Getting Started With WoW Roleplay - Humans
Fleshing Out Your RP Character In World of Warcraft
Sep 14, 2009
Although the general characteristics of humans are not difficult for players to get to grips with, there is still background information and racial characteristics that a role-player can use to flesh out their new character.
Choosing A Name
Possibly the easiest and most difficult part of creating a human is choosing a name. It is easy because players will know a vast number of human names which could be used, but it can be difficult as World of Warcraft operates a unique name system where each name can only be used by one character on each server. This means that common names such as Sarah, David, Megan and Jamie are likely to have been taken a long time ago.
One way of getting around the problem is to create an alternate spelling to a common name. Lisa could become Leesa, Lissa, Lisah, and so on. Matthew could be Mathew, Matthu, Mathiew, and so on.
Alternatively baby name websites could give ideas for hundreds of names, many with alternative spellings.
Speech and Language
The humans do not have a language that is specifically just for them, and speak Common – the general language of the Alliance races. But there is no reason why a player may not choose to give the character an accent of sorts.
Traditional Earth accents may not work so well in these settings – for example, there is no France in Azeroth and so a French accent would be unrealistic. But types of speech may give a character more depth and help create a fuller personality.
Some examples of accents a player could use are:
- Pirate – "Arr mate, ye be best to speak wi' me cap'n about tha..."
- 'Posh' or upper class – "A Gentleman would never stoop so low as to associate with the likes of pirates..."
- Lower class – "'Ere mister, spare a copper f'r a poor kid what can't afford to buy no shoes..."
In each case the words and speech patterns use can help to suggest a back story for a character without a player having to spell it out each time they meet another player in the game.
History of Humans, Orcs and Trolls, and Surviving in WoW
Humans have a long history of aggression with the orcs and the trolls, although their greatest threat from other playable races is probably from the Forsaken, or Undead, who are fighting to expand their territory out from Tirisfal and into Human areas.
No matter how well prepared a role player is, the very nature of the game means a player is likely to come across a situation that throws them and creates an unusual challenge for their character.
However, by sticking to the simple role playing rules, such a situation can become an interesting and fun experience, and role players should always be willing to try to work their way out of such situations while staying in character so that all the players involved have the best possible experience.
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