So you have an awesome character, and you’re in some channels (or just in general chat) trying to find RP. How do you go about getting started? How do you let other people know you want to play too?

First – don’t ask OOC.

Saying in a channel “hey does anyone want to RP with me?” isn’t going to get you the response you want. (This is especially true of general chat.)

It doesn’t tell people what’s going on, and most of the time when other characters are online, they have things that they’re trying to get done. Saying “I wanna RP, who wants to come play!” is the equivalent of saying “I wanna go quest, who wants to come play!” Either statement is so vague that you’re not likely to get a response.

Before someone gets annoyed though, asking OOC “hey where is everyone, can I come join the RP?” is totally appropriate – it gets you to where things have the opportunity to happen, and also gives the people involved a chance to say no thanks. (Sometimes RP needs to be private, just like sometimes conversations need to be private. That’s ok.)

Whispering a specific person, or sending them a message out of game, when your character has a particular need or desire to talk to theirs is also appropriate. It says “hey are you available? I have something I want to get done.” You’re inviting someone to join in your RP, giving them a proverbial carrot to get involved.

The way to get people to RP with you is to offer RP to them.

If you have an in-character channel, either guildchat or just a normal chat channel, make something happen. Your character drops their buzzbox, spills their coffee, lights something on fire, finishes a quest, argues with a goblin, just says “hi” – the way to get people involved and RPing with you, is to start off by RPing with them.

When you’re new, this can be particularly hard – but remember, all you’re looking to do is create a situation where other characters have a chance to respond.

Maybe you emote asking for a drink, and then make a horrible face because it’s gross. Maybe you lean on the bar and look around, or ask for some food and dig into the bowl of stew like you’ve not eaten in three weeks. Maybe you’re out in the wild and trip over something.

These kinds of actions are great when you’re in a group of people, trying to break the ice after watching for awhile. They’re not hard to do, they don’t make you the center of attention (unless you spill a pitcher of beer all over the dwarf at the table, of course), but they let others know that you’re there.

And not just /there/, but open for RP, and you’ve already given them the hook to get involved.

If you create a situation where other characters can respond, they will.

As the ever awesome Falconesse says, RP happens with you, not to you. And it doesn’t happen “at” other people. You can’t really RP at someone else without annoying or boring them. If their character isn’t involved, they’ll lose interest quickly.

Of course, nothing is foolproof.

Maybe you’ve logged on during a raid and won’t get any response, or maybe everyone is already involved in important conversation. That’s ok – just like finding a group for an instance, you can’t always get the right people around for the RP you want. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a little casual or pick-up RP in a major city, and it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try again.

But do try to avoid the usual “Anyone want to RP with me?” – instead, go straight into a little hook of an RP action and see what happens.