I think something overlooked here is also the fact that the impact roleplay characters have on the world they inhabit is zero. Nothing they do, great or small, will have any effect on the course of an expansion. Their efforts to destroy or save the world won’t be reflected in the lore.
I’m not saying that the isolated stories told in the varioues server campaign or guils plotlines can’t be compelling, but the ability to craft a compelling story is limited when you’re not in full control of the narrative.
You also get wildly differing opinions, since roleplay is a collaborative effort, in which direction the story should go. Roleplayers constantly compromise with each other to ensure all parties involved are satisfied with their own character’s development, and coming up with storylines where they have personal stakes.
I can’t say I agree with the blank statement in the opening post that compelling storytelling is impossible in roleplay, but it is indeed difficult to achieve due to the social hoops you have to go through in your journey to find a group whose expectations match yours.
(Apologies if this reply seems weirdly structured, I’m typing this at 3 a.m because I can’t sleep. Think it’s an engaging discussion worth having thou, so felt an urge to partake with my low IQ take lol)
A lot of interesting viewpoints discussed here! Although much has already been shared by others who have expressed their thoughts more eloquently than I could, I’d like to add my perspective, focusing on the points in your opening post that stood out to me the most.
I think the big divider here is the confidence in commitment. Someone who has taken the time and shown the courage to join a tabletop roleplaying group has likely already demonstrated their dedication to participating. Before the roleplay even starts, there are discussions about the setting, characters, and scheduling, which further prove their commitment.
But on WoW, on average it’s harder to get a realistic picture of how committed a new guild member is to sticking around. It’d eat up a lot of the guild master’s and officers’ free time to plan around each and every new member, especially for guilds that are the size of 10-40 players, compared to DnD groups of 5-6 people. WoW isn’t just a roleplaying platform, but also a game, and there are many variables that might impact someone’s activity in a guild. From subscription payments to expansion themes, from gameplay mechanics to the in-game environments used by the guild and so much more.
As you said, In WoW people come and go, and in general one might not feel so accountable to drop out all of a sudden as one would on a tabletop campaign.
However, I think it’s a bit of a stretch to jump to the following statement:
This perspective does apply to many players, but I’d hesitate to suggest it encompasses the majority of roleplayers.
I get where you’re coming from, as I do think that social media has influenced the roleplaying landscape, nudging it towards a space where standing out, gaining recognition, and seeking validation have become more prominent. The constant chase for quick dopamine boosts and the allure of novelty have shortened attention spans, and encouraged a preference for instant, visually appealing content over spending an hour immersed in a detailed fantasy story while nestled in a comfy chair with a cup of tea.
This shift may be more apparent in larger online communities, such as Argent Dawn, than within smaller, closed tabletop groups dedicated to a specific thing. Enthusiastic art commissioners showcasing their characters’ art naturally overshadow those who focus purely on storytelling within their own circle, without the need to broadcast it to the world, and this may give a skewed view of the roleplaying activity as a whole.
Occasionally, you might come across roleplayers who approach the scene as a popularity contest, or seem overly infatuated with their character being super duper special, sure. They might also stick in your memory longer than all the comparably “more plain” characters you might glimpse in the passing.
Even though I’ve created and commissioned a considerable amount of art for my own characters over the years, I’ll openly say I’m not particularly captivated by big galleries solely focusing on the sexy or self-aggrandizing aspects of the character. My interest remains in the narrative element, and I look out for what the artist/ player wants to narrate to the viewer through the visuals. To me it’s the context that matters, and each to their own interests.
The same logic applies to literature and what a writer aims to convey through words alone. Needless to say, the main distinction is that visuals are absorbed more quickly than the various stories, noticeboard items, guild pages, and profile descriptions shared on the Argent Archives.
With so many distractions around us, and scarce few of us possessing the skill of professional authors who can captivate readers from the first paragraph, it’s honestly no small feat to have a stranger spend 10-20 minutes reading the stories we share online. In comparison, a few seconds spent on an image can often provide a strong impression what a character is all about. So from that perspective, I do understand why people might feel that emphasis on aesthetics is the way to go.
Shortened attention spans, and the increased access to visuals, I believe, has contributed to the rise of flashy profiles and similar content—something immediately impactful to ensure people remember their character.
Nonetheless, there will always be plenty of story-focused roleplay happening beyond the public eye. A great number of people do create complex, flawed, and interesting characters, watching them evolve while collaboratively working on narratives that entertain their group. This type of roleplay is constantly unfolding around us, often in private; much like tabletop groups, they prefer to keep their experiences within their circle, without seeking external attention or validation.
Their focus is on the shared journey, not on showcasing it to the wider world.
In my case, many people associate me with the events I host or the art I share. What they don’t often see are the intricate roleplay storylines that unfold behind the scenes, away from the public eye. And then there are all the tales I’ve developed in my mind but hesitate to share publicly, mainly due to concerns about metagaming which has sometimes been a problem, from people bringing up content in my comics or stories that were never meant to be public knowledge in-character.
So, much of the deeper storytelling remains unseen.
Funny thing is, we actually do offer to run individually tailored recruitment events for new members. A lot of people jump at the chance, but there are also plenty of people who prefer to join the guild IC in a more low key manner. I don’t think one is worse than the other really.
Sure it can be a cool way to introduce a new player and character to the group, but I think that having everything revolve around you and your character on your first night with a new group, can also be a bit daunting.
These elements are absolutely prevalent in most other medias: nearly all of fantasy literature and cinema has escapist elements to it.
The social element is bound to be a thing in a role-playing game, also. After all, the world is a social environment. Social elements are not bad I would say, it is in fact perfectly fair and harmless to have a character that does only tavern RP - for those who focus entirely on that I say, what’s the problem? By their own design, they won’t interfere with your adventures, and you can go out there to look for people who like instead to do your thing.
For one, giving a visual reference beyond the limited WoW options. Until an expansion ago, we couldn’t even portray scars - and this stands as true for most characters.
This is an actual challenge I believe, but you have idealized it. You mention that storytelling is harmed by people’s egos, whereas instead it is often part of the same coin.
For example, one should not forget that you can’t have good storytelling unless you have established trust with other players, because if you are going to have your character feel vulnerable and weak, you’re going to lend them your emotions, and this, I assure you, is something you want to do only with people whom you can trust, and that you want to do only so many times.
You make it sound black and white but it is not.
It is not the guild or the GM who should organize a special introduction: if the player wants a special encounter for their character, they should propose it, and reach out to the GM beforehand, work together, and introduce their toon in a way that can feel refreshing and interesting - now, does that kill the cool, improvised nature of RP? does that imply a lot of work for a new recruit who may not want to initially invest so much in the guild?
Anyway. Most of the time people will have a set storyline already, and introducing people mid-way sometimes needs to be done in a hasty manner, because the guild also has a schedule in mind.
Remember that for all of the above things, the new player may miss out content. If they are an antagonist, some sort of Zuko fighting their airbender team, said player is going to miss plenty of social/camp RP, which could have been used to properly bond - and who is to say the other team members will accept their change of heart?
These things do happen, but its not typical that they end up being enjoyable.
Remember. You’re still basically inviting a stranger to play with your group - you don’t know who they are, you don’t know if the group will click - and yet you’re going to give them a lot of trust and spotlight for someone who may ruin that evening’s event, or derail it entirely because they are not caught up in the story.
Sometimes these things happen and they’re great, but they work much better in casual, more disorganized story-telling, and on top of that, they’re rare.
When that is not the case, I think Syelia’s approach is superior: first you enter the guild and bond, and then you begin offering role-play.