How do I talk In Character (IC)?IC is "In Character", and OOC is "Out of Character"..These terms are used to separate real world (OOC) and game world (IC).
/say,
/yell, and
/emote should always be in character.
Think about what your character would say (or yell) before you respond. It could be totally different to you normal way of talking. Never reply like you are sending a text to a friend (smileys, slang, abbreviations, etc.)
Whilst some value grammar, spelling, proper capitalization, and punctuation. It is more important to be understood and make an effort. All of those finer details will come with practice.Also, remember that one race does not always talk like another. A Human has a different way of speaking compared to a Troll.
Example:
OOC: "Where's the bsmith m8?"
Human: "Excuse me, where is the blacksmith?"
Troll: "Ey mon! Where be da smithy?"
A good source of inspiration comes from reading and listening to NPC quest givers.
What about that /emote you keep mentioning?Emotes are for expression of physical actions related to your character. Using emotes to express what your character is thinking, or for entire sentences, is pretty much the same as going OOC.
Some roleplay groups are liberal on that usage, as long as it’s not overdone or abused.
Bad Examples:
/emote thinks Arthas is a sexy devil.
/emote thinks Chen is lying.
These emotes tell us literally what your character is thinking. Our characters would never know this!
Good Examples:
/emote gazes longingly at Arthas.
/emote raises an eyebrow at Chen.
These emote express similar messages but as a physical action, and are therefore considered better for roleplay.
Are character names and guild tags IC or OOC?Using such information can be seen as metagaming, which is using OOC in an IC way. The same advice can also be considered for lore and other game related information.
Consider this scenario; you are looking for a member of
<Stormwind Militia> called
<Thyme>, a military organisation in Stormwind. You see
<Basil> of
<Stormwind Militia> in an inn. You have never met
<Basil> and he is not wearing a tabard..
Bad Example:
You: "Hi Basil, I'm looking for Thyme, have you seen her?"
Good Example:
You: "Hello sir, have you seen anyone from the Militia tonight?"
You may see
<Basil> and
<Stormwind Militia> over the characters head, but your character does not. So, until you are properly introduced,
<Basil> is just another person in the inn.
Making Small TalkWhen you are starting out, or meeting new people for the first time, you often find yourself asking
"What will I talk about?"You can get an idea from your own backstory - interests, dislike/likes and history. Perhaps magic is your hobby? Talking to mages and related people and asking questions of that sort would be ideal.
Not all roleplay chatter is long dramatic speeches. It can be as simple as everyday small talk whilst waiting for a boat. Small exchanges between other players fall into this.
The same happens in real life; when heading to the mall or seeing some friends that have returned from a long trip. There may be times when you can't think of anything. Some call it
"roleplayers block" (like
"writers block"). It's okay, wing it as best you can, and if you really feel like it, let the other person know via
/whisper.