One Shots: Relaxing with an ale and a song

One of the things that many decry is the lack of RPG when it comes to our favorite MMORPGs. That said, if you're looking for a great role-playing community, Lord of the Rings Online appears to have just what you're looking for. Witness today's One Shots image, captured at a recent RP event by Harperella who writes: You've got to love the role-playing spirit on the Landroval community. Our kin recently hosted a "Ales and Tales" night at the Green Dragon Inn. Our merriment was broken up briefly by the appearance of the local law enforcement. The Bounders of the Shire are a RP kin dedicated to patrolling the shire. This eve, they patrolled our pub and we all were held in thrall by Galenswerd Swordsong's musically accompanied tale.

Have you found a bastion of RP in your favorite game? We really dig role-playing and would love to see some screenshots - and hear stories - of your experiences. Just email those to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name and the name of the game. We'll post them out here and share the love.

One Shots

Reader Comments (10)

I've encountered a hundred times more RP on Landroval than I ever did on "actual" RP servers like Phoenix Throne or Cimmeria, which were indiscernable from regular servers aside from the RP tag.

I'm glad to see Harperella still going in LOTRO! I was an officer in the LMB for a number of months. Great kinship all around.

It is easy to discount RPers when you overhear a few dingbats exchanging angry jealous quips as loudly as possible but when you do happen upon some folks really enjoying their characters it can be enchanting.

I have never belonged to an organized RP group or Guild but I have very fond memories of stumbling upon people engaged in fun RP who welcomed me into their circle for a few minutes. I always choose RP servers for the off-chance that I might encounter some casual, tasteful roleplaying.

I do miss my days in the The Lonely Mountain Band kinship on Landroval in LOTRO. It is good to still see it still thriving under Lord Galenswerd and milady Harperella's stewardship. Thank you for the fantastic One Shot. Far Apart! Never Alone! -- Eadbert the Wary

Hey Eadbert! Glad to see you still around!

-Ashla

I wasn't on the Landroval server, but I agree that LotRO is probably the best MMORPG to find people "getting into the spirit of the game" for all the right reasons (whether passively with character names and behaviors, or through active RP).

And what do I mean by role-playing for "the right reasons"? Simple. Some people only do RP-like things to gain attention -- a more complex variation on the usual "look at me! look at me!" lame-ass stunts. People who RP for the right reasons do it to make fun for themselves and for others. It's not about ego.

So, yeah, LotRO's probably the best MMORPG I've seen for spontaneous, non- d-bag RP -- and I've played far, far too many MMORPGs by this point.

Star Wars Galaxies is the only MMO I can think of that comes close to the "spontaneous casual non-ridiculed RP" that LotRO has. That's why I like to recommend LotRO to any SWG players or ex-SWG players who want a similar mature MMORPG with a friendly RP atmosphere. Its interface is just similar enough to WoW's that you can convince them to skip WoW, plus it has the great community that SWG had in its golden years. Plus they're both licensed MMOs, with LotRO being the better user of its licensed world.

Oh the fond days of Player Events in SWG, which had full developer support on player events. Not sure if LotRO has that much support for RP events, but it was great in SWG. They had a dedicated developer(and maybe a few assistants) who would place decorations and NPCs, and even appear as Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker or whichever random character you wanted to appear(and speak!) at your event. God I miss those days.

That's a great screenshot, because it showcases the very best of what MMOs have to offer. Roleplaying your character is the best kind of kinship a player can offer to others, it makes the game so much more immersible.

Hail friends!

All true adventures begin at the Green Dragon!

Hat's off to Harperella for submitting this image. Landroval is a great RP community, LOTRO a great community in general, and Turbine has developed a wonderful reflection of Tolkien's art in the gaming world.

Join us tonight at the Mad Badger Inn for the next "Ales & Tales!". 10:30pm EST

These sorts of events emphasize what I like to call "Social RP". Where players take their characters to a tavern or pub to unwind and have fun. Generally we'll play a little music, maybe tell a tale or two, and have some in character interaction. Its a very accessible form of RP.

--Harperella

One Shots: Relaxing with an ale and a song

One Shots

Reader Comments (10)

Posted: Sep 27th 2009 2:43PM Jesspiper said

Posted: Sep 27th 2009 4:22PM bassec said

Posted: Sep 27th 2009 4:38PM Pingles said

Posted: Sep 27th 2009 5:24PM BIGGIN said

Posted: Sep 27th 2009 5:29PM bassec said

Posted: Sep 27th 2009 10:08PM mysecretid said

Posted: Sep 28th 2009 9:52AM RogueJedi86 said

Posted: Sep 27th 2009 11:37PM cray said

Posted: Sep 28th 2009 11:51AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Sep 28th 2009 1:44PM (Unverified) said

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