about your Half-Elf, Half-Dragon, timetraveling Princess.
- I don't want to gimp myself for the sake of roleplay.
Joining RP on Demise
The best thing to do is to just make a character and start playing. Find that character's personality and post up an introduction in the "Ye Olde Tavern" section of the forums. When people can associate your character name with roleplay, the interactions will come. All that's left is to get in the world, play, and let the story unfold organically. The best place to find roleplayers at any given time is the Skara Waterhouse just Southeast of the Skara Brae ferry.
Last edited:
