So maybe I’m blind but I don’t see a Roleplay forum anywhere, which is discouraging. So, lacking that, let’s try to keep this thread alive! Please no RP bashing! So, what to discuss? If you already roleplay in CE what is it that makes you like it? Do you play on private RP servers or…? What do you look for in RP? What kind of characters do you like to play in RP? What do you dislike about RP in CE? (Keep it clean and don’t single anyone out ofr bashing please!) What can Funcom do to better support RP and RPers? Where do you find RP or where do you go to look for it? What’s been your best RP experience in CE so far?
And that’s just off the top of my head. So, talk away!
Mostly one thing, that all players are equal in terms of combat capabilities. It doesn’t matter whether you are a 1 lvl character or a 60 lvl character, do you play as a noble merchant or as a skilled fighter, you still have the same move set, you can equally use all weapon types and perform the same combos. The only difference is the damage output. This ruins a lot for me.
I wish there were more ways to deal with enemies. Stealth. Traps. Alchemy. Magic…
I get that completely. I think that’s why so many RP servers also implement character sheets and dice rolls but it can still be a tough balance to strike. Game mechanics only work a certain way and it’s tough to really individualize your character when it comes to combat. So what kind of things do you try to do to compensate for that?
@AndyB I’m just wondering… In “the survey that shall not be named” there were an awful lot of questions pertaining to roleplay. This seemed to indicate to me that Funcom is at least aware that a sizable number of roleplayers make up their player base. Yet…no RP forum? Is it possible one might be created?
It’s certainly possible to create an RP subcategory perhaps under General; can’t commit to it right this second though. At some point in the future the General section needs a streamlining pass anyway - with the advent of the additional category layer, some of the existing categories may be redundant with what is now available in each specific platform’s section. Could fit it in then. This isn’t a guarantee of anything, but certainly will be considered.
What I liked from launch day era of CE, and harder to find over time, is RP making an effort to stay canon to Robert E. Howard’s writing. Great that many RPers will take the time to read R.E.H.'s stories and essays, and build on those.
What I haven’t liked is the amount of divisiveness and demagoguery on issues which have nothing to do with RP, or CE even, that made their way into the RP community.
Private RP servers I have liked. Public, nah too much ego friction. Mostly look for canon RP groups. As for what Funcom can do to better support, not a lot really. Though do like things like the art and creative writing contest.
I’m just enjoying turning one of my games into something different. Never tried to combine a storyline from a TTRPG and an existing game of any kind. I don’t make these games or program them so I have to play them the way someone made it, which is fine, I enjoy playing. It’s simply that the challenge and discovery of it all is rather exhilarating. Tweak this, change that, add a few mods and PRESTO! a completely different game!
Yep. I run 3 different maps for my servers and I’m always just blown away by how beautiful this game is! Aesthetics matter a lot to me and really add to immersion. All bugs and glitches aside, Funcom nailed this.
To be perfectly honest, PvP should have their own forum category. PvE-C should, PvE should, RP should. There really is no reason each section should not. I see no reason why PvP should not be allowed to have a section to discuss their meta’s and tactic and things like that. I say @AndyB get on that.
RP is one of those things that I find very interesting in theory, but with my usual playing schedule and general inability to be at all outgoing I’ve never actually had a chance to actually do it yet.
I did play briefly on a couple private RP servers, but I was never on at the same time as anyone else so I eventually got bored and left.
I haven’t gotten enough experience to have any real preferences in terms of content, so right now my ideal server would be lots of character customization and clothing mods + no Age of Calamitous.
My go-to character idea when entertaining the thought of trying to get into CE RP is a Khitan-born former mercenary raised among Hyrkanians.
Mostly the fact that whenever I decide I’m finally gonna get into RP for realsies this time and start looking for a server, it seems like nine times out of ten every one I find is either running AoC or focused on weird fetishy stuff that I am extremely not interested in.
All things to be considered along with the request of a Roleplay category. Again, General Discussion probably needs some streamlining in the future so it could theoretically fit under there, or we could consider a separate spot under each of the platform sections. This is more of a thinking-out-loud post than any promises, mind - same with the Roleplay forum considerations. But thanks for the suggestions!
Further suggestions or requests for forum categories or layout changes should go to its own topic now though.
I’m imagining this involving a comically bad disguise and a “How do you do, fellow Darfari?” attempt at deception and now I want to see like a comedy RP server where nobody takes it remotely seriously.
I’m a diehard REH fangirl. Grew up with his stories and no few of the old comics. My server, Black Circle, is hardcore based on REH. I hear/see people like you two and yet every server I’ve seen that isn’t totally casual, fantasy, or, yes, ERP-focused struggles with population. Including my own. Even though my players tell me all the time they love our rule set and premise and how rare it is to find. And yet getting players who will join a low pop server and help it become a healthy pop server, no matter how much they love everything else about the server, is a huge struggle.
I should add that there are actually a lot of good RP servers out there though. It’s like anything, it can just be hard to find your tribe.
What I really love about CE in an RP-context is the almost limitless possibilities for server owners and admins to create exactly the environment they want. Whether it is canon Conan, High Fantasy or anything in-between, it is possible.
Dungeons, plotlines, cities, notable NPCs; all there for the creation.
The variety of mods, some of which are of incredible quality, makes the possibilities even more diverse.
To me, CE will never get old or run out of content, as long as the possibility to create and tell stories on small and grand scales exists.
It’s true that a very large part of the charm of this game, and what gives it its unique potential longevity, is its flexibility. I’ve seen successful D&D servers, Elder Scrolls based servers, servers based on Gor and a bunch of other different genres and settings. I’ve often said I long for a GURPS game like CE, one where you can tailor and customize your game from the outset with a huge variety of different themes. Right now, CE with mods is as close as it gets. So unlike some people, I’m not upset when people do just that. But I am in that small camp that came BECAUSE of Conan and wish there were more of us familiar with (or at least willing to get familiar with and be guided by) the work of REH.
