@Zeplar: That's the biggest problem with Blizz and RP servers. If one person RPs and they invite friends who don't play WoW to try it out, the new players ignore the server designation and play where their friend is at. Usually, the friend on the RP server assuages the newbie by telling them that RP isn't required and very few people do it anyway. That new player does the same to their friends, and so on.

That's exactly how I got pulled into WoW, and how I got others into WoW. The person who recruited me quit, and now there's a half-dozen people whose mains are on an RP server, but don't RP and have no interest in it.

There's no undoing this. Some sort of amnesty move to Normal servers wouldn't work - inevitably, one RPing friend wouldn't want to go, and the rest of the non-RPing friends wouldn't want to leave them. But strictly enforcing RP rules without allowing transfers would cause players to quit. Nobody will pay money to transfer off a server where their friends play to one where they don't know anyone. This is doubly painful for PvPers who don't realize until it's too late that they can't even pay to transfer to a PvP server - not even an RP-PvP server.

The only thing I can think of is to open one or two RP servers, offer free transfers on the guild level instead of the individual level, only allow individual paid transfers from RP realms and — most prohibitive — close the server to new toons by accounts without a toon transferred during this launch window, unless invited by an existing account.

Heavy RP guilds would carry their own friends and support to a fresh realm; light RP guilds and non-RPers could stay behind and lose nothing. Hardcore unguilded RPers would likely pay to transfer at launch, or join a guild before the transfers. Limiting new accounts to invitation would allow the community to do the screening that Blizz refuses to do. For non-RPers, it's an easy decision between transferring to RP Central with their few, if any, heavy-RP friends or staying put with their light-RP or non-RP friends.

That won't ever happen because it's too much work for too little gain for Blizz, but that's the only way I see the debate ending, or even quieting down at all. Much more likely is Blizz converting all RP/RP-PvP servers to Normal and PvP and telling the RP communities to fend for themselves, which is what they've had to do anyway. It wouldn't be very different at all.

I feel your pain, Stormscape. I joined Feathermoon about three years ago, a starry-eyed roleplaying neophyte who was too afraid to roleplay but very interested in learning how to do so and getting involved. I joined the wonderful Feathermoon.net community, I interacted with them on a regular basis, met up with a group of people who had a roleplaying guild, interacted with another, and everything seemed new and idyllic and wonderful.

Now, years later, I feel like I'm barely eking by. Most of my time in-game is consumed by raiding with people who mostly don't roleplay. I've dropped most of the standard roleplaying conventions while around them, though I'm strictly in-character outside of the raid. I wander the streets of Stormwind and Ironforge, Orgrimmar and Thunderbluff, and wonderful how I can reclaim that feeling of my roleplaying youth. I push and pull, struggling to remain in-character in an environment which isn't just conducive to roleplaying. I sometimes feel silly roleplaying in a group of complete strangers, dreading the questions of "Why are you talking like that?"; "What's with the weird accent?"; and "Why are you using (())'s around your words now?" Every couple of months I start feeling vindicitve and report all of the non-roleplaying names I come across: the Solidsnakes and Nubnuggz and Flagcarriers and Healplzs that I come across and can't stand seeing.

It's hard to remain optimistic in light of that. It hard having to explain or defend your actions as a roleplayer. And it's hard to be a roleplayer even on a roleplaying server where - oddly enough - we seem like the minority when we used to be the majority. At least, as far as I can remember.

Last night after a cancelled raid on Tempest Keep, I was doing my weekly stroll through the streets of Stormwind looking for something to catch my fancy. I'd already done my dailies on two characters. I was bored and even a bit saddened to not see any of the random roleplaying that used to catch my attention in years past. I crafted a couple of blacksmithing items for people and was disappointed when they didn't roleplay the exchange with me. I saw a couple of people with FlagRSP tags, but most of them said Out of Character and were involved in non-IC chatter.

All in all, feeling a bit dejected and ready to log off for the evening, I took the opportunity to reclaim some Auction House earnings from the mailbox in Stormwind Park. While there, I was approached by an obvious roleplayer (he had all the signs: the outfit, the strolling casual walk, the emotes as he blessed people - everything!). We began talking, had an argumentative dwarf join us, and headed into the inn to discuss philosophy and semantics (which, sadly, were well over my character's head, the poor girl!).

Two hours later, as I leaned back contentedly in my seat, I thought to myself, "THAT's why I still roleplay!" Thanks, Raethos of Feathermoon for giving me the opportunity to experience again that feeling.

Exactly, on the speech. Speak as your character demands, which for me ranges from, "Tally ho! Into the breach, eh wot?" to "I find your lack of comprehension simultaneously adorable and frustrating." to "You're a kitty!"

Agreed. And when non-RP behavior IS reported, the offended LOL-er whines about "free speech" and "It's just a game."

I've made up characters on every RP server I can find--Argent Dawn, Sister of Elune, Silver Hand, Steamwheedle--and there's just no roleplaying to be found. It's sad, but for REAL roleplayinig, it looks like you still have to be around a tabletop.