There are roleplayers, and there are roleplayers.

Many of us remember the days of UO (especially early UO), where the roleplayers spoke in “thee’s” and “thou’s” while the d00dZkI114z talked in “ph43r’s” and “1334’s.”

Both were “roleplaying” in a sense, and in their own way, both added to the game.

A certain personality generally went along with the manner of speech, and helped to create two (very) divergent cultures.

The “war” of sorts that broke out between the two groups was inevitable – their playing styles were simply incompatible.

My contention, however, is that that very war, along with its implications, was the most genuine thing that UO ever produced.

Now, this guide is not intended to be a nostalgic treatise on what we miss from the UO glory days, but a practical guide for what “roleplaying” will mean for members of the Oromëa within Darkfall.

What I want to make clear, though, is that roleplaying is critical to the development of the world of Darkfall into something more than a glorified chat room, even if playing styles disagree.

The important thing is that a culture developes around our play styles – a community that lives and breathes within its virtual confines.

We will not be the “hardcore” roleplayers from UO.

We will not (or most will not, I’m certain) speak in “thee’s” and “thou’s.”

We do expect, however, that members will adopt a persona in-game, however simplistic or extravagent, and act, react, speak, and live within that persona.

To some extent, our characteristics will be similar: we are all woodland elves, after all.

However, we need not be identical; indeed, the game would grow excrutiatingly boring if everyone were exactly alike.

Rather, we should take our similarities and build them into different personas with their own subtleties, quirks, and characteristics.

Contrary to what a lot of people think, it is not hard to roleplay.
You don’t have to spend hours spinning tales of your past exploits, or making up oddities that make your character unique.

You can start with a blank slate and simply let your real-life personality shine through, if you wish, and use only your in-game experiences to develop your character.

What is critical is that, while in-game, you put aside your real life, its troubles and its trials, suspend your disbelief in magic and elves and dragons, and let yourself become someone else.

In practice, what does this all mean?

You can go as far as you want with roleplay. Within the Oromëa, some will go all-out in their roleplaying – making personal histories, and developing their characters in great detail.

All that is required, however, is that you make the effort to step out of the real world.

Forget about the football game, and don’t tell everyone that you’re “afk bathroom break,” and don’t use words like “1334,” “d00d,” “r0xx0rz,” “tw1nk,” etc.

Obviously we all have real world concerns, and I’m a big sports fan myself – I know how hard it can be to hold back from mentioning things, especially when something big happens.

If you must, there will always be a /tell function, and you can keep it amidst people who want to hear.Open chat and clan chat, however, are for the game.