Badger, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you. 15 Minutes of Fame recently posted an article looking at a young roleplayer who enjoyed roleplaying more than he did leveling his character. The engineering articles have a witty roleplaying theme to them, often tying in-game elements and lore as reasoning to be an engineer (and risk life and limb for the trade skill). Numerous roleplaying articles come across this site on a regular basis, sometimes to the effect that non-roleplayers wonder why the hell there are so many!

In fact, I've been exceedingly pleased with the number of roleplaying-related articles that have been cropping up on WoWInsider lately. As others - roleplayers and non-roleplayers alike - have mentioned in the past, we're a minority in the World of Warcraft community and catering exclusively to our expectations effectively shuts out the larger community as a whole. It's understandable that roleplayers get less attention, but what notice we get is usually well-written and by experienced members who are active participants in the community. And I value that a lot more than an outsider who writes on roleplaying without knowing more than the Feathermoon tram incident and the phrase "lawl arpee".

I don't care if Mike is a roleplayer or not (I honestly don't know); if he's interested in learning more about our sub-culture, I'm glad. This is a fun, engaging idea that has worked successfully on our server (as has a series Azerothian Speed Dating meetings, of which one of my girls somehow became the poster child); I'm glad that it's getting attention. Why denounce WoWInsider's attempts to help roleplaying gain further recognition when I think it's something in which you've expressed interest in the past?

Aside from David Bowers' series, "All The World's A Stage," and Daniel Whitcomb's frequent contributions, I've seen little else that regarded Roleplayers (like myself) with anything other than mockery or disdain. If Insider is actually interested, though, I'm glad to hear it.

Maybe I've just become embittered from the sheer number of people who spend their time on this site flaming professed RPers and telling them to leave the game.

On an unrelated note: Cynra, I've tried several times to get your attention to discuss the subject of RP. I find it a little odd that you only chose to reply once I spoke up on what I felt was a lack of representation (read: "negative post").

I also found it strange that Mike has largely ignored most of the other commentary on his recent posts, but he swung right into action when you spoke up in his defense.

Eep, I forgot to mention Brian Karasek's articles on Engineering. Those are some of my favorites; thank you for reminding me.

Yet another correction, because I'm not a total jerk: I meant that I found Mike's timing "amusing" or "ironic," not "odd." That implies that I have something against the guy, which I don't.

I've ignored you? Oh, Badger, that's never been my intent! I'm sorry for making it look like it has been. I do try to make an effort to reply to posts that are directed towards me (and often comment when not, as many people may have seen at this point) and I thought that I had replied to you on any of the last posts where you've asked a question or tried to garner my feedback. Last one that I recall was when you commented on the similarities between my sin'dorei and Kael'Thas Sunstrider. I'll make an explicit effort going forward to look out for your posts.

Concerning Mike's post, given the fact that we replied at around the same time I can only guess that he hit the Submit button just seconds after me - and then replied again to comment on my reply. That, or maybe I'm Mike's alter-ego and trying to gain some valuable epeen points... *dun dun dun!*

And I can understand being bitter; being a roleplayer means that you're at the bottom of the food chain. PvPers mock us. Arena groupies mock us. Raiders mock us. Casual players mock us. Hell, I assume if my little monsters (read: ferrets) could speak, they'd mock us. It doesn't matter than being a roleplayer doesn't mean being excluded from any other aspect of the game: being a roleplayer is the badge - or bane - we possess.

However, I do feel that it does little to reprimand someone who has made an attempt to post something related to the roleplaying community. Wouldn't it be more effective to take a post like this and say, "Well, it's not what I'd have chosen to post, but at least it's well-written, relates to roleplaying, and presents it in a positive light"? Encourage people who express interest in learning more about roleplaying! Get people engaged! Be inclusive! Inform! Convert! The more intelligent people who become engaged in roleplaying with the intent of having fun with others by interacting in-character and weaving wonderful stories together the better!

"One of us! One of us! One of us!"

Pssst! You missed something.

*points downward to Post #17*

Oh, I didn't miss a thing! I'm just so wordy that it takes me a bit to write up a lengthy reply; when I hit the Reply button, your post didn't even exist! In fa~act, I was replying to your post below when I refreshed your profile page and saw that you'd made a reply here.

And you owe me Gnomecorn™, Badger! Here I was thinking that I'd committed some horrible faux pas by ignoring your posts. I'd even started looking through the archives to see what post(s) you were referencing. Phew! I fell better - I'd have hated missing the opportunity to babble more because I didn't reply a comment you directed towards me.

Hey there, Aelandra,

Will Veritas be helping Tuar Annwn coordinate the Ball in May? I know that your Guilds have collaborated on many events previously.

I'm unsure, but most likely. The BBB is Sheigh's baby, and he's the one that takes care of all the planning. The only authority I have is over the Date Auction.

Yikes ... Was it really that bad? I spent a while over on Moon Guard, and while there were a few power gamers and Mary Sues, I never had any experiences quite this negative.

Some of the older guilds (ie: those who have been there since the beginning) have some ego issues that they feel they need to deal with publicly. If you can steer clear from that, as well as the vomit inducing state of Silvermoon (she was such a pretty city... now no one would want her) it's not THAT bad.

Mind you if you wish to do something other then rp (like raid past the 10 mans) you'd best mosey on down to another realm. Moon Guard used to be the least progressed US server. To this day I can think of 4 guilds off the top of my head that are in t6 content. I don't believe any of them have downed Illidan (could be wrong, haven't checked in a bit) and 3 of those guilds are only in said content because they lifted attunement.

Um, no, it won't. We had another Date Auction, and the only issues we had was griefers in the crowd.

Tuar Annwn has been around since the beginning, and I've never had any RP elitism thrown at me before I joined (and I've been a member for over 6 months now). I see members of Tuar Annwn RPing with others OUTSIDE the guild as well..and hey...I'm one of them!

This event is to promote RP hopefully with people we haven't met yet...to broaden our characters relationships with others and keep Moon Guard growing strong.

And who gives a damn about progression when we have RP to be concerned about? It will come. We've got one hardcore raiding guild chewing through Black Temple at the moment (Ascension, Horde), and even as hardcore as they are I still see some of their members RPing.

If you had a bad experience with Moon Guard, I'm sorry, but that doesn't mean it's that way for everyone.

As it is, your RP is how YOU make it.